Salted Fish Elder Arrives

The night was as dark as ink, the starlight dim.

In the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's capital, Tianyan City.

A magnificent nine-story pavilion stood deep within the imperial city, its eaves like blades, reflecting a cold, sharp glint under the moonlight.

Outside the pavilion, a white-haired elder leaned back in a rocking chair, his withered fingers idly stroking a yellowed copy of the Clear Wind Sword Art, flipping through its pages sporadically.

The elder couldn't help but speak, his tone filled with leisure.

"Tsk, this sword art is less entertaining than square dancing back on Blue Star..."

The elder—Chen Lin—yawned and lazily closed the book, feeling sleepy.

My aptitude, huh... a heavenly book.

Memories of his past life as a corporate slave were still vivid—the blinding headlights of a speeding truck that ran a red light as he returned home late from overtime.

He realized one thing.

He had struck it rich!

The next time he opened his eyes, he had become an elder in the Scripture Repository of this Great World of Heavenly Fortune.

He had been the "Scripture Repository Elder" in this fantasy world for dozens of days now.

The place he was currently in was the heart of the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's power—the capital, Tianyan City.

This city, situated in the core of the imperial dynasty's territory on the land of Yanzhou, stood proudly above the ten prefectures with its prosperity and majesty.

Of this world, he only knew its name: "Great World of Heavenly Fortune." It was vast and boundless, divided into seven major regions.

This was a world of cultivation and seeking the Dao.

The Great Yan Imperial Dynasty was a force that could not be underestimated in the Northern Profound Region.

The cultivation realms he knew were like a climbing ladder:

The Three Realms of Mortal Transformation, beginning with the hardship of Body Tempering, passing through the difficulty of Qi Condensation, and finally reaching the transformation of Foundation Establishment;

The Three Realms of Spiritual Origin, involving the initial formation of the Core, the gradual awakening of the Divine Treasury, and finally the initial manifestation of the Dharma Idol;

And the Cave Reality Realm, which transcended the Dharma Idol, peering into higher mysteries.

Each realm was divided into nine levels, with the first level as the beginning and the ninth level as the peak.

The Great Yan Imperial Dynasty had experts in the Cave Reality Realm guarding it, and the current Emperor was a genuine Cave Reality expert, which was proof of the dynasty's foundation.

His family had once been prominent for saving the emperor, but unfortunately, they later suffered from the "Nine Nether Cold Fiend," and their bloodline withered.

By his generation, even the hereditary Marquis title had been revoked.

Seeing how miserable he was, they gave him the position of elder, with a meager salary, to just pass the days in the Scripture Repository.

--But Chen Lin was very satisfied!

He had struggled and toiled in his past life; in this life, he could lie back and collect a salary. Wasn't that wonderful?

The Scripture Repository was protected by formations, and the Imperial Guards patrolled the outside. It was incredibly safe.

He could even control some of the formations himself.

There was no need to worry about safety.

His daily tasks only involved registering people entering and exiting, and occasionally organizing cultivation techniques—though no one actually needed him to organize them.

And whether he did these tasks or not seemed to make no significant difference.

After all, there hadn't been any elders before...

Moreover, anyone who could enter the Scripture Repository was there by order, making his elder position effectively a decoration.

"This is truly life..."

This life was incredibly comfortable for Chen Lin.

This kind of life was like a fish in water for Chen Lin, unbelievably comfortable.

He didn't have to rush around like in his past life; he just needed to "lie flat" here peacefully.

His past life was tiring enough; in this life, wasn't he just seeking leisure?

Furthermore, in a place as mixed as the capital, as long as he didn't court death, there would basically be no danger to his life.

If he couldn't even survive in the capital, then the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty would probably be close to destruction, a probability that was extremely slim.

This kind of life was something many people in his past life could only envy.

After all, they didn't have a stable salary.

And although he was being a slacker, if he could easily achieve a better life while continuing to be a slacker, he would still be willing to turn over.

These two things never conflicted; they were just things done along the way...

Many things depend on being done smoothly...

If it's too difficult, and you still expect me to turn over, you're dreaming!

His thoughts were different.

As for cultivation talent, it was good if he had it, and if not, then so be it.

Since he had been reborn, living longer and more freely than in his previous life was already enough.

If a person is long confined under high pressure, once they can live at ease, it is the fulfillment of their dreams.

What's more, in life, it is inherently difficult to achieve perfection.

"Those who are content are always happy"—in the vastness of heaven and earth, among billions of people, how many chosen ones can there be?

Who dares to assert that they will definitely be one of them?

And life's greatest fork in the road was determined from the moment of birth.

Since he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, there was no need to dwell on it.

At least in this life, he lived more at ease than before—no need to toil and travel, yet he could enjoy his salary; his lifespan was long, and he had more leisure to read quietly.

Wasn't such a life also a form of fulfillment?

Just then, a figure unexpectedly appeared before Chen Lin.

The newcomer was elegant and extraordinary, exuding a noble aura that dared not be looked at directly.

Chen Lin's heart stirred slightly, and he quickly got up and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness, the Ninth Prince."

In the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty, the Emperor had nine princes and one princess.

Among them, the First Prince Ling Tian had already been established as the Crown Prince, the rightful heir.

However, in recent years, for some unknown reason, the Emperor had suddenly taken a special liking to the other princes, showering them with favor, which had increasingly intensified the conflict between the Crown Prince and the other princes.

Chen Lin muttered to himself, didn't this situation foreshadow a repeat of the "Xuanwu Gate Incident"?

However, with the current Emperor's power, it was nothing more than a joke...

The Ninth Prince Ling Xiao before him was one of the favored princes, and he had now been entrusted with a heavy responsibility—to serve as the Deputy Commander of the Heaven Suppressing Division in Wuzhou.

Wuzhou was located northwest of Yanzhou and was an important barrier protecting the capital, Tianyan City.

The Heaven Suppressing Division was an organization established by the late Emperor, directly obeying the Emperor's orders. It integrated intelligence, surveillance, and assassination, with pervasive influence and terrifying methods.

To hold such a position meant unimaginable power.

Chen Lin guessed that this was likely the Ninth Prince being "sent out" for experience and to gain prestige, and at the same time, to develop his own influence in Wuzhou.

After all, the Ninth Prince's maternal family had power in Wuzhou, being a local aristocratic family, and even had a top expert in the Divine Treasury Realm overseeing them.

Going there, he could truly spread his wings.

With the authority of the Deputy Commander of the Heaven Suppressing Division and the backing of his maternal family, his future was limitless.

Moreover, Ling Xiao, at only twenty years old, had already cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Condensation, showing his remarkable talent.

Looking around, those who had originally bet on the Crown Prince or opposed him were now shifting their targets and beginning to gravitate towards these favored princes.

The fifty-year-old Crown Prince, though past his prime, had his realm steadily fixed at the seventh level of Core Formation, which was considered quite good talent.

Ling Xiao wore a gentle smile and said, "Elder Lin, I need to go to the seventh floor of the Scripture Repository."

Chen Lin didn't mind.

He had a decent impression of this Ninth Prince; at least the man knew humility and respect.

Furthermore, Chen Lin guessed that Ling Xiao came to the seventh floor of the Scripture Repository before leaving for Wuzhou, most likely to make some preparations before his upcoming assignment.

The Scripture Repository had nine floors, housing countless cultivation techniques and texts, all of extraordinary quality.

In this world, cultivation techniques were divided into five tiers: Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, and King.

Even formations and elixirs were classified this way.

The eighth and ninth floors housed the core cultivation techniques of the imperial family, the legendary King Tier techniques, which were the foundation of the Ling Imperial Dynasty's power and the protection of the clan.

The first to third floors contained Yellow Tier and Profound Tier techniques, the fourth to sixth floors held Earth Tier techniques, and the seventh floor stored Heaven Tier techniques.

The higher the tier, the greater the difficulty of cultivation, and the immeasurable its value.

Chen Lin nodded, took out his record book from his bosom, recorded the relevant information, and then politely made way, "Your Highness, please proceed."

Unexpectedly, Ling Xiao smiled and took out a warm, lustrous pill from his sleeve, offering it to Chen Lin, "Elder Lin, this is a Core Gathering Pill. I see you have been stuck at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment for a long time. This pill might help you break through in one go and achieve the Core Formation realm."

The Core Gathering Pill was a miraculous medicine for Foundation Establishment cultivators to condense their core. Although it couldn't guarantee a 100% success rate, it was indeed a coveted opportunity for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Chen Lin's eyes, which he quickly suppressed.

Had he already started trying to win me over so soon?

This Core Gathering Pill was insignificant to the Ninth Prince, but to him, it was like charcoal in the snow.

Once he broke through to the Core Formation realm, his lifespan would increase to five hundred years, and he could continue to live out his retirement peacefully for several hundred more years.

But then he thought, he had lived for three hundred years at Foundation Establishment, and still had a hundred years left. Did he really have no chance of breaking through to Core Formation on his own?

If he accepted this pill now, and something unexpected happened in the future, wouldn't he become a pawn used by the prince for his own gain and then be purged?

Chen Lin put on a kind smile, shook his head, "Your Highness, this old man is already in his twilight years, and his potential is exhausted. Such a good item should be left to more promising young talents, perhaps to add another capable subordinate for Your Highness."

Ling Xiao's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible glint, then he laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Elder Lin is truly righteous. Since that's the case, this prince cannot force the issue."

This old man, who looked like he was on his last legs, could resist the temptation of a two-hundred-year lifespan extension?

With that, he put the Core Gathering Pill back into his sleeve and turned towards the seventh floor.

Chen Lin watched Ling Xiao's retreating back disappear around the corner of the stairs, thinking to himself: He didn't want to get involved with anyone. He just wanted to live out his retirement peacefully. Any choice could bring unnecessary trouble and danger.

However, just as he withdrew his gaze...

A line of light-gold text appeared out of nowhere in the void before his eyes:

[Host meets conditions. "Daily Automatic Perfection System" activated!]

[Today, you can randomly draw one cultivation technique/martial skill and instantly comprehend it to the Great Perfection realm!]

[Randomly drawing...]

[Drawing complete!]

[Today's Great Perfection Profound Tier Martial Skill: Clear Wind Sword Art]

In an instant, countless sword dao insights surged into his mind like a torrent!

-- The flexibility of a clear wind brushing a willow!

-- The precision of solidified sword energy like silk!

-- The artistic conception of returning to simplicity!

Chen Lin trembled all over. The Clear Wind Sword Art in his hand, which he had previously scoffed at as "worse than a square dance," now seemed to reveal myriad mysteries in his eyes!

He subconsciously formed his fingers into a sword and casually swung it--

A fallen leaf three feet away split silently in two, its edges as smooth as a mirror.

Everyone was just watching for fun. If you have any dissatisfaction, you can vent it. After venting, you can find a new book. (You can attack me personally, no need to involve my family. I have a good mentality and don't mind. If I saw a poem, I'd definitely have something to say about it too.)