In the end, faced with Ling Changqing's cold attitude, the three Female Cultivators could only leave in dismay.
After they had walked some distance, a petite Female Cultivator finally couldn't hold it in and exploded:
"What's so great about him? Isn't he just some Qi Cultivation 3rd Layer bastard? The three of us were willing to be with him, and he acts like he's the one being wronged?"
"Exactly! He just got lucky and caught the Lord Steward's eye. Otherwise, he'd be nothing today..."
Another slender Female Cultivator chimed in, equally indignant:
"Someone like him? We wouldn't have given him a second glance before. If it weren't for the fact that we need to break through to the Qi Cultivation 3rd Layer as soon as possible, does he really think he'd get such a golden opportunity?"
In truth, their real intentions weren't hard to guess. It was simply that working at sea was too dangerous and earning Spirit Stones was too slow, so they planned to find a suitable Male Cultivator to be their Dao Companion.
Well, Dao Companion was just a euphemism. To put it bluntly, it meant trading sex for Cultivation Resources.
Among the struggling low-level Cultivators, this sort of thing wasn't too rare. Some Female Cultivators who lacked resources and didn't have a firm enough Dao Heart would often choose this path.
Ling Changqing had earned the Lord Steward's favor, and with his own outstanding performance, he always had the biggest harvest after returning from the sea. It was only natural that he would attract the attention of these Female Cultivators.
And that led to the scene just now. Unfortunately for them, Ling Changqing wasn't willing to play the fool and directly told them to leave.
Su Yu sighed. "Forget it. A person like him is destined for great things. There's no way he'd be interested in us."
"Is that so? Who knows if he'll die at the bottom of the sea and never come back?"
The petite Female Cultivator gritted her teeth and sneered, her heart filled with bitter resentment, but there was nothing she could do.
If they couldn't get resources, their Cultivation couldn't increase. Without enough strength, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck on the treacherous seabed.
On this Sea Boat, aside from an anomaly like Ling Changqing, the other Ling Family disciples were even less likely to give these low-level Loose Cultivators the time of day.
"Forget it. Let's go back and discuss this. If there's really no other way, then we'll just have to..."
Su Yu said in a low voice.
...
Inside the Cultivation Chamber, Ling Changqing was communicating with the Era Star Palace, watching the continuous changes in his own Divine Soul Origin, lost in thought.
'Those three women just now... they actually provided so much Power of the Divine Soul Origin? Their resentment is truly off the charts...'
Ling Changqing mused silently. The negative energy coming from those three absurdly self-confident Loose Cultivators was practically bursting at the seams. The amount of Power of the Divine Soul Origin the Era Star Palace had passively harvested from them was equivalent to that from ten times the number of Pearl Gatherers.
'If this method works, maybe I should consider taking a stroll through the matchmaking market? The harvest would probably be quite substantial.'
In an instant, Ling Changqing had devised a viable strategy.
Just like in his previous life, the Marketplaces in this world also had so-called matchmaking markets, filled with all sorts of weirdos, drama queens, and absurdly self-confident "Little Fairies."
With his current qualifications, a place like that was quite suitable for him. They would undoubtedly be after his Spirit Stone resources, while he would be targeting their Divine Soul Origin.
His mind made up, Ling Changqing consumed a Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill and began another night of Cultivation.
「The next morning.」
Ling Changqing finished his breakfast, organized his belongings, and left his room unhurriedly.
On the foredeck, most of the Pearl Gatherers had already assembled and were listening to Ling Zifeng's address.
Although Ling Changqing was also listening in, his position was now among the Ling Family disciples, so he no longer had to squeeze in with the other Pearl Gatherers.
Unsurprisingly, Su Yu and the other two Female Cultivators were also present. When their gazes fell upon Ling Changqing, the hatred in their eyes was almost tangible.
Ling Changqing's expression remained neutral. 'Low-level Loose Cultivators like them are destined to live short lives. They won't even be fleeting passersby in my long existence. Why should I bother with them?'
A moment later, after Ling Zifeng finished his address, the many Pearl Gatherers began to enter the sea.
Ling Changqing still went in last, but no one interfered anyway.
He could now decide for himself when to enter the water and when to return.
The day passed quietly. When it was time to clock out in the evening, Ling Changqing was once again the first to return.
As Ling Zifeng had promised, the estimated value of the resources he brought back this time was about fifty percent higher than the other Pearl Gatherers, and he also received more family merit points.
Once Tian Wenhua finished his tally, Ling Changqing's Storage Pouch contained an additional forty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones and twenty-five points of family merit.
At first glance, family merit didn't seem very useful, but after accumulating a certain amount, it could be exchanged for Elixir resources to improve one's Cultivation, Top-grade Magical Artifacts, Talisman Array Maps, and of course, Cultivation Method Scriptures.
In the future, when Ling Changqing needed to exchange for the middle and lower volumes of the Profound Truth Black Water Scripture, he would need not only sufficient Spirit Stone resources but also the required amount of family merit.
As usual, he went to the dining hall to eat. After eating and drinking his fill, Ling Changqing returned to his room to cultivate without any delay.
And so it went, day after day: working at sea, eating, buying Elixirs, and cultivating behind closed doors. Ling Changqing's life was monotonous yet fulfilling.
This high-intensity Cultivation continued for over a month. Then, one night, Ling Changqing's Cultivation finally broke through again, and he became a Qi Cultivation 4th Layer Cultivator.
In his sea of consciousness, a message imbued with a mysterious Dao Rhyme silently appeared:
[Master of the Era Star Palace: Ling Changqing]
[Bone Age: 14]
[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation 4th Layer]
[Destiny: 20+96]
[Blessed Fortune: 20+74]
[Physique: 15]
[Root Bone: 13]
[Comprehension: 14]
[Divine Soul: 21]
[Primary Cultivation Technique: Profound Truth Black Water Scripture (1st Layer) 3940/5000]
[Water Escape Technique: (2nd Layer) 410/2000]
[Water Spirit Shield: (2nd Layer) 435/2000]
[Spirit Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Middle Rank Character 539/10000]
[Nobles: Ling Zifeng/Tang Qiu Yao]
All his physical attributes were continuously strengthening, and there was clear progress in his Primary Cultivation Technique and Divine Techniques.
The Qi Cultivation 4th Layer already belonged to the Middle stage Qi Cultivation. Especially at Ling Changqing's young age, he would be considered a top-tier seedling even among the Direct Lineage disciples of the Ling Family.
The advancement of his Water Escape Technique and Water Spirit Shield further enhanced Ling Changqing's life-saving abilities. 'Perhaps I should find a couple of powerful offensive Divine Techniques to cultivate next.'
Another pleasant surprise was that Ling Changqing's Spirit Root Level had finally changed, upgrading from the previous Bottom Rank Character to Middle Rank Character.
Spirit Roots were divided into several tiers: Waste, Mortal Grade, Character, Earth Grade, and Celestial Grade. Each tier was further subdivided into Upper, Middle, and Lower ranks.
Once a Cultivator's Spirit Root Level was raised, it signified a complete, transformative change from the inside out.
The direct effects of this included an increased cultivation speed and simultaneous boosts to one's Physique, Divine Soul, and Innate Talent and Comprehension. The benefits were too numerous to list.
However, resources capable of improving one's Spirit Root Talent were true Heavenly and Earthly Treasures in this world.
Even the lower-level varieties were considered unobtainable Rare Treasures by the vast majority of low-level Cultivators.
This time, however, no new Noble slots had been added. It seemed he would have to wait until his next breakthrough for that to be possible.
'To be able to advance so quickly, aside from cultivating the Profound Truth Black Water Scripture, the Era Star Palace must have also played a huge part, especially with all those good things I ate at the bottom of the sea...'
Ling Changqing mused that there were actually no insurmountable bottlenecks between the Early and Middle stages of Qi Cultivation. As long as one had the right Cultivation Technique and enough Elixir resources, they could advance once they had accumulated enough energy.
However, for ordinary low-level Loose Cultivators, the extreme lack of Cultivation Techniques and resources made it incredibly difficult for them to pass this stage.
The vast majority of low-level Loose Cultivators would squander their entire lives, only ever reaching the Early or Middle stages of Qi Cultivation.
But Ling Changqing was not yet fifteen years old, no longer lacked a Cultivation Technique, and could earn his own Elixirs and Spirit Stone resources. His path forward was bright and full of promise.