Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

It's been eight days.

Yi Yang pieced together the fragmented information he had gathered over the past few days in his mind, and the conclusion was crystal clear.

With his meager physical constitution and age of sixty, in the eyes of those powerful figures, he was probably already a figure to be abandoned.

That makes sense.

If he were in that position, flipping through a stack of rosters, he would most likely not choose someone with these qualifications either.

In that case, Yi Yang only has one option left.

Yan Wuyuan.

Youquan Division, Deputy Chief Inspector.

Go and meet this powerful expert with an old ties to Qi Shujian, whose inner energy is above average.

This is his last trump card. If he plays it, he'll either turn the tide or be eliminated and return to Yunlin County to continue as his alternate superintendent.

It's good that he has a choice; others in his position probably wouldn't even be able to get a meeting with this deputy chief inspector.

Thinking of this, Yi Yang stood up, took the official robe of the candidate chief steward from the back of the chair, shook it, dressed neatly, and prepared to go out.

He reached out and carefully put Qi Shujian's letter of recommendation close to his body, then tucked the temporary pass into his sleeve.

Yi Yang turned and left the inn, walking northeast along the main street.

The streets of the prefectural city were many times wider than those of Yunlin County, and the crowds were dense. Groups of three or five young martial artists at the third or fourth level of Qi and Blood passed by, chatting and laughing with high spirits.

No one gave Yi Yang a second glance.

A martial artist who was a candidate for governor could not even make a splash in this huge prefectural city, unlike in Yunlin County where the people would avoid him.

After looking around and determining the direction he wanted to go, Yi Yang began to walk towards the northeast corner of the prefectural city.

He hasn't been idle these past few days either. In his spare time from cultivation, he inquired about the situation of the Four Departments, including the position of this department.

The Youquan Division is not located within the headquarters of the Xuntian Division. It is situated independently in the northeast corner of the prefectural city. It is said that there is a palace there, but few people know its exact location, as it is very well hidden.

After passing through three main streets, Yi Yang turned into a narrow bluestone alley.

The buildings on both sides changed from shops to residences, and then from residences to high walls. The deeper you went, the fewer pedestrians there were. By the time you turned the last corner, Yi Yang was the only person left in the entire alley.

At the end of the alley is a separate courtyard, with a palace in the center. This should be the location of Youquan Division, one of the four divisions under the Xuntian Division.

The walls are high and made of gray bricks, with the outline of an arrow tower on top, but no one is on duty.

The entrance is just a small, black lacquered door, so narrow that only two people can walk side by side, making it look very eerie.

There was no plaque or sign above the entrance, and it was impossible to tell what kind of place it was from the outside.

If it weren't for the fact that Yi Yang passed by this place ten times, he wouldn't have given it a second glance.

He stopped in his tracks when he reached the doorway.

He sensed a deadly danger just a few steps from the narrow gate, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

There were six different auras emanating from various parts of the gate.

The weakest of them was still a master of the sixth level of Qi and Blood perfection.

The other two were beyond his perception.

Almost simultaneously, several streams of energy swept over his entire body. Not just one, but several covered him at the same time, probing and scrutinizing him with clear hostility and scrutiny.

Seeing this situation, Yi Yang did not act rashly and allowed the other party to investigate.

Those energies lingered on him for two or three breaths, and after recognizing the style of his Sky Patrol Officer's uniform, they slowly withdrew.

No action was taken.

But the oppressive feeling of being targeted by a ferocious beast didn't gradually dissipate until seven or eight breaths after the energy had completely dissipated.

Seeing that the danger had temporarily passed, Yi Yang exhaled a breath of stale air.

Good guy.

If the security force at the entrance is this strong, just how powerful must Yan Wuyuan, who is in charge inside, be?

Seeing this, he composed himself and stepped forward to gently knock on the door.

The force is even, neither too fast nor too slow.

After about ten breaths, the door was pulled open from the inside.

A young woman opened the door.

He was in his early twenties, dressed in a light blue outfit with a plain belt around his waist, and his hair was neatly tied back.

She had a beautiful face with delicate features, but the expression on her face was as cold as a winter flower.

Yi Yang's internal energy sensed her body and he almost couldn't keep his expression straight.

Unable to perceive?

The maid who opened the door was so powerful that she was undetectable.

The woman in green glanced at Yi Yang's face, then at the patterns on his official robes, before looking up at his features.

The doubt in her eyes was undisguised; she hadn't expected the young lady to send her to pick up this person.

Yi Yang, unfazed, took out a temporary pass and roster number from his sleeve and handed them over, explaining, "I am Yi Yang, holding a letter of recommendation from Qi Shujian, the Inspector General of Yunlin County, and request an audience with Deputy Inspector General Yan."

The woman in green took the pass and the letter of recommendation. She rubbed the surface of the pass with her fingertip to verify its authenticity, then looked at the letter of recommendation. After confirming that both were genuine, she returned and said:

"Come in with me."

The tone wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't obnoxious either.

After receiving permission, Yi Yang stepped across the threshold.

The sight that appeared the moment he entered the narrow gate made him twitch his brow slightly.

Behind the door was a very spacious courtyard.

The ground was paved with bluestone slabs, the seams were perfectly sealed, and it was so clean that there wasn't even a fallen leaf in sight.

Rows of black-leaved sycamores were planted on both sides, their tall and dense canopies cutting the sunlight overhead into scattered spots.

Directly in front is a three-courtyard palace building.

With upturned eaves, black tiles and white walls, the pillars are engraved with ancient patterns that Yi Yang cannot understand.

Without gold paint or colorful paintings, the entire complex is painted in a very dark and somber tone, like a giant beast that is dozing with its eyes closed.

Quiet.

It was unusually quiet.

The entire courtyard was devoid of birdsong and insect chirps; even the rustling of the wind through the sycamore leaves was suppressed to a very faint sound.

Unaware of the situation, Yi Yang followed behind the woman in green, walking very quietly.

Passing through the front hall, there was no one there.

I walked through the courtyard, but it was still deserted.

When they reached the back hall door, the woman in green stopped, stood sideways, and pushed open the heavy black wooden door.

Seeing the door open, Yi Yang walked straight in.

The interior was darker than the exterior. Plain white curtains hung on the four walls, and a bronze lamp burned in one corner, its flame motionless, as if frozen by some force.

In the center of the hall is a long table made of purple sandalwood. Judging from the patterns on the table, it is very precious. The material used is actually carved from a whole piece of purple wood heartwood.

Yi Yang looked behind the desk and saw a person sitting there.

a woman.

An extremely beautiful woman.

But the first thought that popped into Yi Yang's mind when he saw her clearly was not "beautiful".

On the contrary, it is "dangerous".

Judging from her appearance, she was no more than thirty years old, dressed in a dark palace gown, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair.

Her features were exquisitely perfect; her eyebrows resembled distant, dark mountains, her eyes were like the moon reflected in a cold pool, and her lips were extremely pale.

He sat there, neither smiling nor angry, yet the air around him seemed dangerously tense.

"This must be Yan Wuyuan, the leader of Youquan Division," Yi Yang thought to himself.

As Yi Yang entered the hall, he subconsciously extended his internal energy perception forward slightly.

He was shocked the next moment.

When he extended his internal energy perception, he actually sensed nothingness at Yan Wuyuan's location, as if no one was there, silent and without any echo.

This undetectable nature caused Yi Yang's pupils to contract for a moment.

Qi Shujian possessed the third level of internal energy, allowing him to sense the outline of the other party's aura. However, he couldn't even sense the woman in front of him.

What level is this? Yi Yang couldn't fathom it.

"sit."

A voice rang out from behind the desk, carrying a cold, aloof quality that seemed completely out of place with her alluring figure.

After receiving permission, Yi Yang sat down on the guest chair in front of the desk as instructed, took out the letter of recommendation from his bosom with both hands, and respectfully presented it.

A slender, pale finger emerged from behind the desk, and an unseen force picked up the envelope and handed it to the recipient.

The other party then opened the letter, unfolded it, and glanced at the paper.

Yi Yang sat opposite him, his back straight, his face displaying just the right amount of trepidation and respect.

The other party quickly finished reading the contents of the letter.

But Yan Wuyuan didn't put it down; instead, she raised her beautiful eyes.

Those eyes, as cold as a deep pool, fell directly on Yi Yang.

Yi Yang felt a chill run down his spine from the other person's gaze, but remained outwardly calm and composed.

Silence spread through the hall.

Five breaths.

Eight breaths.

Ten breaths.

It felt like an entire winter.

Finally, Yan Wuyuan closed the letter and placed it back on the table.

Her lips twitched almost imperceptibly. The movement was so subtle that most people wouldn't even notice it, but Yi Yang saw it.

"Liu Qing".

The woman in blue standing outside the door came in after hearing the voice and said, "Miss."

Yan Wuyuan lowered her eyes, her tone extremely calm as if handling a minor matter, but the content was astonishing:

"Put this recommendation letter for the promotion to Deputy Inspector General in the hiring section. I remember our Deputy Inspector General position hasn't been finalized yet?"

Upon hearing what her young mistress said, Liu Qing stopped in her tracks, her face showing disbelief.

She turned her head and her gaze fell on the white-haired old man in the chair.

This person?

So... you just recorded it directly?

She knew the other party had come to see her young lady, but she never expected that her aloof and proud young lady would have a connection with this old man.

They even opened a back door for the other party.

"Miss, this..."

Liu Qing couldn't help but want to dissuade him, but he swallowed the words halfway through his sentence.

Because Yan Wuyuan had already turned her gaze back to the table, picked up the letter and glanced at it again, saying in a completely unwavering tone, "Do as instructed."

Liu Qing bit her lower lip, swallowing back the questions that welled up in her throat. She respectfully replied "Yes" and left the palace.

The hall returned to silence.

With only two people left, Yi Yang saw that his plan had finally succeeded and a look of joy appeared on his face.

At this moment, Yan Wuyuan put down the letter and her gaze fell on Yi Yang again. This time, it was not an examination, but more like... a confirmation.

"The Youquan Bureau does not employ idle people."

She spoke, her voice still cold and devoid of warmth.

"You have a three-month period after joining the company. Within this period, you must master the first level of the company's required cultivation technique. If you fail to do so, you will be dismissed on your own."

Upon suddenly learning of this requirement, Yi Yang stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "This subordinate understands."

Yan Wuyuan raised her hand, indicating that he could leave.

Yi Yang bowed and left the palace, his back straight and his steps unhurried throughout.

It wasn't until the palace doors closed behind him that he realized the fabric of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

……

The long corridor outside the hall.

The maid Liu Qing was already waiting there.

At this moment, she had two more things in her hands: a token as black as ink and a scroll of silk.

At this moment, her expression returned to calm, without any doubt or speculation, after all, it was something her young lady had agreed to.

"plz follow me."

Liu Qing stepped aside to lead the way, her steps light and quick, heading towards the side of the palace complex. As she walked, she handed over the token and said:

"This is your identification document. Your position is Deputy Inspector General of the Youquan Division. I will take you to your residence now."

Yi Yang took the token; it was icy cold to the touch, heavier than the bronze and iron tokens from Yunlin County.

There are no words on the card, only a tiny engraved pattern, and it feels smooth to the touch.

At this moment, he flipped through the silk scroll in his hand. Was this the cultivation method that required mastering within three months?

There are five words on the cover.

The Secret of Hidden Breath Without Form.