I Got Promoted?

How should the remaining realms be improved?

Could it be... that she had to practice them herself, one slash at a time?

At that thought, Jiang Yuechu's face instantly darkened.

What kind of joke was this?

What had she relied on to get where she was today?

Talent? Hard work?

Neither!

She had relied on cheats!

And now the golden finger was telling her that the cheats had run their course, and she had to walk the rest of the road herself?

Damn it!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Just as she was about to curse out that unreliable Hundred Demons Register in her heart—

At that moment.

Beneath the words [Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade (Proficient)] on the panel, a new line of tiny text slowly emerged.

[Host has reached the Bone-Resonance Realm. Dao Cultivation may be expended to directly infuse martial arts and raise their realm.]

"..."

Jiang Yuechu froze.

Huh?

That was possible too?

But then she noticed how much Dao Cultivation she had left.

[Remaining Dao Cultivation: Thirteen years.]

"..."

Upgrading [Tiger Mountain God] to [Heaven-Natured] had cost four hundred and seven years.

Now, she only had a pitiful thirteen years left.

Never mind improving it—even making a sound would probably be beyond reach.

Still...

Depressed as she was, the appearance of this new function had undoubtedly opened an entirely new door for her.

It meant that from now on, she had another path to increasing her strength.

She no longer had to rely solely on recording demons to gain new abilities.

She could pour her Dao Cultivation into a single direction and stack it to the absolute limit!

Take this Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade, for instance. If she could raise it to the supreme realm, how terrifying would its power become?

And what lay beyond the supreme realm?

Thought after thought flashed through her mind, and Jiang Yuechu's heart instantly burned hot.

Poor was poor.

As long as she could kill demons, there would always be Dao Cultivation to earn.

She forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately head out and find a demon to test her blade on, instead turning her gaze to those last thirteen years of Dao Cultivation.

It was not much, but it could not be wasted.

"Infuse Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade."

Even a mosquito's leg was still meat.

Bzz—

With a thought from her, those thirteen years of Dao Cultivation vanished in an instant.

But—

Nothing happened.

Just as expected.

Jiang Yuechu sighed, though she was not surprised.

Forget it.

Such an enormous improvement was already enough to satisfy her.

She let out a breath of stale air and tossed all the random thoughts from her head.

Now that things had come to this, she should sleep first.

Summer in Longyou Circuit was brutally scorching.

The yellow sand had been baked blazing hot by the sun.

When the wind blew, it plastered itself all over one's face.

For several days straight, Jiang Yuechu did not step beyond the courtyard gate.

These days, she did nothing but eat and sleep.

With nothing else to do, she simply drew her saber and practiced in the courtyard.

After all, no matter how small a mosquito's leg was, it was still meat.

She was now in the Bone-Resonance Realm, and she possessed a talent like [Yin Law Granted by Heaven]. Practicing a little should bring some improvement, at least.

However, reality gave her a vicious slap across the face.

Jiang Yuechu stopped moving and stood in the courtyard, breathing lightly, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

She made a rough calculation.

Even with the boost from [Yin Law Granted by Heaven], taking this blade technique from "Proficient" to "Minor Accomplishment" would likely require decades of sleepless, relentless effort.

Decades...

"Fuck..."

Jiang Yuechu could not help muttering a curse.

So without cheats, she was just trash at martial arts?

At that moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Miss Jiang, are you there?"

It was Liu Chen's voice.

Jiang Yuechu sheathed her saber and went to pull open the gate.

Outside stood Liu Chen in a clean fitted outfit. His complexion had recovered, but he still looked somewhat reserved.

"Squad Commander Liu, what is it?"

"Lord Xu wants to see you."

Lord Xu?

In Jiang Yuechu's mind, the image of that handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, whom she had seen upon first entering Xuan Camp, instantly surfaced.

Judging by the attitudes of those around him that day, he was surely no small figure.

But why would someone like that suddenly summon her?

Seeing the confusion on her face, Liu Chen gave a bitter smile and explained, "Lord Xu is a lieutenant general of the Longyou Demon Suppression Office. He oversees all affairs, great and small, within Xuan Camp."

"This summons is most likely about your promotion."

He paused before continuing, "You killed a Bone-Chiming Great Demon. Your merits have already been reported, and the office has approved them. You are now an Eighth-Rank Squad Commander."

"By custom, every newly promoted squad commander must go meet him and receive some instruction. It was the same when I was promoted."

Huh?

Jiang Yuechu was stunned.

I got promoted?

No, she had not even received a month's salary yet!

Then would this month's pay be calculated according to her former position as a Ninth-Rank Demon Suppressor, or according to her current position as an Eighth-Rank Squad Commander?

She silently pondered it, but she was not foolish enough to ask outright.

She merely nodded, turned back into the room to retrieve her saber and hang it at her waist, then followed Liu Chen toward the rear hall of Xuan Camp.

Along the way, perhaps afraid she would be nervous, or perhaps simply wanting something to talk about, Liu Chen took the initiative to introduce Lord Xu.

"Lord Xu's name is Xu Changfeng."

"The Xu Family is a military household in the capital. His father is even the current Left Valiant Guard Grand General, a high official of Subordinate Second Rank."

As Liu Chen spoke of this, a trace of envy inevitably crept into his voice.

"Lord Xu displayed outstanding talent from childhood. I heard that, in his early years, he was even guided by an expert from Pure Yang Palace. At only fifteen, he entered the String-Hearing Realm."

"By the time he was twenty-one, he was already an expert of the Bone-Resonance Realm. Now... now that he is not yet thirty, he is likely already... at Half-Step Core Formation."

Half-Step Core Formation?

Jiang Yuechu paused for the first time upon hearing that term.

It must be the realm after Bone-Resonance.

Then she thought of him.

Not yet thirty, yet already at Half-Step Core Formation.

That kind of talent truly deserved to be called heaven-defying genius, a monster among monsters.

If she had not possessed the Hundred Demons Register, she would probably still be struggling painfully at the threshold of the String Hearing Realm, unable even to glimpse his taillights.

Comparing oneself to others really could anger a person to death.

Liu Chen did not notice what she was thinking. He simply continued on his own, "Though Lord Xu is the son of a great family, he has none of those spoiled dandy habits. His temperament is merely somewhat cold. He usually does not like to smile or talk much, and he does not like others prying into his family affairs."

"When you meet him later, do not be nervous. Answer whatever he asks, and remember—do not talk too much."

Jiang Yuechu nodded.

Was this not simply meeting a superior?

Speak less, nod more. Everything the superior said was right. If something went wrong, she would take the blame; if there was merit, the superior would claim it.

She was naturally familiar with that routine.

As they spoke, they had already arrived at Xuan Camp's rear hall.

Compared with the barracks where the other Demon-Suppression Guards lived outside, this place was clearly much quieter and more elegant.

It was an independent courtyard, paved with blue bricks. Several pots of orchids hung beneath the corridor, and as the breeze stirred, waves of fragrance drifted over.

Liu Chen stopped at the courtyard entrance and bowed toward the inside.

"My lord, Jiang Yuechu has arrived."

"Come in."

A cool, detached voice came from within the room.

Liu Chen gave Jiang Yuechu a look, signaling for her to enter by herself. He then bowed and retreated to one side.

Jiang Yuechu took a deep breath and pushed open the door.