Zhao Ya quickly walked forward and picked up one of the boxes. Upon opening it, he found a pure and flawless pearl inside, which was emitting a gentle light.
This light swayed slightly, as if it was filled with liquid.
Under the illumination of the light, Zhao Ya felt an itch between his eyebrows.
At this moment, Mo Qi introduced, "The pearl you have is the Ghost Pearl. I used many methods to completely purify the evil qi contained within. Using it to break through the Fifth Realm can greatly enhance your perception ability in the spiritual aspects."
Saying that, Mo Qi opened another box, "This is the Mountain Demon Pearl. Feel the difference between the two."
Zhao Ya took a look, and this pearl was visibly red. Its emitted brilliance was far more aggressive, causing the qi blood inside Zhao Ya to boil and even his deepest marrow became restless.
"Actually, refining these two Beast Pearls isn’t difficult. The hard part is how to reconcile the conflict of attributes between them, allowing them both to assist you in breaking the realm. I exhausted every possible method, racking my brains to finally accomplish this," Mo Qi said proudly.
Zhao Ya carefully placed the two boxes back, took a deep breath, and said, "Thank you, but I wonder when I can use these Realm-Breaking Guides to break through?"
"You can start anytime, as long as you’re prepared," Mo Qi asked.
Zhao Ya nodded, "The polluted evil qi in my marrow has mostly been expelled. I’m only one step away from breaking through."
Mo Qi was a bit skeptical.
After all, the last time he saw Zhao Ya, he was far from the level of breakthrough.
Upon a closer look, Mo Qi was also shocked, showing an expression of disbelief.
In just over half a month, Zhao Ya had actually reached the brink of breakthrough.
"Impressive, but I suggest you choose a secluded place for your closed retreat while breaking through, as the whole process may take two or three days or even longer. If interrupted, all prior efforts could be lost," Mo Qi advised.
Zhao Ya nodded, "I understand. I’ll leave these two Realm-Breaking Guides with you for now. Once I’ve handled my affairs, I’ll begin my retreat tonight."
With Mo Qi’s extensive experience in refining Realm-Breaking Guides, conducting his closed retreat here would be the best choice.
"No problem, but are you sure to begin tonight? Actually, you don’t need to rush; it’s not too late to wait until everything is ready," Mo Qi persuaded.
Zhao Ya smiled, "Don’t worry, I know my limits."
Capital Prefecture.
As the nominal highest security agency of Yan Capital City, it was surprisingly dilapidated.
The two stone lions symbolizing authority at the entrance were rusted, one with broken tusk knocked off, appearing even more worn.
Seeing this, Shang Jingchuan couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
Although he anticipated the Capital Prefecture’s situation wouldn’t be great, he didn’t expect it to be so bad.
No wonder most officials showed grief-stricken faces upon hearing they’d be appointed as the Prefect of Capital Prefecture.
Not to mention passing blame or not, just with this shabby appearance, few would want to come.
Had he been notified earlier, Shang Jingchuan would have been apprehensive too, but now he simply took a deep breath and walked in.
No one stopped him, not even a guard stationed at the entrance.
He boldly walked into the courtyard, which was empty and barren, with weeds wildly growing from the cracks between the bricks, enhancing the air of desolation.
With patience, Shang Jingchuan continued walking and finally heard voices before the main hall.
"Big, big, ahahaha, I win! Pay up! Pay up!"
Accompanied by the sound of dice colliding, the room was in an uproar.
Shang Jingchuan stepped inside to find a group of people dressed as government officials or constables clustered together gambling.
In broad daylight, to openly gamble in the main hall of Capital Prefecture, it showed how deteriorated the ethos had become.
At first, nobody noticed Shang Jingchuan until he coughed several times and someone glanced his way.
Seeing him dressed in an official uniform with a remarkable demeanor, these government officials and constables dared not gamble further, hurriedly dispersing. Then someone clasped their fists and said, "Esteemed sir, what brings you here?"
"You’re openly gambling like this; doesn’t your supervising official care?"
"What are you saying? Everyone knows that Capital Prefecture is a big pit. Aside from us lowly officials and constables, which dignitary would want to jump into this mess? That’s why we’ve been without a supervising official for quite some time."
"Oh? What’s your name?" Shang Jingchuan grew interested.
"Replying to the esteemed sir, my name is He Zheng."
"He Zheng, haha, nice name!" Saying this, Shang Jingchuan pointed to the gambling table.
"Take it away. This is the main hall; having a gambling table here is inappropriate."
"Yes, yes, yes, we’ll take it away right now. May I ask, who are you?"
"I’m Shang Jingchuan, newly appointed as Prefect of Capital Prefecture, your direct superior."
Upon these words, this group of government officials and constables naturally trembled in shock, hurriedly kneeling on the ground.
He Zheng repeatedly kowtowed.
"We were unaware of the esteemed sir’s arrival. We are guilty of serious crimes."
"Stand up, tidy the main hall first, and then I have a few questions for you."
"Yes!"
The crowd hastily tidied the main hall, and Shang Jingchuan sat in the main seat and then asked.
"I only see you government officials and constables. Where’s the Chief Constable?"
These people looked at each other, showing reluctance.
Ultimately, it was He Zheng who spoke up, "Esteemed sir, we haven’t seen Chief Liu for quite some time either. I’ve heard he’s always out doing his own things."