Shen Che willed it, and a transparent panel visible only to him unfolded before his eyes.
[Time Manipulation System] [Host: Shen Che] [Time Value: 10] [Techniques:] [Black Tiger Saber Technique (Level 2)+] [Golden Bell Shield (Level 4)+]
The panel was simple and clear, with a distinct plus sign after both techniques.
This thing really was for adding points to techniques.
Shen Che's gaze fell upon the Golden Bell Shield.
The Black Tiger Saber Technique was a killing art, while the Golden Bell Shield was the foundation for staying alive.
In this cursed place, surviving was more important than anything else.
He focused his mind on the plus sign behind Golden Bell Shield.
[Consume 10 Time Value to raise Golden Bell Shield to Level 5?]
"Yes."
The instant the thought landed, a warm current sprang from his dantian out of nowhere and surged through all four limbs and every bone in a flash.
He could clearly feel his sinews and bones emitting faint tremors. His skin and flesh became tougher, while the speed at which his blood and qi rushed through him increased a fraction.
Shen Che clenched his fist, feeling the strength growing within him.
His single-arm strength had originally been around four hundred jin. Now, it had increased by at least another hundred.
Five hundred jin!
He sucked in a sharp breath.
According to his own estimation, advancing the Golden Bell Shield from the fourth level to the fifth would have required at least one or two years of grueling cultivation and refinement.
Yet the system had used a mere ten points of Time Value to finish it in a single second.
This efficiency was simply outrageous.
This cheat was a little too fierce.
Shen Che suppressed the excitement in his heart, sheathed his saber, and walked out of Cell No. 91.
The moment he stepped outside, he smelled a sour stench.
At the entrance to the neighboring Cell No. 90, another Probationary Demon Suppressor dressed in black robes was bracing himself against the wall and retching violently, his face as pale as paper.
Inside the cell lay the corpse of a demonic beast split into two halves, its organs spilling all over the floor.
It was perfectly normal to react like that after killing for the first time, especially such an ugly demonic beast.
Shen Che walked past him without changing expression.
The instant he passed the entrance of Cell No. 90, the cold mechanical voice in his mind rang out again.
[Ding! Absorbable time energy detected. Absorb?]
Shen Che stopped.
[Absorption successful. Time Value obtained: 10.]
He turned his head toward the demonic beast corpse inside the cell.
Then he looked at his character panel.
[Time Value: 10]
Could it be... he did not need to kill them himself? As long as he approached a dead demonic beast, he could obtain Time Value?
A bold thought surfaced in his mind.
He turned and headed for Cell No. 89 beside it.
The Probationary Demon Suppressor in this cell had already finished his task and left, leaving behind only a Wolf Demon corpse with its neck severed.
Shen Che walked to the cell door.
[Ding! Absorbable time energy detected. Absorb?] [Absorption successful. Time Value obtained: 5.]
Holy shit.
It really worked!
Shen Che's heart pounded wildly.
This was simply a colossal loophole—no, a colossal blessing!
He no longer needed to fight demonic beasts desperately. He only had to follow behind others and collect corpses.
The first level of the Demon Suppressing Prison held nearly a hundred demonic beasts.
Tonight, all of those demonic beasts would be slain by the Probationary Demon Suppressors.
To him, this was a massive treasure vault!
Shen Che no longer hesitated. He strode forward and began his "scavenging" journey along the corridor.
Cell No. 88 held a Pig Demon, pierced through the heart by a single sword.
[Absorption successful. Time Value obtained: 8.]
Cell No. 87 held a Snake Demon, chopped into several pieces.
[Absorption successful. Time Value obtained: 12.]
Cell No. 75 held a stronger Bear Demon, which gave him a full 20 points of Time Value.
[Absorption successful. Time Value obtained: 20.]
Shen Che was like a diligent bee, darting between one cell after another.
The system prompts in his mind rang without pause, and the Time Value on his panel climbed at a rapid pace.
50... 100... 200...
By the time he finished the final room on the first level, his Time Value had reached an astonishing number.
[Time Value: 400]
He had struck it rich!
This haul was an absolute blood profit!
Shen Che reached the end of the first level. Ahead lay an even deeper stone staircase leading to the second level of the Demon Suppressing Prison.
A heavy dark iron gate blocked the way, with no one standing guard before it.
He recalled the warning from the supervisor, Chen Xiao.
"Your range of activity is limited to the first level. No one is permitted to go to the second level without authorization!"
Chen Xiao had also said that the demonic beasts on the second level were extraordinarily powerful, far beyond the Body Tempering Realm trash on the first level.
Even the demonic aura they emitted was not something Probationary Demon Suppressors like them could withstand.
Should he go back, or go down?
Shen Che stood before the iron gate, deep in thought.
This assessment was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. The next time he wanted to enter the Demon Suppressing Prison so comfortably, who knew whether he would have to wait until monkeys turned into horses.
The demonic beasts on the first level were generally at the Body Tempering Realm, and the highest Time Value they provided was only 20 points.
Then what about the demonic beasts on the second level?
According to the Demon Suppression Division's classifications, those imprisoned on the second level should be General-level Demonic Beasts corresponding to True Meridian Realm martial artists.
How much Time Value could a General-level Demonic Beast provide?
One hundred? Two hundred?
Risk and reward went hand in hand.
He would do it!
Wealth and honor were sought amid danger!
Shen Che no longer hesitated. He pressed both hands against the cold dark iron gate and shoved hard.
The gate creaked as it slowly opened inward.
A demonic aura more than ten times denser than that of the first level rushed toward him—chilling, violent, chaotic.
Shen Che's breath caught sharply.
He felt as though he had been thrown into the deep sea, surrounded by invisible pressure squeezing his body and eroding his will.
With a Body Tempering Realm physique, he could not even breathe smoothly in such an environment.
No, this was too much of a stretch.
With his current strength, let alone collecting corpses on the second level, he would probably be corroded by the demonic aura and die of exhaustion after only a few steps.
He had to increase his strength!
Shen Che immediately opened the system panel.
His eyes locked onto the Golden Bell Shield section.
[Golden Bell Shield (Level 5 / 13 Levels Total)+] [Time Value: 400]
"System, max out the Golden Bell Shield for me!"
[50 Time Value consumed. Golden Bell Shield raised to Level 10.] [100 Time Value consumed. Golden Bell Shield raised to Level 11.] [100 Time Value consumed. Golden Bell Shield raised to Level 12.] [100 Time Value consumed. Golden Bell Shield raised to Level 13!]
A total of 350 Time Value had been consumed.
The number on the panel plummeted rapidly, finally stopping at 50.
An unprecedented, terrifying force exploded within his body!
It was as though a clap of thunder had erupted inside Shen Che's body.
His blood and qi roared and surged like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, washing through every limb and bone.
His sinews and bones rang in unison, emitting crisp sounds like clashing gold and iron.
Golden Bell Shield, thirteen levels!
It was complete.
The surrounding demonic aura, so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve, could no longer exert the slightest pressure on him.
The surging power of his blood and qi formed an invisible barrier, sealing all the chilling aura outside.
Even his formidable presence pressed back against the surrounding air, producing faint crackling pops.
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