Readers, I am truly sorry. Today, due to a practice driving session and online classes, I really have no time to update. I've managed to push out one chapter, which is an old draft I wrote previously. Tomorrow, at eight o'clock, I have my second driving test. Because I need to clock in, I have no choice but to use this old draft for the check-in. I will make up for it after my driving test tomorrow. I hope readers will understand. I bow to all of you!
The sun was setting, its last rays like fire.
"It seems this is the place."
A young man with a saber at his waist stood before a dilapidated courtyard, a piece of paper in his hand as he surveyed the surroundings.
Ye Xiuchen compared the information with the scene before him, then put away the paper and reached out to push open the rotting gate.
"Creeeeak." The wooden door, neglected for years, let out a piercing creak. Inside, it was a common civilian courtyard, now in ruins and overgrown with weeds due to prolonged abandonment.
Ye Xiuchen frowned. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he felt a chilling aura, a stark contrast to the outside.
He walked into the house, finding it even more dilapidated. There was almost nothing inside. Ye Xiuchen had no choice but to exit the house and find a relatively clean spot in the courtyard. He sat down cross-legged, recalling the information in his mind, and closed his eyes to rest, quietly awaiting the arrival of night.
As the last sliver of sunlight vanished from the sky, darkness descended.
Ye Xiuchen's eyes snapped open. He felt the surrounding chill slowly envelop him like a tide.
He stood up and looked vigilantly towards the center of the courtyard, where the chilling sensation was strongest. He drew his saber.
The clear moonlight cast a hazy white veil over the courtyard. Ye Xiuchen's gaze sharpened. He felt a touch of nervousness, but beneath it lay a hint of excitement.
The house door began to creak, and the weeds in the courtyard rustled as if moved by wind. Whispers began to reach Ye Xiuchen's ears, but upon closer listening, he could discern nothing.
Ye Xiuchen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. This specter hadn't attacked directly but was instead using illusions to harass his mind. This proved it was merely a nascent, low-level ghost.
Ye Xiuchen gripped the saber hilt tightly, guarding his mind while his eyes scanned the surroundings. With his other hand, he fumbled in his robe and pulled out a porcelain bottle, waiting patiently for the opportune moment.
From the shadows, a somewhat ethereal specter watched as Ye Xiuchen remained unfazed. It began to grow agitated. It could sense the pure blood energy within the human. Its instincts told it that by consuming his blood, it could gain immense benefits.
Unable to resist the temptation of fresh blood, the specter's instincts screamed that this human was delicious.
It let out a piercing shriek and lunged at Ye Xiuchen with its dark, clawed hands.
Ye Xiuchen heard a shriek that seemed to pierce his eardrums. Before his eyes, a phantom ghost figure rushed towards him. With a flick of his wrist, he uncorked the porcelain bottle and splashed its contents towards the specter.
The liquid struck the specter directly, eliciting a cry of pain. The liquid, akin to strong acid, caused thick white smoke to billow from its form.
Seeing that the virgin boy's urine was effective, Ye Xiuchen stomped his foot, circulating his blood energy, and moved before the specter. He swung his saber with all his might, cleaving from its left shoulder diagonally to its abdomen, nearly splitting it in two.
Ah!
The specter wailed in agony.
It wanted to escape.
Ye Xiuchen's next strike arrived, bisecting the specter from its abdomen.
With a final, unwilling cry, the specter's two halves fell to the ground and slowly dissipated, leaving behind only a small pile of black dust. Ye Xiuchen bent down, collected the black ash, and sat down on a clean patch of ground.
He let out a long breath. That was close; he had almost failed. If not for the pre-prepared virgin boy's urine, those seemingly simple two blows had taken all his strength, leaving his arm utterly exhausted. Fortunately, he had succeeded in killing the specter. He could become a formal Demon Suppressor upon his return. The thought sent a thrill through Ye Xiuchen.
That extraordinary power would be within reach. Ever since he had transmigrated to this world, he had been awed by the extraordinary power displayed by the Demon Suppressors. Upon further investigation, he discovered that this world possessed such powers and was inhabited by demons and ghosts. There was only one country: Qin.
This world was vast, far larger than his previous life's Earth. Ye Xiuchen didn't know its exact size. He had arrived in this world an orphan, alone, and had nearly starved on the streets. Upon learning that extraordinary power was wielded by the Demon Suppression Division, he joined their training camp without hesitation.
The training camp was where the Qin imperial court cultivated new Demon Suppressors and provided a chance at survival for those who couldn't find food. Trainees received instruction in martial arts and were provided with room and board. To become a formal Demon Suppressor, one had to reach the Blood Refinement realm of martial arts within a limited time and kill a newly formed specter. This would grant them the lowest rank: Yellow-tier Demon Suppressor.
Suddenly.
A semi-transparent blue panel appeared before Ye Xiuchen. He quickly stood up and scanned his surroundings warily. Seeing nothing, he relaxed.
Ye Xiuchen looked at the blue panel. It displayed four characters.
"Martial Dao Panel."
Could this be my cheat?!
Ye Xiuchen was overjoyed, almost jumping with excitement. This world was too dangerous; he could be killed by a specter at any moment.
Ye Xiuchen took several deep breaths, trying to calm his emotions. Composing himself, he examined the Martial Dao Panel.
Name: Ye Xiuchen
Martial Arts: Yang Ji Zhuang (Minor Accomplishment) - Upgradeable
Points: 1
Draw
Reinforce
Merge
Ye Xiuchen looked at the panel, a hint of confusion on his face. Information began to surface in his mind. He read it carefully and gasped.
The Martial Dao Panel was more powerful than he had imagined. Through Reinforce and Merge, he could upgrade martial arts, break through his limits, and even draw items from across all realms. All of this required points, which were earned by killing demons and ghosts.
The specter Ye Xiuchen had just killed was of the lowest rank, yielding only one point. He didn't know how many points higher-ranking demons would yield.
He rested for a moment, recovering some strength, then got up and returned to the Demon Suppression Division to submit his mission.
He walked through several streets and stopped before a grand gate. A large plaque hung above it, bearing three flamboyant red characters: Demon Suppression Division.
Ye Xiuchen looked up at the plaque and presented his token to the guards at the entrance. After a brief inspection, they allowed him to enter.
"Brother Ye!"
"Mm!"
As Ye Xiuchen walked along the paths of the Demon Suppression Division, he encountered familiar faces. They would greet each other with a nod or a word.
But regardless of who it was,
their faces were devoid of any surplus emotion, as if they were indifferent to everything.
To this,
Ye Xiuchen had grown accustomed.
This was the Demon Suppression Division, the Qin dynasty's institution for maintaining social order, whose primary duty was to slay demons and ghosts, though they also engaged in other side activities.
People died every day. When those around you could perish at any moment, witnessing life and death so frequently made one indifferent to many things.
The Demon Suppression Division was vast.
Those who remained here were Demon Suppressors or quasi-Demon Suppressors like Ye Xiuchen. There were likely higher positions beyond their understanding, as Ye Xiuchen was still at the lower echelons.
It didn't take long before Ye Xiuchen stopped at a pavilion. Compared to other areas of the Demon Suppression Division, this place seemed more bustling, with people constantly coming and going. Ye Xiuchen tidied himself up and entered the pavilion.
Upon entering, he saw several small windows, each with a small plaque beside it. Ye Xiuchen walked directly towards one of them. Inside, a middle-aged man was dozing.
Ye Xiuchen knocked a few times in front of him. The man suddenly awoke, startling Ye Xiuchen. Seeing Ye Xiuchen's youthful face, the man breathed a sigh of relief, yawned a few times, and asked listlessly, "What can I do for you?"
"Submit a mission."
"What mission?"
Ye Xiuchen took out the black ash wrapped in cloth and his token, saying, "To be promoted to a formal Demon Suppressor."
The middle-aged man looked at Ye Xiuchen with a hint of surprise. Ye Xiuchen smiled slightly.
The man took the black ash, unwrapped the cloth, and then retrieved something resembling a thermometer from a cabinet below. This device was called a Yin Ruler, specifically designed to measure the concentration of Yin energy. He inserted it into the black ash. A black line rose from the center. When the line stopped rising, he removed it, examined it for a few moments, and then placed it before Ye Xiuchen for confirmation. Ye Xiuchen nodded after a brief look.
The middle-aged man put away the Yin Ruler and picked up a brush to record: "On the seventeenth day of the fifth month in the six hundred and seventy-eighth year of Qin, Ye Xiuchen of Training Camp No. 1, Qingyuan Town Demon Suppression Division, Tianyang Prefecture, independently slew a low-level Vengeful spirit, meeting the promotion requirements, and is promoted to Yellow-tier Demon Suppressor."
He then took Ye Xiuchen's original token, retrieved a black iron token, and brought the two together. A flash of light passed through them. Ye Xiuchen's name appeared on the Yellow-tier Demon Suppressor token. He then handed the token to Ye Xiuchen, saying, "Drip a drop of blood."
Ye Xiuchen complied. The middle-aged man then produced a set of standard robes, a jade pendant, and a small porcelain bottle. With a slight smile, he said to Ye Xiuchen, "Congratulations on becoming a Yellow-tier Demon Suppressor."
Ye Xiuchen took the robes, jade pendant, and small porcelain bottle, thanked the man, and left the pavilion after bidding farewell.