Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

In an instant, Xia Dong's divine sense silently reached out and swept over Zhao Ting.

He felt much more at ease, and was even more certain that the Eagle Wolf Guard's commander's cultivation level was indeed below the fourth level of Qi Refining, and he had not even cultivated his divine sense.

"That book, 'Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation,' records that high-level cultivators can use their divine sense to cultivate techniques like 'Qi Observation Techniques' to observe the cultivation level of others. I wonder if I can find a similar technique to cultivate in the future," Xia Dong thought to himself.

His mind raced with thoughts, but his face remained impassive.

With the help of the Changchun Qi Circulation Technique, he concealed his robust Qi and blood at the Bone Forging Realm so perfectly that, in the eyes of outsiders, he was just an ordinary young man with a good complexion and plenty of energy.

Xia Dong greeted him politely but respectfully.

Now that he is a tribute student personally recommended by the county magistrate, and his household registration has that mysterious "Taoist register" mark, according to the rules of the Great You Dynasty, he does not need to kneel and bow when he meets high-ranking officials of the court.

Zhao Ting stared intently at Xia Dong and asked bluntly, "I've heard you possess a Daoist certificate. Have you had your spiritual roots examined?"

Xia Dong replied calmly, "The immortal masters of Qixia Immortal Sect examined me and said that I have no spiritual root."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting was startled: "Oh? You actually have connections with the Qixia Immortal Sect?"

Despite the Great You Dynasty's current power and its increasing pressure on the various immortal sects, the situation is far more complex than it appears.

In particular, the Qixia Immortal Sect was a veritable holy land of immortals during its heyday, with its influence spreading throughout many prefectures of the Great You Dynasty.

However, during that great upheaval that led to the depletion of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the Qixia Immortal Sect decisively reduced its forces and retreated to the Lin Yuan Prefecture.

Because they retreated quickly, they did not suffer a devastating blow after the establishment of the Great You Dynasty, and the sect's foundation remained extremely profound.

On the other hand, even though the Eagle Wolf Guard has now entered Lin Yuan Prefecture and even took the opportunity to recruit many of the Qixia Immortal Sect's law enforcement team disciples, they still haven't been able to touch the true core of this immortal sect.

Putting aside everything else, the few Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Cultivators who are the face of the Qixia Immortal Sect are all extraordinary.

Especially the Lone Moon True Man. According to intelligence from within the Eagle Wolf Guard, this cultivator with the Heavenly Spiritual Root already possessed the foundation to break through to the Core Formation stage, yet he has been reluctant to do so. Rumors circulate that the Lone Moon True Man has immense ambitions and actually intends to follow the ancient Golden Core path—first opening the Purple Mansion, then forming the Golden Core.

This is a heaven-reaching path that leads directly to the realm of "divine transformation".

In the medieval era when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had not yet declined, it was extremely difficult to traverse this path, let alone now that the spiritual energy is depleted.

However, a great cultivator who dares to attempt to open up the Purple Mansion possesses supernatural abilities far surpassing those of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Such a terrifying existence is definitely not something a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator like Zhao Ting can provoke.

...

...

On the other hand, faced with Zhao Ting's probing, Xia Dong hesitated for a moment and decided to bring up the relationship with Qin Wan.

He calmly explained his past marriage agreement with the Qin family and Qin Wan's current status as a disciple of Master Guyue, picking out the parts he could say.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting was even more shocked. He never expected that this seemingly ordinary Xia Dong would have such a connection with the lineage of Master Gu Yue.

"I never expected Brother Xia and Master Guyue to have such a connection!" Zhao Ting's cold expression melted instantly, replaced by an extremely warm smile. "Now that many disciples of the Qixia Immortal Sect have joined our Eagle Wolf Guard, the two families are already close. You also have a Daoist certificate, so we're all family, really. From now on, let's address each other as brothers."

Zhao Ting is a smart man.

Although Xia Dong's engagement was broken off by Gu Yue Zhenren's disciple, Xia Dong also subtly mentioned that Gu Yue Zhenren and his disciple still took care of him.

Moreover, the Qixia Immortal Sect is not a heartless and ruthless demonic sect, and there is no ironclad rule that one must sever worldly ties to cultivate immortality.

Zhao Tingxian won't suffer any loss by making good connections first.

Of course, what impressed Zhao Ting most, besides the Immortal Sect's background, was Xia Dong's undeniable "Daoist" status. The Zhao family was considered a prominent family in the capital, but they were not among the thirty-six Daoist families established at the founding of the Great You Dynasty.

For hundreds of years, noble families have risen and fallen, but those families with Daoist registration, no matter how much they declined, have never truly left the power center of the Great You Dynasty.

In layman's terms, these Daoist families hold the original shares of the Great You Dynasty.

Even though the Duke of Qi's mansion is currently in the worst state, and its influence has waned due to its involvement in the deposed crown prince's treason case, there is still an old ancestor in the Core Formation stage sitting deep within their mansion.

However, this generation of Duke Qi has no sons, only daughters. According to the ironclad rule that Daoist registration cannot be passed on to those of different surnames, this generation of Duke Qi is afraid that he will not be able to keep his own Daoist registration quota.

Of course, before thoroughly investigating the specific origins of Xia Dong's Daoist scriptures, Zhao Ting dared not rashly get involved in this potentially deep waters of divine battles.

He planned to appease Xia Dong first, and then write a secret letter to his family to investigate, so that he wouldn't accidentally cause a huge mess and be held accountable.

However, for the time being, it's always a good idea to win over Xia Dong.

Zhao Ting was a shrewd man who had been through the ups and downs of officialdom, and in just a few words, he became acquainted with Xia Dong, calling him brother and getting to know him well.

Since it was a favor that would benefit him without cost, Zhao Ting simply wrote a few words and recommended Xia Dong to be the "medical officer" of his banner.

Although this physician was not a high-ranking official and had no formal rank, he had actually managed to squeeze into the Eagle Wolf Guard's system.

When Xia Dong heard that this easy job would provide him with two spirit stones and a Qi-cultivating pill as a monthly allowance, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

After going around in circles, he finally stepped into the Eagle Wolf Guard's gate.

Fortunately, Lord Zhao's cultivation was still shallow, and Xia Dong was able to hide her secret from him by relying on her own methods.

Before leaving, Zhao Ting patted Xia Dong's shoulder affectionately: "Brother Xia, do your job well. If you can make contributions in this banner, you might have the opportunity to apply for a bath in the 'Spiritual Spring'. The wonders of the Spiritual Spring can help improve your physical constitution, making it much easier for you to cultivate martial arts. In the future, you might even be able to cultivate to the 'Transcendent Realm' and pass the martial arts examination."

"Then thank you very much, Lord Zhao."

"Brother Xia, don't be so formal, just call me elder brother."

"Yes, thank you, brother."

Zhao Ting then pulled Magistrate Yang and Xia Dong aside to say goodbye, claiming that someone would come to arrange a job for Xia Dong in a while.

Xia Dong saw the two off and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

We cannot escape the world, just as fish are in water.

Since this has come to this, we can only go with the flow and act according to the circumstances.