Appointed Squad Leader, Arrogant Beyond Measure

Boom!

An overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped the Vajra Leopard, crushing it until it spat blood and lay pinned to the ground.

Then.

The armored general appeared, grabbed the girl, and headed off the peak.

He had only gone halfway.

His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly looked back.

There.

A black-robed young man was riding atop the Vajra Leopard. He seized its head and twisted hard: crack.

The Vajra Leopard, already half-dead from his pressure, croaked just like that, while the black-robed young man flashed him a smile showing eight teeth.

"Interesting."

The armored general gave Chu He a long look, then turned and left.

Meanwhile!

Watching the black-armored general leave, Chu He raised the corners of his mouth as the system's voice rang out repeatedly in his mind:

[Ding, congratulations to the host for killing a Vajra Leopard. Demon Points obtained: 1.]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for completing your first kill. Though you picked up a bargain, it was glorious nonetheless. Special reward: 10 Demon Points.]

Chu He resisted the urge to use his Demon Points. After all, causing a commotion during the trial could easily arouse suspicion.

Six hours later.

The people on Trial Peak emerged one after another. Of course, a large portion had already fled earlier, unable to endure it.

In the end!

Six people, including Chu He, qualified to become squad leaders. For killing a first-grade Vajra Leopard, Chu He received praise by name from Zhang Wei, who also produced a bottle of Blood Qi Pills as a reward.

Fewer than sixty others qualified to join the Demon Suppression Guard, and that was only because the requirements had been lowered. Otherwise, there would not even have been twenty.

A day later.

At the Demon Suppression Guard.

Inside a courtyard.

Chu He was cultivating. Although he had obtained the Point Allocation System, truly reaching the summit still required his own perseverance. Yes, it absolutely was not because his current cultivation technique was too low-level to allocate points to.

Yesterday.

After they were brought back to the Demon Suppression Bureau, they had been assigned lodgings in the Yellow Division's quarters. Ordinary Demon Suppression Guards received only a single room each, while those like Chu He who qualified as squad leaders had their own courtyards.

Just when everything was ready and only the east wind was missing.

He discovered that the techniques he had previously cultivated were merely martial-world techniques. Though top-tier, they had little potential for further improvement.

According to the system's calculations.

He would need to spend at least five Demon Points to break through to the first grade, and the technique's limitations would also restrict improvements to his physique.

After repeated consideration, Chu He decided to wait until he collected his new technique today before using his Demon Points.

"Are you there, Brother Chu?"

"Lord Zhang has notified us that it's time to collect our techniques from the Technique Repository. I came specifically to let you know."

A respectful greeting came from outside the courtyard.

Chu He rose.

He opened the courtyard gate.

What greeted him was a slightly plump man wearing a flying-fish robe, with a long saber at his waist and a tray held in his hands.

On the tray sat a brand-new flying-fish robe, a black saber, and a dark-iron token engraved with [Squad Leader].

"Lord Chu, I'm Lu Feng, a disciple who was on the same Trial Peak as you. These are the supplies issued from above. I brought them over especially to save you an extra trip."

Lu Feng spoke with a respectful expression.

Chu He had ranked first in the trial and earned Lord Zhang Wei's appreciation. His future prospects were boundless. Even now, he held the post of squad leader and could command five Demon Suppression Guards.

"Good."

Chu He took the tray from his hands and gestured for him to wait outside, then went into his room and quickly changed into the flying-fish robe.

Looking at the cold, strikingly handsome figure in the bronze mirror, Chu He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said:

"Sure enough, being too handsome is a kind of trouble too."

The system: "Shameless!" ╯▂╰

The Technique Repository.

As one of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Bureau's most important departments, it received large numbers of Demon Suppression Guards exchanging for techniques every day.

Today.

Several hundred disciples in flying-fish robes stood at its entrance. They had all recently passed the trials and joined the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Guard.

The crowd gathered around the entrance, conversing quietly:

"They say there are countless techniques in here, even seventh-grade ones. I wonder if it's true."

"What are you dreaming about? With our status, second-grade cultivation techniques and martial skills are the most we can get. Forget anything else."

"Sun Feng is here. I heard he's Hundred Household Commander Sun's nephew and ranked first in his batch's trial."

A disciple cried out in surprise.

At once.

Everyone turned to look.

There.

An effeminate man approached. He looked disdainfully at the gathered disciples and strode to the very front.

It was blatant queue-jumping, yet no one dared say a word. Such was the effect of power and status.

Afterward.

Others who had earned rankings in their trials appeared one after another, all walking to the front of the line with their squad leader tokens.

However.

Sun Feng still occupied the very center. Although his strength was mediocre, no one wanted to offend him because of his uncle.

"Make way! Lord Chu is here!"

A shout came from behind the crowd, instantly making everyone turn. What greeted their eyes was:

A cold-faced man in a flying-fish robe, a long saber at his waist and a squad leader's dark-iron token in hand, strode toward them. As for Lu Feng beside him, they automatically filtered him out.

"It's Chu He."

"He's the acknowledged number one of this intake's trials. They say he killed a first-grade Vajra Leopard all by himself."

"And he wasn't even injured. An absolute badass."

"Do you think he'll fight Sun Feng for the main spot? It doesn't have any practical use, but it represents status."

The hundreds of Demon Suppression Guards began murmuring again.

At the same time.

They quickly cleared a path.

At this.

Chu He showed not the slightest discomfort. He walked straight through the crowd to the very front and swept his gaze around.

It finally settled on Sun Feng.

"That's Squad Leader Sun, Hundred Household Commander Sun's nephew. Hundred Household Commander Sun and Hundred Household Commander Zhang have never gotten along."

Lu Feng followed behind Chu He and explained quietly.

Hundred Household Commander Sun.

A cold smile appeared on Chu He's lips as he said:

"Get lost."

What?

Sun Feng's face filled with shock. He had imagined Chu He would be arrogant, but he had never expected him to be this arrogant.

No matter what, I have ties to a centurion, yet he actually told me to get lost? Outrageous! Damn it! ╰(‵□′)╯

Shing!

Chu He gripped his saber with his right hand, drawing it halfway from its sheath as killing intent swept outward.

He advanced step by step, saying icily:

"This squad leader told you to get lost. Are. You. Deaf?"

"...Lunatic."

Sun Feng's face flushed red with anger.

But!

His legs disobeyed him and retreated. His instincts told him that the other man truly dared to strike, while he, despite obtaining a squad leader's position, had very ordinary fighting strength.

He did not dare clash head-on with the renowned Chu He.

"You're something!"

Sun Feng walked straight to the side.

Step!

Chu He stood where Sun Feng had just been and sheathed his saber.

Instantly!

The hundreds of Demon Suppression Guards behind him looked at Chu He with admiration. Even the dozens of squad leaders wore expressions of wariness and awe.

And all of this.

Was precisely what Chu He wanted to see. There were two paths for advancement after joining the Demon Suppression Guard. The first was to play the pig to eat the tiger and develop slowly, but given enough time, one might truly become a useless pig.

Thus, he decided on the second: play the tiger to slay the dragon, burst into the Demon Suppression Bureau's higher-ups' sights with unsurpassed brilliance, and climb all the way to the summit.