Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Only Qin Jun and Grandmother Longxin remained in the Hall of Clear Serenity.

The dimly lit hall revealed little, but the elderly woman’s eyes shone like blazing torches; in the darkness, nothing escaped her gaze.

Though her body was frail with age, her spirit remained vibrant. Yet, no matter how powerful a cultivator, none could halt the passage of life.

To transcend the cycle of birth and death and attain true immortality, one must ascend.

In this world, once one becomes a cultivator, the body’s aging slows drastically, halting only when reaching the advanced stage of refining spirit and emptiness. But when one’s fate runs out, if the cultivator cannot break through the heavenly mysteries beyond the heavens, death becomes inevitable. The signs of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man follow, marking the end of the cultivator’s life.

Now, Grandmother Longxin’s face bore the signs of these Five Declines.

“Please forgive Little Bai’s shortcomings, Miss Qin; he truly is an unworthy child,” Grandmother Longxin said, her voice steady despite her frailty.

Though aged, her aura was calm and harmonious, unlike the usual chaotic breath of a cultivator at death’s door. Her cultivation was unfathomably deep, at least at the level of an Eighth Crossing cultivator. Before Qin Jun’s current body’s Golden Core was severed, it was only at the Sixth Crossing level.

In this world, cultivation meant crossing one tribulation after another; each crossing improved one’s cultivation and realm. According to ancient texts left by great powers, it is said, “The path of Tao has nine difficulties and ten tribulations,” and later cultivators thus divided their cultivation into ten crossings, known as the “Ten Crossings of the Cultivator.”

Surpassing all ten tribulations would lead to full merit and ascension to immortality.

Hence, there is a saying that becoming an immortal requires passing the Ten Crossings.

At Grandmother Longxin’s age, further progress was truly difficult. The Five Declines marked the limited time left.

Therefore, before her departure, she wished to find a stable fallback for her grandson. Otherwise, given the current state of the Demon Palace, the future of Long Langbai might be that of a useless figure with no mentor and no one to rely on.

Grandmother Longxin said, “Miss Qin, I am Longxin, the head of the Demon Palace. Today I pass the Palace Master’s token to you, hoping you will manage the Demon Palace and secure a worry-free life for my grandson.”

Strangely, whether it was Grandmother Longxin or the system, they always arranged tasks and missions for her as if she would inevitably agree.

“Grandmother Longxin, why do you assume I will agree?”

Longxin did not answer immediately. Her calm, peaceful gaze settled on Qin Jun. The woman stood tall and graceful, her narrow, beautiful eyes like long blades of frost. Though her cultivation was lost and she had no means to protect herself, just standing there suggested she had hidden cards.

Longxin cleared her throat. “What you want to do requires this identity. Little Bai is immature and cannot make decisions. The remaining hall masters each have their own agendas, and only relying on Little Bai’s trust in you cannot control them.”

System: “Host, it is recommended you agree quickly; it will facilitate task progress.”

Qin Jun ignored the system and asked Longxin, “What are the terms?”

There is no such thing as a free lunch. As the ruler of the Demon Palace, Longxin would not hand over the Palace Master’s token without conditions.

“First, care for Long Langbai. Within a hundred years, ensure his life is secure and assist his growth. He currently has Second Crossing cultivation; after a hundred years, he must at least reach Fifth Crossing.”

If a Sixth Crossing cultivator within a hundred years still requires talent, Fifth Crossing can be achieved through effort.

Qin Jun nodded, agreeing.

“Second, manage the Demon Palace. Within a hundred years, the palace must not fall from its current status. No disciples are to be dismissed or perish without cause. Any changes must be managed properly.”

From her account checks, the Demon Palace’s foundation might last another fifty years. After that, if left aimless, it may vanish from the demon realm.

This was not a problem; Qin Jun nodded again.

“Third…”

A glimmer of moisture appeared in Longxin’s eyes. Qin Jun waited quietly.

“If Little Bai cannot fulfill these, it is acceptable if he grows into a kind and happy person. If the Demon Palace’s hall masters cannot maintain harmony for a hundred years, then at least grant them a peaceful end.”

After a long moment, Qin Jun said, “Agreed.”

A genuine smile appeared on Longxin’s deeply lined face. “Miss Qin, this is no easy task. Thank you for your effort.”

“No effort, just hard fate,” Qin Jun replied calmly.

In the workplace, one must reject appeals to emotion; otherwise, money is easily lost.

Longxin was speechless—this was the first time she had met such an ungracious young person.

Longxin took her hand and helped her activate the Palace Master’s token. “This is the Palace Master’s token. Compared to the one Little Bai holds, this token has higher authority and stronger control over the other tokens in the Demon Palace. It contains information on all official disciples. You can contact anyone in the palace and know their location.”

Qin Jun raised an eyebrow—what a quick and convenient instant communication and tracking device, and it was compulsory and one-way, even more loathed by workers than the former DingTalk.

A good tool indeed.

“Now, I will infuse your true energy into the token, making you its owner. In my room is a cluster of Primordial Qi containing a sliver of true energy from all Demon Palace members. In an irretrievable situation, it can save your lives.”

Qin Jun said nothing. Pies never fall from the sky; only iron plates that can crush you.

System was ecstatic: “Host, this is a great item! With Primordial Qi, you can repair your cracked Spirit Jade Pearl!”

Then Longxin said, “If you harm Long Langbai, the token will immediately destroy your divine soul.”

See, they still had to guard against her. This is the common choice of every family business hiring a professional manager.

They want to use her but don’t trust her. At the slightest sign of non-cooperation, they resort to threats. She only pursues profit and never acts without benefit—why not just pay her fully from the start? With her contractual spirit, she would work diligently and provide ample emotional value to the principal.

If you want a horse to run, you must feed it grass. If you don’t feed it and still want it to run, you’ll only end up kicked and trampled.

“From the moment you receive the Palace Master’s token, it will heal your body. Even if your spirit root is severed, you can continue to cultivate.”

The sweet carrot was given; now the stick.

System: “Please host, do not assume ill intentions on everyone.”

“Likewise, the token can cause you to lose your cultivation.”

System: “...”

Qin Jun was silent for a moment. “Grandmother Longxin, have you considered that my spirit root was severed, yet the Hall Master of the Crescent Moon Hall still can’t last a single round against me? Whether the token heals or not holds no appeal to me.”

She came to this world, and the system hastened to repair her body so she could work quickly. Her body was now fine, lacking only a Golden Core formed by cultivation, which did not affect her.

She simply had no spirit root.

Naturally, she did not care if others despised her for this. Now, she herself was her own spirit root. The system’s little shocks were stored within her body, waiting for the moment to unleash as a powerful move with a shout of “One hundred thousand volts.”

Longxin’s face tightened.

Qin Jun smiled faintly. “Mutual benefit, each taking what they need. I look forward to our cooperation.” She gently squeezed Longxin’s hand.

“Grandmother Longxin, now please announce my position as acting Palace Master before the Demon Palace disciples?”

Qin Jun raised her hand; the Palace Master’s token glowed softly from her fingertip in the dim hall.

It illuminated every furrow on Longxin’s face, whose weathered eyes held sharp spikes piercing Qin Jun.

“Very well.”

…

The sky was dim, ominous red clouds hung over the Demon Abyss in the distance. The earth trembled now and then as surging demonic energy and fiery meteors fell from the sky, further scarring the ravaged land. In the demon realm, where day and night barely differed, temperature was the only measure of time’s passage.

The heat rose, the demonic energy burning the skin.

Outside the Demon Palace’s main hall, three thousand disciples waited silently, none expecting Grandmother Longxin to emerge early.

Who was this woman, exactly?

Time passed by the second, the rising heat turning whispers into loud complaints.

“Young master, what is going on?”

Long Langbai wanted to explain but did not know what was happening inside.

Just as he was about to speak, the great doors suddenly opened.

Longxin’s voice rang out, steady and authoritative: “From this day forward, Qin Jun is the Palace Master of the Demon Palace!”

Qin Jun raised an eyebrow—she thought Longxin would add the word “acting.”

All eyes focused on Qin Jun. This excessively beautiful woman was to be their new Palace Master?

Compared to the seven hall masters’ grave expressions, the disciples’ reactions were much calmer. Regime changes at the top were storms in the upper echelons, hardly affecting ordinary people. They only came to watch the show, not to risk their lives for loyalty.

“I am Qin Jun.”

The crowd held its breath, waiting for the new Palace Master to say something inspiring to lift their burdens.

Nothing followed.

Just those four words.

The dry, hot wind of the demon realm blew dust and sand, not a word more.

“The management meeting is adjourned. Now, all employees... disciples, assembly,” Qin Jun said. “The Demon Palace will undergo institutional reform. Those who have been with the palace over ten years must submit a performance report detailing personal information and past achievements. Those with ten years or less should prepare personal resumes, introducing their background, abilities, cultivation, interests, hobbies, and specialties. The Demon Palace board and department heads will assess your salary grades and assign duties accordingly.”

Silence fell, even more despairing than before.

Performance reports... and personal resumes? How could such familiar words together sound unintelligible?

Pei Yan raised his hand. All eyes turned to this brave soul breaking the deadlock.

Qin Jun fixed her gaze. Why Pei Yan again?

“...Speak.”

Pei Yan asked, “Which should I write?”

“You are management and just reached ten years of service. You must write both,” Qin Jun said, ready to end the meeting. She didn’t waste time on trivial details.

The lax Demon Palace needed a firm whip to improve efficiency.

“What about us?” A black-haired youth in the crowd asked. They were newcomers to the demon realm, not yet officially accepted into the palace or issued tokens.

“New interns should prepare personal resumes and submit them to Assistant Long Langbai within five days. After ten days, all will attend new employee training. Following training, assessments will determine positions and ranks.”

Qin Jun scanned the crowd. “Any other questions?”

There were many questions and issues, but few dared to speak. A group stood crowded together, unsure if Qin Jun’s arrival meant deeper misery or being pulled from an unseen abyss.

“Meeting adjourned. For issues, report to hall masters. They will compile and address them in the weekly meeting seven days from now.”

Qin Jun turned, her broad sleeves fluttering like wings, stirring the night wind, blowing who knew where.

The three thousand disciples stood still. How many came to the demon realm with goodwill? Immediately, some gestured and charged toward Qin Jun.

Figures darted like scattered arrows from all directions.

Qin Jun raised her hand, chuckling softly.

Thunder roared, more terrifying than the heavenly lightning of cultivators crossing the ninth tribulation. Amidst the lightning, all attackers froze midair and crashed to the ground, electric light flickering on their bodies, immobilized.

Far more terrifying than the system’s shocks.

“Long Langbai, what is the penalty for workplace infighting?”

Long Langbai straightened instinctively, speaking rapidly, “Workplace infighting disrupts enterprise morale, causing serious negative effects. Penalty: one rank demotion, one month suspension of salary.”

Qin Jun turned and left, wiping the blood from her lips without a trace. “Record all who charged me; give me the list afterward.”

Long Langbai blinked. “Again me?”

…

At the demon realm’s border, a silent seven-person team appeared.

“Reporting to Lord Hanxing, from interrogation intelligence, the Tianyu Institute was the one that severed the spirit root of the traitor... Master Qin.”

Among them was a cloaked man who moved forward slowly, then flashed to where Qin Jun had fallen.

Beneath the cloak was a pristine white hem, untouched by the swamp’s mud.

Long, pale fingers extended from the black cloak embroidered with gold, scooping the mud, which instantly crumbled to powder.

The mud still contained a trace of true energy.

Qin Jun had indeed been here; the trail ended here.

One subordinate reported, “Lord Hanxing, when a cultivator’s spirit root scatters, their body usually…”

Usually, it just scatters.

The subordinate, uncertain of Lord Hanxing’s thoughts, dared not say more.

Su Yuan stood, powder from the mud trickling through his fingers, then dispersed by the wind. The breeze lifted the cloak’s hood, revealing a face as pure as the snow of the Tianshan Mountains.

“Alive, we must see them; dead, we must see the corpse. Even if turned to ash, we must gather every grain,” his voice was like clear ice, “Qin Jun is a traitor of the Lingxiao Sect. Even in death, she should perish on the sect’s land.”

Su Yuan slowly clenched his left hand; on the back of his hand beneath the sleeve, a spiritual tattoo glowed with heat.