The evening sun slanted westward, its afterglow like fire.
"It seems this is the place."
A young man with a long saber at his waist stood before a dilapidated courtyard, a piece of paper in his hand as he surveyed his surroundings.
Ye Xiuchen compared it with the intelligence he held, then put the paper away and pushed open the rotten gate.
"Creeaak." The old wooden door let out a grating sound due to disuse. Inside, it was a very ordinary peasant courtyard, now in disrepair and overgrown with weeds from being uninhabited for a long time.
Ye Xiuchen frowned. The moment he entered the courtyard, he felt a chilling aura, as if it were a different world from outside.
Entering the house, he found it even more dilapidated, with almost nothing inside. Ye Xiuchen had no choice but to retreat from the house. He found a relatively clean spot in the courtyard, sat down cross-legged, recalled the intelligence in his mind, and closed his eyes to rest, quietly awaiting the arrival of night.
As the last ray of sunlight vanished from the sky, night descended.
Ye Xiuchen's eyes snapped open. He felt the chilling aura around him slowly enveloping him like a tide.
Ye Xiuchen stood up, his gaze fixed warily on the center of the courtyard. The chilling aura was strongest there, he sensed. He drew his long saber.
The clear moonlight bathed the courtyard, casting a hazy veil over it. Ye Xiuchen's eyes narrowed; a hint of nervousness flickered within him, but it was masked by an almost imperceptible excitement.
The door of the house began to creak, and the weeds in the courtyard rustled as if moved by the wind. Whispers reached Ye Xiuchen's ears, but upon careful listening, he could discern nothing.
Ye Xiuchen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This ghostly entity hadn't attacked directly but was using illusions to torment his mind. This proved it was just a newly formed, minor spirit.
Ye Xiuchen gripped the hilt of his saber, keeping his mind steady and his eyes scanning his surroundings. With his other hand, he fumbled in his robes for a porcelain bottle, patiently waiting for his chance.
In the shadows, a somewhat ethereal ghost watched as Ye Xiuchen remained unaffected, growing agitated. It could sense the pure, vital blood within the human. Its instincts told it that consuming his blood would bring immense benefits.
Unable to resist the temptation of the blood feast, the ghost's instincts screamed that this human would be delicious.
It let out a shrill cry, extended its dark claws, and lunged at Ye Xiuchen.
Ye Xiuchen heard a shriek that seemed to pierce his eardrums. He saw a phantom ghostly figure charging at him and his hand moved. He uncorked the porcelain bottle and hurled its contents towards the spirit.
The liquid splashed directly onto the ghost, which instantly let out a pained scream. The liquid, like sulfuric acid, burned the ghost, producing a large amount of white smoke.
Seeing that the virgin boy's urine was effective, Ye Xiuchen stomped his foot, circulated the blood energy in his body, and moved to the ghost's side. He brought his long saber down with all his might, a strike that slanted from its left shoulder to its abdomen, nearly cleaving it in two.
Ah!
The ghost wailed in pain.
It wanted to escape.
Ye Xiuchen's next blow descended, splitting the ghost in half from its abdomen.
With a final, unwilling shriek, the ghost'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 dust, and then sat on a clean patch of ground.
He let out a long sigh. That was close; he almost failed. If not for the virgin boy's urine prepared beforehand, these seemingly simple two strikes had taken all his strength, leaving his arms exhausted. But thankfully, he had succeeded in killing the ghost. He could become an official Demon Suppression Envoy upon his return. The thought filled Ye Xiuchen with a surge of anticipation.
That extraordinary power would soon be within his reach. Ever since he had transmigrated, he had been awestruck by the extraordinary power wielded by the Suppression Envoy. Upon learning that this world possessed such powers, as well as demons and ghosts, and that it was a single country, Da Qin, he had been deeply affected.
This world was vast, far larger than his previous life's Earth. He didn't know its exact size. Having transmigrated to this world, he was an orphan, alone, and had nearly starved on the streets. Learning that extraordinary powers were wielded by the Demon Suppression Division, he had joined their training camp without hesitation.
The training camp was where the Da Qin dynasty cultivated new Demon Suppression Envoys, and it also provided a chance for survival to those who were starving. They taught martial arts, and food and lodging were provided. To become a formal Suppression Envoy, one had to reach the Blood Refinement realm in martial arts within a limited time and kill a newly born ghost. Only then could one become a formal Suppression Envoy, albeit the lowest rank, a Yellow Rank Suppression Envoy.
Suddenly.
A semi-transparent blue panel appeared before Ye Xiuchen. Ye Xiuchen quickly stood up, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily. Finding nothing, he relaxed.
Ye Xiuchen looked at the blue panel before him. Four characters were written on it.
"Martial Dao Panel."
Could this be his golden finger!
Ye Xiuchen was overjoyed, almost jumping with excitement. This world was too dangerous; he could be killed by a ghost any day.
Ye Xiuchen took several deep breaths, trying to calm his emotions. Composing himself, he looked at the Martial Dao Panel.
Name: Ye Xiuchen
Martial Arts: Yang Ji Zhuang (Minor Accomplishment) Can be upgraded
Points: 1
Draw
Strengthen
Fusion
Ye Xiuchen looked at the panel, a hint of confusion in his eyes. A piece of information appeared in his mind. Ye Xiuchen read it carefully and gasped.
The Martial Dao Panel was more powerful than he had imagined. Through strengthening and fusion, he could upgrade the grade of his martial arts, breaking past their original limits. He could also draw, obtaining items from all worlds. All of this required points, and points were obtained by killing demons and ghosts.
The lowest level of demon, like the one Ye Xiuchen had just killed, only yielded one point. He didn't know about the others.
After resting for a moment to regain some strength, he stood up and returned to the Demon Suppression Division to submit his mission.
He walked through street after street and stopped before an extremely imposing gate. A large plaque above it bore three grand, brush-stroked red characters: Demon Suppression Division.
Ye Xiuchen looked up at the plaque, then presented his token to the guards at the entrance. After checking it, they let him pass.
"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.
But no matter who it was.
Their faces were devoid of expression, as if indifferent to everything.
Ye Xiuchen had grown accustomed to this.
This was the Demon Suppression Division, the institution responsible for maintaining social order in Da Qin, primarily tasked with slaying demons and ghosts, though they had other side businesses.
People died every day. When those around you could die at any moment, and one witnessed life and death constantly, one became indifferent to many things.
The Demon Suppression Division was vast.
Those who remained within were Demon Suppression Envoys, or quasi-Demon Suppression Envoys like Ye Xiuchen. There seemed to be higher positions beyond that, which individuals at the bottom like Ye Xiuchen couldn't comprehend.
At this moment, Ye Xiuchen stared in awe at the blood-red moon, resembling an era of primordial times. A strong premonition suddenly struck him: something big was about to happen in this world.
His vision blurred.
A phantom, deep blue panel suddenly appeared before him, much like the virtual projections he had seen in science fiction movies from his past life, but even more mysterious.
Ye Xiuchen was startled. It wasn't surprising that he was taken aback, as the blood-red moon was still hanging in the sky.
Ye Xiuchen's eyes held a hint of vigilance as he surveyed his surroundings. Finding nothing, he relaxed. The semi-transparent phantom panel remained before him, exuding an aura of mystery.
Ye Xiuchen's gaze sharpened. He suddenly noticed that there were characters on the deep blue panel. Concentrating his mind, he tried to read them. As if understanding Ye Xiuchen's intention, the slightly blurry characters on the panel became very clear. Ye Xiuchen read them one by one.
"Martial. Dao. Panel."
These were the characters at the top of the panel. Below them were two lines of text: Strengthen, Draw.
Ye Xiuchen felt a sense of confusion. A bold guess suddenly formed in his mind, and his breathing quickened. If his guess was correct, the extraordinary power he had been searching for would be within his grasp.
Ye Xiuchen had read many online novels in his past life. If he was right, this panel was the "golden finger" that protagonists always seemed to get in those stories. Ye Xiuchen had transmigrated three years ago, and the golden finger he had longed for had finally appeared.
"System, Panel, Golden Finger," Ye Xiuchen tried various methods that protagonists used to awaken their golden fingers, but none of them worked. The phantom panel before him remained unresponsive, simply hovering in front of him.
Ye Xiuchen felt a bit dejected. It seemed this panel wasn't intelligent but operated based on a specific mechanism.
"Hide panel."
The next moment, the panel vanished from Ye Xiuchen's sight.
"Panel."
The panel reappeared before Ye Xiuchen. So that's how it worked, Ye Xiuchen realized. The panel responded to his thoughts.
He made the panel disappear, his brow furrowed. The panel was named Martial Dao Panel, so it must be related to martial arts. But did martial arts exist in this world?
And what about the Strengthen and Draw options on the panel? And how was the point acquired? The point showed zero, meaning he had no points. Therefore, both strengthening and drawing required points. He had tried other things earlier, and his point count hadn't increased, proving that points could only be gained through specific means.
He locked the door and closed it, the actions fluid and practiced. He sank onto the sofa, took a sip of water, and rested for a while.
He opened the panel.
He thought "panel" silently, and a deep blue panel materialized before him. Everything on the panel was the same, except the zero behind "Points" had turned into ten. The words "Draw" and "Strengthen" began to glow faintly.
Draw? Strengthen?
Ye Xiuchen looked puzzled. How could he draw? A piece of information appeared in Ye Xiuchen's mind. He read it carefully.
Ye Xiuchen suddenly understood. Drawing allowed him to obtain items from all worlds, but it was filled with uncertainty. Strengthening, as the name suggested, could reinforce specific items, though what exactly needed to be explored by Ye Xiuchen himself. Points were obtained from demons and ghosts.
Ye Xiuchen was speechless. In modern society, where could he find demons and ghosts? But that wasn't the main point now.
Ye Xiuchen excitedly rubbed his hands together. He was about to touch the extraordinary, and he felt a bit nervous.
Silently, he thought "draw." The "Draw" option on the panel began to flash, and his points changed from ten to nine. The screen flashed with various bizarre and fantastical scenes, making Ye Xiuchen feel dizzy. The images slowed down and finally stopped.
Received: Body Tempering Art.
A flood of obscure and difficult-to-understand memories entered his mind. Ye Xiuchen was stunned. It was real! This wasn't a dream; the extraordinary was within reach. Ye Xiuchen quickly examined the implanted memories.
The Body Tempering Art was a foundational body-tempering technique from a super sect in a martial arts realm. It allowed one to complete the five realms of body tempering: muscles and bones, skin and flesh, and blood, generating blood energy and exercising all 206 bones and 639 muscles in the body. It would make the bones as hard as steel and the body break free from the limitations of mortals.
It was real! He could become extraordinary. Ye Xiuchen was ecstatic.
He then looked at the panel. It now displayed: Body Tempering Art (Uninitiated).
Ye Xiuchen noticed that only one point had been deducted. The "Draw" and "Strengthen" options were still glowing.
He continued to draw, thinking "draw" in his mind.
The flashing began again. This time, Ye Xiuchen chose to draw four times, deducting four points.
Received: Blood Qi Pills x2, Radish.
What the hell! Ye Xiuchen felt a bit dizzy. A radish was related to martial arts?
Ye Xiuchen clicked on the radish's description: A radish from a martial arts world. Eating it can increase cultivation progress.
He hadn't drawn anything good with the remaining draw, damn it. There was risk involved, Ye Xiuchen's face darkened.
He looked down at the large radish in his hand and a small porcelain bottle. He set the radish aside and looked at the small bottle, which contained the Blood Qi Pills. Ye Xiuchen read their description.
Blood Qi Pills: Blood Qi Pills produced in a certain world. They can increase blood energy and accelerate the cultivation speed of the Body Tempering realm.
This was not bad; it could increase cultivation speed.
He placed the Blood Qi Pills on the table, went out into the courtyard, recalled the cultivation methods of the Body Tempering Art, took a deep breath, and began to cultivate. Honestly, Ye Xiuchen was a bit nervous, afraid he lacked the talent to practice martial arts. His body slowly grew taller, from 1.85 meters to 1.9 meters. The muscles under his clothes began to swell, but they didn't become overly large, just a bit more developed than normal.