Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

After his bath, Jiang Mu stepped into the Eighth Hall Government Office.

The courtyard was silent.

He saw Zhang Daxie sitting before his younger brother Zhang Xiaokui’s room. Fidgeting as if sitting on nails, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable, his face etched with unconcealed anxiety.

For a Cultivator, breaking through a realm was like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.

One step could lead to heaven, the other to an abyss.

Countless individuals of exceptional talent had exhausted all their efforts at this very juncture.

Some failed at the final moment, their path of cultivation severed for good.

To ensure this breakthrough, Zhang Xiaokui had spared no expense.

Not only had he exchanged his merits for a top-grade Pill, but he had also bathed, burned incense, and fasted for three days. He even consulted the almanac to choose an auspicious time, when "all matters were favorable," to enter seclusion.

’I just hope it’s enough...’

At this thought, Zhang Daxie’s gratitude toward Jiang Mu deepened.

If they hadn’t been assigned to the Eighth Hall by a strange twist of fate, if Lord Jiang hadn’t led him and his brother to perform meritorious deeds and acquire resources time and again, his brother’s chance of success for this breakthrough would likely be less than fifty percent.

"Lord Jiang."

Catching sight of Jiang Mu in his peripheral vision, Zhang Daxie hurriedly saluted.

"How is Xiao Kui?"

Jiang Mu approached, his hands clasped behind his back.

Zhang Daxie shook his head, his voice laced with worry.

"No movement yet. But judging by the time, it should be soon. He was well-prepared, so there shouldn’t be any issues."

Jiang Mu nodded, sighed with his hands still behind his back, and said, "Breakthroughs are difficult."

"Tell me about it."

Feeling a deep sense of empathy, Zhang Daxie let out a long sigh of his own.

Jiang Mu continued sighing.

"Even for someone like me, it took a great deal of effort to break through to the Third Realm. Alas, it’s so difficult."

"Yes, it is diff... huh??"

Zhang Daxie’s brain suddenly caught up, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

He stared at Jiang Mu, his eyes wide as saucers.

’Third... Third Realm?!’

Just moments ago, his mind had been entirely focused on his brother, so he hadn’t paid close attention to Jiang Mu’s aura.

Now, after this "reminder," he was shocked to realize that the aura emanating from his Hall Master had undergone a qualitative transformation.

It was unmistakably the aura of a genuine Third Realm Cultivator!

"L-Lord Jiang, you..."

Zhang Daxie was stuttering so badly he couldn’t form a complete sentence.

"Heh, just lucky."

Jiang Mu waved a hand nonchalantly, a humble expression on his face. "I just broke through this morning. It really took a lot out of me."

Zhang Daxie’s mind went completely blank.

His head was buzzing, his entire worldview crumbling.

’This is way too fast.’

’When my brother reached the peak of the Second Realm, you were in the First Realm.’

’While my brother was still preparing to break through from the peak of the Second Realm, you reached the Second Realm.’

’Now my brother is still in seclusion, trying to break into the Third Realm, and you’re already in the Third Realm!’

’Are you even human?!’

’Seriously, are you even human?!’

Zhang Daxie’s mouth hung open, speechless for a long moment.

He had lived for over thirty years and had scraped by in the Demon-slaying Bureau for more than a decade. He’d seen his fair share of geniuses and prodigies.

But he had never seen anyone who leveled up as fast as Jiang Mu; it was like watching a rocket shoot into the sky.

"Come on, sit down and chat."

Jiang Mu pulled him over to a nearby stone bench and sat down. "Perfect timing. I only have a vague understanding of this whole ’securing a Star Position’ business. Why don’t you explain it to me in detail?"

Zhang Daxie took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the storm raging in his heart, and gave a wry smile.

"What aspect would you like to know about, Lord Jiang?"

"Tell me about all of it, the more detailed the better," Jiang Mu said.

Zhang Daxie collected his thoughts and asked seriously,

"Lord Jiang, before we talk about the Star Position, do you know what the biggest difference is between humans and Demons?"

Jiang Mu frowned.

"Humans are born from humans, and demons are born from demons?"

"Er..."

Zhang Daxie was momentarily speechless. He cleared his throat. "It’s lifespan!"

"Lifespan?"

"Yes, lifespan."

Zhang Daxie explained,

"Demons are unique beings of heaven and earth, blessed with naturally superior bodies. From birth, they can sense and absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and their lifespans are extremely long.

"Living for two or three hundred years is normal for them, and even thousand-year-old demons are not uncommon.

"Because they live so long, they can use their vast lifespans to slowly temper their demonic bodies until they condense a Demon Pill.

"Once they have a Demon Pill, they’ve established a bond with heaven and earth, becoming entrenched natives of this world. Ordinary mortals can neither kill nor contend with them."

At this, Zhang Daxie sighed.

"But we of the Human Race have mortal flesh. Our bodies are like funnels.

"Constrained by Innate laws, mortals cannot lock the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi directly within their bodies. Compounding this, our lifespans are short—a mere hundred years or so.

"We can’t retain Spiritual Qi, and we don’t live long. How are we supposed to fight Demons?"

Jiang Mu nodded thoughtfully. "That is indeed a fatal weakness."

Zhang Daxie’s eyes burned with intensity.

"Therefore, the ancient sages and Great Powers of the Human Race exhaustively studied the ways of heaven and man, and finally found a way to break this deadlock—by borrowing the power of the celestial stars to act as a bridge!"

He pointed to the vast sky above.

"The stars hang over the great thousand worlds; they are the ’apertures’ of heaven and earth. Since ancient times, they have received the essence of heaven and breathed the splendor of the earth, eternally indestructible.

"If a Cultivator can obtain the position of a ’Star Official’ and gain the recognition and blessing of a specific star or constellation, they can use that celestial body as a medium to draw upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and refine their own bodies.

"With the blessing of Star Power, one finally gains the qualification to slay Demon Fiends."

Jiang Mu listened intently, a sense of enlightenment dawning on him.

’So that’s how it is...’

’Body Tempering lays the foundation, and breaking into the Third Realm gets you an ’admission ticket.’

’But ’securing a Star Position’ is the key to truly pushing open the gate to the extraordinary and obtaining a ’demon-slaying license’!’

"Then how does one become a Star Official?" Jiang Mu pressed.

"There are two ways."

Zhang Daxie held up two fingers.

"The first is to rely on one’s own perception.

"When a Cultivator breaks through to the Third Realm, their Divine Soul begins to condense. At that point, they can try to let their consciousness roam the ethereal plane and perceive the stars in the heavens.

"They must search for a ’Star Official’ position that is most compatible with their own Life Chart, establish a resonance with it, and then ’occupy’ it.

"Once they succeed, they will have secured that Star Position, and no one else can claim it. However..."

Zhang Daxie’s tone shifted, a bitter look crossing his face.

"In this day and age, that method is no longer viable. I would advise you not to waste your time on it, Lord Jiang."

"Why?" Jiang Mu asked, confused.

Zhang Daxie said helplessly,

"Because all the ’Star Official’ positions in the heavens have long been taken. There are no vacancies left for newcomers."

"What?!"

Jiang Mu was stunned. "Are you kidding me? The stars in the sky are as numerous as the hairs on a cow. They’re countless. How could they all be taken?"

Zhang Daxie patiently explained,

"Lord Jiang, while the celestial stars are indeed innumerable, not every star is blessed with an ’Official’ title.

"Only the ’Primary Stars,’ those with names in the Star Palace registry, can bear the title of a Star Official.

"The Three Enclosures, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends... all told, the number of Star Officials with actual names and duties adds up to only four or five hundred.

"Do you really think there are any vacancies left for us?"

As he said this, Zhang Daxie’s heart filled with indignation and helplessness.

It was truly unfair.

’Many years ago, a powerful figure also surnamed Jiang tried to change these rules and break the monopoly.’

’He bluntly stated that this method of cultivation was a ’Gu’ system, designed to create disposable pawns.’

’That it was impossible to truly ascend this way.’

’Unfortunately, he was ultimately branded a Demon Fiend and obliterated by the Celestial Dao.’

’That man’s name was Jiang Chaoxi.’

Jiang Mu opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He completely understood now.

So, ’securing a Star Position’ wasn’t as simple as just picking a random star and connecting to its Wi-Fi.

You had to find a star with an "official post."

And that official post was everything.

Without an official post, you weren’t qualified to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Without an official post, you were operating without a license, unqualified to slay demons and fiends.

And all of these official posts had long been carved up by the ancestors of the Human Race, with not even scraps left behind.

One post per person, a perfect fit with no room to spare.

Want to cut in line?

Not a chance!

Jiang Mu tilted his head back to look at the sky, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness wash over him.

It’s true what they say: the ultimate end of the universe is bureaucracy!

’The great power who designed this cultivation system couldn’t have been some old fellow from Qi Lu, could he?’