The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 437: Chapter 74: Salted Fish Guardian

As a passage materialized, Li Shifan’s figure appeared in the All Living Beings Tower.

Li Shifan was disoriented for a moment before he regained his bearings.

Upon seeing Zhang Wu, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Steward Zhang."

Zhang Wu nodded. "You requested this meeting. For what purpose?"

Li Shifan paused for a moment, then said, "I accepted a mission from the Alliance. I found the cargo during the mission, but because Senior Brother Zhang’s guardian had some urgent business, I was the one who brought it out..."

Zhang Wu listened quietly to Li Shifan’s account. After a long moment, he said, "In other words, you submitted a formal request for aid because the mission ran into a crisis?"

Li Shifan nodded. "Elder Huang said that because of the situation in the new zone, he won’t be deducting Contribution Points on this occasion. He said that you, Steward Zhang, would decide how I am to compensate for the request."

Just as Zhang Wu was about to speak, Li Shifan paused, then spoke again, "Oh, right. The storage bag that person gave as compensation is still with me. I’m not sure how to deliver it to you, Steward."

"After all, even though Elder Huang didn’t want the contents, I wasn’t the one who spent Contribution Points on this aid request. It wouldn’t feel right for me to keep it, so I haven’t opened it."

Zhang Wu paused at his words, giving Li Shifan a thoughtful look. "In that case," he said, "we’ll use your reward for this mission to cover the cost of the aid request."

"Normally, since you helped procure several sections of the lotus root and a Heart-Connected Lotus Platform, that kid Zhang Deming would have had to increase your reward."

"However, since you owe for one aid request, we’ll just use this mission to cover it. As for that kid, I’ll be sure to collect my due from him."

Li Shifan let out a small sigh of relief, nodded, and said, "I understand. And the matter of the storage bag?"

Zhang Wu replied, "Give it to Qin Shizhong. He handles most of those deliveries nowadays anyway."

Li Shifan nodded. "Yes, I understand."

Zhang Wu looked at Li Shifan. "Cultivate diligently," he said. "In this new zone, you’re the one with the greatest Blessed Source."

"You’ve only been on one mission so far, and you managed to find the Heart-Connected Lotus Root, which is one of the most difficult items to locate."

"With a Blessed Source like that, if you put in the effort, and with the Alliance to back you up, your path forward will only become easier and broader."

Li Shifan nodded. "I understand. I will work hard."

Zhang Wu glanced at Li Shifan and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Li Shifan shook his head. "No, nothing."

Zhang Wu nodded. "Alright, then."

With that, Zhang Wu waved his hand, sending Li Shifan out. He then exited the Spirit Nurturing Space himself.

...

After returning to his room, Zhang Deming went out into his small courtyard and leisurely sipped his tea.

A moment later, Qin Shizhong walked in.

Zhang Deming looked at him. "What is it?"

Qin Shizhong said respectfully, "Master, I have two matters to report. First, Senior Brother ’Painted Sword’ Li Shifan just gave these things to me and asked that I pass them on to Steward Zhang."

Qin Shizhong produced a palm-sized bag and set down the large bundle he had been carrying on his back.

Zhang Deming nodded. "I know a bit about this. It all stems from the mission I posted. Leave them there."

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong placed the storage bag on the tea table and set the bundle down beside it.

He then continued, "The second matter is that I’ve gathered all the materials for my promotion. I was wondering how your inquiries went, Master."

As he spoke, he raised his head, looking at Zhang Deming with a hopeful gaze.

Zhang Deming paused. "That fast?"

Qin Shizhong smiled and replied, "You probably haven’t been paying attention to the resources for the Inner Sect Tai Chi promotion, have you, Master? Many of the required resources are readily available."

"The only scarce items are the major, all-purpose primary materials. What I needed, on the other hand, were just some supplementary materials, almost all of which could be sourced from the Spiritual Agriculture Department."

"Therefore, with my current status, acquiring them wasn’t difficult. After all, Contribution Points are tradable in the Inner Sect."

Zhang Deming paused for a moment after hearing this. "What did you choose for your other primary Bloodline material?"

Qin Shizhong replied, "The Swamp Dragon Snake from the Poisonous Dragon Pool in the Miscellaneous Affairs Department’s Spirit Beast Garden. It’s been raised there for decades."

Zhang Deming paused. "The Swamp Dragon Snake? For your Dragon and Snake Transformation’s primary focus, you didn’t choose an Agility Technique or an Agile Poison Attack?"

Qin Shizhong paused, taking a moment to process the meaning of Zhang Deming’s new terminology before nodding. He said,

"Yes, Master. I’ve actually been interested in the Swamp Dragon Snake for a long time. I’m quite fond of both its Poison Control and Earth Control."

"Also, I feel my aptitude is limited, so I think it’s better to focus on a single path. The Gravity Bloodline of the Powerful Ape Transformation can also be a primary focus."

"And who knows, maybe in the future, if I progress far enough, I could combine the gravity from the Powerful Ape Transformation with the earth control from the Dragon and Snake Transformation and develop a whole new path."

Zhang Deming nodded. "That’s a decent path. You’ve clearly given it some thought. It’s good to have your own ideas on the path of cultivation. In that case, go and get ready."

A look of elation spread across Qin Shizhong’s face. "Master, does that mean..."

Zhang Deming nodded again. "I’ve already asked the Steward; an exception can be made for you. In a little while, the Spirit Nurturing Beads for the Powerful Ape Transformation and Dragon and Snake Transformation should arrive."

"They should arrive with next month’s shipment of Spirit Nurturing Beads, so you can just focus on your preparations."

Qin Shizhong was overcome with ecstasy. For a moment, his years of practiced composure failed him. His eyes shone with an unusually bright light as he looked at Zhang Deming and asked, "Really?"

He immediately caught himself and added, "I-I don’t mean to doubt you, Master, I’m just... I’m just so happy, I..."