Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Three days later.

The Hall of Judgment is the main hall where the Chief Inspector works.

When Yi Yang arrived, Lu Quan'an was already sitting in the chair behind his desk.

He held an opened letter in his hand. The ink on the letter had a strong pine soot scent, and the paper was probably made of silk, a special type of paper from Qingzhou.

"You've arrived." Lu Quan'an raised his eyelids slightly, placed the letter on the table, and said, "Sit down."

Yi Yang sat down in the chair below him and glanced at the letter.

He didn't deliberately use his divine sense to see the contents, but Lu Quan'an didn't try to hide anything either.

"I've summoned you here because there's something I need to tell you."

"There's a new development from the imperial court."

Lu Quan'an got straight to the point, speaking slowly.

"The important figures want to set up a new government office in Qingzhou called the 'Commercial and Trade Bureau,' which will be specifically responsible for promoting and overseeing trade with the Southern Frontier Wu Kingdom."

Yi Yang rested his fingers on the armrest of the chair, tapping it lightly before pondering in his mind:

coming.

He had been pondering Lin He's words from three days ago when they were dining at the Crane Tower. The three major towns of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, the trade between the two countries, and the power struggle between the imperial court and Qingzhou.

At the time, he only felt that this matter might be related to him, but it was still far off and there was no sign of it happening.

Unexpectedly, the news reached me in just three days.

"I reported the matter of Jinyang Temple and Xuanjian Pavilion to the Qingzhou Sky Patrol Division half a month ago." Lu Quan'an picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "I received a reply the day before yesterday."

He put down his teacup and pointed his index finger at the letter on the table.

"A recruitment letter was attached to the reply."

Yi Yang straightened his back unconsciously.

Recruitment.

When these two words are linked to the major events mentioned earlier, their meaning becomes completely different.

"Regarding the conscription list for Suining Prefecture—" Lu Quan'an looked at Yi Yang and calmly stated a major event.

"It's just you."

Yi Yang was stunned for a moment.

He did expect to be mentioned, after all, what he had done in the past six months was enough to write a legend for anyone: Baiyu City became famous, the Wu family was wiped out, and the abbot of Jinyang Temple was executed. Each and every one of these achievements was worthy of being reported to the Qingzhou authorities.

But was he the only one?

"Just me?" Yi Yang couldn't help but ask.

Although the high-level experts of Suining Prefecture City have suffered heavy losses due to various events in the past two years, there are still at least a dozen True Qi Realm experts left.

The other two deputy chief inspectors of the Sky Patrol, Ji Yunzhang and Wen Shiheng, are both highly experienced.

And on the surface, their strength is not much weaker than mine.

So his name was the only one on the list?

"My lord, is our Suining Prefecture really so undervalued in Qingzhou?" Yi Yang asked bluntly, expressing his doubts.

Lu Quan'an put down his teacup, scoffed, and laughed with undisguised mockery:

"Our Suining Prefecture?"

He pronounced those six words very softly, but each word carried a chilling aura.

"If it weren't for the strong pressure and orders from the capital, I'm afraid those people in Qingzhou wouldn't even want to recruit people from any of the prefectures under their jurisdiction."

Yi Yang frowned, not expecting such a thing to happen.

Lu Quan'an continued, speaking at a pace half a beat faster than before.

"Qingzhou has plenty of manpower. What is our Suining Prefecture in their eyes? We don't even have a single expert on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, let alone the need to recruit or appoint one."

He paused, his voice deepening, and explained with a cryptic tone:

"Even your selection this time was only possible because someone from Qingzhou helped you. Those so-called achievements would normally earn you some respect from the people of Qingzhou. But when it comes to the enormous profits from trade with the Wu Kingdom—"

"They don't want to share even a single penny of the profits with outsiders."

Yi Yang sat in the chair, his mind racing.

He used to think that he had accomplished a lot in the past six months and was considered a prominent figure in the entire Suining Prefecture.

As a result, in the eyes of those people in Qingzhou, Yi Yang couldn't even catch their eye.

Good guy.

The scope of the situation has been broadened.

He caused a huge uproar in Suining Prefecture, but the officials in Qingzhou City didn't even bother to look at him.

If someone hadn't stepped in for him, his name wouldn't have even appeared on the conscription list.

But there were two key pieces of information that connected the dots in Yi Yang's mind.

First—someone helped him. Who?

Second—the Hidden Dragon List, what is that?

"The master said someone helped me," Yi Yang said, staring at Lu Quan'an's face. "Who was it?"

Lu Quan'an picked up his teacup and took another sip. His eyes looked over the edge of the teacup at Yi Yang, with a look that carried the air of an elder looking down on a junior who was not living up to his potential.

"Do I need to tell you about your connections in Qingzhou?"

Yi Yang blinked.

"I didn't expect that even after that girl left the Sky Patrol Division, she would still care about you." There was something inexplicable in Lu Quan'an's tone, half teasing and half sentimental.

"I've secured a position for you in this matter."

"You're quite good at winning people over."

A stunningly beautiful figure flashed through Yi Yang's mind.

Yan Wuyuan.

Who else but her?

She left Youquan Division two months ago and went to Qingzhou City, and there has been no news of her since.

Yi Yang had previously wondered if Lord Yan had forgotten about him after finishing his business, but he never expected that the man had paved the way for him behind the scenes.

But Lu Quan'an's phrase "trying to please people" sounds so strange. Who is he trying to please, a man in his sixties?

Yi Yang didn't dwell on the topic. He kept the favor in mind and then asked his second question.

"What is the 'Hidden Dragon List' that you just mentioned, sir?"

Lu Quan'an's expression softened, regaining its indifference and composure. He leaned back in his chair, folded his hands in front of his knees, and explained, "This list is to select the strongest individuals in the entire Great Yu who have the most potential and ability to break through to the 'Grandmaster' realm."

Grandmaster Realm.

Upon hearing these three words, Yi Yang's breath hitched. Above the Profound Realm was the Grandmaster.

This level of existence is quite respectable within the entire Great Yu Dynasty.

"You should know that after breaking through to the Profound Realm, distance is no longer a problem to a certain extent."

"Many powerful and promising experts at the Tongxuan Realm will not be content to remain in their native prefecture. Whether for resources or status, they will head to the various prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Great Yu Empire."

Yi Yangdian: This principle is no different from that of the previous life. Ordinary people who get into university will stay in big cities; very few are willing to go back to their hometowns to farm.

"Even the three major sects of Suining Prefecture, all the experts who had previously appeared at the Tongxuan Realm eventually went to Qingzhou." Lu Quan'an's voice carried an indescribable meaning, "Until they couldn't make it there anymore, they slunk back to take over their sects."

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang thought of Xuan Yi and his son Xuan Ding.

"However, in the last ten years or so, the three major sects have declined and no one has emerged from the Tongxuan Realm. Back then, the one with the best chance of breaking through among the three major sects was Xuanding."

Lu Quan'an paused here, and sighed:

"But he failed, which indirectly led to the later devastating blows to the three major sects."

Yi Yang didn't reply. He already knew about Xuan Ding's situation. A genius who failed to break through to the Tongxuan Realm ended up as a shell of an elder of the Nine Evil Sect. Thinking about it deeply, it was quite tragic.

"So you need to understand one thing." Lu Quan'an's gaze fell on Yi Yang's face, and his tone became more serious.

"Qingzhou City has the most martial artists and the highest concentration of powerful individuals in the entire Qingzhou region. Every family, powerful clan, sect, and organization there has a history longer than any force in our Suining Prefecture. They stand at the top of the entire Qingzhou."

"In that kind of place, only grandmaster-level experts can be considered free and unrestrained."

Yi Yang swallowed.

Lu Quan'an continued speaking.

"Where there are people, there will be conflict. In order to manage the Transcendent Realm experts in the various states under the jurisdiction of the Great Yu, the top figures in the capital city compiled a list. The list consists of all the Transcendent Realm experts in the entire Great Yu who are closest to the Grandmaster Realm."

"The Hidden Dragon List".

"This list has a total of 360 places."

"In Da Yu, this list represents resources and status. People who are on the list are looked up to wherever they go. Major powers will actively allocate resources to them and make things convenient for them."

"The top ten on the list are coveted by all forces. Because that means you have a very high chance of glimpsing the path to becoming a 'Grandmaster' in your lifetime."

"As for the top three on the list, they are simply indescribable geniuses."

Yi Yang's Adam's apple bobbed.

Top three? What level of geniuses would those be?

"However," Lu Quan'an changed the subject, "even the major sects and families in Qingzhou only have a chance to enter this list if they are core disciples."

He glanced at Yi Yang and offered a word of comfort:

"This list only considers strength, not age. Most of the people on it are old fogies who have cultivated for hundreds of years. You're not that old."

Yi Yang's lips twitched. An ancient being over a hundred years old. Then what was he? A little thing who had cultivated for a little over two years?

"You're not that old."

Lu Quan'an said something that left Yi Yang unsure whether it was a consolation or a taunt.

Yi Yang sat in the chair for a while, digesting the information.

He finally understood. He had been making waves in Suining Prefecture, but on the chessboard in Qingzhou, only those at the Tongxuan Realm were qualified to be pawns.

Those old monsters in the Profound Realm on the Hidden Dragon Ranking have cultivated for decades or even centuries. Any one of them could easily crush him now. But that doesn't mean his strength is useless in Qingzhou. They can be considered the backbone of the region.

A person at the peak of the True Qi Realm could easily open a small martial arts school in Qingzhou, gather some disciples to support themselves, or establish a small family to continue their lineage. However, it was not enough to achieve the immense power and influence that Sui Ning Prefecture City possessed.

The gap is still huge.

The good news is, however, that he has destiny. What others take a hundred years to achieve, he can quickly catch up with.

There was a silence of about ten breaths.

Lu Quan'an suddenly changed the subject, speaking casually.

"Have you made a breakthrough in your strength recently?"

Yi Yang looked up at him.

Lu Quan'an seemed to read his mind, and after scanning him with his gaze, asked:

"He has already reached the Perfection of True Qi."

Yi Yang opened his mouth. He had been using the "Concealing Breath Without Form Technique" to suppress his aura and keep it as a trump card, but he didn't expect that he would still be seen through.

"I broke through by sheer luck." Yi Yang didn't deny it and nodded, saying, "I used the resources I had accumulated to go into seclusion for half a month and managed to break through by luck."

Lu Quan'an did not ask for further details.

He simply nodded, as if he had known this outcome all along.

"Once we reach Qingzhou, your rapid progress will attract attention," Lu Quan'an said calmly. "Although cultivating the 'Concealing Breath Without Form Technique' can mask some of the perception of those in the Profound Realm, there are still some powerful individuals there who can detect it. Breaking through too quickly will be very noticeable."

Yi Yang's fingers tightened slightly on the armrest.

This was a problem he had always worried about. In Suining Prefecture, with Lu Quan'an in charge, no one dared to delve into his background. But in Qingzhou, if those powerful forces were interested, it would be too easy for them to investigate his origins.

An old man with a strong constitution, who only started practicing martial arts at the age of sixty, reached the perfection of True Qi in less than a few years.

No matter how you explain it, it doesn't make sense.

"If anyone asks," Lu Quan'an began, his tone ordinary yet his words startling:

"You can say my name."