The child was filthy, his face covered in mud, having clearly endured some ordeal.
He was manning a small stall, with a dozen books scattered about. In front of it, a piece of wood bore writing etched with charcoal.
"Selling ancestral cultivation techniques, solely to buy a good coffin for my father."
Behind him, a middle-aged man lay wrapped in a straw mat.
Xu Chuan's gaze swept over him, and he knew this man had been dead for quite some time.
Upon seeing this, Xu Chuan finally relaxed.
He knew that the child before him was the one he was looking for.
[Name: Wang Lun]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Talent: The Center of Attention]
[Destiny: Lone Star (Red), Innate Sword Bone (Purple)]
[Life Script: Supporting character, a follower on the protagonist's path]
[Life Trajectory: Grew up with his father in Lin'an Prefecture. His father chanced upon a Spirit Crystal, but the news leaked, attracting the covetous eyes of the Chen family. His father was killed by the Chen family, and the Spirit Crystal was stolen. He fled with his father's corpse to Ding'an City. Penniless, he chose to sell ancestral cultivation techniques to bury his father. Afterwards, his talent would be revealed, and he would be discovered by Xu Chen, the Son of Fortune, becoming Xu Chen's trusted right-hand man.]
...
Seeing the information scanned by the system, Xu Chuan's expression turned surprised.
As Xu Chuan's strength grew, the system began to provide more information, including [Life Trajectory].
What shocked him even more was that this Wang Lun possessed such exceptional potential.
[Lone Star: All close relatives dead, triggering unparalleled talent. Cultivation speed doubles. Only those with immense fortune can subdue him.]
[Innate Sword Bone: Born for the sword, naturally a prime candidate for sword cultivation. Comprehension of the sword way far surpasses ordinary individuals.]
One red and one purple destiny, coupled with the talent of [The Center of Attention], made him immeasurably superior to ordinary people.
Even within the Taiyi Holy Land, he would be considered top-tier.
Moreover, Xu Chuan keenly sensed the presence of another opportunity emanating from him.
The Spirit Crystal!
This was an incredibly rare treasure.
It could be used for artifact forging or to aid in cultivation.
For artifact forging, it could refine weapons, enhance their quality, and increase their profundity. It could also be used to directly forge weapons. To forge weapons of Earth-tier or higher, Spirit Crystals were indispensable.
For cultivation, it could cleanse the body and improve aptitude. Furthermore, Spirit Crystals contained a vast amount of heaven and earth vital energy; one Spirit Crystal was equivalent to tens of thousands of high-grade Yuan Stones.
This demonstrated the preciousness of Spirit Crystals.
Even the Holy Land possessed very few Spirit Crystals, and the possibility of them appearing in the outside world was even more minuscule.
Xu Chuan hadn't expected to see any mention of it.
Combined with the Heaven-tier cultivation technique now within reach, this was truly a double blessing!
Xu Chuan was inwardly thrilled.
However, he maintained a calm facade, fearing anyone might discern his intentions.
He handed the newly acquired secret manual to the child.
Xu Chuan casually flipped through the secret manuals on display, then asked, "How many manuals have you sold today?"
Wang Lun, holding the recovered secret manual, was overcome with emotion and repeatedly thanked Xu Chuan.
Hearing Xu Chuan's question, he replied, "Haven't sold a single one. These cultivation techniques are too low-grade."
His voice grew softer until it was barely audible.
Xu Chuan remained silent.
He had briefly examined them and found that the highest grade among them was only Yellow-tier low-grade. Some were even just mortal martial arts, which no one would pay attention to.
"How about this, I'll take all the manuals on your stall. I'll give you five hundred low-grade Yuan Stones!" Xu Chuan offered.
Wang Lun was startled and quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, these manuals aren't worth that many Yuan Stones. You just helped me, I can't accept your Yuan Stones."
"If you fancy any of them, just take it. Consider it my thanks for your help!"
Xu Chuan nodded upon hearing this.
Despite suffering such a tragedy, this child was still kind-hearted.
Coupled with his talent, he could indeed be introduced to the Holy Land.
As for what opportunities awaited him in the future, that would depend entirely on himself.
"I'm not short of this little bit of Yuan Stones. It's settled then, five hundred Yuan Stones, and I'm taking all the manuals on your stall!"
Without waiting for Wang Lun's refusal, Xu Chuan produced a storage bag and pressed it into his hand.
Storage rings were precious, but storage bags were common. Xu Chuan had obtained quite a few of them from the foolish individuals he had encountered recently.
This storage bag contained exactly five hundred Yuan Stones.
Upon receiving the Yuan Stones, Wang Lun was dumbfounded.
He made no move as Xu Chuan collected all the manuals from the stall into his storage ring.
After a while, he finally came to his senses.
Then, he anxiously said, "No, no, I can't accept this!"
Xu Chuan's expression darkened, feigning anger.
"If you don't take it, it means you look down on me."
Wang Lun was startled by his words and could only reluctantly accept the Yuan Stones.
From the surrounding crowd, some people were hatching cunning plans, intending to rob the Yuan Stones after Xu Chuan left.
How could Xu Chuan not know what they were thinking?
He then loudly warned the crowd, "This child is under my protection, Xu Chuan. Anyone who dares to bully him today is making an enemy of me, Xu Chuan, and an enemy of the Taiyi Holy Land!"
"I trust you all understand the consequences. Before you act, ask yourselves if you have the ability!"
Xu Chuan glanced disdainfully at the few people who were stirring restlessly.
With his warning, he believed they wouldn't dare to make a move.
If any truly fearless individuals appeared, Xu Chuan would have no choice but to send them to meet the Buddha.
Wang Lun was so moved that he was on the verge of tears.
After all, he was still a child.
Having suffered such a great misfortune, and finding someone to help him, he could no longer hold back his emotions.
He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Xu Chuan.
"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir! Your great kindness, Wang Lun will never forget!"
"Alright, hurry and bury your father with dignity!" Xu Chuan helped Wang Lun up and instructed.
"After you have buried your father, you can go to the Taiyi Holy Land's outpost and mention my name. Wait a few days, and you can join the disciples of the outpost in entering the Holy Land."
Xu Chuan could not bear to let this child continue to wander the streets.
After all, he had obtained the cultivation technique he needed from him.
Moreover, the child's talent was remarkable, and he felt a sense of cherishing talent.
If he could be brought into the Holy Land, he would undoubtedly become a powerful figure in the future.
After all, Xu Chuan's goal was to become the Holy Lord, and by any calculation, he would not lose out.
With Wang Lun's talent, he would likely be highly sought after by the peak lords if he joined the Holy Land.
As for the destiny of the Lone Star, there was no need to worry.
The Taiyi Holy Land had plenty of individuals with great fortune.
Let alone anything else, how could the elders of the Holy Land not be individuals with immense fortune? Without some fortune, how could they achieve the Reincarnation Realm, how could they become elders of the foremost Holy Land in the Eastern Region?
Not to mention the nine peak lords.
Watching Wang Lun leave carrying his father's corpse, Xu Chuan also departed with Li Hu.
His current task was to find the complete Heaven-tier cultivation technique, the "Xuan Yang Jue," hidden within these dozen or so secret manuals.
His cultivation was already as perfect as it could be.
As long as he had the subsequent cultivation methods, Xu Chuan could immediately advance to the Transcendent Realm.
With the cultivation of the Transcendent Realm, he would be prepared for the subsequent acquisition of the Spirit Crystal.