A sleepless night.
Shen Yi tossed and turned, barely making it through until dawn.
Even though he knew Lin Baiwei had been sealed by the fox demon, rendering her powerless—so much so that even his former self, a drunkard and glutton, could easily kill her—he still couldn't get used to having a living person behind him.
Moreover, he had his saber tucked under his arm, ready to be drawn at any moment.
But Shen Yi still didn't trust the martial arts nonsense Lin Baiwei had spouted.
He was certain she had at least a few decent techniques up her sleeve.
The woman refused to tell the truth.
Shen Yi closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, but his mind was in turmoil.
Could he force her to reveal her secrets through threats or by withholding food?
If it were his former self, he would have helped the local authorities cover up the demonic chaos, fooled the Demon-Suppression Bureau, and let the fox demon completely take over the identity of the Lin family's only daughter.
Then, he could deal with the woman however he pleased.
But Shen Yi couldn't do that.
He wanted to join the Demon-Suppression Bureau.
If the fox demon's scheme were exposed, he would be in deep trouble, with no way to clear his name.
A young hero like him, suddenly burdened with such a heavy accusation, would be too unjust!
After much deliberation, Shen Yi concluded that the only solution was to kill Lin Baiwei, bury her somewhere, and if the Demon-Suppression Bureau discovered anything, he would simply deny everything, claiming he had been deceived by the fox demon's illusions.
Dead men tell no tales, and he could also force her to reveal her martial arts techniques.
"..."
His fingers brushed against the scabbard, gripping it lightly.
Shen Yi slowly sat up from the bed, his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night, and stood up with a gloomy expression.
Hearing the movement, Lin Baiwei, who had been leaning against the foot of the bed, groggily opened her eyes and wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Is it morning already?"
Shen Yi glanced at her and walked out of the room without a word.
Sensing the thinly veiled killing intent in his casual gaze, Lin Baiwei instantly became more alert.
"Hey, I don't snore. Why so much morning grumpiness?"
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, Shen Yi stood at the doorway, chewing on a pancake, and tossed a greasy paper package inside without expression.
Lin Baiwei tore it open to find a few steaming buns.
She instinctively swallowed her saliva, her eyes lighting up as she bit into one with her neat little white teeth.
"Why... no meat..."
Shen Yi took out a clean outer robe and shot her a look.
"The ones with meat are called stuffed buns. I'm broke, so make do with what you have."
Although he had never killed anyone in either of his lives, Shen Yi wasn't afraid to do so.
He had already slain demons, so a frail human was nothing.
He just felt that being forced to kill someone was senseless and made him look like an idiot.
Besides, there was more than one solution to the problem.
As long as he could kill the fox demon in the Lin family before the Demon-Suppression Bureau arrived, everything would be fine.
As for the woman in front of him, out of sight, out of mind.
After changing his clothes, Shen Yi turned and left the room.
When his footsteps faded into the distance, Lin Baiwei stopped chewing and looked thoughtfully toward the door, clearly relieved.
She knew all too well how terrifying the desire for transcendent techniques could be for a martial artist at Shen Yi's level.
But even with a blade to her neck, Lin Baiwei wouldn't reveal a single word.
It was a strict rule from above.
Violating it would mean certain death for the other party, and she wouldn't fare much better.
"To resist such temptation, his endurance is almost on par with mine."
Lin Baiwei sniffed the aroma of the buns, licked her lips, and took another bite.
...
East Street, Baiyun County.
Shen Yi slowed his pace and summoned his status panel.
[Current Martial Arts]
Bone-Piercing Grappling Hand (Mastered)
Demon-Subduing Saber Technique (Perfected): Initial Realm.
Righteous Sun Saber
Cloud-Parting Long Fist (Perfected): Fist and Palm Mastery
Spirit Snake Eight Steps (Perfected)
Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, Part One (Perfected)
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 21 years]
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 222 years]
...
Sitting down in a deserted alley, Shen Yi began to pour his demon lifespan into the Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll.
Investing in a perfected martial art was a gamble, with no guarantee of success.
The Righteous Sun Saber, which involved the initial realm, had already consumed an extra 27 years of lifespan.
But what Shen Yi wanted now was a complete set of techniques for the initial realm.
For that, he was willing to spend as much as it took.
[Year 1: You look at the Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, which you've memorized by heart, and begin to reflect on your life...]
[Year 5: Whether it's saber techniques or fist and palm techniques, your skills have reached their peak.
Your body has been thoroughly tempered by the essence of heaven and earth.
Yet, all the experience from the first half of your life has now become useless.]
[Year 20: You retreat into seclusion to contemplate the heavens and earth, trying to grasp the elusive essence that haunts your dreams.]
[Year 37: The Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll is a method of refining the body with medicinal essence.
You realize that the essence in medicine and the essence in heaven and earth are not so different.
You feel like you've grasped something.]
...
Year after year, the notifications flashed before his eyes.
Shen Yi couldn't fully comprehend the pain of decades passing without any progress.
Just imagining himself in that situation sent a chill down his spine.
[Year 60: You've become as familiar with the essence of heaven and earth as an old friend, but you still can't merge it with your body.
You glance at the saber by your side.]
[Year 82: You've used the Righteous Sun Saber countless times.
With each strike, your flesh and spirit are drained.
The body that was once tempered by essence has begun to deteriorate after years of self-consumption.]
[Year 90: You've successfully reduced yourself to an ordinary person, but you still refuse to put down the saber.]
[Year 105: Your flesh and blood are exhausted, with nothing left to transform.
As you swing the familiar Righteous Sun Saber, you collapse to the ground.
Your trembling hands make it hard to believe this is your own body.
You close your eyes.]
[Year 106: When a cool sensation flows into your skin, a faint smile finally appears on your tense face.
You know you've guessed right.]
[Year 120: Your approach is correct.
Since you can't figure it out, you push your body to the brink of death, using instinct to draw upon the gifts of heaven and earth.
Over the years, you've repeated this process, becoming increasingly familiar with the way essence enters your body.]
[Year 146: You've finally perfected the entire process and recorded it in a manual, naming it the "Wind and Thunder Demon-Subduing True Explanation."]
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 76 years]
...
Shen Yi clenched his teeth as a sudden wave of weakness swept over him.
He braced himself with his hands, his breathing ragged and feeble.
But the information flooding his mind made him disregard his physical state entirely.
Instead, his eyes gleamed with intense excitement.
Just three ape demons' lives had bought him a transcendent technique, and he hadn't even used up all the lifespan.
What a bargain!
The "Wind and Thunder Demon-Subduing True Explanation," obtained after over a century of effort, wasn't actually that complicated.
The human body has 362 acupoints, but only 12 major ones are suitable for absorbing and storing the essence of heaven and earth.
Through his martial arts deduction, Shen Yi had used the most rudimentary method to identify these 12 acupoints and master the technique of refining the essence through them.
(End of Chapter)