Chapter 40 - 36: Nine Provinces Mountain and Sea Bureau

Chapter 40: Chapter 36: Nine Provinces Mountain and Sea Bureau

Cultivation Chamber, Luocheng First High School.

Lu Chen looked at the alchemy results in the game, unable to believe his eyes for a moment.

Five alchemy attempts, four successes.

Was this kind of success rate truly something a novice alchemy master could achieve?

"Out of the five alchemy attempts, aside from the first failure when I was testing digitized alchemy, the success rate for the remaining four stabilized at eighty percent, yielding thirty-five Qi Gathering Pills," Lu Chen murmured to himself.

"Such a success rate is no less than that of veteran alchemy masters...

"It seems that True Cultivation’s help to me is far greater than I imagined.

"Be it the infinite resurrections in the dungeon to temper my combat skills, or the current digitized alchemy that boosts the success rate in an auxiliary manner, these are immense aids I never expected before.

"True Cultivation... just how many secrets are you hiding?"

Lu Chen stared at the mini-game on his phone, a thoughtful look on his face.

Right now, he had already found the Cyan Profound Wood in the real world, something that had previously only appeared in the game. Then, one day in the future, would he encounter people in reality who had only existed in the game?

If that day really came, he might finally figure out exactly what kind of relationship existed between the game world and the real world.

After contemplating for a while, Lu Chen pulled his thoughts back to reality.

"There are still two days until the weekend. It’s about time I fulfill the promise I made to Yezi during the mock exam to treat her to a meal," he planned.

"Before that, I’ll spend more time on alchemy to further solidify my persona as an alchemy genius. I can also sell some Qi Gathering Pills in the game to exchange for Spirit Stones.

"With my current success rate, even though my alchemy skill is only at the Proficient Level, I can still guarantee a stable output. Therefore, alchemy is a guaranteed profitable business for me.

"Once I’ve saved up enough experience, I’ll find an opportunity to contact the Elder of Danyang Peak and try to exchange for a Thousand-Year Spirit Flower from them in one go to unlock the Cyan Lotus Pupil.

"As long as I train the Cyan Lotus Pupil to the Breaking Realm, two of the five Breaking Realm Immortal Foundations in my plan will be complete, bringing me closer to the so-called Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment..."

His plan was clear, his goals were defined, his progress was steady, and his future was bright!

At this moment, Lu Chen felt full of hope. This kind of visible, tangible future truly filled him with motivation!

While Lu Chen focused on alchemy and accumulated strength for his future Foundation Establishment, the seemingly peaceful exterior of Luocheng hid surging undercurrents.

...

A dilapidated residential building in the East City District of Luocheng.

For some unknown reason, the residential building had been completely cordoned off by Luocheng’s Law Enforcement Team, and no one was allowed to approach. The original residents of the building had all been driven outside the police lines, chattering all at once as they discussed something.

Some of them looked visibly traumatized, as if they had just experienced something terrifying.

An ordinary sedan pulled up outside the cordon. Mu Xiaoye’s father, Mu Chengjun, immediately opened the door, stepped out, and quickly approached the police line.

Seeing him, a member of the Law Enforcement Team hurriedly walked over.

"Captain Mu, you’re finally here..."

"What’s the situation at the scene?"

"It’s hard to say, but from the looks of it, this case is highly unusual. It’s already alerted the people from the Mountain and Sea Bureau."

"It even alerted the Mountain and Sea Bureau?!"

Hearing the name of the Mountain and Sea Bureau, Mu Chengjun’s expression instantly turned serious.

Unlike the Law Enforcement Team who had resided in the city for a long time, everyone in the Nine Provinces Mountain and Sea Bureau was a ruthless figure who had fought their way out of a Corpse Mountain and Blood Sea. And to alert them, it usually meant one of two situations.

The first was when Demon Fiends wreaked havoc within the Nine Provinces Immortal Alliance. Because of the unique nature of Demon Fiends, it was very difficult for cultivators of the same level to deal with them. That was why the elites of the Nine Provinces within the Mountain and Sea Bureau needed to step in.

The other situation was when a cultivator attacked and harmed ordinary people. This was also what the Nine Provinces Immortal Alliance could tolerate the least.

Unlike other places that viewed mortals as ants, the Nine Provinces Immortal Alliance valued ordinary people very much. They always believed that the relationship between cultivators and ordinary people was inseparable. Defending the lives of ordinary people meant defending the humanity in their own bones and firming their Dao Hearts.

The fact that the situation in this residential building could alert the Mountain and Sea Bureau meant that this case was not simple. It was absolutely a major case on the level of cultivators.

Thinking of this, Mu Chengjun walked briskly toward the residential building. But when he arrived at the crime scene, he was shocked by the sight before him, his face turning as cold as frost.

"Who will tell me the specific situation?" Mu Chengjun asked in a very low tone as he stared at the fragmented corpses of a family of three in the living room.

Vile, the case before him was simply too vile!

A complete family of three had actually been brutally murdered right under the noses of their Luocheng Law Enforcement Team. This was practically stepping on their heads and ruthlessly mocking their incompetence.

Facing Mu Chengjun’s inquiry, a Law Enforcement Team member who had arrived at the scene early and investigated quite a few clues stepped forward and said seriously, "Reporting to Captain Mu, we have already investigated the victims’ situation clearly.

"The victims are a family of three. Both parents were employees at a factory in the East City District. They were kind to others in their daily lives and had no obvious disputes with anyone.

"Their son, Wang Hao, was a student in the senior year advanced class at Luocheng Third High School. He possessed an Upper Grade Spiritual Root and had even reached the Qi Cultivation Fifth Level of cultivation. His talent for cultivation was quite good.

"According to our investigation, the three victims should have been eating when the crime occurred. After suddenly breaking in, the killer brutally murdered the three of them in an extremely short amount of time, and dug out Wang Hao’s Spiritual Root afterward.

"This is quite similar to a few previous cases, so we suspect..."

Before the Law Enforcement Team member could finish speaking, a voice from outside the door interrupted them.

"Five Spirit Blood Pill Skill, one of the Black Lotus Sect’s most heinous Evil Skills, using humans as medicine to refine a blood pill."

Mu Chengjun turned his head and saw a white-haired young girl, only about one and a half meters tall, walk in. Standing on her shoulder was a bizarre bird with pitch-black feathers, three heads, three wings, and six legs.

The aura of this strange bird was very weird. Making eye contact with it would make a person feel inexplicably dizzy and struck with fear. So much so that many Law Enforcement Team members in the room subconsciously stepped aside after taking a single look at it.

Only a veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Mu Chengjun could barely withstand the strange bird’s special aura.

As for the reactions of the Law Enforcement Team members in the room, the young girl seemed accustomed to it. Chewing bubblegum, she approached the three corpses.

"Killing for pills, it’s undoubtedly the animals from the Black Lotus Sect," she concluded. "Alright, this matter is handed over to our Mountain and Sea Bureau. You all can leave."

The surrounding Law Enforcement Team members exchanged glances, still unsure if they should leave just like that, so they looked toward Mu Chengjun.

Mu Chengjun looked at the eerie young girl beside him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Excellency, are you from the Mountain and Sea Bureau’s..."

As if guessing what Mu Chengjun wanted to say, the white-haired girl directly held up the token in her hand.

"Mountain and Sea Bureau Walking, Bai Ling. This is my token. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your superiors.

"I know what you want to say, Mister. You probably want to ask if I need any help, right?

"But Mister, you should be clear about what kind of trash the animals of the Black Lotus Sect are. Among the people present, apart from you, anyone else stepping in would only be a hindrance.

"So you guys shouldn’t interfere in this matter, because even if you want to help... you can’t.

"You’re... too weak."

Faced with Bai Ling’s blunt words, Mu Chengjun, who had rich life experience, didn’t say much. However, the hot-blooded young team members beside him became somewhat dissatisfied. The looks they directed at Bai Ling were full of indignation.

Seeing this, the socially awkward Bai Ling let out a helpless sigh.

"I really don’t understand what’s wrong with you people. I’m clearly telling the truth every time, but you always get angry for no reason.

"However, being indignant won’t kill you, but trying to be a hero... will actually get you killed.

"If you don’t want to see others showing up at your funerals, then leaving now is the best outcome for you.

"After all, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Even though you are physically taller than me, in terms of cultivation, you are... too low."

As her words fell, a terrifying pressure spread across the scene.

Foundation... Foundation Establishment Fourth Level?!

Looking at Bai Ling’s cultivation, everyone, including Mu Chengjun, was shocked. Because from her appearance, Bai Ling looked no different from the little girl next door!

"Let me introduce myself again. I, Bai Ling, Qing Province Mountain and Sea Bureau Walking, currently a freshman at the Qinghe Daoist School.

"I am ordering you to get out. I’ll take over... this matter."

...

Author’s Note: I’ve been watching tournaments these past two days, which caused Pang Hu to run out of drafted Chapters. The second update will be released before 10 PM.

I’ll write more drafts later so I can release a double update exactly at 6 AM tomorrow.