Cultivating the Myriad Laws of Heaven and Earth is as Clear as Looking at Patterns on One's Palm

"Synthesize."

Lu Yuan silently chanted in his heart.

[The current synthesis trait is Spirit Thought [White]]

[Synthesizing]

[Spirit Thought [White] × 243 → Cleverness [Green] × 81 → Clear Heart and Insight [Blue] × 27 → Epiphany [Purple] × 9 → Entering the Dao [Gold] × 3 → Heaven-Defying Comprehension [Red]]

[Note: Only one trait can be bound per path]

A red trait!

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up instantly.

Since only one trait can be bound per path, he would ignore the remaining traits for now.

[Heaven-Defying Comprehension: Cultivating all laws of heaven and earth is as clear as observing patterns on one's palm]

A mere sentence of introduction revealed the sheer power of this trait.

Bind trait.

At this moment, the world in his eyes shattered.

The Demon Locking Well, the Fox Demon, the cave, the darkness, and even himself, all dissolved into billions of fragments.

Immediately after, the fragments reorganized, and the world brightened.

It was as if endless celestial light had pierced through an eternal night.

He saw himself.

It was as if he were standing on the clouds looking down at a city; he was positioned at an indescribable angle.

Skin, muscles, blood vessels, and bones peeled away layer by layer, replaced by countless veins emitting a faint glow.

Some spiraled upward to the crown of his head, while others twisted downward past the soles of his feet.

They intersected without tangling, orderly and brilliant as a galaxy.

The circulation of spiritual power, the paths of cultivation techniques, and even the lingering traces of the power of heaven and earth.

Things that were previously invisible were now presented with absolute clarity in his consciousness.

As the assessment concluded, the examiners beneath the Demon Locking Well were at a loss for words.

"Two hundred and eighty-seven! That kid actually killed two hundred and eighty-seven Fox Demons!"

"Mortal Realm level two, skipping the selection to enter the Demon Suppression Division directly; I thought he was just making up the numbers, who could have imagined he possessed such terrifying combat power!"

"Good lad, worthy of being the descendant of a loyal hero; even the Grade A candidates of previous years weren't this unbelievable."

"It's different! The Grade A candidates of previous years were rated as Grade A by the assessment, but Lu Yuan is Grade A because the assessment only goes up to Grade A."

"A monster! Our Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division has seen all kinds of geniuses, but who would dare call themselves a genius in front of this kid?"

"An average genius takes at least a year to go from entry to Demon Suppression Captain, he only took one day!"

"Once he receives the Mortal Shedding Pill and steps into the Initial Realm, then cultivates a Demon Suppression Division technique, I can't even imagine how strong this kid will become."

"What do you mean 'this kid'? It's clearly Demon Suppression Captain Lord Lu!"

"Hahahaha..."

Outside the Demon Locking Well.

The light on the stone tablet flickered to life.

Lu Yuan was the only one with Grade A combat power, seven had Grade B, and he didn't bother noting the Grade C and bottom-tier results.

Lin Chen had originally been smug about achieving Grade B, but now, seeing the ranking on the stone tablet, he felt unbearable shame.

He feared that the humiliation of today would be something he could never overcome in the future.

If his first defeat at the hands of Lu Yuan could be blamed on a sneak attack, then today, he had absolutely nothing to say.

A casual punch had broken his bones and left him severely injured; what a terrifying level of cultivation that must be.

If this had been a life-or-death battle, he would likely be dead by now.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness surged from the bottom of his heart.

The chasm-like gap made him never dare to harbor thoughts of revenge against Lu Yuan again.

Amidst the gasps of amazement, Lu Yuan walked out of the Demon Locking Well, passed through the crowd, and stepped into the Bell Tower.

From start to finish, he didn't cast a single glance their way.

Lin Chen breathed a secret sigh of relief, but then a surge of intense shame and anger welled up within him.

The person he viewed as his greatest rival treated him like air, ignoring him completely.

This was even harder for him to accept than being beaten into a severe injury.

Pfft—

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he rolled his eyes back and fainted on the spot.

Lu Yuan did not pay any attention to the small fry in the corner.

He received a Mortal Shedding Pill amidst the examiner's praises.

The pill was brown, looking much like a chocolate, with pill patterns circling its surface and emitting waves of medicinal fragrance.

Through his interactions with Old Zhou over the past two days, he was no stranger to this medicinal pill.

The Mortal Shedding Pill, as the name suggests, could help a martial artist shed their mortal body to step into the Initial Realm, officially embarking on the path of cultivation.

The first realm is the Initial Realm.

It involves drawing spiritual energy into the body, allowing it to enter the meridians, clearing the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Standard Meridians, and forming a continuous, endless cycle within the body.

The second realm is the Mystic Realm.

It involves guiding spiritual energy to gather in the lower dantian, opening the Mystic Void, and continuously compressing and solidifying the spiritual energy within.

The third realm is the Transformation Realm.

The Mystic Void reverses upward to resonate with the soul, breaking open the Bridge of Heaven and Earth to nurture spiritual sense.

Once the spiritual sense communicates with heaven and earth, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth to forge the foundation of the Great Dao, one can break through the Transformation Realm and step into the Dao Realm, but those are matters for another day.

Originally, Lu Yuan was worried that his limited aptitude would make his cultivation progress several times slower than other practitioners at the same level.

But now, with the effect of the [Heaven-Defying Comprehension] trait, that previous worry had completely vanished into thin air.

Cultivating the myriad laws of heaven and earth was as easy as observing patterns on one's palm, which meant there were no bottlenecks or shackles; as long as the techniques and resources were available, his realm would rise with the tide.

He accepted the Mortal Shedding Pill, bowed to the examiner who distributed the rewards to express his thanks, and turned to walk downstairs.

"Lord Lu!"

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, a middle-aged man wearing an Ink-Black Brocade Robe walked toward him.

The man's face was full of smiles, enthusiastic yet respectful.

"Congratulations, Lord Lu! You slew two hundred and seventy-eight demons under the Demon Locking Well, received an A-grade rating, and became a Demon Suppression Captain upon entry. You are truly a young talent!"

Lu Yuan paused his steps and looked the man up and down.

He was in his early thirties, wearing an Ink-Black Patterned Brocade Robe, with a standard Horizontal Saber hanging at his waist, the scabbard polished until it shone.

"Do I know you?"

The middle-aged man cupped his hands, "I am Su Ding'an. I joined the bureau seven years before you, and I hold the position of Demon-Suppressing Guard within the department."

Lu Yuan nodded, "Something the matter?"

Su Ding'an leaned in with a smile, "If I am not mistaken, Lord is heading to the Martial Excellence Pavilion?"

"That is correct."

Lu Yuan nodded, not surprised.

Newcomers who passed the entrance examination would naturally go to the Martial Excellence Pavilion to choose techniques after receiving their rewards; anyone with a bit of sense could guess that.

"What a coincidence! I happen to be going that way, let's walk together, let's walk together."

As he spoke, he walked side-by-side with Lu Yuan and pulled a booklet from his bosom, handing it to Lu Yuan.

"Lord Lu is new here, perhaps you need this."

Lu Yuan looked down and saw that the cover of the booklet had a few neat characters written in brush: <Qing Province Demon-Suppressing Bureau Survival Guide>.

Next to it was a line of small text: Authored by Su Ding'an.

"Survival Guide?" Lu Yuan asked subconsciously.

"Indeed." Su Ding'an patted his chest with a smile, "This guide is the result of my seven years of blood and sweat."

"To speak in detail about this Qing Province Demon-Suppressing Bureau, there are many ins and outs. Which canteen has delicious food, which latrine has clean stalls, which deacon has a good temper and is easy to talk to, and which places you can or cannot go—it's all in this booklet."

As he spoke, he flipped to a random page.

"Look, the Clerk Directory."

"Clerk Old Zhou hates flattery, so speak less and nod more when you see him; Clerk Old Li is a germaphobe, so tidy your clothes before asking him to handle matters; Clerk Old Zhao's wife ran off with the city's gardener, so try not to bother him these days."

He flipped to another page.

"Look, the Martial Excellence Pavilion guide."

"The first floor has common goods, the second floor has advanced techniques, and the third floor has core techniques."

"Each floor is divided into sections: the East District is for techniques, the West District is for martial arts, and the West District's martial arts are further subdivided into unarmed, movement, and weaponry categories..."

Lu Yuan nodded; it actually seemed quite useful.

Wherever there are people, there are social nuances.

Having received an A-grade rating in the Demon Locking Well assessment and becoming a Demon Suppression Captain upon entry, it was only reasonable to encounter colleagues showing goodwill at this moment.

He took the booklet and bowed to Su Ding'an.

"Many thanks, Brother Su!"

Just as he was about to leave, a hurried call came from his ear.

"Lord Lu!"

He saw Su Ding'an looking at him with a grin, rubbing his index finger and thumb together in a gesture.

"It's a fair price, two taels of silver."