Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Zi Xuan Dynasty, Emperor Yi Year, July, the twenty-eighth.

After traveling day and night, I finally arrived at Qitian Pavilion.

This Qitian Pavilion is truly vast, unlike any city I had ever seen before; none could compare to it in scale.

However, inside such a grand Qitian Pavilion, it turned out everyone was from Qitian Pavilion itself.

That was really bad luck.

Who was that son from an influential family, and who was that daughter, or perhaps a certain family’s grandson? Each one seemed to belong to the Qitian Pavilion’s privileged families.

Zi Xuan Dynasty, Emperor Yi Year, July, the twenty-ninth.

To forge good relationships with the people around you, the most important thing is never to share with them the things that make you happy and joyful.

So when it was time to receive the Magic Artifacts, although one rolled into my sleeve, I kept quiet about it.

…

"My lord, the main administrator of the Magical Treasure Pavilion would like you to come and prove your innocence regarding the missing Magic Artifact," reported the messenger.

The Magical Treasure Pavilion is the place within Qitian Pavilion where Magic Artifacts and elixirs, among other treasures, are stored.

Because the items inside are extremely precious outside, they borrowed an ancient name reserved for Immortal Sect treasures to name that place.

Hearing this, Tan Shuchang looked up at the person who came.

This was a pavilion official from the side of the Magical Treasure Pavilion.

There are twelve ranks of pavilion officials, who come under the Spiritual Officer and General—the fourth tier of personnel in Qitian Pavilion. But in Tan Shuchang’s eyes, all these twelve ranks were the same.

So he asked, "Which rank is the Magical Treasure Pavilion administrator?"

"Reporting to my lord, the administrator is a twelfth-rank pavilion official." The pavilion official’s spirits lifted immediately upon answering, while his face unconsciously displayed a hint of confidence.

A twelfth-rank pavilion official was already the highest level among pavilion officials.

"So a twelfth-rank pavilion official wants me, a Daoist General, to go? Is that appropriate?" Tan Shuchang smiled as he asked, his tone not changing in the slightest, making it sound like a casual question.

"It is appropriate."

This pavilion official gave Tan Shuchang an unexpected response.

As a result, Tan Shuchang just looked at him silently.

"My lord might not be aware, although Officer Zhou is a twelfth-rank official, his uncle is the adjunct pavilion master, Yun Shutian!" the pavilion official quickly whispered in explanation upon seeing Tan Shuchang’s reaction.

"I see, then you tell Officer Zhou that I will come shortly," Tan Shuchang said, his smile remaining constant and his tone still tranquil.

"Many thanks, my lord!" The pavilion official sighed in relief, clearly feeling fortunate inside that this new Sword Command Daoist General was an easygoing person to speak with. Otherwise, even the face of the adjunct pavilion master might not be enough to sway the situation.

Truth be told, even as a trusted confidant of Officer Zhou, he couldn’t help but feel that his superior was a bit too arrogant.

Twelfth-rank pavilion officials, within the Qitian Pavilion system, were just below the Spiritual Officer and General, but there were merely fourteen Spiritual Officer and Generals, while there were several hundred twelfth-rank officials!

However, after the pavilion official left, Tan Shuchang did not go to the Magical Treasure Pavilion to prove his innocence, as he had said.

Instead, he took out a piece of specially made paper and began to write.

What Tan Shuchang was writing at this time was a letter of resignation.

He wrote—"Since receiving the imperial edict, this official has been extremely grateful to Your Highness, shedding thankful tears, hence I traveled day and night to assume my post in Luo State. Only upon reaching Qitian Pavilion did I realize how difficult it is to be an official. I am truly ashamed not to live up to Your Highness’s grace.

The Ning family wields tremendous power, as if one hand could cover the sky, which truly terrifies me. Barely in my new position, all the pavilion officials assigned by the three deputy pavilion masters are natives of the vicinity of Luo State..."

Then Tan Shuchang added what he had heard from Qiu Junlin, and also mentioned the pavilion officials of the Magical Treasure Pavilion, who could rely on their familial connections to give him trouble, among other things.

Finally, Tan Shuchang carefully reviewed the letter, and once he was certain that it portrayed him as utterly incompetent, he submitted the resignation letter with confidence.

This type of paper is very special, it is only available to those at the level of Spiritual Officer and General with a yearly limit—one sheet measuring one foot in both length and width.

Once Tan Shuchang writes on this paper and circulates his spiritual power for a moment, the text on it will instantly be transmitted to the imperial palace in Jingzhou.

Moreover, this method of information transmission is impervious to any prying.

Apart from the recipient, there will be no third party who knows the content of this letter.

However, the limited distribution is not because producing this paper is difficult—after all, no matter how challenging, it is trivial for a dynasty that rules over the greater part of the Jiawu Realm.

The reason for such restriction is simply that there were too many people using it to brownnose when it was first introduced.

There were even more ridiculous instances where even a windy or rainy weather report was sent.

This infuriated the emperor at the time.

Thus, after that, access to this special paper became restricted.

However, if one covers the cost themselves and the letters are not destined for the imperial palace, there are no restrictions. One just needs to provide real identification when purchasing, then buy as much as they want.

What one does with it afterward, even if it is used in the privy, is of no concern to anyone.

Here, Tan Shuchang had just sent his letter of resignation to the Jingzhou imperial palace when someone delivered a letter to him.

The deliverer was a servant who attended upon Qiu Junlin.

It was the same youth who practiced a low-tier Cultivation Technique and achieved seven to eight years’ worth of power.

"Who is this from?" Tan Shuchang examined the envelope only to find that not even the recipient was written on it.

"My lord, I do not know who she is," the youth shook his head.

Unsurprised, since it was a world where cultivating one’s power could easily hide one’s face, Tan Shuchang asked, "How did you come by this letter? Can you tell me about it?"

"I was paying homage to my sister when I happened to encounter a lifesaver from my past; she asked me to deliver it to you, my lord," the youth recounted the events briefly.

Naturally, Tan Shuchang did not derive any information from it, so he carefully inspected the letter to ensure there were no special methods applied to it before opening it with peace of mind.

Upon reading the content, Tan Shuchang couldn’t help but reveal a look of surprise in his eyes.

The letter detailed the grand righteous plan of the Sword Mountain, mentioning that preparation began a hundred years ago, and many top forces were coerced, some of whom were heretical figures who lived over a century ago.

The letter went on to directly point out—the grand righteous plan was far from as straightforward as it seemed on the surface. Only something related to the mythical disappearance from 300 years ago in the Jiawu Realm could unite the righteous and evil paths.

"Do you wish for personal vengeance?" Tan Shuchang put away the letter and asked the youth this question.

Despite already having a not inconsiderable status, and given his position as a servant attending upon Qiu Junlin, he might even have the chance to serve in the royal court in the future as long as Qiu Junlin remained in favor, yet the youth still clung to a low-grade Cultivation Technique, painstakingly practicing it for seven to eight years.

Plus, considering what the youth had just said about being saved and paying respects to his sister, if there weren’t some deep hatred involved, that would be truly strange.

"My lord..." The youth was startled, seemingly shocked at how Tan Shuchang could have known this because he had never mentioned his past to anyone.

Of course, the Qiu family likely investigated his background thoroughly, but it was unlikely that they would have communicated this to Tan Shuchang.

"This is the high-level ’Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture’ as a reward for delivering the letter. Hmm, my cultivation notes are also included, sufficient to assist you in getting started."

Tan Shuchang took out a jade scroll and tossed it lightly, whereupon it smoothly landed in the youth’s embrace.

"Thank you for your generous gift of the cultivation tome, my lord!" The youth’s eyes instantly reddened, and he knelt on the ground. Not to mention a high-level treasure like the Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture, even an ordinary high-level Cultivation Technique was beyond his reach.

Unless one day he could serve in the royal court and devote ten years to an Immortal Sect, only then might he have a chance to obtain one.

High-level Cultivation Techniques have always been monopolized.

"If I live, I shall..." The youth started to express his gratitude, but before he could finish, Tan Shuchang interrupted him.

"No need to thank me, this is what you deserve. And if you truly wish to thank me, then should you attract trouble someday, simply not mentioning my name will be enough."