I Cultivate in a Government Office

"In the official world, connections are often more important than a single victory or defeat. These people could very well become your colleagues, rivals, or allies at the Provincial Hall, or even at higher levels. Establishing contact with them now will be of great benefit when you’re trying to find your footing there later on."

Understanding dawned on Yang Wenqing. ’Master’s foresight is truly remarkable.’

"I have learned a great deal."

He stood up and bowed.

Qin Huaiming gestured for Yang Wenqing to sit. Then, with a sweep of his hand beside the desk, several jade bottles of varying sizes appeared on its surface. The bottles were made of a lustrous, warm jade, and he could faintly sense the pure Spiritual Qi contained within them.

"This is Spiritual Liquid, confiscated during the raid on the strongholds of those rogue Cultivators outside the city," Qin Huaiming said, pointing at the jade bottles. "The quality is quite good. They’re all naturally formed substances found in the wild."

Yang Wenqing quickly thanked him and carefully put the jade bottles away. This kind of purely natural Spiritual Liquid was extremely expensive on the market, and often, one couldn’t find a seller even if they had the money.

Seeing him put away the Spiritual Liquid, Qin Huaiming took the opportunity to say, "Since we’re on the topic of Spiritual Liquid, I will explain the connection between the Five Elements Spirit Body that creates it and the various cultivation paths. This is one of the most fundamental pieces of knowledge in the Cultivation Realm."

Yang Wenqing immediately focused his attention, listening intently. Lan Ying was also interested in this knowledge, tilting her small head to gaze at Qin Huaiming with rapt attention.

"Spiritual Liquid is a byproduct, created when the core power of a Five Elements Spirit Body leaks out and merges with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi during its natural gestation in a specific environment."

Qin Huaiming slowly explained, "The Five Elements Spirit Body itself is a manifestation of the world’s Five Elements Origin Energy. Its form is unfixed, and it can only be naturally generated by heaven and earth under specific, opportune circumstances. It cannot be created by artificial means."

"Therefore, we can only transplant any wild Five Elements Spirit Bodies we discover into a prepared Spirit Gathering Array and nurture them carefully. After one or two hundred years, it might gestate another Spirit Body, which is why they are so exceptionally precious."

"Its greatest use lies in the path to Entry for cultivators of unorthodox schools." Qin Huaiming’s tone grew solemn. "Though there are countless Cultivators in the world, very, very few can truly walk the orthodox Great Dao. Most Cultivators, whether due to the limits of their innate talent or a lack of opportune encounters, can only achieve Entry through an unorthodox path."

"Unlike orthodox Cultivators, those from unorthodox schools cannot condense a true Spiritual Vein within their bodies on their own after reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection. Their path forward requires the aid of external items."

Qin Huaiming pointed to the jade bottles on the table and continued, "For unorthodox Cultivators who primarily practice Five Elements Secret Skills, achieving Entry requires them to find a Five Elements Spirit Body that matches their main attribute and then fuse it with themselves using a special Secret Technique."

"For example, an unorthodox fire magic user must find a fire-attribute Spirit Body, while a wood magic user needs a wood-attribute one. A successful fusion allows them to use the Spirit Body’s inherent properties to construct a Spiritual Vein within themselves, thereby achieving Entry."

At this, Qin Huaiming spoke with the pride of one from an orthodox lineage. "Every orthodox Great Dao in the world has its own source. If one’s primary focus is the laws of the Five Elements, only five Secret Techniques—the Jingang Secret Technique, the Taiyan Secret Technique, the Baishui Secret Technique, the Zhenyang Secret Technique, and the Dadi Secret Technique—are considered the ’Profound Sect Orthodox,’ the true lineage of the Profound Sect. After Foundation Establishment, practitioners of these techniques use their respective methods to naturally gestate a Five Elements Spiritual Vein within their bodies. Success means they have achieved Entry."

"The Yin Yang Sect is also known as the Celestial Gate." Qin Huaiming looked at Yang Wenqing. "The Yuqing Secret Skill we cultivate is of the orthodox Celestial Gate lineage, as is the Taiyin Secret Technique. For us to achieve Entry, our own cultivation must reach a state of perfection, and then we must connect to the Five Yang Celestial Bridge. It’s simple to say, but it is a hundred times more difficult than the unorthodox paths."

Yang Wenqing felt as though many concepts that were once vague had now become crystal clear.

Qin Huaiming continued, "Unorthodox Profound Sect cultivators achieve Entry by fusing with a Five Elements Spirit Body. The path for unorthodox Celestial Gate cultivators, however, is more focused on ’arts.’ They specialize in a specific type of powerful Yin-Yang Magic, using the magic to in turn nourish their own bodies and forcibly break through the barrier. This method is indeed simpler, but it offers limited future prospects."

"Beyond the Celestial Gate and Profound Sect, there are other methods. Some fuse with Demon Soldiers, while others walk the path of an Artifact Cultivator, using their own bloodline—or even fusing with a Demon Race bloodline—to refine a life-bound Magical Artifact. Others might fuse with a Demon Race bloodline and directly cultivate its inherited power."

"Then there are the demonic cultivation methods, which are explicitly forbidden by Wanxuan. You should have learned about this during your training at the Security Division. If you encounter a demonic cultivator, don’t even talk to them—just eliminate them on sight. Their entire way of thinking is alien to ours."

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing suddenly thought of someone and blurted out, "Master, what about Zhu Sheng from the Yellow Springs Guide...?"

Qi Yue chimed in, "Zhu Sheng cultivates the orthodox Taiyan path and has already reached the Great Perfection stage of the Third Realm. I’m afraid he has few rivals in this world. However, we have the full resources of Wanxuan at our disposal, and we are not without Third Realm Taiyan Cultivators of our own. His lifespan is nearly exhausted, making the pursuit of the Fourth Realm his only option. Given his methods and disposition, the means he’ll employ to do so will likely be..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the chill in his words made Yang Wenqing’s heart clench.

Qin Huaiming looked at Yang Wenqing and said earnestly, "Wenqing, I’m telling you this so you understand just how vast and perilous the path of cultivation is. When a figure like Zhu Sheng begins to risk everything to break through to a higher realm, he is very likely to stir up a massive storm, or even cause a catastrophe, regardless of whether he succeeds or fails."

He stressed his words, "Therefore, you must seize every moment to cultivate diligently. Bone Marrow Cleansing and Foundation Establishment are only the beginning. Without achieving Entry, you’ll barely even qualify to be a pawn when a real storm hits."

The atmosphere in the study grew heavy once more at the mention of Zhu Sheng. Outside, the night was dark and deep, as if foretelling a path ahead that would be anything but smooth.

Yang Wenqing clenched his fists. Sensing his unease, Lan Ying nuzzled her small head against his cheek and spoke to him in his Spirit Sea, ’Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you when the time comes. After all, if you die, I probably won’t be able to absorb such pure Spiritual Qi anymore.’

He chuckled.

Yang Wenqing found that this little one was the best at lifting his spirits.

As he reached out to gently stroke Lan Ying’s small head, a question suddenly came to mind. He asked, "Master, Director Qi, I have another question that has been weighing on my mind. What is the world like in the starry sky beyond our own? And what are these ’otherworlders’?"

As he asked this question, Lan Ying, perched on his shoulder, perked up her ears.

Qi Yue smiled at the question. "In my younger years," he replied, "I took an interest in astronomy and spatial Arrays. With the help of some special Magical Artifacts, I observed this very starry sky above us."

He lifted his teacup, his gaze seeming to pierce the roof of the study and travel into the boundless night sky. "The starry sky we see is no illusion. Many of those twinkling stars are what we call ’Eco-Planets,’ each one similar to our own world."

Yang Wenqing’s heart pounded in his chest as he listened, feeling as if a door to an unprecedented world was slowly swinging open before him.

"However..."

Qi Yue’s tone shifted. "Vast as the starry sky may be, it remains far beyond the reach of most Cultivators. In our official internal documents, this world is designated as Celestial Water Star."

"Legend has it that a hundred thousand years ago, an unknown cataclysm swept across the cosmos. This Star Domain, where our Celestial Water Star resides, was not spared. The countless billions of living beings of that era were brought to the brink of extinction. In their desperation, they sent their most fervent prayers to a supreme being... and a Saint answered."

"With unparalleled power, He placed a ward of True Words over Celestial Water Star’s Star Domain, forming a special ecological barrier. This barrier not only defends against destructive external energies but also, in a way, defines the upper limits of this entire region."

Qin Huaiming then added, "Based on our limited information, we can infer that under the protection and restrictions of the Saint’s True Words, Celestial Water Star will not permit the true physical forms of Cultivators at the Fourth Realm or higher to descend upon it or remain for any extended period."

Yang Wenqing was profoundly shaken. The word "Saint" carried an indescribable weight, striking his very soul. He blurted out, "Master, Director Qi, do Saints truly exist? Was it Saint Changqing?"

Both Qin Huaiming and Qi Yue fell silent.

Finally, Qin Huaiming slowly shook his head, his gaze filled with deep reverence and a trace of uncertainty. "That is a question without an answer. We can feel that this world is real, and the barrier formed by the Saint’s True Words is also real. As for everything else... that is something you must discover for yourself."

His tone held a clear warning, as if he feared that discussing the matter too much might attract some unforeseen gaze or constitute an act of blasphemy.

He looked at Yang Wenqing, his gaze complex. "If you truly wish to leave and see the sights on the other side of the starry sky for yourself, you must ascend to the Fourth Realm. At that point, the very essence of your life and your level of power will surpass the limits imposed by the Saint’s True Words protecting this world. You will be actively expelled by this world."

Even Lan Ying, on his shoulder, was stunned by the immensity of the topic. After a long moment, she muttered quietly in Yang Wenqing’s Spirit Sea, ’That sounds like a lot of trouble. I’d rather just stay here, eating and drinking. That’s more fun.’

Yang Wenqing was pulled back to reality by her "pragmatic" way of thinking. He couldn’t help but laugh, and the shock and weight on his heart eased slightly.