Starting Cultivation During a Trip

At this moment, inside the room on the third floor.

Ma Buting pushed open the door and walked into his office, only to see two people already seated inside—the Zhou sisters, Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu.

”Is the Li Yishan case settled?”

Ma Buting closed the door to his office, asking casually.

Calculating fortune, surveying feng shui, exorcising demons and monsters… these are all also the Daoist Alliance’s business, but only those of considerable wealth or high status manage to get in touch with them through connections.

The Zhou sisters were Ma Buting’s junior apprentices, and he had transferred them to the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance himself; naturally, their first case needed to be handled flawlessly.

”It’s already settled,” Zhou Miaochan nodded.

Such trivial matters were mere child’s play to the sisters—easily handled and not worth mentioning.

”Hm!? You’ve been drinking?”

Ma Buting raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze landing instantly on Zhou Miaochan.

His senses were nothing short of acute—even if Zhou Miaochan had only sipped a single glass and circulated her True Yang within to dissolve all traces of alcohol, it still couldn’t escape Ma Buting’s nose.

Now, Zhou Miaochan was still in the midst of her fasting period; breaking the fast was a serious taboo, harmful to cultivation.

”I ran into a fellow practitioner.”

Zhou Miaochan paused for a moment, then recounted in full detail the evening’s encounter with Zhang Fan at the Crown Grand Hotel.

At first, Ma Buting seemed uninterested, his expression casual, as if he weren’t really listening. But as the story went on, his gaze grew more focused, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.

When Zhou Miaochan finished speaking, the office fell into a heavy silence.

Zhou Miaoyu was about to speak, but was silenced by a look from Zhou Miaochan.

”Famo Fanggu...”

Just then, Ma Buting finally spoke up, a faint rumbling sound emanating from within him, as if his bones were shuddering. At the same time, all his body hair stood on end, and a cold current surged, as if expelled from his core.

”That widely circulated health care method, and yet he can produce such an effect with it...” Ma Buting said solemnly.

”Senior brother, my Three Yin Demon Slaying Blade still lacks fire time; otherwise...” Zhou Miaoyu began.

”Even if you’d mastered your fire time, you’re not a match for this man!”

Ma Buting lifted a hand, cutting Zhou Miaoyu off.

Such is the way of cultivation—the higher one’s cultivation, the sharper one’s assessment of friend and foe. The lower, the more muddled one’s perception.

Just from Zhou Miaochan’s account alone, Ma Buting could see they had come across an expert—at least someone superior to Zhou Miaoyu.

”Yujing City is truly worthy of the title Ancient Capital of the Six Dynasties, Jiangnan’s capital… a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”

Ma Buting mused quietly, leaning back into his chair.

”Still… a fleeting encounter like that isn’t worth too much thought.”

At this, Ma Buting’s gaze darkened, his eyes turning even clearer, as if he’d forgotten everything just discussed.

”Recently, Master Xuanji from the Observatory of Profound Mystery suddenly died… You know about this, right?”

”Rumor is it was the work of a Wuwei Demon,” Zhou Miaochan said gravely.

”These demons are getting bolder by the day.”

”The higher-ups have already decided to select the best among the Daoist Sect and form an independent organization to hunt down the Wuwei Demons.”

Ma Buting’s fingers kept tapping rhythmically on the desk, a glint of awe flickering in his eyes.

This was not a decision of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance, but of the Daoist Alliance Headquarters themselves.

Such an organization was unprecedented. If anyone could get in, it’d be like the days of Breaking Mountains and Attacking Temples—a devastating blow to the Wuwei Sect.

”Senior brother, do you have a chance?” Zhou Miaochan couldn’t help asking.

Hua Country is vast; the Central Plains mighty; sacred mountains and Daoist temples abound—who knows how many hidden experts there are? If real elite selection is taking place, getting in would be unimaginably tough.

”Maybe,” Ma Buting shook his head.

Countless talents and extraordinary figures roam the world. Zhenwu Mountain’s Xia Weisheng, Zhongnan Mountain’s An Wuyang, Laojun Mountain’s Qi Delong, Qi Dongqiang, and others—all already famed far and wide.

If this organization really intends to gather all the Daoist Sect’s elites, the level of internal competition will be unprecedented.

”If I can accomplish something in the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance, maybe I’ll have a chance,” Ma Buting said in a heavy tone.

He needed to make his resume more impressive.

Regular cases wouldn’t help—unless he could capture a big name like the Thirteen Zodiacs, then his spot would be guaranteed, with no suspense at all.

”Well...”

Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu exchanged a look, both falling silent.

Existences like the Thirteen Zodiacs are as elusive as dragons, their whereabouts a mystery; let alone capturing them, even tracking them down is nearly impossible.

”But there is an opportunity right now.”

With that, Ma Buting took a folder from a drawer and tossed it onto the desk.

Zhou Miaochan picked it up and opened it—inside were a heap of photographs and documents.

”What’s this?”

”Years ago, the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance detected leakage of Dragon Qi from Yujing City’s Dragon Vein,” Ma Buting said gravely.

”Dragon Qi leakage!?” Zhou Miaochan looked at the file in her hand, lost in thought.

Yujing City, sitting at the head of the Yangtze River, was the prime Water Dragon. Since ancient times, though it could not serve as royal capital, its Dragon Qi was abundant—it truly is the Land of Zhongling.

For this reason, many Daoist Sect practitioners retreat here, choosing it as a place to cultivate among the mundane world.

”Mountain and river shifts, the world changes, the Dragon Vein migrates, so Dragon Qi leakage is normal,” Ma Buting said solemnly.

The Dragon Vein, formed by mountains, rivers, and seas, reveals leakage of Dragon Qi when the terrain moves and the Dragon Vein shifts. Earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters can trigger this.

Historically, many natural disasters have led to Dragon Vein migration, bringing down dynasties and even causing short-lived reigns.