Special Training! Demons!

In the martial arts arena, the moment Lu Ming finished speaking, Shen Changfeng roared in fury:

"Lu Ming, you conspired to frame my fourth brother yesterday, causing his death, and you still have the nerve to ask what Director Wei wants with you? I came today to arrest you and bring you to justice."

The four hundred disciples fell silent, some shocked, some puzzled, some watching the scene with amusement.

"Who are you?" Lu Ming turned his head, glanced at Shen Changfeng, and said calmly.

Shen Changfeng's gaze sharpened. Blood surged abruptly, and an oppressive pressure swept forth, making Lu Ming's breath catch. The next moment, Shen Changfeng stepped forward, ready to seize him.

"Stop." From the high platform came Wei Jinlin's flat voice.

Shen Changfeng halted at once and quickly said:

"Master Wei, this humble one means no disrespect to you, but the murderer of my brother stands before me, and I cannot contain my emotions. Please forgive me, Master Wei."

Since they were both from Red Cloud County, Shen Changfeng had also entered the Military Service Bureau in previous years, so he could address Wei Jinlin as "Master Wei."

Wei Jinlin said, "You claim Lu Ming killed Shen Jue. What evidence do you have?"

Shen Changfeng shot Lu Ming a cold glare and said:

"I have determined that yesterday, my fourth brother Shen Jue left the Military Service Bureau because he had a grudge with that Lu Ming and went to settle it. And yesterday, when Lu Ming returned from outside, he passed near the place where my fourth brother died, and the timing of his passing coincided exactly with the time of death. This matter must be related to Lu Ming. I ask Master Wei to enforce the law impartially and hand Lu Ming over to me for judgment."

Wei Jinlin suddenly spoke: "Are you saying Lu Ming has the ability to cause an earthquake? Is that it?"

Shen Changfeng's heart lurched. Did Wei Jinlin seem to know a great deal about what happened yesterday?

Wei Jinlin continued:

"Shen Jue's fall to his death was caused by a sudden crack opening in the ground. This could have happened naturally, or it could have been the work of a demon running rampant in the city. I personally went to the scene to inspect it. If you cannot produce new evidence, then please leave."

"Yes, Master Wei." Shen Changfeng's face stiffened. He shot Lu Ming a hateful glare, his heart seething with unwillingness.

He naturally knew that Shen Jue's fall likely had nothing to do with Lu Ming, but Shen Jue had left the Military Service Bureau to kill Lu Ming. In the end, Lu Ming was fine, while Shen Jue was dead. Shen Changfeng could not accept this.

The Shen Family had many sons, but Shen Jue and he were born of the same mother, their bond the closest. Since Shen Jue died because of Lu Ming, he would avenge this grudge. But before Wei Jinlin, he dared not act rashly. Since Wei Jinlin would not hand over the man, he could only bide his time for now.

Lu Ming, you'd better be able to hide in the Military Service Bureau forever. A flash of malice crossed Shen Changfeng's eyes as he gritted his teeth and left.

"Thank you, Master Wei, for upholding justice for me." Before the high platform, Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief and said to Wei Jinlin.

He hadn't expected Shen Changfeng to come knocking with no evidence at all, simply because Shen Jue's death had a slight connection to him, and dare to demand the man outright. Even more so, this was after it had been established that Shen Jue left the Military Service Bureau to kill him. Clearly, he was in the right, yet Shen Changfeng was aggressive and overbearing, as if reason lay with the Shen Family. The domineering ways of a martial clan were plain to see.

Wei Jinlin said, "Fall in. I called you here today because I have something to announce."

"Yes." Lu Ming glanced at Wei Jinlin, a flicker of heat passing through his heart.

The Shen Family's tyranny had completely failed before Wei Jinlin. One word from him had sent them slinking away, all because of his own formidable strength. In this world, strength determined status.

He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible—not only in divine abilities but also in cultivation realm, which he needed to advance rapidly.

Lu Ming took his place in the ranks and clenched his fists slightly. Now that he had the Qi-Enhancing Pill and Sweet Dew Powder, as long as he trained diligently, reaching the Meat Refining Realm before the major exam shouldn't be a problem. But after the exam, he could no longer stay in the Military Service Bureau. With mere Meat Refining Realm cultivation, facing the vast Shen Family, he was still far too insignificant. As for joining a sect after the exam and using its power to contend with them, that was one path. But that depended on others, which was unreliable. It was best if he grew stronger himself, so he could advance or retreat as he pleased.

At least Meat Refining Perfection! Lu Ming thought to himself. If he had the chance, he absolutely had to reach at least Meat Refining Perfection. Then he could unleash stronger divine ability power and have a hope of protecting himself.

"Recently, demons have been running rampant around Red Cloud County. Yesterday, Shen Jue was killed, and it is suspected to be the work of a demon. There are still doubts, but we cannot be careless." On the high platform, Wei Jinlin spoke slowly.

"Now, those at the Nine Breaks in One Breath realm and above, step forward. Follow me to the Grand Martial Arts Arena. From now on, you will receive special training there. The rest of you, cultivate here on your own."

Special training? Lu Ming was stunned, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

He hadn't expected that his actions yesterday would be mistaken by Wei Jinlin for a demon's work, prompting him to announce this special training. Seeing Chen Jinyang, Feng Qingzhu, and the others step forward one after another, following Wei Jinlin deeper into the Military Service Bureau, Lu Ming also stepped out and moved with the crowd.

He finally arrived deep within the Military Service Bureau, at a grand martial arts arena enclosed by towering walls.

As soon as he entered, Lu Ming looked around curiously. He had discovered this place before, but the gate had always been shut, so he had never come inside to see it.

Now that he was inside, he saw that the grand arena was filled with a large number of wooden stakes—no, to be precise, iron stakes.

Neatly arranged iron stakes stood in rows, with about two yards between each row, totaling roughly thirty rows. Their iron-blue gleam caught the eye, carrying a faint chill.

And further in... Lu Ming raised his gaze, a flicker of surprise appearing in his eyes.

At the very end of all the iron stakes, coiled silently, was a python's body. The python was enormous; even coiled up, it stood about a yard high, equivalent to the height of a single-story building.

The python's surface was covered in black-iron scales, looking incredibly hard.

The moment he saw the python, an extremely palpable pressure washed over them, making everyone's chest tighten.

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in alarm:

"A demon! There's actually a demon here!"

"That's... the legendary Iron-Scaled Python Demon? I think I've heard of it—its scales are comparable to heavy military armor, unbreakable by blades or swords!"

"I've heard that demon meat is an excellent tonic, far better than Qi-Nurturing Powder or even many pills. Could it be that Master Wei is going to give us demon meat?"

"Surely he doesn't mean for us to fight that demon? That would be suicide!"

Lu Ming's heart jolted at the words. So that was a demon?

A faint glint flashed through his eyes, and in his vision, the wind took on color. A gray wind swept over the Iron-Scaled Python Demon, and an immense aura radiated from it, far surpassing the Shen Changfeng he had seen earlier.

This aura had already materially affected his state; he felt as if he were being stared down by a peerless ferocious beast, his body stiff.

The intensity of this aura was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life!

As for Wei Jinlin, since he rarely displayed his martial prowess, his usual aura was only slightly stronger than Shen Changfeng's.

To the left of the grand arena stood a high platform. Wei Jinlin stood atop it and said:

"Demons are demons, and fiends are fiends. Don't conflate them in the future.

"This Iron-Scaled Python Demon is not the one from the city, and it is already dead. I have inserted ten red tags into its body.

"There are sixty-one of you in total, including sixteen Flesh Refining martial artists. Whoever can retrieve a single red tag will receive one-tenth of the demon's meat."

At these words, the crowd was overjoyed.

As long as they could get a red tag, they would obtain demon meat? That was a treasure capable of greatly enhancing cultivation efficiency!

Even Lu Ming's heart burned with a trace of fervor.

With only Sweet Dew Powder and Qi-Enhancing Pills, at best he could reach Flesh Refining cultivation before the major exam. But if he could get demon meat, he had a chance at achieving Flesh Refining Perfection!

Still, he noticed a detail in Wei Jinlin's words: this Iron-Scaled Python Demon was already dead.

The demon was dead, yet it could still emit such an aura, overwhelming everyone present!

Lu Ming had a vague feeling that retrieving a red tag would not be so simple.