In the depths of the cave, dark red droplets condensed on the damp rock wall, like tears of blood that hadn't dried.

The blood pool glistened with a viscous glow in the darkness, its surface reflecting an oily sheen of iridescence.

Occasionally, bubbles would emerge, popping with a sucking sound.

The stalagmites by the pool's edge were stained red, and the stalactites hanging from the top dripped scarlet liquid, producing hollow echoes in the silence.

When a beam of light swept across the pool, the sedimented debris suddenly surged like thousands of maggots awakening in corpse fluid.

A wailing sound, like crying, suddenly emanated from the stone wall, and a hemispherical bulge slowly rose in the center of the blood pool, with something faintly moving beneath the thin membrane.

A white shadow flashed by.

The Hall Master, dressed in white, stood at the edge of the blood pool, his voice cold: "Come out, we have matters to discuss."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bulge suddenly twisted and deformed, quickly forming a blurred human face.

"What is it..."

"It's a matter concerning both our lives." The Hall Master spoke indifferently, the dragon horn on his forehead glinting with a ghostly light: "More than half the elders of the Demon Hall have been lost. If we don't act against the General State soon, neither of us will survive."

The face formed by the Demon Transformation Pool hesitated slightly: "You haven't fulfilled any of the promises you made to me."

The Hall Master shook his head: "That's not important."

The Demon Transformation Pool sneered: "It is important. Do you think I'm unaware of your schemes?"

"Leaking my information through the Evil Extermination Bureau's moles can't be a coincidence. You want to tie me to your ship."

"Only by doing this can you take down the General State and seize all of Lingzhou for yourself."

"With such scheming against me, and without any benefits, why should I listen to you?"

The Hall Master stared at the face: "I told you, that's not important. What's important is that we're close to death. If you fully revive, the General State will surely detect it through the Celestial Calculation Sect's means. Can you survive then?"

The Demon Transformation Pool fell silent.

The Hall Master continued: "Whether or not I schemed against you, we are currently like grasshoppers on the same rope, aren't we?"

The Demon Transformation Pool replied darkly: "What do you propose?"

The Hall Master squatted down slowly: "Revive as soon as possible, lure the General State here, and we'll join forces to kill him. Lingzhou will be ours then, and the promise will naturally be fulfilled."

The Demon Transformation Pool let out a series of cold laughs: "Do you think I still trust you?"

The Hall Master stood up and walked towards the exit: "Believe it or not, I know you'll die before me. I can at least survive relying on the Demon Hall."

Having said that, the Hall Master had already reached the exit.

The Demon Transformation Pool suddenly spoke: "Wait."

The Hall Master halted his steps, glancing mockingly at the face in the blood pool.

The Demon Transformation Pool's voice was cold: "When will I revive? I can hardly suppress it anymore."

The Hall Master pondered for a moment and said: "Half a month's time. I need to gather all forces, at least to hold off those patrolling officers for a while and buy us time to kill the General State."

The face in the Demon Transformation Pool gradually sank into the pool: "Alright."

Then, the entire cave fell into dead silence.

The Hall Master surveyed the surroundings, confirmed no further anomalies, and quietly left.

…

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, several days had gone by.

During this time, Lingzhou fell into a bizarre calm.

Aside from sporadic demonic disturbances, no major events transpired.

But the Evil Extermination Bureau and all major forces were well aware.

This was merely the calm before the storm.

The calmer it is, the greater the storm will be, and the more tumultuous the undercurrents.

At this moment, within the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An sat cross-legged on the bed, gazing at the serpent-like swirling smoke before him, a hint of pleasure flickering in his eyes.

[Dancer lvl.9 (0/3000): Your dances are more graceful and can charm minds and boost morale]

[Talent: Mastery in Gui Cang Realm Body Technique, Epiphany Mastery in Gui Cang Realm Body Technique, Body Control Enhancement of Gui Cang Realm]

[Upgrade Condition: Create ten original dances (10/10)]

[Upgraded]

Recently, since returning to the Evil Extermination Bureau, Qin An had shut himself in, focusing on refining his prowess as a dancer.

The matter of the Pill Master would take another month, so he temporarily set it aside.

The urgent need was to improve his body technique to tackle the crisis of the Demon Transformation Pool.

Upon reaching the ninth level as a dancer, he experienced three qualitative transformations.

An additional trait was added to boost morale, which, when Qin An danced, could enhance his side's morale and combat strength.

For Qin An, this trait was not frequently utilized.

What surprised him most was his talent.

All talents had been elevated to Gui Cang Realm Mastery, with an additional new talent—Body Control Enhancement of Gui Cang Realm.

The so-called Body Control Enhancement of Gui Cang Realm improved control over one's body.

Qin An stood, gripping the Cold Star Saber at his waist.

A feeling unlike any he had ever known spread throughout his body.

He felt that he knew every inch of his body intimately and could control every muscle as if it were an extension of his own will.

"Although it doesn't appear to augment combat power on the surface, this level of control is terrifyingly advantageous in combat."

With enhanced body control, one could maximize the improvement of strength, speed, and other abilities.

This talent was undoubtedly a great addition for Qin An.

"It's time to deduce the body technique." Qin An calmed his thoughts and pulled a cultivation technique from his breast.

The cover was inscribed with the words "Rushing Skill," a Gui Cang Realm Skill.

Upon returning, the merits had already been tallied, and Qin An immediately went to the Confidential Library to exchange for the cultivation technique, saving time from running back and forth.

The Rushing Skill body technique had a characteristic, enhancing long-distance rushing.

This feature could be combined with the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, improving the continuity of the latter.

Qin An flipped through the book, and after finishing his reading, the Scholar profession increased slightly.

His True Qi flowed according to the pattern of the Rushing Skill, as serpent-like smoke reappeared.

[You practice Rushing Skill, triggering the Dancer talent]

[Rushing Skill (Perfect)]

The ninth level of the Dancer profession brought powerful inferential abilities, and it didn't take long for Qin An to infer the Rushing Skill to the Perfect Realm.

But this was not Qin An's limit; he aimed to merge the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step with the Rushing Skill into one.

Thinking of this, Qin An continued his deductions.

The smoke in front of him dispersed with a boom and, upon reconvening, transformed into new words.

[You possess the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, intending to merge it with the Rushing Skill, but due to insufficient talent, there has been no progress.]

[Unwilling in your heart, after sitting for years, you decide to consume your blood energy.]

[With a large amount of blood energy consumed, a flash of insight occurs in your mind.]

It wasn't until the blood energy reserved by six demon cores was completely gone that the words before him finally changed.

[After consuming a large amount of blood energy, all insights converge to a point, and you finally understand.]

[Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step devours Rushing Skill, advancing to the Vein Condensation Realm.]

[Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step (Initial Understanding)]

In the next moment, the words dispersed with a boom, turning into a vast amount of information, flooding into Qin An's mind like a tide.

Qin An closed his eyes and contemplated, absorbing all of the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step in the Vein Condensation Realm.

Although due to the powerful nature of Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, there was no change, it had already progressed to the level of initial understanding in the Vein Condensation Realm.

Now, all of Qin An's cultivation techniques have reached the Vein Condensation Realm.

Qin An stood up, clenched his fists, and thought to himself, "Finally accomplished my goal."

Now Qin An can be considered invincible in the Vein Condensation Realm.

Even though he is only at the initial understanding of the Vein Condensation Realm, he can still slay ordinary Vein Condensation Realm opponents, even at the Great Success level.

He could even do so without using a Secret Technique, just like when he fought Elder Yang before.

"Unfortunately, if faced with the Outer Elixir Realm, I still lack some heat." Qin An sighed inwardly.

However, this current improvement is already more than satisfactory for him.

Next, Qin An plans to continue promoting his scholar vocation.

Once he elevates his scholar vocation to level ten, he can infer and reach the Great Success of the Vein Condensation Realm.

"Currently, there doesn't seem to be enough books for me to read; I need to find a different study." Qin An pondered.

To improve in the scholar vocation requires constantly reading new books.

Recently, he has read almost all the books in the nearby study, so Qin An plans to switch to a new study to practice scholar's proficiency.

As he thought of this, Qin An looked at the fine weather outside and went out for breakfast.

...

Morning light gently shone.

Qin An sat in front of a street stall, having his breakfast while appreciating the street life.

Passersby came and went like weaving, faces showing rare joy.

Recently, peace in Lingzhou spread throughout the martial world and even among the populace.

With no threats from demonic pseudo-gods, the people naturally welcomed it, preferring a modest life to losing it.

Qin An loved these mundane things, and enjoyed the street's atmosphere.

As he ate, Qin An appreciated the lively scene around him.

Just as Qin An finished his breakfast and was about to pay and return to the Evil Extermination Bureau, footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

Looking back, Qin An saw a state official from the Internal Affairs Department hurrying towards him.

"Mr. Qin, I've finally found you. Mr. Yang requests your presence," the state official from the Internal Affairs Department wiped sweat from his forehead and said quickly.

Everyone in the Evil Extermination Bureau knows if Qin An is around, his favorite spot is the street stall.

Especially the breakfast stall near the Evil Extermination Bureau, which Qin An frequents often.

So, when he couldn't find Qin An in the Bureau, the state official naturally came here.

Qin An nodded, touched the Cold Star Saber, and walked towards the Evil Extermination Bureau: "I understand."

He didn't know why Yang Quanfeng was looking for him, but at such a critical time, it was certainly not a trivial matter.

The state official from the Internal Affairs Department watched Qin An leave decisively, sighed in relief, and, glancing at the street stall, had a sudden thought.

"I wonder if this stall is good... since Mr. Qin eats here, it must be tasty."

Having skipped breakfast, he sat down at the stall and ordered some small dishes, waiting patiently.

During the wait, the state official felt immense pride.

"I guess this counts as having had the same breakfast as Mr. Qin; I can boast a bit about it at the Music Bureau later."

...

Evil Extermination Bureau.

At this moment, in the small courtyard where Yang Quanfeng resided.

Besides Yang Quanfeng, there was no one else present.

Yang Quanfeng was sitting alone in the garden, drinking strong liquor, occasionally placing the flask on the table, meticulously wiping his hammer with a white cloth, making it shine.

When footsteps sounded, Yang Quanfeng put down the cloth, his gaze resting on the entrance.

He already knew who had arrived.

Once he clearly saw the visitor's appearance, Yang Quanfeng slowly stood, clasped his hands, and bowed.

"This humble officer greets Mr. Qin."

Although Qin An had previously said not to be overly formal, rules in the Evil Extermination Bureau could not be abandoned.

As a Jinzhou Captain, Yang Quanfeng couldn't disregard these rules either.

So even when the two were alone, he maintained respect as a subordinate.

Qin An waved, "No need for formalities, sit."

After Qin An was seated, Yang Quanfeng tidied his clothes before sitting back down.

Qin An glanced at the table, noticing a secret letter.

The envelope's seal was done with a special technique, indicating no one had read it.

The letter's front read "For Qin An's Eyes Only."

Yang Quanfeng said, "Mr. Qin, this is a letter from the central province, marked extremely urgent, requiring your personal attention. I haven't read its content."

Qin An nodded, releasing the Cold Star Saber, and picked up the letter, manually unsealing it.

Since it was extremely urgent, it surely concerned important matters.

With the Demon Transformation Pool matter impending, Qin An guessed it must be related.

Yang Quanfeng did not approach, just waited on the side.

After reading the entire letter's contents, Qin An frowned, fingers gently tapping the handle of the Cold Star Saber.

"Finally meeting with the central province..."

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