Hu Dongxing's meticulous care left Sun Zhi completely at a loss.
The moment Steward Qian reported that Sun Zhi had broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm, Hu Dongxing immediately put everything aside and hurried over.
There was no helping it. Although Qiulin County appeared to have only a handful of Meridian Opening Realm experts, no one knew how many old foxes were secretly concealing their cultivation for unknown purposes.
Although these people would not brazenly cause trouble, they were still a massive security risk.
Just like that flying thief who had made repeated moves lately—he was suspected to be in the Meridian Opening Realm.
Hu Dongxing was stretched thin, racking his brains over the safety of Qiulin County.
As for the County Yamen, although the county magistrate's two attendants were in the Meridian Opening Realm, it was obvious they would never follow his orders. They only cared about the magistrate's safety.
Now, things were different. Sun Zhi, who served under him, had actually broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm. At last, someone could share the burden on his shoulders.
Only...
Why wasn't the Blood Qi Power in his body as abundant as expected?
He was already in the Meridian Opening Realm, yet his aura was barely any different from that of an ordinary martial artist.
The thought only circled through Hu Dongxing's mind for an instant before he cast it aside.
Steward Qian's report should not have been false.
After all, if Sun Zhi were still an ordinary martial artist, how could the pile of Demon Race corpses from before be explained?
Judging by their size, those fox demons were no ordinary minor demons.
There had even been a wolf demon in the Meridian Opening Realm.
Perhaps because it had suffered severe injuries, it was only natural for the Blood Qi Power in its body to fluctuate somewhat.
Even though Sun Zhi had seen plenty in his time and had not denied it outright, once he had gradually pieced together the situation through indirect probing, he was utterly dumbfounded.
When the hell did I become a Meridian Opening Realm expert?
And what was the deal with that whole family of fox demons from the Bai Family?
So the "next assignment" he had mentioned referred to wiping out Old Master Bai's entire household???
Yet he had pushed all the credit for everything on this trip onto himself.
Was he planning to keep hiding and did not want his identity exposed?
After thinking it over, Sun Zhi gritted his teeth and decided to play along with Shen Lin's arrangements.
He could have confessed everything while facing Hu Dongxing in person.
But what good would that do?
Shen Lin had merely concealed his cultivation and acted cautiously. He had committed no evil and broken no laws.
Once he revealed the truth, Hu Dongxing—and perhaps even the county magistrate—would likely be alarmed.
Not out of fear, but excitement.
Twenty years old and on the verge of breaking through to the Innate Realm.
With such a prodigy, if they recommended him to the imperial court, the merit would be far greater than killing a few demons.
Shen Lin would be taken to the imperial capital. He might join the Demon Suppression Division, or perhaps be recruited by another great lineage. In any case, there would be no harm done.
The county magistrate and County Lieutenant Hu would also rise rapidly thanks to their meritorious recommendation.
Everyone would win.
Only he would offend Shen Lin.
There was not the slightest benefit in doing that.
On the other hand, if he behaved himself and followed Shen Lin...
At that thought, Sun Zhi's eyes lit up. He felt that his opportunity had arrived.
Once Shen Lin soared to prominence, couldn't he rise to heaven alongside him, like the chickens and dogs of a household?
"Sun Zhi doesn't seem to have much use left. Should I arrange an accident and send him to atone to those brothers?"
Shen Lin set down the animal-hide scroll, rubbed his eyes, and murmured.
Sun Zhi might have been thinking that by following Shen Lin, he would rise to heaven alongside him. But Shen Lin was thinking about sending him to heaven.
A man who had fed countless fellow officers to demons as rations naturally could not earn Shen Lin's trust.
After thinking for a while, however, Shen Lin still shook his head and decided to let Sun Zhi live a little longer.
That fellow was still somewhat useful.
After all, if Shen Lin did not want to attract attention, he still needed someone to act as his proxy and exchange rewards with the Demon Suppression Division.
And Sun Zhi, whose reputation had risen sharply over the past two years, was a good choice.
Once he had made up his mind, Shen Lin's attention returned to the animal-hide scroll before him.
The good news was that the cultivation method he had obtained from the Bai Family, the "Qingqiu Body Tempering Art," was not solely a cultivation method for the Demon Race.
He could cultivate it as a member of the Human Race as well.
It was a body-tempering martial art. Through a unique method, one used various medicinal materials to temper the body, greatly increasing its physical strength. Once cultivated to perfection, ordinary iron weapons could not break through its defenses at all.
The bad news was that this cultivation method was incomplete. It could only cultivate a single part of the body. That was why the fox demons of the Bai Family had possessed extraordinary tail strength, while the rest of their bodies were little stronger than those of ordinary martial artists.
After pondering for a while, Shen Lin set down the animal-hide scroll and took out the Meridian-Opening Pill.
Previously, because he had no Demon Lifespan, he had been unable to continue deducing the Gale Sword Technique and break through the fifth meridian.
Now, he would try ten years first.
Shen Lin drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Within his consciousness, the system panel slowly unfolded.
In the first year, you swallowed the Meridian-Opening Pill. The pill dissolved the instant it entered your mouth. Its surging medicinal power wrapped around your Blood Qi Power and slammed viciously into the blocked meridian. The meridian that had previously been as immovable as solid rock was easily forced open under the medicinal power. Your Blood Qi Power surged straight in. By the time the medicinal power was exhausted, you had already opened two-thirds of the fifth meridian. In the tenth year, under your efforts, your Blood Qi Power had almost completely traversed the fifth meridian. You felt that only a thin membrane remained between you and breaking through the fifth meridian. Deduction complete!
Shen Lin opened his eyes and discovered that the Meridian-Opening Pill, which had still been in his hand, had vanished at some point.
Its effect was also unmistakable.
A single pill had directly opened two-thirds of his fifth meridian, saving him more than a century of arduous cultivation.
No wonder other martial artists found it nearly impossible to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm without a Meridian-Opening Pill.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Lin chose to continue infusing power.
In the first year, you carefully comprehended the process and mobilized the Blood Qi Power in your body to strike at the meridian countless times. Yet although the membrane was tottering on the verge of collapse, it ultimately remained in place.
Even after infusing a year of Demon Lifespan, he still failed to break through, but Shen Lin was not discouraged.
"Again!"
Another year of Demon Lifespan was infused.
After infusing four consecutive years of Demon Lifespan, the contents displayed on the system panel finally changed.
In the first year, you continued mobilizing your Blood Qi Power to strike the fifth meridian. Countless attempts had already left your heart as still as water, free of sorrow or joy. Yet this time, when your Blood Qi Power broke through the shackles and surged into the fifth meridian, your face still revealed wild delight. The fifth meridian was open!
Shen Lin's consciousness returned to reality, and he lowered his head to examine his hands.
After opening the fifth meridian, the Blood Qi Power in his body rose another level.
His seemingly thin arms were now filled with enough strength to grapple with wolves and tear tigers apart.
Three hundred and eighty-seven years of Demon Lifespan remained.
Then...
He would first deduce the "Qingqiu Body Tempering Art" to perfection and see which meridians this martial art was connected to.
As he pondered, the system panel unfolded once more.
Only a moment later, Shen Lin shook his head and abandoned the idea of continuing the deduction.
Before you continue