The next morning.

Yang Wenqing woke up at his usual time. This time, he didn’t take any White Dragon Ginseng. Instead, he sat cross-legged on his bed to meditate, guiding the abundant Spiritual Qi in his body to complete three Grand Circulations to ensure he was in peak condition.

When he opened his door and stepped out, he saw a woman holding a child sitting by the open door of the room opposite his. She glanced at Yang Wenqing and said, "Something good must have happened, Wenqing."

Yang Wenqing smiled and replied, "Not at all, Sister Wang."

Just then, a man’s figure emerged from inside the room. He said with a smile, "The station must be starting its holiday rotations, right?"

"Yes!"

Yang Wenqing offered a polite reply. As he walked to the stairwell, he wiped the obvious joy from his face.

Today was the last day of the first lunar month, and the New Year’s atmosphere in the county town was fading away. The station would begin its holiday rotations today, and Yang Wenqing had five days of vacation, though it depended on when he was scheduled.

Last year, Yang Wenqing had gone home for his vacation to pay belated New Year’s respects to the elders of his clan. He planned to do the same this year, but first, he wanted to attempt a breakthrough. The location for his promotion could be a training room at the branch office. Although it was a bit pricey, retired seniors from the bureau kept watch there, so he could get immediate help if anything went wrong.

This flood of thoughts stirred Yang Wenqing’s long-dormant mind, and his pace quickened unconsciously, causing him to arrive at the station ten minutes early.

Even so, Li Ming, who always clocked in right on time, had arrived before him. He was clearly waiting for Yang Wenqing. The moment he saw him, Li Ming rushed over from the station’s entrance and said hurriedly as he drew near, "Some people from a research institute in the city are here. They’ve come specifically to collect the cultivator remains we obtained before the New Year."

He stared at Yang Wenqing as he said this. "You still have the remains, right?"

Yang Wenqing nodded.

Li Ming immediately pulled Yang Wenqing toward the station, saying as they walked, "The holiday is almost here. It’s the perfect time to sell it for some cash, so I don’t look too shabby when I visit my father-in-law."

When the two reached the office area for the Second Patrol Team, Yang Wenqing took out the remains. Li Ming took them and examined them, a faint smile appearing on his face. "This vacation will be a bit more comfortable now."

"Did you ask how much it might sell for?"

Yang Wenqing asked.

Li Ming’s smile widened. He replied, "Ours is in great condition. It’ll most likely sell for over ten thousand. If we had other channels, we could probably even get a hundred thousand for it."

As he said the last sentence, he raised an eyebrow at Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing nodded silently. ’There are a lot of lunatics in this world, people who don’t mind taking unconventional cultivation paths. They’re also prime targets for the City Defense Bureau, so of course, we can’t possibly deal with them.’

’As for whether that so-called research institute engages in that kind of business... that’s not something two grunts like us can worry about.’

"I’ve already gone to the captain’s house to ask for leave. I’m heading to the branch office to get the money now. I’ll be back in an hour at the latest," Li Ming said to Yang Wenqing as he wrapped up the remains. Without waiting for a reply, he rushed toward the door, nearly bumping into Sister Liu as she came in.

"What’s the hurry? Is your wife going into labor?"

"My wife already gave birth, before the New Year."

"It’s been a month already? How come I didn’t see you hand out any candy?"

"Some other time!"

After a hasty exchange with Sister Liu, Li Ming was out the door.

When Sister Liu entered the room, her eyes visibly lit up upon seeing Yang Wenqing. She walked over and said, "Wenqing, come here. Let me show you a photograph."

As she spoke, she took a color photograph from her jacket pocket and handed it to Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing’s gaze instinctively shifted to it. He saw a delicate-looking girl. She wore a light purple lapel jacket over a simple white cotton lining. Her long, soft hair fell over her shoulders without any excessive adornments. Her features weren’t stunning, but they possessed a clean, delicate beauty.

"What do you think?" Sister Liu asked with a hint of anticipation, observing Yang Wenqing’s expression.

"A very delicate-looking girl," Yang Wenqing commented.

"She’s my niece, my cousin’s eldest daughter. She turned eighteen last year and was assigned to the general affairs department of the County Civil Affairs Bureau. I think she’d be a great match for you. Want to meet her?" Sister Liu said with a smile.

"Well..." Yang Wenqing didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t want to get into a relationship so soon, but Sister Liu always looked out for him, so it wouldn’t be right to refuse her directly.

"You’re both young, just get to know each other. My cousin’s family situation is similar to yours. If you get along, you can date. If not, you’ve just made a new friend." Seeing Yang Wenqing’s hesitation, Sister Liu made the decision for him, making sure to mention the girl’s family background.

Yang Wenqing knew this was something he couldn’t refuse, so he nodded in agreement. ’Whether we actually meet is another matter, though. After all, with blind dates, at least half of them never make it past the photo-swapping stage.’

Satisfied, Sister Liu returned to her desk.

Just then, Captain Xiao Liang finally entered the room. Yang Wenqing went up to him and said in a low voice, "Captain, I need to talk to you about something."

Xiao Liang glanced at the wall clock and nodded slightly. He walked to a corner on the left side of the room, activated the Sound Insulation Array set up there, and said to Yang Wenqing, "Go ahead. What is it?"

Yang Wenqing said directly, "I’d like to rent a training room at the county bureau for three days."

Xiao Liang studied Yang Wenqing for a moment, then a faint smile appeared. "Before the New Year, I noticed that during your cultivation, you could always precisely control the flow of your Spiritual Qi. The speed at which your Qi Sea refines Spiritual Qi is also faster than an ordinary person’s. You remind me of someone."

"He’s the current deputy team leader of the county bureau’s Major Case Team, Wang Jianchao. His aptitude was average back then, but he had a unique understanding of Dharma Seal formulas. He deduced a unique Spirit Gathering Dharma Seal and successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Realm at the age of twenty. A while ago, I heard he also deduced a Thunder-Attracting Seal. It’s just a pity that these Dharma Seals are too profound and difficult to understand, so they can’t be memorized."

An image of a thin, middle-aged man appeared in Yang Wenqing’s mind. Wang Jianchao had taught them a Dharma Seal course at the city’s Police Academy. Dharma Seals were actually a profound art, much like scientific formulas that could be analyzed and deduced on a deeper level. But for most people, if they didn’t get it, they just didn’t get it.

"Mr. Wang and I are from the same cohort. Speaking of which, back then, he and I..." Xiao Liang stopped abruptly, then shook his head. He looked at Yang Wenqing and said, "In your case, it’s that your consciousness is powerful. There’s a note about it in your Police Academy file, personally approved by the Dean himself."

"A powerful consciousness allows you to refine Spiritual Qi faster and lets you perceive the state of the Spiritual Veins within your body. That was precisely the reason I agreed to let you use the cultivator remains to gather Qi for your cultivation."

Yang Wenqing was taken aback. He had no idea such a note was in his file. Hearing Xiao Liang’s words, he immediately recalled a meditation session not long after he had enrolled. At the time, he had carefully gathered a portion of his Golden Core’s energy and had seemingly been observed by the Dean.

’Over the years, I’ve cautiously run some tests and confirmed that outsiders can’t sense the Golden Core in my mind. I never expected that what they were sensing was a powerful consciousness instead.’

"What realm is the Dean at?" Yang Wenqing asked in a low voice.

"Entry Realm, at least!" Xiao Liang replied, his tone filled with obvious longing.

Yang Wenqing understood. ’To reach the Entry Realm, one must pass through Qi Cultivation, Bone Marrow Cleansing, and Foundation Establishment. Each of these steps requires a significant investment of time. It’s not something I need to worry about right now.’

At that moment, Xiao Liang clapped Yang Wenqing on the shoulder and said, "After the shift ends this afternoon, I’ll take you to the county bureau. A classmate from my year happens to be in charge of the training rooms."