City Refinement

City Refinement—a term Duan Yan had nearly forgotten.

Of the eight little Fox Demons born to that Fox Demon general back then, four still had not been found. Among the four Fox Demons already killed, one had done something that horrified every demon exorcist.

Using his innate talent, he impersonated the magistrate of Liu River County. For twenty years, the people lived and worked in peace, the elderly were cared for, and the sick received treatment.

No one noticed anything amiss. Everyone believed the newly appointed magistrate was a good official.

Until that year, every citizen in Liu River City went mad overnight. Only the people outside the city escaped disaster.

Something had forcibly bitten off a piece of their souls. The entire city was like that.

After that incident, the magistrate of Liu River County vanished without a trace. When he was found again, he had leaped directly from a Mortal demon to the Boundary Breach realm.

He had needed only twenty years. Even among humans, that was a cultivation speed shocking enough to make one's hair stand on end.

One had to know that demons cultivated differently from humans. Their breakthroughs were exceedingly difficult, but they had long lives; living for several thousand years was no problem.

Humans cultivated extremely quickly, yet often did not live long. That was what kept demons and humans in balance.

But the appearance of that Fox Demon had shattered that boundary.

Refining the people of an entire city into nourishment for one demon—the scene before her was not merely similar to that time. It was practically identical, and even the method had not changed in the slightest.

And yet, it seemed that demon was about to succeed.

Green Forest County was not Liu River County, but it was still more than half its size.

If the tragedy from last time happened again...

Duan Yan shuddered.

But then she realized she had no way to stop it at all.

The Demon Exorcism Bureau could not receive any information from them. Moreover, every yearly report claimed the region was peaceful and prosperous, and past inspections had found nothing wrong. Naturally, the Bureau had reduced the intensity of its patrols here.

This was trouble. If things went badly, they might all perish here as well.

Judging by what that demon had done, it was probably planning to take a bite out of the souls of demon exorcists like them too.

Meanwhile, Lin Jun was in his room taking stock of the gains from last time.

[Killed an Origin Transformation Fox Demon. Obtained 6000 experience.]

[Current experience: 7200]

Current martial arts:

[Mortal martial art: Seven-Star Step (Beginner)]

[Mortal martial art: Flowing Swallow Saber Technique (Transcendent Realm)]

[Transformation-Origin martial art: Baleful Blood Demon-Subduing Blade (Transcendent Realm)]

[Transformation-Origin cultivation technique: True Scripture of Body-Melting and Furnace-Casting (Perfected)]

[Transformation-Origin martial art: Frost-Thunder True Armor (Perfected)]

He also had a Fox Demon Core and a small flag capable of storing items.

Ordinary martial artists often mastered only one martial art and one cultivation technique. After all, martial arts lay in refinement, not quantity; once one path was understood, ten thousand methods could be mastered.

But Lin Jun was different. He had mastered three martial arts, each trained to an extremely high level. With such a luxurious panel, ordinary Origin Transformation martial artists simply could not face Lin Jun head-on.

Yet the panel before him brought Lin Jun no sense of security. Instead, it made his heart race with unease.

Was he too weak?

Lin Jun's enhanced intuition had been sounding alarms nonstop lately.

Lin Jun did not use those seven thousand-plus experience points to strengthen his martial arts. He planned to save them.

His greatest reliance at present was the Blood-Tiger Baleful Image granted by the Baleful Blood Demon-Subduing Blade Technique. It was currently Lin Jun's strongest killing move, so powerful that ordinary weapons could not withstand that Killing Intent.

Lin Jun could spend four hundred experience to refill the Killing Intent of the Heavenly Star Baleful Image. The Blood-Tiger Baleful Image was even more powerful and consumed more Killing Intent, requiring eight hundred experience to refill.

In other words, if Lin Jun used all seven thousand two hundred experience points to unleash the Blood-Tiger Baleful Image, he could use it a full nine times.

Nine times. If necessary, that Fox Demon Core could replenish some blood vitality as well, but that would be far too wasteful.

That old fox Zhang Ju knew not what he was plotting, but nine uses of the Blood-Tiger Baleful Image gave Lin Jun a little confidence.

With nine Blood-Tiger Baleful Images, perhaps he could even fight a Boundary Breach martial artist.

Thinking of this, Lin Jun could not help but sigh.

If he had reached the Boundary Breach realm, where would all these troubles have come from?

All troubles came from insufficient strength.

"Cultivation is still too slow. If only it could be faster."

Chen Feng, who had been about to knock on the door, heard Lin Jun muttering to himself. He silently stopped, turned around without a word, and left.

I'm not angry. I'm not angry...

...The more I think about it, the angrier I get. You went from a Mortal inhuman to the Transcendent Realm in two months. What the hell are you dissatisfied with? It took me ten whole years! Ten years! Do you know how I spent those ten years?!

Lin Jun looked doubtfully at the retreating shadow outside the door, unable to understand what Chen Feng was playing at this time.

Not long afterward, Chen Feng came to his door again.

"My lord, the blacksmith has arrived. He finished your saber and is waiting for you in the courtyard."

Lin Jun closed the panel and rose to head into the courtyard.

Sure enough, the blacksmith stood there drenched in sweat, with a horse-chopping saber placed before him.

It retained its original style, except the patterns were gone, as were all decorations. It was simply an unadorned horse-chopping saber.

"Master Lin, I have not failed your trust. I finished the saber, but my skills are truly limited. This is the best I could manage."

He was a blacksmith who forged farm tools every day, yet he had been asked to make a saber—and even melt demon bones into it.

Good heavens, merely seeing that tiger head had made his legs tremble. If Lin Jun had not stood behind him watching every day, he probably would not even have dared to begin.

Duan Yan picked up the saber, examined it, and shook her head.

"It's a little lacking, but it can be used."

Though she used a staff, she had seen much in her time and understood a little of everything.

Lin Jun weighed the saber in his hand. It was alright—far better than the last one. Adding the Tiger Demon's flesh and bones had improved its toughness, and it had an affinity with the Tiger Baleful Intent. Perhaps it could unleash the Blood-Tiger Baleful Image a few more times.

"You've worked hard. This is your payment."

The blacksmith accepted the heavy pouch of money, and excitement replaced the exhaustion on his face.

"Thank you, Master Lin. If there is nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

Lin Jun waved a hand, and the blacksmith vanished from the courtyard clutching the money pouch.

Li Gui walked over, stroked the blade, then lightly flicked it.

"Tsk, tsk. Even the standard-issue blades and swords of the Demon Exorcism Bureau are much better quality than this. Yours really won't do."

"Let me show you my saber. It was forged from meteoric iron. Although it doesn't contain much demon flesh and bone, it can still be called a divine weapon."

For once, Li Gui found a shred of dignity in front of Lin Jun and smugly displayed his official saber.

Lin Jun took one glance and saw that it did indeed look much better than his own.

"Lend it to me."

"Huh?"

Li Gui froze, then shook his head repeatedly.

"No. A saber is a saber wielder's life. Would you lend your life to someone else?"

Lin Jun heard this and understood Li Gui's determination.

"Want to spar?"

Lin Jun slowly drew the plain horse-chopping saber.

Li Gui: ...

"I was joking. Why draw your saber? Don't let it hurt our harmony."

Li Gui immediately put on a textbook display of changing faces. Under Duan Yan and Chen Feng's disdainful gazes, he tossed his saber to Lin Jun.

The heavy atmosphere brought by the Fox Demon refining the city was dispersed considerably.