“Although I can’t tell much, this child’s temperament is acceptable, and he has self-awareness.”
Inside the main hall, Shi Po slowly spoke.
“Indeed, he’s acceptable. Thankfully, he’s not as hypocritical as Moyunzi; otherwise, I’d truly be too lazy to deal with him.”
Lingyu Princess revealed a slight smile.
Originally, she thought this Dark Star Genius would try to curry favor with her and pester her endlessly, like other Sect Geniuses she had met.
Now it seems he’s clearly not that kind of person, though she couldn't rule out the possibility of him playing hard to get. However, it didn't matter. As long as he wasn’t the type to cling and didn't bother her too much, she didn't care what intentions he harbored.
“To be valued by that person, this child must have something extraordinary about him. Perhaps we can find an opportunity to test him.”
Lingyu Princess suddenly said, as if she had thought of something.
“Alright. The Misty Sea Area has a large number of sea beasts, and they are very aggressive. There are also some powerful sea beasts among them. There will be plenty of opportunities then.”
Shi Po nodded and said softly.
“Hmm, then let’s discuss it when the time comes.”
*
On the other side, Lin Sheng and the others left Wanghai Villa directly.
Shui Zhi and the others were somewhat puzzled as to why Lin Sheng didn't choose to stay at Wanghai Villa.
Over this period, they had already become accustomed to Lin Sheng’s way of doing things.
Understanding that he must have his own reasons for doing so, they didn’t say much about Lin Sheng’s decision, simply following his arrangements.
The group found an inn in the city and rented several superior rooms.
Inside the room.
Steam rose.
Lin Sheng sat cross-legged in a wooden tub, his eyes tightly closed. A faint, chilling aura emanated from him, growing denser as time passed.
It wasn't until sunset that he slowly opened his eyes, concluding his cultivation of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture.
He cultivated the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture almost every day.
Now that Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange was stuck at a Bottleneck, his energy was naturally all focused on this Mystic Skill for the time being.
He aimed to cultivate it to the Peak of Bones Transformation as soon as possible.
Because after reaching the Peak of Bones Transformation, he could undergo the second Demonic Skeleton Transformation.
This would grant him another opportunity for enhancement.
The previous enhancement had greatly improved his physique.
The effect of the second enhancement would definitely be stronger than the first.
With Nine Demonic Skeleton Transformations, each transformation would bring increasingly powerful enhancement opportunities.
Moreover, in addition to enhancement, he could also accumulate Demonic Rhyme again, shortening his cultivation time and accelerating his cultivation efficiency.
It could be said that each Demonic Skeleton Transformation was a significant improvement.
After finishing his cultivation, Lin Sheng ordered a table of excellent food to be brought. He looked at the bustling street outside the window, pondering his next move.
Cultivating Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) was definitely not that simple. To further cultivate a Long-toothed Lacquer Fish into a high-level Spirit Beast undoubtedly required a large amount of time and various Heaven And Earth Treasures.
He thought of the blood dragon fruit that the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey had consumed back then, which was one such Heaven And Earth Treasure.
Besides that, specialized trainers were also needed. Although Nong Yu had a good understanding of sea beasts, she clearly couldn't compare to a professional trainer.
Furthermore, relying on Southern Qi’s Dark Star channels, achieving this would be extremely difficult.
Lin Sheng pondered for a long time, and only one answer came to mind.
That was to utilize the power of the Military Department.
Within the entire Southern Qi, the strongest force was undoubtedly the Military Department.
Using the Military Department’s power, achieving this should not be a difficult task.
And besides cultivating Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish), he could also use the Military Department’s channels to collect powerful exotic beasts with similar mimicry talents.
“Forget it, I’ll find an opportunity to ask Lingyu Princess.”
Lin Sheng shook his head slightly.
Perhaps there were even stronger Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) in the Wanghai City Military Department Sea Beast Division.
As he was pondering, a knock suddenly came from the door.
“Come in.”
Lin Sheng spoke indifferently.
He had already sensed the person outside the door.
After receiving permission, Shui Zhi pushed the door open and entered.
“Young Master, someone from the Military Department delivered a letter for you, saying it was from Jushi City.”
“Oh?”
Lin Sheng was a little surprised.
Jushi City was a long way from Eastern Province.
Furthermore, he didn't know anyone in the Military Department, so who would send him a letter?
“Bring it over.”
Shui Zhi immediately stepped forward and placed the letter in his hand down.
It was an ordinary-looking letter, but its surface was imprinted with a tiger-shaped mark.
With just one glance, he recognized that this mark was precisely the Southern Qi Marshal’s Seal.
“Huyan Ji?”
Lin Sheng was even more puzzled, and immediately opened the letter.
The handwriting on the letter was delicate and strong, revealing a hint of elegance. Just from the writing style, he knew that this was definitely not Huyan Ji’s work.
Instead, it came from the hand of the Southern Qi Military God.
His gaze immediately became a bit more serious, but after reading the content of the letter, his expression suddenly became strange.
Then, with a burst of force from his hand, the letter instantly turned to dust.
Because the content of the letter was...
It was this Great Grandmaster asking him about his impression of Lingyu Princess.
Every word and phrase implied the meaning of a matchmaker.
Finally, it even stated that if he was interested, he could act as a go-between and make the arrangements for him.
Lin Sheng pinched his forehead, and after a long while, he finally sighed helplessly.
At this moment, he finally understood why Lingyu Princess, a member of the royal family, was specifically assigned to receive him when he came to Eastern Province this time. Clearly, all of this was the result of this Great Grandmaster’s behind-the-scenes machinations.
He had only come to Southern Qi because of a Dark Star mission, but he hadn't expected to become a consort here!
Moreover, with Southern Qi and Northern Yan currently at war, the final outcome was still unknown.
If the war between the two nations continued, and they eventually reached a truce or Southern Qi won, it would be fine. But if Northern Yan broke through Southern Qi’s army and pressed on, how would he deal with himself then?
In short, this matter meant a lot of trouble, but it also had many benefits, which was the ability to utilize the power of the Southern Qi Military Department.
Lin Sheng fell into contemplation, but finally shook his head slightly.
He didn’t want too many restrictions on himself before his cultivation reached the point of dominating an era.
However, he thought of how this Great Grandmaster had shown him kindness.
Especially since he had promised to look after the Southern Qi Military Department in the future.
He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
After a long while, he sighed lightly and simply stopped thinking about it. This matter was still undecided.
Whether he agreed or not was one thing; Lingyu Princess might not even fancy him.
Two days later.
Wanghai Villa.
“Oh? Your Excellency Lin Sheng wants to visit the Sea Beast Division?”
Lingyu Princess looked at Lin Sheng, who had come to request a meeting, with some surprise.
“That’s right. Linsheng Pavilion is quite interested in sea beasts, especially the unique Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish), so I’d like to visit the Sea Beast Division.”
Lin Sheng said seriously.
Since he wanted to visit the Sea Beast Division anyway, he decided to take the initiative today and state his purpose.
“In that case, Lingyu Princess happens to be free today, so I’ll take Your Excellency Lin Sheng to visit the Sea Beast Division.”
Lingyu Princess looked at Lin Sheng with interest, as if she had thought of something. She exchanged glances with Shi Po, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips, and directly agreed.
“Then Linsheng Pavilion thanks Your Highness.”
Seeing her agree, Lin Sheng immediately bowed in thanks.
“Your Excellency Lin Sheng, there’s no need for such formality. You’ve come a long way and are friends of our Military Department. There’s no need to address me as Your Highness; just call me Lingyu Princess.”
Lingyu Princess smiled and shook her head.
“Alright. Since Your Excellency Lin Sheng is interested in the Sea Beast Division, I just heard that a new batch of sea beasts arrived recently, so we can go and visit them.”
Soon, two carriages left Wanghai Villa and headed out of the city.
Inside the carriage, Lin Sheng, Shui Zhi, and others sat together.
Jin Yang was outside, driving the carriage.
Bai Can looked at the carriage ahead and couldn't help but speak.
“Young Master, I didn’t expect the Military Department to arrange for Lingyu Princess to receive us. Don’t look down on Lingyu Princess just because she’s a Princess; her status is actually a bit higher than that of a royal princess.”
These past few days, Lin Sheng had basically been cultivating in seclusion at the inn. He and Shui Zhi had gone to check on the progress of the Military Department’s warships, and it was during their casual chats with Military Department officers that they learned of the Princess’s importance.
“Jing Emperor of Southern Qi treats her as his own. Especially her extraordinary cultivation talent, she is considered the top person among the younger generation of the Military Department and the royal family. Moreover, I heard that she is only 25 years old now. Twenty-five years old and at Divine Form Second Transformation, tsk tsk… such talent and cultivation are truly remarkable, especially with such good looks and background. I wonder who this Princess will benefit in the future?”
As if feeling emotional, Bai Can smacked his lips and rattled on.
He quickly realized, clearing his throat awkwardly. He smiled at Lin Sheng, whose expression was a bit strange, and said,
“Of course, no matter how good her talent is, that girl can never compare to you, Young Master. You are the most… uh, the most outstanding talent I, Bai Can, have ever seen in my life.”
Ignoring the chattering Bai Can, Lin Sheng’s gaze fell on the carriage ahead.
He hadn't expected Lingyu Princess to have such status and position.
Clearly, that Great Grandmaster had gone all out.
Shaking his head slightly, Lin Sheng closed his eyes and rested.
After about half an hour, the carriage stopped.
A strong scent of the sea wafted over, indicating they had reached the vicinity of the coast.
Several Sea Beast Division personnel, dressed in standard uniforms, were already waiting.
They respectfully greeted Lingyu Princess.
“Wang Degui greets Your Highness.”
A short, stout, dark-skinned middle-aged man, with a face full of smiles, bowed to Lingyu Princess.
“Director Wang, there’s no need for such formality. I’m here this time to bring a guest to visit the Sea Beast Division.”
Lingyu Princess spoke indifferently, then her gaze fell on Lin Sheng.
“Your Excellency Lin Sheng, this is the head of the Sea Beast Division.”
“Director Wang.”
Lin Sheng cupped his hands in greeting.
“Young Master Lin, there’s no need to be polite.”
Seeing this, Wang Degui quickly waved his hand, not daring to be presumptuous.
As the director of the Sea Beast Division, his rank in the military was actually not low. Coupled with his cultivation in the Divine Form Realm, although it was only Divine Form First Transformation, he could barely be considered a high-ranking official in the Military Department.
He was naturally well aware of Lingyu Princess’s status and position. The young man in front of him, who didn’t seem to have a very high cultivation, and who was personally accompanied by the Princess, was definitely not simple.
“Your subordinate has made all preparations. Please follow me, everyone.”
Wang Degui said, already leading the way.
Because the Sea Beast Division kept a large number of sea beasts, it was built by the sea and occupied a huge area. Even Shui Zhi, who had spent years at sea, couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
The Sea Beast Division had divided multiple areas in the nearby sea, separately raising various sea beasts.
Wang Degui took everyone on a small boat, traversing the sea area.
“Most of the sea beasts studied by the Sea Beast Division are Spirit Beasts and high-level Spirit Beasts. Besides that, there are also some relatively special ordinary beasts.”
“This No. 1 sea area here basically contains sea beasts of the Spirit Beast level.”
As Wang Degui spoke, he had already taken out a conch-shaped object and gently blew into it. As the strange sound echoed,
Waves quickly rose in the sea area around them, and sea beasts and fish of various sizes surfaced.
At a glance, there were dozens of species. It was unknown what methods the Sea Beast Division used to prevent these sea beasts from attacking each other.
Lin Sheng looked at these Spirit Beasts, most of which he had never seen before, and couldn’t help but secretly marvel.
Then he asked Wang Degui,
“Director Wang, Linsheng Pavilion is quite interested in the Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish). I wonder if there are similar sea beasts in the Sea Beast Division?”
“Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish)?”
Wang Degui was stunned. He glanced at Lingyu Princess at the stern of the boat and quickly realized where the two Long-toothed Lacquer Fish the Princess had requested a few days ago had gone.
“Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) are indeed quite unique. Our Sea Beast Division naturally has some research on them, and we even had specialized breeding a hundred years ago.”
“It’s just a pity that this kind of fish has too fragile a life force. Even with various methods, it’s difficult to cultivate them to be very strong. The reason for this is due to their inherent talent. While they can mimic other sea beasts to a certain extent, the effect isn’t very strong, and it causes severe self-depletion.”
Lin Sheng nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and his opinion of the Sea Beast Division rose a few points.
After all, they didn’t have a System, so they couldn’t see the Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish)’s information and description.
To understand this much, they must have put in a lot of effort.
“I wonder, to what extent can the Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) cultivated by your division reach?”
Lin Sheng spoke again.
He had come specifically for the Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish), and now was a good time to bring it up.
“Well, the Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) cultivated in the Sea Beast Division can only reach the level of Long-toothed Lacquer Fish, which can be categorized as an initial-level Spirit Beast.”
Wang Degui thought for a moment and replied.
“Initial-level Spirit Beast?”
Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Lin Sheng’s eyes.
He had originally held considerable hope for the Sea Beast Division, but he hadn’t expected that even they could only cultivate it to an initial-level Spirit Beast.
Clearly, cultivating Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) was very difficult. Of course, this was also because, as Wang Degui mentioned, the cultivation value of Qi Yu (Lacquer Fish) was not great, and it wasn’t worth investing a lot of resources to continue cultivating them.
“However…”
Wang Degui suddenly changed the subject at this point.
“However, although they are only cultivated to the level of Long-toothed Lacquer Fish, among the many Long-toothed Lacquer Fish cultivated, there is one that is the oldest and has been cultivated for the longest time. It is estimated to have lived for over a decade, which is quite rare for a Long-toothed Lacquer Fish’s normal lifespan of three to five years.”
“It’s probably at the Peak of initial-level Spirit Beasts. Among these Long-toothed Lacquer Fish, if any could break through the shackles, it would likely be this one.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Sheng’s eyes lit up slightly.
While there wasn't a high-level Spirit Beast Long-toothed Lacquer Fish, a Long-toothed Lacquer Fish that was already close to breaking through the shackles and entering the high-level category was still a viable option.