The weather was bright and beautiful. After staying cooped up for two days, Bi Changsheng once again disguised himself as Ximen Xue and walked out of the Crimson Blood Pill Pavilion.
"Senior Ximen!"
"Hero Ximen!"
The moment he left the rear courtyard and reached the shop at the front, quite a few customers of the Crimson Blood Pill Pavilion looked at Bi Changsheng with fervent eyes and greeted him enthusiastically.
Ever since he had slain the Grandmaster of Condensing Gang Yang Chaoxing five days ago, the Crimson Blood Pill Pavilion had become even more popular in Ningyun City alongside the name Ximen Xue. It often showed signs of having more demand than supply for its pills.
However, Bi Changsheng did not take the opportunity to spend more time refining pills and earning more money. Instead, he stipulated that all the other pills, just like the Crimson Blood Pills, would be sold in limited quantities each day.
Bi Changsheng had originally founded the Crimson Blood Pill Pavilion to earn resources for his Life-Spending Cultivation. But now that he had learned to condense Life True Water, his reliance on external resources had been greatly reduced. He could basically support himself.
Naturally, Bi Changsheng would not waste more time on pill refinement.
Yet even with Bi Changsheng setting such restrictions, he still could not dampen the enthusiasm of Ningyun City's martial artists. Every day, people streamed endlessly in and out of the Crimson Blood Pill Pavilion.
Bi Changsheng nodded at these enthusiastic martial artists as a greeting, then left through the door.
Under the gaze of countless fervent, worshipful, and yearning eyes, Bi Changsheng calmly walked to the very center of Gold-Sprinkled Street, arriving before the Ningyun City branch of the Demon Extermination Society.
Five days had passed since Bi Changsheng submitted his application to exchange for the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law. Today, he had finally received notice from the Demon Extermination Society to go and collect it.
"Grandmaster Ximen, long time no see."
As soon as Bi Changsheng reached the entrance of the Demon Extermination Society, he saw Dong Yuanwei, the head of its Ningyun City branch, waiting there.
"President Dong."
After exchanging greetings, the two entered the Demon Extermination Society together and headed upstairs.
"Congratulations, Grandmaster Ximen. You are now famous throughout Great Gan."
As they walked, Dong Yuanwei congratulated Bi Changsheng with a complicated look on his face. He had never expected that Ximen Xue, whom he had met only once before, would possess such strength—to accomplish the legendary feat of a True Qi expert defeating a Condensing Gang expert.
"It is nothing but an empty reputation."
Bi Changsheng shook his head, his heart unmoved. However, he could clearly sense that Dong Yuanwei's attitude toward him was completely different from last time. This time, there was more caution and awe in it.
"We're here. Grandmaster Ximen, please go in. The person exchanging the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law for you is inside."
After reaching the VIP room on the second floor, Dong Yuanwei unexpectedly asked Bi Changsheng to enter alone, saying that someone else would hand him the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law.
"Thank you!"
Though Bi Changsheng had been somewhat puzzled at first, when he saw the reverent look in Dong Yuanwei's eyes as he gazed into the room, he vaguely guessed the truth. After saying a word to Dong Yuanwei, he pushed open the door and walked in.
The moment he entered, Bi Changsheng saw a middle-aged man. The man seemed to radiate a melancholy air from head to toe, making him impossible to forget after only one glance.
The instant he saw the middle-aged man, Bi Changsheng confirmed his identity. He was Ying Tianqing, the president of the Demon Extermination Society.
Ying Tianqing's unique air was famous throughout Great Gan. According to rumor, the creation of this distinctive temperament was related both to his experiences and to the technique he cultivated, the Soul Bewitching Great Law.
Rumor had it that Ying Tianqing, who cultivated the Soul Bewitching Great Law, could infect other people's emotions and thereby control their hearts.
Bi Changsheng had not expected Ying Tianqing himself to be the one exchanging the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law with him.
"Ying Tianqing. Sit."
Upon seeing Bi Changsheng, Ying Tianqing rose, briefly introduced himself, and invited Bi Changsheng to sit down with him.
"I am Ximen Xue. I have long admired President Ying's great name."
After sitting down, Bi Changsheng offered a polite remark.
"I have been hearing your name everywhere lately as well."
Seeing Bi Changsheng's solemnly courteous manner, Ying Tianqing also smiled and returned the courtesy.
Yet the instant he saw Bi Changsheng, Ying Tianqing had been somewhat astonished. He had actually been unable to sense any emotions from Bi Changsheng. One had to know that, as someone who cultivated the Soul Bewitching Great Law, he was extraordinarily sensitive to people's emotions. Even a peerless martial artist like Fang Yaoyang could not hide all his emotions before him.
But Bi Changsheng seemed to have isolated all his emotions within his body. Ying Tianqing could not detect even the slightest trace escaping.
Ying Tianqing could not help sighing inwardly that a man of great fame was no empty vessel.
"This is the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law you wanted to exchange for."
Though somewhat surprised inwardly, Ying Tianqing's expression remained unchanged as he took a book from his Storage Ring and handed it to Bi Changsheng.
"Sorry for the trouble, President Ying."
Bi Changsheng's expression remained calm as he accepted the technique, but he was still somewhat pleased inside. Obtaining the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law meant that his path toward the Condensing Gang Realm was completely open.
"Do you know why I restricted the exchange of the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law to those in the True Qi Realm?"
After Bi Changsheng accepted the technique, Ying Tianqing continued by asking him.
"I do not. Please enlighten me, President Ying."
Hearing Ying Tianqing ask this, Bi Changsheng knew there must be some hidden reason behind it.
"Because the moment the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law is activated, it burns a hundred years of one's lifespan. Anyone below the True Qi Realm who activates the second layer will have their lifespan drained dry and die before the technique's effects can even take hold."
"Though True Qi Realm martial artists often have less than a hundred years of lifespan remaining, their bodies have already undergone one transformation. They can overdraw their bodies and hold on for a few more breaths."
"So the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law must be used with the utmost caution."
Without wasting words, Ying Tianqing directly told Bi Changsheng the reason.
Martial artists below the True Qi Realm had lifespans not much different from ordinary people. After their bodies underwent a baptism upon breaking through to the True Qi Realm, their lifespans increased to around one hundred and twenty years. However, True Qi Realm martial artists often had less than a hundred years remaining. Thus, for the vast majority of people, the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law could only be used once in their entire lives.
This was also why Ying Tianqing had come to meet Bi Changsheng personally. Ying Tianqing had originally gone to discuss something with Fang Yaoyang and, while there, deliver the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law to the Ningyun City branch of the Demon Extermination Society. As a result, he heard about Ximen Xue from Fang Yaoyang.
After learning that the person exchanging for the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law was Ximen Xue, Ying Tianqing, unwilling to see such talent go to waste, decided to meet Ximen Xue in person.
"Thank you for telling me, President Ying. I will use it cautiously."
The lifespan problem troubling everyone else did not exist for Bi Changsheng, who possessed the Longevity Dao Fruit. Nevertheless, he still thanked Ying Tianqing for his good intentions.
The two then began discussing cultivation. Although Bi Changsheng's cultivation was inferior to Ying Tianqing's, his comprehension was such that his insights into cultivation were no lower than Ying Tianqing's. This caused Ying Tianqing, who had originally intended to offer Ximen Xue some guidance, to be astonished once again.
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