Cultivating in a Bizarre World

Ren Qing gave an awkward smile.

It was only then that he learned from Mu Yi that the process had taken over twenty days mainly because Lin Cheng was still recovering from severe injuries, and the probationary member slots had only just been confirmed.

"There are four probationary members this time. Once you advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm, you will become an official Forbidden Guard after a full year."

Mu Yi took out a booklet and asked, "Tell me what your main Magic Technique is. If any incidents involving Mysterious Objects come up, the Forbidden Soldier Hall will assign missions based on members’ techniques."

Ren Qing replied without hesitation, "My main technique is the No-Eyes Technique. I’m a Repeater at the Half-Corpse Realm."

’Usually, for tasks like this, there are at least two or three Forbidden Guards and probationary members. A Repeater’s support abilities are perfect for just tagging along.’

"Hm?"

Mu Yi was taken aback.

The No-Eyes Technique wasn’t a particularly rare Magic Technique within the Forbidden Soldier Hall; after all, it had inexplicably started circulating several years ago.

But this was the first time she had heard of a Repeater, which naturally made her a little curious.

"What are the specific abilities of a Repeater?"

Ren Qing only said that his eyes could perceive more details.

However, he deliberately concealed the Divine Soul Separation ability he was gradually developing.

Mu Yi didn’t seem to find this strange. When she recorded it, she only gave a brief description of the Repeater.

’Judging by Ren Qing’s performance in the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area, it wouldn’t take him long to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm. It was better to do him a small favor.’

"Actually, some Cultivators live in the Forbidden Soldier Hall long-term for easier access to resources."

Ren Qing couldn’t help but ask, "Is there a market in the Forbidden Soldier Hall?"

"There’s a place called the Ghost Market, but it only opens on the fifteenth of every month."

Ren Qing quickly thanked her.

Mu Yi spoke again, "I’m not sure if Elder Song has mentioned the Secret Pavilion to you. Inside, it has what’s needed to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm..."

Before Mu Yi could finish, she suddenly crumbled into pieces and vanished. It turned out she was just a Puppet created with a Magic Technique.

Ren Qing pondered for a moment and decided to visit the Secret Pavilion before his promotion, but he would take care of his affairs in the outside world first.

He was mainly hesitating about whether to move out of the Firework Hall, so he decided to start by looking for a suitable courtyard in the city.

But before Ren Qing could make a choice, Clerk Zhao, who had heard the news, was even more anxious than he was.

When Clerk Zhao heard that Ren Qing had become a probationary member, his first reaction was disbelief.

He had interacted with Ren Qing a few times and had only found him to be rather sharp. ’Could he have mastered an Immortal Skill long ago?’

Then, Clerk Zhao realized this was a massive opportunity.

If he could keep Ren Qing, even in a nominal position, he would have someone to rely on when trouble arose.

Clerk Zhao secretly went to the Firework Hall, and the two quickly reached an agreement.

Ren Qing would not need to bother with the daily affairs of the Firework Hall.

Even if Clerk Zhao asked for his help, his only duty would be to assess the situation to prevent mass casualties among the Government Constables.

Ren Qing’s salary naturally increased significantly, so there was no reason for him to refuse.

In this way, he went from being a behind-the-scenes absentee boss to an open one, prompting Bo Feng to exclaim, "Unbelievable!"

The Blood Dog Gang might have also heard the news. From then on, they continuously sent livestock eyeballs to the Government Office.

On the surface, Ren Qing accepted them all with a smile, but in reality, he had already begun to consider whether to completely cut ties with the braised food business.

The fighting between the gangs grew increasingly fierce.

Every day, more than ten bodies would appear in the west of the city, some of whom were even Cultivators at the Martial Artist Realm. It was clear the situation was getting out of control.

Ren Qing had no intention of getting involved.

He only wanted to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm as soon as possible, and without him even realizing it, his accumulated Lifespan had already exceeded ten years.

’Looks like this trip to the Secret Pavilion is unavoidable.’

’Even if I can use the Information Flow to force my advancement, it’s still the proper thing to do.’

’At the very least, it could help me avoid some pitfalls.’

Late one night, Ren Qing took the Bone Key out of his Abnormal Stomach.

He put on a waterproof straw cloak and a Conical Hat, and covered his face with a black cloth.

Ren Qing then slit his palm. The Bone Key greedily absorbed the blood, becoming as warm and smooth as jade.

Ten breaths passed in an instant, and the Bone Key turned into a blood-red powder.

Following Song Zongwu’s instructions, Ren Qing dabbed some of the blood-powder on his fingertip and drew a Gate on the wall of his room.

The smell of blood filled the air.

The bricks within the Gate’s outline gradually turned into rotting flesh and blood, looking as if they were pieced together from scraps of meat.

After a long while, the flesh-and-blood Gate finally turned into an ordinary wooden one.

But the more Ren Qing looked, the more distorted the grain of the wooden door seemed, looking somewhat like a series of twisted, misshapen human faces.

He steadied his Heart Spirit and stepped through, and his vision was once again plunged into boundless darkness.

This time, Ren Qing found the tunnel to the Forbidden Soldier Hall with practiced ease. After a brief moment of weightlessness, he landed on solid ground.

He couldn’t help but look around. Amidst the downpour of blood, he quickly figured out his location—he was still at the junction between the ribs and the stomach wall.

Ren Qing broke off a piece of Bone Key and stored it in his Abnormal Stomach, then headed down along the ribs.

Perhaps because the selection of probationary members was over, the Forbidden Soldier Hall seemed a bit more populated.

On the way, Ren Qing encountered several strange-looking Forbidden Guards.

One even had a mouth like an insect’s proboscis on his face and was continuously sucking the fresh blood gushing from the stomach wall.

Ren Qing did not interact with them much, simply following the route Song Zongwu had drawn for him toward the northwest corner of the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

He wasn’t worried about getting lost in the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

The Secret Pavilion was relatively easy to find. After all, it looked like an inverted five-story tower and was the tallest structure in the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

’It’s a pity the Ghost Market’s opening is still more than half a month away, or I could have checked it out along the way.’

As Ren Qing moved away from the ribs, encounters with Forbidden Guards became increasingly rare.

In fact, most of the Forbidden Guards lived in the outside world. Coupled with the vastness of Abi Hell, there weren’t many areas actually partitioned by the Forbidden Guards.

Ren Qing was in no hurry to reach the Secret Pavilion, focusing instead on tempering himself.

He devoured handful after handful of pig eyes, and his Lifespan steadily increased.

When Ren Qing could faintly make out the body of the tower through the mist, he quickened his pace.

A little less than an hour later, a tall, ancient black tower appeared before his eyes.

The tower was wider at the top than the bottom, like a funnel standing on a small hill, giving it an incredibly bizarre appearance.

Ren Qing walked up to the tower and pushed open the ajar door with a light shove. A thick cloud of dust rushed into his face.

Inside the First Floor were eight bookshelves, and the corners were filled with cobwebs. It was clear that not many Forbidden Guards came here usually.

The dust choked Ren Qing, and he couldn’t help but cough a few times.

Then, the sound of footsteps approached. A Forbidden Guard, upon noticing a stranger, hurriedly started walking out of the Secret Pavilion.

Ren Qing glanced over subconsciously, and his pupils immediately contracted.

The Land God was almost completely unrecognizable as a human. The signs of his Beastification were even more pronounced; his entire body was covered in thick Scale Armor, and he could only be vaguely identified by the area around his eyes and brows.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Do we know each other?"

The Land God’s hoarse voice rang out.

"Senior, we do not."

Ren Qing replied with a blank expression. As his gaze swept over the Land God out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow different from the Forbidden Guard he had met before.

The two brushed past each other, and the Land God disappeared into the bloody rain.