Ascension of chickens and dogs? I'll let you ascend.

Hu Dongxing's meticulous care completely baffled Sun Zhi.

Upon hearing Chief Qian's report that Sun Zhi had broken through to the Opening Meridians Realm, Hu Dongxing immediately dropped everything he was doing and rushed over.

It couldn't be helped. Although there were only a few Opening Meridians Realm openly in Qiulin County, there were countless hidden experts whose intentions were unknown.

These individuals might not cause trouble openly, but they ultimately posed a significant security risk.

Take the Flying Thief who had been active recently, for example. They were suspected to be in the Opening Meridians Realm.

Hu Dongxing was stretched thin, worrying himself sick over the safety of Qiulin County.

On the county yamen's side, while the County Magistrate had two attendants in the Opening Meridians Realm, it was clear they wouldn't take his orders and only cared about the County Magistrate's safety.

Now, with Sun Zhi under his command breaking through to the Opening Meridians Realm, he finally had someone to share the burden with.

However...

Why wasn't his Qi and Blood Force as robust as expected?

Even at the Opening Meridians Realm, his aura was similar to an ordinary Martial Artist.

This thought only lingered for a moment before Hu Dongxing dismissed it.

The report from Chief Qian shouldn't be false.

After all, if Sun Zhi were still just an ordinary Martial Artist, how could the pile of Demon corpses be explained?

Those fox demons, judging by their size, were not ordinary small demons.

There was even a wolf demon in the Opening Meridians Realm.

It was normal for Qi and Blood Force to fluctuate slightly due to severe injuries.

Even though Sun Zhi, who had experienced a lot, didn't directly deny it, he was stunned once he indirectly pieced together the situation.

When the hell did I become Opening Meridians Realm?

And what was with Old Master Bai's entire family of fox demons?

So, the "next job" he mentioned referred to Old Master Bai's entire clan???

But he pushed all the credit for this endeavor onto himself.

Did he still want to hide his true strength and not expose himself?

After pondering for a while, Sun Zhi gritted his teeth and decided to play along with Shen Lin's arrangement.

He could have confessed everything when he met Hu Dongxing face-to-face.

But what good would that do?

Shen Lin was merely hiding his cultivation and acting cautiously. He hadn't committed any evil deeds or broken any laws.

If he revealed the truth, Hu Dongxing, and even the County Magistrate, would likely be alerted.

Not out of fear, but excitement.

A twenty-year-old about to break through to Xiantian.

Such a genius! If they recommended him to the imperial court, the merit would be greater than slaying any Demon.

Shen Lin would be brought to the capital, possibly joining the Demon Suppression Bureau, or being recruited by other prominent families. In any case, it wouldn't be detrimental.

The County Magistrate and Prefect Hu would also soar to success for recommending him.

Everyone wins.

Only he would offend Shen Lin.

There was no benefit in doing so.

Conversely, if he behaved himself and followed Shen Lin...

At this thought, Sun Zhi's eyes lit up, feeling that his opportunity had arrived.

When Shen Lin achieved great success, wouldn't he also benefit from the Ascension of the chickens and dogs (idiom)?

"Sun Zhi's usefulness seems to be running out. Should I arrange an 'accident' and let him atone for those fallen brothers?"

Shen Lin put down the beast skin scroll in his hand and rubbed his eyes, murmuring.

Sun Zhi probably didn't expect that while he was thinking of following Shen Lin for future Ascension of the chickens and dogs (idiom), Shen Lin was considering sending him to heaven.

Shen Lin naturally wouldn't trust someone who had sent countless colleagues to be fodder for Demons.

After a moment of thought, he still shook his head, deciding to let Sun Zhi live a little longer.

That guy was still somewhat useful.

After all, if Shen Lin didn't want to attract attention, he needed an agent to exchange rewards with the Demon Suppression Bureau.

And Sun Zhi, who had gained fame in the past two years, was a good choice.

With his decision made, Shen Lin's attention returned to the beast skin scroll before him.

The good news was that this cultivation technique, Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, obtained from the Bai family, was not just a cultivation method for the Yao Clan (Demon Clan).

He, as a human, could also cultivate it.

This is a body-tempering martial art. Through a unique method and the use of medicinal herbs, one can train their body to greatly enhance physical strength. Once mastered, ordinary iron weapons cannot breach its defenses.

However, the bad news is that this technique is incomplete. It can only cultivate one part of the body. This is why the demon foxes of the Bai family only had exceptionally strong tails; the other parts of their bodies were not much stronger than those of ordinary martial artists.

After pondering for a while, Shen Lin put down the beast hide scroll and took out the Meridian Unblocking Pill.

Previously, he couldn't continue deducing the Wild Wind Sword Technique and break through the fifth meridian because he lacked demon lifespan.

For now, let's try a decade.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Lin closed his eyes.

In his consciousness, the System panel slowly unfolded.

[Year 1: You swallowed the Meridian Unblocking Pill. The pill melted in your mouth, and the surging medicinal power enveloped your Qi and Blood Force, violently crashing against the blocked meridian. The previously unshakeable meridian, like solid rock, was easily opened by this medicinal power. Your Qi and Blood Force surged forward. When the medicinal power was exhausted, two-thirds of the fifth meridian had been opened by you.]

[Year 10: Through your efforts, your Qi and Blood Force has almost completely opened the fifth meridian. You feel that only a thin membrane remains before you can break through the fifth meridian.]

[Deduction complete!]

Shen Lin opened his eyes and found that the Meridian Unblocking Pill that was in his hand had disappeared at some point.

Its effect was also very obvious.

A single pill had helped him directly open two-thirds of the fifth meridian, saving him over a hundred years of arduous cultivation.

No wonder other martial artists, without Meridian Unblocking Pills, found it almost impossible to break through to the Opening Meridians Realm.

Without any hesitation, Shen Lin chose to continue infusing.

[Year 1: You carefully sensed and mobilized the Qi and Blood Force within your body, impacting the meridian countless times. The membrane was on the verge of collapse, but it ultimately held.]

After infusing a year's worth of demon lifespan, he still couldn't break through, but Shen Lin was not discouraged.

"Again!"

Another year's worth of demon lifespan was infused.

After continuously infusing demon lifespan for four years like this, the System panel's display finally changed.

[Year 1: You continued to mobilize your Qi and Blood Force to impact the fifth meridian. Countless attempts had already made your heart as still as water, neither happy nor sad. But this time, when your Qi and Blood Force broke through the shackles and surged into the fifth meridian, a look of extreme joy appeared on your face.]

The fifth meridian, opened!

Shen Lin's consciousness returned to reality, and he looked down at his hands.

After opening the fifth meridian, the Qi and Blood Force within his body reached a new level.

His seemingly slender arms were now filled with strength capable of wrestling wolves and tearing tigers.

Remaining demon lifespan: 387 years.

So...

Let's first deduce the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique to perfection and see which meridians this martial art is related to.

As he pondered, the System panel unfolded again.

However, after a moment, Shen Lin shook his head and canceled his deduction plan.