The End of the Immortal Path

Yan Yiqiu had actually gotten somewhat used to the sudden appearances of the Law Enforcement Hall.

After all, when she first came to the Sect for her Cultivation, she had never even seen the Law Enforcement Hall.

Let alone had any dealings with them.

Ever since leaving the Inner Sect early to become an Instructor, her life had been peaceful and stable.

For decades, she had never seen anyone attract the attention of the Law Enforcement Hall.

But over the past few years, she had to see them almost annually.

And not just see them—she had to interact with them.

She even had to chat about matters concerning the Evil God.

Occasionally, she would even be "invited for tea."

The once-untroubled woman was now seen as a "problem instructor" by her colleagues.

Always getting dragged away for questioning.

Many people didn’t dare get too close to her.

Now, her fear of the Law Enforcement Hall was even diminishing.

It was almost like seeing an old acquaintance.

’What on earth has twisted me into this?’

"Are we going to the Law Enforcement Hall?" Yan Yiqiu asked.

She didn’t know what for, but it was probably related to Jiang Man.

It had been this way for the last few years.

"Not this time. It’s nothing bad," Ren Qian said with a smile. "Mr. Yan has been very diligent these past few years and has indeed made some achievements."

Yan Yiqiu’s brow furrowed, but then she remembered she was only at the Late Stage of Golden Core and stopped worrying.

She nodded. "It was a bit trying, but thankfully, it’s all over. The rest is up to you all."

Ren Qian left with Yan Yiqiu. Along the way, he asked with a smile, "Mr. Yan, what is your Cultivation level?"

"Late Stage of Golden Core," Yan Yiqiu replied.

"Late Stage of Golden Core... that is a bit on the low side. I recall the minimum requirement for an Inner Sect Instructor is the Primordial Spirit realm," Ren Qian said.

Yan Yiqiu nodded. "Yes, Primordial Spirit is the minimum, but it’s still very difficult to become an Inner Sect Instructor at that level. Most of them are at the Returning Void realm.

"I’ll probably never have the chance to teach in the Inner Sect in this lifetime.

"I don’t even have hope of reaching the Primordial Spirit realm."

"I remember there’s a path for advancement for Instructors, right? There are also related Secret Realm assessments," Ren Qian said, looking at Mr. Yan beside him.

Yan Yiqiu nodded, but very few people could take that path.

She hadn’t had a chance back when she was in the Inner Sect, let alone now as an instructor.

It was a road only a very select few could travel.

"As long as the path exists, there’s still a chance for the future." As he spoke, Ren Qian took out a letter. "This is Mr. Yan’s letter of appointment."

Hearing this, Yan Yiqiu was stunned. "Appointment?"

"Yes, an appointment in the Inner Sect," Ren Qian replied.

"But I’m still at the Late Stage of Golden Core."

"Yes, your Cultivation is indeed a bit lacking, so you can’t be a full Instructor. For now, you’re just appointed as a teaching assistant. You’ll be assisting in the courtyard where Jiang Man is."

"But I’ll still have to teach, won’t I? Am I even qualified to teach them?"

"You just need to teach them the various rules. Besides that, you’ll need to liaise with Jiang Man. After all, Mr. Yan knows quite a bit and can no longer remain uninvolved."

Yan Yiqiu was silent for a moment. "Is that the only reason?"

Ren Qian shook his head. "There’s more. Jiang Man’s situation has been a bit precarious recently. Sending Mr. Yan is also a way to fill a position and counteract any unnecessary incidents.

"It’s to ensure Jiang Man and the others can cultivate normally, unhindered by common obstacles.

"In short, just do what you need to do. Some matters can be handled through special channels.

"I can’t say whether it will succeed, but I can assure you that no major harm will come to Mr. Yan."

Hearing his guarantee only made Yan Yiqiu feel more uneasy.

It just meant the situation was actually quite bad.

She hesitated for a moment. "Can I refuse?"

Ren Qian pointed to the envelope and chuckled. "The letter of appointment has already been issued."

Seeing Yan Yiqiu’s dejected expression, Ren Qian added with a smile, "It’s a good thing, really. Your future path has broadened. As long as you don’t go out much, you should be fine."

After that, Ren Qian left.

Yan Yiqiu sighed.

’As long as I don’t go out much, I should be fine.’

’But what if I do go out?’

’Does that mean something is bound to happen?’

’My life is pretty much ruined.’

She never imagined that being an Instructor could get her so deeply entangled.

————

「March 20th.」

Jiang Man stood in front of his courtyard, staring thoughtfully at the Spirit Pet Egg.

"Old Huang, when do you think it’ll hatch?" he asked the Old Yellow Ox grazing beside him.

"Should be soon," the Old Yellow Ox answered casually.

"Do you think it’ll be worth more after it hatches, or is it more valuable now?" Jiang Man asked again.

"Registered Spirit Pets are hard to sell," the Old Yellow Ox said, glancing at Jiang Man.

Jiang Man sighed. "I guess I can only sell the three from Song Qing’s side. Speaking of which, those three still haven’t hatched either."

"Didn’t you say you didn’t know how to spend your Spiritual Source?" the Old Yellow Ox said, looking at Jiang Man.

Jiang Man shrugged. "Yeah. How can I spend it if it’ll be gone afterward?"

He then rummaged through his Storage Treasure and found a jar of wine.

"Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I visited my Alchemy Master. I wonder how he’s been doing lately," Jiang Man said wistfully, taking out the wine.

The Old Yellow Ox watched Jiang Man but said nothing.

"Let me think... what else can I give the old man?" Jiang Man racked his brain and recalled something related to elixirs.

It was information he’d gotten from a treasure hunt.

It seemed to be an inheritance of the Alchemy Dao.

With that, Jiang Man picked up the wine and headed for the Alchemy Courtyard.

’I wonder if Master will be happy to see me.’

Just as Jiang Man left via Sword Control, the Spirit Pet Egg, which had been completely still, suddenly trembled twice.

An instant later, a CRACKING sound was heard.

The eggshell began to crack.

Something was about to hatch.

The Old Yellow Ox glanced at the egg, then contacted Zhao Tiankuo.

He told him that Jiang Man’s pet had hatched and that it was time to awaken its intelligence and win it over.

He had mentioned this plan when the Spirit Pet Egg first arrived.

The idea to awaken its intelligence and win it over was Zhao Tiankuo’s.

The Demon Lord was known to be quite skilled at awakening intelligence.

——

「Alchemy Courtyard.」

He Huai’an sighed, looked at the other Alchemy Masters, and said, "What was I to do? I never expected to casually take in two disciples, only for one to achieve the Sixth Institute Core Formation and the other the Second Courtyard Core Formation."