At the outer hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau, many officers crowded at the entrance.
When the girl from the inner camp mentioned the Vajra Sect, they were momentarily puzzled but soon recalled something.
Several disciples dressed in golden eagle robes stepped forward and said sternly, "Officer Shen once saved our lives. Don’t try to fool him with that nonsense!"
The girl pouted and turned back to Shen Yi, "Sir, don’t listen to their nonsense. I’m not one to skimp on resources for the bureau. I was just mentioning it in passing, but it’s true. The Vajra Indestructible Body, a top-tier Jade Liquid Realm cultivation technique, was indeed offered by the Vajra Sect. It’s been sitting here untouched ever since."
Hearing this, Shen Yi was slightly taken aback.
Since arriving in this world, his deepest impression of the martial sects was their deep-seated fear of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
"As for the reason," the girl from the inner camp explained softly, "Officer Shen should know that body tempering techniques are a slow and steady process. Anyone who practices them will achieve similar results."
"The Vajra Sect was once a major sect, possessing the Vajra Bodhi Tree. With the help of the fruits from this tree, one could master this top-tier martial art in just 180 years, achieving a body so strong that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would find it hard to harm them."
180 years was a significant threshold.
Normally, a person in the early Jade Liquid Realm could live for about 220 years.
This meant that as long as a Vajra Sect disciple could reach the early Jade Liquid Realm, they could fully master the Vajra Indestructible Body and possess a physique that could overpower others in the Jade Liquid Realm.
"Unfortunately, the Bodhi Tree later withered…"
"Without the support of the tree’s fruits, no matter how many body tempering elixirs they used, they could no longer achieve the same results. No matter how hard the disciples tried, they could only reach a minor achievement in the technique, and the Vajra Sect quickly declined to a third-rate force."
The girl blinked and continued, "Their leader was lucky, though. He somehow found half of a Nascent Soul body tempering technique and actually managed to make progress with it. To avoid being targeted by other forces, he decided to offer the Vajra Indestructible Body to the Demon Suppression Bureau, seeking peace of mind."
As the saying goes, "No one offers gifts without a reason—either they’re up to no good or they want something."
But in the case of the Vajra Sect, seeking a powerful backer to revive their sect was understandable.
"A top-tier Jade Liquid Realm martial art, even the General himself has personally reviewed it and left a comment: Unless the Vajra Bodhi Tree comes back to life, this technique is worthless. The time spent tempering the body would be better spent trying to break through to the next realm…"
"This is the only top-tier martial art stored in the outer hall. Whether there are others in the main treasury is unclear, but accessing the main treasury requires the General’s personal authorization."
After hearing her explanation and recalling Hong Lei’s earlier warning, Shen Yi fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed in hesitation.
After a long while, he tapped the counter lightly and said with a hint of disbelief, "There’s really such a thing? A martial art that depends on a single tree? I’ll take it."
Hearing this, the girl raised an eyebrow and glanced at the golden eagle officers.
She had made everything clear, and if they weren’t convinced, it wasn’t her problem.
The officers silently stepped back, clearly aware that such a proud figure wouldn’t be swayed by a few words.
"Should I also exchange all the medicinal resources for body tempering materials?"
"Yes," Shen Yi replied, his expression unchanged.
He had come to realize that in Qingzhou, anything related to the Nascent Soul Realm inevitably involved the General.
This also meant that reaching the Nascent Soul Realm granted one the power to stir up trouble in Qingzhou, making it a tightly controlled realm.
A top-tier body tempering technique that didn’t require innate talent or profound insight was the most valuable thing he could obtain at the moment.
"…"
Although he had the Heavenly Demon Asura External Core in his dantian, Shen Yi was well aware of its limitations.
With the cultivation of a 3,000-year-old flood dragon, he lacked the corresponding techniques and the flood dragon’s indestructible scales.
He could easily overpower martial artists far weaker than a flood dragon, but against opponents of similar strength, he would be at a disadvantage.
At best, he could hold his own in a fight, but it was far from the overwhelming advantage he had hoped for.
Most importantly, the demonic energy within the external core was non-renewable.
If he engaged in a life-and-death battle and exhausted the core’s energy, he would only have one chance.
If he couldn’t obtain another internal core of the same level to replenish it, the Heavenly Demon External Core, which had cost nearly 2,000 years of demonic lifespan, would become utterly useless.
Therefore, he couldn’t afford to miss any opportunity for improvement.
"It’s all recorded. I’ll also pick the best movement techniques for you. Once everything is sorted, I’ll have it sent to you immediately. If the body tempering technique doesn’t suit you… hehe… you can always come back and exchange it for something else. I’m here from the 7th to the 19th of every month. The medicinal resources can also be exchanged."
The girl smiled sweetly, her dimples showing, but the officers nearby frowned.
So this was her plan all along?
"Oh, and when you go to Linjiang County, they’ll assign you three deputy generals and 120 officers. If you want to bring a few from here, as long as it’s not too many, three to five should be fine."
She shrugged, "After all, we’re short on manpower here. We can’t have everyone running off to enjoy life with Officer Shen."
"We’ll see when the time comes," Shen Yi said as he turned around, immediately feeling the intense gazes of the crowd.
He took a step forward, and the officers holding precious robes glared coldly, causing the outer camp members to back off slightly.
…
At the very edge of the crowd, several dozen feet away, stood a broad-shouldered man dressed in simple, coarse clothing.
He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a stubbled face and no visible weapons, resembling an honest farmer.
On his shoulder sat a petite girl with two small buns in her hair, her skin fair and lips red.
She wore a green dress, her small white feet swinging leisurely.
She watched the young man in the black robe with curiosity, "What do you think? Chen Qiankun gave him the position of personal attendant and also recommended him to us. What’s his game?"
The middle-aged man’s gaze was calm as he replied slowly, "When people get old, they tend to hesitate. He wants to keep the person he values by his side, but he also feels it’s a waste. Unable to make a decision, he leaves the choice to the other party. He’s lost the decisiveness of his youth. It seems he won’t be able to hold Linjiang County for much longer."
Hearing this, the girl tugged at the man’s ear, "I sense some hidden meaning in your words."
"I didn’t mean you, Grandma," the man replied with a helpless smile.
He continued, "On one hand, he’s trying to cover up the dragon-slaying incident to guard against retaliation from the Yangchun River water tribe. On the other hand, he’s making a big show of it to intimidate the Zhao family. Does this foolishness still resemble the Chen Qiankun of old? The person he values—could it be a mere child? Unable to withstand even the slightest storm?"
"Giving a young man a comfortable choice, yet hoping he’ll refuse it—what a joke."
With that, he slowly turned away.
"The General has already gone to the imperial court three times to request reinforcements. A great turmoil is coming to Qingzhou, and we demon hunters will be the first to die. We don’t have time to help General Chen babysit."
"Haha," the girl giggled, swinging her feet, "Speaking of children, I quite like that Miss Lin. She started learning demon hunting from the very beginning, yet almost died in a small place like Baiyun County. It’s hilarious. Since the General can’t get reinforcements, we’ll have to fight for her spot in the upcoming Martial Temple cleansing. It’ll help wash away some of that childishness."
"When she returns after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm and finds out this guy has become someone else’s personal attendant, she’ll be furious."
"The person they raved about in the letter, who just tasted blood after taking a few bites of raw meat, has already been leashed by Old Chen and sent to the Linjiang County Magistrate’s house. Oh dear…" She wiped away tears of laughter.
It wasn’t mockery, but even the fiercest beast, after being domesticated for too long and living a life of ease, would eventually lose its sharp fangs and claws.
Every General in history has risen from the ranks of demon hunters.
They are wolves, daring to step beyond the twelve counties of Qingzhou, venturing into the territories of demon kings, licking blood from the edge of danger!
(End of Chapter)