Scholar Perfection

There was a hint of mockery in the voice.

Every Prefecture Clerk in the room turned to look.

Gao Quan's expression stiffened. He turned and cupped his fists. "Greetings, Lord Zhou."

Qin An raised an eyebrow and looked at the newcomer.

He was a young man dressed in black, with a thumb-length scar between his brows.

A Bronze Token hung at his waist, much like Tang Lingwei's.

A shadow crossed the man's face as he twirled a lock of hair at his right temple. "You haven't answered my question."

Gao Quan gave a strained smile. "The dispute is between you and Lord Tang. Why make things difficult for us Prefecture Clerks?"

The man sneered and turned to Qin An. "You've just entered the Body Infusion Realm. Not bad. Too bad you followed the wrong person."

Qin An said nothing and quietly rested a hand on the Black Blade.

From what Gao Quan had said, Qin An knew the Evil Extermination Division was no solid block. Its entanglements ran as deep as the roots of an old tree.

Powerful factions sent people here as hostages, and they struggled for authority among themselves.

This man might have a grudge against Tang Lingwei. Since Qin An now served under her, he would naturally be caught in it too.

Seeing Qin An remain silent, the man raised a hand and reached toward him.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Zhou Mo, if you're angry, take it out on me. Picking on my subordinate like this—aren't you afraid of losing your dignity?"

Tang Lingwei leaned against the doorway, her bold brows raised. Her hand already rested on the weapon at her waist.

Zhou Mo turned, his expression shifting. He sneered. "Forget it. With people like these under you, who knows when they'll die on a mission? I won't waste my anger on you."

With that, Zhou Mo withdrew his hand and walked straight out.

Tang Lingwei glanced at Qin An. "Once you've collected your uniform, have Gao Quan take you through the various case files. You won't need to take any missions for the next few days."

Qin An watched Tang Lingwei leave, then looked at Gao Quan.

Gao Quan was wiping sweat from his forehead. When he noticed Qin An looking, he patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll talk as we walk."

Qin An nodded and followed Gao Quan toward another building.

On the way, Gao Quan explained the whole affair.

"Zhou Mo is also a Bronze Prefecture Captain. He joined the Evil Extermination Division even before Lord Tang. He has a relative he wanted to bring in through special privilege."

"But Zhou Mo had used up his quota last year, so he approached Lord Tang. He wanted to use his seniority to make her take in his relative."

"Lord Tang refused. Then, just as Zhou Mo's special recruitment opportunity came around this year, guess what happened? That relative died in a demon calamity."

"That was how the grudge began."

After hearing it all, Qin An knew this was no small grudge.

No wonder Zhou Mo wanted to put down Tang Lingwei's subordinates.

"Lord Tang's people aren't strong?" Qin An asked, looking at the building drawing closer.

Zhou Mo's words had revealed quite a bit. Qin An had picked up on one part of it.

Gao Quan smiled bitterly. "Lord Tang only recently became a Bronze Prefecture Captain, and she's short on people. The veteran Bronze Prefecture Captains snatch up the new recruits every year, so our strength ranks near the bottom of the Evil Extermination Division."

Veterans pushing down newcomers was common elsewhere, and the Evil Extermination Division was no different.

Gao Quan stopped. "We're here. Don't dwell on it. There are power struggles in the Evil Extermination Division, but it's far fairer than most places. If you're willing to risk your life, you'll get what you deserve."

The outline of the building appeared before Qin An.

Gao Quan explained, "You're new, so start with the case files. You need to understand the situation in Ling Prefecture, at least."

Read case files?

Qin An's face remained impassive, but a wave rose in his heart.

It was exactly what he wanted.

The Scholar Profession was only forty points away from reaching level four. Qin An had been thinking of visiting a bookshop later, but now the opportunity had fallen into his lap.

Gao Quan said a few more words, then left.

He was no newcomer and still had plenty of work to handle.

Dressed in black, Qin An entered the building.

The building was called the Confidential Archives. It housed all the Evil Extermination Division's secret case files, and its security was tight, both openly and covertly.

Only those of a certain rank could consult the corresponding intelligence.

As a Prefecture Clerk, Qin An could at most look through records on the distribution of nearby forces.

Following the rules, Qin An took the badge from his waist.

It was an ordinary badge, a symbol of his status as a Prefecture Clerk.

After confirming Qin An's identity, the person on the first floor told him he could only read the books there, then paid him no further attention.

The Evil Extermination Division recruited people every year, and many people died every year too.

A life was the most valuable thing here, because the Evil Extermination Division needed it.

A life was also the least valuable thing, because people died every year.

No one wanted to bother with a newcomer.

Qin An preferred it that way. He walked to a bookshelf, pulled out a book, and began to read.

Smoke appeared, and the Scholar Profession's proficiency began to rise.

That afternoon.

Qin An put down the book.

[Scholar lv.3 (400/400): Your reading speed has increased slightly.]

[Advancement requirement: Read one Body Infusion Realm book (0/1).]

Qin An had spent the entire afternoon reading. He stopped only when his Scholar experience was full.

"I need to read a Body Infusion Realm book?"

Qin An rubbed the hilt of the Black Blade, thinking.

From Ding County until now, every book he had obtained had been at the Qi Concealment Realm.

Though his Mind Method had reached the initial stage of the Body Infusion Realm, he had achieved it by stacking various talents and supplementing them with a vast amount of vitality, forcing the deduction through.

Now that he needed to find a Body Infusion Realm book, where was he supposed to look?

Qin An pondered as he walked out the door.

Then a thought struck him.

"The Cultivation Methods I deduced are at the Body Infusion Realm. If I write one down and read it carefully, would that fulfill the advancement requirement?"

Once the idea occurred to him, Qin An felt it was worth a try.

Gao Quan had finished his work for the day and was already waiting outside.

When he saw Qin An emerge, he immediately walked over.

"Brother Qin, I'll take you to your quarters."

Qin An pulled himself from his thoughts and set the idea aside for now. "There are quarters?"

He had been planning to find somewhere temporary to stay outside, but Gao Quan had come to fetch him first.

Gao Quan smiled. "We risk our lives doing this work. The benefits naturally have to match. You don't just get a place to stay—it's a good one."

With that, he led Qin An at a brisk pace to a small courtyard.

A house stood at the front of the courtyard, its door open. The furnishings inside were visible through the doorway.

They were simple, yet had a quiet elegance of their own.

Gao Quan pointed to the house. "This is where you'll stay. Take some time to get settled. If you need anything, count ten houses east from here. That's where I live."

Houses like the one before him stood densely packed all around, their layouts nearly identical.

That suited Qin An just fine.

With a house to himself, he could train his proficiency without exposing his Golden Finger.

After Gao Quan left, Qin An entered the house, shut the door behind him, and found brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

He wanted to see whether a book he wrote from his own deductions would let him advance.