From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 448 Three Years
Time flies, and another three years have passed.

The turmoil of three years ago has long been forgotten by everyone as time has passed.

If it weren't for the nearly 10,000 new migrants entering Yuanling County, this disaster would have seemed as if it had never happened.

However, the imperial court continued to conscript people to excavate the canal.

Over the past three years, the number of laborers conscripted from Yuanling Mountain has reached three thousand, and many people from other prefectures and counties have also been transferred.

Many families complained bitterly, as the loss of a strong laborer made life even more difficult.

You Ming was also very dissatisfied with this matter. He asked the temple priest to discuss it with the county magistrate. Although the imperial court conscripted laborers without paying them, Yuanling County could not do such a thing.

At the very least, the government should provide some subsidies, even if it's not much, but they shouldn't let people work for free.

At the same time, he frequently wrote to the City God of Changning Prefecture and the City God of Bingzhou, hoping that they could communicate well with the imperial court.

Building a canal is a good thing, but we cannot be so eager for quick success and instant benefits, wasting people's resources.

However, he was not part of the same system as the local deities. Apart from the City God of Changning Prefecture sending him a few letters to appease him, the City God of Bingzhou did not reply to him.

Although You Ming was furious, he knew that they were not from the same system, and that the fact that the other party was willing to talk to him was a sign of respect.

If you don't want to give them face, you can simply ignore them.

Well, to put it simply, it's because his own strength hasn't reached a point where the ruler of a province needs to take him seriously.

Although he was a disciple of the Taiwei Dao Master, his collective memory in this regard was ultimately altered by the Taiwei Dao Master at the level of destiny.

In the eyes of most people, he was just a seventh-rank deity of the [Fertility Department], at most with some talent in cultivation, and his cultivation had reached the [Tribulation] level.

But the City God of the State is at least a True Immortal, so naturally he wouldn't look down on a cultivator who has undergone Tribulation.

After most of the documents went unanswered, You Ming stopped writing to the prefecture and instead intensified his support for students from Yuanling.

A year ago, a student from the Yuanling Academy participated in the Spring Imperial Examination and surprisingly passed with flying colors, ranking nineteenth in the second class. Even among the many successful candidates, this was considered a very high ranking.

As long as it doesn't make any mistakes, its future can be described as bright.

Previously, only Gongsun Fu had passed the imperial examination as a junior scholar in the entire Yuanling County. Now, with the addition of a genuine scholar, it is a truly remarkable achievement.

The results of You Ming's more than 20 years of continuous promotion of free education are beginning to show.

It is conceivable that if this continues, there will be more and more scholars and officials from Yuanling County in the future, which will gradually benefit Yuanling County and strengthen Youming's influence on the human world.

On the other hand, You Ming's investment in cultivation is also gradually increasing.

For example, his original level six [Cave Abode] was upgraded to level eight within the last three years.

An eighth-level cave dwelling is actually comparable to the sacred sites of many major sects.

Not only were the palaces magnificent and resplendent in gold, but countless runes also appeared on the surrounding walls and roofs, each one intersecting and shimmering with light, like stars fallen from the night sky, illuminating the heavens.

Surrounding the main hall are dozens of palaces, pavilions, and courtyards arranged in a grid, forming a solemn nine-palace layout. The spirit array is constantly activated, not only gathering the spiritual energy of the Azure Divine Tree and compressing it within a few miles, but also continuously purifying the spiritual energy, making it of extremely high quality and easier to absorb, thus saving cultivators a lot of refining effort.

Although his cultivation level increased significantly after surviving the second tribulation, everything in the [Cave Heaven] was of little use to him. However, it was of great help to other cultivators and demons.

Currently, there is one Yin God cultivator, and twenty-one Xuan Light cultivators and demons in the entire cave.

This might not seem like much in Lingzhou, but within Bingzhou, even without You Ming in charge, they were already a considerable force.

After all, the largest sect in Tai'an Prefecture before, Mingyue Temple, only had one Yin God cultivator.

……

"Hmm? Qinglian is about to break through?"

On this day, You Ming was activating [Cessation of Thoughts and Flowing View], constantly accelerating his own consciousness world and frantically pushing forward the timeline of the [Yellow Millet World].

But suddenly, a thought struck him as he sensed a subtle change in the spiritual energy around him.

In three years, he broke through from [Ming Qi] to [Kai Qiao]. For other cultivators, this speed is actually not slow.

However, You Ming had spent a lot of effort on Yang Qinglian, and now that he sensed that Yang Qinglian was about to break through, he felt a bit excited, as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining.

However, his mind soon became calm and still.

Because he often used the cheat code [Mind Harmony] when teaching Yang Qinglian, he can now quickly harmonize his emotions even without using the cheat code.

You Ming's figure flickered, and he appeared inside the main hall of the [Cave Mansion].

Now, the level eight cave is always open, increasing cultivation efficiency by 45% and mana/mental energy recovery by 60%. In addition, there are various other effects such as [Tranquility], [Enlightenment], and [Spiritual Energy Purification]. Under such favorable conditions, even a pig should become a spirit pig.

Yang Qinglian sat cross-legged on the stone platform, her breathing long and steady. Spiritual energy gathered from all directions, transforming into an invisible river that surged within her body.

Three years have passed, and the little girl has gradually grown into a young lady.

Although Yang Qinglian herself wasn't particularly beautiful, only a girl from a modest family, her upright posture and snow-white skin, due to her cultivation, made her a beauty even in the mortal world.

If converted to an "appearance" stat, it would be around 2.5-3 points.

Her body was overflowing with spiritual energy; her robes fluttered without wind, and a hazy glow appeared on her body—a sign of abundant magical power.

To achieve "enlightenment," one needs to use their abundant magical power to break through the barriers of the seven orifices, allowing their magical power to leave the body and truly open the channel between the human body and the outside world. From then on, one can not only use some minor spells with the help of magical power, but also further increase the efficiency of cultivation.

"Don't rush. The method I'm going to teach you is best opened through the nasal passages. You can guide your magical power upwards."

"Imagine magic as thoughts brushing past the tip of your nose, and you feel an urge to sneeze..."

You Ming spoke in plain language. He was insightful and taught Yang Qinglian these basic cultivation methods without making them too mysterious. Instead, he tried to teach in a way that Yang Qinglian could understand.

At the same time, a "moderate calm" effect was applied to Yang Qinglian to quickly stabilize her chaotic thoughts.

Yang Qinglian's mind was calm, and then, following You Ming's instructions, she gradually channeled her magical power in preparation for a breakthrough.

(End of this chapter)