Chapter 261 - 104: The Heavens Change (Part 2)

Chapter 261: Chapter 104: The Heavens Change (Part 2)

"As for the specific constraints of Qi Fortune,"

He gave some examples. "For an Imperial Spirit Master, their Cultivation cannot advance an inch without Qi Fortune. They cannot act against Court officials, or they will suffer a backlash. When facing the Great Yu Royal Family, nobles blessed with immense Qi Fortune, they are unable to cast Magic..."

’So strict? Thank goodness I was cautious before and didn’t rashly add points.’ Fang Rui felt incredibly fortunate.

Although he didn’t know the principle behind his panel’s enhancements, and forcibly upgrading with Tribulation Points might not be the same as it was for other Imperial Spirit Masters, could he really take such a risk?

If he was truly bound by these constraints and couldn’t act against the Great Yu Court, it would be like tying his own hands!

"Ancient Spirit Masters like myself absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, so we are naturally not subject to such restrictions."

Ge Changgeng’s tone shifted. "Of course, there’s a reason Imperial Spirit Masters have become the mainstream. They have their advantages. As long as one has some aptitude and sufficient Qi Fortune, their cultivation speed is extremely fast."

"But for Ancient Spirit Masters like me, in this era where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is in decline, progress is much slower."

He smiled bitterly. "My master, who has since passed into immortality, said my talent was one in a million. Yet to this day, I am only a Middle Grade Spirit Master."

"And your Divine Capture Bureau’s Spirit Master Sun, his aptitude is ordinary, yet by relying on Qi Fortune, he too is now a Middle Grade Spirit Master."

His tone was filled with helplessness.

"Daoist Ge, what you said before, about ’just in case’..." A flash of insight struck Fang Rui’s mind as he realized something.

"Correct. Ancient Spirit Masters like myself are suppressed by the Court. Nowadays, the Ancient Spirit Masters have withered away. Only a few remain, barely surviving, hiding away in deep mountains and old forests."

Ge Changgeng spoke of himself. "Me? I’m only here in Huaiyin Prefecture because I have the protection of your Director."

’This kind of uncontrollable power... if I were one of the Great Yu’s top rulers, I’d definitely suppress it too.’

Fang Rui thought to himself. He certainly wasn’t tactless enough to say it out loud, so he just asked, "Daoist Ge, how do you test for a Spirit Master’s aptitude? Is it difficult? Could you possibly test me?"

As he said this, he had already completely hidden his True Essence, masking it as Power. A Second Grade Realm was naturally not something a Middle Grade Spirit Master could detect.

"This is simple."

Ge Changgeng extended two fingers and placed them on Fang Rui’s wrist. Spiritual Light flowed out from them, circulated once through Fang Rui’s body, and then retracted.

His movements suddenly froze.

"So? How’s my aptitude compared to yours, Daoist?" Fang Rui asked impatiently.

Ge Changgeng didn’t speak.

Fang Rui’s heart sank. "Then compared to Spirit Master Sun from our Divine Capture Bureau..."

He was a dignified, hidden Second Grade expert. Surely he couldn’t be worse than the "ordinarily talented" Sun Shouchai, right?

"This..."

Ge Changgeng hesitated. "My little friend, let’s just go back to fishing!"

"Layman Fang, my master said that Spirit Master Sun’s aptitude is ordinary, but that’s only in comparison to my master," the Qing Yan Little Child at his side finally couldn’t help but say.

An arrow through the heart!

Fang Rui clutched his chest and coughed. Not wanting to see the master and disciple duo for the moment, he waved his hand and went straight to the other side to fish.

From behind, Ge Changgeng’s scolding voice could be heard, "My disciple, why did you have to go and speak the honest truth..."

Fang Rui’s figure swayed, and then his pace couldn’t help but quicken again.

The feng shui here was bad. He was going to find a new spot to fish today!

...

「The next day.」

At the Government Office, Fang Rui was slacking off and drinking tea as usual.

"Boss!"

Niu Bajin hurried in and shared a bit of gossip. "Our Director Zhou suddenly spat up blood this morning! The Physician’s diagnosis said it was a flare-up of an old injury. They urgently sent for Daoist Ge and Daoist Sun from White Cloud Temple!"

"Hmm?!"

Fang Rui’s eyes narrowed. ’Wasn’t Zhou Changfa’s old injury healed with the medicine Ge Changgeng and Sun Shouchai jointly concocted through Alchemy using the Blood Soul Remnant of the Dragon Pearl Essence? How could it suddenly flare up? And why urgently summon Ge Changgeng and Sun Shouchai...’

’Something is fishy about this!’

He gently rubbed his chin. ’I know Daoist Ge; his character is trustworthy. Something happening to Zhou Changfa doesn’t benefit Daoist Ge’s interests either. That leaves Sun Shouchai!’

’But Sun Shouchai is an Imperial Spirit Master. Isn’t he afraid of the Qi Fortune backlash?’

...

"It was you. Aren’t you afraid of the Qi Fortune backlash?"

Zhou Changfa stared daggers at Sun Shouchai. As soon as the question left his lips, he realized the answer himself. "Of course. You must have a powerful figure backing you..."

It was precisely because Sun Shouchai was an Imperial Spirit Master that he had let his guard down. He never expected that the one thing he felt most confident about would be the source of this disaster.

"Your Excellency is as sharp as ever."

Sun Shouchai’s Qi Fortune was linked to the Court’s. To secretly harm his superior, he naturally needed the backing of a powerful figure, not to mention a Treasure to suppress the backlash so he wouldn’t be instantly struck dead.

"I have not treated you poorly. Why go this far? Why be so impatient? Besides, if I die, can you truly suppress the resulting wave of Qi Fortune backlash?" Zhou Changfa sneered.

"Your Excellency has not treated me poorly, I admit that. But water flows downward, and men strive upward. I too wish to seek an official title, obtain Qi Fortune, and break through to the Upper Grade Spirit Master Realm!"

Sun Shouchai decided to lay his cards on the table. "Besides, I never intended to kill Your Excellency. Triggering your old injury was just a way to get you to sit down and talk. The powerful figure behind me is willing to offer a stalk of Demigod Medicine to completely heal your old injury..."

"What a generous offer!"

Though Zhou Changfa’s words sounded like praise, his expression was unmoved. He said sarcastically, "Why don’t you tell me what price I’ll have to pay?"

"It’s simple!"

As if not hearing the sarcasm in Zhou Changfa’s voice, Sun Shouchai stated decisively, "Use all means, both within and outside the Rules, to completely suppress the Zheng Family!"

"Of course, within the system, acting against the rules inevitably incurs a backlash. But Your Excellency is about to leave office anyway. Plus, with the Zheng Family having plotted against you first a while ago, even if Your Excellency’s actions are a bit out of line, no one will say anything."