Chapter 1 The Desire to Reside

Within the Cheng'an Prefecture, in various counties, townships, and villages, countless people yearned to live in the prefecture city! Because in a prefecture, most of the Demon Slayers were located there, making the prefecture city the safest and most stable place.

Inside a courtyard in the prefecture city, the price was also quite high. "Mr. Wu, are you satisfied with this residence?" Third Master Yu asked warmly.

Xu Jingming looked at the courtyard in front of him. The most outstanding feature of this courtyard was a rather large back garden. The back garden covered an area of more than ten acres, and small lakes divided the back garden, making it quite exquisite.

"Such a residence in the prefecture city must cost at least five thousand taels of silver," Xu Jingming said, looking at Third Master Yu. This residence was in a relatively remote location, but after all, it was large enough and would definitely cost more than five thousand taels of silver.

"The Yu family is very generous," Wu Qi also said.

"It's also to thank Mr. Wu for saving our lives. If it weren't for Mr. Wu, many people in my Yu family would have been wearing mourning clothes this time."

Third Master Yu said, "By the way, Mr. Wu, there are rules in the prefecture city. Once a new Demon Slayer is discovered, it needs to be reported to the government. My Yu family doesn't dare to hide anything, so we must report Mr. Wu's matter to the government as soon as possible."

"Okay, I know," Xu Jingming nodded. He had already collected detailed information before coming.

Third Master Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I won't disturb you any further, sir. I'll take my leave now."

"Third Master Yu, take care," Xu Jingming said, seeing Third Master Yu off as he left.

"Young Master."

Wu Qi looked at the large house with some excitement, "Such a large house will require hiring a few maids and servants to manage it. I will go to the market tomorrow to hire a few people."

"Uncle Qi, you can handle it," Xu Jingming nodded, "Let's go, we'll go out for dinner."

Cheng'an Prefecture City, Demon Slayer Department.

Demon Slayers were chatting about cases.

"Captain, this demon in Liu'an Lane in the east of the city, although it is a demon of the Gu Xin generation, the case file shows that it is very strong. I'm not confident. Captain, do you think I'm suitable to take over?" A Demon Slayer asked his captain, holding a case file.

The captain was a tall man with narrow eyes. He glanced at the case file and said, "You're only at the second realm, and your magic is also mediocre, so don't go and throw your life away."

"Yes, I'll listen to the captain," the Demon Slayer said immediately.

"Everyone come over."

An old man appeared in the courtyard.

The surrounding Demon Slayers all saluted slightly, "Sir." "A new Demon Slayer has come to the prefecture city," the old man said, "Although there are quite a few idle Demon Slayers in the city, you all need to pay attention to this person."

"Sir, is this person very powerful?" someone asked.

"He is likely to be a fourth realm Demon Slayer, and he should have a strong background in reality," the old man handed a page of paper in his hand to the tall captain next to him. The captain took it and looked at it carefully.

"Suspected to be at the fourth realm?"

"A big shot in reality?"

The surrounding Demon Slayers were all excited and looked at the page of paper.

With their brain processing speed, they had already completely memorized the contents recorded on the page with a glance.

The paper simply recorded the information—

Wu Ming: Suspected to be a fourth realm Demon Slayer. His identity in the Demon Slayer world is Chen Qi from the Chen family in Bai County, Cheng'an Prefecture. After being expelled from the Chen family, he changed his name to Wu Ming and has now arrived in the prefecture city.

On the way to the prefecture city, he encountered a demon who easily withstood more than ten Demon-Slaying Arrows and was not afraid of True Fire Talismans. The Demon Slayer Wu Ming took action, wearing a starlight robe, binding the demon with a net, and killing the demon with three consecutive lightning strikes.

"Chen Qi from the Chen family in Bai County?"

"Bai County, we also have three official Demon Slayers stationed there! I've never heard of Chen Qi."

"That means he wasn't a Demon Slayer before! He should have just descended."

"That demon could easily withstand more than a dozen Demon-Slaying Arrows, which should be considered a top-tier demon! But in this person's hands, he had no power to fight back. This person... is indeed likely to be a fourth realm Demon Slayer."

"Three consecutive lightning strikes, he is obviously casting spells instantly."

These Demon Slayers deduced a lot from the simple information.

"He didn't join a sect or the government and has been staying in Bai County. That's how he became a Demon Slayer," the old man said, "This shows that his Demon Slayer secret technique was obtained from reality!"

"A newly descended Demon Slayer dares to act alone. He is really confident," the captain also praised.

The Demon Slayers present all remembered the name Wu Ming.

*******

Although a wisp of the demon's original demonic energy was sealed in the jade bottle, Xu Jingming was not in a hurry to refine the demon. This kind of thing could not be rushed! After all, refining a demon is a confrontation between the mind and obsession. He rested peacefully for a night. The next morning, Uncle Qi went to the market to hire people, while Xu Jingming went to the Qi family.

"The number one family in the entire prefecture city," Xu Jingming came to the Qi family's gate alone.

The Qi family's style was indeed extraordinary. The mansion covered an astonishingly large area, and there were guards stationed outside the gate.

The guards on duty looked at Xu Jingming in his blue robe and felt that the visitor was extraordinary, and their attitudes were much more polite.

"Please report," Xu Jingming walked to the door and said, "Just say that Wu Ming has come to visit Senior Qi Xiao."

"Senior Qi Xiao?" The guards were a little puzzled. They had not heard of the name Qi Xiao, but the Qi family had a large population, and they only knew the names of some people.

"Please wait a moment, guest."

One of the guards said and went into the mansion to report. After a while.

An old butler ran out, looked at Xu Jingming, and said, "Is it this gentleman who wants to visit Senior Qi Xiao?"

"Yes," Xu Jingming nodded.

The old butler nodded slightly, "Please follow me, sir."

Xu Jingming followed him into the mansion. There were also some young people from the Qi family in the mansion, and they were all curiously watching this scene.

"Butler Ding is serving the family head. He actually came out to greet someone in person?"

"What is the background of this person?" The Qi family's young people were very curious.

The family head had a very detached position in the Qi family, and even the prefecture lord of Cheng'an Prefecture respected the Qi family head.

Soon, Xu Jingming arrived at a pavilion. An old man with gray hair was sitting there, looking at Xu Jingming with a smile. With a slight wave of his hand, Butler Ding bowed and retreated.

As the gray-haired old man looked at Xu Jingming, a formless mental power pressed down!

Xu Jingming stood in place, using the mental power techniques recorded in the *Light Ray Chapter* to stabilize his defense and resist all impacts. Although his mental power was not as strong as the other party's, it was more than enough to defend.

"Wu Ming greets Senior," Xu Jingming saluted. "My name is Qi Chen. Don't call me senior." The old man laughed, "Who knows who is older in reality? I'm only a little over 1,000 years old. I'm considered young among eighth-order cosmic lifeforms."

"You are also older than me in reality," Xu Jingming said. "Then call me Brother Qi Chen," the old man said with a smile, "Looking at you, you haven't been in the Demon Slayer world for long, have you?"

"Yes, I just descended recently," Xu Jingming nodded.

"Then how do you know the name Qi Xiao?" the old man asked curiously, "She has been gone from the Demon Slayer world for almost twenty years."

Xu Jingming was stunned.

Almost twenty years?

That is to say, Qi Xiao left the Demon Slayer world soon after returning to Cheng'an Prefecture.

"I was also entrusted by someone," Xu Jingming said, "My brother, Crimson Pupil, asked me to come and see Qi Xiao."

"I will send a message to her through the virtual world network now. Whether she comes to see you or not depends on her," the old man said.

Xu Jingming nodded, "Thank you, Qi Chen." "It's a small matter."

The old man laughed, "Brother Wu Ming, you have come to the prefecture city. Are you planning to settle down here in the future?"

"I have this plan," Xu Jingming said.

"Then you can consider joining my Qi family," the old man said, pulling him in with a smile, "The Demon Slayers in our Qi family are actually some friends we know in reality. In order to take care of each other, they were all born into the Qi family."

Xu Jingming nodded in understanding.

It was normal. In some low-level civilizations, the eighth-order and seventh-order members of a civilization might be born into the same family in the Demon Slayer world! They would unite to deal with the dangers of the Demon Slayer world.

"My Qi family is still very powerful in Cheng'an Prefecture," the old man winked, "If you join the Qi family, everyone can cooperate with each other, and it will be much safer when dealing with demons."

"I will consider it," Xu Jingming said.

In reality, on an extremely prosperous life planet, inside a towering building over 10,000 meters high.

Top floor of the building.

A woman in black was sitting at her desk. She had ice-blue eyes, silver hair draped over her shoulders, and her eyes were cold and unwavering as she looked at the information on the light screen in front of her.

There were dense virtual figures in the air in front of her, a full three hundred and twenty-six virtual figures.

"What's going on with the Anfang Star System?" the woman in black asked, frowning as she looked at the data, "The performance has dropped by 37% in just one cycle! Immediately send the law enforcement team to arrest the Director of Montoao in the Anfang Star System and conduct a thorough investigation!"

"Yes, Seventh Executor," a virtual figure stood up and respectfully accepted the order.

The woman in black coldly reviewed other pieces of information, and the participants in the meeting nervously awaited the orders of this female monarch.

"Hmm? A message from my brother? Isn't he in the Demon Slayer world?" The woman in black was slightly puzzled and clicked on the message. Her expression froze.

She looked at the message, silently.

"Crimson Pupil?"

The woman in black's heart trembled slightly.

She thought she could forget this name.

She had left the Demon Slayer world in order to cut off emotional influences and had been gone for nearly twenty years, but she still thought about it occasionally. Every time she thought about it... strong emotions surged in her heart.

"I thought you wouldn't care, thought you would just treat it as a dream in the virtual world. I didn't expect you to come looking for me first," the woman in black said silently.

She was silent for a long time.

The three hundred and twenty-six virtual figures waited silently, and no one dared to say a word.

"Meeting adjourned," the woman in black said. With a gentle tap of her finger, all the virtual figures of the meeting participants disappeared.

Inside the Demon Slayer world.

Cheng'an Prefecture, Qi family. Xu Jingming and the Qi family head were chatting idly.

"After becoming an eighth-order cosmic lifeform, it becomes more and more difficult to improve mental power," the Qi family head sighed, "They all say that the mental demon refining effect in the Demon Slayer world is very good, but this is already my third time descending into the Demon Slayer world! The effect is getting weaker and weaker. Look at me... I have cultivated to the fifth realm, but I can't improve at all!"

"It is not easy to improve mental power," Xu Jingming agreed.

His practical combat skills were improving so quickly, but his mental power was improving much more slowly in comparison.

"I have thought of too many ways."

The Qi family head looked up at the sky, "I have tried eight virtual worlds on the virtual world network that have relatively good effects. I was also fortunate enough to have a primordial lifeform personally guide me! In reality, I also went to find work in disguise and have done three completely different jobs..."

"But the improvement is just slow," the Qi family head said. "You are still young, only a little over a thousand years old," Xu Jingming comforted him.

"Yes, I am still young."

The Qi family head nodded. "Mental power cannot be rushed. In fact, there are some peerless geniuses in the Cosmic Human Alliance. I heard that many of them become primordial lifeforms in less than a thousand years. I don't know how they cultivate."

When Xu Jingming heard this, he muttered to himself.

He knew those geniuses very well! In addition to being extremely talented and having the best inheritance, they could also take 'Ice Flower Spirit Liquid' for a long time. Without Ice Flower Spirit Liquid, those peerless geniuses would need a long time to become primordial lifeforms.

"Hmm?" Xu Jingming and the Qi family head both noticed something and turned to look.

In the distance, a tall woman in black walked over. Her face had some wrinkles. After all, she was also fifty-one years old in the Demon Slayer world, but from her current appearance and temperament, Xu Jingming could be sure that this woman must have been a peerless beauty when she was young.

"I am Qi Xiao," the woman in black said directly, looking at Xu Jingming, "Did Crimson Pupil send you?"

"Yes," Xu Jingming nodded, "My brother Crimson Pupil asked me to come and give you his virtual world network contact information."

When Qi Xiao heard this, a rare smile appeared on her cold face.