Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 156 [Extra] (6900)

Chapter 151 [Unofficial] (6900)

Lin Qingquan coldly said, "This world also has its own Heavenly Dao! Why do you think the Heavenly Dao of this world suppresses cultivation? Is suppressing cultivation really just about suppressing based on cultivation level? Why is suppression divided according to cultivation level? Why can't one cross the Heavenly Human Realm?"

Chen Yan frowned: "Realm... Hmm, I understand."

"Do you really understand?"

"I understand now." Chen Yan sighed. "What's being suppressed isn't the realm, but rather the cultivator's ability to disrupt the rules of this world. Below the Celestial Realm, even if they do something destructive, it's limited."

However, if cultivators below the Celestial Realm break too many rules, the problems will accumulate and eventually reach a certain point, at which point the Heavenly Dao will still take action—in other words, severely punish them.

"So, I understand your current mental state problem—but it's actually quite ridiculous."

Do you really think you can trample on the rules of this world at will? You can trample on them for a while, but if you do that too often, who knows, one day the laws of this world will strike you down with lightning!

If Heaven wants to destroy you, you can't stop it.

Chen Yan shrank back.

He recalled those days of his "seven-day ordeal".

but……

What Lin Qingquan didn't know was... that he also had a mirror world!
That's a place even the Heavenly Dao can't reach.

Lin Qingquan had already poured out the tea and washed the teapot, then sneered, "So, stop being so presumptuous."

Don't you have a girlfriend? Call her over to stay with you for a few days, have sex, vent your frustrations, release your excess energy, and then behave yourself.

He's only at the Returning Origin Realm; he's a long way from wanting to break all the rules!
Then, cultivate your mind and refine your state of mind. Your cultivation has progressed too quickly, and your mind cannot keep up, which is very dangerous for you.

"Cultivating the mind, you mean self-awareness, right? — How do you cultivate it?"

"Primordial Spirit, kid!" Lin Qingquan laughed, "You should start cultivating your primordial spirit too. If you don't cultivate your primordial spirit at the Returning Origin Realm, are you planning to become a body cultivator?"

As he spoke, Lin Qingquan suddenly threw something in front of Chen Yan.

Chen Yan glanced at it, his eyes flickering.

This is a white jade plaque, with a faint trace of vital energy flowing across it.

"Don't use that alchemy furnace as a storage device anymore." Lin Qingquan sighed. "It's a perfectly good alchemy furnace, and the quality is quite good. It's such a waste that you're using it as a storage device—and how much can that thing even hold?"

Chen Yan picked up the jade pendant. The flowing cloud patterns on it were exquisitely carved, and the jade itself was of exceptional quality. He gently rubbed it with his fingers, feeling a warm, smooth sensation.

"Storage equipment? How much can it hold?"

"It's about the size of two shipping containers. It's big enough to carry your personal equipment, and even if you move, it'll be big enough!" Lin Qingquan said slowly. "I told you last time that I had a gift for you in a few days—look, isn't this gift pretty good?"

Chen Yan smiled and looked at Lin Qingquan: "This thing shouldn't be just a simple storage device, right?"

Lin Qingquan chuckled: "It's also a token, an identity token."

"..." Chen Yan looked at Lin Qingquan, waiting for him to continue.

"This is the identification badge of the Patrol Division," Lin Qingquan sighed.

Chen Yan smiled slightly, showing no surprise, and simply said, "Oh, you're not pretending anymore? Does this mean you've revealed your identity?"

“There’s nothing left to pretend about.” Lin Qingquan shook his head: “You’re a very shrewd guy. You’ve already figured it out. If you keep pretending, you might not show it on your face, but you’re probably secretly very pleased with yourself.”

"The Patrol Division..." Chen Yan thought for a moment, "You don't mean I'll be appointed as a patrol officer, do you?"

Lin Qingquan sighed and said irritably, "Kid! Even if you don't have a mirror at home, don't you still pee?"

He paused, then said dismissively, "Inspector...you wish! What is your status, what is your cultivation level, that you dare to dream of being an inspector?"

"So, is this ID badge mine for an assistant or an intern?"

Lin Qingquan said coldly, "Hmph, you know quite a lot! Where did you get your knowledge of the system and regulations of my Inspection Division?"

Your apprentice Ouyang, that guy with the thick Northeastern accent, told me.

Chen Yan chuckled inwardly, but said aloud, "An old fox spirit told me that."

Lin Qingquan glanced at him sideways: "Is Su Yi there?"

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat: "You've been secretly watching me since then?"

"Yes, you helped me solve a problem that time, otherwise I would have had to make the trip myself."

Chen Yan frowned: "Since you're not going to pretend anymore, why not just lay your cards on the table... Your position in the Inspection Division isn't low, is it?"

What I mean is, since you were able to come forward to recruit me and even give me an ID card, you must hold an official position.

"You've been secretly watching me for quite some time now! What are you after?"

Lin Qingquan fell silent.

Chen Yan's eyes flickered. He took a deep breath and suddenly went straight to the point: "Because of my old lady?"

Lin Qingquan blinked and slowly said, "Otherwise what? Is a mere half-baked cultivator at the Returning Origin Realm worth me, an old man, going to such lengths for?

"My grandmother, is she alright after she returned to the realm? She..."

"Of course she's great! Absolutely fantastic!" Lin Qingquan said irritably, "Given her status, she'll naturally be in a position of supreme power after returning to the Domain Realm. In front of her subordinates, life and death are decided with a single word! You don't need to worry about her."

Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and whispered, "Then... did she give you any instructions to pass on to me?"

“Yes.” Lin Qingquan said slowly, “She told me to tell you: Kid, live a good life, eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink, live a carefree life, don’t think about things that don’t concern you, and don’t run around if there’s nothing wrong with you.”

Chen Yan smiled. These were the words the old lady used, but he still asked, "What does she mean by that?"

"How would I know? Do you think she would explain herself to me if she were just passing on a message, given her status as a Venerable One? I'm only responsible for relaying the message. As for what she means, how the hell would I know? I'm not a Venerable One!"
If I were to actually see her, I'd have to bow deeply, okay?

Chen Yan nodded: "Okay, is there anything else she wants you to convey?"

"There's one more thing." Lin Qingquan frowned this time, his expression becoming much more serious. He said in a low voice, "She told me to tell you... Don't cultivate your primordial spirit, and don't practice physical techniques!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan was immediately shocked. He raised his head and looked at Lin Qingquan in disbelief!
Lin Qingquan sneered, "Judging from your expression, it seems you already knew that both the primordial spirit and physical techniques were problematic on the path of cultivation."

Chen Yan was silent for a while: "I didn't expect that you would know this, and I didn't expect that the old lady would ask you to remind me of this."

"Ha!" Lin Qingquan still sneered: "How many days have you been cultivating? You think you can figure out such a problem after just a few months of casual practice and a little exposure to cultivation techniques? Do you think that in the realm of countless cultivators, with geniuses emerging one after another, over so many years... no one would have thought of such a problem?"

Chen Yan slowly said, "You can't cultivate both, and every path has its flaws, which is a limitation... Since you know there are problems and pitfalls, why..."

"Why are cultivators in the realm still cultivating like this?" Lin Qingquan's expression changed, he sighed softly, and whispered a question:

"Because there is no choice! This is the path ordained by Heaven, and there is no other way to go! Either you don't cultivate and live your life as a mortal, or... you have to obediently follow the path ordained by Heaven."

“…I understand.” Chen Yan replied in a low voice, giving Lin Qingquan a deep look.

"It is only in this world that I am telling you these things. In the other realms, you wouldn't be able to say a single word of these things, and it would be best not to even entertain such thoughts!"

Chen Yan fell silent, clutching the jade pendant in his hand. After a moment of thought, he finally said, "I have another question, about my father..."

"Stop!" Lin Qingquan immediately waved his hand. "I've already told you what your grandmother asked me to tell you! As for other things, I don't know, and it's no use asking me. Your grandmother is a Venerable One!"

She won't even tell you, do you think I could possibly give you the answer you're looking for?

"Alright." Chen Yan hadn't expected much anyway, so upon hearing this, he didn't ask for too much: "Then tell me about this jade token. What are you asking me to do by joining the Patrol Division?"
Since we're recruiting them to work for us, we need to clearly state the compensation, job duties, and so on.

"It's not an assistant or an intern, it's... a temporary or non-staff position. You can think of it as an 'auxiliary police officer'."

"Auxiliary police officer?" Chen Yan smiled.

"That's roughly the idea." Lin Qingquan waved his hand. "But at least you're finally getting a government job. Most importantly, your name is now on the Heavenly Dao list in the Domain Realm."

"Huh?" Chen Yan was stunned.

The Heavenly Dao of the Realm has been registered? What does that mean?
"You don't understand. Whether it's outside the official system or not is relative to the official system of our Sendai Realm."

But working in the Inspection Division means working for the Heavenly Way. To work for the Heavenly Way, one must cast a nameplate and hang one's name on it.

Otherwise, who would receive the rewards when Heaven distributes them?

As he spoke, Lin Qingquan laughed and said, "Don't even mention you, even a dog in the Patrol Division is registered with the Heavenly Dao."

"Um...may I ask, what's this 'Heavenly Dao Affiliation' all about, and how does one affiliate their name?"

"It's very simple. Burn incense and pray. Burn every part of your body, including your hair and skin, and pray to the heavens. Tell the heavens, 'Boss, this is one of our own. From now on, when you distribute rewards, distribute them to him...' That's roughly the idea."

Lin Qingquan said with a smile, "You don't need to think about this too seriously. Let me tell you, in our Inspection Division, even a dog has to be registered with the Heavenly Dao. It's to let the Heavenly Dao know of your existence, find your true form, and then if you make a contribution, the reward can be directly applied to you."

Chen Yan fell silent.

The reasoning is not difficult to understand.

But...didn't the old lady always hope to stay away from the realm?

Moreover, after summarizing the information gathered from multiple investigations, Chen Yan made a judgment: it would be best for him to stay far away from the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Dao of the Domain!
But this time, why did the old lady ask me to join the Patrol Division, and even put me on the list of the Heavenly Dao of the Realm?
"Wait, you didn't just do it on your own, did you? Did my grandmother really make me join the Patrol Division? Put me on the list with the Heavenly Dao?"

"Otherwise what? Do you think it's easy for a cultivator from outside the realm to join the Patrol Division?" Lin Qingquan said, seeing Chen Yan's puzzled expression: "Don't ask me, I don't know. If you want the answer, find an opportunity to ask your grandmother yourself."

"Can I... get in touch with the old lady?" Chen Yan's eyes lit up immediately!
"No." Lin Qingquan said sternly, "Unless you can go to the Domain Realm, but... you can't go. With your status, even the boundary wall won't allow you to cross. Even if you're from the Patrol Division, you're still an outsider cultivator, and they will never let you cross the Domain Realm."

Fine.

Chen Yan held the jade pendant and finally nodded: "Since it's the old lady's arrangement, I accept it." Although he didn't know why the old lady's attitude had suddenly changed 180 degrees, anyway... the old lady would never harm him!
"Alright, let's talk about the compensation then." Lin Qingquan said with a straight face, "Your rank is [Unofficial Trainee Assistant Inspector]. You need to complete three missions each quarter to meet the requirements."

If you exceed the target, doubling your score will raise your rating by one rank. However, each extreme assessment can only achieve a maximum of three times the minimum target; exceeding that won't improve your rating—this is to prevent overly competitive players from using assessments to artificially inflate their scores and ratings.

Chen Yan laughed; this patrol department actually had a system to prevent involution.

That's great!
Why bother working for the will of Heaven? Isn't it better to just lie around and be a couch potato?

"Completing the task three times per quarter is considered meeting the standard, six times is considered good, and nine times is considered excellent."

If you meet the minimum qualification standard for 100 quarters, and one-third of those quarters have achieved good or better performance, you can be promoted one level and have the word "non-staff" removed from your title.

If a candidate achieves a passing grade for 80 quarters, with 20 of those quarters achieving an excellent grade, they can be promoted ahead of schedule.

Chen Yan pursed his lips.

Whether it's one-third of 100 quarters being good, or one-quarter of 80 quarters being excellent...

They all have a minimum of twenty years!
It takes twenty years to get promoted?
Well, if you remove the words "non-staff" from your title, you can become a "trainee assistant inspector"—on par with that guy Ouyang.

Twenty years? What's the point of even trying?

Just lie down!
"Your reward will be three spirit pills each quarter—depending on whether you're a cultivator pursuing the primordial spirit path or the body cultivation path. You can choose three spirit tempering pills or three bone tempering pills..."

Chen Yan looked at Lin Qingquan quietly, but when he noticed that Lin Qingquan had stopped talking, Chen Yan frowned and asked, "Anything else?"

"Gone."

"That's it?!" Chen Yan's eyes widened. "Only three pills a quarter? You expect me to fight to the death, exorcising demons and monsters?"

"In principle, you work for the Patrol Division to eliminate those evil spirits that have escaped from the realm and are causing trouble, as well as some forces that come from the realm and are having a negative impact on this world... If you acquire any spoils of war during these missions, you can keep them for yourself."

"Pah!" Chen Yan almost wanted to throw the jade pendant at Lin Laodeng's face!

He roared, "Spoils of war? Don't try to fool me, you old scoundrel!"

The Realm is the real hotbed of cultivation! It's easy to imagine that cultivators or prodigies who escape from the Realm are either forced to leave because they can no longer survive there, or they are wanted by the authorities and have nowhere else to turn!
They all came to our world like refugees!

What valuables could refugees possibly carry? Even if they were to seize something, what would they get? Just a pittance?
"For this, I'd fight to the death?"

Lin Qingquan smiled good-naturedly, looked at Chen Yan, and waited for him to finish complaining before slowly saying, "Don't be in such a hurry... These are all the benefits issued by the Sendai Patrol Division."

But don't forget, our Inspection Division, in the final analysis, is acting in accordance with the will of Heaven!

To prevent people or forces from other realms from exerting too much influence on this world, affecting its rules, and disrupting its natural cycle of fortune.

This task involves settling accounts between the two celestial realms of two worlds.

It is the will of Heaven!
Therefore, the real compensation for this job was not the meager allowance provided by the Sendai Patrol Division.

The true reward comes from Heaven!

Chen Yan's eyes lit up: "The Heavenly Dao?"

"That's right! Moreover, what's being directly distributed isn't the Heavenly Dao of a domain, but... the Heavenly Dao of this world!"

Chen Yan's heart stirred: "What exactly is this Heavenly Reward?"

"Ha! You'll know once you do it. Telling you now would diminish the surprise. Trust me, Chen Yan, every cultivator who works in the Patrol Division, once they receive their reward from the Heavenly Dao, never wants to leave!"
For nearly five hundred years, the Inspection Division has almost always been a place where people come in but never leave! Not a single person has voluntarily wanted to transfer or be reassigned!
Occasionally, someone would be transferred to the Sendai combat unit, and they would cry and scream as if their own parents had died.

Lin Qingquan had already gotten up to see the guest out—this guy made no attempt to hide it, and even put away his teacup.

Before Chen Yan left, Lao Deng handed him a bag of trash: "Please throw this away for me when you leave."

Chen Yan was preoccupied with something when he walked out of Lin Qingquan's yard with the trash bag in his hand, only to suddenly realize what was going on!

Why would I throw away trash?! I could have just climbed over the wall and gone home!
However, after thinking it over, Chen Yan still didn't throw the trash back inside the wall—after all, he was now in the patrol department, and Lin Qingquan might even be his superior.

Chen Yan walked to the intersection, threw the trash bag into the trash can, and turned to go home.

He held the jade pendant in his hand, and after injecting a wisp of vital energy, he quickly activated the magic array engraved in the jade pendant.

The storage space is indeed very large, and the magic array on this thing even has an anti-theft mechanism: after you leave your own energy mark, only you can open it from then on.

However, this anti-theft mechanism is actually a bit of a waste of time and effort.

After studying it several times, Chen Yan discovered that this thing could be cracked by brute force.

As long as your cultivation level is higher than the original owner's, you can forcibly shatter the original owner's mark.

However, the jade pendant will be destroyed, its storage function will disappear, and everything inside will fall out with a crash.

But regardless, it is indeed much better than my own alchemy furnace.

As for himself, this "unofficial" position, he would have to wait a few more days to take up his post. Lin Qingquan had instructed him before he left that he should be assigned to a supervisor before he could receive any tasks assigned to him.

As for Lin Qingquan... the old man is of a much higher rank.

Regardless, Chen Yan felt he gained a lot from his trip to Lin Qingquan's house tonight.

First, I calmed myself down. My previous eagerness and reckless desire to trample on all the rules have subsided considerably.

But there are definitely many other effects... It's true that there are a lot of beatings in this world, but if you just avoid those beatings, wouldn't you be able to do whatever you want?

This kind of mentality is definitely getting carried away.

No, it needs to be suppressed!
·
The next day, Chen Yan composed himself and drove to the academy.

After all, he was still earning pocket money from Chu Keqing.

He had been absent from work for many days before, and Chu Keqing, trying to please him, never dared to urge him to come to work, letting him receive a salary without working. But he felt embarrassed to continue like this.

Besides, I earn pocket money to avoid the judgment of Heaven. If I don't work and just take the money, Heaven might classify this income as earned through cultivation, which would be troublesome.
Upon arriving at the academy, Chen Yan realized that he had been absent from work for several days and the academy had not assigned him any teaching duties. After signing in at the academy's administrative office, the responsible instructor told him helplessly that there were currently no teaching positions available for the several meditation classes at the academy...

Chen Yan wasn't in a hurry, so he simply went to the reading room and hid inside to read.

I spent a morning flipping through a Taoist book called "Zhuangzi". At first, it was just to pass the time, but after reading it for a while, I actually started to get into it!

"...Virtue and integrity, though profound, do not win people's hearts; fame and reputation, though uncompetitive, do not win people's hearts. Yet, to forcefully impose the principles of benevolence and righteousness upon others is to invite their wrath, for people dislike their virtues and call it a calamity. Those who calamity others will inevitably be calamized in return. It is tantamount to becoming a calamity for others. Furthermore, if one pleases the virtuous and despises the unworthy, how can one employ those who seek to be different?"

Upon reading this, Chen Yan closed the book and sighed.

Although Lin Qingquan is not very reliable, what he said is true.

I really need to cultivate my mind!
If external rules have lost their binding force, then we need to strengthen our internal awareness.

After reading all morning, the words in the Zhuangzi were subtly reshaping Chen Yan's broken heart and giving him a new sense of self.

Morality, in fact, is neither vulgar nor ridiculous.

Or, to use another word, belief or faith.

The beliefs and faiths you hold and are willing to uphold.

“Those who bring disaster to others will surely be brought disaster back to them…” Chen Yan murmured to himself, closed the book, then stretched and said casually, “You’ve been standing outside for so long, aren’t your legs numb?”

Chu Keqing had been standing gracefully outside the door for quite some time.

This beautiful woman wore a white, belted robe, typical of the academy's headmaster, which tightly bound her slender waist. Yet, the robe was quite loose, making her beautiful figure appear graceful and swaying in the garment.

Chu Keqing stood at the door, holding an exquisite food box in her hand. Upon hearing Chen Yan's words, she smiled gently and said softly, "I saw you reading outside and dared not disturb you, for fear of disturbing your elegant reading."

Chen Yan smiled and said, "What delicious food did you bring? Aren't you afraid it will get cold?"

"If it gets cold, just have the kitchen make a new one," Chu Keqing said with a relaxed smile. "Your mood is the most important thing."

Chen Yan waved his hand: "I've been reading all morning and I'm really hungry. Here you go."

Chu Keqing humbly placed the food box on the table and opened it, revealing several exquisite dishes inside.

Chen Yan glanced at it and shook his head with a smile, saying, "You're not telling the truth. These dishes are not something the academy's kitchen could make. I've eaten at the kitchen before; at most, they can only make a few large pots of dishes."

As he spoke, Chen Yan picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of "Plum Braised Pork" from one of the dishes, and put it in his mouth. He sighed, "It's tender, fragrant, and delicious. The chefs in the academy can't make this authentic and exquisite Jiangnan water town flavor."

He looked up at Chu Keqing and said, "Tell me, where did you buy it? It tastes good. Tell me the name of the shop, and I'll go eat there again another day."

Chu Keqing's eyes revealed a hint of joy: "Does Senior like to eat this? I made it myself in my own small kitchen after I learned that Senior had come to the academy and returned to my residence."

Chen Yan's chopsticks froze for a moment.

This... makes it a little less smooth to eat.

Seeing that Chen Yan had slowed down, Chu Keqing's eyes showed a slight disappointment, but she still tried to cheer herself up and said with a smile, "Senior hasn't come for a long time. You came to my place yesterday, but you just left a car key and left. I was disappointed all night after I came back."

"The car was borrowed from you, so it's only right to return it." Chen Yan waved his hand.

"Well, I had something important to tell you, senior, and I was planning to pay you a visit in the next couple of days. But since you've come, I'll just tell you here."

As Chu Keqing spoke, she gracefully took two steps closer, sat down on the chair next to Chen Yan, picked up a small bowl and ladled a bowl of soup for Chen Yan. She presented it to Chen Yan with both hands and whispered, "Senior, Wang Chuyi has already entered the sect! He has already sensed the Yuan Qi. Yesterday, I taught him the Yun Sect's techniques. Starting yesterday, I have had him leave the academy and meditate in the Yun Sect's training room."

Hearing this, Chen Yan found it to be good news—he hadn't encountered Wang Chuyi yesterday, and had already guessed that Wang Chuyi's departure by Chu Keqing was likely due to a breakthrough in his cultivation. And indeed!
"Thank you for this." Chen Yan said solemnly.

Chu Keqing smiled and said slowly, "Senior has been kind to my Yun Sect. I am doing something to repay your kindness. How can I just thank you?"

After a pause, Chu Keqing's smile faded, and her expression became somewhat serious: "However, I do have some things to say to you, senior!"

·
(End of this chapter)