Waves of shock crashed through Wei Chuan’s mind. Having been stuck at this Realm for nearly a decade, he was intimately familiar with its challenges.
Just over a year ago, this boy had only been at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. A leap like that was simply absurd.
Because he had handled the matter at Threadline Gorge so poorly, not only had Chu Bai snatched away the Divine Seal, but his actions had also led to the Lord Commander of the Prefecture Inspection Department being reprimanded by the Merit Department. As the one directly responsible, Wei Chuan was demoted on the spot, from a Regular Eighth-Grade Inspector Captain to a Junior Eighth-Grade Deputy Inspector Captain.
With his record tarnished and his prospects ruined, he had endured endless scorn in the Prefecture City for over half a year.
As for hatred, Wei Chuan certainly felt it.
But as an old fox who had navigated the tides of bureaucracy for many years, he knew better than to take his anger out on a genius with limitless potential. It would do him no good.
If he had to hate someone, it should be the Lord Commander who had ordered him to overstep his authority, or the merciless political machinations of the court itself.
’But I wouldn’t dare hate them,’ Wei Chuan sneered inwardly.
For a man like him, personal feelings were worthless when weighed against self-interest.
He had never even considered private revenge, as that would destroy the Official Status he had barely managed to hold onto.
’But if we were to meet in the Secret Realm, in a place beyond the reach of the Law Net, and I could personally eliminate this peerless genius...’
’Now *that* would be satisfying.’
Wei Chuan’s icy gaze swept over the Exam Token at Chu Bai’s waist, and the corners of his lips curled into a smirk.
"Chu Demon-slaying Officer, I trust you’ve been well. A true prodigy of your generation. To think a small pond like Anping County could actually produce a little True Dragon like you. Reaching Qi Cultivation Perfection before the age of twenty... Truly, a cause for celebration."
Wei Chuan snorted, deliberately emphasizing the three words "Demon Slaying Officer."
’Even if your Cultivation is heaven-defying, in terms of Official Rank, you’re still merely a Ninth Grade. Meanwhile, even after my demotion, I am still a Junior Eighth-Grade Deputy Inspector Captain.’
Chu Bai’s expression remained unchanged. He simply returned the salute with a calm clasp of his hands, his tone chilly. "Deputy Inspector Captain Wei, your bearing is as impressive as ever. I hear the Prefecture Inspection Department is incredibly busy. For you to still find the time to register for the Celestial Examination... I must say, I find your dedication quite admirable."
The four words, "Deputy Inspector Captain Wei," struck a nerve like a steel needle, hitting Wei Chuan right where it hurt.
A muscle in Wei Chuan’s face twitched, but he quickly suppressed his fury. He shot Chu Bai a profound look before brushing past him.
"Lord Chu, the State City’s Celestial Ladder isn’t so easily climbed. We’ll... see each other in the Secret Realm."
"You needn’t worry about me, Lord Wei."
After a frosty exchange, the two men, each carrying a different air about them, disappeared into the bustling crowd before the Examination Department.
Over the next few days, the atmosphere in Dayuan Prefecture grew increasingly taut.
Chu Bai took up lodging at an inn not far from the Examination Department.
He kept to himself, only leaving his room each day to eat some restorative Spiritual Cuisine in the main hall. The rest of his time was spent in his room, repeatedly refining his Secret Techniques.
As the Celestial Examination drew near, the already bustling inn filled to capacity with participants from the various counties under the prefecture’s jurisdiction.
The main hall bustled with noise from dawn till dusk. Cultivators sat together in small groups, either exchanging intelligence on the Secret Realm or sizing up the competition.
One afternoon, Chu Bai was seated in a corner by the window, methodically eating his way through a plate of Spiritual Flesh from a Red-crowned Demon Bird.
"Pardon me, friend. Is this seat taken?"
A gentle, somewhat hoarse voice spoke up.
Chu Bai looked up to see a man in his thirties standing by the table. He wore a long, cyan robe, washed so many times it had faded to a pale shade.
The man carried a large, woven bamboo book-satchel on his back and gave off the faint scent of medicinal herbs, looking much like a traveling physician.
A flicker of Chu Bai’s Divine Thought was all it took to sense that the man’s aura was as solid as bedrock. Though not as overtly sharp as Wei Chuan’s, it possessed a profound and resilient depth.
Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. He was clearly another outsider here for the Celestial Examination.
"Please," Chu Bai said, shifting slightly to make room.
The man thanked him, and after taking a seat, ordered only a pot of plain tea and a few dry, coarse rice cakes. His manners were gentle, and he carried the austere air of an ascetic Cultivator.
"My name is Su Mu. I come from Linhai County, the southernmost county in Dayuan Prefecture."
The man in the long robe set down his book-satchel and introduced himself with a self-deprecating smile. "I’ve spent the last fifteen years tending the furnace fires in a medicine hall. This year, I finally scraped together the qualifications to come to the Prefecture City and catch a glimpse of the Celestial Ladder."
Linhai County.
Chu Bai recalled reading about it in the prefectural archives. It was the most remote border region in all of Dayuan Prefecture, and the one most plagued by Poisonous Miasma.
’To be able to train for fifteen years in a place shrouded in perpetual gloom and reach such a high level of cultivation... this man’s willpower must be terrifying.’
"Chu Bai, from Anping County."
Hearing the name, a glimmer of light flashed through Su Mu’s placid, well-like eyes.
He studied Chu Bai carefully, and was astonished when he sensed Chu Bai’s vital energy—as powerful as a roaring furnace, yet perfectly contained.
"So you’re the famous Chu Demon-slaying Officer from Anping. I’ve heard a few rumors about you in the days I’ve been here in the Prefecture City... I expected a fierce warrior with a murderous aura, not someone so reserved."
Su Mu lowered his voice, his tone sincere. "I cultivate the ’Hundred Herbs’ Words,’ which makes me particularly sensitive to vitality and lifeblood. The strength of your physical body... it must be approaching the very pinnacle of the Qi Cultivation Realm. To be able to share a table with you, sir, is a fortunate encounter for me."
Chu Bai smiled faintly. "That’s just an empty title. The Celestial Examination is a matter of life and death; reputation counts for nothing."
The two chatted for a while longer. Su Mu was a man with an excellent sense of propriety; despite knowing of Chu Bai’s fame, he showed no inclination to curry favor. Instead, he shared some survival techniques for Wild Secret Realms that he had developed while gathering herbs in Linhai County.
"In the ’Heaven-Scaling Ladder,’ the greatest threat isn’t the Demon Beasts you can see, but the Secret Realm’s unpredictable Poisonous Miasma and hidden traps."

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