Advancement

How could it not be enough?

Shen Che stared at the glaring four words on the panel, his expression frozen.

580 points of Time Value, and it was still not enough.

A thousand?

A number popped into Shen Che's mind.

The ultimate breakthrough for a cultivation technique required an integer, one thousand points.

This guess was very reasonable.

Where could he get so much Time Value?

Did he have to take on another mission to slay Demonic Beasts?

But missions weren't available every day, and he might not encounter Demonic Beasts in the True Meridian Realm.

Shen Che's thoughts raced.

He thought of a place.

The Demon Suppressing Prison.

That place was practically a treasure trove tailor-made for him.

The problem was, how to get in.

The third level of the Demon Suppressing Prison was heavily guarded. Let alone him, a newly promoted official Demon Queller Envoy, even some seasoned veterans didn't have the qualifications to get close.

As he was contemplating a solution.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Shen Che opened the door to find a handyman from the Demon Suppression Division standing outside.

"Lord Shen, Chief Yan requests your presence."

Yan Xiu wants to see me?

Shen Che's mind raced, and he roughly guessed the reason.

He followed the handyman and returned to the side hall of the mission hall.

Yan Xiu was still sitting behind the familiar desk, holding a cup of hot tea and sipping it slowly.

Seeing Shen Che enter, he put down his teacup.

"Li Zimo told me everything that happened."

Yan Xiu's expression was somewhat complex as he sized Shen Che up, as if looking at a rare specimen.

"Body Tempering Realm, instantly killed a True Meridian Realm Eleven Meridian Demonic Beast with one strike."

"Kid, you've truly given me a massive surprise."

"I thought you were holding back during the entrance assessment, but now it seems I've underestimated you."

Yan Xiu was convinced that Shen Che must have come from a martial arts family with deep foundations, having tempered his body with all sorts of heavenly treasures since childhood to achieve such monstrous physique.

It was impossible for a child from an ordinary family to possess such combat power in the Body Tempering Realm.

"Lord Yan flatters me," Shen Che decided not to explain.

Misunderstandings were sometimes the best camouflage.

"This isn't flattery, it's the truth."

Yan Xiu took a black token from a drawer and handed it over.

The token was cool to the touch. A ferocious beast head was carved on the front, and the words "Demon Suppression" were on the back.

"This is the identity token for an official Demon Queller Envoy, the 'Demon Suppressing Token'."

"This token is forged from a special profound iron and has a small storage space inside, enough to hold a few personal items and weapons."

"At the same time, it can also sense the presence of demonic energy within a certain range. After killing a Demonic Beast, by placing the token close to the beast's corpse, it will automatically record your merit and exchange it for contribution points within the Division."

Shen Che took the token and played with it.

This thing was much more advanced than the previous probationary token.

"According to regulations, new official Demon Queller Envoys are granted a welfare benefit by the Division as an incentive for newcomers."

Yan Xiu leaned forward slightly.

"You can choose a True Meridian Realm cultivation technique manual from the Sutra Depository, or you can go to the Pill Room and receive a 'Meridian Opening Pill'."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of persuasion.

"I personally suggest you choose the Meridian Opening Pill."

"Your foundation is so solid, your physique so strong, far surpassing your peers. The only thing you lack is realm."

"With the help of this Meridian Opening Pill, you'll definitely be able to break through your main meridians in one go and officially step into the True Meridian Realm. At that time, your strength will reach a whole new level."

These words were spoken with genuine sincerity.

For any martial artist at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, the allure of a Meridian Opening Pill was fatal.

The Li family brothers, for its sake, had not hesitated to risk their lives to complete the advancement mission.

However, Shen Che shook his head.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Lord Yan."

"I don't need any cultivation techniques or pills for now."

Yan Xiu was stunned. "Then what do you want?"

Shen Che looked up and stated his true objective.

"I want to enter the third level of the Demon Suppressing Prison and stay there for a while."

The air fell silent.

Yan Xiu's expression shifted from astonishment to confusion, finally settling into a strange look, as if he were staring at a madman.

"What did you say? You want to enter the third level of the Demon Suppressing Prison?"

"Shen Che, do you even know what kind of place that is!"

Yan Xiu's voice couldn't help but rise a few decibels.

"That place imprisons all the most vicious and evil General-level Great Demons! An ordinary martial artist in the Body Tempering Realm, just by approaching the entrance to the third level, would have their mind shattered by the demonic energy there, or even die on the spot!"

"I know," Shen Che replied calmly.

"And you still want to go?"

"It's precisely because the demonic energy there is powerful enough," Shen Che had already thought of his reasoning, "I want to use that pressure to push myself and see if I can break through my bottleneck."

Rather than relying on external aids like pills, he preferred to rely on himself.

This reasoning perfectly fit the "martial arts prodigy" persona he had previously displayed.

Yan Xiu stared intently at him. After a long pause, he suddenly laughed.

First, it was a low chuckle, then it erupted into hearty laughter.

"Good! A fine reason, using demonic energy to break through!"

"Others avoid the Demon Suppressing Prison like the plague, and you, kid, treat it like a training room!"

"You have guts! I truly didn't misjudge you!"

What he admired was precisely the fearless drive within Shen Che.

"I approve!"

Yan Xiu slammed his hand on the table.

"However, you can only have half a day at most. It's not a safe place, after all. Stay too long, and even you might have your mind corrupted by the demonic energy."

"Thank you, Lord Yan," Shen Che cupped his hands.

Objective achieved.

With the official order from Yan Xiu, the head official, Shen Che's passage into the Demon Suppressing Prison was unimpeded.

He did not linger on the first or second levels.

There was nothing he needed in those places anymore.

He passed through the dark and damp corridors, heading straight for the stairs leading deeper underground.

The further down he went, the more pungent the smell of rot and blood became.

The moment he stepped onto the ground of the third level.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure bore down on him from all directions.

The air here was as thick as glue, and each breath felt like swallowing gravel.

Visible wisps and strands of black and red demonic energy floated in the air, like living venomous snakes, frantically trying to burrow into Shen Che's body.

Yan Xiu had not lied.

For any ordinary martial artist in the Body Tempering Realm, the moment they stepped into this place, they would be instantly killed by this terrifying demonic energy.

But Shen Che was no ordinary person.

After both the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt reached perfection, his physical body had long since reached a level beyond human.

He took a deep breath. The black and red demonic energy, potent enough to be fatal, surged into his body, only to be instantly vaporized by the surging, river-like, powerful blood essence within him.

It was like pouring a ladle of water onto a red-hot iron.

With a "sizzle," nothing remained.

He walked further down the dim passageway. In the prison cells on either side, various Demonic Beasts of different forms were imprisoned.