Demon-Suppression Bureau Examination!

Su Qingxue's ordinarily impassive face instantly froze upon hearing this.

The pastry about to reach her lips was crushed in her fingers. She looked at the scar-faced groom and said, "Something happened? What could possibly have happened?"

"The Clear Spring Gang is gone," the scar-faced man said coldly.

"What do you mean?" Su Qingxue asked with a frown.

"They're all dead. Not a single one was left," the scar-faced groom said.

"What exactly happened?" Su Qingxue's expression darkened.

The scar-faced groom recounted the information he had heard.

A moment later, Su Qingxue said darkly, "You're saying that the Clear Spring Gang went looking for trouble with Xu Ye, and one day later, every member of the Clear Spring Gang was dead?"

The scar-faced groom nodded without a word.

Su Qingxue's face turned ugly.

A coincidence?

Where were there so many coincidences in this world?

"What did the authorities say?" Su Qingxue asked again.

So many people had died, and in the county town at that. The authorities could not possibly stay out of it.

The scar-faced groom said, "The authorities said the Clear Spring Gang colluded with demons and monsters, harming the common people. The Demon-Suppression Bureau stepped in and cleaned them up."

At those words, Su Qingxue's face darkened.

The Demon-Suppression Bureau?

Demons and monsters?

How had this matter become entangled with the Demon-Suppression Bureau?

"So this matter has nothing to do with Xu Ye?" Su Qingxue asked with a slight frown.

Yet she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The scar-faced groom nodded. "According to the authorities, that is indeed the case."

"Is that so?" Su Qingxue said coldly. "That brat is that lucky? He actually managed to escape disaster."

But she suddenly recalled something, and her expression changed again. She shot to her feet and stared at the scar-faced groom. "No! You just said he injured Wan Laosan from the Clear Spring Gang the day before yesterday?"

"As far as I know, Wan Laosan is at the fifth level of Meridian Opening. How could he possibly have been injured by him? Wasn't Xu Ye born with blocked martial meridians?"

It was precisely because Xu Ye had been born with blocked martial meridians and was nothing more than an ordinary man that, in order to avoid leaving others any leverage, they had sent the Clear Spring Gang after him.

But what was going on now?

That brat could injure Wan Laosan, who was at the fifth level of Meridian Opening. That was absolutely not something a person born with blocked martial meridians could accomplish!

Hearing this, the scar-faced groom frowned slightly. "This subordinate does not know. Perhaps Xu Ye had been concealing some of his strength from others. After all, his father was a member of the Demon-Suppression Bureau."

Su Qingxue frowned, then shook her head. "No! If he had concealed his strength, why would he ask me to give him a cultivation technique?"

"That proves he had never cultivated before. Could someone who had never cultivated before injure a person at the fifth level of Meridian Opening after only three days?"

Others might not know, but Su Qingxue herself knew very well that the cultivation technique she had given Xu Ye was merely the most basic Qi Refining Formula, not even ranked.

Let alone defeating someone at the fifth level of Meridian Opening in three days.

Even getting started with cultivation would have been impossible!

How could Xu Ye, someone born with blocked martial meridians, possibly have done it?

There was something fishy going on!

There was definitely something fishy going on!

She suddenly thought of the three days Xu Ye had deliberately dragged out.

There was absolutely a problem here.

Perhaps that fellow Xu Ye had some secret on him.

Thinking this, Su Qingxue murmured, "Interesting. Very interesting. This young lady is becoming more and more interested in that brat Xu Ye."

"Since that's the case, this young lady will have a good time playing with you."

As she spoke, a cold gleam appeared in her eyes, along with a trace of anticipation and greed.

Meanwhile!

At the Demon-Suppression Bureau Office!

Xu Ye had no idea at this moment that although his affairs had not aroused anyone else's suspicion, they had caused Su Qingxue to set her sights on him once more.

At this moment, he had returned to the Demon-Suppression Bureau Office.

His father had been a member of the Demon-Suppression Bureau, so he had some understanding of it.

There were only two ways to enter the Demon-Suppression Bureau.

One was to possess a special pardon warrant from the Demon-Suppression Bureau. Naturally, such a thing was highly unusual and difficult to obtain.

For example, the one Xu Ye had sold had been bought with his father's life.

The second way was to pass the examination through one's own strength.

The Demon-Suppression Bureau recruited talented people from all under heaven and held examinations once every six months. Anyone with sufficient strength could take the examination and enter the Demon-Suppression Bureau.

Now that Xu Ye no longer had a special pardon warrant, his only option for entering the Demon-Suppression Bureau was to take its examination.

That was why Xu Ye had come today: to register for the examination.

After arriving at the Demon-Suppression Bureau Office and stating his purpose, a minor official from the Demon-Suppression Bureau came to lead the way.

Before long, Xu Ye arrived at a great hall within the Demon-Suppression Bureau, where people were in charge of registration.

Xu Ye casually approached a minor official who was registering applicants for the examination and said softly, "I want to register for the Demon-Suppression Bureau examination."

The minor official glanced at Xu Ye. "Name, place of origin, age."

"Xu Ye, eighteen, from White Cloud County..." Xu Ye answered honestly.

Soon, the minor official finished registering everything and tossed Xu Ye a token. "Take this identity token and participate in the examination. If you pass, someone will make arrangements for you. If you fail... heh..."

He did not continue.

But Xu Ye understood what he meant.

If he failed, he could get lost on his own.

Xu Ye nodded slightly and clenched the token in his hand. This time, he would definitely enter the Demon-Suppression Bureau.

Not only for his younger sister's safety, but for his own future as well.

With the token in hand, Xu Ye passed through layer after layer of screening before finally arriving at the Demon-Suppression Bureau's examination hall.

The examination hall was enormous, capable of holding several hundred people at once.

By the time Xu Ye arrived, quite a few people had already gathered there. The Demon-Suppression Bureau's benefits were enough to make people drool, so naturally there were many taking the examination.

Thus, his arrival did not draw anyone's attention.

According to the examination rules, the next round would begin in half an hour. Xu Ye did not waste words and found a corner to wait quietly.

Not long after Xu Ye entered the examination hall.

A commotion suddenly arose at the entrance.

"Look, it's Lin Yuyan. She's taking this examination too?"

"I never expected to be in the same batch as her. The pressure just shot through the roof."

"I heard she opened five martial meridians before even turning eighteen. Her cultivation is incredibly strong!"

"With her taking the examination, she'll probably take first place this time."

As the commotion spread, discussions arose all around.

Curious, Xu Ye also raised his head and looked toward the entrance of the great hall.

A young girl in a pale yellow dress slowly walked inside. She had an ethereal bearing and a refined, elegant air about her. She was very beautiful.

Her looks even surpassed Su Qingxue's.

"The Lin Family's second daughter..." Xu Ye murmured upon seeing her.

The Lin Family was also an extremely powerful family in White Cloud County, no less formidable than the Su Family.

Therefore, Xu Ye had heard of Lin Yuyan's name.

He simply had not expected that he would happen to encounter her at the Demon-Suppression Bureau's once-in-six-months examination.

But Xu Ye did not pay it much mind. After all, someone like her could not possibly have any intersection with him.

Still, Xu Ye admired this second young lady. Opening five martial meridians before the age of eighteen truly showed remarkable talent.

Though he was now at the ninth level of Meridian Opening, far stronger than these people, that was also thanks to the Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System.

Without the Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System, he would not have opened even a single martial meridian in eighteen years.

One could well imagine just how formidable Lin Yuyan's talent was.