Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

"Zhen Ge, why are you back again? Didn't you go to work?"

"I went. Today, I found the foreman annoying, so I left, not tolerating his bad temper."

"Ah~"

Li Xinger opened her mouth, her chubby little head extremely surprised.

Working outside can be this impressive?

Didn't Daddy say that earning money working outside is difficult and easy to be bullied?

She usually felt grateful to Zhen Ge. It's so hard to earn money, yet he still remembers her and often buys her delicious sweets and pastries.

"Hahaha~ Brother has something to do, go play."

Qiu Zhen smiled and sent the little girl away, walking straight into the house. Without overthinking, he lay down and slept.

He tossed and turned last night and didn't sleep well, his spirit and energy were a bit low.

Although the immortal method of the mysterious golden silk doesn't require the 'essence, qi, and spirit' three treasures to reach a certain level for cultivation like ordinary immortal techniques, there are still basic requirements. One cannot force practice when their spirit is low.

Especially during "Great Sun's First Bloom," the critical moment when the "Gate of Profound Femininity" is about to descend.

Cultivating rashly is undoubtedly courting death.

A day quickly passed, and in a blink, it was twilight again.

Qiu Zhen slept very soundly this time, letting go of all distracting thoughts and firming his Dao heart.

His resolute decision to take leave from Qingmu Pharmacy and return to cultivate was not an act of defiance after being angered, nor an adventurous deed driven by provocation, but rather a moment of "enlightenment."

He had lived two lives, seen through reincarnation, and viewed the great terror between life and death with indifference.

His previous hesitation was merely out of instinctive caution.

Now, he looked inward and heard the voice of his heart.

He only cultivates this life, not the next. He doesn't want to live another life, to live this one in mediocrity and return to dust, then enter reincarnation again, life after life, in a daze, unable to be free.

Thinking of this, Qiu Zhen did not hesitate. He picked up the chopping knife from the woodshed, took the golden silk book, and with the agility of a monkey, he climbed over the mountain from the backyard and left.

This time, if he doesn't succeed in cultivation, he will become a demon or evil being.

Qiu Zhen still had basic human conscience and absolutely could not harm innocent villagers.

An hour later.

A desolate, uninhabited mountain, a cliff cave.

This suspended cliff cave was a good place he discovered while gathering herbs.

Suspended on a hundred-zhang cliff, hidden by vines outside the cave, it was very secret and safe. If he sprinkled medicine to repel snakes and insects, it would be very safe to spend the night in the mountains, perfectly suited for him to enter seclusion and break through the final step of the 【Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment】.

Qiu Zhen sat cross-legged on the straw mat in the cave, entering tranquility and meditation.

When sitting in meditation, one should not sit there like a hard shell, nor should they cling to emptiness;

Let go of all thoughts and distractions, but the mind must remain clear;

Nor should one overly desire to enter a certain state or achieve a certain result.

The golden silk has an eight-character secret: "Seemingly there, yet not; seemingly right, yet wrong."

In the past, it took Qiu Zhen considerable effort to enter this state of "seemingly there, yet not; seemingly right, yet wrong."

After this sudden enlightenment, it was surprisingly smooth. In just a few breaths, he entered a certain mysterious state.

His eyes were tightly closed, and a golden light flickered between his eyebrows.

In the cliff cave, a mysterious and wondrous aura quietly descended.

The Great Zhou Dynasty established the Demon Suppression Division, specifically in charge of demon affairs, slaying demons and expelling evil, protecting the territory and bringing peace to the people. It is distributed throughout the land, suppressing demons and evil beings in all directions.

Matters concerning demons, involving the extraordinary power of ghosts and gods, are often extremely important. The Demon Suppression Divisions in various places are directly subordinate to the General Division and are not under local jurisdiction. They have the power of inspection and arrest, engaging in investigation, arrest, and interrogation, and do not go through local departmental structures. They have their own prisons, wielding immense authority.

Changle Prefecture, Demon Suppression Division, East Courtyard.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle~"

The sound of turning scroll pages rose and fell.

In the hall, twelve desks were arranged in two rows, each piled high with mountains of scrolls. A group of scribes meticulously read through the scrolls, their expressions serious and earnest.

"Gongzi, why didn't you come home after returning from your official duties? Madam was very angry."

A young man dressed as a book boy handed a cup of hot tea to the man seated in the main seat of the hall. Seeing his Gongzi frown slightly, he quickly stopped speaking and looked at the Demon Suppression Division scribes in the hall reading scrolls. He realized something and said:

"Gongzi, is the 【Shilin Evil Being Case】 extremely troublesome?"

"Indeed!"

The man in the main seat had a pair of tiger eyes with a faint golden light, large eyes with yellow pupils, a prominent nose that was full and symmetrical like orchid pavilion, resembling a lion's form, clearly displaying a noble appearance. His figure was tall and straight, with a tiger's back and ape-like arms, his vitality was profound. The entire person was like a furnace, repelling evil beings, clearly demonstrating the demeanor of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

This person was none other than the Commander Wei of the Changle Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, Wei Tanzhi.

He came from the Wei Family in the capital, a descendant of the founding hero Duke Hong Guo, a true noble born with a silver spoon. His Martial Arts talent was also extraordinary. Having achieved success in Martial Arts, at the young age of thirty-four, he ascended to the position of Commander of a prefecture's Demon Suppression Division, wielding power over demon, ghost, and deity affairs in a prefecture, holding high office and enjoying boundless prestige.

However, at this moment, Wei Tanzhi's face showed no trace of complacency, but rather a hint of helplessness:

"I invited several experts to assist, and it took three months to barely eradicate it. During this time, many brothers in the division died, a considerable loss. There are many matters to attend to, such as compensating the families of the deceased brothers."

"Gongzi is benevolent."

The book boy complimented him and then looked at the scribes in the hall turning scrolls, somewhat curious:

"Since the Shilin Hermit has been eradicated, why are you still so worried? The matter of compensation can be left to the division's chief clerk, and Madam..."

"The Shilin Hermit has been eradicated, but the case is not yet closed."

Wei Tanzhi shook his head, his heart heavy:

"Outsiders all believe that this 【Shilin Hermit】 had profound Dao cultivation and remarkable divine abilities, and only after cultivating went awry did he cause such a huge disturbance. In reality, his own Dao cultivation was not that great; he was still only at the 【Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment】 realm, not even having entered the door of 【Refining Essence to Transform Qi】. His actual strength was not even as good as a captain under my command."

"In just a few months, that evil being had one foot in the realm of Martial Arts Grandmaster. If it had been ten days or half a month later, this time we might not have returned."

"Ah~"

The book boy couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

The strength of a demon or evil being is closely related to their strength before cultivating went awry.

Generally speaking, when a cultivator cultivates goes awry and transforms into a demon or evil being, their strength will increase significantly.

However, if their strength rapidly increases across realms within just a few months after becoming a demon, with astonishing growth, then it is no small matter; it is not an ordinary evil being.

As a book boy from a large family, who studied and practiced Martial Arts with his Gongzi, he was well-informed and had an extraordinary perspective.

Soon, the book boy seemed to have thought of something, his pupils shrinking:

"Gongzi, could it be... the legendary Dan Dao Sudden Enlightenment Method, the Buddha's Heart Seal, which allows one to ascend to heaven in one step?"

"Indeed, only such a supreme fundamental method that directly points to the Great Dao would attract such terrifying demons."

Wei Tanzhi nodded slightly and sighed:

"After eradicating the Shilin Hermit, the immortal method inheritance disappeared. It is likely that he did not have much confidence in cultivating this method himself, so before entering seclusion, he carried out a so-called 【薪火传承】 (Passing of the Torch), spreading it out and passing the karmic connection to the so-called fated people."

Speaking of this, Wei Tanzhi couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.

The appearance of another "fated person" means that another rapidly growing, extremely terrifying, and difficult-to-deal-with great demon is about to be born in the area under his jurisdiction.

"Three months have passed. If he died on that day, the fated person would have received the inheritance, and the next great demon is likely to be born."

Wei Tanzhi sighed leisurely:

"I only hope that this time we can discover the traces of the demon at the first opportunity and nip this demon and evil being in the bud in time."

"So that's how it is!"

The book boy was slightly startled and immediately understood why his Gongzi didn't enter his home but went straight to the Demon Suppression Division to read the scrolls submitted by the various counties.

After thinking for a moment, perhaps something came to mind, and the book boy frowned slightly:

"Gongzi, if the next 【fated person】 cultivates this supreme immortal method..."

"Impossible!"

Wei Tanzhi interrupted his book boy's nonsense, his tone certain:

"This kind of supreme fundamental method, ascending to heaven in one step, once one enters the path, it lays the foundation for Heavenly Immortals, Buddhas, and Sages."

"Even in the most prosperous era of ancient immortal Dao, with the protection of one's own patriarch in the path of Cultivation, and the protection of countless immortals and Buddhas during cultivation, external demons are difficult to invade, and inner demons are difficult to arise. Cultivating this method was still extremely rare, let alone now that the path of Cultivation has entered the age of decline."

Speaking of this, Wei Tanzhi snorted coldly, quite disdainfully:

"The so-called 【假借修真】 (False Cultivation) that is popular now, borrowing foundation establishment oddities to deceive heaven and confuse demons, and entering the Dao through enlightenment, is inherently a dead end. Ordinary methods might work, but for this kind of supreme fundamental method, don't even think about it."

"This is not just a matter of comprehension and talent, but the overwhelming trend of the world, irreversible."

The book boy seemed to understand.

"假借修真" originally referred to using the body, which is a false combination of the four elements of "earth, water, fire, and wind," to seek the true self and achieve enlightenment. Now, it refers to entering the Dao by relying on "foundation establishment oddities."

"Gongzi, is there really no 【foundation establishment oddity】 in the world that can cultivate the Dan Dao Sudden Enlightenment Method?"

"There are some, yes."

Wei Tanzhi's gaze was distant:

"It is said that a foundation establishment oddity formed from the origin of a world has a glimmer of hope."

"Gongzi, what is the origin of a world?"

"I don't know."

"Oh~"

Seeing that his Gongzi was also only half-understood, the book boy wisely did not continue to ask for guidance, but comforted himself:

"When this kind of demon is born, it will definitely cause a significant disturbance. If Gongzi detects it in advance, he will definitely be able to nip it in the bud in time."

"If only it were that easy."

Wei Tanzhi shook his head:

"The Dan Dao Sudden Enlightenment Method is profound and mysterious, extremely abstruse. Whether it succeeds or not, it happens in an instant..."