After leaving the Wei Residence, Jiang Yuechu casually ate breakfast by the roadside, then followed the route from her memory, leading her horse to the General Bureau.
The leading guard was the same one from yesterday. Seeing Jiang Yuechu, his expression stiffened, then he immediately greeted her with respect.
"Lord Jiang? You've... rested?"
Jiang Yuechu nodded and said, "I'm looking for Assistant General Cui."
"General Cui instructed that if you arrived, you should go directly to the Hall of Merits and Demerits. He's been waiting there since the morning drum sounded."
Was he afraid she would wander off again, so he simply started waiting early in the morning? A trace of unnaturalness inexplicably flashed across Jiang Yuechu's face, but she didn't say much.
"Lead the way."
Stepping through the main gate, it was as if entering another world.
Black stone paved the ground, hard and jarring underfoot. Occasionally, clerks carrying documents or three to five Demon Suppression Guardss hurried past.
"Lord Jiang, we've arrived."
The guard stopped in front of a side hall.
Jiang Yuechu straightened her collar and stepped in.
What met her eyes was a huge desk, where a man was currently seated, wearing only a loose robe and not the standard Demon Suppression Division uniform.
Jiang Yuechu muttered to herself.
Why do these Lords seem to dislike wearing official uniforms?
Xu Changfeng was like this, Wei He was like this, and even the Deputy Commander she saw yesterday seemed to be the same.
Shaking her head to dispel the random thoughts in her mind, she took the initiative to speak.
"Lord Cui?"
The man was startled, then looked up and scanned Jiang Yuechu.
In an instant.
She felt a pressure, not malicious, but simply weighing her strength.
"Are you Brigade Commander Jiang Yuechu? Come, come, sit."
Jiang Yuechu cupped her fists in a salute, "This subordinate Jiang Yuechu greets Lord Cui."
"Alright, no need for so much formality."
Assistant General Cui, named Cui Yuan, looked fierce, but his method of pouring tea for Jiang Yuechu was extremely steady.
"This is coarse tea, not as refined as what's outside. Brigade Commander Jiang, please make do and moisten your throat."
Jiang Yuechu accepted it with both hands, took a light sip, and her expression remained calm.
"Lord Cui is too kind. Water is fine."
Cui Yuan scrutinized the excessively young girl before him, secretly marveling in his heart.
So this is a Perfected Core Formation at seventeen or eighteen... She looks like a gentle girl.
However, thinking back to yesterday's events... although he didn't witness it personally, she single-handedly killed four Core Formation Great Demons and emerged completely unharmed.
This ability was no longer something that could be measured by a mere Realm.
"Since General Wei recommended you, and you are someone the General Bureau values, I won't beat around the bush with you."
Cui Yuan dragged a wooden box from under the desk and placed it on the table.
"Entering the Martial Temple and seeking a Spiritual Seal is a major event in a Martial Artist's life, and also the strictest hurdle set by the imperial court."
"The Chang'an Martial Temple is different from local ones; too many people are watching. Even if you're exempt from queuing, you still have to follow the rules."
Saying that, he opened the wooden box.
Inside were densely packed documents and dossiers.
"Verifying origin, investigating three generations, calculating merits, testing bone age, verifying identity..."
"According to the normal process, just going through this set of procedures would take at least ten days to half a month, and you wouldn't even know which way the Martial Temple's main gate opens."
Jiang Yuechu looked at the box of documents, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
So troublesome?
She had thought that being exempt from queuing would allow her to quickly enter the temple and seek a Spiritual Seal.
But she hadn't expected so many twists and turns.
"Do I have to fill all of them?"
"Not necessarily."
Cui Yuan waved his hand, pulled out a document from the bottom of the box, and pushed it in front of Jiang Yuechu.
"Just sign this one."
Jiang Yuechu was a little surprised.
"This is..."
Cui Yuan looked left and right. Although he was on his own territory, he still lowered his voice, "Last night, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhao personally came to the General Bureau overnight to vouch for you."
"With Deputy Commander Zhao vouching for you, naturally no one else would dare to say much."
Cui Yuan pointed to the document, "You just need to press your handprint here, sign your name, and then get a physical verification to confirm you're not a Yao Race spy mixed in. Then this matter is settled."
Jiang Yuechu no longer hesitated, quickly signing her name twice.
Cui Yuan put away the document and didn't mince words, "Let's go. While it's still early, we still need to go for a physical verification. That's a strict rule that no one can avoid."
...Leaving the side hall, they passed through several deep corridors.
The General Bureau' internal security was tight, with a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps.
The patrolling Demon Suppression Guardss they occasionally encountered all had extremely condensed auras.
"This verification platform is actually the General Bureau' treasured artifact—the Demon-Illuminating Mirror."
Cui Yuan explained casually as he led the way.
"As you know, some demons in this world are skilled at transformation, their appearances even more human-like than humans. If one were to accidentally slip in, defiling the Martial Temple's Luck would be a small matter, but if they were to obtain a True Spirit, that would be a colossal sin."
Jiang Yuechu nodded, indicating understanding.
Indeed.
No one could accept their own possessions being stolen by the Yao Race.
Soon.
The two arrived before an open stone platform.
In the center of the stone platform hung a massive bronze mirror. Its surface was blurry, yet faint lightning flickered within it.
Guarding it were two old men.
Seeing Cui Yuan bring someone, one of them raised his eyelids.
"Who is it?"
"Jiang Yuechu of the Longyou Dusi, here to enter the temple and seek a Spiritual Seal."
Cui Yuan handed over the document.
The old man took it, glanced at it twice, and his expression softened slightly.
"Go up."
Jiang Yuechu stepped onto the stone platform as instructed.
Buzz—!
As soon as she stood still, the bronze mirror emitted a hum.
A pillar of blue light instantly enveloped her, wrapping her entirely.
Jiang Yuechu only felt a warmth throughout her body.
Her Golden Core within her body seemed to respond to a summons, operating on its own and emitting cheerful chirps.
There was no discomfort.
A moment later.
The pillar of light dissipated, and the bronze mirror returned to calm.
"Human Race, bone age seventeen, Perfected Core Formation."
The old man withdrew his gaze, made a mark on the roster in his hand, "Passed."
Cui Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, this girl's talent was truly prodigious, and so many people valued her. If she really were a demon, the consequences... "Alright, the most troublesome hurdle is passed."
"Next, we wait."
"Wait?"
"The Martial Temple opens when the Yang Qi is strongest, which is at 'wu shi san ke' (12:45 PM)."
Cui Yuan looked up at the sky.
The sun was gradually climbing to its zenith, dispelling the last trace of morning chill.
The two didn't return to the side hall but sat down in a pavilion near the stone platform.
Cui Yuan was a restless person, or perhaps he wanted to build a good relationship, as he garrulously explained the rules of the Martial Temple.
"The rules of this Martial Temple are both complicated and, in essence, quite simple."
"Within the Martial Temple, there are one hundred and eighty Heaven and Earth Spiritual Seals collected by the sages of the Great Tang through the generations. Once inside, you just need to release your divine will and sense those Spiritual Seals."
"If your Heart-Nature aligns, a Spiritual Seal will respond, leaving its mark and helping you step into the Ink Dot Realm."
"If your Luck is bad, even if you sit there for three days, it will be in vain, and you can only leave dejectedly."
Jiang Yuechu pondered, "It's all up to Luck?"