Chapter 21: Marksmen's Ascendance

In Yan Sen's courtyard:

The three kids had finally finished their one-week closed cultivation, absorbing the knowledge given to them by the Time Sovereign. They did not waste any time. The first thing Yan Sen did when they went out was look for his cousin Yueqing. After asking around, he found out that Yueqing was leading a group of soldiers to inspect every house in Faybrook City to look for Sophia. They said that he kept on insisting that he had a hunch that Sophia was still in the City. Yan Sen asked someone to bring him to where his cousin was right now, and one of the guards brought him using a horse. After riding for about an hour, they arrived at one of the noble families' manors, the Zhous. Yan Yueqing along with about 20 soldiers moved out of the manor with a gloomy face. Yan Yueqing was talking to an old man. He was apologizing about the inspection but he insisted that every house needed to be inspected, even the Zhous' manor. After going out, he saw Yan Sen outside and asked, "Hey little Sen, what are you doing here? It's too dangerous here, you should go back. If Sophia was found in one of the nobles' manors, we are not even sure if we can come out alive. But we cannot just do nothing. Please go home."

Yan Sen answered, "I understand older brother, but I needed to discuss something with you. My master wants to let Lin Lin study tailoring. He has already taught her the theories, but she needs some practical experience. The Ming family has all the equipment needed for her training. It so happens that you are friends with brother Ming Chao. Maybe you can put in some good words and let her train in their shop."

Yueqing was puzzled why a powerful master would want his disciple to learn tailoring, but he did not ask. He agreed and said, "No problem, I am going to Ming Chao this afternoon. Tell Lin Lin to get ready, I will pick her up before going to the Mings'."

The two cousins then went their separate ways, Yan Sen going to the market to visit his newly renovated store.

When he arrived, he was satisfied. His servants, Lao Ann and Lao Chun, were really efficient. Everything was according to what he had asked them. The paint was white with gray accents. It looked minimalistic and clean. He then told them to follow him to the manor to get the elixir. They would start selling tomorrow. Lao Ming and Lao Basha had been instructed not to tell anyone, not even Lao Ann and Lao Chun, that they were the ones concocting the Ruber Jade Elixir for safety purposes. Lao Ann and Lao Chun only knew that the elixir was delivered by Yan Sen's master. It was not that he did not trust them, it was because they were the ones on the front line of business, and when some bad guys wanted some information, they would be targeted first, so it was better if they knew nothing.

After arriving at his own courtyard, he went to his temporary storage room for the elixir. He was happy with the number of stocks that they had produced in a week. He let the two servants bring half of it to the store. The other half would be stored at the house temporarily. Lady Meilan had told Yan Sen that the Yan family wanted to order 100 Ruber Jade Elixirs for the younger generation. Yan Sen wanted to give it to them for free, but his grandfather insisted on paying it for its full price.

Rejuvenation Elixir, which is only half as effective as Ruber Jade Elixir, is sold for 30 silver coins each. Yan Sen wanted to sell Ruber Jade Elixir for as low as 15 silver coins each. It was a lot cheaper and a lot more effective than rejuvenation elixir. As long as it went to market, there would be no problem selling it. For ordinary soldiers, 1 silver coin a day is the average salary that they get. If nothing goes wrong, they may be able to expand their business in the whole of Serenvale.

After that, the Time Sovereign asked Yan Sen to get papers that could be bound into a book. He instructed Yan Sen to write something in the book. The title was "Marksmen's Ascendance". Yan Sen wrote and drew everything that his master asked him to. He wrote until nighttime. He wasn't done yet, but the Time Sovereign asked him to sleep and continue doing it the next day.

The following day, he continued writing. Li Wei visited him and he asked Li Wei to get help from their family to promote their business. He also asked him about the name of the business. He told him that since it was his master's idea to do the business, it would be owned by the three of them, Mei Lin, Yan Sen, and Li Wei. They called Mei Lin and together they decided on the name "Qi Craft Emporium". Since Li Wei's family is a family of traders, it is easier for them to promote the business. Li Wei agreed and went home to inform his family right away.

Yan Sen continued writing the book his master had asked him to write. He only took breaks when he needed to eat, go to the toilet, or sleep. He finished what he was doing in 3 days. The Time Sovereign asked him to go to his grandfather and tell him that his master had given him a red-level cultivation technique in exchange for some gold coins. One gold coin is equivalent to 100 silver coins.

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The Yan family and every other family, including the Royal family in the Kingdom of Serenvale, has at most an orange-level cultivation technique. So a red-level one would really stir up a storm if it were known or sold outside. The Time Sovereign wanted to improve not only his disciple's cultivation but also the entire clan. He believes that it will also aid in the cultivation of his disciples.

When Yan Sen entered the main hall, his grandfather, Yan Meng, was sitting in the family's head chair talking to 5 of his uncles. Upon seeing a young child barge into their meeting, they just smiled. They all knew about Yan Sen's master now and his importance to the family. Besides, the Yan family is not so strict with their young ones. Almost everyone in the family shows love for the children. The exception is his second uncle, Yan Mamu, who is strict with his own children but easygoing with his nephew and niece.

Yan Sen spoke first. "Greetings, grandfather, and uncles. I apologize for barging in suddenly."

Yan Meng said, "It's okay. Why are you here, Sen'er?"

Yan Sen answered, "My master gave me something and wants me to give it to you in exchange for gold coins that will be used in my training. He said that you can decide how many gold coins you want to give me for it."

Yan Meng and his 5 sons were intrigued. They also wondered why a powerful cultivator would ask for money from his disciple's family. They thought that he might be a scoundrel, but they also thought that he might just be trying to teach the kid the value of family. Yan Meng asked, "May I know what kind of thing your master wanted to give us?"

Just like magic, a book suddenly appeared in Yan Sen's hand. Everyone was shocked and thought, "Spatial ring? But he's not wearing a ring." They were sure that Yan Sen had used a spatial storage device, but they didn't know what kind it was. Even the simplest spatial bag would be a big shock to them. They had never seen a spatial storage device in their lives. It might only appear in the imperial capital, and only those who were considered powerful in the empire could own one. Now they saw that one of the children in their family had one. They thought to themselves, "Sen'er's master is really powerful."

While they were still shocked by the sudden appearance of the book in Yan Sen's hand, he spoke up. "Grandfather, this is a red-level cultivation technique called Marksmen's Ascension. My master said that it won't conflict with our orange-level Whispering Wind Arrow Art. We can directly switch cultivation techniques without any problems." In truth, the Time Sovereign had only improved the Whispering Wind Arrow Art to make it red-level, and he had also left room for further improvement of the technique in the future. At his current level, altering or even creating a new white-level technique in the mortal world was as easy as breathing.

All six people in the main hall were shocked again. Yan Meng said, "Re-re-red level? Is that true, Sen'er?"

Yan Sen replied, "Definitely, Grandpa. My master said that he could even grant our family an even higher-level cultivation technique, but not now. Our family needs to improve our strength first before we can safely use a cultivation technique of that level. So for now, everyone can only use this."

Yan Meng stood up and took the book from Yan Sen. He said, "Tell your master that the Yan family is very grateful to him. If there's anything we can do for him, just let us know and we'll do it if it's within our capabilities. As for the money, Fengra!" He called out to his son, Yan Fengra, who was the family treasurer. "Fengra, stay with Yan'er and pay for whatever he needs for his training. If the money in our treasury is not enough, sell some of our treasures at the Li auction house."

Yan Fengra replied, "Yes, Father. Sen'er, don't hesitate to call me if you need to buy something."

Everyone was looking forward to learning the red-level cultivation technique. Money was important, but they could earn much more if the overall strength of the Yan family increased. So they were very grateful to Yan Sen and his master.

Yan Sen said, "Uncle Fengra, not now. I'll come to you in three days. But grandfather, can I take a look at our treasury? There might be something there that my master is looking for for my training."

Yan Meng agreed immediately. "Of course, Sen'er. But do you know what your master needs for your training?"

Yan Sen replied while scratching his head, "No, I don't, Grandpa. But my master is already here. He's talking to me through thought transmission. He just doesn't want to show himself."

Everyone got goosebumps. They were all at the foundation establishment stage, but they hadn't been able to sense Yan Sen's master's presence. How powerful was he?

Yan Fengra pulled Yan Sen to the family treasury.

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Mortal Realm Cultivation Technique Level

Yellow - The foundational level of cultivation, suitable for beginners. Practitioners can usually only cultivate until the early stage of Qi Condensation.

Orange - An intermediate level technique that allows cultivators to progress to the Foundation Building stage, building a solid foundation for their cultivation journey. Red - A high-level technique capable of guiding cultivators up to the Core formation stage, unlocking deeper levels of power and comprehension. Purple - An advanced technique that empowers cultivators to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, attaining a profound connection with their spiritual essence. Black - The pinnacle of mortal cultivation techniques, enabling cultivators to strive for the Spirit Severing stage, where they can sever the mortal ties and ascend to a higher realm. White - A legendary cultivation technique in the mortal realm.