I Cultivate in a Government Office

Yang Wenqing was immediately wracked by an excruciating pain, the kind that comes from having one’s meridians torn apart. But his will was like iron. He maintained a sliver of clarity in his mind, guiding the torrent of Spiritual Qi to wash over the final obstacle again and again.

Lan Ying stood nervously on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, not daring to move an inch. She could feel the surging energy and pain within his body, her small claws gripping his clothes tightly.

“CRACK… HISS…”

It was as if something had completely shattered, the sound of it dissolving echoing in Yang Wenqing’s senses.

The last trace of obstruction vanished into thin air at that moment!

In an instant, Yang Wenqing felt his entire body lighten. Tempered by the Bing Fire energy and nourished by the golden light of the Divine Art, the inner walls of his meridians now glowed with a faint, jade-like luster, with hints of crimson-gold light flowing within.

The Marrow Cleansing Second Transformation, ‘Burning Meridians and Tempering Vessels,’ was complete.

Surging Spiritual Qi roared through his unobstructed network of meridians. Yang Wenqing’s aura climbed at a visible rate, and a faint, crimson-gold radiance began to shine from his body.

He immediately restrained his aura and halted the Array’s operation. The Crimson Flame Crystal Plates, Li Fire Essence, and other items transformed into streaks of light and returned to him. At the same time, he guided the rushing Spiritual Qi in his body back into his Qi Sea, incorporating it into his body’s Grand Circulation.

Seeing this, Wangchong Mountain quickly retracted the golden divine light in his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Director Yang, congratulations.”

Sensing the changes in his body, Yang Wenqing bowed to Wangchong Mountain. “Thank you, Patriarch Wang, for making this possible. Wenqing will never forget this kindness.”

The bow was heartfelt and sincere.

Wangchong Mountain accepted the bow without reservation, stroking his beard as he smiled. “Consider it a gift in return. I only hope that when your future is limitless, Director Yang, you do not forget the bond we’ve forged today.”

His words were direct, making it clear that this was an investment and an attempt to build a connection.

Yang Wenqing replied with a serious expression, “Patriarch Wang, Wenqing dares not forget your great kindness.”

Wangchong Mountain nodded in satisfaction and glanced at the sky outside the window. “It’s getting late, so I won’t keep you any longer. Yufei!”

He called out.

The hall door was immediately pushed open, and Wang Yufei, Tang Yuan, and Yang Wenjian walked in quickly.

“Patriarch.” Wang Yufei stepped forward and bowed.

“Yufei, see Director Yang out for me,” Wangchong Mountain instructed. Then he smiled at Yang Wenqing. “Director Yang, I won’t see you all the way out. I wish you success in the grand competition—may you take first place!”

“I’ll count on your auspicious words, Patriarch Wang.”

Yang Wenqing cupped his fists in salute once more.

The group bid farewell to Wangchong Mountain. Led by Wang Yufei, they quickly left Chongde Hall and boarded the waiting Flying Shuttle. After the shuttle took off, Tang Yuan asked in a low voice, “Junior Brother Yang, just now… Uncle Wang, he…?”

Yang Wenqing answered succinctly, “Patriarch Wang used a Divine Art to help me break through a small bottleneck in my Cultivation.”

Tang Yuan was stunned at first. He didn’t dare use his Divine Sense to probe Yang Wenqing’s Cultivation, so he could only ask for more details. Naturally, Yang Wenqing didn’t hide anything.

“If that’s the case, I’m afraid you truly have no rivals in this competition, Junior Brother.”

His smile was genuine.

Yang Wenqing looked at Wang Yufei and smiled. “It’s all thanks to Yufei.”

Wang Yufei quickly replied, “It’s because Director Yang’s Cultivation was already stable. Otherwise, the Patriarch’s efforts would have been in vain.”

‘That old man’s Divine Art Cultivation is almost on par with my father’s,’ Lan Ying said in the Spirit Sea. ‘How many years has he been cultivating? If I’d known, I would’ve just asked my father to help. That was scary.’

Yang Wenqing chuckled softly. ‘Patriarch Wang has such a high level of Cultivation because he’s the deputy director of the Donghai Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau and bears the national providence of Donghai Province. If Lian Xing were to be formally appointed, his Divine Art Cultivation would instantly surpass that of all other Divine Art Cultivators in Donghai Province.’

The Flying Shuttle soon returned them to the small courtyard where they were staying. It was still early.

The Spiritual Qi in Yang Wenqing’s body surged ceaselessly. In his Sea of Consciousness, his formless Divine Sense churned like a rising tide, as if about to break through some invisible barrier at any moment. This was a chain reaction caused by his Cultivation Technique naturally advancing after his breakthrough.

“Senior Brother Tang, I need to meditate for a bit to stabilize my energy,” Yang Wenqing said to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan saw that although Yang Wenqing’s aura was powerful, it was also faintly unstable. He understood at once and nodded. “Of course, Junior Brother. Junior Brother Gao, Wenjian, and I will wait in the main hall.”

Yang Wenqing said no more and strode toward the Quiet Chamber in the rear courtyard. Sensing his condition, Lan Ying quietly flew down to his shoulder, and they entered the Quiet Chamber together.

Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, Yang Wenqing calmed his mind and turned his focus inward, using Introspection to view the projection of his Golden Core World.

Inside the projection, Spiritual Qi now rushed through his meridians like a great river, tinged with a crimson-gold hue—the sign that the Second Transformation, ‘Burning Meridians and Tempering Vessels,’ was complete. Below the Qi Sea in his upper Dantian, the ethereal region of his Sea of Consciousness was now undergoing a world-shaking transformation.

His Divine Sense, originally formless and intangible, was being invisibly drawn by the Heart Method of the Third Transformation. An infinitesimally small core for his Sea of Consciousness was struggling to form. This was the ‘True Spirit Sea.’ As long as he could condense the ‘True Spirit Sea,’ the Third Transformation would be instantly completed, and he would advance to the Fourth Transformation, ‘Essence Blood Rebirth.’

Yang Wenqing had a strong intuition right now. If he just went with the flow and pushed with all his might using the Third Transformation’s Heart Method, perhaps in the very next moment, this nascent Spirit Sea vortex would completely stabilize. At that point, his Divine Sense would undergo a qualitative transformation, allowing him to begin interfering with reality. Both the precision of his flying sword control and the speed at which he could cast certain special Magic would improve by leaps and bounds.

However, an instinctual wariness stopped him.

The Third Transformation, ‘Spiritual Platform Cleansing,’ as its name implied, was all about the cleansing. And the process of cleansing was accompanied by the trials of a Heart Demon.

A Heart Demon would excavate a Cultivator’s deepest attachments, fears, regrets, and other negative emotions. It would form illusions or mental assaults to interfere with the condensation process, and could even cause a backlash that would harm the Cultivator.