Chapter 22: Old Law Domain (Requesting Monthly Passes! Requesting Follows!)

Inside the secret room was a chamber with no metal or wood; instead, the walls were constructed entirely of stacked sponges.

At the center floated an eyeball encased in thick stone armor, roughly the size of an adult man's fist, though it was now draped in clothing made of black cloth strips, which looked somewhat incongruous.

Yet this forced it to close its eyes and fall into slumber.

Gulu gulu!

Thin stone pillars connected to the surface of the stone shell and plunged into the ground, with magma flowing slowly through them like veins connecting to the underworld.

After Jiang Yan approached, he could vaguely hear a sound resembling a human heartbeat, only much heavier and duller.

Facing it, Jiang Yan felt as though he were confronting a vast, boundless earth.

Vast and profound!

Even though it was sealed, the aura it emitted still made Jiang Yan's spine chill involuntarily.

It was an instinctive fear brought on by a gap in life levels that was too great.

The Coffin Spirit in his pants pocket sensed his master's emotional fluctuation; threads of blood wove into a tiny hand that reached out and touched his finger.

It transmitted a thought.

Anyone who wishes to harm the master will be buried by me.

Even death is not allowed!

Jiang Yan felt quite gratified, and his mood quickly calmed down. Looking at this historical artifact before him, what kind of offspring could be nurtured by a Demon God embryo?

Just as he was thinking, the voice of Ba Lie came to his ears:

"How does it feel to face an Old Script level entity?"

Ba Lie stood beside the stone-armored eyeball, touching it gently, causing the earth to tremble slightly in response.

It was like poking the Mother Earth's... um, heart.

Ba Lie spoke softly: "Didn't you want to ask how strong the Old Script level is? You should have just seen those petrified areas; the biggest difference between them and the Transcendent Realm is that they have condensed their own Law Domain!"

"Law Domain? Like the Lands Between?"

Jiang Yan immediately thought of the tributaries of the River of History covering the present world, where the interior was a completely independent space where one could fight freely without affecting the present world.

However, everything destroyed inside would feedback into reality.

"Somewhat similar, except the Lands Between are formed by the River of History covering the present world, containing power sufficient to warp space and time, which a Law Domain cannot yet achieve."

Ba Lie nodded and continued:

"A Law Domain forcibly carves out a territory around oneself using the laws one has mastered; within it, all life except the user is suppressed, while one's own strength is enhanced. Under this give-and-take, lives lower than the Old Script are merely lambs awaiting slaughter."

Jiang Yan understood; this was similar to a BOSS arena in a game, suppressing levels, health bars, mana bars, and so on, while the damage dealt by the BOSS's skills increased geometrically.

Unless one cheats, if the level is insufficient to challenge it, the outcome is shattering upon the slightest touch.

"As for how to ascend to the Old Script... it is too far from you. Your immediate priority is to first elevate your own Spirituality to the extreme, then find a Practice Method to transform a Dao Foundation..."

Ba Lie paused halfway, looked at Jiang Yan, and asked:

"I almost forgot to ask, do you have a Practice Method yet?"

"Not yet."

Jiang Yan shook his head.

It was not only because the 【Burning Lamp Fire Prison Visualization Method】 involved an ancient immortal deity and could attract unnecessary trouble, but also because it primarily cultivated the Soul chapter.

The three stages of the Transcendent Realm are all about laying foundations, tempering the physique and spiritual energy.

Yet he was equivalent to skipping elementary and middle school to start learning university calculus directly.

It was too high-end!

The process of accumulating Spirituality and laying a foundation had been skipped entirely.

But the Burning Lamp Fire Prison chapter never imagined that someone cultivating the soul would lack sufficient spiritual energy foundations.

Jiang Yan, who had cheated by using offspring, was also helpless and could only find another spiritual energy Practice Method to fill the gap.

"A Practice Method is very important."

Zhao Zhao Yinman, who had been listening, spoke up:

"Do not choose casually; it will affect the condensation of the Old Script."

Ba Lie's eyes lit up, and he silently gave Zhao Zhao Yinman a thumbs-up.

She was finally starting to cooperate!

He explained: "Little Zhao is right. If we compare cultivation to planting a tree, awakening the spirit is digging the hole, the Dao Foundation is the foundation, the Law Seed is sowing the seed, and the Old Script is the grown sapling beginning to spread its roots.

A good Practice Method allows you to accumulate deep foundations during the three Transcendent stages, making the sapling easier to grow into a towering tree, and even stronger than others at every stage.

Most crucially, there are high and low distinctions among Old Scripts; a powerful Old Script Law Domain can cover an entire city and change heaven and earth, while a weak one struggles to cover half a county. The gap is greater than that between a human and a dog, and this is the difference made by the Practice Method."

Jiang Yan, looking at Ba Lie who resembled a top salesperson from an old TV shopping ad, cooperatively asked: "Then how does one obtain a good Practice Method?"

"The optimal choice is naturally to resolve a Disease Domain and receive the reward from the River of History; what is obtained is often a top-tier Practice Method. But the difficulty is high, and the reward is random, so there is no guarantee of obtaining a Practice Method, making it easy to waste time.

They are also sold in the black market, but either the potential is average, or they are fragments of Practice Methods obtained from Disease Domains, full of pitfalls everywhere. If they were truly good, they would have been kept as family heirlooms long ago, as they are foundations sufficient to establish a family.

Secondly, noble families and sects all possess high-quality Practice Methods, but one must reach the position of True Disciple, otherwise one is likely to be taught external methods. It is not that one cannot cultivate them, but before being fully trusted, they contain hidden traps.

Ba Lie listed several acquisition methods before finally mentioning his own organization:

"Placing the History Correction Bureau last certainly has a bit of my personal bias, but I swear on my chest that we are absolutely the most fair, and we possess the largest and most complete collection of Practice Methods in the present world. Therefore, many top powers send their geniuses to the official for training.

Any newcomer who joins the History Correction Bureau can select a high-level Practice Method for free; if cultivation fails, they can switch, with a total of three chances.

Of course, what is viewable are the basic chapters of the Transcendent Realm; to obtain higher realms, one must exchange points. Your background is clean, making you the most suitable to join us."

Ba Lie finished speaking in one breath and began to wait for a reply, feeling a long-forgotten sense of nervousness in his heart.

After all, this was an S-Class newcomer, like a top-tier character in a gacha game; once missed, there would be no chance again.

But he had done everything he could; if the other party was unwilling, he would not resort to pestering them.

Zhao Zhao Yinman nodded in agreement: "There are no bad people in the History Correction Bureau."

Jiang Yan fell into thought.

To be honest, he held no ill will toward the History Correction Bureau—in fact, his feelings were mostly favorable.

After all, his safe upbringing was inseparable from their silent maintenance of order, and on top of that, a bureau chief so humble before talent had given him plenty of emotional value.

Official forces would definitely be more proper than sects or noble houses.

Jiang Yan could grow on his own, but with a faction providing resources and intelligence, he would grow faster.

Moreover, he had noticed that the other party valued him too highly.

The strength of the two people before him far surpassed his own, so it probably wasn't because of strength,

most likely it was because…

his Class-A Superior evaluation was more valuable than he had imagined.

"Can you tell me about the benefits of joining? I'm a rather easygoing person and don't like being bossed around." Jiang Yan spoke up.

He wanted to lean against a big tree for shade, not be ordered about like a pushover.

Better to ask clearly in advance than have conflicts after joining.

Ba Lie was first stunned, then overjoyed.

Because someone with no interest wouldn't ask about benefits, so he hurriedly said:

"After joining the History Correction Bureau, you'll get a guaranteed monthly salary of fifty thousand, six insurances and two funds, with task bonuses calculated separately. Complete multiple missions and you'll be promoted with a raise, plus every field mission comes with clothing, food, housing, and travel subsidies and bonuses.

Aside from the mandatory missions to maintain the present world's order, the rest can be freely chosen. Each completed mission earns points, which you can exchange for cash or for the supernatural materials you need.

Moreover, don't worry—the founder of the History Correction Bureau, to keep supernatural power from being tainted, made it independent of the political system from the very start.

At the same time, History Walkers possess extremely high authority: in emergencies they can act first and report later, mobilize local military to lock down areas, and forcibly investigate illegal research institutions and companies. As long as evidence is preserved, a report can be submitted afterward.

And every time a History Walker excises a corruption, they risk their life, so the bureau can arrange easy, high-paying jobs for their spouse and family.

As for you saying you don't like being managed, our bureau doesn't require daily clocking-in to begin with. You get fifteen days of leave a month—as long as we can see you when a mission needs executing, that's fine.

And I can make the call myself to appoint you as Acting Commander of the History Correction Bureau's Pan'an County branch—essentially second-in-command, with only me as your superior. If after joining you still feel dissatisfied, just submit a resignation report anytime, and I'll stamp it for you."

"These benefits really aren't bad." Jiang Yan nodded, then asked out of the blue: "Ms. Zhao, how many people are in our bureau?"

"Counting you, seven in total." Zhao Zhao Yinman gave the answer.

Ba Lie's smile froze on his face. Just as he was about to explain a few things, he saw Jiang Yan extend his hand and say earnestly:

"I just love a quiet work environment. I'll be in your care from now on, Director Ba!"

"No problem!"

Ba Lie gripped Jiang Yan hand, grinning wide, his dignified face smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.

A Class-A Superior talent—secured!

This year's Jiangnan Province rookie training, Pan'an County will absolutely astonish everyone!

Jiang Yan was also very happy. A unit with few people, lots of money, and simple colleague relationships was a perfect place to fleece… oh, I mean, to work.

However, Jiang Yan glanced sidelong at the historical relic in the center of the secret room and asked curiously: "Director Ba, what's the name of this old-lu-grade historical relic, and what are its abilities?"

As the branch's second-in-command, even though he hadn't taken office yet, he still had to get a thorough understanding of every blade of grass and every needle and thread in the branch.

Ba Lie was in high spirits and answered without thinking:

"That one? It's called 【Ram's Eye】. Its ability is to survey and sort ley lines, except each time after use it requires a live offering of the three sacrifices—pig, ox, and sheep—wrapped in yellow cloth, otherwise it will rampage, and in serious cases trigger an earthquake."

As the words fell, Jiang Yan's pupils trembled slightly.

Wait, there's still one more chapter. The example of Lu the Big Blond is right there—the previous book was all about fleecing the official side, so don't worry about feeling stifled. The full worldview is about to unfold, a new plotline is starting, please keep throwing monthly tickets and following along!

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(End of this chapter)