Lying on the bed, Shen Yi tried to circulate his inner energy according to that mysterious trajectory.
Immediately, a dense, draining sensation washed over him, as if a whale were swallowing the ocean, while he only had a small pond... no, just a cup of water.
This feeling was too terrifying, and Shen Yi quickly stopped the energy circulation.
He finally experienced the helplessness he had felt during the martial arts deduction.
The speed at which a beginner martial artist absorbs the energy of heaven and earth is very slow.
The inner energy in the twelve major acupoints is more like a deposit principal.
Usually, just using the interest is enough to maintain the basic use of martial arts.
Even for a beginner-level martial art like the Bloodthirsty Blade Technique, the consumption of inner energy is minimal.
But once the loss is too great, it’s equivalent to damaging the foundation, and it takes a lot of time to recover.
In this deduction, every time he used the Four Harmonies True Aura, he would waste several years re-accumulating the energy.
For an ordinary martial artist, this would be inhuman torture.
Shen Yi thought of the earlier transformation of inner energy into Jade Dew.
No wonder the energy of heaven and earth had to be condensed into liquid form.
Otherwise, how could one bear such a cost?
"Could it be that after practicing this, I wouldn’t dare to use it, only treating it as a life-or-death trump card, and after using it, I’d just wait for death?" Shen Yi frowned slightly, then seemed to remember something.
He looked at the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Explanation in his panel.
This thing had been stuck in deduction for a long time, and no matter how much demon lifespan he poured into it, there was no reaction.
It was like a bottomless pit, only mindlessly absorbing energy from heaven and earth.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi’s frown relaxed.
Wasn’t this just perfect? It could both replenish his own consumption and, at the same time, attempt to deduce something new.
It was like spending money to buy two things at once.
Based on previous experience, it would take about five years to fully replenish the twelve major acupoints.
Using his own lifespan for this would definitely not be worth it.
After all, after breaking through to the beginner realm, he only had forty-six years of lifespan left.
But using demon lifespan to solve the immediate problem and then looking for a way to advance was still feasible.
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 391 years]
Shen Yi suppressed the urge to go out and test it, forcing himself to close his eyes.
While it was important to understand the power of his moves, there was no need to disturb others’ sleep in the middle of the night.
That would be too inconsiderate.
Perhaps because he hadn’t slept well the night before, he fell asleep very quickly this time.
The pancakes here were warm, the salted meat was chewy, the bed was hard, and the woman was soft.
Everything felt so real.
Images of mutilated corpses flashed through his mind, demons devouring flesh and blood.
Shen Yi unconsciously clenched his fingers.
With so many martial arts at his disposal, he no longer needed to numb his thoughts with the idea that "this life was picked up by chance."
He now had the courage to draw his blade against demons.
Using the excuse of having a short lifespan to act recklessly and fight fiercely was effective, but it wasn’t sustainable.
Living a second life was like waking up from a dream.
When the rooster crowed, Shen Yi opened his eyes on time.
He stepped outside to breathe in the morning dew, feeling refreshed and light all over.
"You’re up early today?" Lin Baiwei stretched her body as she walked into the room from the backyard, curiously looking outside.
"Morning," Shen Yi turned around, a rare hint of a smile in his eyes.
"Did you find money or something?" Lin Baiwei shook her head suspiciously.
"Something like that," Shen Yi replied, then went back inside to change into clean clothes.
Counting the days, there were still more than twenty days until the Demon Subduing Division’s inspection.
With this time, he could check for any gaps and fill them in.
Getting a good position shouldn’t be a problem.
His current strength was more than enough to protect himself in Baiyun County, but accidents could always happen.
Take Lin Baiwei, for example.
She could casually copy out a Jade Dew Realm martial art.
This was different from simply taking out a martial art manual.
The former meant she had personally practiced it before.
Before her acupoints were sealed, she must have been much stronger than he was now.
Bad luck could still strike.
With this example constantly in front of him, Shen Yi couldn’t afford to be careless.
To survive in these chaotic times, joining a decent organization was definitely the best choice.
Whether it was martial arts or resources, everything would be guaranteed.
And if one day he was captured by demons, they might even hesitate because of his background, giving him some room to maneuver.
Shen Yi went out and bought two breakfasts to bring back.
After quickly finishing his meal, he headed to the duty room.
As he walked, Shen Yi suddenly slowed his steps and glanced toward the roadside.
A young man holding a sugar figurine stick smiled obsequiously and said, "Sir, do you also have a sweet tooth? Why not take a couple to try?"
Shen Yi shook his head and continued walking, "Sorry, I didn’t bring any money."
He didn’t dare to eat sugar figurines sold by a wandering martial artist.
As for why the man was in Baiyun County, Shen Yi didn’t want to ask.
He was just a demon-hunting officer, not a city guard.
There were all kinds of people coming and going, and he might encounter a few strange ones every day.
It was just that before, his eyesight wasn’t good enough to notice them.
Stepping into the duty room courtyard, Shen Yi saw Zhang the Butcher training a few people early in the morning.
Zhang Dahu rubbed his waist, hastily picking up his sword and running off, "I-I’ll go patrol the streets…"
Zhang the Butcher didn’t give the slacker a hard time, "He’s old, and he doesn’t have much of a future. You three, don’t slack off… How dare you glare at me! Ungrateful brats. If you can get into the Demon Subduing Division, your parents will bring cured meat to thank me."
As he spoke, he kicked the Niu brothers in the waist twice, "Raise your hands higher. You’re making the Demon Subduing Blade Technique look like a stage play."
"I’m doing fine as a patrol officer. I don’t want to climb higher. Dealing with demons is a matter of life and death," Niu Er complained, grimacing.
"You’ve been too comfortable for too long," Zhang the Butcher sneered, "Just five months ago, Sanshui County was taken over by the Demon Subduing Division. More than ten officers were stationed there. In three days, they pushed through the demon mountain, killing over two hundred soldiers and slaying more than eighty demons. Do you think it’s like here, where civilians die before the officers?"
"The death compensation is only forty taels of silver, but if you’re part of the Demon Subduing Division, even as a reserve, that amount is just two months’ worth of your subsidy."
Hearing this, the Niu brothers silently calculated in their hearts, and their sword swings gradually became more forceful.
"Do they recruit ordinary patrol officers?" Shen Yi walked into the courtyard, curious.
"Otherwise, why would they pass down the three Demon Subduing martial arts?" Zhang the Butcher smiled when he saw him, "As long as you reach a minor achievement in all three or a major achievement in one within the set time, you have a chance to be selected. In at most ten or twenty years, they’ll use medicinal baths to soak these people into the beginner realm."
"Do you know how terrifying it is for beginner realm martial artists to sprout up like rice in a field?"
Zhang the Butcher’s eyes turned red with envy as he spoke, seemingly resentful of the Demon Subduing Division’s extravagance.
"If there are so many people, why do they still seem short-handed?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, not quite believing it.
"Have you never harvested rice? It grows in batches, and it falls in batches," Zhang the Butcher rolled his eyes, making a slicing motion across his neck, then continued, "If someone has even better talent, like that demon hunter who was taken in as a disciple by the Qingzhou Commander of the Demon Subduing Division ten years ago—ten years! While I was still practicing stances and carrying water, she was eating precious herbs like they were rice. She reached the Jade Dew Realm’s peak, using her energy to form swords and slaughtering demons like pigs."
"Wow, a love child?" Even someone as steady as Shen Yi couldn’t help but be shocked.
"If only she were a love child," Zhang the Butcher suddenly became much more dejected, waving his hand, "You don’t understand demon hunters. They eat the best food but take the hardest hits. Not only do they need exceptional talent, but they also need a steady temperament, able to endure loneliness and hardship."
"Traveling thousands of miles alone to hunt demons and uncover secrets, acting as the eyes and ears of the Demon Subduing Division. Half of the Great Qian Dynasty’s demon bounties are captured by them."
(End of Chapter)