"Th-this is Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon?" Su Wenjin abruptly stopped and dispelled the sword intent in his hand!
Heart demons and Shadow Demons were the greatest dangers every cultivator faced when breaking through a realm.
That was because a heart demon or a Shadow Demon was essentially another version of oneself, with the added ability to confuse the mind, unique to heart demons, and the power to erode, unique to Shadow Demons.
On top of that, they possessed all the martial arts one had mastered. Anyone facing a Shadow Demon would suffer a great loss.
Only a rare handful of prodigies, whose progress was so rapid that their Shadow Demons couldn't keep up when they revived, could slay them themselves.
But that process was never easy. No matter how quickly you advanced, you couldn't change every few days!
So when Yu Xiu began breaking through, Su Wenjin had already prepared to step in.
The moment Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon appeared, he would strike at once and slay it for him.
But he hadn't expected that before he could even make a move, Yu Xiu had already drawn his sword and sheathed it again.
The Shadow Demon was dead!
Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon hadn't been weak. In fact, it had been quite strong. Su Wenjin was certain that aura was far beyond what an ordinary cultivator who had just broken through the first of the Four Great Passes could possess.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Yu Xiu's Shadow Demon could have beaten most Sword Sect disciples who had just broken through the first pass.
But Yu Xiu was stronger!
What a freak! Su Wenjin sighed inwardly, sensing that the heavens over Dragon-Slaying Peak were soon going to change.
Yu Xiu's rate of growth had surpassed the expectations of many!
"Would you like to spend a few more days consolidating your breakthrough? I can find someone else to deal with that demonic disciple on Nine Heavens Peak," Su Wenjin asked, seeing that Yu Xiu had finished breaking through.
"It won't take much time. There's no harm in making this trip first," Yu Xiu replied.
With his comprehension now above 7,500, once he got his hands on the Five Elements Chapter of the Dragon-Slaying Evil-Purging Sword, he should only need to read it a few times to master it completely, and reach the ninth level of the Five Elements Realm.
Consolidating his cultivation wasn't really necessary for him.
"Very well," Su Wenjin said glumly.
Yu Xiu was such an incomprehensible freak that this was the first time Su Wenjin had ever encountered one like him.
After leaving Dragon-Slaying Peak and reaching the Inner Court's Law Enforcement Hall, Su Wenjin handed all the relevant information to Yu Xiu.
Nine Heavens Peak, Guan Che!
Deeply corrupted by demonic influence, but his body hasn't been taken over by a Shadow Demon!
He was seen at the border between this prefecture and Donghe Prefecture, where he slew a monster and drank its blood. He may be using this to suppress his demonic state. A former demon slayer witnessed the incident and was beheaded with a single sword strike!
Wait. The border between this prefecture and Donghe Prefecture?
Yu Xiu suddenly remembered something.
Ram Horn Mountain!
There was also Ram Horn Mountain, hidden deep in the mountains, where monsters gathered and raised humans as food!
He'd almost forgotten about it.
"The place Guan Che went may be troublesome," Yu Xiu said, putting away the information on Guan Che's demonic corruption.
"When I returned to the sect from Donghe Prefecture, I saw a mountain of monsters at the border. A little monster guarding the mountain mentioned a 'Great King Ram Horn.' From the demonic aura I sensed there, I thought there were only ordinary monsters at the Four Great Passes.
"Now that I think about it, those monsters may have been at the third pass—or even the fourth. There could even have been one that had transformed into a dragon!"
"Ram Horn Mountain?" Su Wenjin picked up a tattered book and leafed through it. After a moment, he set it down. "There are no records of that mountain of monsters in the sect. I suppose it hasn't been discovered yet.
"Go without worry. Someone will help you.
"As for the details about Ram Horn Mountain, you can report them to the Internal Affairs Hall afterward and claim your reward."
Someone will help me? Yu Xiu's interest was piqued, but he didn't ask any questions. He went to find a Flying Boat.
Only after Yu Xiu had left did two more figures emerge side by side from behind the Inner Court's Law Enforcement Hall.
They were Yuan Tiankuo, ranked eighth among the Ten Heroes of Dragon-Slaying Peak, and Lu Shizhang, ranked fifth.
"Gentlemen, I've taken care of things, but Yu Xiu must not come to any harm. If the elders and protectors on the peak get angry, don't expect me to shield you from their wrath," Su Wenjin said, looking at the two prodigies of the Ten Heroes with irritation.
"What do you mean, shield us from their wrath? We're getting Junior Brother Yu some achievements!" Lu Shizhang said, stubborn as ever.
Yuan Tiankuo's handsome phoenix eyes flicked toward Lu Shizhang. "You'd better be getting him achievements."
"Surely the achievements from the Resentment Cult aren't enough?" Lu Shizhang said.
"What does Guan Che's demonic corruption on Nine Heavens Peak have to do with the Resentment Cult?" Yuan Tiankuo asked coldly.
Lu Shizhang patted Yuan Tiankuo on the shoulder. Yuan Tiankuo slapped his hand away, but Lu Shizhang didn't get angry. "You little girl, you've got a pretty face, but your brain isn't working too well."
Yuan Tiankuo's eyelids twitched wildly. "Lu Shizhang, you—"
Lu Shizhang grinned. "Getting angry again? You can't beat me."
He cleared his throat. "The Resentment Cult's subleader, Wan Chuan, was also a disciple of the Qingwei Sword Sect's Inner Court before he became demonic. Now there's another demonic cultivator from Nine Heavens Peak, Guan Che. What do you think? Could Wan Chuan of the Resentment Cult go looking for him?"
He patted Su Wenjin on the shoulder too, only for Su Wenjin to swat his hand away.
Lu Shizhang awkwardly rubbed his hands together. "Besides, Guan Che of Nine Heavens Peak was already Hall Master Su's whetstone for Junior Brother Yu. I'm just taking the opportunity to see whether Wan Chuan of the Resentment Cult shows up.
"The two things might not have anything to do with each other. What are you getting worked up about?"
Su Wenjin frowned. "And what about Ram Horn Mountain?"
Lu Shizhang rubbed two fingers together. "Just think of it as another whetstone for Junior Brother Yu. With us there, the Great King Ram Horn of Ram Horn Mountain won't be able to lay a finger on him.
"Of course, the achievement belongs to Junior Brother Yu. I won't take a single bit of it."
He directed those words at Yuan Tiankuo.
"Why are you looking at me? Do you think I'd ask Junior Brother Yu to split such a small achievement from Ram Horn Mountain with me?" Yuan Tiankuo wanted nothing more than to run Lu Shizhang through with a sword.
Lu Shizhang shook his head. "I'm afraid you'd ask Junior Brother Yu to split it thirty-seventy, and then give him only thirty."
Yuan Tiankuo fought the urge to kill him. "Keep talking big. Just wait until the day Junior Brother Yu surpasses you..."
Before he could finish, Lu Shizhang laughed. "It's true his talent and aptitude are better than mine, but to surpass me, he'll need at least another ten years of practice. That's a long way off."
Su Wenjin spoke up at just the right moment. "There's something I should let you know."
He slowly sat down behind the desk and poured himself a cup of tea. "Yu Xiu broke through just now.
"And to be clear, I'm not talking about advancing from the second or third minor stage of the Five Viscera Realm. He broke through the first pass, the Five Viscera, and entered the second pass, the Five Elements."
The obnoxious grin on Lu Shizhang's face suddenly froze. At last, he managed a strained smile. "I suppose Junior Brother Yu won't need ten years to surpass me, but it'll still take him three!"
Su Wenjin smiled without a word.
Yuan Tiankuo was stunned, but couldn't help giving Lu Shizhang a sneer.
Lu Shizhang looked a little embarrassed. "He can't leave me in the dust after just one year, can he? I'm ranked fifth among the Ten Heroes, after all!"
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