Chapter 256 - 145: A Leader Stands Guard, Charging into the Marrow Cleansing Realm

Chapter 256: Chapter 145: A Leader Stands Guard, Charging into the Marrow Cleansing Realm

Yang Wenqing quickly composed himself. Just as he was about to formally admit his mistake, Qi Yue spoke again, "In your position, every decision you make, especially one involving a request for aid from above, requires you to think several steps ahead. You must consider not only whether the task can be done, but also who will see what you’re doing and how it will be interpreted."

Yang Wenqing took a deep breath, abandoning any thought of making excuses. He said in a solemn voice, "Yes, I will remember. I was not thorough enough in my considerations this time. I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused the leadership."

After he had advanced to the Qi Cultivation Stage, his life had been nothing but smooth sailing. Although he’d maintained a basic level of caution, he had also grown accustomed to flattery, which was why he had so easily trusted Zhou Mu. To put it simply, he’d gotten a bit cocky.

Qi Yue waved his hand. "Consider it a lesson learned. You’re still young and have a long road ahead of you. This incident isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least it has shown you that swift currents can run deep beneath a calm surface. Remember this lesson."

Yang Wenqing hadn’t expected Chief Qi to brush the matter aside so lightly, and he was left at a loss for what to say.

Director Qin suddenly changed the subject. "The last time I examined your Cultivation, I found the Spiritual Qi within you to be abundant and harmonious. Over three hundred of your acupoints were shining brilliantly. I speculated then that you could most likely enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm without practicing the Ninth Refinement. I observed you again as you entered just now, and I can confirm it."

"However, you still need to open the last few dozen acupoints. With your rate of cultivation, you could do it in six months if you’re fast, or a year if you’re slow."

He paused, his tone shifting. "But the current situation is changing by the second, and the Lingshan New District can’t wait. After discussing it with Chief Qi, we plan to use his Secret Technique. By leveraging the more than three hundred acupoints you’ve already opened, we can forcibly blast through the remaining ones. For an ordinary Cultivator, this method would very easily damage their foundation. But you’re different..."

Director Qin’s gaze turned serious. "I’ve observed you for many years. The resilience of your Divine Sense and Spiritual Vein far surpasses others of your rank. They’re not even weaker than some Cultivators who have just entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm. What’s even rarer is that your precision in refining and controlling Spiritual Qi is also exceptional. Your constitution can, in all likelihood, withstand the impact of this method."

He adopted a more consultative tone. "We can make an attempt first. If this path proves viable, we’ll use this method to help you open the remaining acupoints. If it begins to damage your foundation, we’ll stop immediately. What do you think?"

Qi Yue added, "If you can successfully use this method to enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and seeing as you’ve already served five years as a police specialist, it would be a matter of course for you to take over from Gao Zhen as Bureau Chief of the Lingshan New District. Because you’re familiar with the New District’s affairs, even if Chief Shen has other ideas, he’ll struggle to find a good reason to object."

Yang Wenqing’s mind raced as he heard this. His first thought was to question why this was happening in the first place.

Attempt the breakthrough? Of course, he wanted to. But having lived two lives—or perhaps it was the instinctual caution born from years in complex environments—prevented him from getting carried away. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there are no shortcuts without a price, especially for something as fundamental as a breakthrough in his Cultivation.

"Teacher Qin, Chief Qi..." Yang Wenqing’s tone was a careful mixture of caution and gratitude. "This Secret Technique for a forced breakthrough... how exactly is it performed? What preparations do I need to make? And what price must Chief Qi pay? I cannot only think of myself and allow my mentors to suffer harm."

Director Qin glanced at Qi Yue, who nodded slightly, and then explained, "Chief Qi cultivates a wood-attribute Spiritual Vein. He can use the vitality of a pure Wood Spirit as a guide to protect the foundation of your physical body and Spiritual Vein, preventing them from being damaged or collapsing under the violent impact. At the same time, he can draw upon the fortune of heaven and earth, using it as a spearhead to help you forcibly break through that final barrier."

He paused briefly, his voice dropping lower. "Channeling that fortune requires the Caster to sacrifice a part of their own lifespan. Given the number of acupoints you still need to open, we estimate it will cost him twenty years of his life."

Twenty years!

Yang Wenqing’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. For a High-tier Cultivator with a long lifespan—especially for a Wood Spirit Cultivator, whose lives were inherently long—twenty years might not be a fatal loss, but it was absolutely not an insignificant amount that could be casually tossed aside.

More importantly, for an Entry-level Cultivator to be willing to sacrifice twenty years of his lifespan to help him, what immense expectations and pressure did that favor carry?

Putting himself in Qi Yue’s shoes, he knew that he, Yang Wenqing, would never pay such a price for someone else without an overwhelmingly important reason. Whatever had driven Chief Qi to this decision, it had to be far more complicated than simply wanting to promote a junior or stabilize the Lingshan New District.

Several possibilities flashed through his mind. First, Shen Wenyuan posed such a grave threat to the core interests of Chief Qi and Director Qin that even by joining forces with Zhao Shouzheng and the Zhang family, they were still unable to hold him off. This forced them to quickly install a subordinate who could secure genuine control over the Lingshan New District.

And as the first deputy chief of the Lingshan New District, if stability was the goal, Yang Wenqing would be the priority candidate as long as he met the qualifications. Even Shen Wenyuan would be unable to outright reject his appointment.

Second, the future strategic value of the Lingshan New District was perhaps far greater than he currently perceived.

The port expansion, the strategic warehouses, the Star Tower, its potential role as a rear supply hub—all these factors combined were enough to make the Lingshan New District an enormous prize in the future. It could even become a pivot point capable of influencing the balance of power within Donghai Province, or at an even higher level.

Third, perhaps Chief Qi himself was facing some kind of bottleneck or external pressure and needed a victory to stabilize his position.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a perfectly calibrated look of shock and unease appeared on Yang Wenqing’s face. "Twenty years of his lifespan? Chief Qi, that’s too high a price! How could I possibly be worthy..."