Chapter 75: Without Sickness or Disaster, Reaching the Rank of High Official

"You say the secret manual left to you by the Venerable One, my lord, made no mention of the cultivation realm divisions?"

Sitting in the courtyard of his own villa, leaning back in a lounge chair, Gu Qingyi held a steamed bun in one hand, nibbling on it as he spoke slowly: "I suppose the Venerable One, my lord, naturally has the Venerable One's, my lord's, own thoughts... This is something I should not presume to guess. However, since you have already entered the 【Return to Origin Realm】, then naturally you must begin cultivating the Yuan Spirit."

Chen Yan sat seriously opposite Gu Qingyi, his attitude upright like a primary school student in class, and said solemnly: "What does cultivating the Yuan Spirit mean?"

Gu Qingyi frowned, his tone carrying a hint of confusion: "Before the Return to Origin Realm, we cultivators transport Yuan Qi into the body, using the Yuan Qi to nourish the flesh, tempering the blood, bones, and internal organs, making our bodies strong enough to become better vessels for containing Yuan Qi.

But Yuan Qi is after all just Yuan Qi; the effect of Yuan Qi nourishing the body reaches a limit and comes to an end.

Unless one walks the path of the combat cultivation method like I do, continuing to temper the body, taking killing as the main cultivation practice.

And most cultivators do not walk my path; upon reaching the Return to Origin Realm, the nourishment and tempering of the flesh by Yuan Qi offers little further improvement, so one must begin cultivating the Yuan Spirit.

Above the Return to Origin Realm is the Ascension Platform Realm.

The Ascension Platform Realm is the final major step before breaking through to the Heavenly Human Realm.

Breaking through to the Heavenly Human Realm requires passing a great threshold, testing two aspects.

The first aspect is the cultivation of Yuan Qi—actually this is equivalent to a requirement for the flesh, because if the flesh is not strong enough, the vessel is insufficient, and naturally your Yuan Qi will not be strong enough either. That is what I said earlier: the nourishment of the flesh by Yuan Qi must be trained to the maximum.

The other aspect is the test of the Yuan Spirit; if the Yuan Spirit does not reach the required strength, it is impossible to break through to the Heavenly Human.

And at the Return to Origin Realm, the flesh has already been nourished to the ceiling. Therefore, at the Return to Origin Realm, for many cultivators, training the Yuan Spirit becomes the main task."

Chen Yan heard this and could not help but frown: "But in the booklet left to me by the Old Grandma, the cultivation method is only a single Yuan Qi transport method; besides that, there is no cultivation method for the Yuan Spirit."

"Ah?"

Gu Qingyi was somewhat stunned, paused for a moment, then asked in confusion: "This... is very unusual. Since you do not walk the path of the combat cultivation method, why did the Venerable One, my lord, not leave you a method to train the Yuan Spirit? She even passed the Yuan Qi transport method to you."

"How would I know..." Chen Yan lowered his head in thought, then asked: "Then can you teach me a method to train the Yuan Spirit?"

Gu Qingyi slowly shook her head: "It is not that I am unwilling to teach you, but rather... I do not have one."

She sighed, her tone very calm: "I cultivate the combat cultivation method. On the path of the combat cultivation method, after the Return to Origin Realm, one does not practice any Yuan Spirit training methods; we nourish the spirit through combat, condensing killing intent through slaughter to temper the Yuan Spirit.

Otherwise, I would not have had to stay on the Prison Suppression Platform for five years."

Glancing at Chen Yan, Gu Qingyi continued softly: "My path is not suitable for you. We who cultivate the combat cultivation method must start from a young age; I entered the sect at five years old. You are now twenty-two years old; your bones and body have already formed in all aspects. Even if you switch to the combat cultivation method now, you will achieve nothing in this lifetime."

Chen Yan was also puzzled in his heart and asked: "Then... am I destined to remain stuck at my current Return to Origin Realm?"

"No, after the Return to Origin Realm, you can still cultivate up to the Ascension Platform Realm. But at the Ascension Platform Realm, you lack the method to cultivate the Yuan Spirit, so your highest achievement can only be entering the Ascension Platform Realm, and because you do not train the Yuan Spirit, within the Ascension Platform Realm, you will be a weakling among those of the same realm.

If you encounter a veteran among those in the Ascension Platform Realm, a single thought from them can suppress you."

Chen Yan was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Perhaps... the Old Grandma does not wish for me to keep cultivating and break through to the Heavenly Human? She hopes I stop at the Ascension Platform Realm, remaining in the stage of mortal cultivation?"

Gu Qingyi said nothing, looking silently at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan frowned, thinking slowly as he spoke: "My father, Chen Jue, has a notorious reputation in your Domain Realm; I do not know what heavenly rules he broke, but I suppose... he must have carried a great deal of karma.

Perhaps the Old Grandma simply does not wish for me to break through to the Heavenly Human, nor does she wish for me to enter the Domain Realm.

So she only passed me a single Yuan Qi transport method, passed me a booklet, and the contents within are enough for me to practice up to the final realm of mortal cultivation, the Ascension Platform Realm.

At this realm, going to the Domain Realm is naturally of no use whatsoever.

But remaining in this world, the skills in the booklet are enough for me to live a life of freedom and wealth in this world."

A complex look appeared in Gu Qingyi's eyes as she softly murmured: "So, the Venerable One, my lord, hopes that you... reach the rank of high official without sickness or disaster?"

Without sickness or disaster, reaching the rank of high official... Chen Yan felt a hidden ache in his heart.

Sigh... Suddenly he missed the Old Grandma.

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If this truly was the Old Grandma's intention, Chen Yan had no complaints at all—regardless, everything he had was given by the Old Grandma; for this act of planning for him, he could only feel gratitude.

—From the few words spoken by Gu Qingyi, Chen Yan had already glimpsed that so-called 【Domain Realm】, which was probably by no means a good place!

Chen Yan asked again: "Then the Yin Fiendish Qi we collected after killing the Mountain Demon last night, is it useless now—you previously said it would be useful for me to cultivate the Yuan Spirit."

Gu Qingyi gave a bitter smile: "I did not know before that the Venerable One, my lord, had not left you any method to train the Yuan Spirit at all."

Seeing Chen Yan somewhat disappointed, Gu Qingyi felt a movement in her heart and said slowly: "Cultivating the Yuan Spirit is like forging a divine weapon.

You have no method of forging, and neither do I. However, the Yin Fiendish Qi is still of some use.

There is no method of forging... but the method of sharpening the blade requires no teaching and is not so profound.

This Yin Fiendish Qi, although it cannot help you forge a Yuan Spirit like a divine weapon, can still serve as a whetstone to slightly temper and condense your Yuan Spirit."

Chen Yan's heart was filled with various complex thoughts; he waved his hand and said: "Then let us keep it; if it is useful, it is not a waste."

Knowing in his heart that the path ahead for his cultivation was already limited—he was currently at the Return to Origin Realm, and the only realm left to advance to was the Ascension Platform Realm, and then he would reach the end.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan could not help but feel a lack of motivation.

·

Hu Shangke was currently at the peak of his life.

Sitting in the reception room of the agency store, Hu Tiangou held the folder before him with trembling hands; inside were page after page of property documents, along with copies of the attached ownership certificates.

Assistant Yan sat opposite him, observing the changes in Hu Shangke's expression without showing emotion, and said slowly: "Last time, you rented out that villa belonging to our boss.

You were very efficient that time; after I returned and told the boss, my boss was very satisfied with your ability to handle things, so he simply had me hand over some properties for you to rent out and manage.

Hu Shangke stared with wide eyes at the folder in his hand: "These, these are all...?"

"There are seventeen properties in total here; four of them have leases expiring this month, two have leases expiring next month, and the others are vacant and not yet rented out.

These houses are properties my boss has invested in and purchased over the years; the boss's intention is that from now on, you will be the one to rent them out."

Hu Shangke swallowed heavily: "Are these businesses handed over to our company from now on?"

"Not handed over to your company."

Assistant Yan shook his head.

Hu Shangke was stunned, then saw Assistant Yan looking at him with a smile: "It is handed over to you."

"... Me?"

"Yes, my boss's intention is that these houses are your exclusive resources. When we rent them out, we only recognize those handled by you; we do not recognize anyone else at all."

Holy crap!

Hu Shangke's heart began to pound wildly.

He roughly flipped through the information on these seventeen properties.

They were all residential houses of about one hundred square meters, fully decorated and equipped, the kind you could move into immediately.

Moreover, they were all in mid-range or high-end residential compounds.

Such houses have high rental rates; as long as the price matches the market, they rarely sit unsold in hand.

And... seventeen houses!

If it were based on commission fees, if he rented out all seventeen houses himself...

For seventeen houses, he could earn nearly a hundred thousand in agency fees!

"You can list these houses on your company's platform, or other platforms, or handle them privately yourself... we don't care. We only care about you."

Assistant Yan laid it all out. Hu Shangke's eyes immediately lit up, yet his heart grew increasingly nervous. He hesitated, glanced at Assistant Yan, and slowly dragged his reluctant gaze away from the folder.

"Um... Assistant Yan..."

"No, I'm not any kind of 'Director.' Just call me Assistant Yan." Assistant Yan smiled kindly.

"Um, well, Assistant Yan, I, I..." Hu Shangke gritted his teeth: "Although I'm young, I know there are no favors without a reason. You and your boss value me so highly, and I know my own worth.

That villa was rented out under my handling, but the credit isn't that great. I..."

Hu Shangke, speaking up to this point, made up his mind: "Why are you elevating me like this? Let's be clear first. I'm young and timid; I dare not touch anything illegal."

Assistant Yan smiled, shifted his chair closer to Hu Shangke, patted his shoulder, and said kindly: "Little Hu, you're overthinking it. Illegal matters? Absolutely not. They don't exist.

Besides, the favor isn't as big as you say. It's just that the houses are placed in your hands for renting, not given to you.

Furthermore, as for houses, who rents them out makes no difference. Who handles them is the same to us. We will collect the rent anyway; there's no loss for us.

So, the favor you imagine isn't as big as you think."

"For me, this is a windfall. And... and, it might not even be just one.

If you continue to have these houses handled by me, once the leases expire and they are rented out again, that will be another commission fee. I..."

I basically got a long-term meal ticket?! — Hu Shangke didn't dare to voice this thought in his heart.

If not for his face full of acne and his hair loss, Hu Tiangou almost thought they had taken a liking to him.

Didn't I hear that those big shots prefer round faces, crew cuts, and beards?

I'm not that type.

A mission of last resort shouldn't fall on me either, right?

"Don't be nervous. Our boss has always liked to cultivate and promote capable young people. You work efficiently, and my boss is very satisfied, so he entrusted part of the properties to your management. Work hard, and if you do well in the future, the boss will give you even more opportunities."

After Assistant Yan finished speaking, he checked the time: "It's almost noon. Shall we have lunch together?"

"Great! Great!" Hu Tiangou, after all, was a seasoned socialite with emotional intelligence: "I'll treat you!!"

"... Alright, I'll leave it to your arrangement." Assistant Yan knew he shouldn't appear overly enthusiastic at this moment, so he nodded with a smile.

At noon, the two found a restaurant of decent quality near the agency store. Hu Tiangou had originally wanted to find a farther and better one, but Assistant Yan politely declined, citing other matters in the afternoon.

Hu Tiangou enthusiastically ordered a table full of dishes and even went out specifically to a liquor and tobacco shop to buy a bottle of good wine.

After half a bottle of wine went down, the atmosphere became harmonious, and people's spirits relaxed.

Although Hu Tiangou was in sales, he had only graduated half a year ago; how could he be a match for a veteran like Assistant Yan?

Without showing any emotion, Assistant Yan casually brought up Chen Yan with feigned curiosity. A person willing to rent a haunted house; it wasn't strange for others to be a bit curious about him.

Hu Tiangou was unprepared, and having drunk a quarter jin of wine, he opened his floodgates...

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