Someone from the Demon Suppressing Division?

"Since my lifespan has increased..."

Lin Guanhuo looked at the system interface.

Then...

"Spend!"

"System!"

"Consume ten years of lifespan to exchange for Draw Sword attempts!"

Lin Guanhuo chanted silently in his heart, ruthless and decisive.

[Lifespan consumed: 10 years.]

[Draw Sword attempts obtained: 1,000.]

[Remaining lifespan: 12 years.]

Looking at the prompt before him, Lin Guanhuo did not hesitate.

"Pour it all into the Precept Breaking Saber Art!"

[Draw Sword attempts consumed: 1,000.]

Subsequently, Lin Guanhuo sat cross-legged on the ground.

At this very moment, a silhouette of light appeared within his consciousness space.

That silhouette was exactly the same as Lin Guanhuo, appearing to be the embodiment of his consciousness.

As the system infused the martial art, one could see the silhouette immediately begin to move, holding a long saber in its hand.

It began to practice a set of extremely fierce and overbearing saber techniques.

Every strike was heavy and powerful; every move was wide and sweeping.

In particular, every stance was filled with a bloody, murderous aura...

As the silhouette practiced each move, countless insights began to merge with Lin Guanhuo himself.

It felt as if, unknowingly, Lin Guanhuo had already practiced this saber art for many years, with no sense of unfamiliarity at all.

A long while later.

Lin Guanhuo let out a soft breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hoo..."

[Simulation complete]

[Precept Breaking Saber Art: Breakthrough to the fourth level, Great Slaughter!]

Looking at the text on the system interface and feeling the tangible improvement in his own strength, Lin Guanhuo's face lit up with joy.

Breaking through two levels in a row—the harvest was bountiful!

"The fourth level, Great Slaughter..."

This fourth level of saber art discarded all flashy and gaudy variations, pursuing only the ultimate in power and speed. One force overcomes ten techniques; one saber strike breaks ten thousand laws!

By now, Lin Guanhuo finally understood the profound mystery of the Precept Breaking Saber Art.

It was to discard all empty posturing.

To pursue the purest form of killing—Great Slaughter!

Now that his Copper Skin was forged, he had officially become a ranked martial artist.

Combined with the fourth level of the Precept Breaking Saber Art...

"As I am now... any martial artist below the fourth-grade of Body Tempering, as long as I get within range, will be killed in a single strike!"

"Even a fourth-grade Body Tempering martial artist—if they dare to take this strike head-on, they will be left either dead or crippled!"

Two months ago, he was still a laborer who could only collect corpses for the dead, bullied by everyone.

But now, within a hundred-mile radius of Blackwater County.

He, Lin Guanhuo, finally had the qualifications to flip the table.

He raised his hand, looking at his skin which now glowed with a healthy luster, and gained a realization in his heart.

"Martial cultivation begins with body refinement."

"The first realm is Body Tempering, refining the skin and membranes. Like I am now, with Copper Skin perfected, blades and spears can hardly penetrate."

"The second realm is Tendon Changing, refining the major tendons. Explosive power like thunder, moving like a galloping horse."

"The third realm is Bone Forging; that is the true transformation of one's mortal shell. Bones become as heavy as iron, and one possesses infinite strength."

Lin Guanhuo stood up and stretched his limbs.

In Blackwater County, or even across the entire Kaiyang Prefecture, anyone who could reach the Bone Forging Realm was a well-known expert.

They held significant influence and were truly major figures.

Yet, he had crossed the threshold that most people might not reach even after a dozen years in just two months, stepping into the Body Tempering Realm.

To me, the Bone Forging Realm is not so far away after all... Lin Guanhuo thought to himself.

Just then.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!!

A series of light knocks suddenly came from outside the door.

Then, a woman's voice called out, "Brother Lin, are you in your room?"

Lin Guanhuo opened the door to see a girl of about sixteen or seventeen standing there.

The girl wore a pale green cloth dress; while not a stunning beauty, she was delicate and charming.

Lin Guanhuo had some impression of her. This girl was named Xiao Yue, a maidservant in the front courtyard of the Miscellaneous Room.

In this compound filled with rough men, Xiao Yue was like a fresh flower planted beside a pile of cow dung.

Many laborers liked to squat by the roadside when they had nothing to do, staring at her with longing eyes.

Even just getting to say a single word to her would make them happy for half a day.

"Miss Xiao Yue? Is something the matter?" Lin Guanhuo asked.

"That..."

Xiao Yue had originally come to deliver a message.

But the moment the door opened and she saw Lin Guanhuo clearly, she froze.

This...

What is going on??

It had only been a few days, but this Lin Guanhuo...

Why is he so handsome??

The last time Xiao Yue had seen Lin Guanhuo, he had been thin and frail, with a sallow complexion and a sickly appearance.

But now...

The young man standing before her had a calm expression.

A profound aura washed over her, causing Xiao Yue's heart to beat inexplicably faster and her cheeks to flush a faint red.

"Th-that..."

Realizing she was losing her composure, she had been staring fixedly at Lin Guanhuo.

"Lin... Brother Lin..."

Xiao Yue stammered, subconsciously averting her gaze from Lin Guanhuo. "Br-Brother Lin... Foreman Wang is calling for you. He says there's something in the front courtyard that needs your attention."

"Foreman Wang?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Guanhuo's eyes.

Wang Bai was the head of the Miscellaneous Room, a bona fide government official.

He usually kept to himself and rarely paid any mind to low-level laborers like them. Why would he suddenly single him out today?

"Alright, I'll go right away."

Lin Guanhuo nodded, not asking any further questions.

He returned to his room to tidy his clothes briefly, then followed Xiao Yue toward the front courtyard.

Before long.

Lin Guanhuo followed Xiao Yue to the main front courtyard.

"Brother Lin, we're here. Everyone is inside." Xiao Yue pointed toward the interior and then took her leave.

This was where the foremen of the Miscellaneous Room usually stayed.

It was much cleaner here, with blue bricks paving the ground and a few pine and cypress trees planted about.

At this very moment, a dozen or so people could be seen standing in the front courtyard, all young and sturdy, in their twenties or thirties.

Xu Dadao and Li Hu, whom Lin Guanhuo knew well, were among them, though they currently wore expressions of bewilderment.

On the steps of the main hall, two chairs had been placed, and two men were seated upon them.

Lin Guanhuo recognized one of them; it was the head foreman of the Miscellaneous Room, Wang Bai.

He was the leader of their entire group.

Zhao Sihai, the deputy foreman who usually barked orders around the Miscellaneous Room, was also present. However, in front of the head foreman, Zhao Sihai was as submissive as a dog.

He was hunched over, his face full of sycophancy. "Sir, is the tea too hot? Shall I fetch you a fresh cup?"

"No need, go fill Official Chen's tea first."

Wang Bai waved his hand dismissively.

Zhao Sihai poured a cup of tea for the other man, his attitude equally respectful.

Only then did Lin Guanhuo notice the man sitting beside Wang Bai.

The man was dressed in black, handsome, and possessed an impressive aura.

He held a long sword, and a thick scent of blood emanated from his body.

This kind of bloodthirst could likely only be possessed by someone who had spent years battling demons and monsters; one look was enough to tell he was a ruthless character.

The most eye-catching thing was the palm-sized bronze medallion hanging from his waist.

A ferocious beast head was carved onto it, making it very conspicuous.

"Someone from the Demon Suppressing Division?"

Seeing this, Lin Guanhuo frowned slightly.

If they were from the Demon Suppressing Division.

Calling them over at a time like this surely meant nothing good...

Even Wang Bai, who usually held himself in high regard, was treating this warrior with great respect at the moment.

Right now, he set down his teacup, turned to the side, and asked politely, "Official Chen, have you seen enough people?"

The warrior known as Official Chen swept his cold gaze over the dozen or so people in the courtyard.

Finally, he nodded slightly and said, "Although they look a bit thin, they have the advantage of being young and having some strength. Fine, this group will do."

"Good."

Wang Bai nodded, then stood up in a leisurely manner.

He cleared his throat and looked at the crowd below the steps: "Listen up!"

"I called you all here today to give you young people a chance to make a fortune."

Wang Bai pointed to Official Chen beside him and said loudly, "Official Chen needs to handle some business at the ruined temple on South Mountain today and requires some manpower."

"It's not heavy labor; it's moving corpses—moving the corpses of demon beasts!"

"As long as the task is completed, each person will be rewarded with one tael of silver!!"