Chapter 147: Transformation, Divine Office

"Lin Qing."

While eating breakfast, Zhao Jiayi transmitted a thought-voice: "Are you still attending the Twilight Front gathering tonight?"

"Of course." Lin Qing nodded. "I plan to exchange for a Primordial-level cultivation method."

Zhao Jiayi was stunned, asking in confusion: "Haven't you obtained a Basic Divine Office yet?"

"Soon. Just preparing in advance," Lin Qing said casually.

He glanced at Zhao Jiayi, thought for a moment, and asked: "Your telekinesis should be nearing the limit of the Awakening level, right?"

Zhao Jiayi nodded, transmitting a thought-voice: "It's almost there. What's up?"

"Have you considered a Divine Office?" Lin Qing asked.

"Dad has already arranged everything for me," Zhao Jiayi said. "I'll go try the Divine Office trial in a while."

"Your father arranged it?" Lin Qing didn't ask further, merely pondering for a moment before saying: "Have you tested your Authority Awakening? How many kilograms of Starfall Source Stones are needed?"

"Uh... I tested it..." Zhao Jiayi asked hesitantly: "Do you think I'm too extravagant?"

"... How could I..."

Lin Qing looked at her and said: "So what was the result of your test?"

Zhao Jiayi thought for a moment and said: "The Authority's name is 'Gate of the Unbounded'. It requires over twenty thousand kilograms of Starfall Source Stones..."

"Gate of the Unbounded?"

Lin Qing was stunned and said: "Then there's truly no hope."

An Authority requiring over twenty thousand kilograms of Starfall Source Stones to awaken should, by calculation, be a Level Nine Authority.

If it were a Level Seven Authority, needing only a few hundred kilograms of Starfall Source Stones, he could still help Zhao Jiayi awaken it, but with over twenty thousand kilograms of Source Stones, the gap is far too great.

However, Zhao Jiayi seems quite special... to possess potential for an Authority of such a level?

According to Chen Guang, the highest power level on Earth is Level Eight; producing potential that surpasses Level Eight is a miracle.

Speaking of which, there are far too many miracles...

He, Yi Leina Duo, and Zhao Jiayi—three miracles have already emerged.

"Even if there aren't many, there's no hope..." Zhao Jiayi muttered.

Lin Qing said nothing.

Anyway, he couldn't help her awaken in the short term, so it was better not to bring it up.

Awakening the Authority for Black Flame was actually much simpler.

A few days ago, after testing with 21 grams of Starfall Source Stones, he confirmed that Black Flame's Authority Awakening requires 3,140 kilograms.

Condensing over eight hundred kilograms of Starfall Source Stones per year, it should take about four years.

As for Black Flame's Authority name, it is 'Indestructible Fire'.

"Awakening the Authorities for Black Flame and Jiayi will take at least thirty years to accumulate..."

Lin Qing pondered silently, "However, it might not take that long. Perhaps there's still a chance to obtain a lot of Starfall Source Stones..."

After all, the Entropy-Reverser must prepay for a future that is possible for him to realize.

Before he had awakened his Authority, his strength was still inferior to that of an Inspector, yet such a future existed. This indicates that, given his situation at the time, it was possible for him to obtain over eight hundred tons of Starfall Source Stones!

This must be a future that can be realized.

And it is based on his state and strength at that time, absolutely not because he might become much stronger in the future.

"Where would the Starfall Source Stones come from... are they on Earth?"

Lin Qing was somewhat confused. "The vanished pre-civilization of Earth? But Starfall Source Stones can only exist for a thousand years, right?"

He couldn't figure it out.

But since there is a possibility of realization, there must inevitably be a method to obtain over eight hundred tons of Starfall Source Stones.

"Forget it. Let's get the Divine Office first..."

Lin Qing suppressed the doubt in his heart.

The current goal is to become a Cosmic Citizen.

However, he suspects... he might already be a Cosmic Citizen.

After all, although Black Flame and he have different souls and bodies, their consciousness is the same.

Black Flame originally had a Divine Office and was already a Cosmic Citizen, but after transforming into a Primordial Being, he actually became a Cosmic Citizen again?

So, he speculates that being a Cosmic Citizen might be judged based on consciousness.

It might also be that there are standards regarding consciousness, soul, and other aspects.

The specifics will be known once he achieves a Divine Office.

At 11:05 PM that night.

Lin Qing once again emitted a telekinetic wave matching the same frequency, following that spell-like sound wave frequency.

"Come..."

"Let us welcome the Twilight Paradise together..."

Accompanied by an invisible wave sweeping over, a gentle and kind female voice was heard.

Lin Qing only felt that the invisible wave seemed to be attracting his telekinesis; as a strand of telekinesis extended outward, part of his consciousness quietly sank into it.

A massive spaceship, like a meteor, hovered above the clouds, and a huge 'Z' logo was visible on the side of the ship.

At this moment, inside a room within the spaceship, a blurry phantom condensed into form, becoming a young man.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window, it was still twilight.

"I've entered." Lin Qing opened his eyes.

"Great progress."

A gentle, soft voice sounded behind him.

Turning to look, it was none other than Yi Leina Duo, dressed in a nun's habit.

"Lady Yi Leina Duo," Lin Qing greeted, "Can you tell?"

"In reality, I might not be able to tell, but in this Twilight Paradise, I can still sense the intensity of your telekinesis," Yi Leina smiled.

Lin Qing understood.

However, having this special trait discovered was no big deal.

The meeting began.

"Lady Yi Leina Duo, the Earth Treasure is in the Earth Zone of the Second Universe Network. Can only Earth's universe citizens log into this zone network, or can outsiders log in as well?"

Lin Qing asked.

Yi Leina Duo smiled: "For universe citizens who have logged into the Second Universe Network, this is just simple common knowledge... Before formally connecting with the starry sky, only Earth's universe citizens can log into Earth's zone network."

Lin Qing nodded slightly and asked no more.

The exchange session continued.

"Lady Yi Leina Duo, recently all twenty-four urban districts have started recruiting new talents. Is this also for the Earth Treasure opening at the end of the year?"

"Not exactly. It's just because the training resources of the Wisdom Star Group have expanded, so the twenty-four districts are using this opportunity to cultivate their family geniuses. The actual candidates to explore the Earth Treasure were decided long ago."

"Lady Yi Leina Duo..."

As members spoke one by one, the exchange session ended quickly.

The trading session began.

Lin Qing spoke again: "Still the Bloodline Enhancer, but this time I don't need the Original Crystals. I only need six thousand points and special items."

"Points?"

This time, not only the two who had offered Original Crystals last time, but others also spoke up one after another.

After all, Original Crystals were restricted resources; selling them was simple, while points in Twilight Paradise had no use other than exchanging for cultivation methods and consulting questions, so many had a surplus.

"Six thousand points is not hard. What exactly are the special items?"

A man in a gray robe wearing a cyan stone mask spoke in a hoarse voice.

"For example, those beneficial to combat technique cultivation or bloodline evolution," Lin Qing said, "or subspace storage equipment, and so on."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Twilight Frontline fell silent one by one.

Subspace storage equipment?

Although the main core of such equipment is naturally formed subspace fragments, not involving much space technology, the technical difficulty of utilizing subspace fragments alone far exceeded the imagination of Earth civilization.

Generally, only internal members of the Wisdom Star Group possessed subspace storage equipment.

However, the Bloodline Evolution Agent was no different.

Lin Qing had already learned the value of the Bloodline Enhancer from Chen Guang.

The most outrageous aspect of the Bloodline Evolution Agent was that it raised the concentration of a Star-level bloodline from 【Trace】 to 【Small Amount】.

Normally, once a Bloodline Evolution Serum was injected, no new Bloodline Evolution Serum could be injected until the development was fully completed.

Even the same Sky-Track Monarch Bloodline Evolution Serum would not work.

The Bloodline Enhancer, however, could raise it to 【Small Amount】 concentration.

This was the most precious aspect of the Bloodline Enhancer!

Compared to subspace storage equipment, those six thousand points were merely a bonus.

"I wonder if there is any..." Lin Qing secretly anticipated.

Although subspace storage equipment was precious, there was still hope of obtaining it.

After a brief silence, a woman wearing a clown mask, dressed in a black robe, with the codename 'Qiao Ke', spoke: "I have a piece of subspace storage equipment here, but it only has a twelve-cubic-meter subspace. I can add another ten thousand points for you."

"Twelve cubic meters?" Lin Qing pondered in silence.

Most subspace storage equipment had at least fifteen cubic meters or more; something this small was relatively rare.

The female member codenamed Qiao Ke added: "How about this... I can also add a Tier-3 Starry Sky Combat Suit for you?"

"Tier-3 Starry Sky Combat Suit?"

Lin Qing pondered for a while, found that no one else had spoken up, and then said: "Fine, I agree."

A Tier-3 Starry Sky Combat Suit was considered precious even for ordinary primitive beings.

Although not as good as subspace storage equipment, it was still not bad.

Lin Qing was quite satisfied in his heart.

A twelve-cubic-meter subspace storage, though a bit small, was enough to hold Starry Sky Source Stones.

Over eight hundred kilograms of Starry Sky Source Stones occupied a volume of only zero point zero something cubic meters.

After the meeting ended, ten thousand points had been transferred.

As for the Tier-3 Starry Sky Combat Suit and the subspace storage equipment, Yi Leina Duo would act as an intermediary to sign an agreement in Twilight Paradise. After confirming the transaction was problem-free, Yi Leina Duo would have someone deliver them in reality.

Lin Qing naturally had no objections.

He was able to enter Twilight Paradise because Yi Leina Duo had guided him; she already knew the true identities and locations of all the members.

Before leaving Twilight Paradise, Lin Qing exchanged a primitive version of a telekinesis cultivation method suitable for Black Flame 'Telekinetic Fire', and the primitive version of 'Heart's Journey Boat', spending a total of six thousand points.

As for the deeper Life Chapter, he did not need to cultivate it.

The Path of Divine Office.

All combat techniques, secret arts, gene abilities, and so on had already merged into one; there was no need to cultivate these anymore. It was enough to just understand the cultivation methods and direction.

As long as one passes the higher-level divine office trial in the future, all abilities will undergo transformation.

'Novice Demon' is merely a basic-level divine office; it can later sublimate into the primordial-level divine office known as 'Primordial Blood Demon'.

One could say this is also one of the advantages of the Starry Sky divine offices.

Late that night.

After Lin Qing left the Twilight Front, he prepared the bloodline enhancer; not long after, Yi Leina Duo sent someone to collect it.

A few hours later, he received the trade items sent by Yi Leina Duo's people.

'Subspace Storage Device' and 'Tier-3 Starry Sky Battle Armor'.

Only after confirming the telekinesis was correct did the personnel sent by Yi Leina Duo hand over these two trade items.

"So this is the subspace fragment?"

The subspace storage device was a crystal card slightly smaller than an ID card, containing a twelve-cubic-meter space inside; it could be used via telekinesis but could not accommodate a soul entering it.

As for the Tier-3 Starry Sky Battle Armor, it was a precious armor truly belonging to Starry Sky lifeforms.

In terms of strength alone, it rivaled Tier-3 materials; the key was that it could change at will, deflect most attacks from the primordial lifeform level, and sustain the life activities required by primordial lifeforms.

For Lin Qing, this Tier-3 Starry Sky Battle Armor was currently stronger than his own defense.

Even Black Flame would need to employ divine office abilities to tear it apart.

One could imagine how formidable its defensive capability was.

Three days later.

Deep within an underground space thousands of meters down, a presence had remained silent in the darkness for a long time.

Suddenly, light flared, revealing Black Flame seated on the Starry Sky Source Stone chair.

"It's about ready."

Black Flame slowly opened his eyes, sensing his current state.

His genes and telekinesis had already cultivated to the limit of the primordial lifeform level; one could say there was no further progress to be made. To improve further would enter the realm of high-level primordial lifeforms.

Primordial lifeforms are lifeforms transformed by primordial energy; they can be called 'Fifth-Energy-Level Lifeforms'.

High-level primordial lifeforms, however, are transformed by the Sixth-Energy-Level power of the Six Major Sects, also known as 'Sixth-Energy-Level Lifeforms'.

Before the primordial stage, the first four energy levels still possessed energies suitable for transforming lifeforms; simple absorption was sufficient.

But the power of the Six Major Sects is not suitable for transforming lifeforms.

Therefore, one must thoroughly comprehend the essence of a certain Sixth-Energy-Level power to create a perfect cultivation method suited to oneself, thereby transforming the lifeform.

The difficulty is so great that among tens of thousands of primordial lifeforms, only one succeeds.

Even by burning Black Flame to enhance comprehension, who knows how long it would take.

So, the simplest method is actually just one—

Fulfill the duties of the divine office.

These past days, Lin Qing had already pondered Black Flame's divine office, 'Life-System Novice Demon', many times. The four abilities of this divine office—

Demon Body, Demon Clan Talent, Yu Xingyuan Favor, and Soul Sacrifice.

It mimics the strange race born in the Great Yu Xingyuan in the universe, the 'Starry Sky Demons', also called 'Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan', terrifying lifeforms that are mysterious and powerful.

It is said that any civilization formally connecting with the Starry Sky will encounter the harm of the Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan.

The Novice Demon divine office is a mimicry of the Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan.

According to the data on Starry Sky divine offices, on a perfect planet, only two basic divine offices have a single trial slot remaining—of course, hidden divine offices do not count.

One is the Starry Sky Demon series mimicking the Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan, and the other is the Cosmic Envoy series mimicking the Void Divine Clan.

"Demon Body and Demon Clan Talent: the former forms a powerful body through combined combat techniques, genes, and other forces; the latter is the derivative manifestation of personal talents and demon talents."

Lin Qing pondered silently, "The divine office abilities truly used for evolution are Yu Xingyuan Favor and Soul Sacrifice..."

A divine office is, in essence, also a path of evolution.

Theoretically, even if one cannot perceive Sixth-Energy-Level power, an awakened lifeform who obtains a basic divine office can transform into a primordial being as long as they fulfill the duties of that divine office.

!.

But for awakened lifeforms, even with a basic divine office, the difficulty remains so exaggerated that it is almost impossible to accomplish.

"Among the demons of the Six Major Sects, the Life-System Demon must follow great slaughter to obtain the reward of Yu Xingyuan Favor..."

This is the function and evolution method of the demon series.

It is said that Starry Sky Demons are naturally favored by the Yu Xingyuan Will; they are born to 'break the rules'. As long as they act against the norms of their respective sects, they can receive rewards from the Yu Xingyuan Will.

For example, Order-System Demons must break order.

Life-System Demons must carry out slaughter.

Destruction-System Demons, conversely, need to save and protect.

Though seemingly acting against the rules of the Six Major Sects, they actually still align with the rules.

Moreover, Yu Xingyuan Demons can also receive rewards by sacrificing powerful souls to the Yu Xingyuan.

"Breaking the rules... indeed demons."

Lin Qing silently shook his head. "This actually resembles the demons in myths and legends..."

He couldn't help but speculate: perhaps all the rumors and stories about demons on Earth and in the universe originated from the Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan?

"There is no rush now..."

Lin Qing pondered silently. "Slaughter and soul sacrifice can be done anytime... Now I must wait for the main body to achieve the divine office; I cannot create unnecessary complications or invite trouble..."

Time passed day by day.

Lin Qing spent every day immersed in cultivation and repaying debts.

With the extraordinary talent boosted by Black Flame's combustion, mastering combat techniques or psychic arts was simple—only the instinctive level proved difficult.

In the blink of an eye, four months had passed.

Lin Qing attended another meeting of the Dusk Front.

"Ms. Yi Leina Duo, the twenty-four families in the urban zone have grown increasingly active, scouring the land for prodigies for Zhixing Group, and even planning to recruit at the Patrol Headquarters—could this truly be only for Zhixing Group's resources?"

"It's Zhixing Group's order. Earth has officially aligned with the starry expanse, and there's less than four years left. As the largest Fuyong Sect, they naturally crave merit."

"Ms. Yi Leina Duo, I heard the twenty-four families plan to send agents to recruit prodigies from Earth's civilizations beyond the urban zone?"

"Yes. They've already begun free talent assessments in every city, even preparing instruments to detect soul talent, to identify those with primal potential ahead of time."

"Ms. Yi Leina Duo, it's said that the Qu family within the twenty-four families has produced a prodigy who obtained a rare divine office—is this true or false?"

"True. When Zhixing Group explores Earth's treasures at year's end, they'll again hold all the advantages."

"Ms. Yi Leina Duo, could you clarify what the Star Patrol Council recently announced…?"

Soon, the exchange and trading segments ended.

Notably, the member seated first to Yi Leina Duo's left, codenamed Ice Cicada, who had persistently inquired about "Destruction-Class Sacred Glyphs" intelligence, finally received a piece of information.

Yet, before Lin Qing left Dusk Paradise, Yi Leina Duo suddenly sent him a psychic whisper:

"Lin Qing, tonight I'm taking Zhao Jiayi away for a while. I'll return her to you by year's end."

"Taking Jiayi away?" Lin Qing asked. "Could you tell me why?"

He knew that if a person of Yi Leina Duo's stature truly wished to forcibly take someone, he couldn't stop her.

Moreover, after months observing the Dusk Front, he'd sensed Yi Leina Duo showed Zhao Jiayi unusually excessive care—many issues were excused for her without cost.

Her attitude also seemed warmer.

This stirred a quiet suspicion in him, though he wasn't certain.

"Her father asked me to help her find a suitable divine office," Yi Leina Duo explained.

"Jiayi's father?" Lin Qing asked. "Does Ms. Yi Leina Duo know her father?"

"Know him?" Yi Leina Duo smiled, saying nothing.

Lin Qing asked no further, merely whispering back: "Then please take good care of Jiayi."

…

That night, the one who came to take Zhao Jiayi was not Yi Leina Duo, but a young woman with an unfathomably deep aura, courteous and friendly.

Yet Lin Qing knew her power far surpassed his own—she was only this amiable because of Yi Leina Duo.

Zhao Jiayi was taken away.

Though her departure granted Lin Qing more time for cultivation, being alone left him slightly bored.

Still, he didn't mind much.

He continued his daily routine: cultivation and debt repayment.

Several more days passed.

On the night of August 2nd.

【Bloodline Evolution Ability—Heavenly Sovereign "Domain" fully repaid!】

After consuming vast amounts of primal energy, Lin Qing completed his final round of Bloodline Evolution cultivation—the debt for the Domain ability was finally settled.

"Good thing my consciousness has strengthened considerably—otherwise, I'd still be repaying it until next year…"

Lin Qing exhaled softly, and with a thought, summoned the Anti-Entropy interface.

【Current Order Level: 117.4】

【Number of Advanceable Items: 1/4】

【Advanced Item: Power Awakening "Eternal Split Soul" (0% repaid)】

【Advanced Item: Combat Art "Starlight Imperishable Body" (27.8% repaid)】

【Advanced Item: Psychic Art "Void Seeing God" (22.7% repaid)】

"Another advance slot opened up."

Lin Qing smiled faintly. "Finally, I can advance 'The Only True Self' psychic art."

Over these four months, since his consciousness evolved with Black Flame, his efficiency in cultivating combat arts and bloodline evolution techniques had risen sharply.

He'd expected it would take over a year to repay the combat art debt—he'd done it in mere months.

On June 11th, he repaid the "Divine Form Casting" combat art and advanced "Starlight Imperishable Body," which he already knew but hadn't reached instinctive level.

On July 14th, he repaid the "Source Divine Weapon" combat art.

Lin Qing had long since brought the two basic-level psychic arts on the Star Transmission Tower's psychic gate to instinctive level.

—Such basic-level psychic arts or combat techniques required no advance for him now; with Black Flame burning once, he mastered them, reaching instinctive level within days.

He'd also learned three primal-level psychic arts from the inheritance stone tablets on that path.

"The Only True Self," "Void Seeing God," "Heart Abyss Nine-Nine."

"Void Seeing God" concealed psychic presence and life aura, while also strengthening willpower to resist mental attacks.

Thus, he prioritized advancing it.

"The Only True Self" was an auxiliary art, ideal for psychic-body types—it perfectly controlled and unified all his powers, maximizing potential and enabling extraordinary performance.

Yet bloodline evolution was slower to repay—luckily, he could now manipulate primal energy and no longer needed primal crystals.

Today, at last, it was fully repaid.

"Advance: Psychic Art 'The Only True Self.'"

As memories surfaced and his psychic energy underwent strange shifts, Lin Qing slowly opened his eyes.

His power had improved slightly—though the gain was minor, given his current ability to effortlessly crush Patrol Envoys, this strength without a divine office was already absurd.

"I'm basically at my limit; I'm just short of the 'Heart Abyss Ninety-Nine' to have the complete set."

Lin Qing took a deep breath.

Heart Abyss Ninety-Nine is a mental power secret art for dividing the mind, allowing him to use one mind for eighty-one purposes; originally, before he cultivated mental power secret arts, he could only use one mind for eight purposes.

After cultivating various mental power secret arts, he can now barely manage one mind for eighteen purposes, such as simultaneously controlling eighteen Source Divine Weapons without interference and with perfect coordination.

And this mental power secret art, Heart Abyss Ninety-Nine, is specifically for 'dividing the mind,' so its effect is naturally even stronger.

Of course, the energy consumption for simultaneously controlling eighty-one Source Divine Weapons is also astonishingly high, and generally there is no need for it.

"Let's see the success rate for the Divine Duty Trial now."

Lin Qing's heart stirred; immediately he sank his consciousness into the Star-Transmitting Pagoda within his body and began attempting the Divine Duty Trial simulated by the Star-Transmitting Pagoda.

A moment passed.

He opened his eyes again.

"93.4%?" Lin Qing nodded slightly, "Not bad."

He had just passed the trial for the hidden Divine Duty 'Divine Underwalker' simulated for him by the Star-Transmitting Pagoda.

But this was merely a simulation; it could not determine the specific circumstances of the actual Divine Duty Trial, just like the college entrance exam mock test, where the scores of the mock exam and the actual exam often differ to some extent.

Ever since he learned the secret transmission 'Three Phases of the Starry Sky' that forms Source Power, his success rate for passing the Divine Duty assessment has increased greatly.

"After learning Heart Abyss Ninety-Nine, the success rate will be even higher," Lin Qing nodded inwardly.

The success rate will naturally be raised as high as it can go.

Although 93.4% is already very high, it has not yet reached his limit.

"Fortunately, mental power secret arts rely more on consciousness, so they are much faster to cultivate than combat techniques."

Lin Qing was not in a hurry; "I estimate I can repay 'Void Seeing the Divine' by mid-September; best to repay 'The Only True Self' as well, leaving one pre-advanced slot open for the trial, just in case of unforeseen needs."

Although no matter how special or complex the abilities are, they will all merge into a part of the Starry Sky Divine Duty, so whether it's early or late makes no difference, but improving the success rate is more important.

Anyway, it is only August now; there are still a few months until the Earth Treasure at the end of the year, which is completely sufficient.

Actually, this is already much faster than he originally expected.

If it weren't for the Black Flame, he felt he could only wait for the next Earth Treasure to open.

In the blink of an eye, it was October.

On October 7, Lin Qing arrived at the Patrol Headquarters again.

Patrol Headquarters Building.

"You are going to attempt the Divine Duty Trial?"

In the upper department office, Upper Department Head Xu Shaofeng looked at Lin Qing in surprise and couldn't help asking, "So soon? Are you sure you don't want to prepare a bit more?"

"Department Head Xu, I am basically at my limit," Lin Qing shook his head slightly, "Delaying further won't bring any progress."

He didn't explain much, simply shifting his mind.

An invisible, hazy light domain quietly expanded, covering this office and enveloping Xu Shaofeng.

"You!"

Xu Shaofeng looked at Lin Qing in shock, almost unable to believe it, "This is..."

He was also a Primordial Being, so naturally he could feel the power of this domain; although it was not as powerful as the domain of a Primordial Being like himself, the fact that an Awakened Being could master a domain was already shocking enough.

This showed that Lin Qing had actually developed the core ability 'Domain' of the fifth energy level of the Sky-Track Monarch bloodline!

This was even more shocking to him than what Instant Light had brought.

The gene abilities of the Sky-Track Monarch would continuously improve with strength, while the limit of a Primordial Being's domain was only the fifth energy level.

"Yes, the domain I just developed," Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Of course, the domain power he just displayed was merely the power he had when he first awakened the domain over half a year ago.

In fact, this was only a fraction of the power when he currently exerted his full strength.

Once the Black Flame burned, under full exertion, even Xu Shaofeng would be unable to use his domain and could only be suppressed by him.

Of course, since he himself had not even obtained a basic Divine Duty and was not a Primordial Being, even if he could suppress Xu Shaofeng relying on the domain, he would definitely not be Xu Shaofeng's match.

The gap in foundation was too great; he was merely relying on the move of burning the Black Flame to boost the domain's power.

"Good, good, good."

Xu Shaofeng took a deep breath, looking at Lin Qing with excited and gratified eyes, "I knew I didn't misjudge you."

"It's almost the end of the year."

Lin Qing said, "Department Head Xu, I want to pass the Divine Duty Trial sooner; about how long will it take?"

Xu Shaofeng pondered for a moment and said, "The Three Great Forbidden Zones are all supervised by the Wisdom Star Group; the approval for the application is estimated to take one or two days."

"Fine, then I'll stay at the headquarters for these two days," Lin Qing said.

"Good."

Xu Shaofeng nodded and added, "However, you still need to be careful; recently the Twenty-Four Families are also watching the Patrol Headquarters. Anyone with a chance to become a Patrol Envoy, they will coerce or tempt. Do not reveal your true strength, otherwise the Wisdom Star Group will inevitably force you to sign a mandatory contract."

"The Twenty-Four Families?" Lin Qing said, "The Wisdom Star Group's lackeys? I'm not very familiar with which families make up the Twenty-Four Families."

Xu Shaofeng said, "Currently watching the Patrol Headquarters are the Yuan Family, the Locks Family, and the Yan Family from the Top Three Families."

"Top Three Families?" Lin Qing asked in confusion.

"Yes."

Xu Shaofeng said, "Although the Twenty-Four Families are powerful, twenty-one of them are merely borrowing the tiger's might; the strength of any one of these twenty-one families is estimated to be about the same as the Patrol Headquarters."

"However, the Top Three Families among them are different; the Yan Family, the Gongsun Family, and the Rodris Family are the Top Three Families."

He spoke in a deep voice, "These three families all possess top-tier experts who have obtained Primordial-level Divine Duties, and they rose during the Apocalypse Era; for example, Councilor Yan Qingqing of the Yan Family, Gongsun Jie of the Gongsun Family, and that Mad Lion of the Rodris Family; they also hold certain status within the Wisdom Star Group, second only to powers like the Chaoyang Martial Hall, the Dawn Group, and the Star-Patrol Council."

Lin Qing fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Department Head Xu just said... the Yan Family? Councilor Yan Qingqing? Also rose during the Apocalypse Era?"

"Correct."

Xu Shaofeng nodded slightly, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? Have you heard of it?"

There will be one more update, probably a bit late. There are too many people at home today, making it impossible to write. I'll stay up all night tonight to finish this chapter.

(End of this chapter)