Cultivating in a Bizarre World

Song Zongwu didn’t tell Ren Qing the details about the Prison Guard Reserve, only that the location would be within the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

Ren Qing had always been very curious about the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

He had already explored every nook and cranny of the Government Office, but he still couldn’t get near the Forbidden Soldier Hall, not even knowing its specific location.

The Forbidden Guards were elusive on a normal day. Some Government Constables went years without even encountering one, let alone the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

After giving a few brief instructions, Song Zongwu left the Firework Hall.

He told Ren Qing to wait patiently, and the latter had no choice but to return to the tedious life of accumulating Lifespan.

To prevent a potential disruption in the supply of pig eyes, Ren Qing began trying to eat raw fish eyes.

He discovered that as long as he ate a large enough quantity to fill his stomach, the life-extending effect was more or less the same.

The only trouble was that Ren Qing had no supply channel for fish eyes and had to rely on Xiaowu to buy them from the fish market.

But the fishmongers wouldn’t just gouge out the eyes to sell them separately; it would undoubtedly ruin the appearance of the fish.

Therefore, he had to buy whole fish in large quantities, which made the cost quite high.

Ren Qing felt a slight headache coming on. He could only hope for the resources that came with being a Forbidden Guard. Otherwise, his Cultivation would likely stagnate by the time he reached the Ghost Envoy Realm.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to worry too much about that for now.

For the time being, the Blood Dog Gang hadn’t given him any trouble over his stew business. They had even increased his share of the profits at the end of the month.

It was clear that the two words "Forbidden Guard" still carried a lot of weight within the gangs.

More than ten days passed without him noticing. Ren Qing’s Lifespan had accumulated to nearly eight years, and he was not far from his next advancement.

Ren Qing began to agonize over which Magic Technique he should choose to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm.

’First, I’ll rule out the Divine Sutra and the Human Skin Book. I can’t bring either of those out into the open.’

It seemed Ren Qing could only choose between the Taotie Technique and the No-Eyes Technique. By all rights, he should advance the No-Eyes Technique.

’After all, I’m most familiar with it, and I’ll be able to easily master the Twin Nightmare Demon’s abilities after reaching the Ghost Envoy Realm.’

’But the cost to advance the No-Eyes Technique is greater—it requires fifteen years of Lifespan. In comparison, the Taotie Technique needs five years less.’

But Ren Qing still had some concerns.

He was afraid that the Secondary Stomach User mutation path for the Taotie Technique was too mediocre and wouldn’t provide a significant boost to his strength.

Ren Qing pinched his throbbing temples, forcibly suppressing his distracting thoughts.

’It’s useless to overthink it now.’

’Maybe my Lifespan will increase a bit more after I reach the Ghost Envoy Realm, and I’ll be able to advance both Magic Techniques.’

While he was still immersed in his alternative form of closed-door cultivation—constantly swallowing eyes—the time for the Prison Guard Reserve selection quietly approached.

Ren Qing hadn’t even realized it. He was still practicing his Saber Technique in the courtyard when Song Zongwu grabbed him and whisked him away toward the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

They scaled walls and leaped across rooftops along the way, all to avoid attracting the attention of the Government Constables.

Ren Qing also noticed many outside Cultivators wearing Conical Hats.

They followed meekly behind the Forbidden Guards, likely all heading to the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

Seeing they were about to reach their destination, Song Zongwu reminded him in a low voice, "The Forbidden Soldier Hall’s location is somewhat special. It’s meant to prevent Mysterious Objects from rioting."

"Once you become part of the reserve, you’ll learn its secrets."

"Understood. Thank you, Elder Song."

The two arrived at a remote corner in the center of the Government Office, where they saw only a few rockeries standing tall.

Ren Qing didn’t dare ask too many questions, but he ventured tentatively, "Elder Song, don’t the Forbidden Guards usually have to stay inside the Forbidden Soldier Hall..."

"Why are there no Forbidden Guards around?"

Song Zongwu shook his head. "No one likes staying in the Forbidden Soldier Hall."

"Oh, I see. Then..."

"Quiet. The other Cultivators are here," Song Zongwu said in a deep voice.

At this, Ren Qing looked up and saw Forbidden Guards in Conical Hats arriving one after another, all stopping in front of the rockeries.

’Could these rockeries be the location of the Forbidden Soldier Hall? No, that’s impossible.’

Ren Qing resisted the urge to ask, constantly scanning his surroundings with his Double Pupils, trying to find a hidden compartment or secret door that led into the Forbidden Soldier Hall, but he found nothing.

A moment later, more than a dozen Cultivators had gathered.

They took off the Conical Hats that concealed their appearances, each wary of the others.

Ren Qing’s gaze swept over them.

Logically, practicing a Magic Technique could easily lead to an appearance different from an ordinary person’s, but the mutations usually looked quite natural.

But the Cultivators from the gangs were the complete opposite, looking like a troupe of Demons and Ghosts.

It was one thing to master a Magic Technique by devouring Mysterious Objects, but they also practiced with no restraints, leading to negative effects from their mutations.

For example, there was a woman from the Blood Dog Gang who had mastered the Divine Sutra.

She had probably consumed too much Beast Blood, causing patches of leopard fur of various sizes to sprout all over her body. Her hands also had only three fingers, which had taken the form of leopard claws.

Her beast-like eyes couldn’t even open and close properly.

There was also the most burly man among them, who looked to be at least a little over two meters tall.

His entire body had dark skin, and two upright bull horns protruded from his forehead.

However, he walked with a limp because his feet had mutated into bull hooves.

Of course, there were also Cultivators who didn’t look much different from ordinary people. They were probably not from the gangs and looked to have just entered the Half-Corpse Realm.

Ren Qing glanced around and noticed that most of the gangs’ Magic Techniques seemed to involve Beastification, perhaps because the barrier to entry was slightly lower.

He made no effort to hide his Double Pupils, which immediately drew the attention of the Forbidden Guards.

Aside from the fact that Song Zongwu had brought him, it was hard for people to ignore an unprecedented mutation path like that of a Repeater.

The other Cultivators began whispering among themselves and subconsciously distanced themselves from Ren Qing.

It was clear that even before the selection for the reserve had begun, they were already feeling intimidated.

Song Zongwu glanced at Ren Qing and asked, "I told you they were a motley crew. You’re not going to fall before you even make the reserve, are you?"

"Don’t worry. I’ve been through a lockdown in a restricted zone, after all."

Ren Qing promised confidently, not noticing the hint of a smile in Song Zongwu’s eyes.

Song Zongwu had never once mentioned how many people the reserve would recruit. In fact, there had been times when no one was accepted at all.

Just then, a male Forbidden Guard who was half-man and half-snake swayed over to them.

He walked like a willow swaying in the wind. He had probably mastered the Snake Shedding Technique, the same Magic Technique Ren Qing had witnessed on Camel Peak Mountain.

"Elder Song, it’s been a while."

Song Zongwu nodded at him. "Indeed it has, Zhang Qiu."

"Elder Song, could you give us a hint? Which area of the Forbidden Soldier Hall are we heading to this time?"

Zhang Qiu’s eyes darted toward Ren Qing from the corners of his vision as he continuously flicked a scarlet tongue from his mouth.

"How would I know? If you’re afraid of danger, then don’t go in."

Song Zongwu paid him no more mind. Seeing this, the other Forbidden Guards didn’t dare to approach and strike up a conversation.

Having been snubbed, Zhang Qiu returned to his original spot.

He started talking to a snake-man who looked to be in his early teens. His expression then grew increasingly gloomy, and it was clear their conversation ended on a sour note.

Ren Qing muttered to himself, "That young snake-man isn’t an orphan from one of the gangs."

"He’s Zhang Qiu’s nephew. He’s probably afraid his nephew will die by accident inside the Forbidden Soldier Hall."

"Oh, I see..."

Ren Qing’s mouth fell slightly agape. ’Isn’t this supposed to be just a formality?’

’How could there be any real danger?!!’