Yang Wenqing stepped out of the station chief’s office and looked down at the key in his hand, feeling once again that his destiny had taken a turn.

"Chief Yang, congratulations." The ajar door to the secretary’s office swung open, and the secretary inside offered Yang Wenqing his sincere congratulations.

"You’re too kind, Secretary Zhao," Yang Wenqing replied with a smile. He pocketed the key and continued on his way. There were already people in the reception area, huddled around a small stove and stomping their feet. Most of them were managers from the nearby factories.

As he walked through the main doors of the chief’s office area, a blast of cold wind made Yang Wenqing squint instinctively. Then, he heard Ye Yong’s familiar voice. "Wenqing!"

He looked over and saw all the members of Patrol Squad Two, including their captain, Xiao Liang. The Second Squad was usually the first to clock out, but they had waited until now. ’They were obviously waiting for me.’

"Congratulations, Wenqing!"

Ye Yong jogged over, his voice booming. All the members of the First and Third Squads, who were on the morning shift, were also in the courtyard, and his shout immediately drew their attention.

"Leave it to you to quietly break through to the Qi Cultivation Stage! Not like some people, bragging every day about hiring a private tutor or setting up some fancy Spirit Gathering Array, and they still haven’t made a peep."

As Ye Yong spoke, he glanced over at Zhao Qin of the First Squad.

Zhao Qin was clearly furious, and the two senior guards beside him immediately pulled him back. His captain, Wang Ze’en, walked over with a friendly laugh. "You must be Yang Wenqing," he said. "I’ve heard a lot about you. Hard work truly pays off. Congratulations."

The captain of the Third Squad came over as well to offer a few polite words of his own. After a quick greeting to Xiao Liang, he led his subordinates off to change shifts.

Just then, Li Ming stepped forward and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Wenqing."

Yang Wenqing extended his hand as well, smiling as he shook Li Ming’s. Next, Zhu Lin, Wang Yuanfeng, and Zhou Kun came forward in succession to offer their congratulations. Their eyes were filled with surprise and envy, but there was little jealousy; after all, they had all witnessed firsthand just how hard Yang Wenqing worked.

"I’ve made up my mind! From now on, I’m going straight home to cultivate after every shift!"

Ye Yong announced loudly.

Zhou Kun, who knew him well, immediately shot back, "Fine. I’ll hold you to it. If you slack off, I’ll take a whip to you."

Everyone chuckled at the exchange. Captain Xiao Liang looked at Zhu Lin and said, "Take the others to clock out. I’ll catch up in a bit."

Zhu Lin nodded. He told Yang Wenqing, "Catch you later," and led the others away.

Xiao Liang smiled and sized up Yang Wenqing. "Not bad," he said. "Come with me." He then started walking toward the Squad Two office area.

Yang Wenqing followed Xiao Liang into the office, his eyes immediately drawn to the Communication Array that Sister Liu had set up.

The Array was built on a smoothly polished spiritwood root, its surface carved with intricate runic circuits inlaid with silver. A water screen the size of a bronze mirror hovered in the center of the Array. Pale gold characters occasionally scrolled across it—brief messages transmitted from the surrounding districts.

"Wenqing, congratulations!"

A warm smile spread across Sister Liu’s face when she saw Yang Wenqing. "Don’t you forget your Sister Liu when you make it big."

Yang Wenqing immediately shot back, "I could forget anyone, but I’d never dare forget Sister Liu."

After their friendly exchange, Xiao Liang said to Sister Liu, "Book a private room at Fengtai Pavilion for tonight. The squad’s covering it. Family is welcome."

Sister Liu nodded. "Alright, leave it to me!"

Xiao Liang turned to Yang Wenqing. "It’s tradition. If you have any friends you’d like to invite, feel free to bring them along to celebrate." He paused, then added, "After tonight, who knows when we’ll all get a chance to be together again. It’ll really be up to fate."

Yang Wenqing nodded. He hadn’t really thought about any of this. Until now, the only thing on his mind had been breaking through as quickly as possible.

With that, Xiao Liang headed for the locker room, and Yang Wenqing followed close behind.

Sister Liu watched Yang Wenqing’s retreating back. ’What a shame about my niece,’ she thought with a silent sigh. ’That ship has sailed.’

Inside the locker room, Xiao Liang walked over to Yang Wenqing’s locker. "You can take the gun with you," he said. "Your new rank allows you to carry a firearm off-duty. When you get to the branch station for tactical training, you can swap it for a Type 1 pistol. You can keep this one as a souvenir."

Yang Wenqing nodded. He stepped forward, opened his locker, and took out his pistol and personal belongings before handing the key to Xiao Liang.

Xiao Liang took the key. "The branch station has better swords, both long and short, so don’t be shy about picking a good one. At the Qi Cultivation Stage, besides firearms, the best offensive Magic is the Sword Control Technique. Also, give me your badge."

Yang Wenqing removed the badge from his chest.

Xiao Liang took the badge in his right hand. With his left, he formed a few signs for a Spell, wiping the Squad Two communication signal from the badge before handing it back to Yang Wenqing.

"Seven o’clock tonight. Don’t be late."

Xiao Liang smiled. "And one more thing I forgot to say... Congratulations, Wenqing."

...

Yang Wenqing and Captain Xiao Liang parted ways at the station entrance. The winter sun slanted across the bluestone pavers, stretching his solitary shadow behind him as he left.

He didn’t linger, his steps a little lighter than usual. After crossing two familiar streets, the mottled gray facade of his dormitory building came into view. It was the middle of the workday, so the building was especially quiet, making his footsteps echo loudly in the empty hallway.

Back in his room, he walked straight to the wooden desk, took out some letter paper from under his bed, and pulled the fountain pen from his breast pocket to begin writing.

"Mom and Dad,"

"I hope this letter finds you well. I’m doing fine here in the county town, so please don’t worry. I’m writing because there are two important things I need to tell you. First, I was fortunate enough to break through a cultivation bottleneck a few days ago and have officially entered the Qi Cultivation Stage..."

He was moving and his job was changing, so he needed to inform his family right away in case they came to visit and couldn’t find him.

After finishing the letter and checking it for errors, he pulled an envelope from under the bed, sealed it, and went to the post station on the corner to drop it in the mail chute marked "Express."

Back at the dormitory, it was time for Yang Wenqing to get busy packing.

Fortunately, he didn’t have much baggage. Aside from a few changes of clothes and his guard uniform, the most important items were his books and notes on cultivation.

He carefully packed these items into a worn wicker trunk.

Once everything was ready, Yang Wenqing stood in the doorway and glanced around the small room he had lived in for over a year. He didn’t feel much lingering attachment. He lifted the light wicker trunk, took one last look at the small space, then turned decisively and pulled the door shut behind him.

A soft CLICK echoed, as if putting a period at the end of a Chapter in his life.

The afternoon sun was pleasant as he stepped out of the dormitory. Its warmth enveloped him, chasing away the last vestiges of the winter chill.

Yang Wenqing paused at the entrance, taking a deep breath of the crisp, cool air before slowly exhaling. A sense of openness filled his chest. Then, carrying all his worldly possessions, he set off with firm, steady strides toward his new home in Dongning Community.

Dongning Community was located in the heart of the county town, right alongside the main road leading to the town center.

The pillars flanking the community’s main gate were so thick it would take two people to wrap their arms around them. The men standing guard were not ordinary security guards, but two guards in formal uniforms, likely from the county’s armed detachment. When they saw Yang Wenqing approach, one stepped forward without a word and simply held out his hand.

Yang Wenqing took out his key. The guard accepted it, then produced a palm-sized bronze mirror and passed it over the key. A flash of cyan light flared on the mirror’s surface and was gone.

"Building Three. Follow the main road to the end. It’s the second one on your right." The guard handed the key back, his eyes sweeping over Yang Wenqing’s epaulets. His voice was as flat as a stone.

Yang Wenqing nodded and stepped through the gate.