Leader Liu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the raging waves crashing through his heart.
He walked over to Lu Chen and looked at him, so weak he seemed ready to breathe his last at any moment. His calloused hand landed heavily on Lu Chen's shoulder. His voice was hoarse, yet carried a solemnity unlike anything before.
"Kid... you saved all our lives."
The other two strongmen came to their senses as well. The way they looked at Lu Chen had completely changed.
Their earlier disgust, contempt, and disdain had all vanished.
In their place was a strange mix of awe, gratitude, and the unease one might feel when looking at a monster.
"B-Brother Chen... you're incredible!" one of them stammered. Before he knew it, he had changed the way he addressed him.
Lu Chen weakly waved a hand, as if he didn't even have the strength to speak. He merely glanced toward the Boning Knife still embedded in the remains of the Corpse Vine Demon Tree.
Leader Liu understood. He stepped forward and yanked it free.
The blade was still sharp, but it was smeared with foul-smelling, dark green fluid that reeked enough to make one gag.
"Let's get out of here first!" Leader Liu decided at once. "There's too much blood in the air. The demon's dead, but it'll soon draw other things here!"
He helped Lu Chen, who could barely stand, while another strongman carried him on his back.
The four of them fled without looking back, leaving behind that deathly place, a veritable asura's killing field.
The journey back was unusually quiet.
But the mood was utterly different from what it had been on the way there.
Lu Chen lay on a strongman's back with his eyes closed, apparently asleep. In truth, his mind had already sunk deep into his consciousness.
The ancient Bronze Tome was undergoing a tremendous transformation!
It was no longer the color of aged bronze. Its entire surface had turned a lustrous silver-white, as if it had been formed from moonlight. A ring of intricate, mysterious silver patterns had appeared around its edges.
[System upgrade complete.] [Host: Lu Chen] [Current remaining Personal Lifespan: 23 years] [Remaining Demon Devil Lifespan: 150 years] [Martial Arts:] [Demon Suppressing Saber Technique (Great Mastery)] [Turtle Breath Meditation Method (Entry)] [Body Evasion Steps (Minor Mastery)] [Shadow Step (Minor Mastery)] [Realm: Mortal Bone, Great Mastery.] [New features added in this upgrade:] [1. Unlocked a new martial arts realm: Perfection. The host may expend lifespan to further deduce martial arts that have reached the "Great Mastery" realm, advancing them to "Perfection." At Perfection, one's skill nearly approaches the Dao, and a unique trait may emerge.] [2. Unlocked the "Deduction Furnace" feature. The host may place two or more martial arts of the same type into the furnace and expend lifespan to deduce them. There is a chance they will be combined, their strengths and weaknesses balanced, and a new cultivation method created.]
Lu Chen's heart nearly stopped beating at that moment!
Perfection! The Deduction Furnace!
This wasn't merely a simple upgrade. It was a qualitative leap!
It meant he would no longer be bound by the limitations of techniques created by those who came before him. He finally had the possibility of forging his own path!
Lu Chen forcibly reined in his elation and immediately issued his first command to the system.
"Restore my lost Personal Lifespan!"
[Command confirmed. Expend 22 years of Demon Devil Lifespan. Personal Lifespan +22 years.] [Current remaining Personal Lifespan: 45 years.] [Remaining Demon Devil Lifespan: 128 years.]
Feeling his vitality surge back to its former abundance, Lu Chen finally let out a long breath of relief.
A sense of security—that was the foundation of everything he did.
His gaze fell on Shadow Step, which had reached the Minor Mastery Realm.
This Mystery Rank Movement Technique had saved him more than once during the deadly predicament just now, despite being only at the Entry level.
If he could fuse it with Body Evasion Steps, then deduce them to an even higher realm...
Lu Chen's heart burned with anticipation.
When the group, reduced by more than half, returned to the Demon Suppression Division with exhausted bodies, dawn was just breaking.
The news had already arrived. Foreman Wang rushed out at once.
When he saw the four survivors—especially Lu Chen, supported between them, his face deathly pale, yet still breathing—his expression became a sight to behold.
Shock, disbelief, and disappointment all gave way to a gloom and fear he could hardly conceal.
He wasn't dead?
How was he still alive?!
"Foreman Wang." Leader Liu stepped forward and gave his report in a hoarse voice. "The Black Wind Gully scout squad was wiped out. We encountered the Ranked Demon, the Corpse Vine Demon Tree, and couldn't overcome it in battle. We lost two brothers. In the end... it was Lu Chen. He... he got lucky. After I wounded the demon, he managed to find its weak spot by sheer chance and kill it."
In the end, Leader Liu chose the safest explanation, and the one that made the most sense.
He left out Lu Chen's ghostly movement techniques, emphasizing only his "luck."
It protected him, and, without saying so outright, it also protected the young man who had saved their lives.
"Luck?" Foreman Wang's teeth ground together with a harsh clatter. He glared at Lu Chen as if he wanted to swallow him whole. "Luck again?!"
"Foreman Wang, please see clearly!" The two surviving strongmen hurriedly backed him up. "The situation was extremely dangerous. Leader Liu risked his life to strike, and we all thought we were done for. Then Brother Chen... Brother Chen got lucky and stuck his knife in. The monster just fell over! His ancestors must be smiling down on him!"
Foreman Wang's face turned pale, then red. His chest heaved, but he couldn't utter a word.
The deadly trap he had painstakingly arranged had just been foiled by a stroke of absurd luck?
He felt like a scheming clown who had thrown a punch only to hit cotton, so frustrated he could almost vomit blood.
Just then, a commanding voice came from nearby.
"Imperial Guard Liu, you did well."
Captain Li had appeared behind them at some point. His expression was solemn, but there was a hint of approval in his eyes as he looked at Leader Liu.
"Though your losses were heavy, you uncovered the truth behind the scout squad's disappearance. More importantly, you slew a Ranked Demon that had plagued the area for a long time. That is a great merit!"
His gaze shifted to the weakened Lu Chen, and a trace of curiosity flashed in his eyes.
"You're Lu Chen? The corpse collector with all the luck?"
"R-Reporting to you, Captain, I... I was only lucky..." Lu Chen hurriedly bowed, looking flustered and overwhelmed by the honor.
Captain Li smiled without comment, then spoke in a clear, ringing voice. "Merit must be rewarded! Imperial Guard Liu, you are promoted to Deputy Commander and awarded ten bottles of Qi and Blood Pills and one thousand taels of silver!"
"The other two will each receive three bottles of Qi and Blood Pills and three hundred taels of silver!"
At last, his gaze settled on Lu Chen. After a moment's thought, he said, "As for you... though you succeeded by luck, you were still the one who rendered the greatest service. I hereby grant you permission to enter the first floor of the Demon Suppression Division Armory and choose one Yellow Rank cultivation method! You will also receive one bottle of Foundation Elixirs and one Demon Suppression Division-issued Hundred Refinements Saber!"