He can't just leave me behind in a year, can he?

"This... is Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon?" Su Wenjin stopped his hand abruptly and dispersed the sword intent he had been gathering!

Heart Demons and Shadow Demons are the greatest perils every cultivator faces when breaking through a realm.

Whether it is a Heart Demon or a Shadow Demon, it is essentially another version of oneself, only possessing the unique ability of a Heart Demon to bewilder the mind, and the unique corrosive power of a Shadow Demon.

Combined with all the martial arts one has mastered, anyone facing their own Shadow Demon is bound to suffer a heavy blow.

Only a very small number of heaven-gifted geniuses, whose progress is so rapid that their Shadow Demon cannot keep up with their current "version" when it awakens, can manage to slay it themselves.

But this process is never easy, because no matter how fast you progress, you cannot change significantly every few days!

Therefore, when Yu Xiu began his breakthrough, Su Wenjin had already prepared himself to intervene!

He waited only for Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon to manifest, intending to strike immediately and slay it on Yu Xiu's behalf.

But what he did not expect was that before he even had a chance to act, Yu Xiu had already drawn his sword and sheathed it.

The Shadow Demon was dead!

Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon was not weak; in fact, it was quite strong. Su Wenjin was certain that its aura was far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator who had just broken through the first of the Four Great Passes.

It is no exaggeration to say that Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon could have crushed the vast majority of Qingwei Sword Sect disciples who had just reached the first pass.

But, Yu Xiu was even stronger!

What a freak, Su Wenjin sighed inwardly, feeling that the sky over Dragon-Slaying Peak was likely about to change.

Yu Xiu's speed of growth was beyond what many had anticipated!

"Do you want to consolidate your cultivation for a few days? I can find someone else to handle that fallen disciple from Nine Heavens Peak," Su Wenjin asked, seeing that Yu Xiu had finished his breakthrough.

"It won't take much time; there is no harm in making this trip first," Yu Xiu replied.

With his current comprehension level exceeding 7,500, once he obtained the Five Elements chapter of the Dragon-Slaying Evil-Purging Sword, he should be able to master it after reading it just a few times, subsequently reaching the ninth level of the Five Elements Realm.

For him, the concept of consolidating his cultivation was essentially unnecessary.

"Very well," Su Wenjin muttered.

This was the first time he had encountered such an incomprehensible freak as Yu Xiu.

After leaving Dragon-Slaying Peak and arriving at the Inner Court Law Enforcement Hall, Su Wenjin handed all the relevant information over to Yu Xiu.

Nine Heavens Peak, Guan Che!

Deeply fallen into demonic ways, yet his physical body has not been occupied by a Shadow Demon!

He once appeared at the border between this prefecture and Donghe Prefecture, where he slew a demon beast and drank its blood, suspected of using this to suppress his demonic state. A passing demon-slayer saw him and was decapitated by a single sword strike!

Wait, the border between this prefecture and Donghe Prefecture?

Yu Xiu suddenly recalled something.

Ram Horn Mountain!

There was also Ram Horn Mountain, hidden deep in the mountains, where demons gathered and raised humans as livestock!

He had almost forgotten.

"The place where Guan Che went is likely troublesome," Yu Xiu said, putting away the file on the fallen Guan Che.

"I once returned to the sect from Donghe Prefecture and saw a demon mountain at the border. I heard the minor demons guarding the mountain speak of a 'Great King Ram Horn'. At the time, observing the demonic aura in the mountain, I thought it was merely an ordinary demon of the Four Great Passes."

"Now that I think about it, that demon was likely a heavyweight at the third or even fourth pass of the Four Great Passes, perhaps even a Dragon-Transforming beast!"

"Ram Horn Mountain?" Su Wenjin picked up a blurred book, flipped through it, and set it down a moment later: "There is no record of this demon mountain within the sect; it must have yet to be discovered."

"Go ahead with peace of mind; there will be others to assist you."

"As for the situation regarding Ram Horn Mountain, you can file a supplementary report with the Internal Affairs Hall afterward, and you will be rewarded."

Others to assist me? Yu Xiu's heart stirred, but he did not ask further and went to find a Flying Boat.

It was only after Yu Xiu departed that two figures walked out side-by-side from behind the Inner Court Law Enforcement Hall.

They were none other than Yuan Tiankuo, the eighth of the Ten Heroes of Dragon-Slaying Peak, and Lu Shizhang, the fifth of the Ten Heroes.

"You two, I have handled the matter, but Yu Xiu must not come to any harm. If the elders and protectors on the peak get angry, I won't be the one shielding you from their blades," Su Wenjin said, looking at the two talented heroes with annoyance.

"What shielding? We are just sending Junior Brother Yu some merit!" Lu Shizhang said, his tone characteristically stubborn.

Yuan Tiankuo's beautiful phoenix eyes glanced at Lu Shizhang: "You had better be sending him merit."

Lu Shizhang laughed: "Is the merit from the Resentment Cult not enough?"

"What does the fall of Guan Che from Nine Heavens Peak have to do with the Resentment Cult?" Yuan Tiankuo asked with a cold face.

Lu Shizhang patted Yuan Tiankuo on the shoulder, only to have it swatted away. Lu Shizhang was not offended: "You little maiden, your face is pretty, but your brain doesn't work well."

Yuan Tiankuo's phoenix eyes twitched: "Lu Shizhang, you..."

Lu Shizhang chuckled: "There you go, speaking in anger again. You can't beat me."

Clearing his throat, he continued: "Wan Chuan, a舵主 of the Resentment Cult, was also an Inner Court disciple of the Qingwei Sword Sect who fell into demonic ways. Now that another disciple, Guan Che of Nine Heavens Peak, has fallen, do you think Wan Chuan of the Resentment Cult might seek him out?"

He patted Su Wenjin on the shoulder, only to be swatted away by him as well.

Lu Shizhang rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "Furthermore, Guan Che of Nine Heavens Peak was originally meant by Hall Master Su to be a whetstone for Junior Brother Yu Xiu. I was merely checking to see if Wan Chuan of the Resentment Cult would show himself."

"There may not be any connection between the two, so what are you all so anxious about?"

Su Wenjin frowned. "And what about Ram Horn Mountain?"

Lu Shizhang rubbed his fingers together lightly. "Consider it sharpening the sword for Junior Brother Yu. With us here, Great King Ram Horn of Ram Horn Mountain won't be able to harm Junior Brother Yu in the slightest."

"Of course, this is also Junior Brother Yu's merit; I shall not take a single bit of it."

These words were directed at Yuan Tiankuo.

"Why are you looking at me? Do you think I'd try to split the meager merit of Ram Horn Mountain fifty-fifty with Junior Brother Yu?" Yuan Tiankuo had a strong urge to stab Lu Shizhang to death with his sword.

Lu Shizhang shook his head. "I was afraid you'd try to split it seventy-thirty and only give Junior Brother Yu the thirty."

Yuan Tiankuo forcibly suppressed his murderous impulse. "Keep being a smart-aleck. The day Junior Brother Yu surpasses you..."

Before he could finish, Lu Shizhang laughed. "It is true that his aptitude and talent are above mine, but if he wants to surpass me, he'll need at least another ten years of practice. It's still far too early."

Su Wenjin spoke up at the right moment. "There is some news I must inform you of."

He sat down slowly behind the desk and poured a cup of tea. "Yu Xiu has broken through, just moments ago."

"Oh, and it wasn't a minor breakthrough to the second or third level of the Five Viscera Realm; he has broken through the first barrier of the Five Viscera and entered the second barrier, the Five Elements."

The insufferable smile on Lu Shizhang's face suddenly froze, and he finally offered a strained laugh. "I see that if Junior Brother Yu wants to surpass me, while he might not need ten years, I fear he will still need to practice for three!"

Su Wenjin smiled and said nothing.

While Yuan Tiankuo was shocked, he offered a cold sneer.

Lu Shizhang couldn't quite keep his composure. "He couldn't possibly leave me in the dust in just one year, could he? I am, after all, the fifth of the Ten Heroes!"