I Cultivate in a Government Office

"He should be here any minute now."

Yang Wenqing’s tone was neither overly effusive nor impolite. He had been ordered to host this genius from the provincial capital, but he knew full well, ’this is just a formality.’

The real discussion would have to wait until the man of the hour, Wang Jianchao, arrived. Yang Wenqing’s main task was simply to ensure this well-connected young man didn’t run into any trouble during his stay in Qianjiao County.

The private room fell quiet. Lin Xingyan seemed to have no interest in small talk, his fingertip unconsciously tracing patterns on the tabletop. Extremely faint lines of Spiritual Qi flickered in and out of existence with the movement, suggesting he was working through some sort of deduction.

Yang Wenqing, for his part, was happy for the peace and quiet. He gazed out at the bustling street below as the Nine Refining Secret Skill circulated automatically within him. He focused on the subtle, self-sustaining cycle between his internal organs, blood, and Spiritual Power—a connection that had grown far more harmonious and integrated since he had completed the Fourth Refinement.

About fifteen minutes later, the door to the room was pushed open. A travel-worn yet energetic Wang Jianchao strode inside. Having spent years working at the ground level, his skin was tanned dark, a stark contrast to the room’s refined atmosphere and Lin Xingyan’s immaculate training uniform.

"Specialist Lin, sorry to keep you waiting! I got held up on the road!" Wang Jianchao’s voice boomed. He first offered a fist-and-palm salute to Lin Xingyan, then nodded to Yang Wenqing. "Wenqing!"

"Director Wang."

Yang Wenqing rose to his feet.

Lin Xingyan stood up as well, his eyes landing on Wang Jianchao. His gaze was more appraising now, but it also carried an intense focus on the craft itself. "Director Wang, a pleasure to meet you. I was sent by the Provincial Hall’s Rune Application Research Institute to consult with you about your improved designs for the basic regional Spirit Gathering Dharma Seal."

The pleasantries were brief, and they quickly got down to business. Wang Jianchao, who was clearly both proud and protective of his research, pulled several diagrams from his Storage Bag. He spread the sheets, which were covered in complex geometric patterns and notes on Spiritual Qi flow, across the table and began his explanation.

Lin Xingyan listened with intense focus, occasionally posing a critical question. Each one cut to the heart of the Dharma Seal’s core principles or the bottlenecks in its Spiritual Qi conduction, demonstrating his remarkably solid theoretical foundation and keen insight.

Yang Wenqing listened quietly from the side. He wasn’t an expert in the art of Dharma Seals, but he could follow the general idea. What startled him, however, was the speed at which Lin Xingyan learned and made deductions.

After Wang Jianchao had explained just three basic structural variations, the young genius from the provincial capital picked up a spare pen. On a blank sheet of paper, he began to sketch, attempting to combine the strengths of two of the structures. He then introduced a concept completely unfamiliar to Yang Wenqing, outlining the prototype of a new Dharma Seal that was, in theory, even more efficient.

Though the prototype was still crude, with many of its Spiritual Power nodes having obviously unstable connections, the innovative potential it displayed was staggering. The ability to extrapolate and synthesize new ideas on the fly left even Wang Jianchao—a veteran immersed in this art for decades—completely dumbfounded. A moment later, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure.

"Brilliant! Specialist Lin, your approach combines ’triangular stabilization’ with ’circulatory acceleration’ and then introduces this... well, here, here, and here, the Spiritual Qi clash would be too intense. An actual construct would surely collapse. But the direction is right, absolutely right!"

Wang Jianchao pointed at the diagram excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.

Lin Xingyan, however, remained calm. He set down the pen and carefully examined the sketch he had just made. After a moment of thought, he looked up at Wang Jianchao. "Director Wang, your approach to these improved Dharma Seals is highly enlightening and... well, it will be an invaluable reference for the research project I’m working on."

He paused, then produced a finely printed universal voucher bearing the special insignia of the Provincial Hall. He placed it on the table and slid it over to Wang Jianchao.

"This is a voucher redeemable for five hundred thousand in cash. It can be exchanged for equivalent resources or currency at any official or designated institution within the province. Consider it a token of our gratitude for you selflessly sharing your research, as well as an advance payment for the future applications of this Dharma Seal technology."

Five hundred thousand!

The number stunned even the worldly Wang Jianchao. It was a tremendous validation of his research’s value.

Yang Wenqing couldn’t help but steal another glance at the genius from the provincial capital. ’His means are truly on another level.’

Wang Jianchao stared at the voucher, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He didn’t refuse it. Instead, he accepted it with solemn gravity and said in a deep voice, "Specialist Lin, I won’t play modest. If my work can be used in a major project for the Provincial Hall and achieve something greater, then that would be its destiny."

The faintest hint of a satisfied smile touched Lin Xingyan’s lips. He rose to his feet. "You’re a straightforward man, Director Wang. What I’ve gained today has far exceeded my expectations, so I won’t take up any more of your time. Yang Group Leader, thank you for hosting me."

He came quickly and left just as fast. Once he had the core concepts he was after and had paid for them, the young genius from the provincial capital departed without a moment’s delay.

Only Yang Wenqing and Wang Jianchao remained in the private room, along with a cup of now-cold tea and the sheet of scratch paper bearing the unfinished drawing of the new Dharma Seal.

Wang Jianchao carefully folded the paper and put it away. He shook his head in awe. "Wenqing, did you see that? That’s a true genius. We really are just frogs at the bottom of a well."

Yang Wenqing nodded silently, his gaze following Lin Xingyan out the window. He watched the young man board an unassuming yet elegantly streamlined private Flying Shuttle, which quickly vanished down the street.

’Five hundred thousand for a single idea.’

A genius’s mind, the high esteem of the Provincial Hall, the decisive action backed by vast resources—it all made Yang Wenqing realize just how limited his own perspective truly was. He secretly reminded himself to be much more humble from now on.