It's been over a month since Zhang Fan returned from Zhenwu Mountain. Every day, aside from sending out resumes, he shut himself in to diligently cultivate the [North and South Sect Origin] technique.
At first, he'd still feel as if cold frost cloaked his upper body, while his lower body was scorched by a blazing true flame.
But by now, that unbearable sensation had gradually faded, replaced by a cozy, tingling warmth... as if sunlight seeped through his pores everywhere.
Especially when he Embraced Unity to Enter Silence, he could perceive the various marvels as his body changed—heavy like coins hitting the ground, drifting like a steed leaping into the sky, his consciousness settling, primordial spirit returning to the void, seeing lotuses bloom all around, then in an instant, snowy blizzards sweeping the heavens...
Zhang Fan knew these were [outer sceneries] manifesting as a result of his successful gathering of herbs, the return of true yang, and his primordial spirit absorbing and strengthening, which in turn nourished the flesh.
As recorded in ancient Elixir Books, as yang qi increases and the primordial spirit grows, one can observe the myriad manifestations of eighteen thousand outer sceneries—seemingly real yet not, seemingly false yet not, empty yet wondrous, all-encompassing.
In other words, Zhang Fan's primordial spirit was slowly growing stronger, beginning to break free from the lowest mode of [eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind] in perceiving the world, and he gradually started seeing sights hidden from ordinary people.
Aside from that, Zhang Fan's body itself was undergoing considerable transformation—the most remarkable being the strengthening of flesh and blood, and a sharper, nimbler mind, though these seemed secondary...
Lately, each night he'd sense his innate roots swelling and erupting, cycling nine times over, as if thrown into a furnace, restless with urgent desire.
Zhang Fan knew this was because his essence qi was overly abundant, kidney water boiling up, and he had to use heart fire to temper it, uniting Kan and Li, to preserve his innate essence from leaking—this was the method of refining essence and transforming qi.
In this way, only would his physical vessel grow ever more robust, the tripod furnace transforming, with his primordial spirit naturally benefiting.
This is what the Daoist Family refers to as [dual cultivation of body and spirit]: training the primordial spirit while tempering flesh and blood.
"I guess I can say I've found my footing in the [Qi Worker] realm now," Zhang Fan mused, feeling the changes within himself.
From awakening his primordial spirit to stepping into the [Qi Worker] realm, he'd only taken a month—long surpassed most Daoist Sect disciples already.
"Let's call it a day for now."
Zhang Fan stopped cultivating and immediately headed out.
It had already been over two months since he graduated, but he'd yet to land a job.
Although Zhang Fan had now stepped onto the path of cultivation, he was after all just at the [Qi Cultivation] stage—only marginally better than ordinary people. If he wanted to live, first and foremost he had to find a paying job.
Besides, as his realm rose, the places where he needed money would only increase.
The four essentials of cultivation: technique, wealth, companion, and land. Wealth stands in second place.
Back then, when Xia Weisheng succeeded in the [Five Thunders Righteous Method], it cost resources well into seven-figure sums.
...
Yujing City, Human Resources Market.
It was graduation season, and right now university graduates hunting for jobs crowded this place like dumplings tossed into boiling water.
"Why are there so many people?"
Zhang Fan stared at the sea of bobbing heads, forcing his way in.
He'd thought, after the fall and spring recruitment fairs, most grads would've found jobs by now.
Who could've expected it was almost August, and still so many university grads were job-hunting?
Just yesterday, while browsing his phone, Zhang Fan saw the news—it said the graduation season pushed the unemployment rate up by 0.1 percent, but the overall employment picture was stable.
But witnessing it firsthand... in this crowd, even a bachelor's degree didn't count for much, master's grads everywhere, heads pressed together as far as the eye could see.
"Heroes of the world, swarming like locusts," Zhang Fan muttered, squeezing himself out of the throng.
There were simply too many people—each company's booth was packed, especially the big players, their lines stretched all the way outside.
"Huh!?"
Just then, Zhang Fan looked up and suddenly noticed a booth sitting empty in the corner of the market—not a soul in front of it.
In a place where even janitor jobs had college grads lining up, this really stood out.
Zhang Fan glanced up and saw the company's name.
"Night Not Bright Culture Co., Ltd.!"
"Night Not Bright!?" Zhang Fan froze for a second. The phrase seemed familiar—he pondered for a long time before it clicked.
Back in the day, when Ancestor Sanfeng discussed cultivation methods of no birth or extinction, he once said:
Rootless Tree, its flower is none—without shape or shadow, impossible to draw.
Nameless yet called, seized into the crucible of creation.
Stir up the Samadhi Fire of Circulation, smelt the True Void and return to Ultimate Emptiness.
Visit the Immortal Capital, receive Celestial Talismans—then you're a real man.
The instant consciousness stirs, Great Night Not Bright brings down heaven's wrath.
Great Night Not Bright describes the turbulence of consciousness; even with Golden Core Transformation cultivation, it all collapses in a day, slaughtered by tribulation, as dark as night, with no hope of rising again.
This is the tribulation most feared by cultivators.
If one's primordial spirit falls into the [Great Night Not Bright] tribulation, not only does one's cultivation collapse and dissipate, even memory may be lost.
That day, when Zhang Fan browsed the [Dao Secret Record], he'd also seen this line in the introduction to the [Divine Demon Holy Embryo] technique…
The world's most ominous, Divine Demon Holy Embryo—gather thoughts as medicine, but inevitably enter the [Great Night Not Bright] state!!
The calamity all cultivators shy from is the destined path for those seeking enlightenment in this method.
It shows how perilous the technique is, how terrifying the path truly is—far beyond ordinary reckoning.
"Night Not Bright... what kind of name is that?"
Zhang Fan muttered, then glanced over to see the company's bulletin. Only one position was listed.
"Odd jobs, base salary ten thousand, plus commission?" Zhang Fan was stunned.
What kind of odd job pays ten thousand a month, and has commissions too?
How do odd jobs even have commission?
How much could you really make in a month?
For reference, his dad moved bricks at the construction site, slogging all month for six or seven grand.
Every summer and winter break, Zhang Fan always took on temp jobs to help cover living expenses, so he knew full well that job prospects weren't great nowadays.
Even new grad students could end up with barely three or four grand a month.
Thinking this through, Zhang Fan couldn't help but walk over.
It was only then that he noticed—this company's booth didn't have an introduction board or flyers. Instead, there was just a clay pot on the table, filled with black soil, topped with a layer of ash.
The recruiter turned out to be a beautiful woman; even seated, her tall and slender figure stood out. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, with a generous bust that drew the eye, and gold-rimmed glasses that added a touch of queenly authority.
At this moment, the beauty was staring down at her phone. Compared to the busy staffers at other companies, her calm and leisure in this bustling job market seemed thoroughly out of place.
"Excuse me…"
Zhang Fan, holding his resume, walked up to the booth and spoke.
"Is this position still open?"
"Hm!?"
The beauty clearly started, her finger poised mid-swipe over her phone's screen. She raised her head slowly, giving Zhang Fan a look—a flicker of astonishment showing in her eyes behind those glasses.
"Excuse me, are you recruiting here?" Zhang Fan, noting her expression, asked again without overthinking it.
"You can see me?"
At that moment, the gold-rimmed beauty finally spoke.