Yang Wenqing was thrilled. He took out another ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid and, following the same procedure, threw himself back into efficient cultivation.
With the precise guidance of the Golden Core World and the stabilizing support of the Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation, he had no need to worry about hidden dangers from lingering medicinal residue. He could absorb the essence of the Stone Marrow Liquid to the fullest extent.
Repeating the process, Yang Wenqing used Stone Marrow Liquid three times over the next three hours, each time following the secret method's recorded dosage of ten grams. Only after the medicinal power of the last dose had been completely absorbed and the faint yellow glow around his body had withdrawn inward did he stop, still wanting more.
This cultivation session had consumed forty grams of Stone Marrow Liquid. Added to the roughly one hundred grams he had used earlier to draw the "Stabilize" rune, this five-hundred-gram bottle of Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid would be enough to support ten-odd days of intense cultivation like tonight's!
Such a lavish method of cultivation produced astonishing results. He could clearly feel that the toughness of his skin and flesh had undergone a qualitative leap.
Suppressing his excitement, Yang Wenqing did not continue cultivating. As usual, he nourished the Azure Edge shortsword, then inscribed that day's share of talisman paper. By the time he finished everything and entered meditation to rest, it was already deep into the night outside.
Time flowed on, and more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Yang Wenqing's life settled into a regular yet fulfilling rhythm.
During the day, he went punctually to sit in the Third Squad office at the branch bureau. Most of his time was spent reading documents and handling case files involving internal coordination. Occasionally, he asked about Wu Yan's progress in secretly investigating Zhenyuan Mining, or listened to Liu Rong's scattered reports on the warehouse sweep in the Port District.
Zhao Qin, Qian You, and the pair of Li Yue and Sun Yi gradually began taking on cases within the jurisdiction as well, lightening the load for him as squad captain.
Lin Wan also began working night shifts three days after reporting in, thanks to her strong ability to learn the work. Li Yue and Sun Yi's group accompanied her.
With the City Defense System's annual assessment about to begin, every Police Sergeant in the branch bureau who qualified grew tense. Wang Jianchao stopped going out to handle cases, while Liu Xin began assisting with the First Squad's case files, yet she showed no intention of relinquishing authority over the Second Squad.
Yang Wenqing was in no hurry and was quite content to take it easy. He even wanted to remain in the Third Squad like this, but that was clearly impossible. In the future, he would inevitably have to go out and handle cases, so over these days, he had been trying to inscribe the Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation onto a formation base, preparing for cultivation while away from home.
After more than ten days of cultivation, Yang Wenqing used the Golden Core World's projection to determine that the Second Refinement was roughly one-tenth complete. This speed was already remarkably fast, something ordinary cultivators could scarcely imagine.
At the same time, his connection with the Azure Edge shortsword grew closer by the day. The response it gave during nourishment became increasingly clear. It seemed that before long, he would be able to formally practice the Sword-Controlling Art.
That afternoon, he found time to visit Listening Rain Pavilion in the East City District again.
The shopkeeper greeted him with the same warm and respectful manner as before. Yet when Yang Wenqing asked to purchase another five hundred grams of Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid, the shopkeeper revealed an apologetic expression.
"Captain Yang, what unfortunate timing. The shop currently has no Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid in stock. Its production is unstable, while demand is high. The last batch was just reserved. If you need it urgently, I can immediately place an order through our channels in the prefectural city, but even at the fastest, it will take seven or eight days to arrive."
Yang Wenqing was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but he quickly smiled. "Then I'll trouble you to order five hundred grams for me. Notify me immediately when it arrives."
"Of course. We'll definitely prioritize your order."
The shopkeeper hurriedly wrote it down.
Having settled the matter of the Stone Marrow Liquid, Yang Wenqing remembered something else and asked, "By the way, shopkeeper, is there any news about the formation base I asked you to inquire about before?"
A formation base was the foundation upon which formations were inscribed. He was about to take over as captain of the Second Squad, and he would inevitably spend long periods away from home in the future. When cultivating, he would need a movable Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation.
"I was just about to tell you about that!"
A smile appeared on the shopkeeper's face. He turned and took a flat metal case from beneath the counter. Inside lay a round metal plate about an inch thick and roughly two meters in diameter. The plate was dark silver, its surface polished to a smooth sheen, and faintly visible beneath it were dense rune circuits.
"This is the alloy base specially made by a rune workshop according to your requirements. It is more than capable of bearing and stabilizing the rune structure of your Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation."
"How much?"
"Five thousand!"
It was very cheap. That was because this type of alloy technology was already highly mature, and many factories could mass-produce it. Its defining qualities were a stable structure and hardness that made it difficult to damage.
Yang Wenqing picked up the metal plate. It felt slightly heavy in his hand and cold to the touch. He readily paid the money and stored the metal base in his storage pouch.
After leaving Listening Rain Pavilion, Yang Wenqing made another trip to the warehouse of the branch bureau's Logistics Office. After asking around, he learned that the warehouse likewise had no Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid in stock. The guard responsible for managing it told him that this sort of cultivation material usually had to be reserved in advance.
Somewhat regretful, he headed toward the offices in the main building. Just as he reached the door of the Third Squad office, his badge emitted a distinctive fluctuation of spiritual energy. It was Deputy Director Gao's exclusive communication frequency.
"Wen Qing, come to my office now."
"Yes, Director Gao. I'll be there immediately."
Yang Wenqing halted, then turned and headed for the deputy director's office upstairs.
After knocking and entering, he found Deputy Director Gao seated behind his desk, holding a newly unsealed red-headed document. When he saw Yang Wenqing, a clear smile appeared on his face, and he pointed to the chair opposite him.
"Sit!"
Deputy Director Gao handed him the document. "Take a look at this."
Yang Wenqing accepted it and swiftly scanned the title: "Notice Regarding Yang Wenqing's Appointment as a Security Officer." Then Deputy Director Gao said, "Congratulations, Wen Qing. Starting today, your position as squad captain is official and legitimate."
Though he had long been mentally prepared, when Yang Wenqing truly saw this formal appointment document, a surge of steadiness and excitement still rose in his heart.
"Thank you for your guidance, Director Gao!" Yang Wenqing rose to his feet and solemnly saluted Deputy Director Gao.
"This is because your own ability measures up." Deputy Director Gao waved a hand, signaling for him to sit back down. His tone became more casual. "Work hard. Once matters on Jian Chao's side are settled, an even heavier burden will be waiting for you."
Those words were practically an open hint that after Wang Jianchao was transferred elsewhere, Yang Wenqing would take over the Second Squad.
"I definitely won't disappoint you, Director Gao!" Yang Wenqing replied.
"Alright, go get busy." Deputy Director Gao lifted his teacup, bringing the brief conversation to an end.
Yang Wenqing rose and left the deputy director's office. As he closed the door behind him, he let out a breath. He had no backing whatsoever in the branch bureau, and it had not been easy to reach this point. Though his benefits would certainly improve as his cultivation rose, raising his cultivation required massive resources. He was already finding it somewhat taxing at merely the Qi Refining Stage. What about when he advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage?
Therefore, authority was also indispensable. Only with sufficient authority could he obtain more resources!
By the time he returned to his office, all his thoughts had been concealed. To his surprise, Wu Yan and Liu Rong, who had been busy outside these past few days, were both there as well. Wu Yan was even holding the case file for Zhenyuan Mining's smuggling case. Clearly, there had been progress in the case.
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