Before his words had even fallen, Qin Bo circulated his qi and blood, filling his entire body with it.
"You've already broken through to the Blood Condensation Realm?!"
"That's not right. You don't have a Blood Condensation Realm cultivation method, so how did you break through?!"
"Ahem... Perhaps I'm simply blessed with extraordinary talent? At the critical moment, I comprehended a cultivation method. Otherwise, I'm afraid the seal below wouldn't have been completed so quickly!"
The old man in black robe stared at Qin Bo suspiciously, but the situation was urgent, leaving him no time to investigate further.
He merely said, "Forget it. No matter what method you used, being able to break through is a good thing. Now that you've reached the Blood Condensation Realm, your strength has greatly increased, and you can stand on your own."
The Three-Eyed Divine Bird smiled from the side. "It seems this boy's potential is limitless. Perhaps one day he'll become a pillar of the Demon Suppressing Division."
Qin Bo scratched his head somewhat bashfully. "You two seniors flatter me. The priority now is still to resolve Yunzhou City's troubles."
"Enough. Your examination ends here. Come back with me and report your results!"
"Yes! By the way, Senior, your feather..."
"It's yours. Consider it a life-saving measure. It can teleport you a random distance.
"Remember, boy: only those who stay alive are worthy of being called strong!"
Qin Bo carefully put away the Three-Eyed Divine Bird's feather, his heart filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Senior. I'll certainly remember your teachings."
Afterward, Qin Bo followed the Black Robe Elder out of that place.
As a wave of dizziness washed over them, the two returned to the valley once more.
"Elder, I still don't know your surname."
"My name is Sun Yu!"
"Elder Sun, what kind of extraordinary divine beast is that Divine Bird Senior?"
Sun Yu smiled faintly, a trace of reminiscence flashing through his eyes.
"That was the Three-Eyed Divine Bird, a descendant of an ancient divine bird. The Three-Eyed Divine Bird Clan is born with the ability to see through yin and yang and traverse space. Their strength is incomparably formidable."
"In ancient times, the Three-Eyed Divine Bird Clan once stood shoulder to shoulder with many powerful races, protecting the peace of the world."
"But after countless changes across the ages, the clan gradually withered away. By now, there are probably only a few of them left in this world."
Upon hearing this, Qin Bo could not help but feel solemn respect for the Three-Eyed Divine Bird's identity.
To fight alongside a descendant of such an ancient divine beast was an immense honor to him.
"Elder Sun, are there other powerful beings like Senior Three-Eyed Divine Bird in the Demon Suppressing Division?"
Qin Bo asked curiously.
"Isn't that a silly question? If we had that many powerful beings, would we still be unable to solve Yunzhou City's problem?"
"Then what level of strength does Senior Divine Bird possess?"
"She hasn't grown into her complete form yet. She only has the strength of the Spirit Fusion Realm!"
"Gasp... Then isn't she about equal to that tree demon beneath Yunzhou City?!"
"The tree demon was originally at the King level, but later, its realm was forcibly cut down by one level."
Qin Bo drew in a cold breath, gaining a deeper understanding of the crisis in Yunzhou City.
A tree demon whose realm had been cut down was already this troublesome. Just how terrifying must its original King-level strength have been?
It was just like the Ghost King suppressed in the Evil Suppressing Forest. Qin Bo had no idea how powerful its true strength was.
"Elder Sun, how was this tree demon suppressed back then?"
Qin Bo asked curiously.
Sun Yu spoke with a solemn expression. "This tree demon was originally the guardian of an ancient forest near Yunzhou City. For some unknown reason, its temperament suddenly changed, and it began harming the common people."
"Several decades ago, several experts from the Demon Suppressing Division joined forces and fought a bitter battle against the tree demon. Although they ultimately succeeded in severely injuring it and cutting down its realm, they also paid a grievous price!"
Qin Bo nodded silently, gaining an even deeper sense of the Demon Suppressing Division's foundations and the hardships it had endured in the past.
Before long, the two returned to Yunzhou City.
"Qin, the other examinees haven't returned yet, so rest for now."
"Of course, I'll report your strength to my superiors. When the time comes, you should be able to receive an exceptional promotion to Day Roamer."
"Thank you, Elder Sun."
Sun Yu brought Qin Bo to stand before the Library Pavilion.
Sun Yu said:
"This place contains the cultivation methods, secret manuals, and records of various supernatural incidents accumulated by the Demon Suppressing Division over countless years."
"Now that you've become a Demon Suppressing Guard, you have the right to enter and choose a cultivation method suited to you, as well as consult the records."
"I understand!"
Qin Bo gazed at the ancient and imposing Library Pavilion before him, his heart filled with anticipation.
The Library Pavilion contained the Demon Suppressing Division's countless stores of knowledge and inheritances. Perhaps by gathering the wisdom of many, he could gain inspiration for deducing cultivation methods.
Sun Yu patted Qin Bo on the shoulder. "Look carefully. Perhaps you'll discover an unexpected harvest."
With that, Sun Yu turned and left.
Qin Bo hurried into the Library Pavilion.
When he pushed open the door, he saw a staircase inside, with a desk positioned at its entrance.
An old man past fifty was dozing behind the desk.
Perhaps he had heard Qin Bo opening the door; only then did he slowly awaken.
He rubbed his eyes, his gaze settling on Qin Bo. After looking him up and down, he asked in a slightly hoarse voice:
"Boy, are you a newly arrived Demon Suppressing Guard? Have you come to the Library Pavilion to look for cultivation methods and martial techniques?"
Qin Bo hurriedly replied respectfully, "Senior, this junior is Qin Bo. I've just become a Demon Suppressing Guard, and I've come to consult some cultivation methods and records."
The old man nodded slightly and pointed toward the stairs.
"Go on up. The first floor contains basic cultivation methods and records of common supernatural incidents."
"The second floor contains some high-level cultivation methods and information on rare monsters."
"The third floor stores the insights of the Demon Suppressing Division's experts throughout the generations, along with records of extremely secret incidents. However, with your current status as a Demon Suppressing Guard, you can only stay on the first floor."
"One cultivation method and one martial technique. Once you've chosen them, bring them here for registration. The other records may be read freely."
"Thank you for informing me, Senior."
Qin Bo nodded in thanks and followed the stairs to the first floor.
Inside, the bookshelves stood in orderly rows like a forest of fortifications, radiating an ancient aura.
First, he needed to find something about the cause of the strange phenomena erupting throughout this world.
Next came information about the entire Great Yan Dynasty.
Finally, he needed to find two cultivation methods and martial techniques suited to him. Perhaps, in the future, the two cultivation methods could deduce one another and form an even stronger method.
Qin Bo walked along the passage, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the bookshelves.
There were not many books in the section concerning the cause of the strange phenomena's eruption.
Qin Bo picked up a somewhat worn book titled An Examination of Netherworld Anomalies.
The book speculated that the outbreak of the strange phenomena might be related to instability in the Netherworld.
The Netherworld was a mysterious and unfathomable space closely connected to the present world.
When the balance of the Netherworld was disrupted, evil forces would seep into the present world and give birth to strange phenomena.
But as for what had disrupted the Netherworld's balance, the book did not mention it.
Next, Qin Bo found a book titled Complete History of the Great Yan Dynasty on the bookshelf containing records about the dynasty.
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