Chapter 1: The Great Qin Demon Suppression Division

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would greet the people he was familiar with, or simply nod to them.

But no matter who it was.

There was no excess expression on anyone's face, as if they were indifferent to everything.

To this.

Shen Changqing had already grown accustomed.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution tasked with maintaining the stability of the Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons and monsters, though it naturally had some other side businesses as well.

It could be said.

Everyone in the Demon Suppression Division had blood on their hands.

When a person becomes accustomed to life and death, they become indifferent to many things.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed to it, but as time passed, he got used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Division were either powerful experts or those with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

The Demon Suppression Division was divided into two professions: Demon Guard Envoys and Demon Slayer Envoys.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Division started as a low-level Demon Slayer Envoy, then promoted step by step, with the ultimate hope of becoming a Demon Guard Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Demon Slayer Envoy in the Demon Suppression Division, the lowest rank among the Demon Slayer Envoys.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor.

He was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop in front of a pavilion.

Unlike other places in the Demon Suppression Division that were filled with a murderous aura, this pavilion stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens, presenting a different kind of tranquility amidst the blood-soaked Demon Suppression Division.

At this moment, the pavilion doors were wide open, and people occasionally entered and exited.

Shen Changqing hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside.

Entering the pavilion.

The environment changed abruptly.

A scent of ink mixed with a faint smell of blood rushed toward him, causing his brows to instinctively furrow, though they quickly smoothed out.

The scent of blood on everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away.

To survive in the Demon Suppression Division, getting used to blood was a prerequisite.

It was the same for others, and it was the same for Shen Changqing.

"Probationary Demon Slayer Envoy Shen Changqing of the Yellow Department, requests entry to the Library Pavilion!"

"Hmm."

The old man sitting in front of the pavilion, who had been dozing off, opened his bleary eyes. A faint, imperceptible flash of blood-red light flickered within his pupils.

In that instant.

Shen Changqing felt as if he were being stared at by some ferocious beast, causing the hair on his body to stand on end.

If not for the knowledge that they were all on the same side, he would have turned and fled in that moment.

However.

Shen Changqing also understood that the person guarding the Library Pavilion was an expert within the Demon Suppression Division.

The instinctive sense of crisis he felt was merely a slight leakage of the other party's aura.

"Show your identity token."

"Please, take a look!"

"Probationary Demon Slayer Envoy, authorized to enter the first floor of the Library Pavilion. Stay duration is two hours; do not overstay."

"Many thanks!"

Shen Changqing took back his token, and the old man closed his eyes again, appearing as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

He didn't pay much attention to it and walked straight past the old man, officially entering the Library Pavilion.

The rules of the Demon Suppression Division were few.

But once any rule was broken, there was a possibility of losing one's life.

One of those rules was not to pry into the privacy of others without authorization, nor to harbor excessive curiosity.

Over the years.

There were countless examples of Demon Slayer Envoys who were too curious, prying into matters and angering others, only to be killed by them in the end.

Although mutual slaughter was strictly forbidden within the Demon Suppression Division.

To kill someone, one didn't necessarily have to do it openly.

Furthermore.

While the people of the Demon Suppression Division were not lunatics, there were many impulsive and hot-tempered individuals. If they were truly consumed by rage, they would kill if they felt like it.

Although Shen Changqing had only been in the Demon Suppression Division for about five days and hadn't seen such an example yet.

However, his predecessor had been in the Demon Suppression Division for nearly a month.

In that month.

His predecessor had heard of several such cases.

As someone who inherited his predecessor's memories, Shen Changqing was deeply wary of this.

The Library Pavilion.

It was the place where the entire Demon Suppression Division stored its martial arts.

If one wanted to deal with demons and monsters, relying on the flesh and blood of an ordinary person was naturally impossible.

Only by practicing profound martial arts could one have the capital to initially contend with demons and monsters.

Therefore, the existence of the Library Pavilion was to allow the people of the Demon Suppression Division to improve their strength as much as possible.

Also, because the Demon Suppression Division itself was an institution protecting the Great Qin, it needed to cultivate enough experts.

Thus, there were no major requirements for comprehending and practicing the martial arts within.

As long as one had an identity token.

One could enter and exit the Library Pavilion at will without paying extra fees.

But to prevent some people from immersing themselves in the Library Pavilion to avoid missions, or becoming waste who only mastered martial arts but had no combat experience.

The Demon Suppression Division established rules limiting the time and frequency of each person's entry into the Library Pavilion.

The first floor of the Library Pavilion was large.

When Shen Changqing arrived, there were quite a few people lingering there, flipping through books.

As for those people.

He recognized some, while others were complete strangers.

After all, the Demon Suppression Division was too large, and fresh blood was replaced very frequently. Even though his predecessor had stayed for a month, the number of people he truly knew was limited.

No one noticed Shen Changqing's arrival.

Everyone was using their limited time to memorize the martial arts they needed to practice as much as possible.

Shen Changqing had no intention of bothering others. He walked to a bookshelf and, among the many neatly arranged books, skillfully pulled out one.

On the book, a few large characters were written.

Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong!

The characters were in the unique script of the Great Qin, which was quite different from the characters Shen Changqing knew in his previous life.

But with his predecessor's memories, he had no difficulty understanding the text.

Taking out the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong, Shen Changqing sat cross-legged beside the bookshelf and silently lowered his head to read the book.

Time passed.

Two hours quickly went by.

Shen Changqing returned the book to its original place and then stood up to walk outside.

As he left.

The old man guarding the Library Pavilion opened his bleary eyes for a moment, then closed them again.

In that instant.

Shen Changqing felt a prickling sensation on his back, forcing him to quicken his pace as he left.

Not long after.

He returned to his residence.

Because once one entered the Demon Suppression Division, they were a person of the Demon Suppression Division in life and a soul of the Demon Suppression Division in death; there was no possibility of leaving.

Therefore, everyone in the Demon Suppression Division, even the lowest-ranking Demon Slayer Envoy, received extraordinary treatment.

For example.

The place where Shen Changqing currently lived was an independent courtyard, equipped with wooden dummies, stone locks, and other martial arts training tools.

After returning to his residence.

He did not immediately begin training, but instead focused his mind—

Name: Shen Changqing

Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division

Identity: Probationary Demon Slayer Envoy

Martial Arts: Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong (Not yet initiated, can be improved)

Kill Value: 3

"It worked!"

Seeing the "can be improved" text on the panel, a smile immediately appeared on Shen Changqing's face.

Since arriving in this world.

The reason he had the confidence to remain in the Demon Suppression Division was because he had discovered his own golden finger.

A panel that looked very ordinary and simple.

But Shen Changqing understood that this was the foundation for his future standing in this world.

Without any hesitation.

He directly focused his intent on the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong and silently recited: Improve!

As the thought fell.

The kill value decreased by one point, and the text "Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong" twisted violently. The original "Not yet initiated" directly changed to "First Layer."

At the same time.

A powerful force surged from Shen Changqing's body, followed by his blood and qi churning, and his bones emitting crisp, explosive sounds, as if enduring some powerful pressure.

Before he could react much.

Immediately after.

There was another powerful pressure acting upon his internal organs.

"Pfft!"

Shen Changqing opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood, his expression twisted due to the sudden, intense pain.

But soon.

The feeling of pain disappeared, and an unprecedented sense of comfort completely washed over his body.

"Hoo!"

That comfortable feeling made Shen Changqing completely forget the discomfort he had just felt.

Coming back to his senses.

He stood in place, moving his limbs simply to adapt to his body's state after the breakthrough.

"Both strength and speed have improved compared to before. Although the increase isn't huge, it wouldn't be too difficult to defeat the me from before the breakthrough!"

"But the true primary function of the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong lies in enhancing the body's defense."

"Successfully reaching the first layer, the increase in my physical defense should be greater than the increase in strength and speed, but it's still far from being able to withstand blades with my bare skin."

After finishing his movements, Shen Changqing pinched his skin. The color hadn't changed, but its toughness had increased significantly.

He was very satisfied with this level of improvement.

"Sure enough, only by truly memorizing a martial art can one begin to practice it. Trying to practice it halfway through reading it would only harm others and myself."

Thinking of how his predecessor had died due to the backlash of the technique because he had rashly practiced the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong, Shen Changqing shook his head helplessly.

Too impulsive!

He hadn't even finished learning the technique before practicing it; he had no one to blame but himself for dying.

Soon.

Shen Changqing focused his mind again, turning his attention to the panel.

Name: Shen Changqing

Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division

Identity: Probationary Demon Slayer Envoy

Martial Arts: Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong (First Layer, can be improved)

Kill Value: 2

"Improving the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong by one layer only consumed one point of kill value. It seems the consumption for improving martial arts is lower than I expected.

In this way, my strength can be improved quite a bit more in a short period of time."

Shen Changqing was very satisfied.

He didn't waste any time and, with a thought, began the next round of improvement.

(End of chapter)