A Gentle Warning, The End of the Universe is Bureaucracy

Gu Cheng fell silent after hearing Xu Nianxue's analysis.

He looked up at the sky, which had quietly darkened, and a sense of urgency, like "the wind fills the tower before the storm," suddenly struck him.

He had just made mortal enemies with the two demon kings on Black Wind Mountain.

There was also the eldest young master of the Zheng Family in the yamen, who was eyeing him covetously.

And now, a so-called remnant of the Rebirth Sect crawled out of a coffin from hundreds of years ago?

This small Changle County, where did all these damn problems come from?

Gu Cheng grumbled inwardly.

After calming himself down slightly, he temporarily pushed these messy matters to the back of his mind.

As the situation became more complex, it was even more important to grasp the essence of the problem.

No matter how many troubles there were in the outside world, striving to improve one's own strength was an unshakeable truth!

Why think so much?

Just focus on killing monsters, getting stronger, and spending life to upgrade.

No matter how many demons, monsters, oddities, beguilers, netherlings, or sprites came, just chop them all down with one sword!

After realizing this.

Gu Cheng's mind instantly cleared. He reached out and took the blood-colored jade pendant, saying indifferently:

"Let's not talk about the Rebirth Sect for now, Miss Xu. Let's discuss something more practical, like... your dinner."

Gu Cheng looked up at the young lady, his gaze sharp and full of pressure.

"What about the Mortal Breaking Realm martial art you promised me? When can you give it to me?"

"Uh, this..."

Xu Nianxue's pretty face tensed immediately. After stammering for a long time, she finally reluctantly confessed:

"Martial Arts Manuals of the Mortal Breaking Realm are so precious, how could I possibly carry one with me... However, I do know a Mortal Breaking Realm killing move for Spirit Refinement.

If you want to learn it, I can transcribe the cultivation method and my own insights for you."

"Spirit Refinement killing move?"

Gu Cheng frowned. "When can you give it to me?"

"Uh... within a month?"

Xu Nianxue cautiously glanced at Gu Cheng.

Seeing his face darken immediately, she quickly explained:

"This Spirit Refinement killing move is a secret art passed down in my Xu Family. Not only is it extremely difficult to cultivate, but its content is equivalent to ten copies of the 'Wind Thunder Blade Technique'!

It's already very difficult for me to transcribe it word-for-word within a month and include my own cultivation insights..."

Gazing at the girl's pitiful little appearance.

Gu Cheng pondered for a while and slowly nodded:

"Alright, I'll give you another month."

"However, as 'interest' for delaying me this month, you have to compensate me with another Mortal Breaking Realm martial art."

"Ah?"

Xu Nianxue immediately lost her composure. Her amber eyes widened, and she questioned loudly:

"How can you do this? I only delayed you for a month, and now it's one becomes two?

What kind of loan sharking is this! You might as well let me give myself to you as a wife!"

"Are you sure?"

Gu Cheng's expression was strange as he looked her up and down, this young lady who had just been washed clean, like a lotus emerging from water.

Xu Nianxue put her hands on her hips, fearlessly meeting the gaze of this stinky man.

After her most shameful secret was known by him, this girl had given up all pretense and was becoming increasingly unrestrained in front of Gu Cheng.

"Is that so... Then it seems you don't plan on getting your 'treasure' back."

Gu Cheng smiled faintly. He made a move at the storage pouch on his waist, and several beautifully bound books appeared in his hand.

"!!!"

Xu Nianxue's eyes widened instantly, but she still pretended to be calm, biting her lip, and remaining silent.

"I recall you saying before that your family lives in the northern part of Yunzhou City?"

Gu Cheng flipped through the pages of the books in his hand, making rustling sounds.

"As a prominent family, your Xu family must have quite a few siblings, right?"

"..."

Xu Nianxue's pupils shrank sharply, as if she had thought of something extremely terrifying.

Even though she had just bathed, cold sweat began to break out on her back again.

"Miss Xu..."

Gu Cheng closed the book in his hand with a "snap," his eyes fixed on the young lady drenched in sweat, his gaze deep:

"You wouldn't want your family to find out that you've been secretly reading smutty books, would you?"

"No!!!"

Xu Nianxue was struck by lightning, her defenses instantly shattered, and her pretty face turned bright red at a visible speed.

She took a few deep breaths, causing her chest to heave, and looked at Gu Cheng with eyes full of shame and indignation, gritting her teeth:

"Fine! Two books it is!

But I can only give you the second Mortal Breaking Realm martial art after my injuries have healed."

"Agreed."

Gu Cheng smiled and nodded.

He wasn't worried that she would go back on her word after she recovered.

After all, he didn't have a particularly urgent need for the second Mortal Breaking Realm martial art himself.

The reason he had temporarily increased the price was simply to find an excuse to put her in her place.

Otherwise, with Xu Nianxue's unreliable and cheerful personality, if you didn't put some pressure on her, who knew what kind of trouble she'd get into again during this time.

Deep in the night.

All was silent, the moon was dark, and the wind was high.

After feeding his "pet" and providing her with ample brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to copy the manual, Gu Cheng came to the courtyard alone and sat down by the flower bed.

Gently sniffing the refreshing and elegant fragrance of the Star Cloud Flower, he opened the system panel.

[Remaining lifespan: 1073 years]

Looking at his lifespan, which had broken through the four-digit mark for the first time, Gu Cheng's mouth couldn't stop curling upwards. He felt exceptionally refreshed.

When had he ever fought such a wealthy battle?

Shouldn't he use his lifespan to upgrade all his martial arts to the Extreme Intent Realm?

Gu Cheng's eyes gleamed as he scanned his personal panel.

Finally, his gaze settled on the Grand Perfection Realm Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.

To be honest, more than half of Gu Cheng's current strength was due to this powerful, top-tier cultivation method.

Even the reason he could cultivate the Blood Blade Scripture in reverse was thanks to the powerful Blood Essence he gained from cultivating Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.

It could be considered the core damage dealer that carried the whole team.

If he could break through to the Extreme Intent Realm, what kind of powerful martial arts mysteries would he awaken?

Gu Cheng licked his lips and, full of anticipation, poured his lifespan into Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.

[Year 1: You continue to cultivate Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, but no matter how you try, you cannot find a way to progress further.]

[Year 5: As your understanding of this cultivation method deepens, you increasingly feel that the Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon you are cultivating seems to be only the 'upper half' of a complete cultivation method. With your current abilities, instead of wasting lifespan to forcefully deduce it, it would be better to go directly to the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters to seek the subsequent cultivation method.]

[Remaining lifespan: 1068 years]

"That's it?"

Gu Cheng frowned slightly but quickly calmed down.

This result was within his expectations.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was not a charity. The special approval of Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon was intended to select martial arts geniuses from various branches. To win the loyalty of these geniuses and tie them firmly to the Demon Suppression Bureau, they naturally had to give them a taste of sweetness first and then slowly lure them with better things later. After experiencing the powerful might of Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, how many people could resist the temptation of the complete subsequent cultivation method?

"However, joining the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters..."

Gu Cheng gently stroked his chin, lost in thought.

He didn't really reject the idea. After all, the responsibilities of the Demon Suppression Bureau were highly compatible with his Life-Spending System, and joining a major power would indeed save him a lot of trouble.

According to the middle-aged scholar, reporting that he had mastered the "Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon" would make it incredibly easy to be promoted to the main headquarters.

But the problem was...

Gu Cheng's life-spending cultivation speed was simply too exaggerated!

If he directly called for the main headquarters to pull him up, it would inevitably attract the focused attention of various big shots, creating much unpredictable trouble.

From the large-scale purge the Demon Suppression Bureau carried out previously, it was clear that Tianshui Prefecture was currently a place of surging undercurrents.

Although Gu Cheng had no interest in playing the pig to eat the tiger, he wouldn't be foolish enough to expose himself so conspicuously to the outside world when his future was uncertain.

"I know very little about the outside world. For the sake of caution, I should make a long-term plan..."

Gu Cheng quickly made up his mind.

Since he was currently working at a branch of the Demon Suppression Bureau, he could get promoted to the main headquarters by following the normal procedures step by step.

First, accumulate more Merit Points, win the appreciation of the Thousand Household Commander, and thus obtain the qualifications to participate in the main headquarters' selection.

Then, pass all the assessments of the Demon Suppression Bureau's main headquarters, and he would have achieved his goal.

"Sigh~ So even after transmigrating, I still have to keep taking civil service exams."

Gu Cheng chuckled and shook his head.

The end of the universe, after all, was a stable job!