Starting with a Family System to Become an Immortal Official-Chapter 81: Mortal Realm Directorate
Li Qingmu still sat in his quiet chamber as he counted spirit rice grain by grain.
The towering stacks of bowls never seemed to shrink.
As usual there was always a distraction.
Today it politely came in the form of Head Concubine Huang Shiyue.
She stood in the doorway with arms crossed and a clearly unhappy face.
Her usual gentle demeanor seemed lacking.
"Master."
Her voice was quite stern.
"You spend far too little time with the children. All they ever see from you is discipline—the cane, stern lectures and your impartial punishments. If this continues, they’ll only see you as a strict and distant father."
She leaned forward and wagged a finger at him.
"Is that truly what you want?"
Li Qingmu paused with his chopsticks.
SIGH~
He was too tired for arguments.
"Fine. I’ll try to be more lenient from now on."
Huang Shiyue’s frown softened immediately.
She stepped closer and shook her head with a smile.
"No, no, you don’t have to force yourself to change who you are. Just... spend more time with them, okay? I’m sure that’s all they need."
Li Qingmu looked at her for a moment then nodded.
"Alright. I’ll do that."
Her smile turned brighter and sweeter.
She leaned in until her breasts pressed into his arm then gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Good master."
Later that day.
Li Qingmu chose to cultivate in his private chamber.
But not alone. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The room was peaceful.
Li Yuantian crawled happily across the polished floor as he patted his chubby hands against it and chased after stray toys or shiny specks of dust.
In the opposite corner, little Li Zimo sat and gently rocked baby Li Shuming in her arms.
The infant made adorable cooing noises.
Zimo tickled his small nose with a fingertip.
"Shuming is so cute awww!"
The baby giggled.
She glanced over at her crawling brother.
"Yuantian, are you having fun?"
The toddler didn’t answer with words.
He just kept scooting along, slapping the floor happily.
Then, suddenly, he stopped, pointed one pudgy finger straight at Li Qingmu and babbled in a little voice.
"Papa..."
Li Qingmu floated in a lotus position above his mat.
There was a radiant golden orb before him.
Heavenly Grace Pill.
He formed a hand seal then pulled the pill’s energy toward him in shimmering streams.
This pill originated in an ancient immortal empire of the Ancient World State.
『Well, according to the system...』
It was a legendary treasure capable of forcefully pushing a cultivator up one minor realm. But overuse could damage the spiritual foundation and leave hidden flaws that might haunt one for centuries.
He circulated his qi to guide the energy into his body.
It flowed smoothly through his meridians and gathered at his dantian where it perfectly fused with the golden core already shining there.
The core trembled... then expanded.
Breakthrough!
Late Core Formation!
The golden light faded.
Li Qingmu slowly descended and settled back onto the mat with a soft exhale.
The moment his feet touched down, Li Yuantian crawled over at surprising speed and latched onto his thigh with both tiny arms.
"Papa!"
Li Qingmu’s stern face calmed into a warm smile.
He scooped the boy up to cradle him gently and rock him back and forth.
Li Zimo watched with wide eyes.
"Father... are you still going to teach me those water cultivation techniques today?"
Li Qingmu nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. We’ll start right after this."
In his mind, though, it was something else.
『Li Zimo carries the soul fragment of the Honorable Immortal Water King inside her. I have to make sure she grows strong enough to protect it. It’s fortunate she’s my daughter. Any other cultivator would have torn that fragment out of her long ago, then hunted down the other three pieces to achieve Heavenly Nascent Soul realm.』
Still holding Yuantian, he walked over to Zimo.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
He gave her three gentle pats on the head.
Zimo blinked in surprise, cheeks flushing slightly.
『Father is... acting strange today.』
Before anyone could say more.
The entire Golden Sun Pavilion shook violently!
Every peak trembled like little boats in a stormy sea.
Disciples screamed and fled in panic.
They searched desperately for shelter but there was nowhere safe to hide.
The sect elders moved like lightning and rushed toward the Soaring Cloud Arena.
That was the center of the tremors.
Huo Batian stood at the edge of the arena.
"Is this an attack of some sort!?"
Then he stared up.
Golden dust rained from the sky.
"Or is this... a visitor from the higher realms?"
Then the sky tore open.
A mountain-sized royal pagoda descended through the rift with an immortal might.
The sight was ancient and majestic.
In moments, the entire sect converged.
Li Qingmu arrived with his clan in tow, eyes wide.
"What’s happening?"
Zhen Rou gripped his sleeve.
"The Immortal Official Exams."
Li Qingmu’s heart jolted.
『Five years already? Time passes too fast.』
Behind him, his twin boys tugged at his robes.
"Father... will we be okay?"
Their faces were pale with fear.
He turned and ruffled their hair with a calming smile.
"Don’t worry. Everything will be fine."
Suddenly, an immense pressure crashed down!
Every cultivator in the sect dropped to their knees.
Disciples, elders, even Patriarch Zhen Guang and the Nascent Soul powerhouses.
Patriarch Zhen grunted through clenched teeth.
"This aura... late-stage Ancestor realm!"
Li Qingmu gritted his teeth against the crushing force as his mind raced with worry.
『Impossible. King realm is the absolute peak of cultivation in the Mortal Realm so where in the world did an Ancestor realm expert come from!?』
A somber Chen Yuxuan shifted closer to him until their shoulders were touching.
"The Celestial Bureaucracy Examinations Board oversees the Immortal Official Exams across the cultivation world. That pagoda... it’s the Shifting Pagoda, branch headquarters of the Mortal Realm Directorate."
Li Qingmu nodded slowly.
Zhen Rou added in a hushed voice.
"In the entire Far-Reaching Continent there’s only one Ancestor realm cultivator."
A handsome young scholar in deep blue robes floated down from the pagoda with a massive royal brush resting casually on his shoulder.
He had a tranquil countenance.
People started to whisper.
"Master Wen Jiuling!"
"Director of Mortal Examinations."
"There’s no way that’s him!"
More figures descended behind him.
Xu Wenliang the Counting Immortal.
A stern-faced old scholar clutching a jade abacus.
He was the Grand Registrar of Mortals.
Lady Bai Xiu.
Deputy Director of Candidate Affairs.
A breathtaking beauty in silver-white ministerial robes and a proud face that matched her generous figure.
A former Grand Chancellor of the long-fallen Eastern Mortal Empire, she had ascended 150 years ago yet asked for a Mortal Realm posting.
Then the two Head Proctors.
General Iron Ledger first.
A brooding middle-aged man covered in body armor and killing intent fitting a general.
Then Lady Ye Zirou.
Younger than Bai Xiu, with striking blue eyes, a proud face and hair cropped short in a way that somehow made her even more stunning. Her tempting curves were the kind that made men’s thoughts scatter.
A body built for desire.
Just from looking at her massive hips one can tell she has a big and beautiful rear.
Some could only wonder if this unseen backside was as big as the fantastic breasts on her.
She is not a pregnant mother yet they’re that big.
There is no man that wouldn’t lick her feet if it meant being close to her beauty.
Several elders blushed furiously.
"Who... who is she?"
"Don’t stare too long. That stern face means that she has a really bad temper on her."
"Look at Lady Bai Xiu and she smiles."
"Mhm! But Lady Ye Zirou will kill you for doing such."
They all nodded in silent agreement.
Patriarch Zhen Guang sweated profusely.
He was trying to hide his trembling.
『Patriarch Ye actually has a daughter in the Mortal Realm Directorate... his could be trouble.』
Wen Jiuling hung his treasure brush over his shoulder and spoke with an amplified voice.
"I am Wen Jiuling of the Mortal Realm Directorate."
The sect bowed as one.
He used one casual wave of his brush to blow away the crushing spiritual pressure.
"Stand."
Everyone rose.
Li Qingmu stared at the man as his heart pounded.
『Ancestor realm is truly insane.』
Wen Jiuling gave them an unhurried up-down.
"Do not be alarmed. We come today on a small matter only. To select the outstanding disciples who will receive the honor of taking the Immortal Official Exams."
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- Our MC got the Heavenly Grace Pill in ch. 57
