"The Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall..."

Bai Zichen murmured, a flicker of interest undeniable.

This was the most powerful of the Qingfeng Sect’s Five Halls, commanding the largest number of disciples.

Someone greedy for power and status would have jumped at the chance, accepting without a second thought.

But Bai Zichen’s true nature was one that cherished freedom and disliked constraints.

The thought of becoming the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, getting bogged down in mundane affairs, and having to scheme and fight for power with the other halls gave him a headache.

Of course, the benefits were also immense. With a single order, he would have subordinates searching for and collecting whatever he needed.

The authority he could wield within the Sect would be worlds apart from that of an ordinary Elder.

In the end, Bai Zichen didn’t give a definitive answer, only saying that he needed to consider it carefully.

His senior brother, Liang Yu, wasn’t offended. Instead, he felt that Bai Zichen’s heart was set on the Great Dao, unmoved by external things, truly befitting someone he saw as having the potential for Core Formation.

"Junior Brother Bai, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall isn’t like the Sect Leader. The daily tasks aren’t as burdensome as you might think... You can delegate matters to your left and right deputies and the Elders below you, only needing to step in for important issues."

Liang Yu spared no effort in his sales pitch, determined to find a suitable successor for the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Besides, according to the rules, all Five Halls Masters can choose a Treasure from the Secret Vault upon taking office... The items that make it into the Secret Vault are basically Treasures bequeathed to the Sect by Core Formation True Men after they pass away. There’s no shortage of good stuff in there."

"I’ll think about it carefully."

Bai Zichen decided to play it by ear; it wasn’t as if he had to take the position tomorrow.

Compared to other Cultivators, he didn’t suffer the agony of being stuck at a bottleneck, nor did he need to enter seclusion for years at a time seeking a chance at Breaking Realm.

Although everything he had learned required a great deal of time to advance, he could make progress using fragmented moments. He didn’t necessarily need long periods of seclusion.

Handling affairs once every three or six months wouldn’t affect his Cultivation at all.

When Bai Zichen returned to his temporary Cave Mansion, an old Daoist and a female cultivator in a palace-style dress were waiting at the entrance. The moment they saw him, they rushed forward and knelt in profound gratitude.

"Greetings, Elder Bai. This humble old man is the Patriarch of the Jiangg Family. I have brought my granddaughter here specifically to thank you for saving our lives."

Elder Jiangg had dealt with Talismans his entire life, knowing only how to handle Talisman Paper and resell Talismans.

He had never left his familiar territory, had engaged in Combat with others only a handful of times, and had certainly never faced a Demon Beast directly.

His greatest wish in life was to expand the business passed down from his ancestors and own a proper shop in the Market.

As for cultivating a Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator, such a thought had never even crossed his mind.

He had seen too many Loose Cultivator Clans that were once well-off with some savings, only to pour their entire fortune into a single chance at Foundation Establishment.

The hopes of the entire clan would rest on one person, forcing everyone to scrimp and save, even go into debt, all to exchange for Cultivation Resources.

In the end, it would all be for naught, leaving them with nothing.

Elder Jiangg’s thinking was clear: if a junior in the clan showed outstanding talent, he could give them a push.

But to have him invest the entire clan’s resources? That was impossible.

He had thought his goal was getting closer and closer, and had even started inquiring about any small shops for sale in the Market.

He never expected that in just a few months, fortunes would turn. The Xuu Family, who also dealt in Talismans, had latched onto a powerful figure, immediately crushing the Jiangg Family into the dust.

It had even reached the point where the entire clan had to sign up for the reclamation war, seeking one last chance to turn things around.

That day, Elder Jiangg truly believed everyone was going to die at the hands of that White Ape. He would become the sinner of the Jiangg Family, unable to face his ancestors even in death.

That was, until Elder Bai of the Qingfeng Sect appeared and allowed them to escape with their lives.

His precious granddaughter had apparently interacted with Elder Bai before, which further strengthened his belief that surviving a great catastrophe was a sign of future blessings.

"Oh, it’s you... It was my duty as an Elder of the Qingfeng Sect."

Bai Zichen recognized the old Daoist; he was the same unlucky fellow who had been hauled around by Ma Ming.

The young female cultivator beside him was picturesque, with a beautiful face and an elegant aura like the soft glow of a crescent moon. Her form-fitting palace dress accentuated her stunning, graceful curves.

He looked her over carefully and found her somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

"This humble one, Jiangg Shu, greets Elder Bai."

Jiangg Shu lifted the corner of her skirt and curtsied with natural grace.

Her bright eyes stared intently, trying to superimpose the image of this great figure before her with that of the handsome Brother Bai she had chatted with at a tea stall all those years ago.

"You’re Jiangg Shu?"

Hearing the name from his memory, Bai Zichen looked her up and down again.

She did indeed bear a resemblance to the beautiful, innocent-looking girl from back then. It was just that her features had fully matured and she had grown much taller, so he hadn’t recognized her at first glance.

"Since we’re old acquaintances, there’s no need to be so formal."

"Elder Bai, your status is revered, and you are a Foundation Establishment Elder. How could I overstep my bounds?"

A glimmer of joy appeared in Jiangg Shu’s eyes, but she suppressed her emotions, remembering her grandfather’s instructions before they came.

"Come in and talk."

Bai Zichen opened his mobile Cave Mansion and invited the grandfather and granddaughter inside.

If Elder Jiangg had come alone, Bai Zichen would have surely dismissed him after a few perfunctory words; he certainly wouldn’t have received this kind of treatment.

"Our Jiangg Family has decades of experience in the Talisman business. If Elder Bai is interested in dealing Talismans, we would follow your every command and are willing to handle all the tedious details for you."

He started with a round of heavy compliments, nearly praising Bai Zichen as the most talented person in the history of Black Mountain.

Then, he changed the subject and brought up the Jiangg Family’s business.

"Why did you decide to join the reclamation war? Are you trying to earn merit points to exchange for a Spirit Land and expand your Clan’s scale?"

Bai Zichen was unimpressed by the so-called Jiangg Family business. Given his current status, if he wanted to get involved in any business, there would be plenty of people willing to cooperate.

If he was looking for an agent, the Jiangg Family was not qualified.

However, for the sake of his old acquaintance, Jiangg Shu, he could perhaps look out for them a bit in the future.

Hearing this question, Jiangg Shu’s eyes reddened, and she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

Elder Jiangg sighed, a bitter expression on his face. "I hope Elder Bai won’t laugh, but a business rival of ours latched onto a Lord Steward from your esteemed Sect, and they stole all our business... We’re just hoping to take a gamble in the reclamation war and rebuild our family’s fortune."

"I see..."

Bai Zichen understood now, though he wasn’t particularly surprised.

When these Loose Cultivator Clans did business, they would always try every means possible to find connections within a Sect. It was common for them to rise and fall based on these relationships.

"After the reclamation war, come find me again. We’ll see what kind of livelihood I can arrange for your family then."

Bai Zichen glanced at Jiangg Shu, saw the two tear-streaks on her fair, flawless face, and decided to give the Jiangg Family a chance.

"If you want to join the Qingfeng Sect in the future, you can come find me... Lu Songx and Elder Tong are both in the Sect. They’d probably be very happy to see you."

He directed these last words to Jiangg Shu.

"Thank you, Elder Bai! The Jiangg Family will not betray your trust. We will be sure to handle things beautifully in the future."

Elder Jiangg was ecstatic, performing a full kowtow of utmost respect.

After taking their leave from the temporary Cave Mansion, Elder Jiangg pulled Jiangg Shu aside and instructed her with great earnestness.

"Shu’er, you heard what Elder Bai said. Whether our Jiangg Family can recover now depends on you... After you become a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect, you must maintain your relationship with this Elder Bai. You can’t lose your sense of propriety, but you also can’t be like an ordinary disciple and lose that feeling of closeness."

"As long as you can get close to Elder Bai, even the slightest bit he lets slip through his fingers will be enough for our Jiangg Family to recover and become even stronger than before."

"I know, I know."

Jiangg Shu kept her head down, her face blushing as she answered distractedly.

’I wanted to say that I’ve always missed the days when I first ran away from home and made friends on the outside.’

’Over the years, I’ve wanted to come to the Qingfeng Sect to find my Brother Bai several times, but for various reasons, I was never able to make the trip.’

’If I can become a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect, I should be able to get closer to Brother Bai, right?’

...

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Glazed Fire Jade manifested in its true form.

In the southwest corner, the Five Crystal Divine Iron had condensed into shape. It seemed to have grown a size larger than the grain-of-rice it was when he had first reached the entry level of the first layer.

The two resonated with each other, creating a marvelous phenomenon of ebbing and flowing, of alternating light and shadow.

After an unknown amount of time, Bai Zichen vaguely heard a soft "TICK."

The Glazed Fire Jade became perfectly round and flawless, and at the same time, it began to exchange something with a formless, mysterious substance within his Sea of Consciousness.

Although his internal inspection revealed everything to be normal and even his Divine Sense couldn’t perceive it, Bai Zichen could somehow confirm that the Glazed Fire Jade he was visualizing in his Sea of Consciousness was undergoing a profound change that could not be described in words.

It was just like the reference object he had seen in the image—the man-sized Glazed Fire Jade in the High-Tier Spiritual Land that constantly exchanged energy with the surrounding Spiritual Qi, to the point of triggering a Spiritual Qi tide.

’The second layer! I’ve finally reached the entry level!’

Bai Zichen immediately understood. His Visualization of the Glazed Fire Jade had officially succeeded, and at that moment, he had reached the entry level for the second layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body.

Exiting his Meditation, he rolled up his sleeve and saw that his skin had taken on a red, glaze-like appearance, becoming semi-transparent.

When he fully activated the Five Crystal Glaze Body, a five-colored light surged forth, covering the strange red glaze and making it difficult to discern.

This was because he had already perfected the Five Crystal Body, while he had only just reached the entry level for the Glazed Body. The two were not comparable.

That was why one completely overwhelmed the other.

Otherwise, according to the description in the Cultivation Technique, the two were supposed to complement each other, raising the body’s strength to an even higher level.

’The effect of the Glazed Body is somewhat similar to my previous Inner Armor, the Hundred-Refined Celestial Silk Robe... Any attack I suffer will first be weakened by a layer of the Glazed Body.’

Bai Zichen was very satisfied with the Glazed Body’s effect.

Upon reaching Perfection, it would be equivalent to wearing a piece of Inner Armor at the Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact Level. More importantly, it consumed no Magical Power, and it could be reformed indefinitely after being shattered.

After reaching the entry level, the next step was to follow the standard procedure of Body Refining to condense the Glazed Body.

The first layer, the Five Crystal Body, had taken him a year. Following that pattern, he estimated it would likely take two years to fully cultivate the Glazed Body.

And that was with the help of many Miracle Elixirs that aided Body Refining; otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

’Taking the Dragon Power Pill again will have a negligible effect. To speed up the condensation of the Glazed Body, I’ll need to find a High Tier Body Refining Elixir.’

Bai Zichen planned to start searching for a Body Refining Elixir through various channels after the reclamation war ended.

As long as he reached Perfection in the second layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, combined with his Sword Qi Thunder Sound level of Swordsmanship, he was confident he would have the power to protect himself in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

After reaching the entry level for the second layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, he also unlocked a new Divine Technique.

Glazed Body Detonation!

At the cost of regressing to the first layer of the Cultivation Technique, he could gain the Glazed Fire Divine Body for one hour.

It was said to incinerate all things and be impervious to all evil!

’Such a terrifying price must grant an astonishing level of power... Others would definitely be unwilling to pay it. It might have taken them decades of diligent cultivation just to reach the entry level. But for me, it’s equivalent to losing two or three years of time, which is completely acceptable.’

The Five Crystal Glaze Body didn’t give you preferential treatment just because you’d reached the entry level once before.

If he were knocked back and had to recultivate, it would still take just as long to reach the entry level again.

Bai Zichen had already made up his mind. ’So what if I drop a layer in my Realm? I can cultivate it back in a few years.’

’When a crisis calls for it, there’s no need to be frugal. I’ll detonate the Glazed Body without hesitation.’