"Brother Shen!"
"Hmm!"
Shen Changqing walked along the road. When he encountered familiar faces, they would greet each other or simply nod.
But no matter who it was,
there was never any extra expression on anyone's face, as if indifferent to everything.
At this,
Shen Changqing had long grown accustomed.
Because this was the Demon-Subduing Division, an institution that maintained the stability of Great Qin, whose main duty was to slay Demon Evil and Strange Monsters—though there were other side tasks as well.
It could be said,
everyone in the Demon-Subduing Division had stained their hands with much blood.
When one grows used to the sight of life and death, they become indifferent to many things.
At first, when he came to this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed, but over time, he got used to it.
The Demon-Subduing Division was vast.
Those who could remain here were either exceptionally powerful experts or people with the potential to become one.
Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.
The Demon-Subduing Division consisted of two professions: one was Defender Envoy, the other Demon Hunter.
Anyone joining the Demon-Subduing Division would start as the lowest rank Demon Hunter, then advance step by step, with the hope of one day becoming a Defender Envoy.
Shen Changqing's former self had been a probationary Demon Hunter in the Demon-Subduing Division, the lowest of all Demon Hunters.
With the memories of his previous self,
he was extremely familiar with the environment of the Demon-Subduing Division.
Without taking too long, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.
Unlike other places in the Demon-Subduing Division brimming with the aura of slaughter, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, showing a unique tranquility amid the blood-soaked Division.
At this moment, the doors of the pavilion stood wide open, with the occasional person coming and going.
Shen Changqing hesitated only a moment before stepping inside.
Upon entering the pavilion,
the atmosphere suddenly changed.
A scent of ink, mixed with a faint smell of blood, struck him, making his brows furrow instinctively, though he soon relaxed.
The bloody scent on everyone within the Demon-Subduing Division was almost impossible to wash away.
To survive here, one must be used to the smell of blood.
Others were like this, and so was Shen Changqing.
"Huang Department probationary Demon Hunter Shen Changqing requests entry to the Scripture Pavilion!"
"Mm."
The old man sitting in front of the pavilion, dozing off, opened his bleary eyes. For a brief moment, a barely perceptible blood-red gleam flashed through them.
In that instant,
Shen Changqing felt as if a Fierce Beast had locked onto him, making his hair stand on end.
If it weren't for knowing everyone here was on the same side, he would have turned and fled at that moment.
However,
Shen Changqing also understood that the one guarding the Scripture Pavilion before him was an expert of the Demon-Subduing Division.
The instinctive crisis he felt was just a trace of the other's aura leaking out.
"Show your Identity Token."
"Please inspect!"
"Probationary Demon Hunters have the right to enter the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion. The allowed time is two hours. Do not overstay."
"Thank you!"
Shen Changqing put his token away. The old man closed his eyes again, as if already deep in sleep.
He paid it no further mind, walking past the old man and formally entering the Scripture Pavilion.
The Demon-Subduing Division didn't have many rules.
But every rule, once broken, could cost you your life.
One of those rules was to never pry into others' privacy, and not to harbor excessive curiosity.
Over the years,
there had been countless cases where Demon Hunters, driven by curiosity and investigating others, provoked their wrath and were ultimately slain.
Though mutual slaughter was strictly forbidden within the Demon-Subduing Division,
to kill someone did not always require open confrontation.
Besides,
while not all members of the Division were lunatics, many were quick-tempered and violent; if truly enraged, a killing may take place regardless of the rules.
Although during the five days since Shen Changqing arrived at the Division, he had yet to witness such a case,
his predecessor had been here for about a month already.
In that month,
the predecessor had heard of such incidents occurring.
As one who inherited those memories, Shen Changqing was very wary of this.
The Scripture Pavilion,
was where the entire Demon-Subduing Division stored its Martial Arts manuals.
If one wished to contend against Demon Evil or Strange Monsters, relying on the ordinary flesh of mortals was simply impossible.
Only by cultivating advanced Martial Arts could one possess the initial qualification to resist such unnatural threats.
Thus, the existence of the Scripture Pavilion was to enable members of the Division to improve their strength as much as possible.
Furthermore, as the Demon-Subduing Division existed to safeguard Great Qin, it needed to cultivate enough experts.
So studying and cultivating the Martial Arts within imposed little restriction.
So long as you had an Identity Token,
you could freely come and go in the Scripture Pavilion, with no extra fee required.
But to prevent some from lingering in the Pavilion to avoid Division tasks, or becoming someone proficient in Martial Arts yet utterly lacking in combat experience—an utter waste,
the Division established rules limiting the time and number of visits each person could have in the Pavilion.
The first floor of the Scripture Pavilion was vast.
When Shen Changqing arrived, there were quite a few others present, poring over the books.
Among those people,
some he knew, others were complete strangers.
After all, the Division was enormous, and fresh blood rotated in constantly. Even though his previous self had stayed for a month, very few had become true acquaintances.
No one noticed Shen Changqing's arrival.
Everyone was focused on memorizing as much Martial Arts as possible within their limited time.
Shen Changqing had no intention of interacting with others. He walked up to a bookshelf and, from among the many neatly arranged volumes, skillfully drew out one book.
Several large characters were written on its cover.
"Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique!"
The script was unique to Great Qin and very different from the writing Shen Changqing had known in his previous life.
But with his predecessor's memories, he could read it with ease.
Pulling out the Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique, Shen Changqing sat cross-legged by the shelf and began quietly leafing through the book.
Time slipped by.
The two hours quickly passed.
Shen Changqing set the book back in its original place and rose to head outside.
As he left,
the old man guarding the Scripture Pavilion opened his bleary eyes briefly, then closed them again.
In that instant,
Shen Changqing felt a sharp pressure at his back, making his steps hasten.
Soon after,
he returned to his own residence.
For once you entered the Demon-Subduing Division, you lived as one of its people and died as one of its souls—there was simply no leaving.
So everyone in the Division, even the lowest Demon Hunter, enjoyed exceptional treatment.
For instance,
the place where Shen Changqing currently lived was a separate courtyard, with wooden dummies, stone locks, and other martial arts apparatus set up within.
After returning home,
he did not immediately begin cultivation, but instead calmed his Heart—
Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division
Identity: Probationary Demon Hunter
Martial Arts: Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique (Not entry-level, can be upgraded)
Slaughter Value: 3
"It worked!"
Seeing the words "can be upgraded" on the panel, a smile instantly appeared on Shen Changqing's face.
Ever since coming to this world,
the reason he dared to remain in the Demon-Subduing Division was that he had discovered his own Golden Finger.
A simple, unremarkable panel.
But Shen Changqing understood it was the very foundation on which he could establish himself in this world.
Without any hesitation,
he directed his thoughts to the Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique and silently intoned: Upgrade!
As the thought landed,
his Slaughter Value decreased by one, and the text for Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique twisted violently—the original "Not entry-level" instantly becoming "First Layer."
At the same time,
a surge of formidable power arose within Shen Changqing's body; immediately, his entire blood and qi rushed about, bones crackled sharply, as if under vast pressure.
Before he could react much,
next,
an even greater oppression pressed down on his internal organs.
"Puh!"
Shen Changqing spat out a mouthful of black blood, his face twisting in agony from the sudden pain.
But soon,
the agony vanished, replaced by a comfort he'd never known before, which thoroughly cleansed his body.
"Hu!"
The comfort made Shen Changqing completely forget his previous discomfort.
Coming back to himself,
he stood where he was, moved his limbs a little, getting used to his body after breaking through.
"Both my strength and speed have improved somewhat—not a huge increase, but beating my former self is now no challenge!"
"But the true value of the Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique lies in raising my physical defenses."
"Now that I've mastered the first layer, my fleshly defenses are enhanced even more than my strength or speed, but to withstand swords and knives outright, I'm still far from that."
Once the exercises ended, Shen Changqing pinched his own skin. Its color hadn't changed, but its toughness had grown greatly.
This degree of improvement made him quite satisfied.
"Indeed, only by memorizing a Martial Arts manual by heart can one truly train in it. Trying to practice recklessly after reading just a little only brings disaster to oneself and others."
Thinking of his predecessor, who rashly attempted the Body-Hardening Technique and died to cultivation backlash, Shen Changqing could only shake his head in resignation.
Too impulsive!
Not even finished reading the technique, yet already tried cultivating it—if you die, you have only yourself to blame.
Soon,
Shen Changqing once more settled his Heart, focusing on the panel before him.
Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division
Identity: Probationary Demon Hunter
Martial Arts: Thirteen Guardians' Body-Hardening Technique (First Layer, can be upgraded)
Slaughter Value: 2
"It only cost one Slaughter Value to raise the Body-Hardening Technique to the first layer—seems the cost of martial arts advancement is even lower than I predicted.
This way, my strength can quickly rise yet again in a short time."
Shen Changqing was quite satisfied.
Wasting no time, he willed it again and began the next round of advancement.