The Li Family Brothers

Shen Che's mind stirred, and the system panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Host: Shen Che]
[Time Value: 180]
[Skills:]
[Black Tiger Saber Technique (Level 6) (Currently Cannot Be Upgraded)]
[Golden Bell Shield (Level 13)+]
[Iron Shirt (Level 10) (Currently Cannot Be Upgraded)]

Shen Che's movements stopped.

He checked several times, and indeed, behind the "Golden Bell Shield" entry, the plus sign that had disappeared before had reappeared.

It had clearly said "Currently Cannot Be Upgraded" before.

What was going on?

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Golden Bell Shield primarily cultivated Blood Essence, following a path of extreme Yang and extreme strength, focusing on internal cultivation.

Iron Shirt specialized in training skin, membranes, tendons, and bones, following a method of extreme Yin and extreme softness, focusing on external cultivation.

One internal, one external. One hard, one soft.

Could it be that after both these techniques reached completion, they formed a complementary relationship, Yin and Yang complementing each other, breaking through the original cultivation bottlenecks?

Could it work like this?

He tried to focus his intent on the plus sign.

[Time Value insufficient.]

Instead of being disappointed, Shen Che felt a surge of excitement.

This meant his guess was correct; Golden Bell Shield could indeed continue to break through.

Once it broke through, what terrifying level would his physical body's strength reach?

The current problem was the lack of Time Value.

He had to find more Time Value as soon as possible.

Moreover, if he wanted to go further in the Demon Suppression Division and obtain higher-level techniques and resources, his identity as a Probationary Demon Suppressor needed to change.

He made up his mind.

The next day, early morning.

Shen Che arrived at the Demon Suppression Division's mission hall.

The hall was bustling with people, most of them warriors in formal Demon Suppression Division attire, moving with haste.

He walked through the crowd and approached the counter on the side of the hall responsible for assigning missions.

Behind the counter sat a stern-faced middle-aged man, whose badge indicated he was a supervisor.

"Lord Yan," Shen Che presented his token.

The middle-aged man, addressed as Lord Yan, took the token and glanced at it. "Probationary Demon Suppressor? What is it?"

"I wish to accept a mission to be promoted to a formal Demon Suppressor," Shen Che stated directly.

Lord Yan looked up, sizing him up with surprise.

"Shen Che? I remember you. You just passed the assessment yesterday."

"New Probationary Demon Suppressors are given a one-year adjustment period by the division, with no mandatory mission execution. You don't need to be in such a hurry."

"I can't wait," Shen Che replied crisply.

Lord Yan stared at him for two seconds, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

"Interesting. There aren't many young people like you with such drive nowadays."

"Coincidentally, those two young men from the Li family also just applied for promotion missions."

He called out into the hall, "Li Zimo, Li Zifeng, come here!"

Not long after his voice fell, two people walked over from the crowd.

The young man in front was about twenty-four or twenty-five, tall and straight, with a handsome face and a scholarly air.

The one following him was a completely different style.

Nearly two meters tall, with a broad back and a sturdy build, his muscles bulged like a moving small mountain, and his face showed a hint of impatience.

"Lord Yan, you were looking for us?" the refined young man asked, cupping his hands.

Lord Yan pointed at Shen Che. "Let me introduce you. This is our new junior brother, Shen Che."

"He also wants to take a promotion mission. I figured I'd have the three of you form a team."

"This is the mission scroll. There are demons causing trouble in Qingxi County, and the local authorities can't handle it, so they reported it to us. Go and deal with it."

"Mission complete. The three of you will be promoted to official Demon Suppressors together."

The burly man named Li Zifeng frowned and grumbled, "Lord Yan, this... promotion mission is no child's play. Bringing a newcomer who just joined, what if he drags us down..."

"Zifeng!" Li Zimo reprimanded him in a low voice, cutting him off.

He turned to Lord Yan and cupped his hands again, "We'll follow Lord Yan's arrangements."

After speaking, he turned to Shen Che with a gentle smile, "Junior Brother Shen Che, I am Li Zimo, and this is my second brother, Li Zifeng. He has a straightforward personality and speaks without thinking, so please don't mind him."

Shen Che nodded, "Shen Che."

Li Zifeng snorted in annoyance and turned his head away.

Li Zimo took the mission scroll handed over by Lord Yan, glanced at it, and then said to the two of them, "This is the situation. The Qingxi County yamen only mentioned traces of demons; their specific strength and numbers are unknown. We need to investigate it ourselves."

"Enough nonsense!" Li Zifeng impatiently waved his hand. "We'll set off at noon. Hurry up, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back!"

The three of them received three fast horses and left Cangyun City that noon.

On the official road, their horses galloped, kicking up dust.

Qingxi County was a small county town with a population of two to three hundred thousand, subordinate to Cangyun City. Its prosperity could not compare to Cangyun City at all. Once demons appeared in a place like this, the local yamen would be completely incapable of handling it and could only seek help from the Cangyun City Demon Suppression Division.

All the way, Li Zifeng kept a stern face, saying nothing, only focusing on the road ahead.

Conversely, Li Zimo deliberately slowed his horse's pace, riding alongside Shen Che.

"Junior Brother Shen, my second brother is just like this. Please bear with him."

"It's fine," Shen Che replied indifferently.

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother, you dared to take on a promotion mission right after joining the Division. Your courage truly impresses me, Senior Brother," Li Zimo said politely, then changed the subject, "However, why are you in such a hurry, Junior Brother?"

Shen Che glanced at him, "Aren't you two Senior Brothers the same?"

Li Zimo was taken aback and then gave a wry smile.

"To be honest, Junior Brother, my brother and I have been in the Demon Suppression Division for over a year. I'm twenty-five this year, and Zifeng is twenty-three. To still be at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm at this age is somewhat embarrassing to say."

"We are eager to be promoted to official Demon Suppressors to gain the qualification to exchange for 'Meridian Opening Pills'."

Meridian Opening Pill.

Shen Che's heart stirred.

Li Zimo continued, "This pill can help Body Tempering Realm martial artists open their meridians, greatly increasing the chance of breaking through to the True Meridian Realm. My brother and I have average talent. Without the help of pills, we might never reach the True Meridian Realm in our lives."

When he said this, there was a hint of helplessness and dejection in his tone.

On the path of martial arts, the higher one goes, the more important talent becomes.

Some people are born prodigies, able to perceive the True Meridian at a young age.

But for most people, they can only struggle in the Body Tempering Realm their entire lives.

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