Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 398: In My Heart, I Wish to Cultivate (6K)

Chapter 398: Chapter 398: In My Heart, I Wish to Cultivate (6K)

Lu Luo watched Qi Xinzhu silently, suddenly at a loss for words. Life was too hard—his companions weren’t playing by the rules anymore.

He could ignore Gu Fangyi finding a job as a delivery guy, a job Lu Luo himself looked down on.

But Qi Xinzhu had found an organization of Transcendents!

How... how is that possible? She suddenly infiltrated an Imperial Transcendent organization? Could they be human traffickers? Seeing how beautiful my wife is, do they want to abduct her?

"Xinzhu, have you confirmed the specifics of this organization? Things like its structure, operations, business direction, and so on. Simply put, have you found out what they actually do?"

Gu Fangyi was also curious about Lu Luo’s question. Compared to Qi Xinzhu, he suddenly felt his delivery job wasn’t so great after all.

"Luo means you should be careful not to get swindled. He’s worried about you."

Ah, Gu gets me!

Qi Xinzhu blinked, a sudden delight appearing on her face. It seemed her job had gained Lu Luo’s and Gu Fangyi’s approval.

But first, I need to understand the details.

"Of course. I spent the whole day learning about their organization. Not just the Cain Secret Cultivator Society; I also researched a few other Transcendent organizations this afternoon."

She made progress this quickly? Xinzhu is impressive. It feels like we two men are just wasting time.

The two men fell silent.

After a moment, Lu Luo knew Gu Fangyi was definitely playing dead, so he had to speak up. "Alright, tell us. What are the specifics so far? Things like the organizational structure of Transcendent groups, as detailed as possible."

"Mhm, I was just about to tell you! The New Imperial is huge—dozens of times larger than the Wasteland Alliance. For easier management, it’s divided into nine major regions. Dong’an is in the GuiXi Region, located in the southwestern part of the Imperial.

"In the Imperial, there are many Transcendent organizations—over a hundred, they say—stationed in every region and city. The structure of these Transcendent organizations is mostly very similar; they all focus on attracting members and promoting their organizational beliefs, doctrines, and so on.

"Since the Imperial doesn’t have any explicitly defined enemies, it allows these organizations to engage in mutual conflict and conquest. Therefore, every organization is actively developing its own strength and recruiting Transcendent members to counter the others. They don’t really have an ultimate purpose, nor has any mega-organization with the will to unify all Transcendents ever appeared. That’s about it."

Qi Xinzhu’s words were packed with information. Lu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly, beginning to analyze the true meaning behind these details.

"That’s a lot to take in!"

"Luo, care to share your analysis?"

Lu Luo nodded. "Firstly, Xinzhu mentioned that the New Imperial has no enemy nations. This means the current New Imperial doesn’t need to worry much about border defense. If border defense isn’t a major issue, then existing problems are likely internal. The Imperial needs to manage internal contradictions and the large population and power of Transcendents. That’s why it allows so many Transcendent organizations to exist, each with its own nominal belief.

"Conflicts between these beliefs are naturally expected. This way, each organization can legitimately gather strength and fight one another. This situation can be described with a special term I’ve heard."

"What special term?" Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi asked in unison.

"Jianghu."

"Jianghu? Isn’t that a term for rivers and lakes? How does it relate to the current situation in the Imperial?"

"That’s why it’s a special term. Where there are people, there is Jianghu—a Jianghu for Transcendents. The Jianghu is an entity the Imperial uses to consume Transcendent power. It’s tacitly endorsed, even officially supported by the Imperial, all for the sake of the Imperial’s security."

Lu Luo’s explanation was unusual. Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi found it hard to understand why such a seemingly detrimental system—a parasitic entity, almost—would be allowed to exist.

"Why not centralize management, like with the Inner and Outer Rings?"

Lu Luo looked at Qi Xinzhu with a smile. "Do you think the situation with the Inner and Outer Rings is normal?"

"Er... I guess... not entirely normal."

"Exactly. Even in the harsh environment of the Wasteland Alliance, balancing relationships between Transcendents is impossible. The existence of the Inner and Outer Rings itself signifies an abnormal social structure. The fundamental reason is that Transcendents’ desires are endless. Every Transcendent wants to advance, and advancement requires more resources. The Wasteland Alliance has relatively few Transcendents, yet issues of unequal distribution and mutual hostility still arise.

"Imagine a place like the Imperial. Conflicts, clashes, killings... The population of Dong’an City alone is nearly one-third of the Fourth Ring’s, and Dong’an is just a small city. The larger the population, the more dangerous it becomes. When the population exceeds a critical threshold without enough resources, some mechanism is needed to expend the surplus. The Imperial encompasses vast territories where new Transcendents are born constantly.

"Without a clear external enemy, the Imperial cannot effectively utilize so many Transcendents. Managing a large number of them is impossible because each individual’s personality, background, and talents differ. Even with the strictest rules, once a Transcendent undergoes an Awakening or possesses exceptional talent, they will inevitably start to think—about their self-worth, societal value, and the structure of the state.

"Once they’ve thought things through, they might begin to cause disruptions. When capable individuals are restrained by incompetents, that’s the genesis of conflict."

"If they’re talented, why don’t they join the Imperial forces and become generals or something?"

"It’s for the same reason: the Imperial lacks a clear enemy, making internal contradictions inevitable."

"Oh! I see, that makes sense." Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu nodded in unison.

After digesting Lu Luo’s explanation, Qi Xinzhu suddenly asked, "Hey, Lu Luo, have you found a job yet?"

Lu Luo’s expression darkened. His eloquent analysis didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t found a job. "Not yet! But finding a job is simple for someone like me..."

"So you haven’t found one yet! What about Gu Fangyi?"

Gu Fangyi stylishly tugged at his ugly work uniform. "I found a job."

"Wow, Gu Fangyi, you’re pretty capable! Lu Luo, what’s your excuse?"

Lu Luo looked at the bank card in his hand, his enthusiasm suddenly waning. This isn’t fun anymore. "This is pointless! Let’s just go back to the Wasteland Alliance."

"Hahaha, alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you." Qi Xinzhu burst out laughing. It was rare to see Lu Luo looking defeated, and she couldn’t pass up such a prime opportunity to tease him. "You still haven’t told me which option I should choose."

"Are you sure you want to join the Cain Secret Cultivator Society? You haven’t investigated it thoroughly. Have you considered the environment and security aspects?"

"Lu Luo, I’m not a child anymore. You’ve taught me a lot. So, I think this is our chance."

"A chance?"

"The chance to enter the world of Transcendents."

Lu Luo nodded. Xinzhu has really grown up.

"Good. It’s always best to make your own judgments when faced with problems."

"But I’m still struggling to decide which one to choose. Give me some advice."

"The Preacher," Lu Luo said with certainty.

"Why? Does the Preacher role have more advantages than the other two?"

"Mhm. Since the role involves preaching, you’ll travel to many places, especially locations frequented by Transcendents. The more places you visit, the more information you can gather. This will help us quickly understand the specific situation regarding Transcendents in the Imperial."

"And the other two?"

"The other two... a guard involves combat risks, and further study would definitely take you far away. If you’re too far from me, the danger level increases."

Hearing Lu Luo, Qi Xinzhu nodded. She wouldn’t be reckless about such matters. She had considered the safety issues; indeed, her safety would be much higher with Lu Luo around. She was strong, but not strong enough yet. Lu Luo, however, was different. He was even stronger now than when he had been in the Inner Ring. His body, energy, and Sequence were all approaching perfection. If Lu Luo went all out, he could definitely contend with a Seventh Tier Transcendent from the Wasteland Alliance.

"Alright, Preacher it is then!"

The three of them discussed their plans thoroughly in the building’s basement, eating the takeout Gu Fangyi had brought while contemplating their future.

They were all young and powerful, with bright futures ahead of them.

「The next morning.」

Gu Fangyi went to work. After some affectionate moments with Lu Luo, Qi Xinzhu also hurried off to the Cain Secret Cultivator Society’s location.

Only Lu Luo remained, sitting somewhat blankly.

Previously, I planned to follow the development path I used in the Fourth Ring and start a Transcendent company, something like the Circular Mysterious Office. But after understanding the situation Xinzhu described, I’ve shelved that idea. The situation in the Imperial is clearly different from the Wasteland Alliance. There are countless unofficial Transcendent organizations here. If I started my own company, I’d face immense hostility and competition—hundreds of times more than in the Wasteland Alliance! So, starting a company isn’t an appealing option anymore. The Circular Mysterious Office plan is basically scrapped.

"Sigh, life is full of ups and downs. If worst comes to worst, I might as well just find a regular job for now," Lu Luo muttered to himself.

Lu Luo was a pragmatic person.

I’m really not in a hurry. The trade channels haven’t been established yet. It’s unrealistic for the three of us to develop a significant force in a short time. I’m still unsure about the upper limits of Transcendent power in the Imperial. I need to keep a low profile. A very low profile!

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lu Luo?"

"Hm?"

Lu Luo snapped back to reality and saw a girl in a white mini-pleated skirt, her hair in twin ponytails.

Lu Luo sized her up. A super-short mini-pleated skirt isn’t a problem in itself, but it’s winter! Who in their right mind dresses like this in the dead of winter? This woman is definitely trouble.

"And you are?" Lu Luo asked.

"Hello, my name is Luo Yi. I’m a member of the Wings of Blazing Sky."

Wings of Blazing Sky? Sounds like a Transcendent organization.

"What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Lu Luo, you solved the suburban Jane Doe case yesterday. Your reasoning and judgment were quite admirable. For a Transcendent like yourself to stand up for an ordinary person... surely, you were guided by justice, by the light itself.

"Our Wings of Blazing Sky is an organization that seeks the light. Promoting justice and saving the populace are the ideals we champion. This aligns closely with what you are doing, Mr. Lu Luo. As one guided by light, I hope you will join us, join the Sect of the Wings of Blazing Sky."

Lu Luo’s brows furrowed. It seems the Imperial’s Transcendent organizations are quite adept at finding people like me. A single minor action on my part, and I’ve already attracted their attention. They’ve invited me without even confirming my identity. This isn’t just a shortage of people; it’s sheer desperation!

"I’m not very familiar with your organization. If I were to join, what would I be required to do?"

Seeing Lu Luo’s interest, the twin-tailed Luo Yi’s lips curved into a slight smile. As long as he’s interested, it’s fine. We were worried he might refuse outright.

"Mr. Lu Luo, the Imperial is currently in chaos. A person of your aspirations must sense it, shouldn’t you?"

Lu Luo didn’t answer. I just arrived in the Imperial; I don’t sense a damned thing.

However, to encourage Luo Yi to continue, he nodded.

"Go on."

"Since last year, the Transcendent crime rate has increased by over one hundred percent. The Guard Office should have specific numbers, but they’ve never been published. Externally, they claim public safety hasn’t changed. This is nothing short of dereliction of duty; they’re shirking responsibility.

"Of course, we all know the Guard Office staff have been neglecting their duties for years. They rarely put in full effort unless absolutely necessary. They’re rotten to the core. In the past, this approach wasn’t a major problem because Transcendent-related cases were rare, mostly consisting of conflicts between organizations.

"But things are different now. ’Anomalies’ have increased, though the reason for this increase remains unclear. If the Guard Office continues its old ways, many innocent people will be harmed. They might even blame these innocent civilians.

"We at the Wings of Blazing Sky don’t want to see that happen. So, in a way, we take on Transcendent cases at very reasonable prices. Mr. Lu Luo, your performance was exceptionally impressive, which is why we’ve come to invite you. We don’t dare call ourselves messengers of light; rather, it is the light that guides us."

Luo Yi’s statements are well-reasoned, and the Sect’s doctrines sound quite lofty. I pretty much understand what I’d need to do. Solve Transcendent cases for money. It aligns with how this Sect operates and with what I need right now. Still, something feels odd. Xinzhu joined the Cain Secret Cultivator Society, representing darkness. And now I’m about to join the Wings of Blazing Sky, representing light. Gu Fangyi... Well, Gu is delivering takeout. I’ve always felt my methods don’t exactly align with concepts like ’light’. Now an organization proclaiming itself to be of the light is inviting me. How ironic.

"What’s the pay like?"

"We operate on a commission basis: the more you work, the more you earn. If your case-solving abilities are strong, Mr. Lu Luo, your income will be quite substantial. Moreover, our line of work offers many channels to connect with high society."

"High society?"

"I don’t mean dances or banquets—those superficial things. I’m talking about access to a complete supply of resources, secret technique systems, weapons, equipment, and the like. That’s what a Transcendent truly desires, isn’t it?"

Lu Luo nodded slightly.

"Alright, I’ll join."

The Dong’an City headquarters of the Wings of Blazing Sky was located on the second floor of an office building adjacent to the Dong’an Building. Though also in the city center, it was visibly more dilapidated than the Dong’an Building. The Wings of Blazing Sky rented the second and third floors; the second served as office space, while the third housed training facilities. Despite not being the Dong’an Building, the rent here was still considerable. That the Wings of Blazing Sky could afford two floors spoke to their substantial financial strength.

In the second-floor lounge, two members of the Wings of Blazing Sky were idly chatting.

While some Transcendents were highly dedicated, others were quite lazy. The primary reason was the Imperial’s vast population. More people meant more Transcendents, and more Transcendents led to intense internal competition—not just among ordinary people, but among Transcendents themselves. To avoid this "involution," some Transcendents chose to simply "lie flat." A laid-back life of doing just enough to survive could be quite comfortable, especially if one came from a well-off family—a "second-generation affluent." Yang Di was one such person.

Although a woman, she mostly dressed in men’s clothing. She had no intention of finding a partner—too much hassle and too exhausting. Her academic performance was mediocre, not good enough to pass the civil service exam, but she possessed a modicum of talent and strength. So, she joined the Wings of Blazing Sky, becoming a proud member of the "lie flat and wait for death" contingent.

However, Yang Di’s slacker lifestyle seemed poised for a change.

"Yang Di, I heard Team B recruited a new guy. He’s likely to be your partner. Aren’t you going to get ready?"

"Really? They recruited someone? What’s so special about him?"

"Word is he’s a highly motivated champion of justice. Just helped the Guard Office solve a case and saved an innocent civilian. Partnering with someone like that... won’t you feel the pressure?"

Yang Di, who had been lounging, immediately sat bolt upright. "Seriously?"

"As real as it gets."

"So, what does he look like?"

"Very handsome."

Upon hearing he was "very handsome," Yang Di hesitated for three seconds, then finally stood up.

"Yang Di, what are you doing?"

"I’m going to cultivate!"

HUH? Cultivate? Yang Di is going to cultivate? Have pigs started flying?

Luo Yi led Lu Luo back to the Wings of Blazing Sky headquarters, enthusiastically introducing the organization to him while suggestively swaying her hips, her skirt perilously short.

Honestly, she’s average.

Indeed.

Lu Luo glanced a few times, then looked away, uninterested.

Luo Yi, however, was somewhat surprised. It seems Lu Luo’s standards are quite high, she thought.

After showing him the second floor, Luo Yi took Lu Luo to the third-floor cultivation and fitness area. As it happened, they ran into Yang Di, who was cultivating there.

Yang Di is a slacker, I know, Luo Yi thought. But precisely because she’s a slacker, she’d be the perfect partner for Lu Luo. Only by pairing him with a slacker can we see his true capabilities. But Yang Di is actually cultivating today? This is very strange!

"Yang Di? Why are you cultivating? You’re *actually* cultivating?"

Yang Di put down the runic dumbbell she was holding, looking at Luo Yi with feigned surprise. "What do you mean, ’why am I cultivating’? If I’m not cultivating, what else would I be doing? Huh? And what’s with ’actually cultivating’? As a Transcendent, a member of the Wings of Blazing Sky, of course, I have to cultivate!

"From now on, I’ll cultivate twice a day, every day, 31 days a month! You’ll see me here every day, folks! Today’s an extra session, don’t look so shocked, it’s a *real* extra session. Got nothing else on today, so I’m free to cultivate all day long!

"Don’t you worry, Instructor Luo, this week definitely won’t be ’train one day, rest seven.’ You can count on it! I’m planning to smash the metrics this month. There’s a bonus involved, so you might want to get that ready. I’m aiming for number one in the district rankings, Instructor Luo!"

Luo Yi looked astonished. Yang Di’s behavior was utterly bizarre. "Yang Di, you’re not... slacking anymore?"

"Can’t slack off this month! Ironclad guarantee, no slacking! This month, I’m gonna prove all those haters wrong, the ones who doubt me, alright? I’m gonna make up for all the cultivation I missed in the previous months!

"Making promises is pointless, you know? You never know what might happen at work. What if a tsunami hits while I’m on duty? Then what good is a promise, huh?"

"There are no seas in Dong’an City," Luo Yi stated coldly.

But Yang Di paid her no mind, her gaze fixed on Lu Luo as she visibly gulped. "Natural disasters, you know, they’re beyond our control! If there’s an earthquake, I can’t very well be cultivating at the organization headquarters, can I? If an earthquake or a tsunami hits, poof! Promise gone!

"I really, really regret not cultivating properly last month. Seriously. Even though I slacked off, I’m filled with remorse and anguish. Now I’m thinking, why *shouldn’t* I cultivate this month? So, I’ve decided: at least 62 cultivation sessions this month! And if 62 isn’t enough, I’ll do another 62! Two full months of dedication, challenging myself!

"Cultivation plan for this month? Cultivate every day! What kind of plan do you need for that? Shouldn’t Transcendents cultivate every day anyway? How many days this time? Every single day this month! From now until the end of the month, cultivating every day!

"Can I do an hour today? Today? Today I can do three hours! Even if I don’t hit an hour today, there’s always tomorrow! My physical condition is great now; I can do three hours every day. The only reason I wasn’t cultivating before was because my condition was off.

"Next month, I’m definitely going all out, just so you know. Next month, three times a day, guaranteed! This month? Ah, forget this month, it’s already a write-off. This month is shot. Next month, I’ll figure out how to cultivate properly.

"In my heart, I *want* to cultivate. Whether I can actually *do* it, well, that’s another story. Deep down, I really, really want to. But sometimes, you know, accidents happen. Either my train of thought gets stuck, or I have *too many* thoughts, and then I just can’t bring myself to cultivate. But none of that is my fault, right, Instructor Luo?"

Lu Luo looked at the short-haired woman in the men’s floral shirt.

Two words flashed through his mind: Total weirdo!