Interested in Joining the Demon Suppressing Guard?

Anping County, the back hall of the county government office.

Gu Changfeng sat behind his desk, a scroll of documents lying open in front of him that he hadn't finished reading, but he wasn't looking at it; his gaze was fixed on the person sitting opposite him.

The man was dressed in a dark gray, close-fitting outfit with tight cuffs and an iron plaque hanging from his waist, the plaque engraved with the emblem of the Demon Suppressing Guard.

She wasn't young, but she didn't look her age either, appearing to be in her early thirties. Her eyes were calm, as if she was used to not rushing to express her opinion when listening to others.

Gu Changfeng asked, "Do you have any ideas about that little guy I mentioned last time?"

Jiang Shuying didn't answer immediately. She tapped her fingers lightly on the edge of the table before speaking, "I didn't pay much attention when you mentioned it before. But in this Four Symbols Sect's Inner Sect Grand Competition, one of the top three was named Ye An, and he entered the Black Tortoise Hall. It should be him, right? He was at the Mid-Meridian Opening when he entered. I wonder what his cultivation level is now."

Gu Changfeng felt a pang in his heart after hearing her last sentence.

He remembered that when Ye An left Anping County, he was still in the Third Body Tempering, but now he had reached the Mid-Meridian Opening and had entered the fourth Four Halls of the Four Symbols Sect.

He didn't show it on his face, and his tone remained unchanged as he replied, "It should be him. His Root Bone is a bit lacking, but he has excellent comprehension and is very diligent in his cultivation. Most importantly, he has a clean background; he grew up in Anping County and has a pure conscience."

Gu Changfeng paused for a moment, then said, "Aren't you about to reach the Gathering Essence? When that time comes, you'll be the commander of the Demon Suppressing Guard. Taking Ye An under your command will give you a Qi Condensation Realm Commandant as a subordinate, which isn't bad."

Jiang Shuying didn't laugh, nor did her tone carry any sarcasm. "Are you so sure this little guy can Qi Condensation? Aren't you still one step away from that?"

Gu Changfeng was taken aback by those words, but he didn't refute them. He simply waved his hand and said, "Anyway, you can decide for yourself. I'm just offering my opinion. He really is a promising talent."

Jiang Shuying didn't respond further, but she didn't explicitly refuse either.

The Four Symbols Sect, Black Tortoise Hall.

Today is the day the headmaster examines the disciples' progress in their cultivation.

All the disciples of the Black Tortoise Hall in the courtyard had arrived. Except for those who were on missions outside the sect, the rest stood in several rows in the courtyard according to their cultivation level.

The disciples who have Meridian Opening stand at the front, while the disciples Qi Condensation do not need to be tested—because the standard for entering the hall is Qi Condensation.

Shi Jian stood before the crowd, still thin, with a sallow complexion and a slightly hunched back, as if standing had taken a lot of effort.

His gaze swept over the first disciple, and without saying anything more, he spoke directly.

The first disciple stood at the very front; he was twenty-four years old and in the Late Meridian Opening.

Shi Jian glanced at him. "If you don't break through soon, you'll be relegated to the Inner Sect next year."

The disciple kept his head down and didn't speak, Shi Jian already looked at the next one.

The second disciple Mid-Meridian Opening, and his progress was decent. Shi Jian didn't offer much of an evaluation, only saying, "His cultivation progress is acceptable."

The third and fourth people went by in turn. Some were told that their way of exerting force was not smooth enough, some were told that their Internal Energy circulation was sluggish, and some were reminded that their training rhythm was wrong.

When it was Fang Heng's turn to enter the hall with Ye An, Shi Jian paused for a moment to examine his cultivation progress, his voice neither loud nor soft. "Not bad, you'll be at the Late Meridian Opening soon."

Fang Heng raised his head. "Thank you for your guidance, Hall Master."

Shi Jian didn't say much, his gaze already shifting to Ye An beside him.

Shi Jian examined it once, frowned, then examined it again, and only after confirming that there was nothing wrong did he speak, "Not bad, not bad."

He said two sentences in a row, his tone slightly softer than before, which was somewhat unexpected.

Ye An replied, "Thank you, Hall Master."

Shi Jian said nothing more and turned to the disciples behind him to continue testing them, at a slightly faster pace than before.

After the examination, one disciple was immediately dismissed from the Inner Sect because his cultivation had stagnated for a long time.

He didn't argue, and silently turned and left.

The disciples who were not criticized secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gradually dispersed.

Fang Heng walked in the crowd and glanced in Ye An's direction.

He noticed that Ye An's aura was even stronger than during the Inner Sect Grand Competition, and a thought flashed through his mind—could Ye An have already reached the Late Meridian Opening?

But he didn't ask. His cultivation progress was a private matter, and it wouldn't be appropriate to ask too much. He looked away and followed the crowd out.

Ye An stretched out in the courtyard. He sensed that when Shi Jian probed his cultivation level earlier, the probing aura was deeper than before, as if it lingered within his body for a moment longer.

A few days after the examinations, Ye An's life returned to its previous rhythm. During the day, he would handle the affairs of the Medicine Garden, occasionally exchange ideas with Lu Xingzhou and Shen Qing, and at night he would cultivate the Meridian Opening Formula and the Eight-Armed Asura.

That afternoon, a person arrived outside the gate of the Four Symbols Sect.

She was dressed in a dark gray, fitted outfit with tight cuffs and an iron badge hanging at her waist. The gatekeeper glanced at the Token, but didn't stop her; instead, he stepped aside to let her pass.

After all, the Demon Suppressing Guard Division is directly under the imperial court, assisting the emperor in maintaining peace and prosperity throughout the land, and so is our own righteous Sect.

Jiang Shuying entered the mountain gate first, walked up the bluestone path, and arrived near the Black Tortoise Hall.

Shi Jian was sitting in the small courtyard behind the main hall, with a pot of tea in front of him. He didn't drink it, but only occasionally glanced at the old tree by the courtyard wall.

He heard footsteps, looked up, and saw the person standing at the door. "People from the Demon Suppressing Guard?"

Jiang Shuying cupped her hands in greeting. "Black Tortoise Hall, I am Jiang Shuying, Commandant of the Demon Suppressing Guard. I was just passing by and thought I'd give you a visit."

Shi Jian didn't ask her what she was there for, but simply pointed to the stone bench opposite her. "Sit."

Jiang Shuying sat down, didn't exchange many pleasantries, only said a few polite words, and inquired about the recent situation of the Black Tortoise Hall.

Shi Jian replied briefly, his tone unchanged, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. "Peak Qi Condensation? Almost catching up to this old man."

Jiang Shuying lowered her head slightly. "Not at all, you were just one step away from surpassing the Gathered Origin Realm."

Shi Jian didn't reply, he just smiled.

Many people thought he might be able to break through, but only he knew that hurdle had been holding him back for far too many years. If he didn't have this bottleneck... He didn't think any further, but simply picked up his tea and took a sip.

Jiang Shuying put down her teacup and asked casually, "Master, does your hall have a disciple named Ye An?"

Shi Jian glanced at her, seemingly surprised to hear the name from someone from the Demon Suppressing Guard, but didn't ask further, "Do you know him? Or has this kid done something wrong?"

Jiang Shuying shook her head and smiled, "No, I just heard about it from an old friend and thought I'd take a look along the way."

Shi Jian didn't press further, but pointed towards the backyard. "The third room on the left in the backyard."

Jiang Shuying stood up to take her leave. "Thank you, Master."

Shi Jian did not stop her. He waited until she was far away before picking up his teacup again. His gaze fell on the direction outside the courtyard wall, as if he had remembered something, or perhaps he was just tired.

Ye An was practicing the Rosy Cloud Sword Technique in the courtyard when he heard a disciple say that someone was looking for him.

Who could it be?

When they saw that the person standing in front of them was an unfamiliar face, they paused for a moment.

As a martial artist at the Meridian Opening Realm, he glanced around and already knew what was going on.

He couldn't fathom the opponent's cultivation level; it was at least at the Qi Condensation Realm.

Jiang Shuying made no unnecessary movements or exchanged pleasantries. She simply stood there watching him approach, her tone flat. "You must be Ye An? I've heard Gu Changfeng mention you, saying you're highly regarded by him. So, I happened to be passing through the Four Symbols Sect and thought I'd drop by to see you."

She glanced at Ye An. "My name is Jiang Shuying, Commandant in the Demon Suppressing Guard. I'm here today to ask you if you're interested in joining the Demon Suppressing Guard?"