The Demon Suppression Division, Physique Breaks One Hundred

Gu Chang'an had been gone for only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"Swoosh!"

The air seemed to tear apart as a black shadow descended from the sky, landing steadily on the blood-soaked wasteland.

Close behind, four more figures leaped into place, their steps uniform. As their feet hit the ground, grass clippings flew three feet high, and killing intent surged.

The five wore pitch-black form-fitting attire, their robes loose yet not billowing, with dark thunder patterns embroidered on the cuffs. On their left shoulders, two bold, sharp characters were clearly written:

[Demon Suppression]

Their faces were cold and stern, expressions like iron, each gripping an unusual weapon:

A double-bladed halberd, a repeating fire crossbow, a broad-backed greatsword, and even a woman holding a talisman manual, her eyes flickering with blue spiritual light.

At the lead was a young man, around thirty-seven or thirty-eight, over nine feet tall, with chiseled features and sword-like brows, draped in a black cloak that snapped in the wind.

His eyes were like lightning, and he spoke coldly: "The Demonic Energy is thick. It hasn't run far."

"Battle ready. Target: Green Cat Demon, suspected third-rank."

"Main diet: human flesh. Extremely sensitive to blood. Moves silently. Bite force is terrifying. Can condense Demonic Power into claws and blades. Danger level: low to medium."

This man was named Ning Bugui, a Fifth Rank martial artist and a Battalion Commander of the Demon Suppression Division in Guangling Commandery, Jingzhou.

"The target is ahead. It just devoured three people. Its Demonic Power is at its peak."

"Good." Ning Bugui's eyes sharpened.

At the same time, the Green Cat Demon finally sensed the danger. Its blood-red pupils flared bright, blazing like fire!

It let out a low roar, ripped its claws from the ground, and shot out several streaks of black light that easily sliced through old trees!

"Rip--!"

The first streak of black light howled toward them. Ning Bugui raised his hand to block, and his double-bladed halberd sent a torrent of Yuan Power surging forth, shattering the black light and kicking up dust in all directions!

"Nice work!"

The talisman woman hurled three blue talismans into the air, which transformed into three nets of lightning, attempting to trap the demon's movements!

Meanwhile, another man—the crossbowman—rushed forward.

"Click, click, click!"

Three bolts fired in rapid succession, raining fire down on the demon's head!

Roar--!

The Green Cat Demon howled in fury, its mouth splitting open like a blade. Its Demonic Power swelled, and it actually shattered half of the lightning nets with sheer force, though its movements slowed.

A cold gleam flashed in Ning Bugui's eyes. He stamped his foot, and his twin halberds struck like dragons!

"--Submit!"

A black thunderous Yuan Power erupted like a mountain flood, crashing down from above!

"Crack!!"

The Green Cat Demon's chest bones were blasted apart, blood spraying everywhere. It was flung back like a torn sack, slamming heavily against a tree.

It struggled to rise, but the other two Demon Suppression Division cultivators flanked it—one slashing through its scales with a long blade, the other locking its throat with an iron chain. Finally, Ning Bugui dashed in, his twin halberds descending together, driving straight through its skull with a thunderous impact!

"Crack..."

Blood gushed like a spring. The demon trembled for an instant, its form collapsed, and it fell into dead silence.

Ning Bugui slowly withdrew his halberds, staring coldly at the demon's remains, and spat out two words:

"Beast."

"Confirm the Demon Core exists. Collect the materials. Report back to the office."

He gave the order calmly, as if the thrilling battle just now was nothing more than routine.

"Yes!" The other four answered in unison.

Time flew like a white horse passing a crack, fleeting and gone.

A full month had passed since Zhang Qiang was killed.

From Zhang Qiang, he had obtained twenty taels of silver.

It was a fortune that an ordinary family could hardly dream of earning in years.

At first, Gu Chang'an worried that the murder might be discovered, so he didn't dare touch the twenty taels.

But after a few days passed.

The deaths of Zhang Qiang and his two companions caused barely a ripple. The Firewood Gang showed no movement, and the authorities never came knocking.

Gradually, he relaxed.

It seemed the demon had taken the blame for him.

After all, the demon had gnawed on the three corpses. Perhaps not even the bones remained.

And he was just an ordinary refugee, with no connection to Zhang Qiang at all.

Once he realized this, Gu Chang'an began to put those twenty taels of silver to use.

First, he left the refugees and beggars behind—no longer sheltering in broken temples and ancestral halls, no longer forced to endure the stench of the sick and dying.

He spent three taels of silver to rent a shabby little yard on the west side of the city.

The yard was cramped, the walls leaning crookedly, and the gate hung askew with a rusted copper lock.

But it was a standalone dwelling, with only two rooms, yet enough to keep out wind and rain.

There was a stove for cooking, a well for washing—compared to sleeping on the dirt floor and surviving on scraps and cold leftovers, it was practically heaven.

He gritted his teeth and handed over the remaining ten taels of silver.

It was the biggest investment of his life.

"Sky Wind Martial Hall" was located on South Street in the city. It wasn't large, but every day its courtyard was packed with people. They taught orthodox Martial Arts, not the street-performer tricks of three-legged cats.

Li Tianfeng, an Eighth Rank martial artist, had earned his merits in the border army. He could split a one-inch-thick iron shield with one hand—his reputation was quiet, but his ferocity was real.

But as he aged and accumulated injuries, he returned to Nanning County and established this Sky Wind Martial Hall.

Ten taels of silver a month sounded absurd, but it was precisely this high price that kept the riffraff out.

Ever since encountering that demon, Gu Chang'an knew.

He had to be strong!

He had to grow stronger!

Gnawing on a meat bun he'd bought, Gu Chang'an called up his panel.

Code
[Name: Gu Chang'an]
[Lifespan: 53 years 4 months]
[Identity: Hunter (Common)]
[Realm: None]
[Physique: 111 (+2/day)]
[Techniques: Iron Cutting Saber Technique (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Initial Mastery/+), Iron Cloth Shirt (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Initial Mastery/+), Flowing Wind Steps (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Initial Mastery/+), Mountain Shattering Fist (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Beginner/+), Archery (Mortal Grade, Initial Mastery/+)]

Among them, Iron Cloth Shirt, Flowing Wind Steps, and Mountain Shattering Fist were all techniques Gu Chang'an had learned at Sky Wind Martial Hall.

After a month of grueling training, Iron Cloth Shirt and Flowing Wind Steps had reached Initial Mastery.

But Mountain Shattering Fist was still at Beginner.

Unfortunately, Iron Cutting Saber Technique remained stuck at Initial Mastery, progressing slowly.

His physique had also risen to 111, breaking through the hundred-point mark, and his lifespan had increased by a year accordingly.

This showed that even without the system's help, relying solely on self-cultivation could still improve his physique—just not as dramatically as with the system's boost.

As he understood it, his current physique value was close to the level of a Ninth Rank Martial Artist—

Because he had once encountered a Ninth Rank martial artist whose physique was 150.

But Gu Chang'an didn't think he could actually contend with a true Ninth Rank martial artist.

None of his techniques had reached the Proficient level, and his combat experience was far from sufficient.

In battle, physique was the foundation, but technique level and practical experience were equally crucial.

So he knew—right now, he still had to lie low, keep surviving, keep improving.

His identity had changed to Hunter because after killing Zhang Qiang, he didn't dare continue cutting firewood and crossing paths with the Firewood Gang.

So he switched professions to become a hunter.

Although hunting deep in the mountains carried a certain risk of encountering demons.

He still shuddered at the memory of that demon.

But since he'd heard the Demon Suppression Division had already eliminated it, his fear had lessened.

Gu Chang'an understood the principle of eating through a mountain while sitting idle.

To survive, he had to take some risks.

Still, he only hunted at the edge of the forest, never daring to venture deep.

And the Archery skill at Initial Mastery had been gained during his hunts.

Also.

Thanks to recently eating meat from his hunts, selling meat for money to buy medicine, and repairing his physical damage, his lifespan had increased to 53 years.

His entire spirit and energy were different now, and his face was no longer deathly pale...

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