Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade

The previous text has been revised

Once they entered the city, everyone headed straight for the Demon Suppression Office.

Liu Chen swung down from his horse and looked at these brothers before him. Though bedraggled, they had all made it back alive. A thousand emotions churned in his heart.

"Go on back. Those seriously wounded, get to the clinic at once. The rest of you, go get some proper rest too."

Everyone silently acknowledged the order, each leading their horse toward the rear courtyard.

As they passed Jiang Yuechu, every one of them stopped. Some clasped their fists awkwardly, while others gave stiff, clumsy bows.

After everyone had left, Liu Chen walked up to Jiang Yuechu.

"Miss Jiang... thank you."

With that, he gave Jiang Yuechu a deep bow.

"I will report every detail of this mission truthfully and without omission, including your merits."

"Slaying a Bone-Chiming Great Demon is an enormous achievement. The Office's rewards... will certainly not be meager."

He raised his head and looked at her calm, unruffled face, his expression growing ever more complicated.

She was so young, yet possessed such methods.

Was she really only a mere Ninth-Rank Demon Suppressor?

Liu Chen laughed bitterly to himself.

He naturally understood why General Wei He had made such arrangements.

At the end of the day, the matter of Golden City had happened before she entered the Demon Suppression Office.

No matter how highly Lord Wei valued her abilities, he could not disregard the Office's rules, much less silence the mouths of the masses.

But now...

She had slain another Bone-Chiming Great Demon.

With such merit, the promotion documents would likely arrive within a few days.

Eighteen years old.

And a woman at that.

An eighteen-year-old female Eighth-Rank Squad Leader...

"Miss, your future is boundless. In the future... I hope you will offer me much guidance."

Jiang Yuechu did not catch the hidden meaning in his words. She merely nodded indifferently.

"Mm."

"If there is nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."

As soon as the words fell, she did not wait for his reply. She turned and headed straight for her own barracks.

Leaving Liu Chen alone where he stood.

He watched her departing figure for a long while, saying nothing.

Having entered the Demon Suppression Office, she naturally could no longer stay in Wei Qing's courtyard.

Fortunately, perhaps because she was a woman, the Office had arranged a small courtyard just for her.

Passing through the training grounds and winding around several bluestone paths, she found an independent, quiet little courtyard before her.

The courtyard was not large. It had only one main room, with a half-dead locust tree planted in one corner.

Compared with Wei Qing's elegant embroidered tower, this place was undoubtedly far more rudimentary.

But Jiang Yuechu was not someone who coveted comfort and luxury.

Though she had now barely gained some ability to protect herself, the vigilance in her heart had never eased.

Whether it was her own intuition or what Wei He had said, she always felt that her origins would surely bring no small trouble in the future.

Improving her strength was urgent; not a moment could be wasted.

Pushing open the door, she saw the room's furnishings at a glance: one bed, one table, two chairs, and nothing more.

She casually shut the door behind her, cutting off everything outside.

Clang.

She unfastened her saber and tossed it carelessly onto the table.

She kicked off the black boots caked in mud. Too lazy even to remove her outer robe, she sat cross-legged directly on the bed.

The nerves that had been taut for days finally relaxed completely at that moment.

She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Slaying a Bone-Chiming Great Demon, racing a hundred li, breaking through her realm...

Everything that had happened over the past few days replayed in her mind, one matter after another.

She did not know how much time passed before the sky outside the window had turned completely dark.

Jiang Yuechu opened her eyes and lit the oil lamp on the table.

A bean-sized flame swayed within the small room.

It was time to keep cheating.

[Host: Jiang Yuechu]

[Realm: Initial Bone-Chiming Realm]

[Martial Arts: Fierce Tiger Swift Blade (Supreme), Azure Cliff Returning Shadow (Supreme), Blood Sustenance Art (Perfected)]

[Dao Cultivation: 420 years]

[Recorded Demons: Tiger Mountain God (Eye-Pointing), Azure-Faced Lord (Vermilion-Stained), Zhu Yan (Shadow Tracing)]

[Innate Divine Abilities: Yin Law Granted by Heaven, Tiger Baleful Blood Boil, Wolf Travels a Thousand Miles]

[Demon Transformation: Tiger Mountain God]

Four hundred and twenty years!

This was the largest fortune she had acquired since crossing over.

After being poor for so long, she had suddenly become rich overnight. For a moment, she did not even know what to do with herself.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Money had to be spent where the blade met the bone.

Dao Cultivation naturally had to be used in the most crucial places as well.

Tiger Mountain God, Azure-Faced Lord, Zhu Yan.

Tiger Mountain God represented her primary offensive method: Fierce Tiger Swift Blade.

Now that she had entered the Bone-Chiming Realm, her vitality and blood were far stronger than before.

At the Supreme realm, her saber art's power was already terrifying beyond measure.

If she continued improving it, her Fierce Tiger Swift Blade might rise another step, and the power of her demon transformation would become even stronger.

As for Azure-Faced Lord, there was no need to consider it for now.

Though Azure Cliff Returning Shadow was endlessly uncanny, compared to absolute power, it was clearly somewhat lacking.

And as for the last one... Zhu Yan.

That Pig Demon had given her the Blood Sustenance Art, an auxiliary cultivation method that could only be called heaven-defying.

If she continued investing Dao Cultivation into it, what would she obtain?

Those bizarre blood-mist tentacles, or even stronger physical talents?

Jiang Yuechu's consciousness drifted back and forth among the three illustrated scrolls.

Should she play it safe and push her strengths to their utmost limit?

Or should she... make a big gamble?

She looked at the panel and fell into deep thought.

A long while later.

Jiang Yuechu opened her eyes.

The Blood Sustenance Art was sufficient for now. Killing power was the highest priority.

Once her mind was made up, she no longer hesitated in the slightest.

"Upgrade Tiger Mountain God."

Buzz—

At that moment, the ancient illustrated scroll bloomed with unprecedented, dazzling golden light.

Upon the scroll, the blood-colored fierce tiger crouching atop the mountain seemed to come alive.

It slowly opened those majestic vertical pupils.

Then, it leaped straight out of the scroll, turning into a streak of light that shot directly into Jiang Yuechu's brow!

Boom!

A torrent of information so immense it was beyond imagination exploded through her mind.

At the same time, the Tiger Mountain God scroll underwent earth-shaking changes.

The original words Eye-Pointing had already blurred.

[Heaven-Natured].

[Tiger Mountain God (Heaven-Natured): This demon has reached perfection, wholly formed by nature, as though born from heaven and earth. Its demon shadow may briefly be made illusory into solid reality and summoned to fight.]

Turning illusion into reality!

Jiang Yuechu's heart shook violently.

Did that not mean that, when fighting others in the future, she would gain another trump card besides demon transformation?

It was equivalent to gaining an additional helper out of thin air, one comparable to a Bone-Chiming Great Demon!

This... this was simply outrageous!

She forcefully suppressed the wild joy in her heart and continued looking downward.

[Fierce Tiger Swift Blade has advanced to a Bone-Chiming Realm martial art.]

[Martial Art: Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade (Proficient)...]

Fierce Tiger Swift Blade had advanced along with it.

The new saber art was called Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade.

Countless insights, moves, and exertion techniques regarding this saber art flooded into her mind like a tidal wave, rapidly merging with her own martial experience.

Every move and every stance felt as though she had been born knowing them.

Compared to the fierce, overbearing force of Fierce Tiger Swift Blade, Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade was undoubtedly more complete—and more terrifying.

When the blade emerged, not only would a tiger phantom follow it, but the sound of a tiger's roar would accompany it, shaking the mind and throwing one's blood and vitality into disorder.

But...

Jiang Yuechu's brows suddenly furrowed.

Proficient?

No, what did that mean?

It was like spending countless amounts of money, pulling a fully maxed character, only to find that its talent skills still were not maxed out.

Was that reasonable?

She could scarcely believe her eyes and carefully checked it again.

That was right. It was Proficient.

According to the True Explanation of Martial Dao, martial arts realms went from Beginner to Proficient, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, Perfected, and then Supreme—each step was like ascending to heaven.

Her previous two martial arts had both been at the Supreme realm.

Now, while this Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade was indeed far more powerful than before, its realm was only the mere Proficient level?

What kind of nonsense was this?