"Here's how it works. Everyone can become a qi refiner after opening their apertures, but to cultivate, you need cultivation methods and resources. Only Bureau 749 and certain other qi-refiner sects have those things, and qi-refiner sects generally don't accept disciples casually."
"So if you want to cultivate, your best option is to join Bureau 749, complete missions to earn contribution points, and exchange them for cultivation methods and supplies."
"New recruits to Bureau 749 get one chance to choose a basic cultivation method for free. You could call it an employee benefit."
Hearing this, Lu Ding said without the slightest hesitation, "I'm willing to join Bureau 749!!!"
Although he could also earn rewards and grow stronger through his golden finger.
This was different.
He had a skill like That Which Is Called Forgetting Form, which let him achieve Unity of Heaven and Humanity. Wouldn't it be a waste not to cultivate?
Cultivate. He absolutely had to cultivate!
At Lu Ding's answer, Zhou Jie could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
Bureau 749 had a rule: anyone who recruited newcomers for the bureau would receive rewards based on how talented those newcomers were.
The rewards from this mission hadn't amounted to much.
But with Lu Ding joining, once he officially came on board, Zhou Jie's reward would definitely be substantial.
This wasn't a judgment call. He had seen it with his own eyes.
Someone who had only just opened his apertures had slaughtered Wood Wang. How could his talent possibly be weak!?
And he possessed two talents, at that.
Zhou Jie hardly dared imagine what reward he would receive.
After quickly packing up his things, Lu Ding wheeled his suitcase out and followed Zhou Jie into the car, heading for Bureau 749.
He had gone to two places in this one night.
Before leaving, Lu Ding asked, "What about the corridors in the apartment complex? I smashed them all up."
"Don't worry. Someone will come to handle the cleanup, and they'll be better than before."
Hearing that put Lu Ding at ease.
They drove out of the city.
Watching the scenery stream past, Lu Ding asked in confusion, "Is Bureau 749 that far from the city? What happens if something comes up in town?"
"There are people patrolling the city every day. Shanshan and I were responsible for the construction site area today. If something happens that we can't handle, we report it, and someone stronger comes over."
True enough. How could Bureau 749 fail to think of something even he could think of?
As the car entered a tunnel, the scene before him shifted.
When they emerged, they had arrived at a base in a valley.
Lu Ding found it all novel.
Following Zhou Jie and Long Shanshan, he went to a hall to register his information and answer all sorts of questions.
Finally, he walked through a small door.
Zhou Jie and Long Shanshan waved goodbye to him.
Once Lu Ding had disappeared from view, Long Shanshan asked, "Aren't we waiting for him?"
"He won't be in the same world as us from now on. We won't be running in the same circles. Besides, we still have our jurisdiction to patrol and plenty to do. Let's go."
Just becoming a familiar face to him was already good enough.
Zhou Jie saw things clearly and understood how to live. They were on different levels, destined to take different paths.
Better to part where they had met. If they ran into each other later, a nod and a favorable impression would be enough.
Meanwhile.
Lu Ding followed a staff member down a corridor brimming with futuristic technology.
Both sides were lined entirely with transparent glass.
Beyond those glass walls stood monster specimens, each lifelike and exceedingly bizarre.
They varied in size, each with a different bearing.
Ferocious, terrifying, mysterious, elegant, and some indescribable yet possessed of absolute beauty.
They came in every conceivable variety, more than the eye could take in.
A thought stirred in Lu Ding's mind. If only I'd killed all these monsters.
How many rewards would that have earned me!!
What a pity.
They passed through the corridor.
Having caught a glimpse of Bureau 749's base as it truly was, they reached a room. The staff member swiped the door open and said, "Mr. Lu, please rest here for a while. It's past midnight, so it's already the first day of the lunar month. The new interns who joined Bureau 749 last month will all undergo their assessment and registration this morning."
"You can watch and observe when the time comes, to prepare for next month's assessment."
Before the staff member could leave, Lu Ding hurriedly asked, "What does assessment and registration mean?"
"Well, every newcomer who joins Bureau 749 has to undergo an assessment and be entered into the register. It's usually held on the first day of each lunar month."
"The assessment mainly tests combat strength. Based on their results and observations made during combat, newcomers are assigned ranks to facilitate future missions and avoid unnecessary casualties. Their benefits also differ."
"Those with average performances are assigned eight-person dormitories and receive no rewards. They also can't accept monster containment missions. They must pass the combat strength assessment before they can accept field missions such as monster containment and investigations."
"Those who perform well are assigned four-person dormitories and rewarded with one dose of Muscle-Growing and Bone-Forging Decoction. They can accept missions on the Bureau 749 App to assist official investigators in containing monsters."
"Those with outstanding performances are assigned two-person dormitories and rewarded with a Rhinoceros-Unblocking Pill to help open their apertures. They can serve as lead investigators on noncombat investigation missions or assistant investigators on combat missions."
"Those with perfect performances get single rooms and an Aperture Opening Pill as a reward. Its gentle medicinal power opens all the apertures throughout the body, taking them straight into the Illuminating the Jade Pivot Realm. They can accept monster containment missions on the Bureau 749 App without having to assist official investigators, and their priority is the same as an official investigator's. They only need to complete ten missions or contain monsters ten times to become official investigators."
"Since you've only just joined Bureau 749, you have a month to select and study a cultivation method. You can take the assessment on the first day of next month, so you'll have plenty of time."
That might be true, but Lu Ding really couldn't wait a whole month.
Wouldn't that be a waste of time!!!
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
"Hey!!"
"It shouldn't have been past midnight when I arrived at the base, right? Doesn't that mean I joined last month too? And tomorrow's the first, so can I take the assessment?"
Seeing Lu Ding's eyes shine as he said this, the staff member wondered whether he had failed to understand what he meant.
"You can, but rushing into the assessment makes it very easy to end up with a poor result. Although you possess two talents, you've only just opened your apertures. My advice is to spend a month building your foundation and keeping yourself in peak condition. Learn a cultivation method first, then take the assessment a month later in your best condition."
"Besides, you're currently in the preregistration stage, so you'll be staying in a single room anyway."
Lu Ding shook his head. "No, no, no. I'm not a sports student. I don't need time to settle down. Do I need to sign up for the assessment? If so, sign me up now. I'll take it with everyone else tomorrow."
He had already waited nineteen years before his golden finger finally unlocked and became usable.
Now he had joined Bureau 749 as well, so he basically wouldn't have to search for monsters like fishing for a needle in the ocean anymore.
And now he was being told to wait?
Lu Ding didn't want to wait another moment!
Picking up a cultivation method could wait until after tomorrow's assessment.
The staff member was somewhat speechless. Everyone else wished and hoped for more time to grow stronger before taking the assessment, so they could get the best result possible.
Yet this man looked as though he couldn't wait at all!
Did having two talents mean he could be this arrogant!?
"All right. I'll sign you up. This is a Bureau 749 employee phone. It has the Bureau 749 App installed. You can log in with your personal information and browse the reference materials."