Demon Hunter Examination

"This woman isn't much worse than Diana."

Hearing the voice, Linley looked over. He was also struck by the woman's beauty and muttered with some inward emotion, "Even their names are similar. Is this what beauties have in common?"

He could not help giving her a few extra glances. It was normal for a man, and similar gazes were everywhere in the room, which showed her charm.

"Isn't that Mariana? I heard many High-level Gods are pursuing her, but she has a husband with the strength of a Five-star Demon."

"Mariana is indeed pretty, but it's a pity that a woman like this isn't someone ordinary people can touch."

"That's right, Claude is a top-tier expert even within Red Stone City, and he has two High-level God brothers by his side. Their squad is quite famous."

"Heh heh, if you ask me, Claude's most famous trait isn't his strength, but having an exceptionally pretty wife. Over all these years, he hasn't fought few battles over her."

"Yet I heard that during Claude's last mission, his strongest Earth Divine Avatar and his two brothers all perished."

"Really? I only just found out."

Some God-level individuals familiar with Mariana whispered among themselves in secret.

Arena shook her head helplessly and said uncomprehendingly, "Are you really not going to consider Roy? He is a member of the Azure Dragon Clan!"

Mariana's pretty eyes widened. She slapped the table in displeasure and said, "Claude isn't dead yet!"

Their conversation caught Linley's attention.

The Azure Dragon Family!

Linley perked up, wanting to gather more information.

The Blood Peak Continent was the old lair of the Four Divine Beast Families, and Linley had not forgotten this. How could he not be wary of this behemoth faction that was despised by everyone in the original work?

Arena smiled and said, "Although Claude failed his mission last time and his Sanctuary True Body refined a godhead to recover the strength of a Five-star Demon, his future potential is much diminished. I remember his Wind attribute talent isn't as good as his Earth attribute."

Mariana bit her silver teeth, a trace of resentment lingering in the depths of her pretty eyes. She spoke in a cold tone, "I suspect Claude's Earth Divine Avatar was murdered by Roy and those people from the Azure Dragon Family. And they still want me to remarry—in their dreams!"

"So what if he refined a godhead? At least he's still a Five-star Demon. Relying on his past accumulations, it's enough for our family to live on."

These words made many people prick up their ears to listen closely.

"I think you've had too much to drink. You must not spout nonsense like this."

Arena's expression changed slightly, and she quickly changed the subject in a few words to ease the atmosphere. She certainly did not want to incur the wrath of Roy and the Azure Dragon Family behind him.

Although she was able to work in Demon Castle and naturally had some background, offending either a Five-star Demon or the Azure Dragon Family was not a wise move.

At this moment, Linley and the other two had finished watching the spectacle and walked forward.

Acting as the representative, Linley spoke up, "We want to participate in the Demon hunter examination."

As he spoke, he took out three bright crystal bars, placed them on the counter, and pushed them across to the pretty bartender.

Before coming to Demon Castle, Linley had long since known the rules. Participating in the Demon hunter examination required a fee of ten thousand Ink Stones. This in itself was a threshold, a mechanism to screen out weaklings who wanted to try their luck.

Ordinary Low-level Gods could not pull out ten thousand Ink Stones, so almost everyone who came to take the examination was a Mid-level God.

Arena nodded calmly, produced three badges bearing the pattern of a demonic single eye, handed them to Linley's group of three, and said, "These are the proofs representing your participation in the Demon hunter examination."

She then handed over a form and said, "Fill in your residential address. We will notify you once people are gathered. If it's fast, it will take about two or three days; if it's slower, a month."

On the way back, Thomas and Corey chatted about the black-haired married woman named Mariana, praising her endlessly. "Linley, that woman just now was too pretty. No wonder even High-level Gods are pursuing her."

Linley nodded and smiled. "She's also a calamity that brings ruin to cities and men. Ordinary men cannot hold onto a woman like that."

Thomas smiled and said, "A Five-star Demon's strength should still be sufficient."

Corey nodded in agreement. High-level Gods were already experts in Hell, let alone a Five-star Demon. Unless it was some formidable divine beast, there was a high probability they had fused two Mysteries.

Linley shook his head and said meaningfully, "Hard to say."

The original work had explicitly described that the son of Patriarch Bolin, one of the Eight Great Clans, was killed by the Four Divine Beast Families back then simply because he took a fancy to the man's wife.

To the Four Divine Beast Families, as long as the other party lacked a Sovereign, a Paragon, or an expert capable of rivaling a Paragon to back them up, they were no different from ordinary God-level individuals in their eyes, and they would not hesitate at all to snuff you out.

Thomas was stunned, then asked hesitantly, "You mean he was framed by that person from the Azure Dragon Clan?"

Linley nodded, then smiled. "It's just a possibility. Maybe it was just bad luck. After all, are Demon missions ever simple and safe? It's normal for experts to accidentally fall."

People on the street gradually increased in number, so the three of them tacitly stopped discussing the topic. Some things were best kept in mind.

Inside the courtyard, fallen leaves fluttered.

Thomas and Corey were playing a chess game, occasionally casting their gaze toward Linley's room.

"Not only does Linley have great talent, but he also works harder than us usually. No wonder his strength is improving so fast."

"With Linley around on this mission, even if we fail to complete it, our chances of preserving our lives are still very high."

Inside the room.

Linley sat cross-legged, blue electric arcs flashing across his body. They continuously optimized, constructed, and condensed into a garment that looked ordinary, but whose defense far exceeded an Intermediate God Artifact.

In the original work, when Bebe's father fused the two Mysteries of Elementium of Earth and Earth Pulse, the defense of the resulting clothing was ten times stronger than an Intermediate God Artifact. How much more so for Linley, who had fused the three Mysteries of Thunder Elementium, Lightning Speed, and Electromagnetic Space? Naturally, the effect would only be better.

The Mystery of Electromagnetic Space could not only bind enemies, but conversely, it could also closely protect oneself. Now Linley had only initially developed this Three Profound Mysteries Fusion technique; after accumulating experience and settling down for a period of time, his overall defense would become even more formidable.

Paragons had no weaknesses, only focuses, a point that was already partially manifested after fusing high-level Mysteries.

Five days passed.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

A staff member with short cherry-pink hair came to remind Linley and the other two to depart tomorrow morning.

The next day.

Linley and his two companions arrived at the city gates early in the morning. There was no need to deliberately search; at first glance, they spotted the large Metal Life form suspended outside the city, marked with a Demon emblem.

"We've arrived rather early."

Through the transparent windows of the Metal Life form, Linley could see that many seats inside were empty.

Standing at the entrance of the Metal Life form's passageway was a short-haired, red-haired, sturdily built middle-aged man. He looked at Linley and the other two, smiling as he said, "Those participating in the Demon hunter examination, please present your proof."

The three of them produced their Demon badges and were granted entry into the interior of the Metal Life form.

Inside was a wide corridor leading separately toward the front and rear compartments. There was also someone in the corridor—a short-statured, black-haired youth. Seeing Linley and the other two, he spoke up, "Those participating in the Demon hunter examination, enter the rear compartment."