But Chu Bai was different.
He held one of the ten annual "Immortal Official" slots from the Daoist School, which meant he automatically qualified for the Celestial Examination.
He could be appointed to any core department in the Great Zhou and wouldn’t have to struggle and wait like others.
As long as his Cultivation was sufficient and his merits adequate, the door to advancement would always be open for him.
In the Anping Evil Suppression Department, Chu Bai was destined to be just a passerby.
Zhang Cheng knew full well that for a Cultivator on the path of promotion in the Great Zhou, every step up was accompanied by a qualitative change in their Fate Chart and Talisman Position.
Ordinary soldiers held a Gray Talisman; passing an examination granted them a White Talisman.
But to truly enter the upper echelons of the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty, one had to challenge the perilous "Heaven-Scaling Ladder" upon reaching Qi Cultivation Perfection to be granted a [Cyan Talisman].
Once they obtained a Cyan Talisman and successfully reached Foundation Establishment, it was like ascending to the heavens in a single step, officially leaving the realm of mortal Bureaucrats.
At that point, Chu Bai’s status and position would instantly be on par with his, a County Captain in charge of a County’s military power, or perhaps even greater.
’Heaven-Scaling Ladder, obtain a Cyan Talisman...’
Chu Bai repeated these words silently in his heart.
He could feel the Five Elements Magical Power surging through his body like a great river. Now, with the boost from Qingfeng Courtyard’s Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array, reaching Qi Cultivation Perfection was truly just a matter of time for him.
Since he had already embarked on this path to the heavens, he naturally wanted to see the view from the very top.
"Thank you for your guidance, my lord. I will not fail." Chu Bai’s reply was concise and firm.
"Good."
Zhang Cheng laughed heartily, clearly in an excellent mood. "In a day or two, the rewards from the Merit Department will be allocated from the prefecture. Besides Spirit Stones and Pills, I hear there are also a few nice items from the Celestial Observatory’s inner treasury this time.
You received an outstanding evaluation, so you’ll have first pick. Don’t hold back when the time comes."
Chu Bai nodded in acknowledgment. The Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty rewarded those with merit. This annual award for excellence would be the perfect way to replenish his recently emptied purse, drained from maintaining the Spirit Gathering Array.
Leaving the County Captain’s Office, Chu Bai looked up at the gloomy sky.
A cold wind swept past, carrying a few delicate snowflakes, but his expression remained exceptionally calm.
After leaving the County Captain’s Office, Chu Bai headed straight for the warehouse deep within the Evil Suppression Department.
The warehouse’s exterior was perpetually shrouded in a faint Restriction and was heavily guarded.
Chu Bai presented his Demon Slaying Officer’s Iron Token, passed through several heavy stone doors, and arrived before a hidden compartment used for storing confiscated personal items or temporarily held valuables.
Inside the compartment lay a nameless wooden box, sealed with a strip from the Evil Suppression Department.
Looking at the box, Chu Bai’s eyes flickered. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t been tempted before.
A Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact would fetch a price of at least a thousand taels of silver in the Marketplace, enough to drive an ordinary Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator to madness, or even to take desperate risks.
But he knew better: a clean record was more valuable than gold and could not be tarnished.
To leave a stain of bribery on his promising immortal path for a mere Dharma Artifact would be tantamount to picking up a sesame seed only to lose a watermelon.
Compared to the ethereal yet supreme [Cyan Talisman], a thousand taels of silver was insignificant.
But now, with County Captain Zhang Cheng’s personal promise, this Dharma Artifact had transformed from a hot potato into a legitimate spoil of war.
The seal was broken. Chu Bai slowly opened the wooden box.
A faint, verdant Spiritual Light flowed out, filling the slightly dim warehouse with an aura of vitality.
Lying in the box was a gourd, about the size of a palm, with a texture as smooth and warm as Mutton Fat Jade.
The gourd was translucent and crystalline, and one could faintly see a mist-like Spiritual Liquid flowing slowly within.
"The Jade Treasure Gourd."
Chu Bai held it in his hand and sent his Divine Thought into it. Instantly, a cool sensation traveled from his fingertips throughout his body.
According to the Wuu Family’s previous description, this Dharma Artifact didn’t need to be actively channeled. It could automatically absorb the ambient Spiritual Qi from the world and refine it internally into an extremely pure Spiritual Liquid.
If a Cultivator’s Magical Power was depleted during Magical Combat or at a critical moment in their cultivation, they only needed to drink a small sip for their dried-up meridians to be instantly nourished, rapidly restoring their Spiritual Power.
"A fine item," Chu Bai praised in admiration.
Although the Guiyuan Technique he cultivated gave him Spiritual Power reserves far exceeding his peers, he also practiced a great number of Magic Techniques, which consumed a lot of power.
With this Jade Treasure Gourd, his endurance in actual combat would increase by a whole new level.
He casually tied the Jade Treasure Gourd to the leather belt at his waist. The verdant jade complemented his ink-blue official robes, adding a touch of otherworldly grace.
Including the Fire Element Ring he had obtained earlier, Chu Bai now didn’t have many Dharma Artifacts, but each one was of exceptional quality.
By the time he returned to Qingfeng Courtyard, it was nearly dusk.
The residence was now completely different from half a month ago. An extremely subtle humming sound floated faintly in the air.
That was the sound of the Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array, which Lii Feng had poured his heart and soul into setting up, operating on its own.
Lii Feng had truly suffered for this Array. The balance of the Five Elements cycle was far more stringent than he had imagined. Because the five types of Qi both generate and overcome one another, the slightest deviation in any position would cause the Spiritual Mechanism of the entire Grand Array to collapse into chaos.
Lii Feng had spent several extra days on calculations and even paid out of his own pocket for some rare Array Banner materials to barely meet Chu Bai’s requirements of having all five types of Qi in a self-sustaining cycle.
Fortunately, Lii Feng was a man who valued his reputation. Since they had agreed on a price beforehand, he didn’t ask Chu Bai for a single extra coin, no matter how difficult the Array was to set up.
"Lord Chu, the Array is complete. I, Lii, have finally fulfilled my mission."
Recalling the exhausted yet deeply satisfied look in Lii Feng’s eyes as he left, Chu Bai nodded to himself. ’This man is someone worth befriending.’
Chu Bai walked straight to the Cultivation Room in the depths of the residence.
This room was the core of the Array, the nexus where the Five Element Spiritual Energy converged. He took out the wooden box containing the [Half-Pond Mud] and bent down to place it evenly in the array cores representing "Water" and "Earth."
As the Spirit Soil settled into place, the flow of qi within the Cultivation Room suddenly grew heavy.
In the previously empty Void, five different colored Spiritual Lights faintly appeared, circling the ceiling like a spinning lantern.
The two completely different auras, under the Array’s forceful restraint, gradually had their sharp edges worn down, transforming into an extremely pure and dense multicolored mist that slowly descended around Chu Bai.
Chu Bai took a deep breath and felt a cool, abundant Spiritual Mechanism flow through his nostrils straight into his lungs. In that instant, his previously stagnant Magical Power began to thrum with joy.
’The spirit-gathering effect truly lives up to its reputation.’
Chu Bai didn’t dare to delay. He immediately sat down cross-legged, formed a seal with his hands, and the Guiyuan Technique within his body instantly began to operate.
In his past cultivation, he had to divide his Divine Thought to painstakingly capture stray wisps of Spiritual Qi from the Void.
But now, the Five Elements Spiritual Mechanism, as dense as water, practically lined up to drill into his meridians. Furthermore, all the elements were present, perfectly matching the operational path of the Guiyuan Technique.
One Circulation, two Circulations...
Chu Bai’s breathing became long and deep. With every breath, he could feel the Magical Power in his meridians continuously strengthening and purifying.
This feeling of being like a fish back in water was so exhilarating that a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.
’At this rate, my breathing cultivation speed has more than just doubled! This five hundred taels of silver was well worth it!’
Just one double-hour of hard cultivation was as efficient as three days of meditation in the past.
As the Guiyuan Technique operated more and more smoothly, the grand cycle of the Five Elements within his body gradually reached an optimal state, and his Cultivation progress bar slowly rose at a visible rate.
Just then, an extremely faint yet crisp sound, like a piece of jade shattering, echoed in Chu Bai’s mind.
That was the sound of a bottleneck breaking!
The Guiyuan Technique, which had already reached the peak of Perfection with no possibility of further advancement, had actually undergone some sort of qualitative leap, catalyzed by this extremely pure and balanced Five Elements environment.
He held his breath and focused, his Divine Thought instantly sinking into his Sea of Consciousness. On the blurry status panel, he saw the proficiency for his Cultivation Technique jumping wildly.
[Cultivation Technique: Guiyuan Technique (Perfection 999/???)]
In that moment, the last point of proficiency was completely filled. The original text blurred for an instant, then rearranged and sublimated in a brilliant golden light!
[Guiyuan Technique: (Microscopic 1/???)]
’Microscopic!’
Chu Bai’s eyes snapped open, a five-colored light swirling deep within his pupils.
He felt that his control over Spiritual Power had reached an unprecedented level of refinement.
If the previous Perfection stage meant being able to perfectly control the surging of Magical Power, then the current Microscopic stage meant being able to perceive and direct the subtle movements of every single thread and wisp of Spiritual Power. He could even feel the minuscule collisions and fusions of the Five Element Spiritual Energy within his meridians.
This was no longer just a quantitative accumulation, but a qualitative transformation.
’What kind of Realm is this?!’

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