No words were spoken through the night.
Time quickly came to noon of the next day.
After sleeping until midday, Li Jing got up to prepare lunch and checked his panel.
About eight hours later, the cultivation progress of the Flying Sword Blue Edge improved from 3% to 7%, and the Linglong Towerās cultivation progress increased by 2%.
The spiritual power intensity increase brought by the four-level advancement last night was indeed significant.
He estimated that under the effect of 756 spiritual power intensity, the efficiency of cultivating a Level Nine Treasure would increase by 10% every day. Therefore, it might take another ten or so days for the Flying Sword Blue Edge to reach Treasure Level 10.
This efficiency, he had to say, was quite delightful.
After reaching Treasure Level 10, even if the cultivation efficiency decreased by half, the Flying Sword Blue Edge would become a Spirit Weapon within twenty days.
As for the Linglong Tower, it can be disregarded for now.
It grew by 1% in eight hours, but itās hard to tell how much of this was due to the original cultivation efficiency.
One problem is that the panel does not show decimal points, and the other is that the cultivation progress of the Linglong Tower, on evolving into a Spirit Weapon at six oāclock in the morning, should have increased by 1% anyway.
Certainly, there is an increase in efficiency, but whether it could rise to 2% per day is debatable.
Also, even if it could increase to 2% per day, this touching expectation of cultivating efficiency is not very high.
If he wanted to increase the cultivation efficiency of the Spirit Weapon, Li Jing felt that he needed to step into the Four Realm himself.
The cultivation efficiency was influenced by his spiritual power intensity.
However, beyond spiritual power intensity, there was another hidden factor.
Which was the change in spiritual power density.
This change would occur whenever advancing a realm beyond the Three Realm.
Lij Jing had long been attentive to the impact related to spiritual power density.
When he was in the Second Realm cultivating the Mortal Tool Standard Steel Knife, he paid a lot of attention to it.
When he promoted to Three Realm and got the Flying Sword Blue Edge, the cultivation efficiency did decrease, but it wasnāt as substantial as he had anticipated.
The influencing factor was undoubtedly spiritual power density.
Setting aside these trivial matters.
As Li Jing was about to go to the kitchen, Liu Sisi came downstairs.
Today Liu Sisi didnāt come downstairs in her pajamas, and she got up over an hour earlier than yesterday.
Seeing her coming downstairs, Li Jing slightly smiled.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Liu Sisi greeted back with a light smile and asked.
"What time did you come back last night?"
"Around three, I had some work and stayed a bit longer in the office."
Li Jing replied.
Before he could say anything else, Liu Sisi said quietly,
"I will go to the Chicken Shop myself today. I woke up more than an hour earlier, that should be enough time."
"....."
Li Jing was silent.
He had been wondering how such a sleep lover like Liu Sisi managed to get up more than an hour earlier today, it seems she was traumatized from the dizziness caused by the flying sword yesterday.
Looking at her with a smile, Li Jing said,
"Would you like me to drive you there?"
"No need."
Liu Sisi quickly shook her head, saying,
"The new helpers at the shop just started; I need to maintain my authority as a boss. Going with you wonāt be good."
"Uh...hmm?"
Li Jing was taken aback.
Liu Sisi always had her quirks.
But this one was a bit hard for him to understand.
He wondered, what does Liu Sisi maintaining her boss image got to do with him driving her there?
Without giving it much thought, Li Jing nodded.
"Alright then, go early and come back early."
As he said this, he added,
"By the way, Yuran will be bringing two cats over for lunch."
"Cats?"
Taken aback, Liu Sisi asked,
"Hasnāt Yuran already raised a Spirit Dog? Why is she suddenly raising two cats?"
"Those two cats are a bit unusual, they arenāt her pets."
Li Jing spoke, hesitating a bit, he added.
"They both are human-shaped demons."
"Human-shaped demons?"
Liu Sisi was stunned and responded in curiosity.
"You know Yuran?"
"Met her while dealing with a case, they both have provided considerable help."
Seeing her calm demeanor, Li Jing was a bit surprised added.
"Sisi, you donāt seem to be particularly sensitive about human-shaped demons?"
"Why should I be sensitive to that?"
Liu Sisi said indifferently.
"If you bring a demon from the One Realm or Two Realm here, I might panic. Human-shaped demons, after all, are rational beings who can communicate. Furthermore, from the perspective of obeying laws and regulations, human-shaped demons living in human society are much more honest than some people."
While talking, she pouted with dissatisfaction.
"Are you underestimating me a bit?"
"Um, that..."
Li Jing coughed awkwardly.
In this respect, he indeed underestimated Liu Sisi.
Later, when Chen Yuran brings Ji Qing and Jing Ming, he would have to introduce them to Liu Sisi. Otherwise, the two cats would have difficulty eating at the table.
To prevent Liu Sisi from being shocked when she learns the truth, he deliberately dropped a hint beforehand.
Unexpectedly, Liu Sisiās understanding of human-shaped demons is quite thorough, unlike ordinary people who have great prejudices against human-shaped demons.
Seeing Li Jing hesitating, Liu Sisi snorted.
"Iāve been trapped in the One Realm for many years and have indeed lived an ordinary life, but Iāve seen a lot in my many years of business. Some things are sensitive and not convenient to discuss casually. Donāt treat me like a vase whoās just good for decoration, with no actual experience."
Having said that, she waved dismissively.
"Wait for Yuran to bring the cats over and introduce them to me. Since we have guests, I will bring back an extra spirit chicken from the chicken shop."
Upon hearing these words, Li Jingās eyes lit up.
An extra Spirit chicken?
Doesnāt this mean he can have seconds?
These opportunities donāt come often.
Looking at someoneās greedy eyes, Liu Sisi felt slightly irritated but helpless.
With a soft sigh, she turned and walked towards the door.
"You start cooking first, we donāt want the guests waiting a long time for their meals when they arrive. Iāll head to the chicken shop now, Iāll try to come back as soon as possible to help you entertain the guests."
...
While Liu Sisi went to the chicken shop, Li Jing got started with the cooking.
Having guests over, he needed to prepare an abundant meal.
After working for about an hour, Li Jing had a full table of dishes ready.
Right when he finished putting dishes on the table, Chen Yuran, who was punctual and food-loving, arrived leading two cats and a dog.
At this moment, Chen Yuran was on cloud nine.
She held Jing Ming in her arms, Ji Qing sitting on her head, and behind her followed Stinky Tofu.
The two cats and the dog, all extremely attractive.
People who didnāt know Chen Yuran may think sheās a pet magnate.
Li Jing looked at Chen Yuran entering with a glowing face and two cats and a dog, completely at a loss for an appropriate reaction.
Compared to an inspector, she might be more suitable to work at a pet shop.
On the other hand, when Chen Yuran entered and found only Li Jing, she looked around and asked in confusion.
"Whereās Sister Sisi? Has she not gotten up yet?"
"Sheās traumatized from the Sword Controlling you showed her yesterday, she got up early and went to the chicken shop."
Li Jing replied.
"She should be back soon, Iāve already told her about Ji Qing and Jing Ming coming, she stated she will bring back an extra Spirit Chicken."
After hearing Liu Sisi was traumatized from her Sword Controlling, Chen Yuran coughed awkwardly and questioned.
"Did she react in any particular way when she found out Ji Qing and Jing Ming were human-shaped demons?"
"Donāt worry, she doesnāt hold any prejudice against human-shaped demons."
Li Jing replied, glanced at Jing Ming being held by Chen Yuran like a treasure, and smiled slightly.
"Jing Ming, welcome to my home."
Jing Ming, who had spent the night with Chen Yuran, seemed to have grown a bit less shy and nodded her big round head at his words.
"Thank you for having me."
Before her voice had even died down, Ji Qing had impatiently spoken up.
"What about me?"
"Weāre already old friends; why nitpick so much?"
Li Jing let out a chuckle.
At this moment, Liu Sisi walked in through the door carrying two freshly slaughtered Spirit Chickens.
Upon seeing Chen Yuran magically holding two cats against her chest, her eyes almost popped out.
Li Jing did tell her that both cats were cat spirits, but he never told her that both were such eye candies.
Upon seeing Liu Sisi, Ji Qing took the initiative to speak up.
"Hello, Iām Ji Qing."
When Hole Sprout saw Ji Qing speak, she also parroted in a human language.
"Hello, Miss Sisi. Iām Jing Ming."
Greeted by the friendly hellos from the two cats, Liu Sisi gave out a sweet smile.
"Welcome both of you to our place."
Ji Qing and Jing Ming had introduced themselves to Liu Sisi, saving Li Jing the trouble of introducing them.
As he took the Spirit Chickens from Liu Sisiās hands, Li Jing added.
"You guys chat first, Iāll go and..."
Before he could finish, Liu Sisi suddenly pulled him and asked quietly, biting her lips.
"Can... can I hold them?"
Li Jing was slightly taken aback, not expecting Liu Sisi to have a fancy for cat spirits.
Ji Qing and Jing Ming, being cat spirits, had exceptional hearing abilities.
Although Liu Sisi spoke softly, they easily caught onto her request.
Jing Ming was the first to react.
"So, can I..."
Before she even finished, Ji Qing leaped off from atop Chen Yuranās head, propelling herself towards Liu Sisi.
Seeing Ji Qing leap towards her, Liu Sisi quickly extended her hands to catch her.
The soft and light Ji Qing in her hands nearly melted Liu Sisiās heart there and then.
Meanwhile, Li Jing gave Jing Ming a puzzled and sympathetic look.
It was obvious that Jing Ming was trying to escape from Chen Yuranās "clutches".
It seemed that Chen Yuran must have done more than just sleep with her last night.
On the other hand, Ji Qing never looked more at home, contently rubbing against Liu Sisiās chest.
"Feel free to pet me. Iāve stayed at Yuranās house for a while, and would often get petted by Li Jing as well."
"..."
Li Jing.
Ji Qing, your words are a bit ambiguous!
Liu Sisi, however, didnāt pay much attention to it.
With Ji Qingās permission, she gleefully petted her head, and then turned to Li Jing with a happy smile.
"Hurry up and cook, our guests are waiting. Iāll take care of them out here."
Seeing as Liu Sisi was completely smitten, Li Jing laughed and agreed. He shook his head at Liu Jisi, and carried the chickens into the kitchen.
With both cats divided between Liu Sisi and Chen Yuran, Li Jing felt unnecessary.
Four women chatting, he had no business interrupting.
Stinky Tofu quietly followed Li Jing to the kitchen and sat by the door.
With two Cats around, what was there for it to do?
Being born as a dog, it felt utterly helpless.
...
The meal was very joyful.
After the feast, Chen Yuran reluctantly let the cats go and asked Li Jing to take them home.
Whilst Liu Sisi was enjoying a period of "double happiness" while someone was busy doing the dishes, she also left.
In the afternoon, Li Jing sent Ji Qing and Jing Ming back, then took a trip down to the spiritual objects market.
The corpses of the ten Third Realm rat demons were eventually sold to Xu Jiayi for ten million per piece, earning him two high-quality Yin Energy Crystals.
The value of the rat demonās carcasses, admittedly, was a bit low.
But this was somewhat within his expectations.
Compared to his previous earnings, the rat demons had no special characteristics.
From their fur to their organs, all were average commodities with no special advantage, except for the two large incisors which could be considered top-notch artifact refining materials.
Given their limited value, Li Jing didnāt bother keeping the parts that could be used for Artifact Refinement to sell to Xiang Minghui for a bit more profit.
By now, money had lost much of its significance for him, trading for materials to nourish weapons was more practical.
If Xu Jiayi was giving him such a significant discount, he needed to let her earn something in return.
He had no plans to feed the two high-quality yin crystals he had just obtained to the Linglong Tower.
Spirit weapons are like insatiable children, theyāll consume all you give them.
Since he acquired the Linglong Tower, the value of the materials fed to it have already exceeded two hundred million.
Being its "parent", he couldnāt favor one over the other.
The Flying Sword Blue Edge would level up to a spirit weapon within a month, so he had to leave something for the newly born spirit weapon that was eagerly awaiting nourishment.
At this point, earning some "milk powder money" was not going to be easy.
Unless something happened that required the Security Departmentās attention, Chen Jing wouldnāt allow him to intervene.
Even if he wanted to find an opportunity, he needed one to arise in the first place.
...
Time flew, and ten days passed in a blink of an eye.
As Li Jing predicted, the Flying Sword Blue Edge met the conditions to become a Tenth Grade Treasure.
The nourishment progress of the Linglong Tower, on the other hand, had reached 34%.
Its nourishment efficiency was much lower than Li Jing had predicted, increasing by merely about 1.5 per day on average.
Li Jing didnāt have high expectations for it to begin with, so needless to say, he wasnāt disappointed.
What annoyed him was that he hadnāt found any opportunities to earn experience in the past ten days.
It wasnāt that there werenāt any cases.
During his shift alone, he had encountered three cases of homicide.
However, these three cases had no "technicalities" to them, the suspects were identified with a quick investigation, all human, and were captured on the spot and thrown into jail.
These three cases brought him a reward of one hundred thousand.
This, truthfully, wasnāt even enough to fill a gap in his teeth.
On the contrary, previous cases from Shangcheng District and the Rat Demon case paid off, bringing him a total income of nine million.
Two million were from the Shangcheng District cases, the remaining seven million were the reward for the Rat Demon case.
The two sum rewards arrived in his account, barely making him feel a bit better.
Itās worth mentioning that on the third day, Liu Sisi had officially begun her closed-door cultivation after entrusting the Chicken Shop to the newly hired helpers. She only showed up for meals each day.
When she said she wanted to practice diligently, she meant it.
For the past few days, Li Jing had been the one to pick up the Spirit Chicken from the shop.
That evening, after dinner, Liu Sisi didnāt go upstairs.
Li Jing saw her still sitting on the sofa, looked puzzled, and sat next to her after cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks.
"What are you thinking about? Arenāt you going to practice upstairs?"
"The effects of the Spirit Gathering Pill have just worn off, so Iām planning to rest for a day," Liu Sisi said, pouting.
"Being in closed-door cultivation is dull. If it continues like this, I may die of boredom."
"If you find it boring, then rest for a few more days. Thereās no need to rush," Li Jing responded with a smile.
He had no firsthand experience of whether closed-door cultivation was boring or not because he wasnāt the one practicing.
However, the way Liu Sisi had been earnestly practicing recently wasnāt lost on him.
If he were in her shoes, living day in and day out without leaving the house except to eat, he couldnāt stand it.
Upon hearing Li Jingās suggestion to rest for a few more days, Liu Sisi seemed somewhat swayed.
But she soon shook her head resolutely.
"No way, I want to make a breakthrough into the Three Realm as soon as possible. Iāll just rest tonight," she said. While speaking, she grabbed Li Jingās arm, rested her head against his shoulder, and extended her petite hand.
"Bring out the panel. Iāve been working hard for a whole week without checking it. Letās see how much progress Iāve made."
At her request, Li Jing fetched the panel and handed it to her.
Liu Sisi took over the panel and channeled a stream of Spiritual Qi into it.
The Panel accepted the Spiritual Qi and soon expressed its astonishment.
"Youāve made quite some progress, Miss Sisi. Youāve already reached the late stage of the Second Realm in just seven days!"
Li Jing: ?
Liu Sisi: ?