Earth Origin Realm

Fu Shaoping wore a mysterious expression, stirring Zhou Pan'er's curiosity.

The two left Wutong Alley.

They went around West Street.

Then they stopped outside a courtyard at the entrance to East Street.

Fu Shaoping pressed the key into Zhou Pan'er's hand.

"Pan'er, this will be our home from now on."

Delight flashed in Zhou Pan'er's eyes.

After years of running a street stall, she had dreamed of owning a courtyard with a storefront. She had never imagined that dream would come true today.

Excitedly, she opened the courtyard gate, inspected the storefront, then the rear courtyard. The more she looked, the more she liked it, and she kept murmuring about how to arrange their new home.

"Shaoping, this courtyard is lovely. Aunt Jiang, you, and I can each have a room in the main building. My younger brother can stay in the left wing, and we'll turn the right wing into our future Alchemy Room."

As long as she liked it.

Fu Shaoping had no objections to Zhou Pan'er's arrangements.

Since they needed to convert the Alchemy Room, their moving date would have to be pushed back.

Zhou Pan'er said,

"Shaoping, it's nearly time for your shift. Go take care of your work. I'll find a mason to partition off the right wing and add a small door."

"All right. Take this silver. If it isn't enough, I'll think of something."

The two went their separate ways.

Fu Shaoping hurriedly washed his face, ate a few bites, and headed to the Hundred Households Office.

When he reached the rear compound,

he suddenly stopped.

There, before his eyes,

a hazy stream of yellow energy rose from the underground prison and slammed into him with a boom.

At the same time,

the [Mystic Mandate Codex] in his sea of consciousness began to flash.

Ethereal Steps: beginner (1/100)

Joy stirred in Fu Shaoping's heart.

His Ethereal Steps had actually advanced from "first glimpse" to "beginner."

Ethereal Steps was a second-grade martial art. Reaching the beginner stage would normally take at least eight to ten months.

But thanks to the Mystic Mandate Codex,

the impossible had become possible!

Fu Shaoping looked toward the prison ahead.

It looks like that ninth-level Body Tempering Realm prisoner confessed!

Water-drop torture truly was not something an ordinary person could endure.

For two or four hours, someone might still withstand the pressure through sheer willpower.

But twenty-four hours a day, with millions of droplets falling relentlessly between your brows-that was truly terrifying!

Fu Shaoping headed toward the prison with light steps.

After walking a few paces,

he discovered, to his delight,

that the Mystic Mandate Codex flashed again.

Blood Qi Powder: first glimpse (30/100)

The Mystic Mandate Codex can improve my alchemy too?!

This was an unexpected windfall.

Even more surprising, the feedback from the [Mystic Mandate Codex] this time was practically on par with what he had received from that murderous fiend.

Just how terrible a crime did this ninth-level Body Tempering Realm prisoner commit?!

Fu Shaoping nearly collided head-on with Old Zhan.

He hurriedly turned sideways to make room.

Old Zhan left him with only one instruction.

"Shaoping, wait for me in the side hall."

Despite his limp, he moved at remarkable speed, heading straight toward the Mission Hall.

Fu Shaoping waited in the side hall until dusk.

Old Zhan returned from the Mission Hall, his face brimming with irrepressible joy. He tossed Fu Shaoping a bottle of liquor and said with a smile,

"Shaoping, thanks to you, we've earned an eighth-grade merit."

An eighth-grade merit

was equivalent to ten Ninth-Rank Merits.

Old Zhan said with a smile,

"You deserve the chief credit for forcing him to reveal the whereabouts of the missing yin baleful qi. So I've exchanged the eighth-rank merit for ten Ninth-Rank Merits. Two for me, eight for you. You can have all ten low-grade essence stones awarded as well."

Good fortune put a spring in a man's spirit.

Old Zhan was not greedy. He took only the two ninth-grade merits he had previously been promised-the last two he needed for promotion to commandant.

If not for Fu Shaoping,

he would have rotted in this rear-compound prison for the rest of his life.

He would owe this debt of gratitude for as long as he lived.

"Uncle Zhan, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Fu Shaoping was short of Origin Stones, and he also needed to start accumulating merits for promotion to commandant. After all, gathering a hundred Ninth-Rank Merits would take considerable time.

This haul was even richer than his reward for dealing with the previous death-row prisoner.

Clearly,

that missing portion of yin baleful qi was extraordinarily precious!

Curiosity stirred in Fu Shaoping's heart.

"Uncle Zhan, what is yin baleful qi used for?"

"It has tremendous uses!"

Old Zhan tipped his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of liquor. After wiping his mouth, he explained in detail.

It turned out that the prisoner held on the second underground level had once been a Junior Banner overseeing affairs in the Hall of Myriad Treasures. Driven by greed, he had secretly hidden a portion of yin baleful qi and staged its theft, thinking he could deceive heaven and cross the sea unnoticed. But he had underestimated the Martial Suppression Bureau. Within days, he had been arrested and brought to justice. Yet even after several years, he had stubbornly refused to reveal where he had hidden the yin baleful qi.

Only Fu Shaoping's water-drop torture had pried his mouth open, allowing them to recover the yin baleful qi that had been missing for years.

Old Zhan spoke with longing.

"And this yin baleful qi is the key to taking that final step beyond the Body Tempering Realm."

"Only by absorbing yin baleful qi and fusing it with the primal qi within our bodies can we enter the Earth Origin Realm!"

"Once a martial artist breaks through to the Earth Origin Realm, their lifespan increases by fifty years outright. They can live to over a hundred."

"That Junior Banner was nearing the end of his life anyway, with only a few years left. That was why he staked everything on this little performance of covering his ears while stealing a bell."

An Earth Origin Realm expert!

Fu Shaoping listened with eager longing.

As far as he knew, the two Chief Banners at their Hundred Households Office were both at the Earth Origin Realm. However, they rarely appeared in public. He had been working there for nearly a month and had yet to see either of these legendary figures.

Old Zhan tipped his head back and gulped down the rest of his liquor.

He patted Fu Shaoping's shoulder and said enviously,

"Shaoping, you're still young. With the Martial Suppression Bureau as a great tree to shelter beneath, if you're willing to endure hardship and take on more missions, becoming an Earth Origin Realm expert isn't out of the question."

His own prospects, however, were clearly slim!

Fu Shaoping was only at the Body Tempering Realm Second Level. It was still far too early to talk about the Earth Origin Realm.

He drank with Old Zhan for a while. Upon learning that no prisoners would need torturing over the next few days, he requested leave.

After collecting his rewards from the Mission Hall,

Fu Shaoping left the office directly.

Early the next morning,

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er set off from Green Ox Town.

They headed straight for Seven-Mile Mountain.

Seven-Mile Mountain stood behind the two large villages of Green Ox Village and Dakui Village. Because Granary Bears lived on the mountain, the villagers usually kept a respectful distance. As a result, weeds ran rampant, and thick layers of fallen leaves covered the ground. Stepping into it felt like wandering into a primeval wilderness.

The Granary Wood Grove lay deep within Seven-Mile Mountain.

As they drew closer,

they discovered that the wild beasts, insects, and birds around the grove all avoided the area.

They lay in wait outside the grove for a while.

Faintly, they could hear the roars of Granary Bears coming from within.

This was the first time either Fu Shaoping or Zhou Pan'er had gone hunting in the mountains, and both were somewhat nervous. Fu Shaoping said,

"Pan'er, stay here and wait for me. I'll go into the grove first and scout things out."