The seventh floor of the Demon Suppression Pavilion fell into a long, deathly silence.
The puppet elder guarding this place had its red light flashing intensely for several breaths.
It was as if an intricate internal array had encountered incomprehensible instructions and fallen into extreme logical chaos.
After a long while, it mechanically and stiffly raised its arm, granting Su Yu the permission to exchange cultivation techniques.
Two special jade slips quietly fell into Su Yu's hands.
One was covered in cracks and exuded an ancient Daoist aura; the other was pitch black and eerie, emanating an ominous presence.
These are seen by the world as two deadly paths and two Taboo techniques.
Su Yu remained calm and pocketed both jade slips.
He turned and took a step, his figure instantly disappearing into the seventh-floor pavilion.
Even though Su Yu had been gone for a long time.
The puppet elder remained in the stiff position with his arm raised.
The red light in his eyes flashed wildly at an unprecedented frequency, as if reporting this rare event to an unknown superior.
The Demon Suppression Headquarters.
Inside the elegant and tranquil study.
Holding a wolf-hair brush, Li Ning focused intently on outlining the contours of mountains and rivers in the painting. His brushstrokes were steady and skillful, and his artistic style was naturally harmonious.
Thump, thump, thump.
Three rhythmic knocks suddenly rang out.
"Enter."
Li Ning didn't even look up, his pen continuing to move.
A middle-aged official dressed in the standard robes of the Demon Suppression Bureau strode in, bowed, and reported in rapid succession.
"Reporting to the Chief, Demon Suppression Envoy Su has just left the Demon Suppression Pavilion."
"Um."
Li Ning's brushstrokes were graceful, and a sharp mountain ridge leaped onto the paper as he casually asked a question.
What kind of cultivation method did he choose?
Is it the " Supreme Emotion-Forsaking Record " or the " Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns Scripture "?
"Given his foundation in thunder magic, choosing the ' Purple Firmament Dao Canon ' would be a perfect match."
A very strange expression appeared on the middle-aged official's face.
He hesitated slightly, lowered his voice, and spoke cautiously.
" Envoy Su... he exchanged for two cultivation techniques from the seventh level of the incomplete skill book section."
Swish!
The wolf-hair brush in Li Ning's hand suddenly stopped.
A drop of thick ink fell from the tip of the brush, landing in the center of the soon-to-be-completed landscape painting, spreading out a glaring ink stain.
Which two?
His voice remained calm and even.
But the temperature in the entire study suddenly dropped several degrees in an instant.
"The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Dao Canon: Fragments of the King Realm "
"And... * Prison God Scripture *."
Every time an official announced the name of a martial arts technique, Li Ning's pupils contracted slightly.
Once the two Taboo names were finished, the wolf-hair brush in his hand suddenly emitted a faint, cracking sound as it could no longer bear the weight.
The entire study fell into a deathly silence.
The middle-aged official lowered his head, subconsciously slowing his breathing.
He clearly sensed that an invisible and intangible, terrifying pressure, like an impending storm, was slowly gathering in the study.
After a long silence.
"Oh."
Li Ning suddenly chuckled and casually placed the broken pen on the table.
He slowly got up, walked to the window, and gazed at the Demon Suppression Pavilion that pierced the clouds in the distance.
His eyes held a complex and unreadable expression, a mixture of emotions.
"A cultivation technique that attempts to transform the body into Heavenly Thunder Technique will cut off all future paths and ultimately lead to the annihilation of both body and soul; it is a path to self-destruction."
"A cultivation technique that constructs Avici Hell within the sea of consciousness, subjecting the soul to torture day and night, with no chance of rebirth, is digging one's own grave."
"That kid..."
Li Ning gently shook his head.
The astonishment and deep worry in his eyes eventually transformed into a wry smile of admiration, along with an intense sense of anticipation.
"Ordinary geniuses all follow a safe and easy path."
"Does this monster really have to forge its own path to heaven amidst the precipice and dead end?"
Suddenly, Emperor Ying Lin's evaluation of Su Yu flashed into his mind.
"What the Great Qin needs is a sharp blade that can cut through everything, not a ceremonial sword for mere display."
"Director, should we intervene to dissuade Envoy Su?"
The middle-aged official cautiously began to inquire.
"Advise?"
Li Ning glanced sideways and asked in return.
"How would you persuade him? Should you tell him that this road is blocked and that the road ahead leads to certain death?"
"A person who, with only the cultivation of the Heaven Realm, could reverse the tide and severely injure two King Realm Eighth Level experts."
"Can you and I truly understand the path he has chosen?"
The official was momentarily speechless, unable to utter a word.
The battle report from that abyss that shook the entire Demon Suppression Headquarters is still vivid in my mind.
Every achievement, every detail, defies common sense and is unbelievable.
"No intervention required."
Li Ning waved his hand and sat down again at the desk.
His gaze fell on the painting damaged by ink splatters, and his eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp.
True geniuses never need others to point fingers at them.
"We only need to provide him with the sharpest sword and the strongest armor whenever he needs them on his journey."
He seemed to remember something and immediately gave instructions.
"Has the ransom sent by the Northern Nether Sea arrived at the treasury yet?"
"Reporting to the Director, all of it was stored in the warehouse yesterday."
"The two top-grade King-level Body Refinement techniques, the ' Black Flood Dragon Hegemon Body ' and the ' Northern Nether Profound Body Art,' have both been verified for authenticity and properly sealed."
"Take it out."
Li Ning's tone was calm and left no room for argument.
"Send it to Envoy Su's private quiet room."
"This..."
The middle-aged official was momentarily stunned.
"Director, this is against regulations!"
"According to the Demon Suppression Bureau's procedures, all spoils of war must first be registered and cataloged, then the Merit Hall will calculate merits, and redeem them based on merits."
"Rule?"
Li Ning raised his eyes and glanced at the official indifferently.
" Su Yu today embodies the rules."
"This is with His Majesty's tacit approval, and it is also my intention."
"... Your subordinate obeys!"
The official was startled and dared not question it again. He bowed, accepted the order, and quickly left the study.
The study fell silent once more.
Li Ning stared at the ruined painting, speechless for a long time, then murmured softly.
"The Divine Firmament Dao Scripture, The Prison God Scripture..."
"Boy, I'd like to see just how extraordinary a path you've chosen to forge."
Quiet room, Class A.
Su Yu sat cross-legged, with two jade slips, one purple and one black, floating in the air in front of him.
Two completely contradictory and extremely opposing Daoist principles flowed slowly in the quiet room.
He did not rush to comprehend the cultivation method.
Instead, one should calm the mind, regulate breathing, refine one's energy and spirit, and adjust one's state to its peak.
Just then, his eyes flickered slightly as he looked up at the tightly closed stone door.
" Envoy Su, Deputy Director Li Ning has come in person to request an audience."
A respectful and composed voice came from outside the door.
"They came after all."
Su Yu remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.
He publicly exchanged two Taboo and fatal incomplete martial arts techniques.
It would be strange if Li Ning, as the deputy director of the Demon Suppression Headquarters, showed no reaction at all.
"Please let him in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy stone door opened Soundless.
Li Ning, dressed in an elegant python robe, slowly walked into the quiet room.
His gaze immediately locked onto the two jade slips in front of Su Yu, his eyes narrowing slightly before returning to a gentle and composed state.
" Envoy Su in seclusion for cultivation. I apologize for disturbing you and Wanghai."
"Director Li, you're too kind. Please have a seat."
Su Yu stood up to greet him, his demeanor neither humble nor arrogant.
The room was minimally furnished, and the two sat directly on the floor.
Li Ning doesn't beat around the bush; he gets straight to the point.
"I have come here specifically to deliver something."
He flipped his palm over, and two exquisite deep-sea crystal jade slips instantly appeared.
A jet-black object, imbued with an incomparably domineering physical pressure.
A clear, icy blue hue, containing a profound and boundless aura.
" Black Flood Dragon Hegemon Body, Northern Nether Profound Body Art."
"This is a Northern Nether Sea as ransom for Jiao Wuye, a token of redemption for the war."
Li Ning gently pushed the two jade slips in front of Su Yu.
"This is your spoils of war, and it rightfully belongs to you."
Su Yu glanced indifferently at the two top-tier cultivation technique jade slips, nodded slightly, and casually put them into his pocket.
There were no surprises, no thanks, just a completely indifferent attitude.
It was as if he had simply retrieved two ordinary items that already belonged to him.
Li Ning took in all of this, and his admiration for Su Yu's intelligence and shrewdness increased even further.