Interrogation

However, just after nodding, Shen Shuibi suddenly realized something.

Li Qi naturally said, "Wait a few decades."

She glanced at Li Qi again, tilting her head suspiciously, and asked, "You... are you starting to get used to your life? Weren't you only at the seventh rank an hour ago?"

This truly surprised Shen Shuibi. Li Qi had grown up far too fast! Normal people would need at least a few hundred years to adapt to an endless lifespan, right?

For a considerable period of time, those who have just entered the seventh rank will not tire of the pleasures of the mortal world. Although they are already immortal, the newly born immortals will have feelings such as, "There are so many places worth visiting, so many things worth seeing, this world is really interesting."

They will maintain the same sense of time as before, until one day they begin to realize the repetitive nature of the mortal world.

That commonality among mortals, the same animalistic nature that remains unchanged no matter how many people you've seen.

Only then will the immortals turn their attention to things that are truly worth the challenge, to great undertakings so magnificent that they can devote themselves to them wholeheartedly.

However, Li Qi replied, "Yes, although I'm only at the seventh rank, the Great Shaman reminded me not to be fixated on temporary gains and losses, but to focus on the long term. I think that makes a lot of sense. Although I can't fully understand it yet, if I want to cultivate this sense of time, I should start making plans now."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuibi was about to say something, but quickly shook her head.

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

At this point, it's actually useless to start planning in advance, which is something she originally wanted to remind Li Qi.

But there's no need for that. It's good that Li Qi has his own ideas. There's still a long time ahead of him. Li Qi has thousands of years to slowly explore the methods that truly suit him.

As for now, we should just be happy for him.

The rabbit thought to itself, "That's good then. By the way, I was wondering how to celebrate when you reached the seventh rank, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon... I was caught off guard. I'll prepare a gift for you next time you come to the Sacred Flame Realm."

"Okay, I'll contact the merchants of the Holy Flame first. Next time I come... maybe in six months. You can prepare to use your Cultivation Method and medical skills to collect the Holy Flame first. When I come next time, I can pack it up and take it all with me."

"I will be careful, but... do you want to contact people in the Divine Path to barter directly, or sell them in the Tang Kingdom and exchange them for silver?" Shen Shuibi asked.

"Not necessarily. I'm planning to look for some high-ranking Shinto students at the Imperial Academy; maybe we can talk to them," Li Qi replied.

"That works too," the rabbit nodded.

The two chatted about some miscellaneous matters and whispered some things that were not convenient for outsiders to discuss, before hanging up the phone, satisfied with themselves.

Then, everyone went about their own business.

Shen Shuibi continued compiling the secret manual to guide the Child of Destiny, and incidentally collected some holy flames.

Li Qi then went to find a market for the sacred flames and, incidentally, studied at the Imperial Academy.

With a few days left before the start of the Imperial Academy, Li Qi spent his time staying in his room, recuperating.

After acquiring genuine qualities, his personal inner world needed to be readjusted. He consulted books to find out how to resolve different situations while simultaneously beginning to make tentative adjustments.

As this work progressed, his internal friction decreased, and he became closer and closer to 'harmony'.

However, it was far from the flawless perfection that the great shaman had shown him.

At most, he can only achieve water and soil circulation. To maintain vitality, he still needs to constantly acquire external resources. He cannot rely solely on his own internal circulation to survive indefinitely.

However, with this process of adjustment, his internal friction decreased, and the power he could mobilize became stronger.

He also took this opportunity to begin repairing the hidden injuries in his body, the weaknesses that had been revealed by the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.

However, there are only a few areas that can be repaired in the next few days.

Li Qi estimates that this method of reducing internal friction will take at least twenty years to show significant effects.

This is a long-term project and cannot be rushed.

Just like controlling floods, if you rush into it, the problem will only get worse. You need to understand the situation in detail and guide the water flow gradually to achieve water and soil safety.

However, "not in a hurry" simply means not to rush, not to give up and take a break. You still need to keep working on it every day.

This work lasted for two days.

Just as Li Qi was focused on his cultivation, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Li Qi opened his eyes.

Well, the Tang Kingdom were quite efficient.

Thinking this, he got up, walked over, and opened the door.

Outside the door stood several cultivators dressed in black, all of whom were at the seventh rank without exception.

After reaching the seventh rank, Li Qi's perception became much sharper, and he also gained two strands of True Knowledge Dao Charm that had merged into one, so he could sense their auras even more clearly.

The perception was much clearer than the vague one I had at the eighth rank, and I could even use it to deduce their cultivation methods.

Li Qi didn't know how Human Way seventh rank achieved immortality, because it was a closely guarded secret of their cultivation and wouldn't be easily revealed to others. However, the aura he sensed at this moment... was different from any other seventh-level cultivator Li Qi had ever seen.

The Shaman Path is to Creation from Nothing, through a process similar to the creation of the universe, to conjure up vitality that allows one to live forever.

Li Qi had never practiced the Daoist methods, but through Shen Shuibi he could sense that they were similar to the methods of Shaman Path. Instead of creating something from Creation from Nothing, it involved gathering the energy of all things, breathing and visualizing, absorbing external energy, storing it within the body, and condensing it into a golden elixir and Primordial Spirit. After that, the entire body became unified, and aging naturally stopped completely.

Similar to the Shaman Path, but the results are very different. Li Qi is still aging, but at the same time, the vitality that keeps emerging is making up for it, allowing him to age while prolonging his life, achieving a dynamic balance similar to the operation of the Heavenly Dao. This is also the 'perfect harmony and nature' pursued by the Way of Shaman Path.

However, Daoism perfects the physical body through the Hunyuan Golden Elixir and perfects the soul through the Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit, solidifying both so that they are not affected by wind and rain, thus preventing the loss or evaporation of lifespan.

And the Human Path before us...

That would be even stranger.

Li Qi could sense that their personal world seemed completely open.

It was an open system, and even Li Qi could feel their bodies constantly communicating with the outside world.

But it's not a cycle; it's pure plunder.

Impurities are constantly being expelled, while the essential energy from the outside world is absorbed. The energy needed becomes the material and remains, while the remaining impurities are expelled.

This is the result after these people have restrained themselves. If they were allowed to go all out and absorb everything recklessly, they could probably quickly plunder all the life force of an unranked world and turn it into a dead zone.

Even Ninth Rank World could probably only support their unrestrained absorption for a few hundred years before it would quickly run dry.

It's truly... a way to achieve longevity that's full of Human Path characteristics.

If it breaks, it replaces it; if it runs out, it demands something from the outside world, maintaining its immortality through constant plunder.

As for the outside world...

It will naturally recover on its own very quickly. After thousands of years of sedimentation and circulation, these impurities will eventually become nourishment for new life. Then, we can simply absorb the new life.

When the men in black saw Li Qi open the door, they first bowed and then showed their identification.

They were all from the Dali Temple, but only one of them held an official position.

The one leading the group was an official; he was wearing official robes, and the identification he showed could be verified.

The Chief Clerk of the Dali Temple Subordinate Seventh Rank official, and in addition to his official position, he himself was also a seventh-rank official.

The rest were all clerks working at the Dali Temple, but they did not hold official positions. However, they all had the cultivation level of the seventh rank, so they were probably similar to special field investigation teams.

"Young Master Li, we are here to investigate the assassination attempt on you. Is that correct?" The Chief Clerk of the Dali Temple looked at Li Qi and said with a smile.

The chief clerk was in charge of documents and records, so he must have been there to personally record Li Qi's files.

"So it's the esteemed officials from the Dali Temple. Please come in quickly." Upon seeing this, Li Qi hurriedly welcomed the men in black into the courtyard.

However, none of them came in; instead, they left two people to stand guard outside the door.

Despite being called a guard, Li Qi found that his courtyard had suddenly become isolated from the outside world.

The unique Technique Method of the Dali Temple?

He couldn't figure out the secret, but apart from True Knowledge Dao Charm, he couldn't detect the outside situation through any other means.

They definitely have something special about them.

The rest of the people followed Li Qi into the house.

As soon as he entered the room, the clerk sat down to one side, indicating that he would not be allowed to question Li Qi, but would instead hand the questioning over to a professional criminal officer.

Li Qi understood.

The so-called criminal investigators must be those who are truly experienced criminal investigators, right?

But... instead of being 'questioned' by officials, they were 'interrogated' by criminal officers. Was this a way of putting them in a difficult position?

But he remained calm and composed, quietly awaiting the interrogation.

One of the men in black stepped forward. He was dressed smartly, with an ordinary but energetic appearance, and nothing particularly eye-catching about him.

But Li Qi naturally knew that being able to reach the seventh rank already demonstrated these people's abilities; their appearance and clothing meant nothing.

The seasoned criminal investigator asked, "Young Master Li, according to the information provided by the Prefect of the Prefect of Jingzhao, the Great Witch Mi Xin said before he left that the Wushen Mountain claimed this was an assassination attempt against you, orchestrated by the Imperial Academy Chancellor. Is this true?"

"That is indeed true. The Imperial Academy Chancellor used the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon to attempt to assassinate me with the help of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror," Li Qi replied.

The executioner neither confirmed nor denied, regardless of whether Li Qi's story was true or false, and simply asked, "At that time, you were an eighth-rank official and he was a sixth-rank official. Given how close you were, how did you survive his attack?"

Li Qi answered frankly, "He didn't launch a suicide attack, so naturally he wanted to frame me. When the Three Lives Ancient Mirror reflected my weakness, he released demonic energy. He only provided support and didn't take action himself. He just wanted to make my Dao heart crack and die."

"Then how did you resist the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon?" the executioner asked again.

Li Qi frankly said, "I did not know the mysteries of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror. I was invaded by demonic energy, but my Dao heart was firm and the Heavenly Demon could not do anything to me. However, after the Heavenly Demon invaded, the Three Lives Ancient Mirror underwent a change. The mirror surface cracked, and I was enveloped by chaotic cosmic light, unable to see the outside world. The Heavenly Demon was also cut open and could not use even half of his full strength. That is why I survived."

There is absolutely no falsehood in this statement, but it conceals some of Li Qi's personal speculations.

For example, Li Qi himself wasn't sure about the Earth; he didn't know if it was true or false.

How could someone possibly tell the officials about something so dubious? Wouldn't that be misleading?

Therefore, Li Qi only stated the facts and refused to mention any personal speculation.

The executioner didn't ask any further questions from beginning to end, only requiring that Li Qi tell the truth.

All they need are the facts.

As long as it's the truth, they can deduce the specific circumstances themselves; there's no need for any association.

The questioning lasted for 15 minutes.

From the specific details of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, to the appearance of the chaotic cosmic light, to the reaction of the Imperial Academy Chancellor, including the Imperial Academy Chancellor's later act of offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Demon, and so on.

However, Li Qi showed extreme impatience from beginning to end. Although he was polite, he urged him repeatedly, saying that he still needed to consolidate his cultivation. He even showed his body, which was in disarray after his breakthrough.

This is indeed true. Li Qi's breakthrough did cause the microcosm within his body to develop real properties, leading to chaos within his body.

These complaints prompted the official to speed up the questioning, but they still asked very detailed questions. After they finished asking the questions, they thanked Li Qi slightly, then packed up the documents and video recordings and left decisively.

As for Li Qi, he got what he wanted.

Although Li Qi didn't ask any questions from beginning to end, he only answered them.

But the attitude of the Dali Temple had already told him a lot.

The Dali Temple asked detailed questions about things they didn't know.

What they skipped were things they considered unimportant, things they didn't need to ask, or things they already knew.

Li Qi repeatedly stated that he didn't have time and urged him many times.

This means we've obtained the first piece of information.

After the other party left, Li Qi did nothing else but continue to recuperate in the room and stabilize his newly broken-through cultivation.

And so, time flew by.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

These past few days have at least brought a semblance of peace to our personal world, so we no longer need to pay constant attention to it.

However, to achieve its current perfect form, it still requires a lot of time and effort.

In between, he also took some time to process some documents and finalize the formal admission decision.

In the end, he was admitted to the Imperial Academy.

His test score was A, because he broke through to the seventh rank.

Breakthroughs during testing are rare, even at the Imperial Academy, especially for those who reach the seventh rank. Most Imperial Academy students graduate without ever reaching the seventh rank.

Having confirmed these things, several days later, Li Qi stood up from his room.

Is this... the end of seclusion?

That's basically it.

After he leaves the pass today, he will go to the Imperial Academy to report for duty.

School officially starts!

Starting today, he is officially enrolled in school.