Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Receiving a New Dharma Seal
Saturday.
Outside the gates of the precinct in the city center, Yang Wenqing was talking with an on-duty officer. It was his old classmate from the Police Academy, Song Yu.
After a bit of small talk, Song Yu lowered his voice and said, "Have you heard about Liao Feng?"
Yang Wenqing shook his head, a confused look on his face. "What happened to him?"
"His family set up a Spirit Gathering Array for him and hired three Taoist Sect Cultivators who had reached the Fifth Refining to help him break through to the Qi Refining Realm. Unfortunately, he failed. Now he’s taken a long leave to recover at home. Who knows if he’ll ever get back to normal."
Song Yu looked quite regretful, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
This Liao Feng had been a big shot at the academy. Rumor had it that his family had connections with the municipal bureau, and he was recruited by them directly after graduation, making countless people green with envy.
Hearing this news, Yang Wenqing felt some of his own resentment about failing to break through to the Qi Refining Realm the night before yesterday dissipate. After a few more words with Song Yu, he headed toward the precinct gate.
The precinct was a complex of several uniform, gray-white buildings, surrounded by a nearly three-meter-high bluestone wall. The surface of the wall was inscribed with intricate runes.
The main gate was made of heavy ironwood, with a large police emblem hanging above it. Officers stood guard on both sides. Despite his connection with Song Yu, Yang Wenqing still had to show his own police badge and state his purpose before being allowed inside.
Inside the gate was a wide plaza paved with massive bluestone slabs. A faint Spiritual Light could be seen flowing in the cracks between them. In the center of the plaza stood a statue of a figure holding a sword, with the police department’s motto engraved on its base.
On the left and right sides at the far end of the plaza were two relatively short auxiliary buildings, with only a few people entering and exiting at the moment.
Directly facing the plaza was a seven-story main building. Yang Wenqing’s destination wasn’t the main building, but a separate structure at the end of a corridor to its right. It was a three-story building shaped like an octagonal tower. To the right of the tower’s entrance hung a wooden sign with black text on a white background: ’Qianjiao County Police Precinct, Folklore Division’.
This was the place within the police system where basic Spells and Cultivation Techniques were stored and taught.
As he approached the tower’s entrance, the faint, mixed scent of sandalwood and old paper drifted out. A detection Array was set up at the entrance. A Spiritual Light scanned Yang Wenqing’s police badge, and only after confirming his identity and clearance did the Array’s light turn from red to green.
The tower’s interior was spacious. The first-floor hall was brightly lit, its domed ceiling inlaid with pearls that emitted a soft white light. It was surrounded by rows of tall bookshelves holding jade slips of various colors and sheets of rune paper. Most of the jade slips were old artifacts, kept for display, while the sheets of rune paper were all finished products.
In the center of the hall were several circular counters. Behind them sat a few civilian officers in dark blue uniforms. Their epaulets indicated they were at least high-ranking officers.
One of them, a gentle-faced female officer who looked to be in her forties, glanced up at Yang Wenqing. Her eyes fell on his epaulets. "Here to receive your second Spell?" she asked.
"Yes." Yang Wenqing took a step forward and respectfully presented his badge. "I’d like to apply to learn the Golden Light Body Protection Spell."
The female officer took the badge and placed it in a slot on the counter. The slot lit up with a faint glow. A moment later, she nodded and retrieved a palm-sized, pale-gold jade slip from under the counter. The surface of the slip shimmered like water, with a complex rune carved in its center.
She picked up the jade slip and said to Yang Wenqing, "See that green circle in front of the counter? Step inside."
Yang Wenqing did as he was told and stepped into the green circle in front of the counter.
The female officer walked out and sized Yang Wenqing up for a moment before returning behind the counter. She raised the jade slip with her left hand and quickly wove a Spell with her right. As she did, the edge of the green circle lit up with a soft white light, forming a pillar of light that enveloped Yang Wenqing.
"Close your eyes, focus your mind, and clear your Sea of Consciousness," the female officer reminded him.
Yang Wenqing immediately complied. He felt a gentle yet irresistible force pass through the pillar of light and softly probe his consciousness.
At the same time, the female officer tossed the pale-gold jade slip in her hand into the pillar of light.
The jade slip didn’t fall. It floated in front of the space between Yang Wenqing’s eyebrows. The watery luster on its surface flowed rapidly, and the complex rune in the center seemed to come alive, detaching from the slip’s surface to become a three-dimensional pattern made of pure golden light.
"Go!"
The female officer shouted softly, and her hand seal changed.
As if guided, the golden light rune suddenly shot toward the space between Yang Wenqing’s eyebrows.
Yang Wenqing immediately felt a new Dharma Seal being imprinted deep within his memory. He wasn’t surprised, as the method had been similar to when he learned the Immobilization Spell at the academy.
Once the memory solidified in Yang Wenqing’s mind, the pillar of light around him dissipated. With a SNAP, the jade slip landed back in the female officer’s hand.
"That’s all." The female officer’s voice roused Yang Wenqing from his state of Introspection. "Go back and practice diligently. Remember, this Spell must not be casually taught to outsiders."
Yang Wenqing snapped to attention and saluted. After thanking her, he eagerly walked out of the hall. He couldn’t wait to return to his dorm and try imprinting the new Dharma Seal.
But just as he reached the plaza in front of the precinct, he was stopped by two classmates from his graduating year who were walking toward him. They were also two of his few good friends from the Police Academy.
The two of them were also there to receive a new Dharma Seal. After a few sentences of small talk, Wu Qi, on Yang Wenqing’s left, suggested, "It’s rare for us to get together. How about we go for a drink?"
This was Yang Wenqing’s roommate, whose family background was similar to his own. His theoretical grades were always at the top of the class, but unfortunately, he had little talent for cultivation. He became friends with Yang Wenqing because they both enjoyed reading historical texts.
"Let’s go to the shooting range instead,"
suggested Liu Rong from the other side. As he spoke, he looked at Yang Wenqing. "I’ve improved a lot recently. How about another match?"
His friendship with Yang Wenqing stemmed from marksmanship. Using the deductions from his Golden Core World, Yang Wenqing could grasp a new gun’s ballistic trajectory after firing no more than five test shots. Liu Rong refused to accept this and would often challenge Yang Wenqing to competitions, and over time, they became close.
Yang Wenqing knew Liu Rong’s personality well. If he didn’t agree, he wouldn’t have a moment of peace for the rest of the day.
"Alright, the shooting range it is. Same old rules: loser buys lunch."
"It’s a deal!"
Liu Rong rubbed his palms together, looking full of confidence.
Chatting and laughing, the three of them turned toward a separate courtyard behind the main building. This was one of the precinct’s internal training grounds and had a dedicated shooting range. Using their badges, they easily completed the usage procedures and received standard-issue revolvers and a small box of regular bullets for practice.
Yang Wenqing skillfully loaded the bullets, raised the gun, aimed, and fired. For the first five shots, he deliberately slowed down, carefully feeling out the practice gun’s trigger pull, recoil, and ballistic characteristics.
Starting with the sixth bullet, his shooting became extremely steady, with every shot hitting the bullseye.
Beside him, Liu Rong had indeed improved significantly. His shooting rhythm was stable, with most bullets landing within the nine-point ring and occasionally hitting the ten-point center. After finishing a round, he looked at Yang Wenqing’s target paper. The dense cluster of bullet holes in the bullseye made him click his tongue. "You’re a real monster!"
Wu Qi shot slowly, but he strove for perfect form with every shot. His scores hovered around the eight-point ring.
The three took turns shooting, exchanging tips and creating a friendly atmosphere. The final result was no surprise: Yang Wenqing won by a narrow margin.
Although Liu Rong verbally protested his loss, he readily honored the bet.
At noon, the three of them sat down at an old noodle shop near the precinct. They ordered three bowls of the signature braised pork noodles, plus a side dish of braised tofu skin and a plate of chilled, shredded kelp salad.
When the steaming hot noodles were served, Wu Qi lifted a bundle of them with his chopsticks, blew on them to cool them down, and asked in a low voice, "Have you guys heard about that thing with Liao Feng?"
Liu Rong took a bite of braised tofu skin and mumbled indistinctly, "Yeah, I heard. Tsk, tsk, really..." He shook his head. He wasn’t one to speak ill of others behind their backs, so he didn’t continue.
Yang Wenqing ate his noodles in silence. Liao Feng’s fate was a wake-up call, strengthening his resolve to proceed steadily and surely.
Liu Rong swallowed the tofu skin in his mouth and looked at Yang Wenqing. "What did you get for your second Dharma Seal?"
"The Golden Light Body Protection Spell." Yang Wenqing didn’t hide it.
"Good choice. Survival comes first," Wu Qi agreed. "I’m planning to get the Light Body Spell. It’ll help me run faster when chasing suspects."
Liu Rong, on the other hand, chuckled. "I’m going to pick the ’Sharpened Eye Spell.’ Just you watch how I beat you at the range next time!"
