With mealtime at hand, Ling Changqing finally ended his Cultivation, rising to open the door and head to the dining hall on the Sea Boat.
He carefully locked his door and left a hidden mark. After confirming that no one was prying, Ling Changqing made his way down the corridor at a leisurely pace.
Along the way, he occasionally saw servants hurrying past. When he encountered a familiar face, Ling Changqing would offer a smile and a greeting.
Life wasn't easy for anyone at the bottom of the Ling Family's hierarchy. However, as a distant relative with a bit of Cultivation, Ling Changqing's status was slightly higher.
On the surface, at least, they wouldn't dare show him any disrespect. As for what they thought in private, that was another matter entirely.
A faint, meaty aroma filled the dining hall. By now, quite a few Pearl Gatherers had congregated, each holding a massive food bowl. They were gathered in small groups around wooden tables, eating and chatting.
Since the Pearl Gatherers' work was quite dangerous and extremely physically demanding, the meals arranged by the Ling Family's Steward were at least decent.
Two pounds of low-quality Spirit Rice, a bowl of substandard Demon Beast Meat, and a flask of ordinary hard liquor were enough for a Pearl Gatherer to fill their stomach.
But such rations were only provided during sea voyages; they couldn't dream of this during their usual work back on shore.
Of course, the Ling Family Steward was a bit more generous with the Pearl Gatherers who performed well at sea.
For instance, the Pearl Gatherers who had brought back Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearls today received two pounds of slightly better Demon Beast Meat, an unlimited supply of low-quality Spirit Rice, and half a flask of low-quality Spirit Wine.
To the destitute Pearl Gatherers, this was an exceptionally rare and lavish feast. They usually never had the chance to eat this much Spirit Rice, let alone Demon Beast Meat and Spirit Wine.
By this time, Ling Changqing had already collected his own meal from a fleshy-faced cook, holding it in an iron bowl. He found an empty table and sat down, chewing in silence.
The Spirit Rice was acceptably fluffy and contained a hint of Spiritual Qi. The Demon Beast Meat, however, was a bit tough. It hadn't been prepared with much care, so it didn't taste very good.
There was plenty of arable land on Zenxin Island, but the area of Spirit Fields—prime land nourished by Earth Qi and Spirit Veins—was limited. Consequently, the production of Spirit Rice and Spirit Grain was not high.
This low-quality Spirit Rice that Ling Changqing was eating typically came from fields on the fringes of a Spirit Vein's influence. It contained only a slight amount of Spiritual Qi, and the seeds themselves were poor. Strictly speaking, it didn't even meet the standards to be called Spirit Rice.
For most low-level Cultivators, however, even a meal like this was not something they could eat whenever they pleased. To be able to afford such food for every meal would mean you were already quite successful.
As for the Ling Family's high-ranking Elders and favored Direct Lineage disciples, they relied on various Elixirs for their daily Cultivation. The Spirit Rice and Demon Beast Meat they consumed were of the finest quality.
As more Pearl Gatherers arrived for the meal, envious gazes occasionally swept over Ling Changqing, carrying unconcealed jealousy, resentment, and a trace of imperceptible malice.
Of course, some gazes were full of admiration and a desire to curry favor. Human nature was, after all, a complex and fickle thing.
Ling Changqing's expression remained neutral as he calmly worked on his meal. Thanks to the continuous growth of his Divine Soul, he was extremely sensitive to the emotions of those around him.
They hate you for what you have and scorn you for what you don't.
That, too, was human nature, something that never changed, regardless of the world one was in.
'Hmm... once this voyage is over, I should find a way to get a better Cultivation Technique or Divine Technique to practice. I can't guarantee my safety underwater relying solely on this crude Water Manipulation Technique...'
Ling Changqing mused internally. For more than ten years, he had struggled just to survive and had no savings to speak of.
His situation had only improved over the past six months, ever since the Exotic Treasure, the Era Star Palace, had awakened on his twelfth birthday. He had saved up a small number of Low-grade Spirit Stones and some family merit points, but he had no idea if it would be enough to exchange for a new Cultivation Technique or Divine Technique.
The Water Manipulation Technique was a rudimentary Cultivation Technique distributed by a Ling Family Steward. Its main purpose was to help Pearl Gatherers move more easily and stay underwater longer; it offered little in the way of offensive power.
In the eyes of the Ling Family's upper echelons, these Pearl Gatherers in their employ were merely tools—expendable ones at that. If one batch died, they could just recruit another from the outside. Naturally, they wouldn't provide them with any high-quality Cultivation Techniques or Divine Techniques.
In reality, the Marketplace wasn't short on all sorts of Divine Power Scriptures. You could find everything from cheap, common trash to the signature Cultivation Techniques of certain Sects and Noble Families—provided you could afford the price.
Given Ling Changqing's current circumstances, he couldn't hope for much. He could only take things one step at a time.
"Brother Ling..."
A somewhat familiar voice called out. Ling Changqing looked up to see a slender young man with soft, almost effeminate features walking toward him, a smile on his face and a food bowl in his hands. He sat down opposite Ling Changqing.
"Brother Chen."
Ling Changqing nodded slightly, his tone flat as he replied.
This man, Chen Tong, was cunning and opportunistic, and had been part of the Pearl Gatherer team for five or six years.
Because he had spoken with Ling Changqing more than others in the past, Chen Tong had a habit of acting like his mentor, telling everyone that he was the one who'd taken the boy under his wing.
Ling Changqing loathed the man's attitude, but he maintained a cordial facade simply to avoid an open falling-out.
Chen Tong glanced enviously at the large chunk of Demon Beast Meat in Ling Changqing's bowl, then back at his own. He couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment.
The man hadn't found a single Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearl for days. Today, he had not only been berated by Steward Ling Changfeng but had also been whipped, and his back still ached faintly.
"Brother Ling, I need to ask you something,"
Chen Tong paused, a zealous smile spreading across his face. "I'm not far from the threshold of the Qi Cultivation 4th Layer, but I'm short on the Elixirs and resources I need. Could you lend me some Spirit Stones? As soon as I break through, I'll pay you back immediately!"
"..."
Ling Changqing's movements paused. He lifted his eyes to size the man up for a moment, then lowered his head and continued eating.
"So? Given our history, you can trust my character, can't you?"
Chen Tong said, his smile unwavering. In his eyes, this handsome kid's luck had been excellent recently. He almost never returned from the sea empty-handed, so he must have built up some savings.
'Besides,' he thought, 'I'm a veteran Pearl Gatherer. I've looked out for this kid plenty in the past. It's only right that he show me some respect with a few resources.'
'Once I break through to the Qi Cultivation 4th Layer, my status in the team will only get higher. Then this Ling Changqing kid will have no choice but to suck up to me!'
Across the table, Ling Changqing slowly swallowed the rice in his mouth. His voice was calm, without a ripple of emotion.
"Apologies, Brother Chen, but I'm a bit tight on funds myself recently. I'm afraid I can't help you."
His experiences from a past life had taught him that lending money often turned friends, and even family, into enemies. And he barely had a relationship with this man to begin with.
'With a scoundrel like him, if he ever actually paid the money back on time, Ling Changqing would write his own name backward.'
"You..."
The expression on Chen Tong's face froze. He stared at the handsome youth before him in disbelief.
'He couldn't believe it. How could this kid dare to refuse such a small request from someone like him?'
'Has he forgotten how I guided him when he first started? How dare he?!'
Seeing the man's face drain of color, Ling Changqing sneered inwardly.
"You should ask someone else, Brother Chen."
Ling Changqing said coolly, then returned his focus to his food, not giving the man another glance.
"Ling Changqing... Fine. Just fine... I'll remember this!"
Chen Tong ground out the words, shot Ling Changqing a vicious glare, then snatched up his food bowl and stormed away.
Ling Changqing let out a soft chuckle, knowing he had just made an enemy of the man.
Men like him were born petty; they would hold a lifelong grudge over the most trivial slight. The moment they got a chance, they would pounce like a rabid dog, snarling for revenge.
However, Ling Changqing wasn't particularly worried. Just a moment ago, the Era Star Palace inside him had trembled faintly as another wisp of the Power of the Divine Soul quietly gathered.
Ling Changqing now understood how it worked. Whenever any being—human or Demon Beast—harbored malicious intent toward him, a small portion of their Soul Origin would mysteriously drain away. This energy was then absorbed and converted by the Era Star Palace, becoming nourishment for the growth of his own Divine Soul.
This was the true reason his Divine Soul Power was able to grow continuously, which in turn brought about a significant improvement in his comprehension.
Although the souls of these low-level Cultivators weren't powerful, and the portion of Soul Origin they lost was minuscule—perhaps less than one-thousandth of their total—every little bit counted. Grains of sand could build a pagoda.
Over time, Ling Changqing believed his Divine Soul would grow so powerful that even Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators wouldn't be able to compare. The same would hold true for his comprehension.
With a powerful Divine Soul and outstanding comprehension, cultivating any Cultivation Technique or Divine Technique would yield twice the results with half the effort, and breaking through bottlenecks would become exceptionally easy.
When he had first uncovered this miraculous power of the Era Star Palace, Ling Changqing's initial reaction had been a mixture of joy and apprehension.
He was joyful to have a path to continuous growth, but worried because rapidly strengthening his Divine Soul and comprehension meant he would have to constantly stir up trouble and make enemies with as many people as possible.
The logic was simple: the more people who were jealous of or resented him, the more people who bore him ill will, the more Soul Origin the Era Star Palace could passively harvest.
However, this directly contradicted Ling Changqing's personal philosophy—the Way of Survival, which dictated a low-key, cautious approach to developing his strength from the shadows.
With his current low Cultivation and lack of other means to protect himself, being targeted and resented by too many people would sooner or later get him killed, leaving not even dust behind.
Ling Changqing felt he couldn't possibly give up on collecting Soul Origin, yet he couldn't deliberately provoke countless enemies either. This presented him with a seemingly unsolvable dilemma.
'So,' he thought, 'I'll have to find a way to have the best of both worlds.'