The next day.
Shen Changqing rose early and set out toward another location.
Now that he had returned to the Demon Suppression Division, there were certain matters he needed to report to Jiang Zuo.
After all, regardless of the circumstances, the latter was the manager of the Yellow Department's Demon Suppression Academy. Any Demon Suppressor residing within the academy fell under his jurisdiction.
*Knock, knock!*
The courtyard door was knocked upon.
Two breaths later, the door opened.
Seeing Shen Changqing standing before him, Jiang Zuo showed no sign of surprise.
"You've come. Come in and let's talk!"
He did not close the door, instead turning to walk inside.
Clearly, this manager of the Yellow Department's Demon Suppression Academy had already received word of Shen Changqing's return to the Division.
Seeing this, Shen Changqing followed him inside.
There was a small pavilion in the courtyard with a set of tables and chairs; Jiang Zuo sat down directly.
"Don't feel too constrained around me. Sit and let's chat."
"Thank you."
Shen Changqing did not act overly formal and sat down directly opposite him.
Once they were seated, the gaze Jiang Zuo leveled at Shen Changqing suddenly turned fervent.
"I have heard of what you did in Lin'an City. To be able to make the Eternal Life Alliance stumble—your potential and strength are far greater than I imagined."
"Manager Jiang is joking," Shen Changqing replied with a hint of modesty.
Hearing this, Jiang Zuo shook his head. "If it is your merit, you may admit it openly. In truth, the Demon Suppression Division is not as dark as you might imagine. Although the rules here are strict, it is also the most inclusive institution.
Whether you display astonishing talent or possess heaven-defying opportunities, as long as you have obtained them, they belong to you.
Remember, there is no need to hide your abilities in the Demon Suppression Division. The Division is more than happy to see any genius grow.
To put it strictly, all the rules of the Demon Suppression Division can be summarized into one
You must never betray the human race!"
At this point, Jiang Zuo looked him straight in the eye. "Therefore, if you have the ability, it wouldn't matter even if you became a Guardian Envoy directly. As long as you do not betray the human race or the Great Qin, the Demon Suppression Division will be your strongest support.
There is no need to worry too much about certain things."
These words caused Shen Changqing's expression to shift slightly.
"What do you mean by that, Manager Jiang?"
"You know better than I what I mean. Your talent is immense. To make the Eternal Life Alliance stumble, your strength is certainly more than just the simple entry into the Xiantian Inner Qi realm.
To tell you the truth, talent like yours is almost unparalleled within the Demon Suppression Division.
I wouldn't dare say there will be no successors, but it can certainly be called unprecedented."
Jiang Zuo's expression was serious, without a hint of falsehood.
"When the martial arts craze first began to flourish, there were those who broke through to Xiantian in ten years, hailed by the world as peerless geniuses. Later, someone broke through in five years, shattering previous records and being called a contemporary monster.
After that, someone broke through in two years, causing a massive sensation and being honored as the number one genius of the human race.
Now, you have broken through to Xiantian in one year. Once this news spreads, it is inevitable that it will cause a shockwave."
"However—"
"Such a shock is only temporary. As time passes, it will gradually fade. Perhaps in a few years, a world-shaking monster who breaks through in half a year will be born; that is not impossible.
Nowadays, with the prosperity of martial arts, geniuses emerge one after another. No one dares to claim the title of 'number one.'
Furthermore, a Xiantian realm martial artist is considered a top-tier expert in the martial world, but in the Demon Suppression Division, they are merely that."
As he finished, a faint smile appeared on Jiang Zuo's face.
On the other side, Shen Changqing sat in his seat, remaining silent.
Jiang Zuo's words were like parting the clouds to reveal the moon, allowing him to see something different.
All this time, Shen Changqing had not dared to expose too much of himself, only allowing himself a bit of freedom in places like Lin'an City, which were far from the capital.
The reason was to maintain a low profile.
After all, in this world where demons and evil spirits ran rampant, if one were mistaken for colluding with them, the trouble would be immense.
But hearing Jiang Zuo's words now, he suddenly realized that he had been trapped in a misconception.
That was right.
Breaking through to Xiantian Outer Qi in one year was indeed extraordinary in the current martial world.
But in reality, whenever a martial artist breaks a record, it always seems incredible at the moment.
Once you break the record of those before you, one day, you too will become that predecessor.
"It seems my vision was too short-sighted!" Shen Changqing sighed inwardly.
So what if it was Xiantian Outer Qi? To the Demon Suppression Division, it amounted to nothing.
Grandmasters were Earth-rank Demon Suppressors, and those above Grandmaster were Heaven-rank.
And above Demon Suppressors, there were Guardian Envoys who suppressed entire regions.
Ultimately, the Xiantian realm was merely the beginning; at most, one had simply taken two extra steps compared to others.
"Manager Jiang's words have truly opened my eyes."
"It is good that you understand. The Demon Suppression Division is much larger than you imagine. Do not view it through the lens of the martial world."
Jiang Zuo nodded and continued.
"Not long ago, when evil spirits caused havoc, many parts of Great Qin were attacked. The experts from various local Demon Suppression Divisions had to come out to barely quell the chaos. Thus, leaving you to guard Lin'an City alone was a matter of necessity.
After all, once you enter the Demon Suppression Division, your priority must be slaying evil spirits and protecting the people of Great Qin.
Whether it is you, me, or those Guardian Envoys, none of us can retreat even half a step when the evil spirits launch a full-scale invasion.
Over the years, there has been no shortage of Guardian Envoys who died in battle due to the scourge of evil spirits.
Often, when a powerful Guardian Envoy wishes to retreat, it is difficult for the evil spirits to stop them, yet not a single Guardian Envoy retreats. Because they are Guardian Envoys, they carry the mission of guarding Great Qin on their shoulders.
The mission of a Guardian Envoy is to guard Great Qin, and the mission of us Demon Suppressors is the same."
As he spoke, Jiang Zuo observed the changes in Shen Changqing's expression.
Leaving one person to guard Lin'an City alone meant the difficulty of the task was extraordinary.
He understood.
The person before him was a rare genius.
If this caused him to harbor resentment toward the Demon Suppression Division, it would be a loss for the Division.
Certain things had to be made clear.
"I naturally understand your meaning, Manager Jiang," Shen Changqing said with a slight smile, his expression unchanged.
He knew the implication behind Jiang Zuo's words.
Every person has their own standard for judging matters.
Even if Jiang Zuo hadn't said it, Shen Changqing understood why the Division had him guard Lin'an City.
After all, once the defense failed, it wouldn't just be him who died; the hundred thousand citizens of Lin'an City might perish with him.
Even if the Demon Suppression Division could sacrifice him alone, they were unlikely to gamble with the lives of a hundred thousand citizens unless they were truly pushed to a desperate extremity.
Jiang Zuo said, "As mentioned before, since you have completed your mission guarding Lin'an City, you will not be assigned any further missions for the next year. You may choose to stay in the Demon Suppression Division for secluded cultivation, or go elsewhere.
For official Demon Suppressors, the Division imposes no restrictions.
As long as you complete your fixed annual tasks, you can arrange your remaining time however you wish."
"Does Manager Jiang think it would be better for me to promote to a Black-rank Demon Suppressor now, or wait until the term is nearly up?" Shen Changqing asked the doubt in his heart.
Since everything had been laid out on the table, there was nothing left to hesitate about.
What he previously thought was "acting low-key" had actually, in the eyes of the Division, already exposed quite a bit.
"Whether to promote or not is indeed something that requires consideration."
Jiang Zuo's expression turned solemn as he lowered his head in serious thought.
A moment later, he looked up at Shen Changqing.
"There are many benefits to promoting to a Black-rank Demon Suppressor. As long as you meet the annual task standards, you will receive one bottle of Pulse-Connecting Pills, and additionally, one Spirit-Nurturing Pill.
I assume you are no stranger to Pulse-Connecting Pills. As for the Spirit-Nurturing Pill, it is the key to advancing to the Grandmaster realm.
Only by promoting to Black-rank can you receive an extra Spirit-Nurturing Pill every year, and you can also exchange for them using merit points. If you remain at the Yellow-rank, you will not receive such treatment."
Shen Changqing was also familiar with merit points.
It was a system established by the Demon Suppression Division.
Any official Demon Suppressor could obtain merit points upon completing corresponding tasks.
However, he had not yet had the time to look into the specific details.
"Normally, a bottle of Pulse-Connecting Pills requires a significant amount of merit points. The two evil spirit auras in the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant you submitted last time would not have been enough to exchange for a full bottle based on the merit ratio.
However, the Guardian Envoy in charge believed that since you were stationed in Lin'an City, you needed some foundation. Therefore, they gave you an extra bottle of Pulse-Connecting Pills. Aside from deducting your existing merit points, the Guardian Envoy covered the remaining deficit.
As for other matters, you can go to the Demon Slaying Hall to find out when you have time," Jiang Zuo added.
Shen Changqing nodded slightly.
Merit points were not his primary concern right now.
What truly captured his attention were the words Jiang Zuo had spoken earlier.
Spirit-Nurturing Pills!
Grandmaster!
Ever since breaking through to the Xiantian Outer Qi realm, Shen Changqing had been eager to know exactly how the Grandmaster realm differed from the Xiantian realm.
He had originally intended to look for information in the Library, but since Jiang Zuo had brought it up, it was better to ask directly.
After all, the man was a veteran Demon Suppressor and would surely have unique insights.
"May I ask, Manager Jiang, what exactly is a Grandmaster? And what must one do to break through from Xiantian to Grandmaster?"
"I knew you would ask that. If an ordinary person asked, I wouldn't bother, but with your aptitude, it might not take you very long to break through to Grandmaster in the future. I might as well tell you!"
Jiang Zuo pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"In the martial world, a Grandmaster has a complete title: a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Those who can be called Grandmasters are experts qualified to establish their own sects and set the standard for the world."
"And among them, a Grandmaster can completely transcend the Xiantian realm because of one most crucial thing—"