The pain was like a thousand ants gnawing at his flesh, and the man in leather armor convulsed, yet he forced himself to swallow his scream.

He dared not scream out, for the nightmarish voice stopped him in his tracks.

Once the shadow became clear, the man in leather armor recognized its identity.

His pupils contracted sharply, "Ice and fire aura... You're Qin An, the dual master of fists and blades!"

His adam's apple rolled violently, and fear flooded his eyes.

He was the trusted aide of Elder Monkey.

As a secret pawn placed in the human world by Elder Monkey, he knew too well the weight of this name.

Just yesterday, taking the task from Elder Monkey, the elder was gnashing his teeth.

He knew exactly who made the Elder Monkey become like this.

Qin An smiled slightly, "It seems my humble name has traveled far and wide."

The fear in the eyes of the man in leather armor deepened, clenching his teeth tightly, saying nothing, as cold sweat soaked his inner garments.

Qin An said calmly, "Name."

The man in leather armor still remained silent.

Qin An lifted his foot, crushing the bloodied shoulder, the sound of cracking bones was clearly audible: "You're not a tough one."

If it were a demon from the demon hall, Qin An might not go through the trouble of leaving any alive.

After all, like those encountered before, like Hu Sandao, some indeed had a foolish loyalty and passion.

However... humans are different.

At least, this person in front of him is different.

If truly loyal, he wouldn't betray humanity and turn to the demons.

Since that's the case, perhaps some information can be extracted.

The man in leather armor felt the intense pain, his complexion pale as paper, unable to resist trembling.

He felt that the man before him, calm as water, had genuine killing intent.

At this moment, the pain from his limbs combined with Qin An's pressure caused the defenses in his heart to completely collapse.

"I... I am Zhao Peng."

Qin An nodded slightly, applying more pressure with his foot: "Who is Elder Monkey collecting the four Yin women for?"

Upon hearing this, large beads of sweat rolled down Zhao Peng's forehead: "The Demon Transformation Pool! It's the Demon Transformation Pool!"

Without a trace of hesitation, he confessed everything he knew.

Demon Transformation Pool?

Qin An furrowed his brow, this answer filled him with doubt.

Zhao Peng broke down, shouting frantically, "The Demon Transformation Pool is a Pseudo-God, a terrifying Pseudo-God, born from the blood of countless demons, possessing its own Pseudo-God intelligence!"

"To command the Demon Transformation Pool, you must offer it something of value, and the four Yin women are one of the options."

Upon hearing this, Qin An's brow furrowed further.

His inner doubts were cleared in an instant.

If this is truly the case, Elder Monkey indeed might perform such deeds.

After answering Qin An's questions, Zhao Peng was as pale as gold paper.

He only wished to survive, not daring to negotiate with Qin An.

But at that moment, a bright blade flash passed.

Before Zhao Peng could even react, his head was already severed.

Qin An casually wiped the blood on Zhao Peng's clothes, searched the corpse for a while, then clicked his tongue: "So poor."

The search just now yielded nothing but scattered silver taels, not a single useful item.

But for Qin An, this intelligence was already plenty useful.

Moreover, there was also the vein crystal.

Thinking of this, Qin An reached for the vein crystal, channeling his True Qi into it.

The vein crystal immediately transformed into a line of smoke, disappearing into Qin An's body.

The moment the seventh primary meridian was formed, the immense True Qi surged like rivers.

Qin An felt the tremendous earth vein aura within his primary meridian, pondering within: "First, head to the nearest county town and have the yamen notify the Evil Extermination Bureau."

"Then, search for the last vein crystal."

This incident with Zhao Peng was a diversion, and it turned out to be good fortune for Qin An, meeting someone searching for the vein crystal.

This also indirectly proved that Elder Monkey at the demon hall was in a hurry.

Since that was the case, Qin An didn't plan to waste any time.

Hurry to find the last vein crystal, that's the most important matter.

Without any further ado, Qin An turned and left the cave, heading towards the last vein crystal.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, a day had gone by.

The Evil Extermination Bureau became busy again, due to a news from a remote small county, and the source was the recently famed mountain patrol officer Qin An.

The conspiracy of Elder Monkey was finally unveiled.

From afar in the wilds, the state's capital issued orders, instructing the entire Evil Extermination Bureau to keep an eye on the movements of the four Yin women.

Everyone born must have registered residency.

With cooperation between the Evil Extermination Bureau and the yamen, in the process of protecting these four Yin women, they indeed engaged in heavy battles with the demons.

The demons suffered severe losses, with mountain patrol officers joining the fray.

At this moment, atop the cliff of the demon hall.

Elder Monkey appeared forlorn, raising his right arm to drink the fine liquor from the flask.

His left hand was already empty, with the wine dripping from the severed arm.

The Tiger Demon held its breath, bowing its head, not daring to make a single move.

How this left arm was lost, he knew better than anyone.

When Elder Monkey went to the Hall Master to confess with humility, the hall exploded in roars of anger.

Upon returning, Elder Monkey was already in this condition.

This arm was lost, but at least his life was spared.

"Such a devastating defeat..."

Elder Monkey crushed the flask in his hand, his speech revealing utter dejection: "If the four Yin women can't be obtained, then find something else to please the Demon Transformation Pool."

The Tiger Demon nodded repeatedly, not daring to speak.

Elder Monkey's gaze intensified: "Tell me... exactly what kind of deity is Qin An, why have I lost to him so many times?"

From the layout in Ding County to the arrangement in Lingzhou, all were entirely destroyed.

And within these layouts, Qin An's presence was evident.

This person was extremely hard to kill and targeted him relentlessly, even costing him an arm.

For someone who has dominated Lingzhou for so long, losing to an obscure mountain patrol officer was shameful to speak of.

The Tiger Demon's throat rolled as he stammered, "I... I... don't know!"

After stammering for a long time, he only managed to say this one sentence.

If he said too much, he feared Elder Monkey would take his head.

Elder Monkey glanced sideways at the Tiger Demon, his gaze calm.

Under such a gaze, the Tiger Demon felt a shiver run through its body.

At that moment, a hurried footstep interrupted the Tiger Demon's fear.

The Tiger Demon turned its head sharply, seeing a Centipede Demon at the Returning to Storage Realm approach, the sound of its shell scraping was grating to the ears.

"Qianzu, greets Elder."

The Centipede Demon Qianzu stepped forward and saluted Elder Monkey.

Elder Monkey's eyes were indifferent: "Can you sense Qin An's whereabouts?"

Qianzu nodded: "Qin An carries the Qianzhu Cave Secret Skill, as long as he uses True Qi, I can naturally sense it."

Elder Monkey retracted his gaze and glanced at the Tiger Demon: "Hu Yuan!"

Hu Yuan immediately bowed: "Elder, I am here!"

"Don't you want to alleviate my worries?"

Elder Monkey's eyes suddenly turned sharp: "This time, Qianzu will lead, gathering thirty Returning to Storage Realm monsters, all top talents from various small factions."

"Kill Qin An! Only then can I restore face in the demon hall!"

He couldn't wait any longer.

Originally planning to deal with Qin An later, but Qin An repeatedly disrupted his plans.

If he continued to allow it, he would face execution at the hands of the Hall Master.

He was an elder in the demon hall, already registered with the Mountain Patrol Jin Wei, not daring to leave the demon hall without permission.

Even many Pulse Condensation Realm monsters did not dare to show themselves carelessly, as those Mountain Patrol Jin Wei were formidable.

They were walking contributions.

But this time, with thirty Returning to Storage Realm monsters gathering, and with Qianzu hunting Qin An's trail, even if Qin An had achieved Return to Storage Realm Perfection, his path would only lead to death.

Assembling Returning to Storage Realm monsters from other factions, Elder Monkey had nearly exhausted all his wealth.

He knew well that he could not send them one by one for Qin An to kill; only by assembling them together could succeed.

These little riches meant nothing; as long as Qin An was killed, the Hall Master's reward would be no less than this.

Hu Yuan suddenly raised his head, his scarlet tongue licking his fangs: "I will obey the orders and surely bring back Qin An's head!"

A formidable aura surged around Hu Yuan.

Qianzu was slightly startled: "Return to Storage Perfection!"

Elder Monkey raised his hand, casting a stream of light that landed in Hu Yuan's hand.

This was an Earth Vein Crystal.

Elder Monkey's tone was incredibly cold: "Absorb it, and you will be at Return to Storage Realm Perfection with four main veins condensed, this battle must not fail!"

Hu Yuan was overjoyed, hurriedly bowing to the ground: "Thank you, Elder, for your gift. If I can't bring back Qin An's head, I will behead myself!"

On the cliff, the breeze blew gently.

The coldness in Elder Monkey's eyes gradually solidified...

...

Evil Extermination Bureau.

When Qin An returned dust-stained from outside, not waiting for the State Official to salute, he handed the reins to the official and hurried back to his room.

This scene puzzled many state captains.

They did not know why Mr. Qin was in such a hurry, but no one dared to ask, simply gazing respectfully at Qin An's departing figure.

Back in the room, Qin An closed the door behind him, a barely noticeable hint of joy in his eyes.

"The last main vein is complete!"

At this moment, all eight main veins in his body were condensed by the Earth Vein Crystal, the vast True Qi pure and terrifying.

Even though Qin An was now only at Great Success of Gui Cang Realm, his actual combat strength far exceeded it.

This rich harvest was worth Qin An's recent unrelenting travels.

After a while, Qin An suppressed the joy in his heart, calling up the status before his eyes with a thought.

[Butcher lv.7 (0/1500): The livestock you slaughter are more delicious and can enhance its essence]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm Blade Cultivation Technique Mastery, Jade Bone Realm Weapon Skill Insight Mastery]

...

[Scholar lv.8 (50/2000): Your reading speed greatly increases, and you have photographic memory]

[Talent: Gui Cang Realm Heart Method Cultivation Technique Insight Great Success, Gui Cang Realm Heart Method Cultivation Technique Epiphany Great Success]

...

[Pill Master lv.7 (0/1500): Your success rate in refining pills increases, and the efficacy is purer]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm Fire Control Mastery, Jade Bone Realm Pill Material Reduction]

...

[Blacksmith lv.7 (0/1500): The quality of the items you forge increases, and the material consumption decreases]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm Strength Cultivation Technique Mastery, Jade Bone Realm Forged Object Spirituality Granting]

...

[Healer lv.7 (0/1500): Your patient treatment effectiveness increases, and treatment time shortens]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm Healing Cultivation Technique Mastery, Jade Bone Realm Poison Resistance Great Success]

...

[Dancer lv.7 (0/1500): Your dances are more graceful and can captivate minds]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm Body Technique Talent Mastery, Jade Bone Realm Body Technique Talent Epiphany Mastery]

...

[Array Master lv.8 (0/2000): The speed of setting up arrays quickens, and the decoding speed quickens]

[Talent: Gui Cang Realm Array Great Success, Gui Cang Realm Array Resistance Great Success]

Looking at the words before him, Qin An formulated a new plan.

"Leveling the Scholar profession to nine will bring about a third transformation."

"After the transformation, all talents will reach Gui Cang Realm Mastery in addition to the new talent."

"Using this talent, supplemented by demon essence, I will raise my strength to Pulse Condensation Realm!"

Qin An's eyes sparkled, his heart brimming with thoughts, finally making a decision.

He originally wanted to level all professions to eight before practicing the Scholar profession for balanced development.

But now, Qin An couldn't wait.

Having condensed all the main veins, failing to advance to Pulse Condensation Realm was not beneficial for him.

The Scholar profession's promotion to a nine-level transformation will only take about ten days.

In that case, within these ten days, the Scholar profession should reach level nine.

Having made up his mind, Qin An took a deep breath, calming his excitement.

At this moment, the day was still early, and Qin An did not want to waste a single moment, heading towards the Lingzhou library.

"In ten days, I will step into Pulse Condensation and become Lingzhou's top combat power!"

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