Why is my Hundred Lifetimes Book different?

With this Qi-refining talisman residing within my body, I wonder if it will "report" everything I possess?

Another thought popped into Ren Qingshan's mind.

This thing is the source of spiritual practice.

Yet it is also a rope of constraint.

To leave the Immortal Sect, one must endure countless hardships, make a living in the Heavenly Ruins, and constantly face unpredictable dangers.

If you are within the Immortal Sect's territory, you must accept the Immortal Sect's rules and use this Qi Refining Talisman.

Ren Qingshan smiled slightly, "Where is there no worldly dust?"

Then I felt a little more at ease.

"Come and report on your experiences in the Heavenly Ruins, your cultivation progress, and the resources you have acquired."

A group of silver-armored cultivators approached, and the leader spoke expressionlessly.

Gu Weiqiu glanced at him and smiled, "Let's go. Brother Wang, we just returned from a mission in Tianxu. These two are cultivators from our department."

He casually handed over a storage bag.

The silver-armored cultivator surnamed Wang accepted the gift, his expression remaining unchanged, but his tone softened slightly: "Go over there."

The three of them immediately left in the direction he pointed.

They left the formation.

Ren Qingshan suddenly remembered the "Heart-Eating Gu" and immediately asked, "I once saw a strange person in the Heavenly Ruins named Red Eyes. He captured cultivators from my sect, inflicted the Heart-Eating Gu on them, and ordered them to return to lure other cultivators away. Are you aware of this?"

Gu Weiqiu's eyes flickered slightly as he looked around. Although there weren't many people around, he still transmitted his thoughts to the Zheng family, saying, "At this time, it is closely related to the Zheng family. When Zheng Qi was in charge of Jiaosu City, he did this kind of thing quite a lot. Now that Jin Fengming is the city lord, his foundation is not deep, so he probably hasn't done it yet."

"There's no particularly good solution to this matter. Most of the cultivators who go to Tianxu are unruly and unrestrained. If they don't commit evil in Tianxu, they'll commit evil in the Immortal Sect. In comparison, we should weigh the two and choose the lesser of two evils."

"Of course, our department has arrested quite a few people like this, but inevitably some slip through the net."

"Besides, no noble family scion wants to go to Tianxu. If they don't get harmed, which of the adults in Tiandu City would be willing to get involved in this mess?"

Gu Weiqiu vaguely sensed Ren Qingshan's thoughts. Although he was resourceful, he still retained the integrity of a young cultivator in his actions, and his sharp edges had not yet been smoothed out. Therefore, he explained the advantages and disadvantages in detail.

Ren Qingshan nodded.

Whether that red-eyed one, who had taken a divine finger strike, lived or died was unknown.

If we meet again, I'll just kill him without hesitation.

"Ren Qingshan, if you return, hurry back to Tiandu to see me!"

At this moment, Ren Qingshan noticed the information on the waist tag; it was from Jin Wujiu. He shook his head and smiled, "Lord Jin sent me; did you receive the letter?"

Liu Fangyuan received it, but Gu Weiqiu did not.

He smiled and said, "Please go ahead, gentlemen. I'll just go and take a look at the trading company. I'm just a nobody; I'm not worthy of Lord Jin's attention."

Liu Fangyuan patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's a good thing, keeping a low profile. We're leaving."

They said their goodbyes and then left.

……

"Qingshan, now that you've entered the Qi Realm, shouldn't Lord Jin arrange a commanding position for you, regardless of rank?"

Flying side by side, Liu Fangyuan chatted casually with a smile.

While promotion to this position mainly depends on one's connections, one's own cultivation level is a hard and fast standard.

The leader of the Ten Directions Walking Department must at least be at the Qi Field Realm.

"How many commanders does my Ten Directions Traveling Department have?"

Ren Qingshan knew nothing about this and immediately asked.

"This... there are probably about twenty people. Although there is no official rank among the commanders, everyone knows that Lord Jin is ranked first."

"The head of my Ten Directions Walking Department is Commander Jin's elder brother, named Jin Yuzhang. It is said that he is a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but I have only met him once."

"Now all matters concerning my department are under the full responsibility of Lord Kim."

Ren Qingshan nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Has the Gongsun family completed their new foundation construction yet?"

Although this matter is currently unrelated to me, it will be of great concern in the future.

Ren Qingshan always felt that Jin Qianyuan would not be so generous as to be willing to obtain another page of the Heavenly Book for the Gongsun family. If he had this ability, wouldn't it be better to obtain another Foundation Establishment for the Jin family, making it two Foundation Establishment members in one family?

However, upon further reflection, the Jin family is only one of the three middle families, while there are three upper families above them. Their power is naturally mutually restrained. If the Jin family becomes too powerful, wouldn't they want to scheme against the three upper families?

The higher-ups will naturally suppress it.

The balance of power shifted like water. Previously, the Zheng family was powerful, so the Jin family suppressed them. As the Jin family grew stronger, they were destined to become the next Zheng family.

"This... I hadn't heard of it before I set off."

"This battle is likely to be protracted and not so simple."

"Normally, it takes five years for one person to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, which is considered fast. It involves a complex interplay of various major repair projects, and can only be achieved with the right timing, location, and people."

Liu Fangyuan spoke of these things with considerable interest.

The gap between the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment is an insurmountable barrier; mere cultivation level is certainly not enough.

To have someone to promote you from above and someone to support you from below, you need your own character, ability, strategy, and timing—all three are indispensable.

Ren Qingshan glanced at him and nodded silently.

"Have you ever seen a celestial book? What does it look like?"

Liu Fangyuan waved his hand and smiled wryly: "How could I possibly have seen it? However, you might see it in the future. After all, the Pangu Great Strength Visualization Method was left behind by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and now..."

"Even geniuses are merely at the threshold of Foundation Establishment, let alone ordinary people like us?"

"There are countless talented people in the world. Take Li Jianfeng, who reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining in just ten years, for example. However, he has been stuck at this level for a full thirty years. He has never been able to compete with others. He is arrogant and conceited, and his personality is unruly. He has been suppressed by all sides."

Ren Qingshan nodded, remaining silent.

As night falls, the lights of thousands of homes below illuminate the scene, making it far more prosperous than the Heavenly Ruins.

"The spiritual energy in this world is much stronger than when I went to the Heavenly Ruins..."

Ren Qingshan sensed this and said again.

"Yeah... hey, where are you ranked on the list?"

Liu Fangyuan remembered something and asked with a smile.

With a thought, Ren Qingshan checked the rankings in the Qi Refining Talisman. Although he didn't particularly care about the rankings, he was still somewhat pleased.

"Ranking on the Qi Refining Ranking: 1005th, Ren Qingshan."

Liu Fangyuan: "This ranking isn't very accurate. I'm ranked 925th. Your aura... your ranking is too low. Don't worry about it."

Shaking his head and smiling, Ren Qingshan nodded.

……

Qihuang City.

By candlelight, Jiang Xingye was studying elixirs, racking his brains over the properties and proportions of more than a dozen medicinal herbs.

Beside him, his younger sister, Jiang Xueling, rested her chin on her hand, her bright, clear eyes fixed on her brother. Suddenly, as if she had seen something, she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, brother, you have a gray hair now!"

"Just pull it out for me."

"Don't pull them out, because if you pull one out, ten will grow back."

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Bai Xiaoyu, the mother, smiled and said, "My son has been working too hard lately, but you never know, your father just has premature gray hair."

"Oh? Mother, will I also have premature gray hair?"

Jiang Xueling's voice was full of worry.

"White hair looks so beautiful, so ethereal! I love white!"

"No way! You can have yours!"

Hearing the siblings laughing and joking, Bai Xiaoyu, as usual, immersed her divine sense into the Qi Refining Talisman to check if Ren Qingshan had returned.

One name at a time, they were looked at one by one.

until……

"Hoshino, Hoshino, look!"

"Your master has reached the sixth level of Qi Refining!"

"Ranked 1005th!"

She exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xingye immediately checked and, after confirming it thoroughly, excitedly paced back and forth in the room, his face beaming with joy.

Qi Refining Level 6!

It hasn't even been a year!

Master, you're amazing!

……

……