Becoming a Sage Starts From Condensing the Essence of Time

Chapter 10: Employment, Learning Drawing, Carriage by the Road

He started cultivating at the age of 18. His talent could be said to be very poor.

A top-notch Spirit Refinement technique like the Sword Waterfall Diagram was actually a waste to An Le because he might not even be able to cultivate the third diagram in this life.

However, Madam Hua was wrong.

As soon as she walked out of the Heavenly Wave Pavilion, she felt the restless breeze in the air. The youth was sitting in the main hall of the Water Pavilion with his eyes closed. His breathing was long and quiet.

With Madam Hua's Spirit Refinement cultivation, she could naturally tell that An Le had completed Meditation!

The first realm of Spirit Refinement, Meditation…

An Le actually mastered it so quickly?

How long had it been since Madam Hua arrived at the Heavenly Wave Pavilion? She had only met the Matriarch and chatted with her for 45 minutes, and the youth had already reached the Meditation Realm?

Such talent… was definitely extraordinary!

Even she took half an hour to enter Meditation back then.

"This young man… actually has such talent in the aspect of Spirit Refinement? Has he matured late?"

Madam Hua's eyes sparkled as curiosity and love for talent rose in her heart.

"It's a pity that he started too late. If he had started earlier… we might have been able to place our hopes on this young man to fight for the top position in the Hall Examination and win back my husband's Storm Calming."

His Majesty used Storm Calming as a ceremony for the Hall Examination. This was naturally revealing some obscure intentions to the civil and military officials.

This Storm Calming was clearly prepared for the Lin Residence. If the Lin Residence wanted to obtain the Storm Calming, they would definitely not be able to maintain their neutrality. Unless… a peerless figure who was equally neutral but could amaze the world in the Hall Examination appeared.

However, such a person… was extremely difficult to find.

Madam Hua did not place her hopes on someone like him. She had promised the Matriarch that she would endure it, but if she could not, she would not bear it. At most… she would return to accompany her master and never set foot in the mortal world again.

Madam Hua sighed softly.

Entering Meditation in 45 minutes was considered outstanding in the Dao of Spirit Refinement. The "Sword Waterfall Diagram" was passed down to An Le, so it was not buried.

Of course, Meditation was only the beginning. The Embryonic Breath, Shedding Mortality, Primordial Spirit, and other realms after that were all difficult.

Madam Hua composed herself and returned to the main hall of the Water Pavilion.

After An Le exited Meditation, he felt that the world seemed to have become clearer, and there seemed to be a power stirring in his body.

"That's the power of the mind. Young Master An has just entered Meditation and the mental power is still weak. In the future, you will have to meditate diligently every day to temper your mind. In the future, you will be able to control the mental power and use magical methods." Madam Hua said softly.

Meditation?

Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng looked over in surprise. They had only fed the fish for a while and An Le had already completed his Meditation?

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With such talent, why couldn't he complete the enlightenment of cultivation previously?

"Young Master An, you were toying around before this? Why couldn't you be enlightened if you had the talent to enter Meditation in 45 minutes?" Lin Zhuifeng was straightforward and looked at An Le strangely.

An Le was at a loss for words. Then, he said seriously, "Miss Zhuifeng, who would treat cultivation enlightenment as a joke? Cultivation has to be done as early as possible. The earlier you come into contact with cultivation, the more benefits you will receive."

"Could it be that I deliberately started late for some reason?"

Lin Zhuifeng agreed with her.

After all, no one would be stupid enough to delay his progress. In other words, this handsome artist was really talented in Spirit Refinement. Unfortunately, he started too late and fell too far behind others. His achievements were limited.

Lin Zhuifeng sighed. She looked at the young man's handsome face and felt pitiful. Why was such a good-looking person so unlucky?

Lin Qingyin also noticed it and felt a little regretful.

"It's alright. Young Master An is an 18-year-old scholar. He's even more talented in studying. In the future, he'll be able to rise to the top and worry about worldly affairs. He won't be mediocre in his life." Lin Qingyin said gently.

An Le smiled and cupped his fists at Lin Qingyin. "Thank you for your blessings, Miss Ninth."

Lin Qingyin covered her mouth and smiled. She nodded quietly.

Zhuifeng and Ninth Sister could be said to be two extremes. One was carefree and the other was quiet and elegant.

"Alright, Young Master An is indeed talented in Spirit Refinement. If you have any questions when you visualize the Sword Waterfall Diagram in the future, you can look for me," Madam Hua said.

"Thank you, Madam Hua." An Le was overjoyed.

Madam Hua's words made him understand that the Matriarch had probably approved of his painting and agreed to let him stay in the Lin Residence to paint for the young masters.

"The Matriarch appreciates your painting and agrees to let you stay. Young Master An, let's talk about the labor fees. In the future, when you paint for the young masters, the fee for each painting will be ten Origin Spirit Coins. What do you think?" Madam Hua asked.

When An Le heard this, his heart trembled and he almost lost control of his expression.

One Origin Spirit Coin could be exchanged for 10 taels of gold and was worth 300 taels of silver!

In other words, a painting was worth 3,000 taels of silver?!

The rich and imposing Lin Residence!

"Every time you paint for the young masters, your standard must not be too much worse than this painting. I will say this first. Ten Origin Spirit Coins are not that easy to obtain," Madam Hua said indifferently.

An Le cupped his fists and said solemnly, "I will naturally do my best. If it's not as good as this painting, I won't take a single cent."

Madam Hua's expression eased. She ordered the maidservant beside her to bring over a money bag. "We'll give you ten Origin Spirit Coins as a deposit first. Young Master An can come to the Lin Residence tomorrow to paint."

When An Le heard this, he looked happy and took the money bag. However, he could hear the crisp sound of coins colliding.

"Thank you, Madam." An Le was sincerely grateful. He did not have much money and even had to earn money on the spot. Now that he had these ten Origin Spirit Coins, he could be considered to have resolved a temporary problem.

Madam Hua sat on the chair and sipped her tea. She nodded slightly. "Zhuifeng, send Young Master An off."

"Alright." Lin Zhuifeng grinned.

She and An Le crossed the small white jade bridge and strolled along the side of the large pool towards the exit of the residence.

Lin Qingyin stood quietly for a moment before suddenly looking at Madam Hua. "First Madam, I want to ask Young Master An for guidance on this sketching method."

Madam Hua was stunned. She glanced at Ninth Sister and said dotingly, "If you want to learn, learn. Go and ask Young Master An."

After Lin Qingyin bowed, she quickly chased after An Le and Lin Zhuifeng.

The Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion regained its silence.

Madam Hua slowly unfolded the sketch and looked at herself in the painting. Her eyes were filled with sadness that matched the person in the painting.

"Husband, your saber… I'll do my best to retrieve it even if I have to die."

"Husband's saber will return to Heavenly Wave Pavilion."

...

...

Outside the Lin Residence.

An Le cupped his fists at Lin Zhuifeng in farewell. Miss Zhuifeng had a fire stick on her waist and waved her hand.

"Young Master An, there's no need to be so polite. From now on, we're on the same side. Please don't be reserved. If there's anything you don't understand about the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique, you can ask me. I've learned it for a while in the past."

Lin Zhuifeng laughed heartily.

When An Le heard this, a smile appeared on his face. "Then I'll have to trouble you in the future. I hope Miss Zhuifeng won't find it annoying."

"No, no. You're handsome. I won't find you annoying." Lin Zhuifeng was very direct.

Was this someone who treated people based on their looks?

"Then I'll take my leave first."

An Le turned around and was about to leave.

However, a voice called out from behind him, "Young Master An, please wait."

An Le was stunned. He turned around in confusion and saw Lin Qingyin trotting out.

"What's the matter, Miss Ninth?" An Le asked in confusion.

"Young Master An, I am very interested in your sketching technique. Can I ask you for guidance and learn this sketching technique?" Lin Qingyin asked.

An Le thought there was something wrong, but it turned out that she wanted to learn how to sketch. That was naturally not a problem.

Sketching was the foundation of painting, so it was not difficult to teach.

There was a smile in her eyes. "Since Miss Ninth wants to learn, I will naturally teach you seriously. Miss Ninth, Miss Zhuifeng, see you tomorrow."

With that, An Le turned around and left elegantly.

"Young Master An agreed just like that?" Lin Qingyin looked at An Le's departing figure and was slightly stunned. She did not expect An Le to agree so readily.

"Ninth Sister, you want to learn sketching, don't tell me you're coveting Mr. An's beauty?"

Lin Zhuifeng's interest was piqued. She held Ninth Sister's slender arm and muttered softly. Before Ninth Sister, whose face had turned red from anger, could flare up, she hurriedly changed his words.

"This sketch is quite interesting. It looks like the real thing. Why don't I join in the fun tomorrow and learn it together?"

"Lin Zhuifeng! If you continue to tease me, I'll tell Second Uncle and you'll suffer! As for learning sketching, you're only interested in martial arts. It'll be good enough if you can last two hours for poetry, calligraphy, and painting."

The young girls whispered into each other's ears and chatted happily as they returned to the residence.

...

...

The Lin Residence was located deep in the long street, close to the Imperial City. There were few people here, and the people passing by were all officials with status.

The stone tablet jade shop in front of the Lin Residence was the symbol of the Lin Residence's status. All the officials passing by had to get off their horses and walk. This caused fewer and fewer officials to pass by the Lin Residence.

An Le left the Lin Residence and stepped on the limestone road. He was in a good mood.

On the path of cultivation, Madam Hua lit a green lamp for him and even gave him two books, the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique and the Sword Waterfall Diagram. His gains could be said to be beyond imagination.

Moreover, other than that, he had also obtained the qualifications to paint for the young masters of the Lin Residence. It was equivalent to having a stable high-paying job.

At the very least, he did not have to worry about money while preparing for the examination in Lin'an Prefecture.

He could devote himself to reading and cultivation.

An Le walked happily towards the bustling street.

There was a luxurious carriage parked by the roadside. The horse pulling the carriage had bright brown fur and a broad back. The muscles on its body were extremely obvious. It was an expensive and good horse.

An Le took a look and praised the horse's elegance in his heart. Suddenly, An Le looked at the carriage.

In the window of the carriage carved with beasts, a refined man placed his palm on the silk curtain that covered the sun and looked into An Le's eyes.

Facing An Le's gaze, the man smiled gently and let go. The curtain fell and he looked away.

An Le retracted his gaze and exhaled. He felt that it was a pity.

In his eyes, this refined man had at least 20 to 30 wisps of Age Qi. Although he could not compare to Madam Hua, he had more than Miss Zhuifeng and Fairy Yun Rou.

Unfortunately, his ability to absorb Age Qi had exhausted all his strength on Madam Hua. At this moment, it was so weak that it did not move at all. He had to rest for a night to recover. Otherwise, An Le would definitely take a wisp of it!

With a sigh, An Le did not linger any longer. His figure gradually blurred at the end of the long street and blended into the crowd.

In the carriage.

The elegant man was dressed in beautiful clothes and leaned lazily against the wall of the carriage. There was a sandalwood table in front of him with two cups of hot tea on it.

"What an elegant young man. This young man's gaze… is so strange and interesting." The man picked up a cup and shook it gently as he muttered.

Then, the man stopped and glanced at the figure sitting opposite him.

"Master Liu Qingyan, have some tea."