Spiritual Energy Revival (18): 

Although Gu Juntian had followed Zhou Qinghao out, his divine sense was strong, and he could hear everything happening outside clearly.

Daoist Guanyun, Master Rongfu, and the representatives from the state had all come because of the matter of him supposedly trying to seize Zhou Qinghao’s body.

Without a doubt, everything the original host had done in the past had been noticed by certain hidden figures.

It was even possible that those people had deliberately pushed things forward.

Before the revival of spiritual energy, this world had been in the end of the Dharma era. People back then didn’t even know how to cultivate.

Even now… cultivators hadn’t even figured out cleansing techniques for their bodies—how could they possibly know how to seize another’s body?

In comparison, those who dealt with vengeful spirits actually knew a bit more about things like body-seizing.

The cultivation method the original host obtained must have been deliberately planted in the Bureau of Demon Control by certain people.

No, not people—most likely the ones behind this weren’t human at all, but demons and ghosts hiding nearby.

Those two really had guts, even daring to come watch the commotion!

But it wasn’t surprising. Their strength wasn’t weaker than Zhou Qinghao’s, and since they hid early, ordinary people couldn’t detect them.

Gu Juntian didn’t want to waste time slowly explaining to those who came to capture him, so he simply decided to act directly.

The Ghost King and the Demon King were some distance away from Zhou Qinghao and Gu Juntian’s tribulation site, but their cultivation was high, and they had some special ways of eavesdropping, so they overheard their conversation.

When Zhou Qinghao said he had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, they were shocked out of their wits.

The Demon King stared at the Ghost King in disbelief.

This was the “fun show” the Ghost King had dragged him here to see? Watching Zhou Qinghao step into Nascent Soul?

Who in their right mind wanted to watch this kind of show!

As for the Ghost King, he too was utterly stunned.

The Ghost King and Demon King both wanted to run immediately, but with Zhou Qinghao already in the Nascent Soul stage, they were afraid that moving recklessly would get them discovered, so they dared not make a move.

They hid well—if they didn’t move, they might not be found.

Unfortunately, Gu Juntian still discovered them.

As soon as they heard his words, they split up and fled.

But since Gu Juntian had already acted, how could he possibly let them get away?

With his current Nascent Soul strength, dealing with two Golden Core cultivators was more than easy.

He extended his hand, and two bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking the Demon King and Ghost King, knocking them to the ground.

The people from the Bureau of Demon Control were dumbfounded.

They had all heard of Director Gu’s legendary reputation, but that was already long ago.

After the revival of spiritual energy, the world had changed rapidly.

Some who awakened early had been very powerful at first, but if their talent was lacking, they might not compare to those who awakened later. Zhou Qinghao was one of those who surpassed the earlier ones, overtaking all who had once been stronger than him.

In both the Daoist world and the Bureau, those who knew a bit of the inside story believed that without Zhou Qinghao’s protection, Gu Juntian would never have been able to keep his seat as director.

But now, after seeing this display from Gu Juntian…

Daoist Guanyun’s face lit with eagerness: “So this is the strength of a Nascent Soul master? Director Gu, will you take me as your disciple?”

Gu Juntian struck the Ghost King and Demon King with a few more lightning attacks, knocking them unconscious, then said helplessly, “Daoist Guanyun, you jest.”

“Director Gu, this poor Daoist is not jesting—I sincerely wish to become your disciple.” Daoist Guanyun persisted.

Master Rongfu, however, only looked at Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao with doubt.

He had opened his Heavenly Eye, able to see things others could not.

Director Gu and Zhou Qinghao’s auras were mingled together—it didn’t look quite right.

Gu Juntian knew the two of them had some real ability, but he had already smoothed over all of the original host’s shady deeds. He had nothing to fear now, so he asked: “What brings the two of you here today?”

Daoist Guanyun and Master Rongfu did not conceal anything and explained why they had come.

Now that both Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao stood before them, the matter of body-seizing was clearly baseless.

Both of them were filled with upright energy, clearly not ones who had strayed into demonic paths.

Besides, with their strength, even if they had fallen into the demonic way, no one could stop them.

“I knew it—someone must have been scheming in secret!” Gu Juntian said. “That possession technique appeared suspiciously. I already felt something was wrong back then, so I pretended to take the bait. As expected, it lured the snake out of its hole.”

He hadn’t possessed anyone, so at this point, he could say whatever he pleased.

Still, since they had come, Gu Juntian invited them to inspect the storage vaults.

He had already returned all the contraband items. In the high-risk vault, all the things capable of damaging the soul were still intact.

As for reading demonic techniques, he had done so to improve them. The new recruits of the Bureau who practiced his revised methods could prove that.

Besides, with his cultivation level, why would he need to rely on demonic techniques?

After looking over the techniques Gu Juntian had improved, Daoist Guanyun wanted even more to take him as a master.

Gu Juntian simply reverted to his youthful appearance. “Daoist Guanyun, are you sure you still want to acknowledge me as your master?”

Daoist Guanyun was already past fifty years old, while Gu Juntian now looked far younger.

Daoist Guanyun said firmly, “Yes! Director Gu, how did you change your appearance like this?”

For cultivators, changing appearances was actually simple. One didn’t need to be at Nascent Soul—so long as they had spiritual power, even someone at the Qi Refining stage could use techniques to alter their face.

Of course, this was more like placing a magical mask on oneself, not truly changing their features.

Before, Gu Juntian had lacked spiritual power, so he couldn’t do it. But now, having advanced to Nascent Soul, spiritual power surged within him, and the technique naturally surfaced in his mind.

He taught the appearance-changing spell to Daoist Guanyun, who immediately used it to change his looks into that of a white-bearded, immortal-looking sage.

Gu Juntian: “…” It seemed Daoist Guanyun’s tastes were similar to his own.

No, they were different.

Now that he had regained his youth, he would surely always appear as a young man in the future.

With the issues of demonic techniques and contraband resolved, the only remaining matter was the original host’s use of rare spiritual treasures.

But those treasures had mostly been brought back by Zhou Qinghao, many even collected specifically for him. His using them was within the Bureau’s rules.

Zhou Qinghao was direct: “The director was injured before and needed to heal. Those treasures were things I gathered to treat him.”

That being the case, the accusations from those behind the scenes completely fell apart.

In truth, ever since Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao had both stepped into the Nascent Soul stage, no one really cared about the accusations anymore.

And even if they did, who could stand against them?

The state representatives soon left.

Thanks to the Bureau, their country had become the safest place in the world. If nothing major happened, they didn’t intend to interfere with the Bureau’s work.

Nor could ordinary people interfere anyway.

Daoist Guanyun, however, refused to leave. He insisted on staying at the Bureau to seek instruction from Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian was more than happy to have another expert in the Bureau. He handed the captured Ghost King and Demon King over to Daoist Guanyun for interrogation, then sent Master Rongfu off.

Master Rongfu had long traveled the land, slaying demons and exorcising spirits, and had no plans to remain at the Bureau.

At the door, he suddenly said, “Benefactor Gu, your aura and Benefactor Zhou’s are harmonized. This bond is destined by Heaven.”

Gu Juntian froze, suddenly realizing—his relationship with Zhou Qinghao was still unknown to others.

So, how was he supposed to explain it?