Chapter 37: Meeting

The next day, in Yanjing, at Xing'an Building.

The entire building houses the headquarters of the Huaguo Security Bureau, but outwardly it is presented as an office of a state‑owned enterprise.

"Everyone should already know what has happened recently, right? Those present are either core personnel of the National Security Bureau or some hidden‑cultivation heterodox beings. We are about to formally establish a new organization called the Cultivation Management Bureau."

Seated at the far end of the conference room, Mo Lao spoke with a solemn expression.

To his left sat an elderly man with an ethereal bearing and a warm smile. Su Chen recognized him as the master from his previous life.

Behind Mo Lao stood a refined young man named Dang Sha, still wearing gold‑rimmed glasses. Noticing Su Chen's gaze, he gave Su Chen a slight smile and nodded.

On the far right of the conference room sat over twenty National Security Bureau staff in suits and formal attire, their expressions solemn; they were both men and women, most over twenty‑five years old.

They sat upright with an imposing aura, exuding the presence of superiors. Among them, several radiated the aura of the Qi Condensation Phase.

On the far left sat a collection of odd individuals, men, women, old and young alike.

A middle‑aged cultivator in his forties, bearing a long sword, looked toward the ethereal elder at the far end, his expression slightly twisted.

He had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and thought himself the pinnacle of this world, but yesterday, while sword‑riding to explore a celestial sword that had fallen into a mountain, the ethereal elder seized him.

Looking at others, there was an elderly man with a cockroach perched on his head.

A middle‑aged man, grotesquely ugly yet unusually tall, held a gong and drum.

A nun sat silently, her hands clasped together the whole time.

A young Taoist, his pockets filled with strange talismans, wielded a peach‑wood sword, his expression icy.

Most unusually, there was also a girl of about eleven or twelve years old…

Among them, only a handful dressed relatively normally, including Su Chen, who wore casual high‑school attire; yet his presence felt out of place among them.

Another relatively normal figure was a Miao‑clad woman, wearing a silver floral crown and layered pleated skirts, her appearance exuding an otherworldly yet subtly exotic beauty.

Sensing Su Chen's stare, her beautiful eyes looked at him curiously, and she gave him a faint smile.

In the instant of her smile, Su Chen felt not only awe but also a vague, indescribable sense of danger, causing him to avert his gaze immediately.

Today, Su Chen used a trip to Qingbei Daxue as an excuse to come to the Yanjing National Security Headquarters.

As for the many matters concerning Qingbei Daxue, Dang Sha told himself not to worry; someone would handle them for him.

Mo Lao glanced at the oddly dressed, diverse individuals on the left, his face twitching imperceptibly. He had not finished speaking.

"The director of the Cultivation Management Bureau will be held by Tao Xingzhidaozhang, whose cultivation has already reached the Golden Core Stage."

"Originally we planned to set up a branch in every city of Huaguo, but in reality we currently lack sufficient personnel."

As he spoke, Mo Lao surveyed the room and said solemnly:

"Many hidden cultivators, after sensing the revival of Spiritual Qi, chose to defect from their families or sects, leaving us severely understaffed. We will upgrade city branches to provincial branches, and each of you will serve as director of a provincial branch of the Cultivation Management Bureau."

Upon hearing this, a sudden pressure rose in everyone's hearts, and the conference room fell into an unusually deep silence.

The ethereal elder seemed to notice the shift in mood and chuckled, "

"Everyone need not worry too much; as cultivation becomes widespread, you can recruit suitable personnel from within your jurisdictions,"

The elder's words seemed magical,

instantly bringing peace and calm to everyone's hearts, dispelling all worries.

Su Chen looked at his former master, recalling the past, a hint of nostalgia and joy flashing across his face.

The elder seemed to notice Su Chen's gaze and gave him a slight smile.

Seeing the room calm, Mo Lao produced dozens of documents and continued, "These are the lists of the regions and personnel assigned to each of you; feel free to review them."

Before he finished speaking, Dang Sha immediately stepped forward, took the stack of files, and began distributing them.

The attendees lifted the documents and began perusing them, the rustling sounds echoing through the conference room.

Su Chen flipped through two pages and found his own name, accompanied by his photograph.

Su Chen — Deputy Director of the Cultivation Management Bureau, Tiannan Province

In front of Su Chen was the Director of the Cultivation Management Bureau, Tiannan Province — Zhang Yongyang, whom Su Chen instantly recognized as the elder with three layers of Qi Condensation, the one who was with Dang Sha.

As for the names at the bottom, Su Chen gave them a brief glance and memorized the names and photos of the dozens of people at the top.

Meanwhile, as he flipped through the files, he immediately noticed an irregularity.

It was that the photos clearly distinguished which individuals were civilian hidden cultivators and which were National Security Bureau personnel.

All National Security Bureau personnel were depicted in suits and formal attire, looking unusually proper.

Except for Su Chen and a few others, the remaining photos were hastily taken, looking extremely odd and instantly recognizable as such.

More importantly, all civilian hidden cultivators held the title of Director except Su Chen, while the National Security Bureau staff were all Deputy Directors.

Su Chen grew curious about the few relatively normal individuals and focused on examining several of their records.

Shen Yuanqing's photo showed a rather handsome young man, exuding a relaxed aura that enhanced his charisma.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was a cool‑beauty woman; even from the photo, her deep, wise eyes could not be concealed.

That gaze seemed capable of piercing the soul, seeing through people's hearts.

Qin Lang, about twenty years old, merely standing there, radiated an air of disdain for the world; his arrogant smile suggested he intended to grasp the world in his hands.

Su Chen then turned his gaze to the last person, the Miao woman with a hint of exotic beauty, named Yin Sha Mengzhu.

"All Directors of the Cultivation Management Bureau, as well as some Deputy Directors, will receive Level‑B Permission."

While speaking, Mo Lao glanced at Su Chen, then continued in a sour tone,

"

"Level‑B Permission grants the authority to arrest any suspicious heterodox being."

"It also confers the right of life‑or‑death enforcement against any heterodox who refuses arrest with reasonable suspicion of motive."

"When not deliberately endangering state property or civilian lives, it provides immunity."

……

Many of those on the left side of the conference room seemed confused, their faces blank, while several others, including Su Chen, wore expressions of shock.

Of course, Su Chen's shock was completely feigned, which was no different from his previous life.

It's just that this Grade B Permit is simply too high.

And his meaning is also very simple: as long as you are an Outsider, if I suspect you have a problem, I can arrest you; if you run, I can kill you.

"Regarding the more detailed rules and the judgment of Outsiders, everyone can look them up on the last page of the document."

Mo Lao saw everyone's doubts, stopped the impending commotion, and spoke.