A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Ji Zuodao chuckled inwardly.

Where is this?

It was his experience in the Meridian Opening Realm that truly made him realize how unorthodox his three masters' "teaching philosophy" was.

Or rather... inhumane.

Generally speaking, reaching the Meridian Opening Realm only requires a gradual, patient approach, using spiritual energy to slowly nurture and stimulate the meridians until the Ren and Du meridians are finally opened.

Once these two channels are connected, spiritual energy will circulate naturally and can circulate throughout the body. This is considered entering the inner sanctum and qualifying one to open the spiritual sea.

As for the other twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians excluding the Ren and Du meridians? Who would dare to touch them lightly?

Those meridians are relatively fragile. If not controlled properly, the spiritual energy will run rampant, resulting in broken meridians and the loss of all cultivation.

The risks are extremely high while the returns seem small.

But his masters clearly didn't think so.

"Little Zuo Dao, look, this flow of spiritual energy is like a canal. What's the use of just opening up the Grand Canal between the north and south?"

Grain from the south, horses from the north, brocade from Sichuan, and salt from the seaside—they all have to be transported by long detours, causing a lot of delays!

If we're going to do it, let's do it big! Let's connect all the waterways in the world and capture them all in one fell swoop!

At that time, the young Ji Zuodao was still wondering what the relationship was between the "water system of the world" and the "meridians in the body".

Then, the second chef handed me a bowl of fragrant "Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup" with a smile.

"Come, drink this calming soup, get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow you'll wake up feeling as light as a feather, with your spiritual energy flowing smoothly!"

He believed it.

Then I slept for three whole days.

When I woke up, I felt light as a feather, and the flow of spiritual energy seemed...unbelievably smooth.

He tried circulating his spiritual energy throughout his body, and the stagnation that had previously existed vanished. His spiritual energy flowed like a mighty river, instantly permeating his limbs and bones. The exhilarating feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

"Master! It seems like... my Ren and Du meridians have opened up on their own?!"

He ran off excitedly to report.

Then, he saw a few strands of dark red, dried tissue that looked like tendons scattered in the corner of the Third Master's weapon-refining room.

And the hooked jade needle in the master chef's hand, still gleaming with a cold light.

"It's connected now."

The master chef lifted Ji Zuodao's sleeve and pointed to several faint, almost invisible, centipede-like scars on his skin.

"Not only the Ren and Du meridians, but also the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, I've straightened them all out for you. There were just a few places that were too thin and I accidentally tore them a little, so I sewed them up for you. It's nothing serious."

Ji Zuodao's legs went weak at that moment.

He later pieced together the truth from his drunken second master's words:

That "calming soup" was actually a terrifyingly potent anesthetic.

After he fell into a deep sleep, his three masters joined forces and used a secret method to extract his twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians from his body. Then, they used powerful medicinal and spiritual energy to forcibly flush, expand, and open them up!

If a fragile part breaks, "sew it up" with monster tendons and spirit herb juice, and continue rinsing!

Continue this process until the entire structure is connected!

Simple, brutal, efficient, and ruthless.

The benefits are obvious.

While other cultivators still need to perform hand seals, chant incantations, and guide spiritual energy along specific meridians to cast spells, Ji Zuodao has already achieved "intention leading to magic".

With a thought, spiritual power can instantly reach any part of the body, and spells can be used effortlessly, as easily as an extension of one's own limb.

The difference is like a battle of firearms:

The other side was still slowly loading gunpowder and compacting the bullets into the flintlock musket.

Ji Zuodao had already pulled out a Gatling gun with a loaded bullet and the safety off.

The moment the opponent raised his gun, Ji Zuodao's metal storm had already riddled him with holes.

Of course, this comes at a price.

Because all his meridians were forcibly opened, the time it took him to complete one full cycle was several times longer than that of an ordinary cultivator.

The spiritual energy, meandering through the intricate and interconnected "highway network," is actually somewhat inefficient.

The third master, with a pipe dangling from his lips, scoffed at this.

"Fool! You've already become a heretical cultivator, yet you still suffer through your own cultivation? That's called foolish practice!"

Seizing the creations of heaven and earth, plundering the essence of all living beings—that is the true evil path of us! What's wrong with a slower circulation of qi? Just "eat" a few more, and you'll make up for everything!

Ji Zuodao agreed wholeheartedly at the time and grasped the essence of the matter.

After filling out the form, Ji Zuodao left the personnel department office, accompanied by Liu Ming, who was still in a daze, and Gouye, who had his tail between his legs.

Zhou Jianguo watched them leave and gently closed the door.

He sat back down in his chair, picked up Ji Zuodao's still-wet file, and looked at it carefully again.

Especially the lines "Number of openings: 720" and "Number of meridians opened: Twelve regular meridians + Eight extraordinary meridians".

After a long pause, he shook his head and put it into the "top secret" filing cabinet.

Then, he picked up the "Special Creature Registration Form" that Dog had filled out.

The handwriting on the form was crooked and messy, as if it had been scribbled on with a claw dipped in ink, but the content was clear:

Name: Dog Master

Gender: Male

Race: Chinese Rural Dog? (I don't know)

Ability: Telepathy

Looking at the words "telepathy," Zhou Jianguo couldn't help but raise his hand again and rub his swollen brows vigorously.

A powerful demon of unknown race, yet possessing one of the six great supernatural powers of Buddhism, "telepathy"...

These days, he can encounter all sorts of rare and unusual things.

Afterwards, Liu Ming led Ji Zuodao to the logistics department to collect the "749 Bureau Newcomer Standard Equipment Pack".

First, there's a simple and compact black device.

"This is a body camera."

Liu Ming handed it over solemnly, his tone serious.

"The bureau stipulates that the system must be kept running at all times during field missions to record the situation on site. This is both a regulation and a form of protection."

He paused, his fingers seemingly casually stroking an inconspicuous clip on the side of the dashcam, his voice low and carrying a hint of "been there, done that":

"Of course, this thing... well, it's a sophisticated electronic device after all. Occasionally, in intense battle environments, it might be subjected to spiritual energy impacts or bumps..."

One or two temporary 'malfunctions' resulted in some image data being 'damaged' or 'lost'...

That's understandable and in accordance with procedure. Just keep the key evidence safe, understand?

Ji Zuodao took the recorder, weighed it in his hand, and instantly understood.

He winked at Liu Ming, giving him a knowing smile:

"We understand, we all understand. We're just flexibly implementing the regulations, and everything is based on the actual needs of the task."

Then, Liu Ming handed over a black mobile phone that looked ordinary but was made of special materials.

"This is a custom-made encrypted phone for our bureau. The hardware is specially modified, and it is drop-resistant, waterproof, and anti-interference as a basic requirement. Most importantly, it comes pre-installed with the 'Seven-Colored Violet' APP developed by our bureau."

He helped Ji Zuodao turn on the device and clicked on the icon that featured a seven-colored violet flower outlined in simple lines.

"This app is the core, containing supernatural documents, anecdotes, demon and ghost illustrations, and analyses of incomplete martial arts manuals collected by the bureau's archives."

With sufficient access, you can access the information at any time; it's like carrying a portable archive with you. Now that you're a formal investigator, you can view most of the documents.

He then switched to another section:

"Here is the mission system. Once a paranormal event is detected or reported in the Jinghai area that falls within our jurisdiction, it will be posted here immediately after verification. The nearest investigator can view, evaluate, and choose to accept the mission."

Ji Zuodao took the new phone and started fiddling with it with a sense of novelty, his fingertips sliding across the smooth screen before he eagerly tapped into the task section.

Screen refresh.

Blank.

"Um?"

Ji Zuodao paused for a moment, then swiped a few more times, but still found nothing. He looked up, puzzled, at Liu Ming:

"Is this app... stuck? Or is it because I haven't granted the necessary permissions? Why is it blank? Is my phone broken?"

Liu Ming chuckled and patted him on the shoulder:

"What are you thinking, bro! Do you think this is a food delivery app? You refresh it and it says, 'Ding-dong, you have a new Meituan order'?"

If that's the case, and the task list is endless, it can only mean one thing—

"Our Jinghai City is doomed! Demons and monsters are taking to the streets in a massive parade!"

He stopped smiling and explained:

"Normally there aren't that many major events that require our intervention."

Most of the time, the brothers either patrol their respective areas, or they stay in the base's training room to train hard or handle some paperwork.

This is the normal state of affairs: national prosperity, peace and tranquility, do you understand?

Ji Zuodao thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

In a peaceful and prosperous era, under a clear and bright sky, if demons and monsters were to run rampant, that would be terrible.

The existence of Bureau 749 serves more as a deterrent and a rapid response force.

Just as Ji Zuodao was thinking this—

Ding! A new task has been assigned. Please check it.