Qin Kun was originally just idle with nothing to do. He'd just beaten up Cai Qidong, and didn't feel comfortable hanging out with the Scorching Sun Department people, so he tagged along.

He thought Wen Yan was just using him as an excuse to turn down others, but who'd have thought, Wen Yan actually followed through.

"Senior Brother Qin, it's almost six o'clock. Do you really want to go eat by yourself?"

"That works too, we can just grab something casual together."

"I told you, just come over to my place for a bit! There are people at home, they have to eat too."

Wen Yan picked up the phone, ready to order some food, and planned to have a couple of drinks with Qin Kun while he was at it.

"Senior Brother Qin, can you eat half a cow in one sitting?"

"What are you thinking? My max in a day is ten kilos of meat."

"Oh, got it."

Wen Yan ordered enough dishes for ten people, then used the boss's Feixin to transfer the money in advance, just in case it got dark and the boss didn't dare deliver.

Qin Kun was speechless—this little junior brother of his was just too honest.

No wonder he got tricked by that black-hearted Cai Qidong. If he'd known today, he would've gone full Burst Qi from the start and aimed to knock the bastard out with deadly force.

Otherwise, this really isn't enough to get rid of his anger. Never mind Grand Uncle Master, even he didn't feel satisfied—there was definitely some personal emotion in that slap.

But he didn't expect Minister Cai to be at least three or four levels stronger than anticipated.

The powerhouses in this world are just too ridiculous sometimes, especially these last few years—everyone's progressed way too fast.

The speed of combat power inflation was starting to leave him behind.

When he got back, he really needed to buckle down and train hard—couldn't slack off.

Once he could make Minister Cai spit blood with a single blow, then we'll talk.

...

"Pfft..."

In an RV heading for Duanzhou, Cai Qidong suddenly lowered his head and violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood, spraying it into the sink.

After coughing up that fresh blood, his previously normal complexion instantly turned ghostly pale.

Beside him, Feng Yao's expression changed slightly.

"Minister..."

Now he understood why the Minister took him and a trusted driver, leaving in his private RV.

Cai Qidong waved his hand at Feng Yao, wiped his mouth, rinsed it, then pulled out a small jade bottle from a bedside drawer. He poured out three pills the size of mouse turds, popped them in his mouth and swallowed.

He lay down on the bed at the back and quietly regulated his breath.

"Minister, didn't you say it was nothing? Why...?"

Cai Qidong lifted his eyelids, his lips twitching.

"You think I've already ascended?

No way I'm fine!

Qin Kun is, after all, the strongest under forty in Binhai County.

Even looking at the whole Divine Land, among martial artists who go the brutal route, in his age group, in terms of pure strength, you can count the ones who could match him on one hand.

Even though he didn't use Martial Techniques on that slap, he definitely didn't hold back the force.

That kind of humanoid monster—he's got the terrifying power to literally beat someone to death.

As long as you're made of flesh and blood, if you take a slap from him head-on, it's impossible to be completely fine.

I even took a life-saving pill in advance, then used all my strength to deflect more than ninety percent of that monster's power."

"Ah, and just under ten percent left still injured you this bad?" Feng Yao was shocked. Is Qin Kun really this strong?

"Bullshit, I was just forcing myself to suppress the injury; now that I let go, it's gotten even worse."

"..." Feng Yao was speechless—honestly, he had believed Qin Kun's talk about using finesse rather than brute force, who'd have thought the Minister was just putting on a front in public.

Cai Qidong leaned on the bed, eyelids drooping as he looked at Feng Yao, easily reading his mind.

"If you think I'm acting cool in front of the young guys like you, then you're overestimating yourself."

"Ah..." Feng Yao was stunned and started thinking hard.

After a moment, Cai Qidong asked,

"Figured it out yet?"

"I think so. Minister did it to keep the peace. But as for why exactly… I haven't thought it through."

"You think I don't know, just inviting someone in a purple robe from Dragon Tiger Mountain is never going to make this work?"

"That should be pretty tough. I checked the files—when it comes to ascension rituals, what matters most is the main subject. Everyone else is just auxiliary."

"Exactly! The people from Dragon Tiger Mountain showing up is just for appearances, flying the Dragon Tiger Mountain flag. It's not like only they can take over the ascension ritual.

In reality, for this to work, you need Divine Land Government and the Scorching Sun Department to officially approve it—with full paperwork, stamps, signatures, and hand prints.

Just like how even the Great Monk in Gaoyuan County needs approval to reincarnate, first and foremost.

After that, you have to get the proper local River God personally backing things, representing the local water system—those Wild Sacrifice Water Gods don't count.

Besides Dragon Tiger Mountain, you still need another deeply rooted major mountain or Daoist temple to back it up, showing that it's not just a Dragon Tiger Mountain affair.

Then you need a Great Demon to publicly endorse it, signaling that the local Great Demons support this.

Then you need heavyweight Ghosts with real influence to help out—to deter other big Ghosts.

Don't be fooled just because it's about sending one Ghost to ascend—the ones who'll most likely object and play dirty are actually the other Ghosts.

And most importantly, you need the core backing—the ability to help Wang Xueqi ascend without anyone showing up or making a move in person."

Cai Qidong sighed and swallowed three more pills.

"This time, it's really just going with the flow—but even if I go ask, there's no guarantee they'll do me any favors.

Because I'm the Scorching Sun Minister, ironically, they can't make it too obvious if they support me, or it's picking sides.

So these last five conditions? They're all about borrowing Wen Yan's and Fuyu Mountain's reputations."

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