Great Qin Demon Suppression Bureau

"Brother Shen!"

"Mm!"

Shen Changqing walked down the road. Whenever he met someone he knew, they would exchange greetings or nod at one another.

But no matter who it was.

No one wore any excess expression on their face, as though they were indifferent to everything.

As for that.

Shen Changqing had long since grown used to it.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Bureau, an institution that maintained Great Qin's stability. Its primary duty was to slaughter demons, evil spirits, and strange monsters, though it also handled a few side occupations.

It could be said.

Everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau had their hands stained with much blood.

When one had seen life and death often enough, one naturally became indifferent to many things.

When Shen Changqing had first arrived in this world, he had found it difficult to adapt. But over time, he had gotten used to it.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Bureau were either powerful experts or people with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had two professions in total: Guardians and Demon Slayers.

Anyone entering the Demon Suppression Bureau began as the lowest-ranking Demon Slayer, then rose step by step, ultimately gaining the chance to become a Guardian.

Shen Changqing's predecessor had been a probationary Demon Slayer in the Demon Suppression Bureau, the lowest rank among Demon Slayers.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was neither particularly large nor particularly small.

But with the memories of his predecessor.

He was also extremely familiar with the Demon Suppression Bureau's surroundings.

Before long, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other places in the Demon Suppression Bureau, which were filled with a grim killing aura, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, displaying a different kind of tranquility amid the blood-soaked Bureau.

At that moment, the pavilion doors stood open, with people occasionally entering and leaving.

Shen Changqing hesitated only briefly before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion.

The environment abruptly changed.

A scent of ink mixed with a faint stench of blood washed over him. His brows instinctively furrowed, only to quickly relax again.

Everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau had much blood on their hands.

The bloody odor on their bodies was almost impossible to wash away.

To remain in the Demon Suppression Bureau, becoming accustomed to blood was a necessary condition.

Others were like this, and Shen Changqing was no exception.

"Probationary Yellow Division Demon Slayer Shen Changqing requests entry into the Archive Pavilion!"

"Mm."

The old man seated before the pavilion, who had been dozing off, opened his bleary eyes. A nearly imperceptible flash of blood-red light flickered through them and vanished.

In that instant.

Shen Changqing felt as though a blade were pressed against his back, making every hair on his body stand on end.

Had he not possessed strong mental fortitude, he would have turned and fled in that instant.

However.

Shen Changqing also understood that the person guarding the Archive Pavilion before him was an expert of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The instinctive sense of danger he felt was merely a trace of the other man's aura leaking out.

"Present your identity token."

"Please inspect it!"

"Probationary Demon Slayers may enter the first floor of the Archive Pavilion and remain for two hours. Do not overstay."

"Thank you!"

Shen Changqing put away his token. The old man closed his eyes as well, seemingly having fallen back into a deep sleep.

He did not pay it much mind and walked directly past the old man, officially entering the Archive Pavilion.

The Demon Suppression Bureau did not have many rules.

But once any rule was violated, death was a distinct possibility.

One such rule was not to pry into others' private matters or indulge in excessive curiosity.

Over the years.

There had been countless cases of Demon Slayers whose curiosity had gone too far, who had pried into matters without permission and angered others, only to be slain in the end.

Although the Demon Suppression Bureau strictly forbade mutual killing.

To kill someone, one did not necessarily have to do it openly.

Besides.

Though the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau were not madmen, quite a few were impulsive and hot-tempered. If rage rushed to their heads, then killing someone was simply killing someone.

Although Shen Changqing had spent nearly five days in the Demon Suppression Bureau without seeing such an example.

His predecessor had already been in the Demon Suppression Bureau for nearly a month.

Within that month.

His predecessor had also heard of several such cases.

As someone who had inherited his predecessor's memories, Shen Changqing was deeply wary of this.

The Archive Pavilion.

Was where the entire Demon Suppression Bureau stored its martial arts manuals.

If one wished to deal with demons, evil spirits, and strange monsters, ordinary flesh and blood naturally stood no chance.

Only by cultivating profound martial arts could one gain the initial capital to contend against demons, evil spirits, and strange monsters.

Thus, the Archive Pavilion existed so that the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau could improve their strength as much as possible.

And because the Demon Suppression Bureau itself was an institution that protected Great Qin, it needed to nurture enough experts.

There were not many requirements for studying and cultivating the martial arts within.

As long as one possessed an identity token.

One could freely enter and leave the Archive Pavilion without paying any additional fee.

But to prevent certain people from immersing themselves in the Archive Pavilion indefinitely to avoid the Bureau's assignments, or from becoming useless trash who knew only martial arts yet possessed not the slightest experience in life-and-death combat.

The Demon Suppression Bureau established rules limiting the time and number of times each person could enter the Archive Pavilion.

The first floor of the Archive Pavilion was immense.

When Shen Changqing arrived, quite a few people were lingering there as well, leafing through the books on the shelves.

As for those people.

Some he knew, while others were complete strangers.

After all, the Demon Suppression Bureau was too large, and fresh blood was replaced frequently. Although his predecessor had stayed for a month, the people he truly knew were limited.

No one noticed Shen Changqing's arrival.

Everyone was using their limited time to memorize as much of the martial arts they needed to cultivate as possible.

Shen Changqing had no intention of paying attention to others. He came before a bookshelf and, from among the neatly arranged books, skillfully pulled out one volume.

Several large characters were written on the book.

Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art!

The characters were unique to Great Qin and differed greatly from the writing Shen Changqing had known in his previous life.

But with his predecessor's memories, understanding the words posed no difficulty.

Taking out the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art, Shen Changqing sat cross-legged beside the bookshelf and silently began reading through it.

Time passed.

Two hours soon went by.

Shen Changqing returned the book to its original place, then rose and headed outside.

As he departed.

The old man stationed in the Archive Pavilion opened his bleary eyes for a moment before closing them again.

In that instant.

Shen Changqing once again felt as though a blade were pressed against his back, forcing him to quicken his steps.

Not long after.

He returned to his residence.

Because once one entered the Demon Suppression Bureau, one belonged to it in life and became its ghost in death. There was simply no possibility of leaving.

Therefore, everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau, even the lowest-ranking Demon Slayer, received extraordinary treatment.

For example.

Shen Changqing's current residence was an independent courtyard, containing wooden dummies, stone locks, and other training equipment.

After returning to his residence.

He did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he focused his mind—

Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Bureau
Identity: Probationary Demon Slayer
Martial Arts: Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art (Not Initiated, Can Be Improved)
Slaughter: 3

"It worked!"

Seeing the words "Can Be Improved" on the panel, Shen Changqing immediately smiled.

After arriving in this world.

The reason he had the confidence to remain in the Demon Suppression Bureau was because he had discovered his own cheat.

A panel that appeared ordinary and simple.

Yet Shen Changqing understood that it would be the foundation upon which he established himself in this world.

Without any hesitation.

He directly focused his thoughts on the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art, then silently said, Improve!

The instant the thought fell.

His Slaughter value decreased by one. The words Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art twisted violently, and the original "Not Initiated" directly became "First Layer."

At the same time.

A powerful force rose from within Shen Changqing's body. His blood and qi surged throughout him, while his bones erupted in crisp crackles, as though enduring some immense pressure.

Before he could react further.

Immediately afterward.

Another powerful pressure bore down upon his five organs and six bowels.

"Puh!"

Shen Changqing opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood. His expression twisted together from the sudden, agonizing pain.

But soon.

The feeling of pain vanished, replaced by an unprecedented comfort that thoroughly cleansed his body.

"Hah!"

That comfortable feeling made Shen Changqing completely forget the suffering from moments ago.

When he came back to himself.

He stood where he was and simply moved his arms and legs, beginning to adapt to his body's state after the breakthrough.

"My strength and speed have both improved somewhat. The increase is not great, but defeating my former self would not be too difficult!"

"But the true primary function of the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art lies in improving the body's defenses."

"Now that I've successfully reached the First Layer, my body's defensive improvement should be greater than the increase in strength and speed. Still, I remain far from being able to withstand blades and swords head-on."

After moving about, Shen Changqing pinched his own skin. Its color had not changed, but its toughness had increased considerably.

He was very satisfied with such an increase.

"As expected, only after fully memorizing a martial art can one truly begin cultivating it. Recklessly cultivating after reading only a little will only harm oneself and others."

Thinking of how his predecessor had rashly cultivated the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art and died from the technique's backlash, Shen Changqing helplessly shook his head.

Too impulsive!

He had started cultivating before even understanding the manual. If he died, he had no one else to blame.

Soon.

Shen Changqing focused his mind again and turned his attention to the panel.

Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Bureau
Identity: Probationary Demon Slayer
Martial Arts: Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art (First Layer, Can Be Improved)
Slaughter: 2

"Raising the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art by one layer only consumed one Slaughter value. It seems the cost of improving martial arts is even lower than I expected.

"In that case, my strength can improve considerably again in a short time."

Shen Changqing was extremely satisfied.

He did not waste any time. With another thought, he began the next round of improvement.