A New Saber Art

The sun sank behind the western hills, and dusk fell.

By the time Lin Jun returned to Azure Forest City, it was already evening.

Lin Jun made his way to his residence with practiced ease.

It was an elegant manor, complete with artificial hills and flowing water, blue bricks and red tiles—a setting of exceptional beauty.

It had to be said, the original owner had known how to enjoy himself.

"Master Lin..."

The moment he entered the manor, the servants coming and going greeted him one after another.

Lin Jun said nothing and headed straight for the bathhouse.

Along the way, Chen Feng had wanted to question Lin Jun countless times, yet even after entering the city, he had not managed to say a single word.

He simply could not believe Lin Jun truly possessed the strength to kill demons.

The little details of the past three years could not have been faked.

"Perhaps he erupted when his life was on the line?"

That was the only explanation Chen Feng could accept.

Naturally, Lin Jun did not care what Chen Feng was thinking. Covered in blood from head to toe, he began scrubbing himself clean as soon as he entered the bathhouse.

"Master Lin, this servant will attend to you..."

Lin Jun finished the first bath he had taken since coming to this world amid this feudal dross.

It had to be said, the original owner had good taste. Even the maid assigned to assist with bathing was fresh and tender-looking.

As he bathed, he pondered.

[Killed a Mortal little Snake Demon. Gained 20 experience.]

That had been the reward for killing the little Snake Demon earlier. It was pitifully meager, but Lin Jun had gleaned a few patterns from it.

Just like a game, higher-ranking demons and monsters provided more experience. Those demons that even ordinary people could crush to death only provided very little experience, or even none at all.

After washing up, he wolfed down another hearty meal. By then, night had fallen.

Lin Jun went to the bedroom.

The bedroom was neat and clean, and the servants cleaned it regularly.

Lin Jun opened the bedside cabinet and rummaged through it.

Soon, he found what he wanted.

Demon-Subduing Blade Technique

Unlike a worldly art like the Falling Goose Saber Art, the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique was a proper demon-slaying blade art.

This was a martial art of the Demon Exorcism Bureau, one every Demon Exorcist had to learn.

His uncle had forcibly stuffed it into his hands before leaving, hoping he would train diligently.

Unfortunately, ever since the original owner had arrived in Green Forest County, he had never opened it even once.

The Demon Exorcism Bureau was an official institution established by the founding emperor of the Great Yin Dynasty to deal with demons and monsters. All demon-related affairs throughout the Great Yin Dynasty were handled by the Demon Exorcism Bureau.

The Demon Exorcism Bureau stood apart from the imperial court and possessed its own system.

Local government offices had branches of the Demon Exorcism Bureau, managed by Demon Exorcists.

And Lin Jun was the Demon Exorcist of Green Forest County.

For a long time, Green Forest County had received no reports of demon sightings. It was safe as could be, which was precisely why his uncle had sent him here to gild his credentials.

According to the rules for Demon Exorcists, besides earning promotion through meritorious demon slaying, there was another way to advance.

As long as he guarded Green Forest County for three years, he would be promoted automatically.

Demons were scarce in Green Forest County. For Lin Jun, this could not have been easier.

There were only three months left until the three-year mark. Once he finished gilding his credentials and returned to the Demon Exorcism Bureau, he could be formally entered into its records.

Lin Jun opened the martial arts manual and began studying it carefully.

Safe? Safe my ass. The human bones in that Snake Demon's cave had been piled into a mountain. Lin Jun did not believe nobody knew about it.

[Mortal martial art: Demon-Subduing Blade Technique]

[Begin simulation?]

Lin Jun frowned. Why was it still classified as a Mortal martial art?

Could it be that the Demon-Subduing Saber Art was not fundamentally different from the Flowing Swallow Saber Technique?

Lin Jun could not figure it out, so he stopped dwelling on it.

"Begin the simulation."

He had 400 experience now. Judging from the previous simulation, he should be able to practice this martial art to the Transcendent Realm.

[You begin cultivating Demon-Subduing Blade Technique. This blade art differs greatly from worldly saber arts. You decide:]

[1. Study diligently and train hard, tempering iron a hundred times into steel. (Costs 40)]

[2. Study it carefully; perhaps you will gain a strange harvest. (Costs 60)]

[3. What kind of bullshit is this? It is riddled with holes. Let me complete it. (Costs 100)]

The price had gone up!

That was Lin Jun's first reaction.

What a profiteer!

No, wait.

Lin Jun immediately realized that although this technique was classified as Mortal, its level was far above that of the Flowing Swallow Saber Technique. Naturally, it consumed more.

He had thought he was finally rich, only to discover he was still a poor ghost.

Sigh, he had to find a way to kill more demons.

In the end, Lin Jun invested all his remaining experience into the third option.

It was a gamble.

Though gamblers met no good end, still—

What if?

[After carefully studying it, you find this technique riddled with flaws and begin patching them. However, it proves harder than expected. You fail. (-100)]

[You summarize your experience and deepen your understanding of the blade art. Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Minor Mastery). (-100)]

[The years slip by. Day after day of study leaves you mentally exhausted, but your understanding of the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique deepens further. Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Major Mastery). (-100)]

[You spend an entire lifetime studying this martial art and come to understand all its shortcomings. In the unseen depths, you sense that this martial art still has room to evolve. Yet you are old and frail, no longer possessing the passion of youth. Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Perfection). (-100)]

Just like that, all four hundred experience had been poured into it. Instantly, everything about this martial art appeared in Lin Jun's mind.

It was no exaggeration to say that Lin Jun could recite this martial art backward. He knew every word within it and every single detail.

He now understood it better than its creator did.

Lin Jun drew a deep breath, picked up his saber, and began to wield it.

Very quickly, he discovered the marvels of this martial art.

The Flowing Swallow Saber Technique was pure technique. Every move and stance had a fixed form. As long as one set one's mind to studying diligently and training hard, one could certainly master it.

But the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique was different. This martial art required one to mobilize the blood and qi throughout the body, drawing all one's strength together at a single point at every stage to maximize the force of one's attack.

After completing a full set of blade forms, Lin Jun felt utterly invigorated.

By then, the sky had begun to brighten. Though he had not slept all night, he felt exceptionally alert.

He went to the manor courtyard, where Chen Feng was practicing martial arts.

Rising to dance at the crow of the rooster, coupled with Chen Feng's already considerable talent, he had a promising future ahead of him.

"Want to spar?"

Faced with Lin Jun's invitation, Chen Feng immediately stopped what he was doing.

"I'm afraid I might hurt you, sir."

Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if Lin Jun had killed that Snake Demon, Chen Feng still believed Lin Jun was no match for him.

Could Lin Jun withstand the skill of ten years devoted to a single sword?

At that, Lin Jun nodded and said nothing more.

"Let's go."

"Where to? The girls at Alluring Rain Pavilion rest in the mornings."

Lin Jun's face darkened.

"To the Demon Affairs Prefecture."

"Huh? Where are you going, sir?"

Chen Feng rubbed his ears, nearly thinking he had misheard.

In the three years since arriving in Green Forest County, other than the first day, Lin Jun had never once gone to the Demon Affairs Prefecture.

By now, no one knew how thick the dust there had become.

Seeing that Lin Jun did not seem to be joking, Chen Feng asked curiously,

"What are you going to the Demon Affairs Prefecture for, sir?"

"To kill demons, naturally."

Chen Feng felt he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

Still, he said nothing and merely followed behind Lin Jun.

He was only chasing novelty. Within three hours, Lin Jun would grow tired of it.