Assessment Begins

Seeing this, Black Mountain Old Demon nodded in satisfaction. "Very well, I'll trust you this once."

"But not now!

"This king has more important matters to deal with lately. Since Tree Granny, that old thing, is about to break free, we'll wait until the time is ripe. Then, with an attack from within and without, we'll take Yunzhou City in one fell swoop."

"Then what matter does the esteemed lord need to handle?! I'm willing to go through fire and water for you."

Fox Demon knew that Black Mountain Old Demon was unwilling to contribute for nothing.

He immediately followed the slope down the donkey, expressing his loyalty as well.

Black Mountain Old Demon cast Fox Demon a glance and slowly said, "Nirvana Ghost King married his daughter to me, but who would have thought she'd actually run away."

"And according to the information we gathered, she has already fled to the Human Realm."

Fox Demon's heart jolted. Nirvana Ghost King was also a hegemon in the Netherworld, with strength on par with Black Mountain Old Demon.

This marriage alliance should have been a union of two powerful forces. Now that the bride had fled, things had become complicated.

"My lord, what should we do? As for Nirvana Ghost King..." Fox Demon asked cautiously.

Black Mountain Old Demon's expression darkened, and he snorted.

"Hmph, if word of this gets out, where will that leave my dignity? Nirvana Ghost King will certainly feel that he's lost face as well. He may even be nursing a bellyful of rage."

"If we can't find his daughter soon, I'm afraid another great war will break out between the two realms."

Fox Demon pondered for a moment before saying, "My lord, since she fled to the Human Realm, we can take this opportunity to prepare our plan to attack Yunzhou City while searching for her."

"That way, we can both bring back the bride to settle the dispute and achieve your grand undertaking of marching into the Human Realm. It's killing two birds with one stone."

A trace of approval flashed through Black Mountain Old Demon's eyes.

"You Fox Demon, your mind certainly turns quickly.

"We'll do as you say. I'll have my subordinates search everywhere for that girl. Once there's news, you'll lead the Ghost Generals of the Netherworld to the Human Realm, bring her back, and prepare our plan while you're at it."

"Yes, my lord! I'll certainly give it my all."

Fox Demon hurriedly acknowledged the order.

In the time that followed, Yunzhou City fell into a state of calm.

It was as though what had happened this time had not caused much of an impact.

The commander of the Demon Suppressing Division, Zhao Ting, had died in battle.

The new appointment had not yet arrived, so everything was being managed by the Deputy Director for the time being.

This Deputy Director was named Sun De, and he was a rather shrewd man.

After temporarily taking the commander's position, he first appeased the emotions of everyone in the Demon Suppressing Division and stabilized things internally;

at the same time, he worked closely with Zhou Yunxuan to continue strengthening Yunzhou City's defenses.

He also increased efforts to search for the materials and Formation Array masters needed to repair the sealing array.

Three days later, the Demon Suppressing Division's operations returned to normal.

The examination for new recruits officially began as well.

Qin Bo arrived at the plaza of the Demon Suppressing Division early to gather and wait.

He could hardly wait any longer.

Only by passing the examination could he obtain a new cultivation method.

Only then could the system come in handy.

A great many young martial artists who had come to take the examination had already gathered in the plaza.

Each of them was brimming with energy, anticipation and nervousness flickering in their eyes.

Standing among the crowd, Qin Bo appeared exceptionally composed.

After experiencing so many incidents before, these examinations were no longer difficult for him. He was merely going through the motions.

Zhou Ruixue and the others had just arrived as well.

When they saw Qin Bo, Zhou Ruixue and the others were visibly delighted.

They hurried over to Qin Bo.

"Many thanks to Young Master Qin for saving our lives a few days ago."

Lin Yu solemnly gave a deep bow, and the others followed suit.

Only Li Yao's expression was as ugly as if he had stepped in dog shit.

He had mocked Qin Bo for coming from some small place before, but now Qin Bo was the man who had saved his life.

Qin Bo hurriedly helped everyone up and said with a smile, "There's no need to be so polite. The situation was urgent at the time, and anyone else would have lent a hand as well. Besides, we all went through those dangers together. You could say we're friends who shared life and death."

Zhou Ruixue looked at Qin Bo, her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration. "Young Master Qin is not only powerful, but also so humble. It's truly admirable."

Li Yao gritted his teeth. In the end, he still stepped forward and said awkwardly, "Qin Bo, I was blind before and offended you in many ways. I hope you won't take it to heart. I owe you for what happened this time as well."

Qin Bo glanced at Li Yao and saw that although his attitude was somewhat stiff,

he seemed to be sincerely apologizing, so he nodded.

With his cheat-like status, these people were nothing worth mentioning to him.

"Let bygones be bygones. I hope we can all pass the examination smoothly and accomplish something in the Demon Suppressing Division."

As everyone was talking, a peal of bells suddenly rang out across the plaza.

An old man dressed in black robes, his face stern, walked onto the raised platform.

He spoke in a ringing voice.

"Everyone, the Demon Suppressing Division's examination for new recruits is about to begin."

"The Demon Suppressing Division guards the peace of the Human Realm and fends off invasions by evil spirits. The responsibility is immense. This examination concerns whether you can become members of the Demon Suppressing Division, so I hope you'll give it your all."

"The examination is divided into three stages. The first stage is a test of strength.

"Only those who have truly embarked on the martial path are qualified to face the strange and sinister."

As he spoke, the old man brought out a stone stele.

"This is the Martial Dao Stone!"

"Each of you will drip your blood onto it, and it will test the power of the qi and blood within your body."

Upon hearing this, the young martial artists in the plaza all revealed looks of curiosity and anticipation.

The Martial Dao Stone was an ancient, unadorned black. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, and it faintly radiated a mysterious aura.

"This Martial Dao Stone is a treasure of the Demon Suppressing Division. They say it can accurately test a martial artist's qi-and-blood strength and even use that to infer their potential."

Someone in the crowd whispered.

Qin Bo looked at the Martial Dao Stone, curiosity filling his heart as well.

He knew full well how important the power of qi and blood was in martial cultivation.

Especially when dealing with the strange and sinister, powerful qi and blood often had effects beyond expectation.

"Form an orderly line. Come forward for testing one by one," the black-robed old man called out.

The martial artists quickly formed a line. The first to step forward was a burly young man.

Without hesitation, he cut his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the Martial Dao Stone.

In an instant, the Martial Dao Stone flashed, and a faint red radiance emerged.

The radiance was of average intensity, indicating that his qi-and-blood power was at an intermediate level.

"Organ Refining realm, intermediate qi and blood. Acceptable. Next," the black-robed old man said expressionlessly.

The martial artists then stepped forward for testing one after another.

Zhou Ruixue walked up and dripped her blood onto the stone.

The Martial Dao Stone shone brightly, producing a relatively brilliant red radiance that drew a wave of admiration from those nearby.

"This woman's qi-and-blood power is quite substantial. It seems she's a fine seedling for cultivation," one of the administrators said with a nod of praise.

"Organ Refining realm, superior qi and blood. Not bad."

When it was Li Yao's turn, his expression was tense as he carefully dripped his blood onto the stone.