Matryoshka Dolls

"Deputy Commander Sun, Ye Xiaofan has arrived," the Demon Suppressing Guard leading the way announced after knocking on the door.

"Come in!" a robust voice boomed from within. The guard pushed open the door and gestured for Ye Xiaofan to enter.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man with a stern, imposing face was diligently reviewing case files.

"Reserve Demon Suppressing Guard Ye Xiaofan pays his respects to Deputy Commander Sun," Ye Xiaofan said upon entering.

Seeing Ye Xiaofan, the middle-aged man broke into a warm, welcoming smile and paused his work.

"Young Master Ye, no need for formalities. You can just call me Uncle Sun. Actually, your father, Ye Tianhe, and I joined the Demon Suppression Division in the same batch. It's just that fate is unpredictable; I never thought he'd die at the fangs of demons."

Sun Wude's face fell with grief. He stood up, walked over to Ye Xiaofan, patted his shoulder, and said, "Living in these chaotic times, no one knows when they'll meet an untimely end. To survive, you need immense power. I've heard about your talent; cultivate diligently and don't let it go to waste."

"Here are three Blood Qi Pills. I hope you've already broken through to the Body Refinement First Layer. The demons in Qingyang County are becoming more active, and we're short-handed, desperately needing fresh blood to join us."

"Thank you, Deputy Commander Sun."

Ye Xiaofan accepted the small porcelain bottle Sun Wude offered without hesitation. He wouldn't dare consume the pills inside, but he could sell them. Ye Xiaofan had realized his golden finger was a bottomless pit for money, so he aimed to acquire as much as possible.

"You may return. Cultivate well. I expect you to become the next Commander Zuo." Sun Wude returned to his desk and resumed reviewing the cases.

Ye Xiaofan bowed and turned to leave.

Sun Wude looked up again at Ye Xiaofan's retreating figure, a strange glint in his eyes. A peculiar smile played on his lips as he murmured almost inaudibly, "To survive a tasteless, odorless potent poison for three days and still be alive... Ye Tianhe, you've raised a good son. A genius, hehe, a genius is good."

Just then, a Demon Suppressing Guard emerged from a side room. "Patriarch, shall I kill him?"

"No. A living genius is more valuable. Has Xiao Qiaofeng discovered anything?"

"Rest assured, Patriarch. Xiao Qiaofeng hasn't made any moves."

After leaving Sun Wude, Ye Xiaofan headed straight home from the Demon Suppression Division. He didn't want to waste time speculating on Sun Wude's intentions. Sun Wude had spoken a truth: to survive and control one's destiny, one needed immense power. As long as he was strong enough, invincible in heaven and earth, all schemes and tricks would be futile struggles, destined to vanish before absolute power. With his golden finger by his side, Ye Xiaofan was confident he could reach the pinnacle of the world.

He closed his room door and took out Ye Tianhe's 1000 taels of death benefit.

"System, simplify the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique."

Ye Xiaofan willed it, but the 1000 taels of silver before him didn't disappear. Instead, his interface flickered slightly, and a prompt appeared.

[Cannot simplify the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique until the Basic Breathing Technique reaches perfection.]

Currently:

[Realm: None (0.3/100)] [Technique: Basic Breathing Technique (Subtle Mastery 350/400)]

Technique proficiency was divided into: Novice, Proficient, Minor Success, Subtle Mastery, Major Success, Perfection.

Ye Xiaofan estimated his cultivation progress, figuring it would take about an hour to reach perfection. He then stared blankly at the interface. Waiting was painful, but at least his lifespan was slowly increasing, which helped Ye Xiaofan maintain some composure.

An hour later:

Basic Breathing Technique reached perfection.

"System, simplify the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique."

Without hesitation, Ye Xiaofan willed it. The 1000 taels of silver before him vanished, and the interface flickered.

[Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique... simplifying... Basic Breathing Technique... simplified into... Breathing!]

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Ye Xiaofan still found it absurd upon seeing it ultimately simplified to "Breathing."

[Name: Ye Xiaofan] [Lifespan: 2.3 hours (Severely Poisoned) (Weak Suppression)] [Realm: None (1/100)] [Techniques: Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique (Novice 100/1000), Sword Drawing Technique, Wind God Steps]

The Basic Breathing Technique disappeared from the panel, and the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique's proficiency directly reached 100 points at the beginner level.

"No wonder it required the Basic Technique to be perfected. It seems the panel can merge techniques, but it needs the old techniques to be cultivated to completion first. I need to find some techniques to experiment with."

"I'm short on money. How can I get rich quickly?"

Looking at the unsimplified Sword Drawing Technique and Wind God Steps, and the constantly flashing red notifications.

All of them were reminding him to top up his account.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

"I'll cultivate first."

Ye Xiaofan, who had just reacted, shook his head and chuckled.

He was amused by his own thoughts. Breathing itself was cultivation. He was cultivating all the time, so there was no need to meditate and circulate the techniques.

"I wonder how my talent and comprehension are?"

Since he had nothing else to do, Ye Xiaofan began to study the Sword Drawing Technique.

Time slowly passed, and Ye Xiaofan was immersed in the Sword Drawing Technique.

The proficiency of the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique on the panel kept jumping.

Cultivating a mid-grade technique was twice as fast as the Basic Breathing Technique.

It was the same for every breath, the technique proficiency experience increased by 2 points, but the required experience was ten times more.

It took a full hour to cultivate to the proficient level. Fortunately, Ye Xiaofan had already cultivated Qi and Blood, which could slightly suppress the toxins in his body.

Otherwise, he would have died before the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique could temper his Qi and Blood.

As Ye Xiaofan continued to breathe, cultivation experiences and insights about the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique continuously appeared in his mind.

After an hour, [Technique: Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique (Proficient 2/4000), Sword Drawing Technique (Beginner 100/2000), Wind God Steps]

His internal organs began to resonate with his breathing. Strands of Qi and Blood, as thick as three hairs, began to be tempered from his blood and flowed to all parts of his body.

Suddenly, a strong sense of hunger washed over him like a tide.

Ye Xiaofan immediately took out the Blood Qi Pills he received from the Treasure Pavilion and threw them into his mouth.

The Blood Qi Pills were swallowed and turned into energy, replenishing the blood lost during the tempering of Qi and Blood.

On the thousandth breath after the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique reached proficiency, the numbers behind his realm finally began to move. [Realm: None (2/100)].

The toxins in his body were further suppressed, and his lifespan directly surged to five hours.

"One hour is about 1000 breaths. At this speed, it will take about 8 days to break through to the Body Refinement First Layer and become a cultivator. As the technique proficiency increases, it shouldn't take this long."

"I heard that Commander Zuo took fifteen days to break through to the Body Refinement First Layer back then. I'm twice as fast as him."

"My talent and comprehension must be very strong. The Qi and Blood cultivated from a mid-grade technique is comparable to a high-grade technique. The Sword Drawing Technique also only took an hour to reach the beginner level. But with a cheat, who would be foolish enough to cultivate it themselves."

"I must find a way to get money as soon as possible."

Ye Xiaofan pondered how to get money.

He thought for a long time but had no clue.

"Forget it, I'll go out for a walk. The boat will naturally straighten itself when it reaches the bridge. There's no need to wear myself out."

The streets were bustling with traffic and people.

Ye Xiaofan wandered aimlessly on the street, personally experiencing the vibrant and lively atmosphere of this world, which was more vivid and lively than he remembered from his original body's memories.

The cries of the vendors, the beggar by the wall weakly basking in the sun, the charming sounds of chickens.

All of this made him feel both dazed and real, as if he had finally broken free from the cold memory fragments and truly entered this vibrant world.

He reached into his pocket and felt the few remaining pieces of silver. Ye Xiaofan's lips curved slightly as he walked into a grand and magnificent restaurant.

Savoring the fine wine and delicacies of this world while looking at the bustling streets outside, Ye Xiaofan's heart finally calmed down.

North of the city, the Sun family.

The room was a mess, with broken porcelain and furniture everywhere.

Sun Chenyu threw the last intact vase onto the ground and let out a long sigh, as if he had finally vented all the anger he had endured at the Demon Suppression Division today.

"Ye Xiaofan! A genius who hasn't grown up is not a genius."

"Someone!"

"Second Young Master!"

Sun Jiu cautiously opened the door and walked in, not daring to look up at Sun Chenyu.

"Am I that ugly?"

Seeing Sun Jiu timidly not daring to look at him, Sun Chenyu became even more enraged.

He suddenly rushed forward and kicked Sun Jiu to the ground, then frantically kicked at Sun Jiu's head.

"Second Young Master, spare me, Second Young Master, spare me."

Sun Jiu's face was deathly pale, and he didn't dare to dodge, only begging for mercy.

"Get up."

As if tired of kicking, Sun Chenyu let out a long sigh and said indifferently.

"Thank you, Young Master Sun."

Sun Jiu quickly rolled over and knelt on the ground.

"Go kill someone for me. If you do it well, I'll reward you handsomely."

A cruel smile appeared on Sun Chenyu's lips, as if he could already see Ye Xiaofan dead.

"Young Master Sun, who should I kill?"

"Ye Xiaofan. I'll give you three days. Make it clean, or you know what I'll do."

"Please don't worry, Young Master Sun. I will definitely complete the task."

Sun Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly patted his chest to guarantee it. Then, under Sun Chenyu's impatient gaze, he crawled out of the room.