Although he planned to head to the Dao Court, Lu Yang wouldn't just blindly rush over.
After all, the Dao Court implemented a closed-door policy and was severely xenophobic. Ordinary cultivators couldn't get close at all; trespassing into Jiangdong would only result in being treated as an invader and killed on the spot.
Especially Foundation Establishment cultivators.
According to Wu Taian's memories, the Dao Court is suppressed by the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]. Any Foundation Establishment cultivator who enters the territory will be immediately locked onto by the Dao Court.
Therefore, Lu Yang was in no hurry to restore his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Anyway, there were plenty of Foundation Establishment cultivators inside the [Myriad Spirits Banner] to protect him, so there was no need to worry. After entering Yu Suzhen's body using [Reincarnated Spirit Child], he waited patiently.
Soon, Yu Suzhen woke up.
"I am..."
Yu Suzhen looked around, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion. However, as Lu Yang circulated [Marionette], she quickly "remembered" the past.
"That pitiful new disciple has already been finished off by me, and I have now successfully broken through to Qi Refining First Layer."
"This is very reasonable."
Stepping off the bed, Yu Suzhen changed her clothes. Immediately after, a knock came from the door. Opening it, she saw Liu Xin, who had been waiting for a long time.
Lu Yang was very familiar with the subsequent unfolding.
Liu Xin wanted to refine Yu Suzhen, but Yu Suzhen sensed something was wrong in advance. She used a honey trap and finally poisoned him, forcing him to his death.
And after that came Yu Suzhen's masterful manipulation of her admirers.
During this process, Lu Yang lightly switched the host of [Reincarnated Spirit Child], landing on Zhao Xuhe instead.
Yu Suzhen is talented but unfortunately lacks background and can only develop slowly within the Saint Sect. I can just monitor her progress with [Marionette] later. Since I want to go to the Dao Court, it's better to possess someone who has a certain status among Saint Sect disciples and can leave the sect at any time.
Zhao Xuhe perfectly met this condition.
Lu Yang's operation was done in one go: [Reincarnated Spirit Child] possession, [Marionette] manipulation. Thus, one morning, Zhao Xuhe suddenly had an epiphany—
"I want to go to Jiangdong."
Jiangdong has great opportunities!
Driven by this intense thought, Zhao Xuhe, who was originally going to the Northern Frontier, directly turned his gaze and rode away towards Jiangdong, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Jiangbei, [Kingdom of Qing].
This place was located in the extreme east of Jiangbei. Past the [Kingdom of Qing] was the [Great Dragon River], which Qi Refining cultivators couldn't even approach.
Although strictly speaking, the four regions of the world—East, West, South, and North—did not interfere with each other, in reality, the various families traded privately. For example, back in the Sword Pavilion, Lu Yang remembered that the [Sea-Farer Li Clan] saved up a massive family fortune by smuggling to Jiangbei, and even nurtured a Foundation Establishment Perfected One.
Jiangdong and Jiangbei were naturally the same.
The [Kingdom of Qing] was the transit station for both sides.
Especially right now, Chong Guang hadn't yet targeted the [Kingdom of Qing] for seeking Golden Core, so the [Kingdom of Qing] and Jiangbei still maintained friendly relations.
"Demon Sect disciple, you want to defect to Jiangdong."
Looking at Zhao Xuhe who stated this so clearly, the cultivators on the [Kingdom of Qing] side were not surprised. After all, a batch of talented people from the Saint Sect wanted to defect every year.
"Go queue over there."
Lu Yang: "..."
Looking at the bustling crowd in the direction the [Kingdom of Qing] cultivator pointed, Lu Yang instantly felt heartbroken. Is my Saint Sect so unpopular?
What? Qi Refining cultivators don't count as people?
Then it's fine!
Under Lu Yang's manipulation, Zhao Xuhe stood in line without hesitation. After filling out forms and being screened, he stepped onto the [Kingdom of Qing]'s teleportation array.
The next second, a burst of white light flashed.
Looking back, Lu Yang found that the scene before him had changed greatly. He and a group of Jiangbei cultivators had landed on a majestic and vast plaza.
In the center of the plaza, a middle-aged man with a face like jade, wearing official robes, held a register and looked at the crowd with a solemn expression. At the same time, a streak of brilliance spewed from top of his head, finally converging into an official position, covering him in the center like a canopy.
[Capital Skies Division Thousand-Household]
Official Rank 5, stature comparable to Foundation Establishment!
Lu Yang calculated secretly and learned that this official was surnamed Liu. Back then, relying on his root bone, he gained the regard of the [Capital Skies Division] Pacification Commissioner and was recruited into the [Capital Skies Division] as an official.
In just a few short years, he was promoted to [Thousand-Household].
One had to know, the Dao Court had been established for so many years. With annual imperial examinations producing countless [Metropolitan Graduates], but only so many official positions, one could imagine how bloated the resulting institutions were and how serious the redundancy of officials was. Yet Thousand-Household Liu was promoted so quickly that many suspected he was the illegitimate son of the Pacification Commissioner.
Immediately after, Thousand-Household Liu spoke:
"You all possess cultivation and have forsaken darkness for light; reasonably, you should be given important employ. By decree, this official gathers talent for the Immortal Kingdom. Today, I bestow upon you all the position of Strongman..."
As his voice fell.
The brilliance of the [Capital Skies Division Thousand-Household] official position above Thousand-Household Liu's head shone brightly, then divided into countless parts, crashing down onto the heads of everyone present.
Immediately after, corresponding official titles appeared above everyone's heads:
[Capital Skies Division Strongman]
Lu Yang, hiding within Zhao Xuhe, raised an eyebrow instantly upon seeing this. Originally, people like Zhao Xuhe had cultivation in their bodies; all Divine Abilities responded to oneself.
But it was different now.
Bound by the official position, Lu Yang could clearly feel that the cultivation originally belonging to Zhao Xuhe was being stripped away bit by bit by the official position above his head!
Perhaps there was no problem right now, but in another ten days to half a month, Zhao Xuhe would thoroughly become a Dao Court cultivator, with his entire body of spiritual power completely entrusted to the official position above his head. Thousand-Household Liu, who bestowed the official position, could turn him back into a powerless mortal with just a thought!
This is also very insidious...
Although the Dao Court wasn't directly one mind like the Pure Land, the intensity of restrictions on subordinate cultivators was outrageously high, giving no way out at all.
And this 'Strongman'... as if I don't know what it is.
If they were proper Dao Court cultivators, they should be bestowed identities like "Preliminary Student" and "Licentiate" corresponding to the Dao Court's official position system.
But the [Capital Skies Division]?
According to Wu Taian's memories, the [Capital Skies Division] reports directly to the Dao Court's Son of Heaven. Although the status is lofty, entering the [Capital Skies Division] cuts off the path to becoming a civil official.
The orthodox official path could reach up to Rank 1, even ranking among the Three Excellencies, comparable to a Perfected Lord.
But in the [Capital Skies Division], even the highest Commander was only a Rank 3 official position, a middle-stage Foundation Establishment Great Perfected One, not even a Great Perfected One.
What future was there to speak of?
And the official position of [Strongman] is the lowest tier in the [Capital Skies Division], not even a Banner Officer. To put it bluntly, it's cannon fodder recruited externally by the [Capital Skies Division].
Clearly, the Dao Court didn't take these Jiangbei cultivators seriously at all.
On the surface, it sounded nice, something like "gathering talent for the country," but in reality, it was clearly gathering "material" for the country—making them cannon fodder and expecting them to be grateful!
With this thought, Lu Yang suddenly sensed something.
He looked up at the sky.
Although he had no cultivation in this life, the [Xuandu Blessed Land] was still there. Borrowing the special perspective brought by the blessed land, Lu Yang quickly saw the scene of Jiangdong clearly.
Different from everywhere else...
It was a large net.
A large net that blotted out the sky and sun, boundless and omnipresent, firmly covering the entire Jiangdong, connecting to every flower and blade of grass, every living being.
The sky here is different from the outside world!
In the four regions of the world, only the Dao Court did not require refining Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, nor mastering Divine Abilities. Its cultivation system was fundamentally different from other places.
The reason lay herein.
The entire cultivation system of the Dao Court—all official positions, stature, spiritual power, and Divine Abilities—all originated from this large net:
[Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]!