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Chapter 97: The Fusion of Clouds and Spiritual Energy?

Blah blah blah...

Heavy rain pounded against the protective shield of the giant black cloud.

Several minks were busy in the pool of spiritual energy on the surface of the dark clouds.

Wu Yun walked around the Spirit Gathering Array, looking left and right, observing the flow of spiritual energy.

One after another, wisps of spiritual energy flew in, like nimble little fish, guided by the spirit-gathering array, and swam towards the spiritual energy pool.

"Spiritual energy is also a very mysterious thing."

Wu Yun cherished the resources at hand and came to observe and study them every day.

After setting up a spirit-gathering array and observing it for a long time, I became much more familiar with the characteristics of spiritual energy.

After watching for a while, he went back to the sofa, pondered for a moment, and summarized his thoughts.

Take a sip of hot tea and find a comfortable position.

"Take a break."

He muttered to himself, and immediately the duty secretary, Diao Yaya, jumped up and presented the "Biaoyun Jing" to the boss. Then she jumped onto the back of the sofa and began to massage the boss's back and shoulders with her front paws.

"Hmm, not bad..."

While praising his employees, Wu Yun opened the "Biaoyun Jing" (a book on cloud formations).

If you treat this book as a skill manual, it's basically useless.

But if you treat it as a story, it's quite enjoyable.

He continued on his previous journey and turned to an excellent autobiography of an imperial censor.

In the spring of the 89,652nd year of the Immortal Calendar, I was still just a minor ninth-rank Imperial Censor.

[Having finally accumulated a hundred years of cultivation, I am finally eligible for promotion to the rank of Eighth-Rank Inspector.]

Upon seeing this, Wu Yun silently memorized the key points... One must first have a hundred years of cultivation before one can be promoted to the eighth rank.

Having spent many years struggling in the immortal realm, I am no longer young.

[I've handled many cases, arrested many corrupt officials, and witnessed much of the darkness of those thirty-three days.]

I've arrested petty officials who spent their entire fortune bribing their superiors in an attempt to get promoted.

They also arrested female officials who were willing to do anything to seduce celestial officials in order to get promoted.

[I once caught a victim who was reported by a competitor for inviting someone to play PUBG.]

[I have also seen celestial officials whose promotions were delayed due to unfounded accusations, and who died tragically before their lifespans were exhausted, never getting another chance.]

I know the rules of celestial officials all too well; I understand that at this point, I must not do anything that could jeopardize my promotion.

Therefore, I carried a large gift that I had been preparing for fifty years, concealed my tracks with dark clouds, and delivered it to the study of the Inspector General. It was truly only because of personal feelings, and had nothing to do with promotion.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yun smirked.

"Who exactly printed this book?"
"Was it printed by the official celestial realm?"
"How can someone say something like that?"

When I arrived, Inspector Zhang Feng was suffering from a headache.

He ignored my box of gifts and instead started telling me about a recent case.

[It turns out that a high-ranking ninth-grade Flying Cloud Workshop exploded, killing one ninth-grade chief official, seventeen ninth-grade deputy officials, and more than fifty unranked immortal officials.]

A workshop of the ninth rank was not a big deal in itself.

However, another official, Chen Yu, a seventh-rank inspector, was quite concerned about this workshop and had provided guidance on its work on several occasions.

The Imperial Censor of Shuangtai, a sixth-rank official, was also alarmed and expressed his intention to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Wu Yun frowned as he read.

"The eighth-rank official position is called Inspector and Recorder, the seventh-rank official position is called Inspector and Censor, and the sixth-rank official position is called Imperial Censor?"

Lord Zhang Feng closed the doors and windows, and drew the curtains, and discussed the pros and cons with me in detail.

[Tell me that three groups of imperial censors went to investigate this time, each conducting their own investigations without interfering with or knowing about the others, and ultimately producing three investigation files to be submitted to Lord Shuangtai.]

Leave one of those routes to me.

[I will lead the investigation, accompanied by twelve deputy envoys and eighteen assistant envoys.] [The other two commanders are also of the ninth rank.]

The second commander has been practicing Taoism for 120 years.

The three chief officials have cultivated their skills for 140 years.

Leaving Lord Zhang Feng's study, I knew in my heart that whoever could thoroughly investigate this case and handle it well would be granted the eighth-rank official hat.

The other two will likely have to continue to hone their skills and accumulate experience, patiently waiting for the next opportunity.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yun pondered for a moment.

"Does this mean a competitive selection process for the position?"
"It seems pretty fair?"
"That's not right... He gave a gift, so he bought this opportunity to compete for the position."

On second thought, he figured the other two commanders had also given gifts.

Giving gifts gives you a chance to compete for a position, not giving gifts means you don't have a chance... That's a kind of fairness, isn't it?

The first step in handling a case is simply to check the case file, visit relatives and friends, and inquire about their background.

Upon investigation, it turns out this small Flying Cloud Workshop actually has quite a bit of substance.

The workshop's chief official once proposed using clouds to absorb spiritual energy and turn them into deadly magical weapons.

Inspector Chen Yu highly approves of this and has visited the workshop many times to provide guidance.

"Does the cloud absorb spiritual energy?"

"Transform into a deadly immortal weapon?"
"This one is not bad..."

Wu Yun knew that there was indeed a special reaction between clouds and spiritual energy... Back when he was on the floating island, he used cloud threads to make a detector to search for the immortal artifacts on the island.

But can clouds and spiritual energy still merge?

This is the first time I've ever heard of this.

He sat up straight and continued reading.

I led a team into the Tongming Tianfeiyun Prefecture's Revenue and Inspection Office and began reviewing files to investigate the Feiyun Workshop.

The documents from the Imperial Censorate were vast and numerous, but fortunately I had twelve deputy envoys and eighteen assistant envoys who worked day and night to help me review the files.

[Thus, my men spent thirty days searching through the archives.]

Wu Yun watched and guessed as he went.

"The Ministry of Revenue and Expeditionary Affairs?"
"Is this where the censors work?"

"Isn't this person going to investigate at the scene?"

Thirty days have passed, and I've had thirty drinking sessions with the Dean of the Inspectorate.

My thirty men, after using up a vat of lamp oil and reviewing ten years' worth of case files, turned into thirty pandas with dark circles under their eyes.

My deputy secretary, who has been working under me for many years, advised me to go and take a look at the Feiyun Workshop.

[The other two commanders have already conducted on-site investigations, and their reports are probably already written. Isn't it too slow for us to still be reviewing documents?]

I smiled and asked him to find ten documents, including research notes, imperial edicts, and annual reports.

Upon receiving the official document, I returned to my room and worked through the night, completing the document in one night. After writing the complete dossier, I returned to the Censorate to report back.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yun frowned slightly.

This guy didn't go to the scene; he just wrote the investigation report based on the files.
Does he not want a promotion?

Upon returning to the Censorate, the Inspector General was very disappointed, as were my deputy and my second envoy.

They all thought I had given up the competition.

I didn't explain; I simply asked the Inspector to forward the case file for me, and then I returned to my residence to rest.

[Shortly afterward, the news spread.]

The second commander who led the investigation was actually a master of criminal law.

He went to the scene to investigate, and from the charred ruins reduced to dust, he meticulously investigated who was at fault, who was negligent, where the fire occurred, and where it started... and recorded it all in the case file.

(End of this chapter)