I Cultivate in a Government Office

Ten-odd seconds later, Yang Wenqing slowly withdrew his power. The Third Transformation Heart Method ceased to operate. He looked down and saw Lan Ying blinking her big eyes, looking at him with concern.

Yang Wenqing reached out and gently tapped Lan Ying’s small head, a relieved and confident smile spreading across his face.

Lan Ying said within his Spirit Sea, “Your perception of the Inspiration World has become clearer.”

Having just overcome the Heart Demon, Yang Wenqing’s mind was clear and open. He said with a cheerful laugh, “I can’t compare to you. You were born with a connection to the Inspiration World. You barely have to cultivate your Divine Sense to easily surpass me.”

“Haha, I know, right?”

Lan Ying was very proud.

Yang Wenqing reached out again and gently stroked Lan Ying’s small head. In just half a day, he had broken through the Second and Third Transformations.

He then held up his hand to estimate the time and realized only an hour and a half had passed. He immediately recalled the Secret Technique for the Fourth Transformation from his memory.

The Fourth Transformation of the Marrow Cleansing Realm was called ‘Blood Essence Rebirth.’ It was a crucial transitional step in the realm. After completing it and entering the Fifth Transformation, ‘Leakless True Body,’ one could begin to attempt Foundation Establishment.

The core of this cultivation step was to deeply fuse one’s vast, refined Spiritual Qi with their own qi and blood, which contained their life essence. This process used the tough, broad meridians from the Second Transformation as channels and the powerful Divine Sense from the True Spirit Sea of the Third Transformation as a guide.

It involved guiding Spiritual Qi to permeate the blood, bone marrow, and even finer organ tissues. There, it would combine with the life essence within, gradually refining mortal blood. This process would imbue the blood with the characteristics of Spiritual Qi and Mana, beginning its transformation into Spirit Blood.

Once Spirit Blood was formed, it would spontaneously nourish the physical body and replenish Mana as it circulated. It could also penetrate deep into the bone marrow to improve the very source of blood production, ensuring that even newly generated blood possessed a Spiritual Attribute.

Qi and blood are the foundation of life. The slightest mistake could lead to them flowing in reverse, damaging the very source of one’s organs. A major error could cause one’s blood vessels to rupture, utterly destroying their cultivation foundation.

Therefore, in addition to needing a massive amount of pure Spiritual Qi and a powerful Divine Sense for precise control, the cultivation of the Fourth Transformation also required the supplementary guidance of a ‘Nirvana Flower.’

This flower was extremely rare. It typically grew in peculiar places where terrestrial fire Spiritual Qi and vital life essence converged. It resembled a phoenix reborn from flames, with crimson-gold petals containing immense life force and a unique harmonizing property.

The *Xuanyue True Scripture of Marrow Cleansing* had a very detailed description of the state of perfection for the Fourth Transformation:

“Qi and blood are like mercury, their flow like thunder. Spiritual Light is contained within, and bone marrow is like jade. With every breath, a full cycle completes on its own. Essence is full, spirit is complete, and qi is abundant. At this point, the spiritual foundation is initially established, and one may glimpse the path to eternal life.”

Yang Wenqing’s body was currently surging with abundant Spiritual Qi, and his Divine Sense far surpassed that of an ordinary Third Transformation cultivator. Although he lacked the crucial ‘Nirvana Flower’ or its derivative pills, he still planned to take the first step into the Fourth Transformation. He would attempt a shallow fusion of Spiritual Qi and his qi and blood to form a simple, initial cycle, officially entering the Fourth Transformation.

With that, he gave Lan Ying a heads-up before composing himself. His consciousness sank into his newly formed True Spirit Sea to observe the projection of the Golden Core World. After running a simulation of the cultivation, he mobilized a wisp of his Divine Sense and formally began to operate the Secret Technique for the Fourth Transformation.

The next moment, under the guidance of this wisp of Divine Sense, the pure Spiritual Qi rushing through his body began to permeate the surrounding flesh and blood.

At first, he didn’t feel much of anything. But as the permeation continued, Yang Wenqing felt a peculiar warmth and a sense of swelling. His Divine Sense clearly saw the changes occurring in the projection of the Golden Core World. Only after confirming there were no issues did he continue cultivating.

Gradually, under his conscious guidance, a small amount of Spiritual Qi successfully combined with the qi and blood in a specific area, forming an extremely faint vortex of Spirit Blood. This vortex spontaneously absorbed the surrounding Spiritual Qi that was seeping in, while simultaneously releasing life-filled energy that nourished the surrounding flesh and tissue.

Though the area was extremely small, it marked Yang Wenqing’s successful entry into the Fourth Transformation, ‘Blood Essence Rebirth.’ He had grasped the initial knack for fusing Spiritual Qi with his qi and blood.

Immediately, he let out a long breath and stopped operating the Heart Method. He retracted most of the permeating Spiritual Qi back into his main meridians, leaving only the tiny vortex of Spirit Blood to circulate on its own.

Following that, Yang Wenqing’s Divine Sense returned to his Spirit Sea. He snapped his eyes open to meet Lan Ying’s gaze and subconsciously reached out to stroke her small head.

“You don’t seem any different. What were you just doing?”

Lan Ying asked.

Yang Wenqing didn’t explain much. He simply chuckled, stood up, and extended his left hand. In that instant, the Dharma Seal for an Anti-Demon Spell appeared. The speed at which he formed the Dharma Seal was countless times faster than before, a speed completely unimaginable for a Second Transformation Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivator.

Seeing Yang Wenqing cast the Anti-Demon Spell, Lan Ying thought he was about to do something big and immediately landed on his shoulder. But to her surprise, the spell’s seal was shattered the next moment by the Five Yang Qi that emerged from his palm.

“You’re a bit stronger than before. I didn’t even sense the trajectory of the Spiritual Qi before you had already formed the Dharma Seal.”

Lan Ying commented.

Yang Wenqing laughed heartily, releasing his feeling of relief and exhilaration. He then took out his badge, activated the Communication Array within it, and contacted his master, Qin Huaiming, to report his cultivation results.

“Good. With this, the championship in the Provincial Hall’s grand competition is practically in the bag. Furthermore, at your current cultivation speed, you’ll most likely be able to attempt your first Foundation Establishment around the age of forty. With your foundation, you should succeed on the first try. Plus, with the Clear Heart Pills and the sect’s blessed land, it’s highly unlikely you’ll face a lightning tribulation.”

Qin Huaiming was overjoyed.

Foundation Establishment has a certain chance of triggering a lightning tribulation. The conclusion drawn from many years of summarized cultivation experience is that an overly slow advancement will lead to the Celestial Dao’s rules suppressing a cultivator’s lifeline.