"Impossible!"
Dongfang He shouted, "Even if he broke his limits, there's no way he could know the Soul Capturing Technique! A Secret Technique like that... it's impossible for a mere Martial Artist like him to learn it."
"I told you that you were blind, and you wouldn't believe me." Nangong Yaoyue sneered. "Didn't you see him just Absorb the Demon-Transforming Blood from the Demon Rat's body?"
"I..." Dongfang He opened his mouth, wanting to argue.
However, just then, Gu Zheng—still in their line of sight—used the Soul Capturing Technique on the corpse of the second Demon Rat.
Jiang Mingjiu couldn't see or sense the fluctuations of this Divine Power, but Dongfang He and Nangong Yaoyue saw it as clear as day.
The ironclad truth was right before his eyes, leaving him no room to object.
"...Third Miss, is that Demon-Transforming Blood very important?"
Forcing himself to accept the reality, Jiang Mingjiu calmed himself and asked in a low voice.
"It is very important. Demon-Transforming Blood is the entire essence—the Spirit Essence—that a Demon Fiend produces when it transforms. For a Demon Fiend to grow stronger and break through to a higher realm, it must constantly refine its Bloodline Power, using the power of transformation to strengthen its body. The Demon-Transforming Blood produced during this process is mostly expelled from their bodies."
Nangong Yaoyue explained, "You could say that Demon-Transforming Blood is like a Cicada Shell. It's useless to the Demon Fiend, but to us, it's a vital ingredient for refining all sorts of Treasure Medicines. Some Grand Pills are impossible to make without Demon-Transforming Blood."
"...So you're saying Gu Zheng's Absorption of the Demon-Transforming Blood was intentional?" Jiang Mingjiu asked in surprise.
"Obviously." Dongfang He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If he didn't know what Demon-Transforming Blood was for, why would he be collecting it?"
"...What this old servant means is, how could Gu Zheng possibly know?" Jiang Mingjiu continued on his own. "As far as this old servant knows, Gu Zheng was born to a prominent family in Qingshi County. Although he's exceptionally talented, he's only ever associated with ordinary people from the Martial World. The person of highest status he's ever befriended is Li Cunyi. How did he become a Limit-Breaking Grandmaster *and* learn a Secret Technique?"
"That..." Dongfang He faltered. In a low voice, he said, "You're right. How would he know? Where could he have learned it?"
"He most likely caught the eye of some powerful expert who just emerged from seclusion and was taken on as a disciple," Nangong Yaoyue added calmly. "I'm quite curious about that myself. I wonder which family that expert belongs to?"
"Looks like the kid just got ridiculously lucky," Dongfang He muttered with a sneer.
"Even with ridiculous luck, you still need to have the ability to back it up," Nangong Yaoyue said softly. "If his talent were average, he wouldn't have been chosen, even if he did run into a newly awakened expert."
Jiang Mingjiu fell silent.
The expression on his face didn't change.
But deep down, he couldn't suppress the jealousy welling up inside him.
He had sold himself into servitude just for a chance to break his limits.
'So what gives Gu Zheng the right to be taken as a disciple by some great figure!?'
'So Spirit Capturing really can absorb Demon-Transforming Blood.'
Seeing the added [Demon Points +6], the corners of Gu Zheng's mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
Of the seven Demon Points he had just obtained, he had added 2 to Strength, 3 to Agility, and 2 to Constitution.
He had just finished allocating them when he gained another six Demon Points from slaying the Demon Rat.
Gu Zheng decisively added 3 points to Spirit. Then he added 3 points to Strength.
The moment he finished, his consciousness sensed someone watching him from a distance.
Following the sensation, he peered into the distance and, sure enough, saw two men and a woman. He'd even met the old man once before.
'Jiang Mingjiu? What's he doing here?'
Gu Zheng wasn't the least bit flustered at the thought of them seeing him absorb the Demon-Transforming Blood, or even seeing him kill the Demon Rats in the first place.
He even felt like going over to say hello to Jiang Mingjiu.
After all, when they met over a year ago, the two of them had gotten along quite well.
'It's just that Jiang Mingjiu's status seems a bit low right now?'
'He's clearly the Grandmaster, yet he's standing behind that young man and woman.'
'Hmm, wait a minute!'
Suddenly, Gu Zheng realized something was wrong.
'Those two also possess Divine Power?'
Gu Zheng's pupils constricted.
Possessing Divine Power within one's body meant they were in the Alien Body Realm, which comes after Limit-Breaking Grandmaster.
'They're Alien Bodies at such a young age?'
'What are their identities?'
As he was pondering, the woman in the long dress, still in his line of sight, smiled at Gu Zheng. From across the distance, she clasped her fist in her palm and bowed in a gesture of respect.
...Gu Zheng returned the gesture, then took his leave. He didn't go forward to speak with them, instead suppressing his doubts and hurrying toward the garden in the ruins. He moved stone after stone to block the abandoned well, filling it in completely.
By cutting off the entrance, the Demon Fiends would no longer be able to use the underground passage to enter the city, which had made them impossible to guard against.
Leaving the ruins, Gu Zheng sprinted along the main road toward the county seat.
Snowflakes still drifted from the sky.
As he sped along the road, the villages and towns he passed were mostly silent.
He didn't see any signs of life until he was five li outside of Great Dragon Mountain. However, due to the ceaseless snow, there were few people on the streets.
He had intended to rush back to the county seat in one go, but upon seeing these people, an idea struck him. He stopped and asked them about the recent activity around Great Dragon Mountain.
He was told that starting ten days ago, strange noises had indeed been coming from Great Dragon Mountain from time to time, and occasionally there would be slight tremors, but they were very faint.
At first, they were a little scared, but after it happened a few times with no apparent danger, they got used to it.
As for going to Great Dragon Mountain to check on the situation, some people had gone, but they had never returned.
After all, few people were determined to get to the bottom of it.
So, after asking around, Gu Zheng discovered that these people were completely unaware of the Demon Fiends' existence.
The Demon Fiends hadn't come to their area to wreak havoc, kill, and devour people.
'Why is that?'
'The Demon Rats used an underground passage to enter the city, yet they haven't attacked the villages and towns that are much closer.'
'Why?'
'Is it because the Demon Fiends look down on the villages? Too few people?'
'Or is it that they can't leave the five-li area surrounding Great Dragon Mountain?'
'No, that's not it. It must be that they can't leave the five-li range *on the surface*?'