Chapter 373: The Head Administrator of the Spirit Materials Building

Stepping forward quickly, Ren Qingsong grabbed Lin Dong’s shoulder. His voice trembled slightly as he said anxiously, “Lin Dong, have you really reached the first stage of the Heart Reversal Phase?”
Lin Dong smiled and replied, “Dean Ren, when have I ever deceived you?”
“That’s right, right. Every time you come to register, your speed is unbelievable, but the results are always true.” Ren Qingsong let out a long sigh. His excitement and hesitation once again switched places.
“Dean Ren, it seems like I’ve reached the Heart Reversal Phase, but you seem troubled instead?” Lin Dong asked in confusion.
“You don’t know…” Ren Qingsong said helplessly. “Not long ago, I received an official document from the Martial Assessment Institute of Lingnan City. It was sent by Tianwei Pavilion. The head administrator of Tianwei Pavilion’s Spirit Materials Building has passed away, and a new one needs to be chosen. Tianwei Pavilion has decided that the first director of a prefecture-level Martial Assessment Institute who meets the promotion criteria can be directly appointed as the head administrator of the Spirit Materials Building.”
“The Spirit Materials Building, head administrator?” Lin Dong’s eyes widened. Ren Qingsong’s words made him feel like he’d been given a huge gift from the sky.
Thinking Lin Dong might not know what the Spirit Materials Building was, Ren Qingsong nodded and explained, “The Spirit Materials Building is where all of Tianwei Pavilion’s spiritual materials are stored and cultivated. The highest-ranking position is the building owner, who holds a first-rank official title and can even be granted a marquis title. Below that are three chief administrators, who hold second-rank titles. Compared to the directors of county-level Martial Assessment Institutes, they have less freedom but more real power.”
“Then why are you still hesitating, Dean Ren?” Lin Dong pressed. “A prefecture-level director can only be promoted to a second-rank county-level director. But now you can be directly transferred to Tianwei Pavilion to become the head administrator of the first floor. Comparing the two, being an administrator at Tianwei Pavilion should be more prestigious. If you don’t care about freedom, this should be great news for you.”
Ren Qingsong didn’t notice Lin Dong’s urgency. He shook his head and said, “To be honest, I’d prefer to wait for a vacancy among the county-level directors in the vicinity before taking the position.”
“Why?” Lin Dong was surprised.
Ren Qingsong smiled bitterly. “Have you forgotten how I endured over forty years working as a director at a county-level Martial Assessment Institute? And how, in just a few years, I went from being a county-level director to one who can now be promoted to a prefecture-level director?”
Lin Dong was stunned. He finally understood why Ren Qingsong was hesitating.

At the county-level martial assessment institute, if a peak-level warrior within its jurisdiction is willing to submit to the rule of the Great Han Empire, the institute’s director can rise rapidly to a position beyond first rank and even be granted a title as a marquis. If there are vacancies among the leaders of various departments, they can also take over those positions.

Ren Qingsong’s plan was to stay at Qiufeng Mansion first and wait for a vacancy among the directors of nearby county-level martial assessment institutes before advancing. Then… he hoped that Lin Dong could make rapid progress and reach the peak level during his lifetime.

“I think Director Ren would be better off going to Tianwei Pavilion,” Lin Dong said softly.

“Don’t you have any confidence in breaking through to the Xin Cheng stage during my lifetime?” Ren Qingsong asked disappointedly.

Having interacted with Ren Qingsong many times, Lin Dong understood his personality well. Moreover, if Ren Qingsong really went to Tianwei Pavilion, he would eventually reveal his true capabilities. After much hesitation, Lin Dong told the truth: “If nothing goes wrong, I’m confident I can break through to the Xin Cheng stage within ten years.”

“Really?” Ren Qingsong was overjoyed. At 65 years old, he was already considered very long-lived for ordinary people who celebrate their 50th birthday as a major milestone. But for a martial artist, it was just average—generally, as long as one continued to train and wasn’t injured, living to 70 or 80 wasn’t difficult. With proper cultivation, even living past 100 was possible.

“It’s true. But I still prefer Director Ren to take up the position at Tianwei Pavilion,” Lin Dong said slowly.

“Why?” Ren Qingsong was puzzled. He was confident that after years of friendship, Lin Dong wouldn’t abandon him for personal gain.

“Because you keep going to the Spiritual Materials Department. The Spiritual Materials Department…” Lin Dong smiled. “High-level spiritual materials are everywhere. If I could get some materials that aid in cultivation, my strength would surely improve rapidly.”

“Well…” Ren Qingsong became even more conflicted than before.

The managers of the Spiritual Materials Department indeed had access to many high-level spiritual materials. Especially since the current head of the department, Cheng Wendong, had been busy with cultivation in recent years and rarely appeared to handle affairs, the care of various high-level materials was left to the three main managers.

Becoming one of those three managers and in charge of some materials that aided cultivation was almost a sure thing.

But being in charge didn’t mean owning them. Even the head of the department couldn’t easily provide high-level materials, let alone the managers. Giving away some low-level materials wasn’t hard, but trying to obtain high-level materials would definitely be detected by Tianwei Pavilion’s scouts. That would cause serious trouble.

Ren Qingsong would refuse such a self-sacrificing plan without hesitation. But the problem was that it was Lin Dong who proposed it.

Promotion was Ren Qingsong’s lifelong pursuit. After serving as the director of the sixth-rank county-level Military Testing Institute in Southwest City for over forty years, he had almost given up on the hope of being promoted. His rapid rise to the second rank within a few years, fulfilling his greatest ambition in life, was entirely thanks to Lin Dong. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Watching Ren Qingsong struggle with indecision, Lin Dong remained silent. He had to wait for Ren Qingsong to make a decision before planning further.

In the distance, Yang Laiting rushed over quickly, holding a Spirit Testing Stone in one hand and a registration book in the other. His joyful face froze when he saw that both of them were silent and the atmosphere was tense. He swallowed back his congratulations.

Time passed second by second, each second a great ordeal for Ren Qingsong. Lin Dong was also growing anxious. In his eyes, managing the Spirit Materials Building was an opportunity even greater than entering the Wuyou Cave. He was certain its value would far exceed his imagination.

“Okay!” Suddenly, Ren Qingsong snapped out the word through gritted teeth.

“Director Ren agrees?” Lin Dong’s solemn face instantly lit up with remarkable joy.

“Mm!” Ren Qingsong nodded firmly. “Just in case, after the test, I’ll immediately write a letter to Tianwei Pavilion to become the first prefecture-level Military Testing Institute director to get promoted, ahead of others.”

“Thank you, Director Ren!” Lin Dong quickly bowed.

“Why thank me? Back in Southwest City, I thought that if someone could promote me to a fourth-rank prefecture-level Military Testing Institute director, I’d be willing to stay in that position for three to five months even at the cost of my life.” Ren Qingsong said solemnly. “Now that I’ve reached the second rank, there’s nothing left to regret.”

“Old Yang, the Spirit Testing Stone!” Lin Dong turned to Yang Laiting.

Yang Laiting didn’t know what the two of them had discussed earlier. Though surprised by Ren Qingsong’s seemingly fearless attitude, he didn’t dare ask too much and placed the Spirit Testing Stone on the ground.

Lin Dong stretched out his right hand, bent slightly, and pressed his palm on the top of the stone.

Spirit energy surged into the stone.

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light burst from the bottom of the cylindrical Spirit Testing Stone. The light was overwhelming and luxurious, hard to look at directly.

Ren Qingsong’s gaze sharpened. Inside his dantian, spirit energy gathered in his eyes, then he stared straight at the Spirit Testing Stone enveloped in golden light.

“First level of the Heart Reversal Phase!”

Yang Laiting shuddered and quickly took out pen and ink. Starting from the eighth level of the Heart Reversal stage, he filled in all the previously overlooked levels one by one. Then, he took out a small black knife and a porcelain bottle, scraped some powder from the cylindrical surface of the Spirit Detection Stone, and put it into the bottle before finally sitting up straight. “It’s done.”

Inside Lin Dong’s body, the spiritual energy flowing toward the Spirit Detection Stone returned to his dantian.

“By rule, I must inform you that registered powerhouses who reach the Heart Reversal stage must retain their spiritual energy to prevent the head of the Martial Testing Institute from acting corruptly, and also so that they can be summoned at the shortest possible time when the Great Han Nation faces a crisis,” Ren Qingsong explained, pointing at the small porcelain bottle in Yang Laiting’s hand. “It contains your spiritual energy, which can be used to assess your strength. It also allows special spiritual beasts to locate you within thousands of miles. Are you sure you want to accept such constraints?”

Lin Dong nodded firmly. Not to mention the tremendous benefits associated with Ren Qingsong’s appointment to the Tianwei Pavilion and the high status of a powerhouse in the Great Han Nation, which would greatly benefit the inn, even just the access to spiritual materials that registered powerhouses in the Great Han Nation could use for cultivation was enough reason for him to agree.

The sacrifice was merely an obligation to help when the Great Han Nation faced a major crisis. Such an event occurred once in a thousand years, with a probability so low it could be ignored. Even if it happened, it would only waste some time and incur some risk.

Ren Qingsong’s solemn expression relaxed somewhat, and he said, “There’s no time to lose. I’ll go to the capital in person. The Powerhouse Card and salary should arrive within three months. By then, Laiting will deliver them to you.”

“Thank you, President Ren. By the way, if President Ren succeeds in becoming the manager of the Spiritual Materials Building, please try to secure as many cultivation aids as possible,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Also… regarding the concerns President Ren has, there’s no need to worry. All I need from these cultivation aids are the seeds. If they get damaged, I promise to replace them in their original condition.”

“Replace them in their original condition?” Ren Qingsong was surprised.

“Yes!” Lin Dong nodded. “Moreover… it seems that to get promoted as the manager of the Spiritual Materials Building, one needs to find more spiritual materials, right? I guarantee that President Ren won’t face any risks, and within five years, he can be made a marquis and a high-ranking official.”

“Why?” Ren Qingsong was astonished.

“Because I have a way to speed up the growth of spiritual materials, with a 100% success rate for transplantation. As for the reason…” Lin Dong smiled. “I accidentally discovered a unique method for refining spiritual water. I ask President Ren to keep this a secret.”

Ren Qingsong’s head was buzzing; he found it hard to accept Lin Dong’s words. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe him, but… He had already resolved to repay Lin Dong’s help with his official position and even his life. Yet now, things had taken a sudden turn—not only was he free from risk, but he could also rise to a high-ranking position within three to five years. Such a sudden change left Ren Qingsong unable to believe it at first.

“Dean Ren, time is of the essence. Please set off as soon as possible!” Lin Dong said with a bow. “Whether you succeed in taking over or not, it would be best if you could send someone to inform me so I can prepare in advance.”

“Alright, I’ll go right away!”

Ren Qingsong was filled with excitement, feeling full of energy. He didn’t bother with further formalities with Lin Dong. Taking the registration book and small porcelain bottle from Yang Laiting’s hands, he immediately soared into the air and leaped over the courtyard wall.