Chapter 92

The stronger one’s Purple Mansion (Zifu) is, the more difficult it is to transcend tribulations. However, the Purple Mansion represents the foundation for one’s future. While a low-strength Purple Mansion can indeed make it easier to transcend tribulations, after entering the fusion period, there will be another Heavenly Tribulation at a certain time. This Heavenly Tribulation is not something the cultivator actively invites, but rather it is automatically bestowed by Heaven and Earth. If the Purple Mansion is not strong enough during the breakthrough and fusion process, it is often impossible to overcome this Heavenly Tribulation.

The fusion stage involves the fusion of the nascent soul and the physical body. This process is automatic and can only be accelerated, not slowed down. Under normal circumstances, it takes between 300 and 500 years to complete. Once the fusion is finished, the Heavenly Tribulation arrives. Successfully surviving leads to the Mahayana stage; failure results in the dissipation of the soul. Therefore, it is extremely rare to see fusion stage experts in the world; most fusion stage cultivators are in seclusion, accumulating experience and awaiting the Heavenly Tribulation.

Reaching the Mahayana stage is not the end of cultivation. Every thousand years, a heavenly tribulation will descend, with nine tribulations forming one cycle, and one must go through four cycles in total. The power of each heavenly tribulation is twice that of the last. If one fails to overcome it, one will die and one’s cultivation will be extinguished, but one’s soul will not be scattered, and one will have the opportunity to be reincarnated.

Why would cultivators still strive to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and even the Mahayana stage, given such perilous circumstances? Simply because after surviving the Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations, one can enter the legendary Immortal Realm. Reaching the Immortal Realm doesn’t mean one remains in this world; whether an Immortal Realm even exists is still uncertain. The Immortal Realm represents the highest combat power in the cultivation world! With a mere gesture, one can destroy a planet.

Ding Shuang was unaware of the divisions between cultivation levels, and he didn’t even know if there were cultivation sects on Earth. However, the cultivation method of the Azure Heaven Sword Manual that Ding Shuang obtained was quite unique. In the early stages, there was only one hurdle to overcome in advancing the technique: the Foundation Establishment stage. The Body Refinement stage was the same as other cultivation stages, and at Ding Shuang’s current level, he had already reached the Innate Realm.

The Foundation Establishment stage of the Azure Sky Sword Manual is not about condensing the Golden Core, but about condensing the Sword Heart. The Sword Heart is not located in the dantian, but in the sea of ​​consciousness. The sea of ​​qi formed in the dantian is not composed of spiritual energy, but of sword qi. A sea of ​​qi formed from sword qi cannot form a Purple Mansion; it can only be continuously expanded. As the sea of ​​qi expands, strength will also increase.

Once the sword heart is condensed, there are no more thresholds until the sword qi sea expands to its limit, at which point the heavenly tribulation will descend. This heavenly tribulation is the same as the heavenly tribulations of other Mahayana cultivators, occurring once every thousand years, in nine cycles, for a total of four cycles. At Ding Shuang’s current level, with his sword heart only just condensed, he is still far from facing the heavenly tribulation.

The terrifying aspect of the Azure Sky Sword Manual lies not in the fact that there are no barriers to entry after the Sword Heart is formed, but in the fact that each advancement in the Sword Heart’s realm doubles the attack power. The Sword Heart realm is divided into five lower levels and three upper levels. The lower five levels double the attack power each time, from lowest to highest: Perfection of Dust Removal is called Immaculate, Perfection of Mind Clarity is called Transparent, Perfection of Sharpening is called Unsheathing, Perfection of Forgetting the Sword is called Only Mind, and Perfection of Fusion with the Sword is called Unity. The five perfected levels together multiply the attack power by 32 times.

Each of the three levels multiplies the damage tenfold, and upon completion, the total multiplier is 32,000 times. The first level is called “Slaying Evil,” and upon completion, no evil can escape its grasp! The second level is called “Slaying Thoughts,” and upon completion, it directly attacks the soul! The third level is called “Slaying the Heavens,” and upon completion, it cleaves through the void with a single sword strike!

With Ding Shuang’s current mastery of artifact manipulation and cold weapon mastery, his Sword Heart realm is at the peak of Enlightenment, also known as the Transparent Realm. Ding Shuang’s next task is to hone his Sword Heart, making it even sharper.

There is no fixed method for honing one’s sword heart. For a sword cultivator like Ding Shuang, who obtained a sword heart with the help of the system and directly reached the Mingxin realm, the best way to hone one’s sword heart is through combat, and constant combat.

After receiving the inheritance of the Azure Heaven Sword Manual, Ding Shuang regained consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, it was as if two sharp swords pierced out, incredibly fierce!

Gradually, Ding Shuang’s eyes returned to their former lazy look. At this moment, in Ding Shuang’s sea of ​​consciousness, a small sword with an ancient and simple appearance and a gleaming blade floated, but this small sword was not yet sharpened.

Ding Shuang stretched his body; an hour of standing still had left him a bit stiff. After shaking his head for a while, Ding Shuang asked the system, “System, what level would you say my current strength is?”

The system replied, “Host, your current strength is equivalent to a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and your combat power can barely reach the late stage of the Golden Core realm. Of course, this is only compared with ordinary cultivators; you are still a bit weaker than the elite cultivators of those major sects.”

Ding Shuang was shocked. Cultivators? Sects? These were concepts from those fantasy novels! Could it be? Ding Shuang immediately asked the system, “There are cultivation sects on Earth now?”

The system replied, “Host, there are no immortal cultivation sects on Earth. Earth does have martial arts, but they can only reach the ultimate level of the Innate Realm.”

Ding Shuang asked, “So that means the cultivation system in fantasy novels only exists in the novels?”

The system said, “Host, there is cultivation of immortality in the real world, but not on Earth.”

Ding Shuang got excited and pressed for an answer, “Where can I find it?”

The system said, “Host, you do not currently meet the conditions for obtaining this answer, so the system cannot provide you with an answer.”

Ding Shuang sighed and muttered to herself, “Ugh~ Not enough permissions again. When will I be able to fully control this damn system!”

The system said, “Host, this is a super system, not a broken one. Also, you don’t lack permissions; you haven’t triggered the relevant task. Since you’re so proactive, the system will give you a relevant task.”

“Task issued: Find the legendary cultivators. Within one month in the mortal realm, find evidence of their existence. Completing the task will reward you with 100,000 experience points, 200,000 travel points, and information on mortal cultivators. Optional Task 1: Find a living Foundation Establishment stage or higher cultivator; reward: 1 Super Lottery Draw. Optional Task 2: Obtain information on cultivator sects; reward: 1 Super Lottery Draw for each sect obtained. Optional Task 3: Join a cultivator sect; reward: 10 Super Lottery Draws. Failure to complete the task will result in annihilation!”

Ding Shuang stared in disbelief at the task issued by the system. He never expected that the system would ask him to find the answer! Moreover, based on the content of the task and the reward, it can be roughly judged that there should be cultivators on Earth, or that there used to be cultivator sects on Earth, and those legends may have actually happened on Earth.

As for the final step of joining a sect, there are two possibilities. One is to receive the inheritance of a destroyed sect, become a disciple, and shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the sect. The other is that a sect still exists in the present world, but not on Earth, but in the universe. That makes sense; the system might also originate from the universe.

Forget it, I won’t think about it too much. Anyway, the system has given me a month. I can do a proper investigation when I come back next time. With so many legends, I should be able to find some evidence, right?

Ding Shuang checked the time; it was 5 PM. He decided to go buy something to eat. Actually, he could now go without food or drink entirely, but the habit of eating still lingered. Just as Ding Shuang finished changing and was about to leave, a call came in from an unknown number. The call was for Wei Bingfei.

Ding Shuang answered the phone and said, “Hello, who is this?”

A lazy female voice came through the phone, “Wei Bingfei, this is Wan Qiuyue. I’d like to talk to you.”

Ding Shuang’s pupils contracted. Why was Wan Qiuyue calling her? Was she still persistent? Did she want to break through her defenses? Ding Shuang refused, “I’m sorry, Ms. Wan, I’m not in the country.”

Wan Qiuyue chuckled and said, “Hehe, Wei Bingfei, you might fool one person, but can you fool me? Don’t forget I’m a criminal police officer. I can check your entry and exit records to find out if you’ve left the country.”

“Damn it!” Ding Shuang cursed inwardly. He’d been in the secondary world for so long that he’d forgotten this woman was a detective. “Lai Yi Fa” was Wen Ge’s real name. Before he transmigrated, he’d killed Wen Ge’s trusted confidant, Qiang Zi. Wen Ge had suspected Ding Shuang, disguised as a guard named Fei, was responsible, but Sister Ting had lied and said Wan Xia Liu had sent him abroad for plastic surgery, fooling him. He hadn’t expected Wan Qiu Yue to uncover the truth.

Ding Shuang asked in a low voice, “What do you want?”

Wan Qiuyue said, “Don’t worry, we don’t intend to do anything to you. We have no evidence, and you’ve done a service to the people. We just want to talk to you personally, so don’t worry.”

Ding Shuang asked warily, “What do you want to talk about?”

Wan Qiuyue’s words were tinged with displeasure, “Why are you so cautious? I just wanted to talk to you about some things, to see if we could cooperate. That’s all. If you’re willing to cooperate with me, then we’ll cooperate. If not, then we can part ways, how about that?”

Ding Shuang was skeptical of Wan Qiuyue’s statement, and he also didn’t want to get involved with the authorities. Considering that she had leverage over him, he couldn’t refuse immediately. Ding Shuang was now in a dilemma, pondering what to choose.

Wan Qiuyue didn’t want to give Ding Shuang time to think. “Alright, alright, it’s settled then. See you at Ba Liu Feng Xue Bar at 8 PM.”

Ding Shuang shuddered. Had Wan Qiuyue already guessed her true identity? Why did they have to meet at the bar?

Ding Shuang steadied herself and asked, “Officer Wan, don’t you think it’s inappropriate for me to be near President Wan’s bar?”

Wan Qiuyue chuckled, “Hehe, your disguise skills are so amazing. What are you afraid of? See you at 8 o’clock!”

Ding Shuang thought for a moment and said, “Let’s not go to 8 o’clock, let’s go to 7 o’clock. If we can’t cooperate, I can run away early.”

Wan Qiuyue was amused by Ding Shuang’s words, “Hahaha, you’re really funny. 7 o’clock it is.”

At 7 p.m., Ding Shuang arrived at the Ba Liu Feng Xue Bar on time. Wan Qiuyue had arrived earlier than Ding Shuang, reserved a private room and was waiting for him, and had also sent him a text message.

After entering the bar, Ding Shuang was led to a private room by a waiter. He didn’t actually need the waiter to show him the way; he knew the place inside and out. However, at this moment, Ding Shuang wasn’t sure if Wan Qiuyue knew his identity or was just pretending to be unfamiliar with the place.

Upon entering the private room, Ding Shuang saw Wan Qiuyue sitting at the table. She was dressed very casually today, wearing a light blue off-the-shoulder T-shirt, tight-fitting capri pants, and sneakers. Ding Shuang walked straight to Wan Qiuyue and sat down opposite her, getting straight to the point, “So, how do we want to cooperate?”

Wan Qiuyue kept scrutinizing Ding Shuang, making Ding Shuang feel a chill run down her spine. Wan Qiuyue said, “Your disguise skills are truly amazing! I can’t see any flaws at all! Where did you learn that?”

Ding Shuang frowned. “It’s a secret. Officer Wan, you’d better tell me quickly how we’re going to cooperate.”

Ding Shuang suddenly remembered that she hadn’t been able to identify Wan Qiuyue last time. Now that her level was over 40, she should be able to identify her. With that thought, Ding Shuang cast an identification spell.

Name: Wan Qiuyue

Level, lv51

Ding Shuang only identified these two pieces of information. Looking at the level of 51, Ding Shuang was somewhat shocked! This was the highest level he had ever seen in the mortal world! Wait! Level 51? He himself was already at the Golden Core stage at level 42, so level 51 meant that Wan Qiuyue was a cultivator!

Just as Ding Shuang was about to ask the system a question, Wan Qiuyue spoke up, “Wei Bingfei, why are you in such a hurry? Are you already prepared to refuse to run away?”

Ding Shuang steadied herself, suppressing the urge to question the system, and replied to Wan Qiuyue, “I just don’t like beating around the bush. Just tell me directly how you plan to cooperate, and I’ll agree if I think we can cooperate.”

Wan Qiuyue said, “To show my sincerity in cooperating, I have already forged your entry and exit records, so you don’t need to rush to leave. You have plenty of time tonight to go around in circles.”

Ding Shuang was immediately at a loss. What did this woman mean? Was she trying to give her a little something to make it impossible for her to refuse to talk to her? Ding Shuang knew the saying “the more you say, the more mistakes you make” and didn’t want to talk to Wan Qiuyue any longer. She said calmly, “Then thank you in advance, Officer Wan. But I still want to know how you plan to cooperate?”

Wan Qiuyue glared at Ding Shuang reproachfully, “How can you be like this? I’ve already shown my sincerity, can’t you at least show some reciprocation? At least tell me about your background.”

Ding Shuang remained unmoved by Wan Qiuyue’s scolding. “Officer Wan, if you can find my entry and exit records, I don’t believe you can’t find my background information.”

Wan Qiuyue’s tone became slightly agitated. “Your file! I don’t even know what to say about your file! It’s too real, so real it’s like a fake. There’s absolutely no problem! The file says you’ve been to prison, and we’ve asked the prison guards and fellow inmates at your prison, and they all confirmed it. Officer Wang even praised your good behavior in prison, which is why you were released early with a reduced sentence. Your abilities, and this incredible disguise skill, can’t be explained in the file at all.”

Ding Shuang chuckled inwardly. What did he mean by “the real one looks exactly like the fake one”? That was a file fabricated by the system; it would be strange if it had any flaws! However, Ding Shuang was also quite impressed with the system’s abilities, as it could actually alter a person’s memories. But who was Officer Wang? Ding Shuang hadn’t carefully examined the file fabricated by the system regarding Wei Bingfei, so he remained silent, staring blankly at Wan Qiuyue.

Wan Qiuyue didn’t receive a reply from Ding Shuang. Instead, Ding Shuang looked at her firmly, her eyes conveying a message: “Quickly tell me how to cooperate.” Wan Qiuyue had a feeling that she had been seen through by the other party.

Indeed, Ding Shuang saw through Wan Qiuyue. The shameless Ding Shuang activated his X-ray vision, peering through Wan Qiuyue’s top to observe the size of her breasts, even comparing them to Wan Xialiu’s. Wan Qiuyue was Wan Xialiu’s younger sister, but her breasts were more developed than Wan Xialiu’s. The two sisters’ breasts were about the same size, but Wan Qiuyue’s were more rounded and harmonious.

Wan Qiuyue, who had been under constant scrutiny, finally gave up. She leaned back, rubbing her forehead with her right hand, and said, “Fine, fine, I’m really scared of you. Before we cooperate, I at least need to know some things about you, otherwise how can we cooperate?”

Ding Shuang withdrew her gaze and looked back at Wan Qiuyue’s face. Seeing her sincere expression, she asked, “What do you want to know?”

Seeing that Ding Shuang was finally willing to communicate with her properly, Wan Qiuyue sat up straight again and asked, “What is your relationship with the owner of this shop? Why did you save her?”

Ding Shuang thought for a moment and said, “Ms. Qiu and Mr. Wan are friends. I can’t stand idly by if Ms. Qiu is in danger.”

Wan Qiuyue nodded and said, “Oh, so you saved her by sleeping with her?”

Holy crap! Upon hearing Wan Qiuyue’s words, Ding Shuang nearly flew his sword and killed her! Does this woman even know how to talk?! What does she mean by “slept with her”?!

Fortunately, Ding Shuang had experienced multiple sub-worlds and developed a calm demeanor. She said expressionlessly, “In urgent situations, we have to act expediently. There wasn’t a better solution at the time. Besides, it was Ms. Qiu’s request.”

Ding Shuang wasn’t lying about this; the proprietress had indeed asked her to help her detoxify, otherwise she wouldn’t be unemployed right now. She wondered how the proprietress was doing now? Had she come to the bar today?

Wan Qiuyue chuckled and said, “You really are careless! Qiu Xueliu is quite a beauty. Aren’t you afraid my sister will be jealous? Hey, hey, hey~ Don’t go! Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay? Don’t you care about Qiu Xueliu’s safety?”

Hearing Wan Qiuyue ramble on again, Ding Shuang got up to leave, but upon hearing that it concerned Qiu Xueliu’s safety, he sat back down. Ding Shuang knew this wasn’t a good idea; it would leave a loophole. But he couldn’t ignore the proprietress’s safety.

Seeing Ding Shuang sit back down in her chair, Wan Qiuyue didn’t dare to continue rambling and said, “Regarding the cooperation, what I can do is guarantee the personal safety of Qiu Xueliu and her family, and help you completely clear your name so that they will no longer pay attention to you.”

Ding Shuang nodded and asked, “So what do I need to do?”

Wan Qiuyue said seriously, “Help us get into the circle of PhDs.”

Ding Shuang laughed and said, “Officer Wan, are you joking? I haven’t even entered the doctor’s circle yet, how can I help you?”

Wan Qiuyue laughed and said, “It seems you know a lot about the circle of PhDs.”

Ding Shuang’s heart skipped a beat. Damn it! She’d fallen for it! A thought flashed through her mind. “Well, after you left President Wan’s office last time, he explained your purpose to me in detail. However, I really don’t know how I can help you.”

Wan Qiuyue maintained her smile and said, “You have Wan Xialiu, right? She even told you this, which shows you’re very important to her. She doesn’t consider you her…”

Before Wan Qiuyue could finish speaking, Ding Shuang interrupted her, “Officer Wan, President Wan is your sister.”

Wan Qiuyue’s smile was somewhat stiff, but her speech quickened, “Uh, you can think of me as heartless. Besides, we’ve never lived together, so there’s no sisterly bond between us. And she’s done a lot of dirty things in the past; helping us is her way of atoning for her past. I don’t know if she’s ever told you about her past…”

Ding Shuang interrupted Wan Qiuyue again, “Officer Wan, if you were asking me to cooperate, I could decide for myself whether to agree. But now that Mr. Wan is involved, I can’t agree immediately. I need to discuss it with Mr. Wan.”

Hearing Ding Shuang’s words, Wan Qiuyue sighed, “Sigh, you should try to persuade her. She really doesn’t need to sacrifice anything; all she needs to do is for you and her to get in touch with the doctor.”

Ding Shuang asked, “What do you mean?”

Wan Qiuyue said, “Do you think it’s so easy to get into the Doctor’s circle? The Doctor is a suspicious person by nature, and he usually doesn’t invite people into his circle without rigorously examining them. Wan Xiaoliu is quite famous in that circle, and the Doctor has invited her before. If you can get in touch with the Doctor, according to his usual practice, he will have you offer a female slave over, and then we will arrange for our people to go.”

After a moment’s thought, Ding Shuang said, “Three questions. First, why would the Doctor, who is so suspicious, ask us to offer up female slaves? Aren’t you afraid of being exposed? Second, if that’s the case, why don’t you just arrange for someone to contact the Doctor and send someone over? Third, if the Doctor finds out, both Mr. Wan and I will be in danger.”

Wan Qiuyue replied, “I can answer your question. The Doctor is suspicious, and his demand for female slaves is a test of loyalty. We still haven’t figured out his identity. If we arrange for someone to contact him, he will face many tests, which will take a long time and make it very easy to be exposed. A colleague of ours was once assassinated by the Doctor’s men because of this exposure. Wan Xialiu was once invited by the Doctor, which proves that the Doctor has examined Wan Xialiu. It will be easier for you to gain his trust if you contact him. There are risks, but we will be prepared. You should still send the person through the normal procedure. We will tamper with the handover process. Then it will be their handover process that has gone wrong, not you sending the police.”

After listening to Wan Qiuyue’s answer, Ding Shuang thought for a moment and said, “Let’s return to the third question: what are the chances of my relationship with President Wan being exposed?”

Wan Qiuyue said with great confidence, “Less than 1%. Although you may be suspected afterward, the doctor will definitely not take action against you, and you will be able to get away with it.”

Ding Shuang continued to ponder. Facing the Doctor alone was indeed extremely risky. Cooperating with Wan Qiuyue was a good option. However, Wan Qiuyue represented the government, and she didn’t want to get too involved with them. She just wanted to resolve the Doctor’s matter and then live a carefree life with Rong Bing, watching Ding Fei graduate, find a job, get married, and have children. A simple, ordinary life.

“Peaceful my foot!” Ding Shuang suddenly remembered that she still had a system on her body. If she wanted peace and quiet, she had to get rid of this damn system. However, she had also benefited a lot from the system. Without it, not only would Rong Bing leave her, but Ding Fei would also be in danger. Right, while Wan Qiuyue was waiting for her to think, she should ask the system if she had completed the cultivator’s mission.

Ding Shuang asked the system, “System, I’ve found the evidence that he’s a cultivator! Wan Qiuyue is level 51, a Golden Core stage expert!”

The system said, “Host, a high level doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a cultivator. Didn’t you also reach level forty or higher before you obtained the cultivation technique?”

Ding Shuang was speechless. Yes, she was just a higher-level user. Could it be that Wan Qiuyue, like herself, was also a system host? Ding Shuang asked, “Does Wan Qiuyue also have a system?”

The system said, “Host, I can’t tell you that, since you don’t have the necessary permissions.”

“Damn it!” Ding Shuang, usually calm, couldn’t stand the system’s irritability! Furious, Ding Shuang slammed his hand on the table, startling Wan Qiuyue across from him! She was waiting for Ding Shuang’s reply, but instead, he angrily slammed his hand on the table. She wondered what she had said earlier that had provoked him.

Wan Qiuyue asked, “What’s wrong? Is there anything you haven’t figured out?”

Ding Shuang realized she had lost her composure. “Damn system, why did you have to provoke me like this?” Ding Shuang shook her head and replied, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how I should handle things if something goes wrong on your end.”

Wan Qiuyue said, “Oh, if it were exposed, it would indeed be quite difficult to deal with. Otherwise, Lao Zhang wouldn’t have…” Wan Qiuyue seemed to be lost in a memory. Based on their previous conversation, Ding Shuang guessed that Lao Zhang must be her colleague who had been assassinated before.

The two sat in silence for ten minutes before Wan Qiuyue spoke first, “Have you made your decision?”

Ding Shuang shook her head and said, “I’m still considering it. After all, there are still risks involved.”

Wan Qiuyue nodded and said, “The risk is small, but the consequences are serious. I won’t hide it from you. If the doctor finds out that you have something going on, then there will be no place for you on Earth.”

Ding Shuang was stunned. The doctor’s power was so great! There was no place for him on Earth anymore?

Wan Qiuyue said, “Let’s think about it while we drink. We’ve been sitting here for so long and haven’t ordered anything. The waiter has passed by several times already.” After saying that, Wan Qiuyue called over a waiter and asked him to bring over two wine menus.

Ding Shuang and Wan Qiuyue each took a copy and looked at it. Suddenly, Wan Qiuyue asked, “Do you know Ding Shuang?”

Ding Shuang glanced at the wine list and casually asked, “Who’s that?”

The waiter then chimed in, “Brother Ding is our head bartender! His bartending skills are arguably the best on this street! Don’t believe me, it’s not something we call ourselves, it’s the opinion of our regular customers. But you two have come at an inopportune time, Brother Ding is on a long leave and has gone back to his hometown. The owner said he’ll probably be back in September, then you can come and try our drinks.”

Ding Shuang continued looking at the wine list, replying indifferently, “Oh, I don’t like drinking. When he gets back is none of my business. A bubble tea.”

When Ding Shuang ordered bubble tea, Wan Qiuyue across from her almost spat out blood. This was so strange!