Perfected Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade

"Invest ten years of lifespan to evolve the Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade."

[Successfully invested ten years of lifespan to evolve martial arts!]

[In the first year, relying on the perfected Basic Blade Art, the Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade successfully reached minor mastery.]

[In the fifth year, your Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade reached major mastery. When you drew your blade, it was like the rising sun; all evil retreated.]

[In the eighth year, your Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade reached perfection. A spark of enlightenment arose in your heart, and you seemed to see the road ahead.]

[In the tenth year, you learned that the Shouyang Demon Suppressing Blade seemed to have been split from an even stronger blade art. You wished to pursue it, but your comprehension was insufficient.]

[Lifespan: 16/135]

"The final two years were a bit of a waste."

Luo Chen felt a little heartache. That had all been his lifespan.

There was no time for sentiment.

Memories and experience of countless days and nights spent practicing the blade over those ten years began to surge through his mind.

A few breaths later, Luo Chen opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a sun within them.

He abruptly drew the Demon Slaying Blade at his side and walked out of the house.

Accompanied by the whistle of the long blade cutting through the air,

he unfolded the perfected Shouyang Demon Breaking Saber Art in the small courtyard.

Though it was only technique and form, without using the little remaining blood and qi within his body, his broad, sweeping movements still carried a formidable presence.

After practicing at the doorway for half an hour, he felt utterly refreshed, with a bit more confidence in his heart.

The blood and qi throughout his body were stirred into motion.

Luo Chen took a cold bath by the well before returning to his room to rest.

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

Luo Chen wore the black robes of a Demon Suppressing Guard. The youth looked spirited and imposing, though a trace of sharpness lingered between his brows.

Holding Little One, he ate with Liu Xingsheng and Aunt Madam Wang.

"Brother Pot, eat."

Little One, Liu Yuanyao, stretched out her chubby little hand and offered him a piece of beef.

Smiling, Luo Chen pinched her plump little cheek and reached out to take it.

A martial artist's daily consumption was several times that of an ordinary person's. If one wished to practice martial arts, daily meals were merely the most basic necessity.

Over the past few years, medicinal meals alone had cost dozens of taels of silver each month.

How could an ordinary family afford to support a martial artist?

"Yaoyao, don't distract your brother."

Madam Wang lovingly picked up Little One, then looked Luo Chen over in his black robes, satisfaction in her eyes.

"Chen'er, it's about time you considered marriage. Is there any young lady you fancy?"

The question made Luo Chen somewhat awkward, and he hurriedly took two bites of food.

"Aunt, my heart is set on martial arts. It's still too early to think about such things."

Before Madam Wang could press him further, he bade the three farewell, picked up the long blade by the door, and headed outside.

"This child." Madam Wang watched his retreating back and muttered to herself, wanting to play matchmaker.

"Chen'er is at the time when his martial arts are advancing rapidly. Wait another two years before playing matchmaker."

"But Chen'er is so outstanding. My Wang Family also has a direct daughter with exceptional talent; she could assist him."

"That's enough. We'll talk about it later."

Liu Xingsheng knew that Luo Chen was a deeply thoughtful child.

He was also unwilling to interfere with the boy's own wishes.

Demon Suppression Bureau.

Luo Chen hurried over and entered the Training Ground in the northeast corner.

"Good thing I'm not late. It would be embarrassing to be late on my first day."

Luo Chen secretly rejoiced. There were already more than a dozen people in the Training Ground.

They were all probationary Demon Suppressing Guards under Yue Wuchang.

At the front of the crowd, an Old Instructor in training clothes stood with his hands behind his back. His cloudy eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the youth who had entered at the very back.

Without saying anything, he closed his eyes and dozed for a moment.

"The hour of the Rabbit has arrived!"

A quarter of an hour later, the Old Instructor slightly opened his eyes and spoke in a deep voice.

"Three days from now, this month's assessment will begin. Those who fail may leave."

The Old Instructor paused slightly, glanced at several people near the back of the crowd, and continued.

"The monthly assessment is for probationers who have been here for over three months. New arrivals have three months to cultivate."

"The path of martial arts is like rowing upstream—if you do not advance, you fall back!"

"I want to see your progress every month."

"The Demon Suppression Bureau's daily meat rations and nourishing medicinal meals are not handed out for nothing."

At the end, the Old Instructor's tone eased slightly.

"Five new probationers have joined in recent days. I had no time a few days ago, so we'll do it together today. You five, come with me."

Luo Chen's gaze flickered as he followed the Old Instructor.

Four others followed from the crowd. They were all youths, and none was older than twenty.

The five sized one another up, yet all remained silent.

They stopped at a Small Training Ground along the edge. The Old Instructor paused, turned, and looked at them all.

His tone grew noticeably more solemn.

"To enter the Demon Suppression Bureau as a probationer, you would all be considered minor geniuses in martial arts schools outside."

As the Old Instructor's words fell, the expressions of several people clearly changed, as though they were somewhat proud.

"But!" The Old Instructor gave them no time to speak. His tone shifted and gradually turned cold.

"I have served as an instructor in the Demon Suppression Bureau for fifty years, and I have seen far too many geniuses like you."

"Most of them died at the hands of Demonic Beasts."

"Remember, talent is only an admission ticket to becoming strong. It does not make you strong."

"At the very least, you are not qualified yet."

The Old Instructor's words landed heavily. Blood and qi rose around him, and a scorching pressure pressed down upon everyone's hearts like a mountain.

Luo Chen and the others' expressions changed.

He had seen Uncle Liu make a move before. This instructor was at least in the Blood Moving Realm.

The aura came quickly and vanished just as quickly.

With his hands behind his back, the Old Instructor looked at Luo Chen with a trace of curiosity in his eyes.

He waved a hand and began explaining their cultivation doubts.

As a Blood Moving Realm martial artist, though he was the instructor of these probationers, he could not answer their questions whenever they pleased.

The opportunity was hard-won. Before the Old Instructor, they all put away the pride of being geniuses and began asking for guidance with humility.

Noon!

The morning's cultivation came to an end.

Luo Chen headed toward the Dining Hall with a youth he had just met.

"Brother Luo, your talent is extraordinary. You mastered the Demon Suppression Blade in just one day. I'm sure you'll soon become an official Demon Suppressing Guard!"

A tall youth with an honest smile scratched the back of his head and spoke enviously.

Luo Chen merely smiled without saying anything.

On a distant pavilion.

Yue Wuchang stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the two enter the Dining Hall.

Behind him, the Old Instructor sat at a tea table, quietly savoring fine tea.

"What do you think of this child?"

"Brother Liu was humble in front of me, but I know him. If this child had no talent, he would not have sent him to me."

The Old Instructor set down his teacup, and the fragrance of tea drifted out the window on the breeze.

After a moment of silence, he said,

"This child is mature and profound in temperament, difficult to fathom."

After a pause, recalling Luo Chen's performance that morning, he continued.

"His talent is good, his comprehension is exceptional, and his Shouyang Demon Breaking Saber is definitely not merely at the entry level. It has reached at least minor mastery."

The Old Instructor had lived for more than eighty years and had been an instructor for many years. His insight was extraordinary, and he could also see that Luo Chen had concealed some things.

These were only his conservative estimates.

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