Stop leveling up, I'm scared!

"Demons devour humans, and human lives are as cheap as weeds."

"A month ago, a lively, bouncing person. Now they've been chopped into pieces..."

Lin Guanhuo returned to his small courtyard, unable to suppress a wave of emotion.

Half a year had passed since he arrived in this world. If he hadn't taken up Martial Arts Practice and forged a set of skills for himself, his fate would likely have been far worse.

Lately, Lin Guanhuo realized he'd grown too comfortable, even letting his guard down.

It nearly made him forget—this world wasn't like those brain-dead web novels from his past life, or the online games where all the NPCs were idiots you could hit and kick at will, and if you died, you just pressed 1 to revive on the spot.

In this world, people really died.

Darkness and bloodshed lurked everywhere.

"I have to train harder, to keep myself from meeting a violent end!"

Li Miaomiao's death only strengthened Lin Guanhuo's resolve.

Back in his room, Lin Guanhuo sat cross-legged on the bed.

With a wave of his hand, a row of delicate little porcelain bottles appeared before him.

Twenty bottles in total, all filled with the First Rank pill 'Qi Boosting Powder'.

Lin Guanhuo picked up one bottle, twisted off the stopper, and gave it a sniff.

A fiery, pungent sensation, like chili oil—it was actually the dense blood-and-qi energy within the pill.

'At Body Tempering third-grade, the blood-and-qi energy from one pill was enough for me to refine over a week.'

'Now that I'm at Body Tempering sixth-grade, one pill only lasts me two days... As my realm grows, my demand for pills increases too.'

'Let's start with one.'

Lin Guanhuo opened his mouth and tipped a pill inside.

"Burp."

He let out a belch.

"A bit spicy..."

As the pill entered his mouth, a scorching sensation traveled down his throat and into his body.

It then transformed into pure blood-and-qi energy, nourishing every limb and bone.

Lin Guanhuo's skin began to slowly turn red, as if he were overheating.

One hour.

Two hours.

One day.

Two days.

As time crept by, the redness on Lin Guanhuo's body gradually faded.

At the same time, his own aura had advanced somewhat compared to before.

This meant the blood-and-qi energy from that single pill had been fully refined and absorbed, converted into his own strength.

"One more pill..."

One pill was refined in just two days. Lin Guanhuo opened his eyes, grabbed another pill, and popped it into his mouth.

Another two days passed.

"Already gone? This time it lasted a day and a half... One more pill..."

"One more pill!!"

"One pill!"

"Another!"

"One!"

A week later, in the early morning, a pile of empty medicine bottles had accumulated in front of Lin Guanhuo.

On the bed, Lin Guanhuo breathed evenly, utterly still, like an immortal sipping wind and dew.

But if someone looked closely, they would notice that Lin Guanhuo's aura had skyrocketed compared to a week ago.

On his lower abdomen, eight distinct abdominal muscles had emerged, sharply defined, his whole body brimming with blood-and-qi energy.

'Hoo...'

At some moment, Lin Guanhuo's eyes snapped open, and he let out a soft breath.

"Seventh Rank Martial Artist."

Lin Guanhuo tensed every muscle in his body, and his once-smooth skin revealed a hint of Bronze Skin, shimmering with a fine luster under the sunlight.

The Copper Skin phenomenon had also been cultivated to great completion.

The path of the Martial Artist is divided into nine ranks.

Among them, the first, second, and third are lower rank; the fourth, fifth, and sixth are middle rank; the seventh, eighth, and ninth are upper rank.

At present, he was already a genuine upper-rank Martial Artist.

Moreover, Lin Guanhuo discovered that as he continuously comprehended and advanced in numerous Martial Arts.

Those Martial Dao insights that ordinary people would need decades of bitter cultivation to obtain were easily acquired by him.

This made him seem like a reincarnated cultivation master, blessed with an overwhelming comprehension boost. As long as he had sufficient cultivation resources, he never needed to worry about talent or aptitude—he just charged straight ahead and leveled up.

"At this rate, within two months... I can become a Muscle-Tendon Realm Master..."

"Uh, a bit hungry..."

Lin Guanhuo patted his backside and stood up, washed up briefly, and prepared to head to the mess hall for a meal.

Once a Martial Artist enters a cultivation state, they can reduce their own consumption to a minimum, somewhat similar to an animal's hibernation state.

Even without eating or drinking for several days, they wouldn't starve to death.

Legend has it that those Human Immortals at the great Martial Dao realms could drink the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth as wine, soar through the air, and go without food, drink, or sleep.

That was true Martial Dao divine power.

Lin Guanhuo arrived at the Demon Suppressing Division plaza, where the atmosphere was bustling. A group of Division Servants were busy hanging up nameplates and working.

Just then, Lin Guanhuo spotted an acquaintance walking toward him.

That man was in his forties or fifties, with a blade at his waist and a sturdy build.

He was none other than Zhou Cang, the Instructor responsible for training newcomers in the Demon Suppressing Division.

"Instructor Zhou Cang."

Seeing the man approaching, Lin Guanhuo greeted him quite politely.

After all, Instructor Zhou Cang had taken good care of him back at the Apprentice Plaza.

He got a private room, ate special meals, and was even allowed to sleep in.

Lin Guanhuo still remembered this favor.

But now, Instructor Zhou Cang had shed his usual stern frown, appearing somewhat sorrowful and dejected.

After exchanging pleasantries, Instructor Zhou Cang sighed: "I went to the Heroic Spirit Garden to see Miaomiao. I lit an incense stick for her."

"That young girl, she was too stubborn. Her family was well-off; she could have lived a life of luxury as a young lady. But she insisted on taking the path of Martial Arts Practice."

"Her parents entrusted her to me, sent her to our Demon Suppressing Division."

"In the end, she didn't even leave a complete body behind... On the day of her burial, her mother came too. She insisted on opening the coffin—no one could stop her... Seeing that pile of mangled flesh, the old woman fainted from crying..."

"The Division took pity on her youth and approved a few hundred extra taels of consolation silver. But when a person is gone, what use is more money..."

Instructor Zhou Cang glanced at a fallen leaf beside him. He picked one up and crushed it into fragments.

With a look of regret, he shook his head repeatedly: "Human life is fragile, like a leaf in the wind."

Hearing this, Lin Guanhuo was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected this tough man to be such a sentimental person.

After bidding farewell to Instructor Zhou Cang, Lin Guanhuo went to the mess hall to eat.

Li Miaomiao's passing was indeed regrettable.

But, a meal still had to be eaten.

After downing several large bowls of beef, a bowl of soup, and a few steamed buns.

"Burp..."

Lin Guanhuo let out a belch and left the mess hall.

It was now late morning, with bright sunlight and fine weather.

Just as Lin Guanhuo was thinking of going out for a stroll.

"You! Come over here!"

Not far away, a crisp female voice rang out.

Lin Guanhuo looked around left and right before realizing she was calling him.

Following the sound, he saw a woman standing on the stone-brick path in the distance.

The woman wore a suit of silver light armor, her features quite beautiful, standing with a sword in hand. To facilitate Martial Arts Practice, her long hair was tied up with a red ribbon, giving her a Heroic Aura.

Although she was wrapped up tightly, one could still vaguely glimpse her perfect figure.

At this moment, several people stood beside the woman, treating her with great respect—her status was certainly no ordinary.

Seeing Lin Guanhuo approach, the woman pulled a gleaming silver token from her bosom and said: "Silver token of the Demon Suppressing Division, Ye Yinyue."

"Lord Ye." Lin Guanhuo cupped his hands in greeting.

Since she was a Silver Badge Agent, the woman before him was at minimum a registered Martial Master.

Ye Yinyue's beautiful eyes swept the surroundings as she counted: "One, two, three, four, five... six people. That's enough."

"Let's go."

With that, Ye Yinyue waved her hand, signaling the group to follow.

Lin Guanhuo was somewhat bewildered but could only fall in line. However, at that moment, he noticed a familiar face among the group.

"Brother Lin, we meet again!"

The speaker was a man in his thirties, handsome, with a longsword in hand. It was none other than Chen Jianxing, the Bronze Badge Walker who had written Lin Guanhuo's recommendation letter.

"Brother Chen." Lin Guanhuo returned the greeting.

"Wait... Brother Lin..."

Chen Jianxing had been all smiles, having just recently broken through to Body Tempering sixth-grade.

He'd planned to show off a bit to Lin Guanhuo.

But then he sensed Lin Guanhuo's aura...

How the hell...

Had he gotten stronger again???

"Seventh Rank." Before Chen Jianxing could even ask, Lin Guanhuo said quietly.

"Damn."

Chen Jianxing's chance to show off was gone.

He remembered the last time he'd seen Lin Guanhuo, the man had been Fourth Rank.

In less than two months, he'd broken through to Seventh Rank??

What kind of freakish cultivation speed was this??

At this rate, by the next time they met, Lin Guanhuo would be in the Muscle-Tendon Realm, wouldn't he??

Brother Lin, stop advancing, I'm scared!