Chapter 143 - 101: Thrashing the Green Tea in Public

Chapter 143: Chapter 101: Thrashing the Green Tea in Public

[I noticed last night that we’re about to break a thousand monthly votes, so I stayed up half the night writing. I’ll be adding an extra Chapter today. A little motivation for myself: one extra Chapter for every thousand votes.]

...

After giving his statement to Ran Qingshan, Jiang Mu returned home.

The whole process was simply baffling.

’That Demon Suppression General must have a few screws loose.’

As expected, the more powerful the cultivator, the more eccentric and unpredictable their personality.

Before he left, he made a point to ask Ran Qingshan for the exact departure time for Yan City.

Ran Qingshan didn’t give him a firm answer, only saying that they would decide after Elder Tian, the Deputy Director, arrived.

He estimated it would still take seven or eight days.

He mentioned that Elder Tian should have arrived already but had been held up on the road.

Jiang Mu knew that for a mission to a treacherous place like Yan City to wipe out demons, they would need a seasoned expert like him to lead the team and ensure everything went smoothly.

...

「Seven days passed in a flash.」

For the past few days, Jiang Mu had been diligently cultivating at home, shutting himself off from the outside world.

Vice Director Tian still hadn’t arrived.

However, the roster for the demon-slaying mission to Yan City was announced ahead of time.

In addition to Jiang Mu’s Eighth Hall and Yan Fenghuo’s Fourth Hall, which were already confirmed, Wen He’s Third Hall was surprisingly on the list as well.

Seeing that grating name, Jiang Mu made a special trip to the General Office to protest.

In response, Ran Qingshan just spread his hands helplessly. "Wen He was requested by the General Office directly," he said. "I have no authority to change it."

Jiang Mu was out of options.

’When the time comes, I’ll just have to treat that bastard like a worthless beast and ignore him. Out of sight, out of mind.’

Meanwhile, thanks to the terrifying efficiency of his "triple-core" cultivation, Jiang Mu’s Cultivation Level progressed by leaps and bounds. He reached the Great Perfection stage of the Third Realm more than half a month ahead of schedule!

The price, however, was that the reserves in his Demon Slot were once again nearly depleted.

The Great Perfection stage meant he was standing on the threshold of a breakthrough, needing only one final push.

One morning, Jiang Mu woke up particularly early.

He had Bai Xiang cook him a soft-boiled egg, symbolizing "perfection," and ate it at a leisurely pace before changing into a crisp, new set of martial arts attire.

Finally, he made sure to give Little Xiang’Er, who was watering the flowers, a great big hug.

He went all-out with the ceremony.

After all, his previous breakthroughs had been far too casual, almost like a joke, leaving him with no sense of accomplishment.

This time, he was crossing the major threshold into the Fourth Realm. It deserved a little more fanfare.

Everything was ready.

Jiang Mu stood in the courtyard, facing the rising sun, and took a deep breath.

BOOM—

The surging Spiritual Qi within him was like a river bursting its banks, instantly shattering the already fragile bottleneck.

Fourth Realm—achieved!

Jiang Mu clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body.

His meridians grew more solid, his bones were tempered and strengthened, and the sea of qi in his Dantian expanded, able to contain even more circulating Spiritual Qi...

As he carefully assessed the changes, he realized this sense of improvement wasn’t a qualitative leap.

It felt more like a quantitative accumulation reaching a new peak. The circulation of his energy was smoother and more fluid, and his Star Power recovery speed had also increased slightly.

After all, the potential of his Earth Demon Level Star Position was immense.

Each breakthrough was less a dramatic leap and more the natural result of gradual accumulation.

"Hooo..."

Jiang Mu exhaled a turbid breath and suddenly remembered something. ’Let’s see, if I’m counting right, today should be that guy Zhang Daxie’s last day of seclusion, right?’

’Yep. I’ll go have a look.’

’Of course, he wasn’t going over there to show off. It was purely out of a Hall Master’s concern for his subordinate.’

’Yep, that was all.’

...

「At the Eighth Hall Government Office.」

Jiang Mu saw Zhang Xiaokui pacing back and forth outside a tightly closed door, his face a mask of anxiety.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu, he quickly cupped his fist in his palm. "Hall Master!"

"How is your brother doing?"

Jiang Mu asked.

"It’s not clear yet. This is the fifth day."

Zhang Xiaokui said worriedly, "But as long as he doesn’t emerge ahead of schedule, it means things are still going well."

Jiang Mu nodded. He clasped his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and sighed heavily. "Ah, breakthroughs are difficult."

"Yes, they’re so difficult."

Zhang Xiaokui sighed in agreement, sharing the sentiment.

Jiang Mu glanced at him. ’Why does this scene feel so familiar?’

’It’s like I’ve been through this before.’

He shook his head and continued to lament, "I only just broke through to the Fourth Realm myself. It’s truly been an arduous journey."

"Yes, it really isn’t... Huh!?"

It took a moment for Zhang Xiaokui to process that. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared at Jiang Mu in utter disbelief.

’Yes, yes, yes.’

’That’s the look!’

’His brother gave me the exact same look back then.’

’Ah, what a satisfying feeling.’

He patted Zhang Xiaokui’s rigid shoulder and said in a solemn, heartfelt tone:

"Keep up the hard work, young man. I only achieved what I have today through my own relentless effort. You and your brother can definitely do it too.

But remember, you must be practical on the path of cultivation. Don’t even think about taking shortcuts."

Zhang Xiaokui’s head was spinning.

’What kind of freak is our Hall Master?!’

’Back when I was having my breakthrough, he beat me to it and reached the Third Realm.’

’Now my brother is finally on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Realm, and he’s beaten him to it again!’

’Is it your personal mission to rain on our parade?’

"Oh right, I remember you saying your brother has a girl he fancies. How is that going?"

Jiang Mu said, changing the subject.

Zhang Xiaokui, still reeling from the shock, managed a nod. "My brother says it’s going pretty well."

"See? What did I tell you?"

Jiang Mu chuckled. "If you like a girl, you have to be bold and confess your feelings. With our current status, what girl would be blind enough to turn one of us down?"

The words had barely left his lips when an image of Bai Xiang appeared in his mind.

Er...

’Okay, so maybe some of them are blind.’

Zhang Xiaokui, however, frowned:

"To be honest... I don’t really like that girl. I’ve always felt she has ulterior motives. She was pretty materialistic even when we were kids. But since my brother likes her, I’m not going to say anything more."