After hearing Xu Nianxue's analysis, Gu Cheng fell silent.
He raised his head and gazed at the sky, which had quietly darkened. Suddenly, he felt the tense foreboding of a storm about to break.
He had just made mortal enemies of the two great demon kings on Black Wind Mountain.
There was also a young master of the Zheng Family in the yamen who was eyeing him like a hungry wolf.
And now, some remnant of the Rebirth Sect had crawled out of a coffin from several hundred years ago?
Where the hell had all this trouble come from in this tiny Changle County?
Gu Cheng grumbled to himself.
After calming down a little, he temporarily put all this nonsense out of his mind.
With the situation growing ever more complicated, it was all the more important to focus on the heart of the matter.
No matter how many troubles awaited him in the outside world, striving to improve his own strength was an unshakable truth!
Why worry about all that?
As long as he focused on killing monsters, growing stronger, and spending lifespan to level up,
no matter how many demons, monsters, imps, or phantoms came his way, he could simply cut them all down with a single stroke!
Once he had figured this out,
Gu Cheng's thoughts cleared in an instant. He reached for the blood-red jade pendant and said calmly,
"Let's put the Rebirth Sect aside for now, Miss Xu. Let's talk about something more practical—like your dinner."
Gu Cheng lifted his eyes to Miss Xu, his gaze sharp and oppressive.
"What about the Mortal Breaking Realm martial art you promised me? When can I have it?"
"Uh, well..."
Xu Nianxue's little face immediately tensed. After stammering for a long while, she finally admitted helplessly,
"A Mortal Breaking Realm martial arts manual is so precious. How could I possibly carry one around with me? But I do know a Mortal Breaking Realm spirit-refining killing move.
"If you want to learn it, I can copy out the cultivation method and all my personal insights for you."
"A spirit-refining killing move?"
Gu Cheng frowned. "When can you give it to me?"
"Um... within a month?"
Xu Nianxue glanced at Gu Cheng cautiously.
Seeing the young man's expression darken at once, she hurriedly explained,
"This spirit-refining killing move is a secret art passed down through my Xu Family for generations. It's not only incredibly difficult to master, but the material alone is worth ten copies of the Wind Thunder Blade Technique!"
"Copying it out word for word within a month, and including my own cultivation insights, is already no small feat..."
Gu Cheng watched the girl's pitiful expression.
After pondering for a long while, he slowly nodded.
"Fine. I'll give you another month."
"But as 'interest' for making me wait that month, you'll have to compensate me with another Mortal Breaking Realm martial art."
"Huh?"
Xu Nianxue instantly lost her composure. Her amber eyes widened as she demanded,
"How can you do that? I only made you wait a month, and now one martial art has turned into two?
"What kind of loan shark are you? Why not just make me pay you back by becoming your wife?"
"Are you sure?"
Gu Cheng gave her a strange look, sizing up the young lady, who had just finished washing and looked like a lotus fresh from the water.
Xu Nianxue put her hands on her hips and stared right back at the despicable man without fear.
Now that he knew her most shameful secret, she had given up trying to hide anything and was letting herself go more and more around Gu Cheng.
"Well... in that case, I guess you don't want your 'treasure' back."
Gu Cheng smiled faintly and brushed his hand over the storage pouch at his waist. Several beautifully bound books appeared in his hand.
"!!!"
Xu Nianxue's eyes went wide, but she still tried to act composed. She bit her lip and said nothing.
"I seem to remember you saying your family lives in the north of Yunzhou City?"
Gu Cheng flipped through the pages in his hands, which rustled loudly.
"As a prominent clan, the Xu Family must have plenty of brothers and sisters, right?"
"..."
Xu Nianxue's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had thought of something utterly terrifying.
She had just taken a bath, but cold sweat was already breaking out on her back again.
"Miss Xu..."
The books in Gu Cheng's hand snapped shut. He stared at the sweat-soaked young lady, his gaze dark and inscrutable.
"You wouldn't want your family to find out that you secretly read smutty books, would you?"
"No!!!"
Xu Nianxue was struck as if by lightning. She instantly crumbled, her little face turning visibly red.
She took several deep breaths, making her chest rise and fall dramatically. Then, with eyes full of mortification, she looked at Gu Cheng and gritted her teeth.
"Fine! Two it is!
"But you'll have to wait until I've recovered before I give you the second Mortal Breaking Realm martial art."
"Works for me."
Gu Cheng smiled and nodded.
He wasn't worried that she would go back on her word once she recovered.
After all, he wasn't especially eager to get his hands on a second Mortal Breaking Realm martial art in the first place.
He had only raised the price on the spot to find an excuse to put her in her place.
Otherwise, with Xu Nianxue's carefree, unpredictable personality,
if he didn't put some pressure on her, who knew what kind of stunt she'd pull next?
Late at night.
All was silent beneath the dark, windy sky.
After feeding his "pet" and finding her plenty of paper and ink to copy the manuals, Gu Cheng went alone into the courtyard and sat down beside the flower bed.
Breathing in the refreshing, delicate scent of the Star Cloud Flower, he opened the system panel.
Remaining lifespan: 1,073 years
Looking at his lifespan, which had finally crossed into four digits for the first time,
Gu Cheng couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward. He was in an especially good mood.
When had he ever fought such a well-funded battle?
He ought to spend lifespan and push every martial art he knew to the Extreme Intent Realm!
Gu Cheng's eyes gleamed as he scanned his personal panel.
In the end, his gaze settled on Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, which had reached the Grand Perfection Realm.
To be fair,
at least half of Gu Cheng's current strength came from this powerful, top-grade cultivation method.
Even his ability to cultivate the Blood Blade Scripture in reverse had been thanks to the powerful blood and qi he'd gained from cultivating Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.
It was the core carry that had led the whole team to victory.
If he could push it into the Extreme Intent Realm, what kind of powerful martial essence would awaken?
Gu Cheng licked his lips and, filled with anticipation, poured lifespan into Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.
First year: You continued cultivating Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, but no matter how you tried, you couldn't find a way to advance further. Fifth year: As your understanding of this method deepened, you became more and more convinced that the Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon you were cultivating was only the "first half" of a complete method. With your current abilities, rather than waste lifespan trying to force a breakthrough, you would be better off going straight to the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters and seeking the rest of the cultivation method. Remaining lifespan: 1,068 years
"That's it?"
Gu Cheng frowned, but quickly regained his composure.
The result was within his expectations.
The Demon Suppression Bureau wasn't some charity. It had specially approved Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon to select martial arts prodigies from its various branches.
To win those prodigies over and make them fully commit themselves to the Demon Suppression Bureau,
they naturally had to offer a taste of the good stuff first, then dangle the rest in front of them little by little.
After experiencing the power of Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, who wouldn't be tempted by the complete method?
"But joining the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters..."
Gu Cheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He wasn't particularly opposed to the idea.
After all, the Demon Suppression Bureau's duties were a perfect match for his Life-Spending System, and joining a major faction really would save him a lot of trouble.
And according to what the middle-aged scholar had said,
as long as he reported that he had mastered Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon, getting promoted to headquarters would be a piece of cake.
But the problem was...
Gu Cheng's speed at cultivating by spending lifespan was simply too outrageous!
If he called the headquarters over to recruit him right away, he would inevitably draw the attention of all kinds of big shots, bringing a whole lot of unpredictable trouble down on himself.
The sweeping purge the Demon Suppression Bureau had carried out earlier was enough to show that Tianshui Prefecture was full of undercurrents.
Gu Cheng wasn't particularly interested in playing the weakling while secretly hiding his strength.
But he wasn't foolish enough to expose himself so conspicuously to the outside world when the future was still uncertain.
"I know very little about the world beyond this place. To be safe, I should take my time and think this through..."
Gu Cheng quickly made up his mind.
Besides, he was already working at a Demon Suppression Bureau branch. If he wanted to join headquarters, he could just follow the usual procedure and work his way up.
First, he'd build up his merit and earn the appreciation of the Thousand-Household Officer, which would qualify him to take part in the headquarters' selection.
Then he'd pass the various examinations at Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters, and he'd be all set.
"Sigh. So even after transmigrating, I still have to take the civil service exam and get a government job."
Gu Cheng chuckled and shook his head.
The end of the universe really was a government job!
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