Chapter 111: The Miraculous Art of Enlightenment

"In the past, Luoshui County was merely a low-tier county. Since it was not located on the frontier, there was naturally no need to appoint a County Commandant.

"But times have changed. With the emergence of a new secret realm in Mount Yunhua, Luoshui County is set to be elevated in status. While an Assistant Magistrate may not be appointed, a County Commandant will certainly be established."

After explaining the matter of the County Commandant, Feng Boyuan continued, "I will be honest with you, Chief Constable Shang: I am in charge of the development of the secret realm in Mount Yunhua.

"I need an assistant who is capable and, above all, trustworthy. The development of this realm is bound to attract the prying eyes of demons and ghosts, as well as the sabotage of spies from rival nations. If you stay on as the County Commandant, your primary duty will be to guard against and hunt down these entities who harbor designs on the secret realm.

"Of course, you need not worry too much. Should you encounter a demon, ghost, or spy you cannot defeat, there will always be experts dispatched by the Prefecture and the Sorcery Academy stationed here to deal with them."

After outlining the responsibilities, Feng Boyuan began to promise benefits:

"Chief Constable Shang, as long as you are willing to stay in Luoshui County and assist me, you may come to me with any questions regarding your cultivation. I will do my utmost to aid your progress and help you clear your meridians so you may step into the Marrow Cleansing Realm as soon as possible.

"Although your promotion from a clerk to an official is a special exception that grants you a three-year grace period—meaning your cultivation will not be assessed during that time—once those three years pass, your performance review will require at least an introductory level of Marrow Cleansing. If you fail to reach that, you will be stripped of your active post and relegated to a reserve official. By then, it would be impossible to say when you might have another chance at a real position.

"Furthermore, if you remain in Luoshui County, I will impart some knowledge of the Sorcery Path to you, which will serve as a head start. This way, when you eventually enter the Sorcery Academy, you won't be completely lost, forced to spend vast amounts of time learning basic terminology and other foundations from scratch.

"Moreover, during the development of the secret realm, the Sorcery Academy will surely send people here often. I can help introduce you to the instructors and senior students, so that when you arrive at the Academy, you will have someone to look out for you and help you adapt to life and study there as quickly as possible."

At first, Shang Lu was tempted and grateful for these promises. However, as he listened further, he began to hesitate.

This Feng Boyuan was offering to aid his cultivation, teach him knowledge, and even help him build connections and network... This was all too good, too enthusiastic. To put it bluntly, even a biological father might only do as much. But he and Feng Boyuan were not father and son!

Although he had saved Feng Boyuan’s life, Feng Boyuan had already helped him transition from a clerk to an official. In the eyes of many, that was already enough to repay the debt of saving a life. If Feng Boyuan were a woman, Shang Lu might suspect he was interested in him, hoping to save him decades of struggle and avoid unnecessary detours. But Feng Boyuan was a man.

*What the hell?*

Shang Lu suddenly remembered that in the State of Wei, there was a favorite courtier who was deeply favored by the King of Wei and had climbed all the way to a high position. It seemed gender was not strictly defined in this world, especially for the scions of noble and prominent clans. Could it be that Feng Boyuan had such a preference?

Shang Lu instinctively shifted his seat backward, creating some distance between himself and Feng Boyuan. Feng Boyuan, failing to notice the distance, looked at him with anticipation after finishing his promises.

"Chief Constable Shang, please stay and help me. I truly need you."

***

Shang Lu did not rush to agree or refuse, but instead asked cautiously, "Sorcery Official Feng, forgive my presumption, but I do not understand why you are treating me so well."

"Because I am a member of the Feng clan." Feng Boyuan paused for a moment, then smiled as he explained, "Chief Constable Shang may not be aware that our Feng clan possesses a unique technique called the 'Cultivation of Enlightenment.' As long as we help others grow, we benefit from it ourselves. I see that you possess profound opportunities, and your future cultivation will certainly not stop at Meridian Clearing or Marrow Cleansing. By helping you now, I benefit as you improve and break through. The more I help you now, the greater the return will be in the future!"

"I see. I never imagined such a magical technique existed in this world." Shang Lu was astonished, clicking his tongue in wonder.

The Feng clan's 'Cultivation of Enlightenment' was much like an investment. Find a promising seedling, invest in them, and as long as the other party improved their cultivation and achieved breakthroughs, one would reap the rewards. Shang Lu couldn't help but think of the Nuo mask Feng Boyuan had gifted him earlier; it was likely because of this technique that he had wanted to invest in him. And his own timely arrival to save Feng Boyuan’s life was simply the return on that investment? This technique bordered on the concept of karma; it was truly miraculous.

Feng Boyuan smiled and said, "Once you enter the Sorcery Academy, you will find that many of our clan members serve there. Because of the 'Cultivation of Enlightenment,' teaching others has become one of our primary methods of cultivation. When my cultivation and experience are sufficient, I, too, will seek a position as an instructor at the Academy, just like the elders of my family, to teach for a period each year."

Hearing this, Shang Lu understood why the Feng clan had become a powerful and prominent family in the State of Ba, possessing both influence and status. The mere fact that they taught others how to cultivate was enough to earn them the gratitude of many, especially those from humble backgrounds with no resources, and commoners like himself.

Realizing that Feng Boyuan did not have any peculiar predilections, Shang Lu felt much more at ease and shifted his seat back to its original position. Feng Boyuan noticed this time but thought nothing of it.

He renewed his invitation: "Chief Constable Shang, please stay and serve as the County Commandant. Lend me your strength!"

Shang Lu did not hesitate this time. He cupped his hands and said, "I am honored by your regard, Sorcery Official Feng. To refuse would be ungrateful. However, I am a native of Luoshui County. According to the rules of the officialdom, one cannot hold office in their home region..."

"That is no concern; I will arrange everything properly." Feng Boyuan waved his hand, unbothered by the issue.

Seeing his confidence, Shang Lu said no more. However, he now had a new understanding of the strength and influence of the Feng clan. Since Shang Lu agreed to stay, Feng Boyuan was delighted, and Shang Lu took the opportunity to bring up a topic from earlier.

"Sorcery Official Feng, you mentioned earlier that I had an affinity with the Mountain-Opening Barbarian General because I heard the sound of thunder. What was that sound?"

Feng Boyuan nodded, confirming Shang Lu's guess. He smiled, "Your cultivation is not yet high enough, and you have not learned the Art of Connecting with the Divine, so it is normal that you could not understand the divine speech and mistook it for the sound of thunder."

Shang Lu asked, "Was that thunder truly the Mountain-Opening Barbarian General speaking? What did He say to me?"

Feng Boyuan shook his head. "I did not hear what He said, so how could I know? However, it is rare indeed for someone with the blood energy of the Meridian Clearing Realm to borrow the power of a peak Qi Refiner. The Mountain-Opening Barbarian General must have been quite surprised to take notice of you."

Whether it was true 'notice' or not, Shang Lu was unsure, but as long as it wasn't a debt collector, he was fine. Shang Lu asked a few more questions about the Nuo mask and borrowing divine power, all of which Feng Boyuan answered earnestly.

Finally, he probed, "Sorcery Official Feng, is it possible to retain some of the borrowed divine power?"

Feng Boyuan’s brows furrowed, and he said solemnly, "There were those in the past who tried to retain divine power. They ended up with their physical bodies destroyed and their souls shattered, turning into monsters. It is best not to harbor such ideas."

He paused, then changed his tone with a smile, "Actually, if you want to try, it doesn't matter."

"Why?" Shang Lu asked, wondering if it was because of his affinity with the General.

"Because your cultivation is too low. Even if you wanted to retain the divine power, it would be impossible for you to do so." Feng Boyuan laughed heartily, finding his own humor amusing.

Shang Lu desperately wanted to tell him that he truly had retained a wisp of divine power. In the end, he held back, quietly pondering that since his body wasn't destroyed and his soul remained intact, it should be fine... right?

Fearing that Feng Boyuan might notice something, Shang Lu proactively changed the subject.

"Sorcery Official Feng, Qiu Haishan previously said that even after entering the Sorcery Academy, one could not break through once reaching a certain level. What was he referring to?"

"From the Qi Refining Realm onward, every breakthrough requires the assistance of rare treasures and natural wonders! Without them, even if your cultivation reaches the threshold, it is difficult to break into a new realm. Yet, the supply of these treasures is limited, and the higher the realm, the rarer the items required.

"Fortunately, since secret realms began appearing five hundred years ago, they have provided the various resources necessary for cultivation. Otherwise, let alone breaking through, even maintaining one's current level without falling back would be a pipe dream!

"In truth, the Sorcery Academy has a set of rules: based on cultivation, merit, and talent, one can exchange for the necessary cultivation materials and breakthrough treasures. However, Qiu Haishan, though he reached the peak of the Zhou Tian Realm and possessed decent talent, had accumulated too little merit to exchange for what he needed. Instead of looking at himself, he blamed the unfairness of the Academy, even resorting to using people to feed dragons in hopes of obtaining dragon pearls, thus falling into the evil path..."

Feng Boyuan sighed as he spoke. After hearing his explanation, Shang Lu gained a deeper understanding of this world and the state of cultivation.

Because the spiritual energy was thin, cultivation at the Immortal Realm required the use of spiritual fluids and fats found within the secret realms. Breaking through required the aid of various treasures. This made secret realms vital strategic resources, which explained why the imperial court and the Sorcery Academy placed such high importance on them.

It also explained why the Academy had previously restricted enrollment—because cultivation resources were limited, they could not train sorcerers on a massive scale. The current expansion was due to the significant movements in the neighboring State of Chu. If they did not expand, and the State of Chu launched a war in a few years, even if their high-level combatants were evenly matched, a lack of low-level strength would be fatal.

However, the expansion of the Sorcery Academy would give rise to new problems, particularly the increasing scarcity and tension over cultivation resources. To resolve this, relying solely on discovering and developing new domestic secret realms would clearly not be enough. Eventually, they would have to wage war abroad to plunder resources.

The world was descending into chaos. Fortunately, there were likely still a few years before the era of chaos truly arrived. Shang Lu secretly resolved to seize this time to improve his cultivation as much as possible. Only with powerful personal strength could he protect his life and those of his loved ones in the coming turmoil—and only then would he have the opportunity to achieve true glory!