I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 259: Chapter 146: Perfected Qi Cultivation, Entering the Marrow Cleansing Realm

This was the channeling of the world’s fortune that Qi Yue had spoken of. Though formless and intangible, it influenced the most fundamental flow and rhythm of Spiritual Qi.

Qi Yue even broke out in fine beads of sweat. Channeling this fortune consumed the caster’s own essence and their unseen karmic luck. The twenty-year loss of his lifespan began here.

Next, Qi Yue formed a sword-hand with his left hand and pointed it at the Nine Orifice Divine Dew. A single, crystal-clear dewdrop shimmering with inner starlight flew up. It hovered precisely three inches above the Baihui acupoint on Yang Wenqing’s head, neither falling nor drifting away.

”Wenqing, hold steady!” Qi Yue barked.

Yang Wenqing’s mind immediately sank into his Inner Scene. Within the projection of his Golden Core World, a dim acupoint was highlighted. It was located in the center of his chest, hidden deep behind the sternum, a hub connecting his heart meridians to the Governing Vessel. This was the Shenfeng Acupoint—the crucial and extremely difficult breakthrough point for the Eighth Refinement.

This acupoint was like an internal seal within the body. Opening it would greatly enhance the power of one’s mind, stabilize the Sea of Consciousness, connect the heart meridians to the great draconic spine, and lay a solid foundation for the Marrow Cleansing Realm. But because of its critical location, the process was exceptionally dangerous. The slightest mistake could injure his heart meridians, resulting in a regression in his cultivation at best, or irreparable damage to his mind at worst.

”Go!”

Qi Yue’s sword-hand jabbed down forcefully.

The drop of Nine Orifice Divine Dew transformed into a gossamer-thin stream of light. It ignored the barrier of flesh and blood, sinking directly into Yang Wenqing’s Baihui acupoint. Then, with Qi Yue’s precise guidance and the aid of the Circum-Celestial Star-Guiding Acupoint Array, it moved as if alive, following an incredibly complex and hidden meridian pathway straight toward the Shenfeng Acupoint.

Yang Wenqing felt as if a red-hot branding iron, backed by the force to shatter mountains, had been slammed deep into his chest. An indescribable agony erupted, assaulting his consciousness directly. He let out a muffled grunt as his body began to tremble violently. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

”Now!” Director Qin said in a low voice.

Director Lin Ran, who had been standing by silently, took a step forward. He extended his right hand, palm up. A simple, heavy, cyan official seal—made of neither gold nor jade—materialized out of thin air. The seal radiated a gentle yet vast light, suffused with a magnificent, righteous aura that could soothe all living things.

”Divine Soul be still, pain be gone. Suppress!” Lin Ran cried out, lightly pressing down with the official seal.

A soft golden halo spilled from the seal, enveloping Yang Wenqing’s entire body. As the halo touched him, Yang Wenqing shuddered, and the excruciating pain that had nearly made his consciousness collapse receded as quickly as a tide.

No, the pain hadn’t vanished. It had been walled off by a higher-level power. His consciousness seemed to have been stripped away, allowing him to lucidly watch his body endure the impact without directly experiencing the torment.

The state was both bizarre and wonderful. Yang Wenqing knew the breakthrough was in progress; he could sense the projection of his Golden Core World and circulate the Spiritual Qi in his body, yet he felt like a calm observer, his emotions still, impervious to pain.

In that moment, it was as if all human desire and sensation were abandoning him.

The Eight Trigrams Diagram beneath Qi Yue spun faster and faster, drawing in an ever-greater tide of formless fortune. As time passed, the only sounds in the Quiet Chamber were the faint hum of the Array and the heavy breathing of the few people present.

「About ten minutes later.」

An extremely faint echo resounded in Yang Wenqing’s Inner World.

Under the precise assault from both within and without, the incomparably solid barrier around the Shenfeng Acupoint finally developed its first crack. The fissure immediately spread like a spiderweb until, with a sharp CRACK, the barrier shattered and dissipated into motes of glowing dust.

The moment the acupoint opened, Yang Wenqing seemed to hear a clap of thunder from within his body. A warm, heavy torrent of energy surged out from the newly opened Shenfeng Acupoint, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

Then, Yang Wenqing clearly felt his heartbeat suddenly become strong and powerful. The flow of his qi and blood became smoother and more vigorous, and the connection to his spine’s Governing Vessel abruptly tightened. His entire Divine Sense felt as if it had been cleansed, becoming solid and translucent.

The Shenfeng Acupoint was successfully opened!

But at this moment, Yang Wenqing felt no joy, because his consciousness had been temporarily stripped away.

”Wenqing, wake up!” Director Qin acted without hesitation.

He formed his fingers into a blade, swiftly tracing an esoteric trajectory in the air before him while rapidly chanting a mantra. A small, simple, egg-sized bell flew from his sleeve and hovered above Yang Wenqing’s head.

This bell was called the Awakening Bell. It was forged from deep-sea frost iron mixed with mind-clearing violet gold. For years, it had been nurtured by the faith of incense offerings and the mental energy of cultivators, giving it a miraculous effect on the consciousness.

”CHIME—!”

Director Qin lightly flicked the body of the bell with a finger.

A clear, melodious chime rang out, carrying a strange power that washed away the dust of the mind and awakened the lost. It ignored the physical barrier and acted directly on Yang Wenqing’s consciousness, which was on the verge of closing itself off.

Yang Wenqing’s whole body shook violently. His scattered consciousness instantly converged as if doused by cold water. He then snapped his eyes open, a trace of confusion flashing through them first.

His consciousness seemed unchanged, yet at the same time, it felt vastly different. This paradoxical awareness was incredibly strange.

”Wenqing?”

”Teacher.” Yang Wenqing met Director Qin’s eyes.

”Do you feel any discomfort?”

”No. My body is just a bit fatigued, but I’ll recover after a short rest. The Spiritual Veins around the acupoint sustained some minor damage, but I’m repairing them with a ’Healing Art.’ They’ll be fine soon.”

”And your consciousness? Try to check your memories. See if there are any gaps.”

”Okay!”

Yang Wenqing closed his eyes and entered meditation again, simultaneously repairing the damage to his internal Spiritual Veins and his physical fatigue while examining the memories in his own Sea of Consciousness.