Without such valor in their hearts, how could one possibly become the apex martial artist of this world? Talent, disposition, perseverance, fortune—any one of these lacking would preclude one from reaching the Celestial Realm.
They also occupied a significant portion of humanity’s collective fortune. After the fall of these Celestial Realm martial artists, coupled with the ravages of demons and monsters, humanity went an entire millennium without a single breakthrough to the Celestial Realm. The highest attainable realm was the Unity Realm.
People said that the martial fortune of humanity had been largely monopolized by those twenty-four individuals, leaving insufficient fortune for the emergence of Celestial Realm martial artists.
It was only after centuries of recuperation that humanity produced its first Celestial Realm martial artist after the age of demons and monsters.
This Celestial Realm martial artist was also the founder of a dynasty. After this founder achieved the Celestial Realm, the existence of that dynasty lasted for a remarkable seven hundred years. As for the martial artist themselves, their whereabouts eventually became unknown.
No one knew where this Celestial Realm martial artist had gone. Perhaps they had entered nirvana, or perhaps they were in seclusion, cultivating somewhere.
Who could say?
As Gu Yuan listened to the history recounted by Guan Ye, he couldn't help but sigh. This was the glorious history of a world, and the imprints left by remarkable individuals.
This conversation also enlightened Gu Yuan about the history of demons and monsters, letting him know that supreme powerhouses had once battled against them, carving out a sanctuary for future generations of humanity.
Such individuals were forever worthy of respect.
Of course, in any human world, there were such people, individuals who stepped forward regardless of the era.
This was the great righteousness held within the hearts of humanity, the willingness to create a safe environment for their descendants.
Gu Yuan let out a soft sigh, his heart filled with emotion.
Seeing Gu Yuan sigh, Guan Ye asked with a smile, "What is the cause of your sigh?"
Gu Yuan pondered for a moment and truthfully revealed his thoughts, "The deeds of these predecessors are truly respectable and inspiring!"
"Hahaha, there are many such predecessors. Every era has its heroes. In our current era, they are the demon-suppressing officers of our Demon Suppression Division!" Guan Ye said with a smile.
"Will we, the demon-suppressing officers, become like those predecessors of old?" Gu Yuan asked with some concern.
Guan Ye shook his head, "I don't know. Perhaps. Gu Yuan, you must remember, all we can do is our best and fulfill our duties. If we do all that we can, we will not be letting down the people of humanity. Do you understand?"
Gu Yuan nodded heavily, indicating he understood.
Guan Ye smiled, stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and said to Gu Yuan, "Alright, that's all for today's lesson. Go back and focus on condensing your blood energy. Strive for success as soon as possible, and then we will take you out on a mission."
"The missions are becoming more frequent. Demons and monsters are appearing everywhere, so we can only work harder."
Gu Yuan also stood up, following Guan Ye. Hearing Guan Ye's words, he nodded. He was also a demon-suppressing officer and had heard about the current situation across various regions; it was truly not optimistic.
*Go back and condense blood energy quickly.* Thinking this, Gu Yuan bid farewell to Guan Ye and Cui Hua and prepared to head home to condense his blood energy.
And so, for the following dozens of days, Gu Yuan spent his time in this manner, practicing and learning saber techniques with Guan Ye and Cui Hua at the Demon Suppression Division during the day.
As he continued to learn from the two, the higher-ups at the Demon Suppression Division headquarters also became aware of a young man, a newly appointed Earth-rank demon-suppressing officer, who was being personally trained by two Heaven-rank officers.
Many demon-suppressing officers began to speculate about this young man's identity.
As for Gu Yuan, the external commotions had no bearing on him.
After spending dozens of days, Guan Ye and Cui Hua's tutelage was complete. They had imparted everything they could to Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan learned the Art of the Mind Saber and techniques for fighting demons from them.
Guan Ye told him that many of these demon-fighting techniques were from the *Demon Slaying Manual*.
This book, created by a Celestial Realm martial artist, was treasured by the Great Qian Imperial family. Only the Demon Suppression Division was permitted to study it; others had not even heard of it, let alone seen it.
Furthermore, Gu Yuan had successfully cultivated the Art of the Mind Saber taught by Cui Hua, which enhanced the power of his saber techniques. Each strike carried a wondrous artistic conception.
It was as if wherever Gu Yuan’s heart intended to strike, his saber would follow.
His saber seemed no longer controlled by his hand, but by his mind!
During these past dozens of days, Gu Yuan's blood energy condensation had also progressed greatly. A little over half of his blood energy had been condensed. Gu Yuan estimated that it would take another ten days to fully condense his blood energy.
This would take about twenty days in total, which was acceptable. However, the speed would only increase from here on, possibly taking less than ten days.
—
Demon Suppression Division, training grounds.
Gu Yuan and Cui Hua stood facing each other, sabers in hand.
Cui Hua looked at the aura emanating from Gu Yuan and nodded with satisfaction. These past few days, after imparting his comprehension of the Art of the Mind Saber to Gu Yuan, he had sparred with him daily, using his own saber techniques against Gu Yuan.
This had caused Gu Yuan's saber skills to improve rapidly, quickly approaching the threshold of the Art of the Mind Saber.
Gu Yuan's expression was solemn. He clasped his fists respectfully towards Cui Hua and said with gratitude, "Captain Cui, thank you for your teachings over these past days. Gu Yuan will remember them forever."
Cui Hua smiled nonchalantly, "Gu kid, you don't need to thank me too much. I don't have any disciples, and you've learned all my most important skills. You can be considered my half-disciple. When you achieve great success in your cultivation, help me kill more demons. That will be the greatest reward for me, understand?"
"Gu Yuan understands!"
"Good! Come on, use your full strength and let me see how much you've improved these days!" Cui Hua laughed heartily.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan said no more. He closed his eyes slightly, clearing his mind of distractions. Only a semi-transparent saber remained, emitting a sharp saber energy that could cleave through all things!
*Hoo~*
A gentle breeze stirred around Gu Yuan, kicking up a swirl of dust.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Cui Hua's face. It seemed Gu Yuan had grasped it well.
Two transparent figures appeared in Gu Yuan's mind: one was himself, and the other was naturally Cui Hua.
The phantom representing Gu Yuan, holding the saber from before, raised its arm, striking a pose—it was the very same technique Gu Yuan had used when he first attacked Cui Hua with his saber: Thunder Cut: First Flash!
In the physical world, Gu Yuan also adopted the starting stance of Thunder Cut: First Flash. Seeing this, Cui Hua's smile vanished. He recognized it as the saber technique Gu Yuan used most frequently during their spars, and also the most powerful technique he could execute with the Art of the Mind Saber.