"Yanran-jie, why do you look so gloomy every time I see you? Like some resentful housewife trapped in her chambers..." Jiang Che examined Wang Yanran, who was still wearing her work uniform.
"Heh..." The woman gave him a forced smile.
"All of this is because of your so-called 'Pill Reformation,' isn't it? You just had to rewrite the rules, but the higher-ups in Dragon Country have to consider so much more."
Jiang Che's actions had accelerated Dragon Country's entry into the era of cultivation. Without the support of the nation's leadership, the system would have collapsed long ago.
Following the establishment of the Cultivators' Association, the government had formed a dedicated Cultivators' Department—essentially reorganizing certain police units to handle high-difficulty cases.
Since the spiritual energy resurgence began, nearly all police officers had been armed.
"Hehe, sorry for the trouble, Yanran-jie... But the spiritual energy resurgence is an inevitable trend. And I’ve already done my best to slow it down."
Wang Yanran sighed softly. She had originally just wanted to be an ordinary police officer, yet somehow she ended up tangled in this mess of spiritual energy revival.
"By the way, Xiao Che, there seems to be some strange phenomenon near the southern sea of Dragon Country. According to the higher-ups' analysis... it’s likely another 'Gate' awakening faster than expected, causing spiritual energy to leak and marine life to evolve..."
"A Gate in the southern sea? Connected to the ocean floor?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow. A Gate underwater? That was unexpected.
The Jiang family's forbidden grounds housed one such Gate, and a few other reclusive clans guarded the rest. Based on Jiang Che's speculation, there were probably nine Gates in total, each connecting to the Nine Heavens beyond.
"Yanran-jie, you don’t need to worry about this. The people of Dragon Country practice the 'Human Emperor Scripture,' and our spiritual energy density far surpasses anywhere else... Even if the other Gates awaken one after another, our cultivators will maintain their lead until... the Gate connecting to the Upper Realm fully opens!"
Wang Yanran’s breathing grew slightly ragged.
"Xiao Che, does the Upper Realm really exist?"
Seeing her curiosity, Jiang Che couldn’t help but smirk.
Time for Professor Jiang’s lesson!
"Of course it exists. Beyond Blue Star... there are the Nine Heavens. They are attached to Blue Star yet transcend it. It’s said that any single domain within the Nine Heavens is several times vaster than Blue Star itself..."
Wang Yanran’s eyes sparkled with fascination.
As a member of Dragon Country’s upper echelons and a high-ranking figure in the Cultivators' Association, she had heard whispers of such things. But this was the first time she’d heard concrete details about the Nine Heavens.
"Xiao Che... If what you say is true, and the Nine Heavens are filled with so many powerful beings... Once the Gates fully open and those supreme experts descend... Won’t Blue Star fall into chaos?"
Excitement quickly gave way to deep concern.
"Ah! Yanran-jie, why must you always worry? Is this something a woman like you needs to think about?"
Jiang Che pulled her into his arms.
"Of course I have to think about it! I’m a police officer!!" Wang Yanran bit her lip in protest.
"No need. I’m here! Don’t you trust your husband’s abilities?"
For some reason, his words instantly filled her with an overwhelming sense of security—as if with this young man by her side, no problem was insurmountable.
"Tch, you’re just bragging."
"Bragging? Everything I said is the truth!"
Just then, a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit pushed the door open.
His gaze landed on the office sofa, where Jiang Che was embracing Wang Yanran, her slender arms wrapped around his neck.
Both of them turned to look.
"Dad... Dad?!" Wang Yanran gasped.
Wang Laiyun, holding a teacup, twitched at the corners of his mouth, his stern face darkening.
"You shameless girl!"
He glared at his daughter before shifting his gaze to Jiang Che—his expression instantly softening.
"Xiao Che... Perfect timing. Your uncle has something important to discuss with you..."
Wang Laiyun’s smile was almost fawning. Jiang Che was, without a doubt, the ideal son-in-law!
Once upon a time, he had fretted over Jiang Che’s playboy tendencies, worrying his daughter might suffer.
But now? Half the elites in the capital would kill to marry their daughters to Jiang Che as concubines—yet they couldn’t even get the chance. He was making a killing here!
Jiang Che patted Wang Yanran’s thigh, and she immediately took the hint, standing up to leave.
......
Jiang Che and Wang Laiyun spoke for about fifteen minutes, half of which revolved around the situation in the southern sea.
The waters there had spawned numerous sea monsters—giant squids with hundred-meter-long tentacles, colossal blue whales stretching fifty meters. Clearly, these were side effects of the spiritual energy resurgence.
"Especially the smaller nations near the southern sea. The Philippines got hit hard. Our navy is holding the maritime borders, but some of these creatures have even developed intelligence. They’re a real nuisance..."
Jiang Che nodded. "It must be the Gate in the southern sea awakening. I’ll find time to check it out."
Hearing this, Wang Laiyun smiled in relief.
He trusted Jiang Che implicitly—especially since the young man had an unfathomably powerful master.
Not long ago, Dragon Country had witnessed terrifying phenomena—sun and moon reversing, yin and yang inverting—all centered in Hangzhou. Such feats could only be the work of Jiang Che’s master.
"Son-in-law, since the spiritual energy resurgence, the strength of Dragon Country’s cultivators and ancient martial artists has skyrocketed!"
"Originally, only Grandmaster Jiang had reached the Shattering Heaven stage. Now, there are nineteen, ten of whom are... your grandmother. Officially recorded Qi Refining cultivators number 420 million, Foundation Establishment cultivators exceed 40,000, and there are even 170 at the Soul Forging stage... with five Heavenly Origin experts."
Jiang Che raised an eyebrow.
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Soul Forging, and Heavenly Origin corresponded to the martial realms of Dark Force, Transform Force, Grandmaster, and Grandmaster of Heavenly Force.
Early-stage cultivators could unleash spells, giving them an edge over martial artists. But once reaching the Grandmaster stage, martial artists surpassed them in combat power.
The spiritual energy resurgence had barely begun—less than two months since the public embraced cultivation—yet Dragon Country already had 420 million Qi Refining cultivators.
Reaching Qi Refining in just a few dozen days was average.
But over 40,000 had entered Foundation Establishment? These individuals could be called geniuses.
The most shocking part? Over a hundred had reached the Soul Forging stage in this short time. These weren’t just geniuses—most of them were likely Children of Destiny.
As for those five Heavenly Force Grandmasters? Jiang Che found them a bit hard to judge... but it was understandable.
After all, Dragon Country had an enormous population. Once the era of universal cultivation began... all kinds of geniuses emerged, each with their own golden finger—maybe a ring-bound elder? Or perhaps a powerful system attached to them?
"Hehehe—looks like I’ve just found some prime candidates for harvesting!"
Jiang Che grinned.