Breaking Through Seven Levels Overnight, Taking Up Post at Green-Mud Ferry

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

Early the next morning, Xu Jin slowly opened his eyes. Crimson-gold astral qi flashed around him before returning to his body.

After cultivating bitterly through the night, he had broken through consecutively from the first level of the Intent-Comprehension Realm to the seventh. Only when a slight swelling pain came from his meridians did he stop to stabilize his cultivation.

Within his dantian's sea of qi, his Molten-Gold astral qi had grown several times more powerful. As it circulated, even the might of his flying sword could rise another level.

He sat cross-legged in quiet meditation for a moment, inspecting his own meridians and sea of qi as he silently sorted through the crucial points of Intent-Comprehension Realm cultivation.

After entering the Intent-Comprehension Realm, an ordinary cultivator's first task was to spend several years nourishing their body and tempering their meridians and acupoints, fearing that overly fierce astral qi would damage their channels.

It was like first forging a water vat until it was indestructible, then slowly filling it with water. The progress was as slow as carrying water to fill a jar; one could not rush it in the slightest.

But he was different.

Swallow the Sun, Refine the Form operated day and night. The strength of his body and the breadth of his meridians had long surpassed those of cultivators at the same realm. Forget ordinary astral qi scouring through them—even Molten-Gold Sword Aura surging through his channels could not harm his foundation.

It was as if the vat itself had already been forged incomparably sturdy, with an irrigation channel attached. Naturally, he could boldly pour astral qi into it without concern.

That was precisely why he could break through from the first level of the Intent-Comprehension Realm to the seventh in a single night.

The slight swelling pain in his meridians just now was already the limit of their temporary endurance. If he continued forcing breakthroughs, damage to his foundation would be unavoidable. That was why he stopped while he was ahead, remaining at the seventh level.

"A solid foundation means there's no harm in going a little faster," Xu Jin murmured, rising from bed.

He opened his pack and checked the things he needed for his posting. His standard-issue saber, spare clothes, and several demon crystals were all there. Only a few Evil-Repelling Talismans remained, while his wound medicine was nearly used up.

Green-Mud Ferry was laced with waterways, heavy with damp yin energy. Evil things such as water wraiths and water ghosts were especially difficult to deal with there, so he could not skimp on talismans and medicine.

The morning mist had yet to disperse when quite a few Demon Suppressors on duty were already moving beneath the corridors of the Western Office.

Xu Jin had planned to visit the supplies office to replenish his talismans and medicine, then go to the mission hall to complete the handover of the case files. But the moment he stepped outside the courtyard, he saw Wang Lei standing beside a corridor pillar, looking toward the gate.

The instant Wang Lei saw him, he hurried over.

"Brother Xu!" His voice was lowered somewhat. "I heard from a colleague in internal affairs that Centurion Li assigned the Green-Mud Ferry post to you."

"That place is a notoriously thorny mess in the south of the province. I was afraid you'd have just taken the assignment and wouldn't know its ins and outs, so I hurriedly put together a rough overview of Green-Mud Ferry's old files, local conditions, the Canal Gang's influence, and its unsolved cases over the years. Take a look first, so you'll know what to expect on the road."

As he spoke, he handed over the notebook in his hand. The ink on its pages had yet to dry, and its entries were laid out with perfect clarity.

Xu Jin accepted the notebook and flipped through two pages. The entries were clear, with key points marked in red. It was indeed far easier to read than official case files.

He looked up at Wang Lei and stated the arrangement directly. "You can keep these notes yourself. I spoke to Centurion Li and chose you as my permanent partner. You'll take up the post at Green-Mud Ferry with me."

Wang Lei froze at first. Then his eyes lit up at once, and he could not hide his delight. "Is that true? Brother Xu, don't worry! Once we get there, I'll make sure everything is handled properly. The local relationships, clues from old cases—I'll sort them all out clearly for you. I definitely won't hold you back!"

He had only come to deliver information with the thought that any help was better than none. He had never dared imagine that he would be allowed to take up the post alongside him.

After all, Green-Mud Ferry had always been guarded by official Demon Suppressors. As an intern at the Body-Tempering Realm, being allowed to go along was already an exceptional show of trust.

His heart now burned with warmth and reassurance. All he wanted was to work twice as hard once they arrived and not let down this regard.

He had followed Xu Jin on a trip to the western outskirts, where they had not only destroyed a Profound Yin Hall stronghold, but had also nearly gathered enough contribution points for his full appointment. Long ago, he had decided Xu Jin was the thigh he had to cling to.

To be able to continue following Xu Jin was, to him, an opportunity to soar straight to the heavens in a single step.

The two entered the mission hall side by side.

The steward had already been waiting behind his desk. Upon seeing Xu Jin enter, he first brought out a bronze patrol inspector's seal and a yellowed geographical map, then carried over a thick stack of case files bound in blue covers and arranged them neatly on the desk.

"Patrol Inspector Xu, these are the seal, geographical map, and case records from previous years for the Green-Mud Ferry patrol district." The steward's tone was strictly businesslike as he began explaining the district's general situation.

"Green-Mud Ferry lies thirty li south of the provincial capital. It is a key ferry hub for canal shipping, connecting the trade routes between north and south. It governs three towns and twelve villages."

"The area is threaded with waterways and dotted with temples and shrines. The Canal Gang, merchants, boatmen, and wandering cultivators of the martial world are all mixed together there, making the population extremely complicated. The incidence of supernatural incidents has remained among the top three in Yong Province year after year, and it has always been guarded by official Demon Suppressors."

Xu Jin picked up the geographical map, unfolded it, and gave it a glance. Waterways crisscrossed everywhere; it was indeed completely different from the hills and ridges of the western outskirts.

"What exactly happened with the previous patrol inspector's disappearance?" he asked.

The steward sighed, his expression complicated. "The previous patrol inspector was called Zhou Zheng. He was at the third level of the Intent-Comprehension Realm. Last month, while investigating a series of canal barge disappearances, he tracked the case to a submerged Han Dynasty tomb beneath the river. It was said that the tomb held an ancient cultivator's pill cauldron and treasures of yin jade."

"Overcome by greed for a moment, he focused only on exploring the tomb and seizing treasure, delaying the chance to slay the demon. As a result, the water wraith within the tomb came ashore and killed two boatmen."

"Later, wandering cultivators retained by the Canal Gang also came after hearing of the treasure. The two sides clashed over it, and Zhou Zheng disappeared. To this day, no one has seen him alive or found his body. That submerged tomb has also become an unsolved case in the patrol district."

With things put this plainly, the meaning was clear: it was not that the evil creature had been impossible to handle. The previous patrol inspector had let greed make him neglect his duty, then clashed with local forces, turning the situation into a complete mess.

Xu Jin tapped the cover of the case file with his fingertip but made no further comment.

He had seen treasure and forgotten the demon; he had forsaken public duty for private gain. Even if he died, it would not be undeserved.

After completing the handover of the seal and case files, the two left the mission hall side by side.

"Come to think of it," Xu Jin suddenly said, "that submerged tomb is in the patrol district's riverway. Why hasn't the Demon Suppression Bureau sealed it off directly? If wandering cultivators are allowed to go in and seize treasure as they please, wouldn't it be troublesome if they released another evil creature?"

It was something that had always puzzled him somewhat—judging by how the western outskirts stronghold had been handled, an evil creature's nest ought to have been sealed and cleared out directly.

Hugging the case files to his chest, Wang Lei explained, "Brother Xu, you've only recently entered the Bureau, so you may not know the unspoken rules of the circle. The Demon Suppression Bureau's core duty is to slay demons and suppress evil, protecting the common people's peace. It has never monopolized supernatural resources."

"As long as those wandering cultivators do not harm ordinary people or touch forbidden yin-evil objects, the Bureau turns a blind eye to them searching for treasure and conducting business within its jurisdiction."

He paused before adding in greater detail, "For one thing, there are so many remote waters, deep mountains, and ancient forests that the Bureau's people cannot investigate them all. Wandering cultivators travel everywhere, and can instead help uncover the traces of demons."

"For another, cultivators of the martial world need enough room to survive. We cannot block every path for them. That has been the established rule of Yong Province's supernatural circles for many years. The Canal Gang's people only dared openly snatch the submerged tomb's treasures because they exploited this loophole."

Xu Jin nodded in understanding.

Put simply, the boundaries of authority and responsibility were clear: he handled evil creatures that harmed people, while others could seek treasure and test their luck themselves. So long as they did not cause deaths or touch forbidden objects, the authorities would not interfere.

This set of rules both conserved manpower and stabilized the ecosystem of wandering cultivators in the martial world. It was far more ingenious than blindly sealing everything away.

Until now, he had only encountered the internal rules of the Demon Suppression Bureau and truly knew little about the supernatural world beyond the system.

Only after Wang Lei's explanation did he finally make up for this gap in his understanding.

"Let's go." Xu Jin raised his eyes toward the southern side of the provincial capital. "First, we'll replenish our talismans and medicine at the supplies office. We leave early tomorrow morning. Whether it's the submerged tomb or the water wraith, once we reach Green-Mud Ferry, we'll settle them one by one."

Wang Lei hurriedly answered and quickened his pace after him, clutching the case files.