Nesting Dolls

"Deputy Commander Sun, Ye Xiaofan has been brought."

The Demon Suppressing Guard who had led the way knocked on the door and called out.

"Come in!"

A vigorous voice came from within. The Demon Suppressing Guard pushed open the door and gestured for Ye Xiaofan to enter.

Inside the room, a stern middle-aged man with an air of authority was carefully reviewing case files.

"Reserve Demon Suppressor Ye Xiaofan pays his respects to Deputy Commander Sun."

When the middle-aged man saw Ye Xiaofan enter, a spring-breeze smile appeared on his face, and he set aside his work.

"Nephew Ye, there is no need for such formality. If you are willing, you may call me Uncle Sun. Speaking of which, your father, Ye Tianhe, and I joined the Demon Suppression Division in the same batch. Yet the affairs of this world are unpredictable. I never expected him to be the first to die in the jaws of demons."

Sun Wude wore a sorrowful expression as he rose and walked over to Ye Xiaofan, patting him on the shoulder as he said,

"Born into this chaotic age, no one knows when they may meet an unnatural death. If you want to survive, you need great strength. I have heard of your talent. Cultivate well, and do not squander the talent you were given."

"There are three Blood Qi Pills inside. I hope you have already broken through to the Body Refinement First Layer. The demons in Qingyang County are growing increasingly active now. We are short on manpower and urgently need fresh blood to join us."

"Thank you, Deputy Commander Sun."

Ye Xiaofan did not stand on ceremony and accepted the small porcelain bottle Sun Wude handed him.

He did not dare consume the pills inside, but he could sell them.

Ye Xiaofan had already realized that his golden finger was a bottomless money-devouring beast. The more money he could get, the better.

"Go back. Cultivate well. I hope you will become the next Commander Zuo."

Sun Wude returned to the desk and sat down, resuming his review of the case files.

Ye Xiaofan bowed in salute, then turned and left.

Sun Wude raised his head again and watched Ye Xiaofan's departing back. Something unusual flickered in his eyes, and a strange smile curled at his lips as he murmured almost inaudibly,

"Poisoned by the colorless, odorless Three-day return poison, yet still alive and well... Ye Tianhe, you gave birth to a fine son. A genius. Hehe, a genius is good."

Just then, a Demon Suppressing Guard emerged from the side room.

"Patriarch, shall I kill him?"

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

"Rest assured, Patriarch. Xiao Qiaofeng has not made any moves."

After leaving Sun Wude's place, Ye Xiaofan went straight out of the Demon Suppression Division and returned home.

He did not want to waste time guessing what Sun Wude's intentions were.

Sun Wude had said one thing correctly: if he wanted to live, if he wanted to control his own fate, then he needed great strength.

As long as he was strong enough—so strong that he was invincible in heaven and earth—then every scheme and conspiracy would be nothing more than futile struggles, destined to vanish into ashes before absolute power.

With the golden finger at his side, Ye Xiaofan was confident he could reach the summit of the world.

After shutting the door, he took out Ye Tianhe's one thousand taels of compensation.

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

With a thought from Ye Xiaofan, the thousand taels of silver before him did not disappear. Instead, the panel flickered faintly, and a prompt appeared.

The Basic Breathing Technique must reach perfection before the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique can be simplified.

At this moment,

Realm: None (0.3/100)

Cultivation Technique: Basic Breathing Technique (Subtle Mastery 350/400)

Cultivation technique proficiency was divided into Beginner, Proficient, Minor Success, Subtle Mastery, Major Success, and Perfection.

Ye Xiaofan estimated the cultivation progress. It would take roughly one shichen to reach perfection, so he stared blankly at the panel.

Waiting was painful. Fortunately, his lifespan was slowly increasing bit by bit, allowing Ye Xiaofan to remain somewhat calm.

One shichen later,

Basic Breathing Technique: Perfection.

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

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Xiaofan moved his mind. The thousand taels of silver before him vanished, and the panel flickered faintly.

Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique... simplifying... Basic Breathing Technique... simplification successful... Breathing!

Though he had been mentally prepared for it, seeing that it had ultimately been simplified into breathing—

Ye Xiaofan still found it absurd.

Name: Ye Xiaofan

Lifespan: 2.3 shichen (Deeply poisoned) (Slightly suppressed)

Realm: None (1/100)

Cultivation Technique: Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique (Beginner 100/1000), Sword Drawing Technique, Wind God Steps

The Basic Breathing Technique had disappeared from the panel, while the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique's proficiency had directly reached one hundred points at Beginner level.

"No wonder the basic technique had to reach perfection. It seems the panel can fuse cultivation techniques, but the old technique must first be cultivated to perfection. I should find some techniques to test it on."

"I need money. How can I get money quickly?"

Looking at the unsimplified Sword Drawing Technique and Wind God Steps, as well as the red prompt that kept flashing—

Everything was urging him to recharge as soon as possible.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

"Let's cultivate first."

Ye Xiaofan immediately came to his senses and shook his head with a laugh.

His own thoughts had amused him. Breathing was cultivation. He was cultivating every moment of every day, so where was the need to sit in meditation and calmly circulate his technique?

"I wonder how good my talent and comprehension are?"

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

Time slowly passed as Ye Xiaofan immersed himself in the Sword Drawing Technique.

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

A mid-grade cultivation technique cultivated twice as fast as the Basic Breathing Technique.

Each breath still increased cultivation technique proficiency by two points, but it required ten times as much experience.

It would take a full shichen to cultivate it to Proficient. Fortunately, Ye Xiaofan had already cultivated Blood Qi, allowing him to slightly suppress the poison within his body.

Otherwise, before the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique could refine Blood Qi, he would already have breathed his last.

As Ye Xiaofan continued breathing, cultivation insights and realizations regarding the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique continuously surfaced in his mind.

One shichen later,

Cultivation Technique: Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique (Proficient 2/4000), Sword Drawing Technique (Beginner 100/2000), Wind God Steps

His five viscera began resonating with his breathing. Strands of Blood Qi, each as thick as three hairs, began to be refined from his blood and flowed with it through his limbs and bones.

At once, a fierce hunger swept over him like a tide.

Ye Xiaofan immediately took out a Blood Qi Pill he had received from the Danbao Pavilion and tossed it into his mouth.

The Blood Qi Pill entered his stomach and transformed into streams of energy, replenishing the blood consumed by refining Blood Qi.

At the thousandth breath after the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique reached Proficient, the number behind his realm finally began to change.

Realm: None (2/100)

The poison in his body was further suppressed, and his lifespan directly surged to five shichen.

"One shichen is about one thousand breaths. At this rate, I should be able to break through to the Body Refinement First Layer and become a cultivator in around eight days. As my cultivation technique proficiency rises, it probably will not take that long."

"I heard Commander Zuo needed fifteen days to break through to the Body Refinement First Layer back then. I am twice as fast as him."

"My talent and comprehension must be very strong. The Blood Qi cultivated from a mid-grade technique is comparable to that from a high-grade cultivation technique, and the Sword Drawing Technique only took me one shichen to reach Beginner. But now that I have a golden finger, who would still foolishly cultivate on their own?"

"I have to find a way to make money as soon as possible."

Ye Xiaofan pondered how to make money.

After thinking for a long time, he had no clues at all.

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

The streets were bustling with traffic and crowds.

Ye Xiaofan wandered aimlessly through the streets. Experiencing the living breath of this world in person felt far more vivid and lively than it had in the original owner's memories.

The hawkers' cries, the beggars languidly basking in the sun beside the walls, the seductive calls of the prostitutes.

All of it felt hazy yet real, as though he had finally broken free from cold fragments of memory and truly stepped into this living world.

He reached into his pocket and touched the few remaining pieces of silver. The corners of Ye Xiaofan's mouth lifted slightly as he entered a grand and imposing restaurant.

As he savored the fine wine and delicacies of this world and watched the bustling traffic outside the window, Ye Xiaofan's heart finally settled completely.

The Sun Family, north of the city.

The room was a complete mess, littered everywhere with shattered porcelain and broken tables and chairs.

Sun Chenyu smashed the last intact vase onto the floor and let out a long breath, as though he had finally vented all the anger he had suffered at the Demon Suppression Division today.

"Ye Xiaofan! A genius who has not grown up is no genius at all."

"Men!"

"Young Master!"

Sun Jiu pushed open the door and entered with his head lowered in fear, not daring to look up at Sun Chenyu at all.

"Am I ugly?"

Seeing Sun Jiu cower and refuse to look at him, Sun Chenyu's anger flared up.

He suddenly rushed forward, kicked Sun Jiu to the ground, and began savagely kicking at Sun Jiu's head.

"Young Master, spare my life! Young Master, spare my life!"

Sun Jiu's face was deathly pale. He did not dare dodge and could only beg for mercy.

"Get up."

Seemingly tired from kicking, Sun Chenyu exhaled deeply and spoke indifferently.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Sun Jiu hurriedly turned over and knelt on the ground.

"Go kill someone for me. Do it well, and I will reward you handsomely."

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

"Young Master, who should I kill?"

"Ye Xiaofan. I will give you three days. Make it clean, or you know my methods."

"Please rest assured, Young Master. This servant will definitely complete the task."

Sun Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly patted his chest in assurance. Then, beneath Sun Chenyu's impatient gaze, he knelt and shuffled out of the room.