Adapting the Breathing Technique to Imaginary Energy took longer than Dan Lei had expected. For two whole years, he remained in and out of seclusion.
Fortunately, Dan Lei wasn't in closed-door seclusion the entire time. He often ordered takeout from Meizhan Pavilion with his Jade Abacus, and since he'd hired someone to look after his shop, he would occasionally come out for some fresh air.
So the neighbors in Golden People Alley didn't think Dan Lei had gone missing. They just wondered why such a young man was such a homebody.
However, if anyone had been able to enter Dan Lei's workshop at that moment, they would have seen him naked, his entire body covered in dragon-shaped patterns as he swallowed and exhaled vast amounts of Imaginary Energy.
The dragon-shaped patterns on Dan Lei's body were his Demon Slayer Mark. After using the Breathing Technique to absorb large amounts of Imaginary Energy, he had developed a version of the Demon Slayer Mark infused with Imaginary Energy.
However, the mark didn't burn through Dan Lei's life. The Chizuru Clan's bodies adapted to Imaginary Energy even better than he'd expected.
Dan Lei had been fixated on absorbing Imaginary Energy through his Magic Circuits to achieve a breakthrough overnight, putting himself through agonizing torment. If only he'd looked into storing Imaginary Energy in his body sooner, he would have discovered just how much untapped potential the Chizuru Clan's bodies had.
Now, after two years of cultivation, Dan Lei had mastered the entire process of using the Breathing Technique to absorb Imaginary Energy from the outside world. He'd even reached the point where he could absorb the Imaginary Energy drifting around him directly through his nose and mouth, without any air.
However, absorbing it directly through his Magic Circuits still wasn't possible. Until he found a cultivation method for strengthening his Magic Circuits, he'd better stop putting his body through the wringer.
So, once he'd perfected the process of converting the unclaimed Imaginary Energy around him into magic and True Qi, Dan Lei officially emerged from seclusion.
Without a moment's hesitation, Dan Lei headed straight for the Ten Lords' Commission. He was going to turn himself in.
He wasn't planning to reveal his secret—that he possessed a Holy Grail that could travel between worlds. He was preparing to apply for a permit that would let him freely enter and leave Luofu.
For the past two years, Dan Lei had been charging the Holy Grail with all his might, but the magic he converted from the Breathing Technique alone filled it far too slowly.
Put simply, how could one person's magic compare to a Ley Line? Even Pathstriders capable of destroying stars didn't have energy equal to that of a planet. After all, destroying a star only required surpassing the strength of its rock and soil. There was no need to match the energy contained within the planet itself.
It was now the year 8076 of the Star Calendar, and the Stellar Core Spirit would arrive in thirty-four years. So, if he wanted to travel between worlds more often before the Phantylia disaster, Dan Lei urgently needed a permit that would let him freely visit other planets.
Such permits were truly hard to get on Luofu.
The simplest way was to have enough capital to establish a trading company and visit different planets under the guise of doing business.
However, a merchant couldn't stay on any one planet for too long, and every route had to be reported to the Celestial Ship Commission. It was far from convenient.
The permit Dan Lei wanted was a Trial Entry Permit, issued to powerful Pathstriders so they could travel and gain experience.
After all, many Paths couldn't be practiced, nor their followers improved, by simply staying on Luofu. So, after a rigorous review, these Pathstriders might be granted a travel permit for their training.
And Dan Lei, who followed the Memory Destiny, already had the qualifications to apply for one.
That was because the way for followers of the Memory Destiny to practice their Path was simple: stir up memories everywhere.
Memokeepers from organizations like the Flowing Light Memory Court and Incineration Chemical Works were all devoted to collecting memories.
So, if Dan Lei started stirring up memories on Luofu, how many secrets do you think Luofu had that absolutely could not be allowed to fall into his hands?
You could say that as long as Dan Lei proved he could already dredge up memories from the Sea of Memory Substance, Luofu would probably be eager to get him to stop stirring things up on their turf and go cause trouble elsewhere.
So Dan Lei had decided to turn himself in at the Ten Lords' Commission: he would confess that he now had the ability to threaten Luofu's ability to protect its secrets, laying the groundwork for his future leaps in power and his knowledge of countless secrets.
Dan Lei knew the way to the Ten Lords' Commission very well. He had plenty of acquaintances in both the Alchemy Commission and the Scale Abyss Realm, and no one would give him trouble just for passing through.
As for Imprisonment Court, a place ordinary people from Luofu avoided at all costs, Dan Lei said he knew it like the back of his hand. The "people" there were all so talented and pleasant to talk to—being there felt like coming home.
Actually, Dan Lei wasn't lying when he said going to Imprisonment Court felt like going home. He'd spent nearly two hundred years on Luofu, and more than half that time had been spent there. He was so familiar with the place that the guard at the gate saw him and immediately asked,
"Hey, Dan Lei, what brings you to Imprisonment Court? Are you here to see Judge Hanya or Judge Xueyi?"
Dan Lei simply smiled at the guard's question and replied,
"I won't be going straight in today. I'll follow the proper procedure. Please tell Judge Hanya I need to report my threat level."
The guard understood at once that Dan Lei had come on official business, so he immediately replied in a serious tone,
"Understood. Please wait here."
Since Dan Lei was following the proper procedure, Hanya soon came out of Imprisonment Court with a guard and two Golden People Soul Reapers. Looking at Dan Lei's relaxed expression, she said, a little speechlessly,
"Dan Lei, what matter have you come to report today?"
Dan Lei was on familiar terms with Hanya, since he often maintained Xueyi. So he stepped forward, moved close to her, and whispered,
"I've successfully dredged up memories."
At that, Hanya's somewhat weary expression brightened instantly. She turned to the guard behind her and said,
"Take Mr. Dan Lei to the first-floor interview room."
By saying "the first-floor interview room," Hanya was making it clear that Dan Lei hadn't committed a crime and wasn't in serious trouble. The first floor was where witnesses were questioned to assist with investigations; anyone who had committed a crime was taken to a deeper level.
So the guard who'd come with Hanya said in a relatively relaxed tone,
"Mr. Dan Lei, this way. You don't need me to show you the way, do you?"
Dan Lei had come to turn himself in, so he was naturally very cooperative. Once they were inside Imprisonment Court and there weren't many people around, he even had the presence of mind to make a request to Hanya.
"I want to use Interview Room Three. It'll be more convenient to leave from there later."
Hanya and the guard behind her didn't mind how familiar Dan Lei was with the place. And now that there weren't many people around, Hanya spoke to him as if they were friends.
"Fine. But Dan Lei, if I find that you've done anything wrong today, I won't show you any favoritism."
Dan Lei took Hanya's threat in stride. She probably wouldn't be able to decide on her own about what he was going to tell her today. She'd definitely have to report it to the Ten Lords and the general. Maybe he'd even get to see Jing Yuan up close today.
So Dan Lei simply smiled and replied,
"That's fine. If I really get locked up, send over one of the custom sleeping coffins you ordered. Because if I get locked up, it'll mean you abused your power to get revenge on me."
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