As I entered the door, an old man sat there, his eyes closed as if meditating.
"Yellow Rank Demon Suppressor Ye Xiuchen requests entry into the Sutra Pavilion."
"Mm."
The old man slowly opened his sparse eyes. A barely perceptible glint of blood flashed within them.
At that instant.
Ye Xiuchen felt as if his back was exposed to a sharp edge, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.
It was like a small boat in a storm, swaying precariously, on the verge of perishing at any moment.
"Present your token."
"Senior, please examine it."
"A newly promoted Yellow Rank Demon Suppressor?"
Ye Xiuchen nodded in affirmation.
"A new Yellow Rank Demon Suppressor is permitted to learn three martial arts secret manuals of the Body Refining realm for free. As for which ones, you may choose yourself. To learn more in the future, you will need to expend merit points. Do you understand?"
Ye Xiuchen bowed respectfully and replied, "Junior understands."
The old man handed the token to Ye Xiuchen, who received it with both hands.
"Go. The Body Refining realm manuals are on the first floor. Don't go to the wrong place," the old man said lazily, then closed his eyes as if falling asleep.
Ye Xiuchen bowed again and headed towards the bookshelves storing Body Refining realm martial arts manuals.
The Sutra Pavilion.
It was where the entire Demon Suppression Division collected its martial arts techniques.
To contend with demons and monsters, one must cultivate profound techniques to gain the capital to fight.
Originally, the Sutra Pavilion was open to all. However, as the Demon Suppression Division developed and its ranks of experts grew, and as techniques became more specialized, it became necessary to expend merit points to learn them. Merit points were earned through missions. Ye Xiuchen's promotion to Yellow Rank Demon Suppressor was merely a low-level mission.
The first floor of the Sutra Pavilion was vast.
When Ye Xiuchen arrived, many people were already browsing the books.
No one noticed Ye Xiuchen; they were all using their limited time to seek the martial arts they needed.
Ye Xiuchen had learned beforehand that he could choose three martial arts.
When it came to choosing techniques, Ye Xiuchen already had a plan in mind.
*Hu Sha Gong*, *Shen Xing Bai Bian*, *Shen Men Shi San Jian*, *Liu He Dao*, *Di Huo Gong*...
Various kinds of martial arts were available, making it difficult for Ye Xiuchen to choose immediately.
As someone who had experienced the information age, Ye Xiuchen understood precisely what he needed.
For Demon Suppressors, dealing with demons and monsters was commonplace. Techniques involving fire, Yang, or lightning attributes would deal bonus damage to demons and monsters, so Ye Xiuchen was determined to select those.
Ye Xiuchen's gaze continuously searched for what he needed. His eyes lit up as a manual titled *Hu Sha Gong* entered his sight.
Ye Xiuchen opened *Hu Sha Gong*. The manuals in the Sutra Pavilion only contained introductions and partial content. The true complete versions were with the Sutra Pavilion administrators. As he flipped through it, Ye Xiuchen's eyes grew brighter.
This *Hu Sha Gong*, upon reaching great success, not only strengthened the body but also imbued attacks with a "fiery malevolence" that would burn enemies and possess a certain toxicity.
Ye Xiuchen then selected *Wu Hu Duan Men Dao* and *Ji Yang Quan*.
After making his selections, he returned to the entrance of the Sutra Pavilion.
"Senior, I have completed my selection. Please examine them," Ye Xiuchen respectfully placed the three manuals and his token on the table in front of the old man.
The old man opened his eyes, glanced at the techniques Ye Xiuchen had chosen, and asked, "Confirmed?"
"Junior has confirmed."
The old man picked up Ye Xiuchen's token and, with a stroke of his finger, conjured three jade slips. He handed them to Ye Xiuchen and said, "When using them, place them on your forehead to absorb. They can only be used by you, once only, and cannot be passed on to others. Any discovery of such will result in immediate execution. Do you understand?" A stern killing intent emanated from his words.
Ye Xiuchen's heart tensed, and he quickly replied, "Junior understands."
"Take them."
Ye Xiuchen accepted them with both hands, bowed, and turned to leave.
Once he was outside the vicinity of the Sutra Pavilion, Ye Xiuchen breathed a sigh of relief. The old man's presence was too imposing, and he felt immense pressure in his presence.
To think that even a Demon Suppression Division in a mere Qingyuan City housed such a formidable expert. This indicated the immense power of the entire Qin Dynasty's Demon Suppression Division.
Ye Xiuchen touched the martial arts jade slips in his embrace and quickened his pace towards his home.
It took him less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep before Ye Xiuchen returned to his residence.
Ye Xiuchen did not open the main door directly. He first checked the small mechanisms he had set up, finding them undamaged. In a world that possessed supernatural powers, caution was paramount.
"Pant, pant..."
In the darkness of night, a woman with disheveled hair ran frantically through the dim street. She was wearing a common business suit, but her high heels were gone. Barefoot, she ran on the road as if her soles felt no pain. Her face was filled with terror, and she kept looking back, as if something terrifying was chasing her.
"Thump, thump, thump, thump..." A sound of footsteps echoed behind her, unusually clear in the silent street, yet nothing was visible under the dim streetlights.
Li Lan, an ordinary white-collar worker in a big city, was just one of many instances of overtime work. Due to her financial situation, she could only afford to rent a place in an old neighborhood.
After finishing her overtime, Li Lan was about to pack up and leave the company. As she was passing through a somewhat dark corridor, she heard footsteps. In the deserted company building, the sound was exceptionally clear. Li Lan felt a little scared and loudly asked who was there. The footsteps immediately vanished.
Li Lan assumed it was someone else working late and didn't pay much attention. She was hungry and tired, just wanting to return to her warm little nest. She quickly packed her things and hurried out. While waiting for the elevator, the previous footsteps reappeared. Whether it was Li Lan's imagination or not, the sound seemed clearer than before.
Li Lan was a little annoyed. Who would be so bored in the middle of the night to play pranks? After scolding them fiercely, the footsteps disappeared again. Li Lan felt relieved, intending to complain again in the company group chat the next day.
Ding. The elevator doors slowly opened. Li Lan stepped in and pressed the button for the first floor. The elevator doors slowly closed. Just as they were about to shut completely, Li Lan faintly heard those footsteps again.
Ding. Li Lan quickly exited the office building. This was a newly developed high-tech zone, and the infrastructure was not yet fully complete. Li Lan's rented apartment was nearby, so she chose to walk back.
As she walked, Li Lan became somewhat frightened, realizing that another set of footsteps was mixed with her own. She quickly looked back, but there was nothing there. At this point, Li Lan's scalp began to tingle, and her gaze became flustered. She just wanted to get home quickly.
Her footsteps quickened. The hairs on Li Lan's back stood on end. She could clearly hear the footsteps following behind her. She frantically looked back again, but there was still nothing.
Li Lan was completely panicked and began to speed up. However, her high heel caught on something, and she stumbled to the ground. She quickly got up and ran forward, stumbling. She increased her speed, and the footsteps behind her also accelerated. When her speed slowed, the footsteps also slowed, as if a hunter was leisurely pursuing its prey.
Regardless of her speed, Li Lan could clearly feel the footsteps getting closer. She began to despair. A journey that usually took ten minutes was now seven or eight minutes in, and she still hadn't reached her destination, as if she hadn't moved forward at all.
Li Lan suddenly stopped, her face frozen in a look of terror. Her eyes were bloodshot, revealing her despair. Her body couldn't move!
"Help..."
The street returned to its dim and silent state...
Yuanjiang City.
The sunshine was always so bright, the sun casting its rays upon the human world.
"Ding ling ling ling ling..."
The end-of-class bell instantly brought life to the quiet campus.
"Ah~ ha~, finally done," Ye Xiuchen stretched, standing by the roadside on the campus's main thoroughfare. His handsome face drew many admiring glances from passing female students.
Ye Xiuchen, a third-year student at Yuanjiang City Experimental Middle School.
Ye Xiuchen was a transmigrator. Three years ago, Ye Xiuchen arrived in this world. He had simply fallen asleep and woken up in this world.
His original body's parents had died in a car accident, a normal traffic accident. The original body had been deeply loved by his parents since childhood and was devastated by their deaths, which led to his own demise.
Ye Xiuchen was initially thrilled, only to discover that it was no different from his previous life. There were no supernatural powers.
The original body's parents were very wealthy, leaving their son tens of millions in savings and a company worth hundreds of millions.
"Hello, excuse me, can I add you on WeChat?" A junior student, small in stature and with a pure look, asked. Ye Xiuchen glanced at her, then looked at a few girls not far away. They were looking in their direction. Ye Xiuchen instantly understood and softly said, "No, thank you."
He turned and walked away. Behind him, he heard voices of comfort. Ye Xiuchen didn't pay it any mind. He had experienced this too many times in the past two years. From initial excitement to eventual numbness, he had grown accustomed to it. After all, even from a male perspective, this body was undeniably handsome, with a fair and clean face, sharp brows, and a prominent nose.
Ye Xiuchen lived very cautiously. After all, arriving in an unfamiliar world, no one would adapt quickly. One had to be careful.
Ye Xiuchen walked to the parking lot outside the school and approached a motorcycle. He put on his helmet, swung his leg over, and the engine roared to life, attracting the attention of students around him. He twisted the throttle and drove onto the main road.
He had just obtained his motorcycle license this year. Ye Xiuchen learned everything quickly now. He speculated it might be due to the fusion of two souls.
Ye Xiuchen rode to the entrance of a villa complex. The security guard recognized Ye Xiuchen's motorcycle and opened the gate, smiling and saying, "Little Ye, you're out of school."
"Yes, Brother Wang," Ye Xiuchen replied, taking off his helmet. He then asked, "Is it your shift today, Brother Wang?"
"It wasn't originally. A colleague had an emergency, so I'm covering for him," Brother Wang asked with a smile, "Is Little Ye graduating today?"
"Yes, I graduated today. The college entrance exam is also over."
"Ah, the college entrance exams are done. I remember seeing you for the first time when you were in your first year of high school. In the blink of an eye, you've graduated. How did the exams go?" Brother Wang sighed about the passage of time and then asked with a smile.
"The college entrance exams went okay. Getting into Linjiang University shouldn't be a problem."
"That's great, you kid. Alright, hurry home. I need to patrol. I'm off now." Brother Wang praised Ye Xiuchen, waved goodbye, and went on his patrol with his baton.
Security guard Brother Wang was the first person Ye Xiuchen met in this world. Knowing Ye Xiuchen was an orphan, he took great care of him, hence Ye Xiuchen had a very good relationship with him.
His house was located at the northeastern corner of the complex, deep inside. Although it was a bit far, it was quiet.
Using facial recognition to enter the villa, Ye Xiuchen parked his motorcycle in the yard. The villas were widely spaced, ensuring excellent privacy.
The yard was spacious, with few flowers or trees, only a small pavilion for shade. After parking his motorcycle and unlocking the door with the password, he entered the villa to find a large living room with a simple European-style decor. A large flat-screen TV was opposite the sofa.
Ye Xiuchen lived alone in a spacious and desolate house. Even though he lived alone, he kept his rooms meticulously tidy and clean.
He changed into slippers, placed his schoolbag on the sofa, and sat down.
This year's college entrance exams, while not for a top national university, were at least enough for local Linjiang University, which was considered a first-class university in the Heavenly Summer Country.
He got up and walked to the second floor. The second floor comprised two rooms, a bathroom, and a study. Ye Xiuchen entered the study. Facing him was a large floor-to-ceiling window offering a view of the wetland park behind, overlooking a lake. It was noon, and the lake's surface sparkled beautifully in the sunlight.
He sat down at his desk and opened the computer. After booting up, he skillfully navigated to a forum website. This was a website Ye Xiuchen had discovered by chance, filled with shared accounts of supernatural phenomena that ordinary people couldn't access. There were also many skilled hackers there. Although Ye Xiuchen remained somewhat skeptical of the content, he found it more credible than other sources. He decided to follow it.
After all, he had grown up with atheism. But with transmigration happening to him, if supernatural powers truly existed, Ye Xiuchen would easily accept it. Posts related to supernatural phenomena were few and far between; many were foreign news articles. Once, he stumbled upon a paranormal post, but it was censored before he could finish reading it. From this, he could infer China's attitude towards supernatural phenomena. Thinking of this, Ye Xiuchen couldn't help but sigh.
Just then, a post appeared on his computer screen:
"Quick Look!! Everyone in a residential area in the United States found dead under mysterious circumstances, all their blood gone, turned into mummies!!"
The striking title immediately drew Ye Xiuchen's attention, and he clicked on it. A picture of a mummy appeared on the screen. Ye Xiuchen was no longer surprised by such things.
Ye Xiuchen carefully examined the mummy's picture. According to the post, this was the photo of one of the victims at the crime scene. A typical foreign face, with its mouth agape as if witnessing something extremely terrifying.
The post mentioned that forensic examination revealed the bodies had been drained of blood in an extremely short period. Furthermore, over a hundred people had died, almost simultaneously. This was incredible – hundreds of people turned into mummies, all their blood gone, dying almost at the same time...