People Undergoing the Assessment

Qin Bo immediately decided to seclude himself for cultivation while there was still some time before the assessment, attempting to break through.

He shut the courtyard gate, then sat cross-legged inside the room and circulated the Ancient Desolation Body Tempering Technique.

As the power of his blood and qi circulated, Qin Bo could feel it surging through his meridians like a mighty river in full flood.

Following the circulation route of the Ancient Desolation Body Tempering Technique, he guided the power of his blood and qi to repeatedly batter every part of his body.

He tried to further condense his blood and qi, laying the foundation for condensing its power and advancing to the Blood Condensation Realm.

Time slipped quietly by during his cultivation. In the blink of an eye, a whole day had passed.

Qin Bo was immersed in cultivation, completely unaware of everything around him.

The next moment, Qin Bo opened his eyes.

A trace of helplessness flashed through his originally tired gaze.

"Could it be that my talent is truly worthless?"

"Forget it. No point dwelling on it. If I don't have it, then I don't have it."

I have a cheat. All I need to do is work hard and diligently...

Ahem... burn through my lifespan.

Then none of that will be a problem.

"Since my talent is lacking, I'll make up for it with my lifespan. As long as I can stand out in the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment, it will all be worth it."

Qin Bo clenched his fists, his eyes shining with resolve.

At that thought, Qin Bo stopped cultivating.

He rose and walked out.

Qin Bo stepped out of the room and drew in a deep breath of fresh air.

The sky was nearing dusk. The City Lord's Mansion was utterly tranquil, but Qin Bo knew that beneath this calm, undercurrents were surging.

He decided to use the time before the assessment to investigate the city for more information. Perhaps he could uncover more clues related to the Netherworld.

Qin Bo straightened his clothes and quietly left the City Lord's Mansion.

Yunzhou City was bustling at night, its streets brightly lit and crowded with people.

It seemed completely unrelated to this eerie world!

But Qin Bo had no interest in admiring the prosperous night scenery. He threaded through the main streets and narrow alleys, relying on his keen senses to listen for the conversations around him.

Outside a tavern, Qin Bo heard several burly men whispering among themselves.

"Have you heard? Yunzhou City is in danger this time."

"What?"

"There's been unrest in the Netherworld. Apparently, the target is an eerie creature sealed beneath Yunzhou City!"

"Are you sure?! Wasn't the eerie creature sealed beneath Yunzhou City just a legend?"

"What legend? It's true! I'm telling you, the day after tomorrow is the Full Moon Night, when the seal will be at its weakest. Something might happen."

"Hiss... Then why aren't we leaving Yunzhou City right away?"

"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then let's go together tomorrow. It'll be good to have some company."

Qin Bo's heart tightened when he heard this exchange.

To be honest, he knew the inside story of this matter.

Those Netherworld Ghost Crows had probably come looking for Luo Qingyan.

But City Lord Zhou had accidentally crushed them to death with one hand. Then, as luck would have it, the matter of the seal came up, leading everyone to conclude that those eerie creatures had come to break the seal and rescue the ghost.

But he could not say that aloud.

At the same time, a question arose in his heart. Could those eerie creatures truly have been pursuing Luo Qingyan?!

Could their real objective be the great fiendish entity being suppressed beneath the city?!

At this thought, Qin Bo was startled.

It was very possible!

"Luo Qingyan, is the objective of your Netherworld the great fiendish entity suppressed beneath Yunzhou City?"

He hurriedly questioned the marriage certificate in his arms.

"Young Master, this little girl does not know about that matter."

"All right!"

Qin Bo could not be bothered to ask further. In any case, Yunzhou City was already preparing for the worst.

There should be a way to deal with it, right?

Besides, if eerie creatures truly came attacking, he could take advantage of the chaos to gather some lifespan.

After wandering outside for a while, he found that he had no money.

All he could do was stare and watch.

In the end, he decided he might as well go back to sleep.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, he ran into Zhou Ruixue.

"Oh? Young Master Qin, you're back! I just went looking for you, only to discover that you weren't at your residence. I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Miss Zhou, may I ask why you were looking for me?"

Qin Bo was puzzled.

"It's nothing major. I wanted to introduce you to a few people."

"They're all promising candidates about to participate in the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment. So, we specially set up a banquet at the mansion. I came to find you so that you could all get acquainted. Perhaps you'll even become colleagues in the future."

"Then I'll trouble you to make the introductions, Miss Zhou."

Qin Bo smiled as he spoke.

Zhou Ruixue led Qin Bo to a secluded garden in the City Lord's Mansion.

Several people were already chatting in the garden.

When they saw Zhou Ruixue and Qin Bo approaching, everyone's eyes turned toward them.

"Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Qin Bo, who is also preparing to participate in the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment. His strength is quite extraordinary."

Zhou Ruixue spoke with a smile.

Qin Bo cupped his hands slightly and said politely, "Greetings, everyone. I hope we can look after one another in the future."

Among them, a white-robed young man with an elegant, scholarly air was the first to respond:

"Brother Qin, you're too polite. Since Miss Zhou personally recommended you, you must have some exceptional qualities."

"May I ask which prominent family Brother Qin hails from?"

"I'm not from any illustrious family. I'm merely a scholar!"

The moment Qin Bo finished speaking, another person's expression changed instantly.

"A scholar?! Hahahaha, are you sure you're not here to make a joke?"

"Everyone seated here is either wealthy or noble, with extraordinary backgrounds. How is an ordinary person like you worthy of sitting at the same table as us?"

Faced with this sudden mockery, Qin Bo remained calm and did not lose his temper.

He looked straight at the speaker and said slowly:

"Our origins may differ, but on the path of cultivation, everyone is equal. Though I come from the humble background of a scholar, I still have confidence that I can prove myself in the assessment."

Zhou Ruixue's brows knitted slightly, and she said unhappily, "Young Master Li, since Young Master Qin has the ability, why bother judging him by his background? We gathered today to exchange insights into cultivation and face the assessment together. Mocking someone like this is rather lacking in grace."

The person called Young Master Li snorted coldly and spoke disdainfully:

"Miss Zhou, you've always been kindhearted, but the cultivation world has always been cruel. What matters is strength and background. What ability could an unknown nobody like him possibly have? Don't let him drag everyone down when the time comes."

Everyone exchanged glances, and the atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.

At this point, the elegant white-robed young man, Lin Yu, spoke up to smooth things over:

"Brother Li, don't be so quick to draw conclusions. Since Miss Zhou thinks highly of Brother Qin, he must have something distinctive about him."

"Besides, the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment values personal ability, not one's background. We might as well wait and see how Brother Qin performs."

Lin Yu's words were neither servile nor overbearing.

He had preserved Qin Bo's dignity while also pointing out the essence of the assessment, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Though Young Master Li was still dissatisfied, he could not say anything more.

But Qin Bo was not the sort to press his hot face against someone else's cold bottom.

He immediately turned to Zhou Ruixue and said,

"I appreciate Miss Zhou's kindness, but I'm not on the same path as everyone here. It would be better if we didn't get acquainted."