Cultivation is just so scientific!

Li Shiming had a special connection with the Geng Metal Needle, which allowed him to control its direction.

However, since it was his first time activating the Geng Metal Skill, and he had borrowed the idea of a bullet, the needle's straight-line speed was too fast. By the time he wanted to control it, the needle had already plunged deep into the ground and lost its forward momentum.

He was surprised to find that this time, the consumption of Spiritual Power Pattern from his body was only one-tenth of the usual amount, far less than when he used the "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill."

It should be noted that at the Qi Refining Second Level, using the "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill" just once would consume one-third of all his Spiritual Power Pattern.

Li Shiming felt puzzled. Since both were the most basic spells, why did the "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill" consume one-third of his Spiritual Power Pattern, while the "Geng Metal Skill" only used one-tenth?

Although he had several guesses, he did not know which was accurate—a downside of not having a teacher.

Li Shiming was prepared to continue his efforts, as the Spiritual Power Pattern remaining in his body was still sufficient to learn the next spell, "Earth Spirit Technique."

In his view, the function of the "Earth Spirit Technique" was to adjust the Spiritual Energy in the spirit field, which seemed to him the most useless of spells.

However, the "Earth Spirit Technique" was a basic spell that every normal spirit plant master must learn. To cultivate a spirit field, one must use the "Earth Spirit Technique" after each planting session to readjust the Spiritual Energy in the field, facilitating the next planting.

Learning the "Earth Spirit Technique" did not take much time. Using aerial videos of the land, he grasped the intent needed for the "Earth Spirit Technique."

However, when he used the "Earth Spirit Technique," it consumed Spiritual Power Pattern similarly to when he used the "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill," rapidly depleting one-third of his Spiritual Power Pattern.

Fortunately, once learned, the "Earth Spirit Technique" did not need to be used for a while, otherwise, it would have been another large consumer of Spiritual Energy.

When he emerged from the study, his aura had changed somewhat; he was different than before he had entered.

From that moment, he possessed a cultivator's offensive spell and truly had a reliable means of self-defense to use when needed.

The "Geng Metal Skill" was not like a talisman; he could use his Spiritual Power Pattern to operate it up to ten times, and after restoring his Spiritual Power Pattern, he could continue to use it.

Seeing the smile on the young master's face, Si Qin's mood also greatly improved.

"Si Qin, prepare the gifts, tell Mo Yan to get the carriage ready, I am going to visit my father's friends," Li Shiming said, waving his hand.

Given the assassination attempt last night, news of his arrival in Central Capital had already spread.

Whether his father's friends were trustworthy or not, he was obligated to visit them to avoid being rude.

Once Si Qin had left on his command, he drew complex Spiritual Power Pattern runes in the air, and a Geng Metal Needle, almost invisible to the naked eye, subsequently appeared.

Having a basis from his first application, he maneuvered the Geng Metal Needle through the air.

The control range of the "Geng Metal Skill" was not large, probably only about five meters around him, which also marked the maximum sensing range on the needle.

However, this did not mean the attacking distance of the "Geng Metal Skill" was only five meters; rather, once the needle left that range, it could only travel in a straight line.

The straight-line attack distance of the "Geng Metal Skill" could reach up to thirty meters.

He had also tested the lethality of the "Geng Metal Skill," and whether it was trees or rocks, it could easily penetrate them.

The tiny Geng Metal Needle was like a formidable weapon, invincible in its might; unfortunately, due to its small size, it was difficult to inflict serious injuries on a cultivator unless it hit a vital spot.

The reason "cultivator" is mentioned here is that the "Geng Metal Skill" is a spell, and the Geng Metal Needle contains the cultivator's Spiritual Power Pattern.

The Spiritual Power Pattern contained within the Geng Metal Needle was minimal, having limited impact on cultivators but fatal to ordinary mortals.

As Li Shiming sat in the carriage, he activated the Concealing Breath Skill, concealing the Spiritual Energy Vortex, which still had forty percent of its Spiritual Power Pattern remaining.

As a junior, his visits to these elders were brief at each household. Presenting gifts was enough, and it hardly mattered whether he met the elders in person; expressing his regards was all that was necessary.

When he left the last house, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Each of Li WenYuan's friends was an official in Central Capital, ranging from fifth-grade to second-grade.

The recent household he had exited belonged to a second-grade senior official. He had not even seen the official's face; he merely presented the gift.

He didn't care about this at all, for he had no interest in a bureaucratic career.

"Mo Yan, let's take a detour through Prince Mansion Street!" Li Shiming commanded in a deep voice.

"Yes, Young Master!" Mo Yan responded aloud.

This time, Li Shiming had brought only Mo Yan with him. Although it was also Mo Yan's first visit to Central Capital, he had prepared thoroughly, steering the carriage without missing a single turn.

Mo Yan knew that Prince Mansion Street was not on the way but quite a detour, yet he would not defy the young master's orders.

As the carriage entered Prince Mansion Street, Li Shiming opened the window to observe Prince Mansion Street.

From the name alone, one could tell who resided on Prince Mansion Street; it housed various princely mansions.

Although the street was extremely wide, it was not bustling. There were no shops on either side, only mansions separated by tall red walls.

"Prince Shun Mansion!" He caught sight of a plaque and his eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of murderous intent appearing.

For him, his second uncle, Li Wenfeng, was the Senior Secretary of Prince Shun Mansion, which meant that everything there was influenced by Prince Shun's will.

Prince Shun's influence was immense, but it could not intimidate Li Shiming, the cultivator.

His visit this time was to reconnoiter Prince Shun Mansion in preparation for future actions.

"Young Master, someone is blocking our way!" He felt the carriage stop abruptly, hearing Mo Yan's report.

Li Shiming was taken aback. Although he was observing Prince Shun Mansion, his senses had not detected anyone in front of the carriage.

He opened the carriage door and saw a man dressed in a blue Daoist robe standing before the carriage. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with a storage bag hanging at his waist.

Upon seeing Li Shiming, the man showed a look of surprise, and with a wave of his hand, Mo Yan slumped over the carriage shaft.

"Mo Yan!" Li Shiming exclaimed.

Though Mo Yan was a servant, he was also one of the few people Li Shiming had the most contact with in this world.

"Young friend, no need to worry, he is merely asleep," the man said with a faint smile.

"May I know the reason for detaining my servant?" Li Shiming steadied his spirit and asked aloud.

He knew that the man before him was a cultivator, yet according to his knowledge, Great Xia was under the domain of Sky Sea Sect, which prohibited cultivators from causing trouble in Great Xia.

Moreover, they were in Central Capital, not far from the Imperial City. Why would there be a cultivator blocking the road?

"I am Cultivator Gu Jia, stationed by Sky Sea Sect, and I need to verify your identity," Gu Jia declared his identity.

His eyes swept over Li Shiming's entire body, making Li Shiming feel as if he were undressed. The runes of the Concealing Breath Skill that were condensed inside his body dispersed with that look, revealing the fluctuations of his Qi Refining Second Level spiritual power.

His inspection was extremely domineering, exposing all of Li Shiming's details regardless of Li Shiming's consent.