First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 35: Cultivation and Strength—How High Is High Enough?

Yunxiang Grand Hotel.

Having stood for centuries, if star-rated hotels represented overt luxury, this place embodied understated elegance.

Inside the private room.

Two rugged young men with wild temperaments puffed on cigarettes while waiting for their guest.

"Bro, we've got our own jobs unfinished. Do we really need to compete with Cripple Li and the Tianli Sect for this?"

The younger man tore into the braised chicken before them, stuffing a drumstick into his own mouth before handing another to his companion.

"Open up," he commanded.

As his junior opened his mouth, the young man shoved the entire chicken piece - meat and bone - straight in.

Watching his subordinate's messy chewing, the arrogant youth sneered: "Everything in this world is taken by force. After all our mountain expeditions and life-threatening jobs, haven't you learned yet? In this world, treasures belong to those with greater skill and sharper minds."

"Remember my words - dogs don't grow fat without eating, men don't grow strong without greed."

"My mother died young, and everything that should've been ours was stolen by that bastard Cao Yuan. That's when I understood - I, Cao Ying, would rather die from greed than starve from virtue. That's why I abandoned the comfortable life in Cao Family Alley to hunt treasures in the mountains."

"Now I've returned after making my name abroad. It's time to bring our old man a proper gift. Those Zhima Beasts would make a perfect present."

"Besides, I've heard so much about Investigator Lu that my ears have grown calluses. More friends mean more paths, more wives mean more homes. This deal is profitable any way you look at it."

The younger man nodded blankly, not fully comprehending but accepting his leader's wisdom unconditionally. After all, this was the brother who'd dug him out from a mass grave - who else would he listen to?

Three knocks sounded at the door.

Wen Yuquan entered with Lu Ding half a step behind. Having some free time today and serving as mutual acquaintance, it was only proper for Wen to accompany Lu.

"Hahahaha! Old Wen! Long time no see! Last time we met was... the last time! You've gotten fat, hahaha!"

Cao Ying spread his arms for an embrace. Wen Yuquan's face darkened but he didn't evade the rough hug.

Lu Ding studied Cao Ying closely - short hair, broken eyebrow, suit worn without a shirt, jade pendant around his neck. An utterly rustic style that his handsome face somehow transformed into roguish charm.

Different from Ye Xuan's vibe. Cao Ying exuded ruthlessness where Ye gave off street punk energy.

As Lu Ding observed, Cao Ying was doing the same. They were surprisingly similar - neither concealed their edges. But where Cao projected viciousness, Lu radiated unrestrained brutality. This raised Cao's estimation of Lu several notches. He hated dealing with scheming young upstarts.

Not that he couldn't play those games - having survived countless life-and-death situations, Cao Ying had cunning to spare. If others had eyes in their hearts, he had hearts in his eyes.

"Investigator Lu, the legend doesn't do you justice. Let's cut to the chase - business before pleasure, yeah?"

This straightforward approach suited Lu Ding perfectly.

"Then let's talk."

The three men sat. Wen Yuquan remained silent, simply observing.

Cao Ying hauled a package from the floor and slammed it onto the table.

"Everything's inside, Investigator Lu. Take a look. If satisfactory, thirty million hits your account immediately."

Lu Ding opened the package. The dried ginseng root lay there with uncannily human features, just smaller in size. Beside it, the ganoderma emitted fragrant waves. The golden pheasant, tightly bound, glared fiercely with undiminished vitality.

Both appearance and medicinal potency were top-grade.

Lu Ding closed the package: "Quality goods, and I trust Wen Yuquan's referrals. But I must warn you - I took these from the Tianli Sect. They couldn't take them back from me, but whether they bring you fortune or disaster is your concern. No after-sales service here."

"No need to worry, Investigator Lu. Haven't you heard the saying? In our cultivation world, four types you don't provoke: 749 Bureau officials, mountain treasure hunters, daylight-walking ghosts, and sky-flying corpses. You're first, I'm second. If they can't handle you, they might not handle me either."

Cao Ying's words referenced the unspoken rules. 749 Bureau investigators came in swarms if provoked. As for mountain treasure hunters like himself, those who survived the wilderness accumulated both treasures and lethal tricks - no weaklings gained renown in that field.

The last two - daylight ghosts and flying corpses - weren't ordinary threats. Merely surviving an encounter with those was bragging rights for life. Their inclusion here mainly highlighted how fearsome the first two categories were.

Rumors claimed the first two specialized in handling the latter pair - like targeted remedies.

Since Cao Ying showed no fear, the rest proceeded smoothly - dining, drinking, exchanging contacts. Lu Ding noted Cao Ying as someone worth remembering before they parted ways.

Walking along the nighttime streets with cool breeze and heavy pockets, Lu Ding found himself less excited than expected. Maybe the money felt insignificant now, or perhaps his psychological threshold had risen. Or maybe his pursuits had shifted - from wealth and fame to cultivation and strength.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Wen Yuquan offered a cigarette.

Lu Ding accepted: "Tell me - how high must one's cultivation and strength reach before it's considered truly high?"

Wen Yuquan immediately stubbed his freshly lit cigarette and turned toward his car without another word.

"Too fucking pretentious. I'm going home to cultivate!"

Genuinely frustrated. His cultivation time surpassed Lu Ding's tenfold, yet in combat ability, Lu could defeat him ten times over without using hands. Considered a genius by others, here he felt like those celestial soldiers standing behind the Four Heavenly Kings during Sun Wukong's rampage - each supposedly peerless talents who could ascend after millennia of cultivation, yet swept aside by Monkey King's staff without even proper screen time.

Cao Ying's prowess came from surviving countless deadly situations - that kind of strength made sense. But Lu Ding's power? Incomprehensible. No discernible reason, just pure, undeniable strength.

The thoroughly demoralized Wen Yuquan drove off as Lu Ding called after him: "Next meal's on me!"

"Make sure there is a next time! Watch your back - don't get robbed."

Lu Ding laughed aloud at the notion. Rob him? They'd pay with their lives.

Driving the borrowed security vehicle back, he encountered no obstacles. Yan Feifan was still cultivating, likely realizing his inadequacy might burden Lu Ding. The young man hadn't stopped since leaving the interrogation room.

Borrowing a large pot from the security bureau's kitchen, Lu Ding boiled water, slaughtered the pheasant, plucked feathers, chopped meat, and stewed everything together with the ginseng root and sentient ganoderma.

Two words described the result: heavenly aroma.

Simmering from morning till night, lifting the lid released an ambrosial fragrance. A taste test confirmed perfection! With the first spoonful, a surge of pure spiritual energy flooded the Qi Cyclone in Lu Ding's empty cavity.