Missing

"It seems Junior Brother Jiang's potential is even greater than I anticipated."

Hearing Sun Wu's words, Zhou Yuqing looked at Jiang Chen, who was standing in a horse stance, her bright eyes shimmering.

She was naturally aware that the year-end Martial Exam Ranking would involve actual combat.

With such combat talent, Jiang Chen would be like a fish in water during those life-or-death struggles.

In other words, as long as his cultivation kept pace, Jiang Chen had a high probability of charging into the top ranks of the Martial Exam Ranking, thereby successfully joining the City Guard.

The establishment of the City Guard served two purposes: to deter unrest and to screen for talent.

If Jiang Chen could pass the selection, he would have a great hope of entering the True Sun Sect.

"I must inform my father about Junior Brother Jiang's situation as soon as possible."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuqing walked quickly out of the Martial Arts Hall.

A genius with the potential to enter the Upper Sect must be cultivated with priority.

"With the resources of the Martial Arts Hall to assist him, Junior Brother Jiang should no longer be lacking in supplies."

Watching Zhou Yuqing depart, a smile appeared on Sun Wu's face.

His words just now were intended to increase Jiang Chen's weight within the Martial Arts Hall.

If he could befriend a future Upper Sect disciple, he would benefit infinitely.

"Senior Brother Sun, shall we spar again?"

Jiang Chen, who had been standing in a stance to recover his Blood Qi, approached with an eager expression.

"I came here today because I have something to tell you."

Sun Wu waved his hand; if they kept fighting, he would truly have to go all out.

Having to use his full strength to deal with a junior brother in the Blood Qi Realm would not sound good if word got out.

"What is it?"

Jiang Chen asked curiously.

"For the past few days, people from the Zheng Clan have been secretly inquiring about you."

Sun Wu looked around before speaking with a serious expression.

To be honest, when Zheng Hao and the others were killed, he never once suspected Jiang Chen.

After all, when Zheng Hao and his group died, Jiang Chen had only just entered the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

But after these few days of sparring, his suspicion of Jiang Chen had skyrocketed.

With Jiang Chen's combat talent, taking care of Zheng Hao and his group would be a simple matter.

If it were only a matter of outstanding combat talent, he wouldn't have suspected Jiang Chen.

But Jiang Chen had only recently broken ties with Zheng Hao and the others before they were ambushed in a dark alley.

Now, the Zheng Clan was secretly investigating Jiang Chen again.

No matter how one looked at it, this did not seem like a coincidence!

"The Zheng Clan?"

Jiang Chen's expression shifted slightly.

It seemed that the person spying on him at the Thousand Fragrance Pavilion last time really was from the Zheng Clan.

As expected, as his cultivation broke through and his status rose, he had still attracted attention.

He did not care much about this.

It was impossible to hide and cower just because he feared the Zheng Clan; that would be doing more harm than good.

"It seems I wasn't wrong."

Seeing this, Sun Wu's inner thoughts became even more certain.

The death of Zheng Hao and the others was likely truly related to Jiang Chen.

"Junior Brother Jiang, if there is nothing urgent, try not to travel alone."

Sun Wu did not voice his guess, only urging Jiang Chen to be careful.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Sun."

Jiang Chen cupped his hands in gratitude.

He could feel that Sun Wu was genuinely concerned for him.

"I'm off."

Sun Wu departed.

"Time to cultivate."

Jiang Chen did not dwell on the matter of the Zheng Clan and returned to his residence to sit cross-legged in meditation.

The same principle still applied.

Once his strength was sufficient, all troubles would be resolved with ease.

Time flew by, and another three days passed.

BOOM!

At noon, while Jiang Chen was sitting cross-legged in meditation, the martial arts blood and qi within his body suddenly surged, followed by a powerful aura sweeping outward.

"Second Aperture, break through!"

Jiang Chen opened his eyes, his gaze brilliant, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

[Cultivation: Three Qi and Blood Gates · Second Aperture 1%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, the cultivation column changed accordingly.

"Huh? The strength amplification has weakened?"

Jiang Chen clenched his fist, sensing the change in his martial arts blood and qi, and stood up to head outside.

BANG!

As his blood and qi condensed, he slammed a punch into the Iron Wood Stake.

A clear fist print emerged.

"Seven hundred and fifty jin of force."

In other words, the breakthrough of the Second Aperture only increased his force by fifty jin.

It seemed that the transformation of his martial arts blood and qi was approaching its limit.

As for the increase in combat power, it could only be polished slowly.

Of course, even so, once all seven apertures were pierced, his force would reach one thousand jin.

A casual punch carrying a thousand jin of force—he was practically a human beast.

And this was merely the introductory stage of martial arts.

From this, one could see just how shocking martial arts cultivation would be when it reached a profound level.

"Time to eat."

Jiang Chen headed to the cafeteria.

"Tell me, is the matter of the Outer Courtyard disciples going missing true or false?"

"It shouldn't be fake; the families of those junior brothers have already come to the Martial Arts Hall."

"What kind of thing would dare to strike at Martial Arts Hall disciples? This is too rampant."

"Several people in a row have vanished without a trace. Could it be that they encountered a Soul Demon?!"

"A Soul Demon? Wasn't that just a rumor? Could there really be Soul Demons in the Prefecture City?"

In the cafeteria, Inner Courtyard disciples gathered in small groups, discussing the matter fervently.

"Senior Brother Zhou, has something happened to the Martial Arts Hall?"

Jiang Chen, having filled his plate with food, found Zhou Yu and the others.

"This morning, someone came to the Martial Arts Hall to report a missing person case..."

Zhou Yu and the others spoke, revealing the topic the Inner Courtyard disciples were discussing.

Simply put, several Outer Courtyard disciples had gone missing for no reason.

The Martial Arts Hall had assumed those disciples had gone home.

The families of those disciples, however, thought they had been training at the Martial Arts Hall the whole time.

It wasn't until they came to the Martial Arts Hall and compared notes that they realized something was wrong.

Once the news spread, it naturally caused an uproar.

"Missing for no reason?"

In Jiang Chen's mind, he immediately thought of the Soul Demon.

Back when the gangs were fighting, that Soul Demon had taken the opportunity to harm many people.

Could this incident be related to a Soul Demon again?

So, were there other Soul Demons hiding in the Prefecture City?

This was certainly not a good thing!

The appearance of demons and Soul Demons often signaled that a great catastrophe was about to occur.

If he were to get dragged into this, it would be nothing but trouble.

"Master Zhou is personally leading people to investigate this matter thoroughly; I expect there will be results soon."

This missing person case was different from the time Zheng Hao and the others were killed.

One was a robbery, while the other involved mysterious disappearances; naturally, the Martial Arts Hall had to take it seriously.

"An eventful autumn, indeed."

Jiang Chen was not so optimistic.

If it were the work of humans, it would indeed not be difficult to investigate; after all, as long as something is done, it will inevitably leave a trace.

But if it were an evil spirit, such as a Soul Demon, there would be nowhere to even begin an investigation, and encountering one basically meant death.

"I must step into the True Martial Realm as soon as possible."

The sense of urgency in Jiang Chen's heart grew even stronger.

In the current turbulent situation, only formidable strength was the foundation for survival.

Although the True Martial Realm could not yet be considered a powerhouse, it at least provided a certain degree of self-preservation.

After finishing lunch, he did not linger and returned to his residence to begin cultivation.

Just like that, another five days passed.

By this evening, both Inner Courtyard disciples and Outer Courtyard disciples were packing their luggage.

Starting tomorrow, there would be a three-day holiday, and all disciples of the Martial Arts Hall were required to return home.

"Young Master."

When Jiang Chen walked out of the Martial Arts Hall with his luggage on his back, Head Guard Li was already waiting with his men.

Clearly, this had been specially arranged by his father to prevent anyone from harming him.

"Let's go home."

The group set off immediately.

"Hm?"

En route, Jiang Chen, whose sensory perception was spread out, suddenly felt a stir in his heart.

Soul power perception?

Jiang Chen's expression remained normal, but he secretly gathered his soul power, remaining extremely vigilant of his surroundings.

Just a moment ago, he had captured a trace of a peculiar fluctuation.

That sensation was extremely similar to the perception he felt when he activated his Soul Seal.

So, there was truly more than one Soul Demon in the Prefecture City?

Soul Demon...

As this thought emerged, Jiang Chen's mind could not help but become active.

If it were any other demon or evil spirit, he naturally would not act rashly.

But a Soul Demon was different.

The existence of the Myriad Dao Chart could perfectly suppress soul-type demons and evil spirits.

If he could suppress another Soul Demon, his Soul Seal could advance to the second stage.

The first stage of the Soul Seal was already capable of significantly enhancing his combat power.

Once it reached the second stage, the boost to his combat power would surely be even greater.

"Let's give it a try."

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen quietly activated his soul power, letting it diffuse and permeate the surroundings...