Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Jiang Yuanhua was placed in the care of the Armory, and Shen Yi did not stay any longer, turning around to leave the place.

Though it was said to encompass the entire treasure trove of the Great Qian Dynasty,

For a Primordial Grandmaster, most of the things here were of no significance.

The truly valuable Superior Treasures and Primordial Martial Arts were under strict supervision, and even a Demon Suppression Bureau Inspector couldn't just take as much as they wanted.

"Slowly does it."

Shen Yi stepped down the long steps and then touched the Jade Slip with his divine sense, causing ripples to appear on the relief-carved wall which quietly changed back to its original appearance.

Having just walked a short distance, the previous attendant had already been waiting for a while.

"Inspector, I am Liu Kun. I have always served at the General Office. Since you've just arrived at the Imperial City, please feel free to ask if you need any information."

Although Liu Kun was humbly submissive, he was not sycophantic and did not cause any discomfort.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

Shen Yi nodded and followed the man towards the compound directly behind the Martial Temple.

"Officer Shen, this place is divided into four compounds: alpha, beta, gamma, delta. All are talented masters from Jiuzhou, including both people from the Imperial Court and various jianghu sects and clans, and the relations are complex," Liu Kun explained while walking.

"However, those who enter the latter three compounds are considered disciples of the Martial Temple and usually do not cause trouble. If there ever is an incident, one only needs to report it, and the Martial Temple will handle the punishments; there's no need for us from the Demon Suppression Bureau to be responsible."

He spoke circumspectly, but in reality, ever since that Inspector left the Great Qian and the two Deputy Patrol Envoys perished, the General Office had already become an empty shell.

It was still feasible to handle clerical work such as reporting achievements for the local Demon Suppression Bureaus and receiving rewards, but when it came to real action... among these so-called "disciples," there were no lack of martial artists who had reached the perfection stage of holding pills.

Liu Kun brought Shen Yi to the place predetermined by Officer Wu.

Liu Kun saluted and took his leave, "You go ahead with your duties."

Before him were courtyards made of green bricks and gray tiles, one adjacent to another, with the occasional fallen leaf fluttering by, creating a quiet and leisurely ambiance.

It did not take long for people to take notice of the unfamiliar figure.

Although there seemed to be many disciples of the Martial Temple, spread across the vast expanse of Jiuzhou, they were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

It was quite possible for many years to pass without a single new addition.

Moreover... the young man was so young that, judging by his appearance alone, he didn't even look to be thirty.

Very soon, a stout man approached to strike up a conversation, smiling and greeting with a clasped fist, "I am Jiang He from Song State. May I ask where brother comes from?"

Compared to people from the Imperial Court, this stout man had a heavier jianghu aura about him.

"Qingzhou, Shen Yi."

Shen Yi returned the gesture slightly, finally learning about a new place besides Li State and Tanzhou.

He took note of it secretly, planning to likely visit it in the future.

"I've been to Qingzhou before," Jiang He said familiarly, continuing the conversation, "Brother Shen, do you happen to know Jiang Qiulan? I, an unremarkable person, had the opportunity to spar with her during my travels in Jiuzhou. Miss Jiang wields a long sword, her superb swordsmanship is divine and enchanting, far beyond my reach! Brother Shen also comes from Qingzhou, so you must likewise be a formidable cultivator!"

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at him. Jiang Qiulan was known as the sharpest sword in Qingzhou... except that she doesn't use a sword.

Is boasting like this also part of the jianghu character?

It reminded him of Zhang the Butcher, who dared to rank himself alongside figures like Yan Xingkong and Zhang Hengzhou, masters of the Condensation Elixir Realm, as one of the legends of Qingzhou even when he was only in the Initial Realm.

It's an old tradition after all.

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and nodded, "Not bad."

"Brother Shen is being modest," Jiang He laughed heartily. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Seeing that the youth was not keen on discussing further, he surmised that the other party must have some talent but, due to his young age, probably did not have a high level of cultivation and thus had not interacted with a master like Jiang Qiulan, yet was reluctant to show any weakness.

He smoothly changed the subject and asked, "Are you also here to join the Martial Temple? Why don't you go in?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

Shen Yi looked into the distance. From the moment Jiang He came over to chat, seven or eight people had approached, listening in quietly. After overhearing their conversation, each stopped in their tracks, discarding the idea of making acquaintance.

"Waiting for whom? Do you need help finding them?"

Jiang He did not hurry to leave; after all, in this dangerous world, it's good to have more friends.

He casually looked towards the courtyard but noticed that several of his fellow disciples had all dutifully turned back to their yards: "..."

Tsk, a bunch of conceited folks.

Before he finished his inward critique, a cold and raspy voice sounded from behind.

"Are you very idle?"

Jiang He instinctively shrank his neck, chuckling without turning back, "Teacher Wu, I'm off to practice."

He hurried into the courtyard, taking two steps at a time, stealing a glance back only to find that the normally indifferent Wu Dao'an actually seemed to be in a decent mood.

"Have you been waiting long?" The elder apparently had just completed a refinement for someone.

"I just arrived," Shen Yi shook his head.

"Come with me," Wu Dao'an said no more, stepping into the courtyard and leading Shen Yi further inside.

Jiang He watched the two walk away, only leaving the delta compound, "Huh..."

That quiet kid turned out to be someone important?

To receive personal attention from old ghost Wu, at the very least, he must be a seedling from the beta compound.

...

As they continued deeper, the number of people around them sharply decreased by several times.

Wu Dao'an didn't seem to be in the mood for introductions, preferring to walk in silence at the front.

"Mr. Wu."

A middle-aged man in a white robe stood up to greet him, accompanied by a woman in the same white attire, both exuding an air of immortal companionship.

Wu Dao'an waved his hand casually and proceeded to walk past the pair.

He had never shown much courtesy to these coarse martial folk.

...

The beautiful lady in the white robe arched her eyebrows, her gaze shifting to the young man following behind old Wu.

Another person to join the second courtyard?

And such a young one at that.

With just over thirty individuals admitted here, reaching the full mastery of the Solidifying Pill was the minimum threshold.

The couple exchanged glances, both spotting the surprise in the other's eyes.

Not until Shen Yi had followed Wu Dao'an out of the second courtyard did the two share a wry smile, "That gave me a fright. Turns out he's a Yin God Cultivator."

Unlike martial artists.

Within the Martial Temple, there was a crude way to discern the realm of Yin God Cultivators, which was to observe the physical body.

The more withered the body, the higher the cultivation.

Because this implied the opposite party was no longer confined within the shackles of flesh and blood, naturally, they wouldn't concern themselves with such a mundane physical form.

The status of the first courtyard was the highest, but it didn't necessarily indicate the strongest; it valued talent more.

An aspiring Yin God youth with the potential to formulate a Golden Body Dharma Aspect was more readily accepted than a martial artist who had achieved full mastery of the Solidifying Pill at a young age.

"You'll be staying here."

Wu Dao'an led Shen Yi to a seemingly deserted and gloomy small courtyard.

It appeared empty.

Shen Yi silently looked towards the entrance of the courtyard; with just one glance, he saw three Yin Gods, who were currently nodding towards him.

"There aren't many rules in the first courtyard, but it's best to avoid entering your fellow disciples' residences with your Yin God. Everyone has their quirks, and it's easy to provoke disputes. Similarly, others won't enter your courtyard."

"Additionally, the doors and walls of this house have been constructed with secret methods. With your lower realm, you might damage your Yin God if you carelessly bump into them."

Walking into the house, Wu Dao'an reminded him gently.

A General accustomed to being invisible in small places, passing through doors and walls at will, might find himself in trouble if he acted the same way in the first courtyard.

He retrieved a piece of Jade Slip from his sleeve: "This is the Tri-Elemental Ascension Method. Keep it safe. Even if we cultivate the same technique, our understanding can be completely different. I won't mislead you. Once you've become an Upper Realm Martial Immortal, you can go to the Armory to choose an appropriate Golden Body Technique."

"Thank you."

Shen Yi received the Jade Slip, feeling a tinge of curiosity in his heart.

"No need for courtesy," Wu Dao'an laughed, shaking his head, "The Martial Temple lacks neither techniques nor will… what we lack are people."

It was less about the youth thanking the Martial Temple, and more about the Temple being pleased with his joining.

"Don't wander around aimlessly if there's nothing important. Just focus on cultivating here. If there's anything you need, assign it to the people from the other three courtyards. Should anyone dare not listen, come find me. I'll sort it out for you."

Shen Yi neither agreed nor disagreed, standing up to bid farewell to his elder, Wu Dao'an.

Afterwards, he closed the door.

He sat on the edge of the bed pretending to be a wooden stake, before letting his Yin God exit his body.

"Go, test the doorway and walls for any prohibitions."

Following the command given in his mind to Lady Qinghua, the Yin God hesitated not and drifted towards the door, stopping about an inch away.

"Reporting back to my lord, there will be trouble if I approach any closer."

The sultry voice echoed in Shen Yi's mind, prompting him to direct the entity to try the wall as well, confirming all was as Wu Dao'an had said.

He remained motionless.

No one could be sure if these Martial Immortals had any additional tricks up their sleeves, and being cautious was always wise.

Shen Yi sensed the Jade Slip in his hands with his spiritual awareness.

Suddenly, a new line of text appeared on the panel.

[Martial Immortal. Tri-Elemental Ascension Method: Uninitiated]

He let the Yin God return to his sea of qi before placing Lady Qinghua back into the panel.

Only then did Shen Yi take out the Golden Wolf Jade Token and hold it in his palm, directing the little over four thousand years of demon lifespan he had left into this new Cultivation Technique.

[In the first year, you opened the Tri-Elemental Ascension Method, glanced at the preface, then closed it. This technique required a Lower Realm Martial Immortal for study, and your Yin God was still a long way from this realm.]

The accumulation that had been lacking when the Solidifying Pill was fragmented needed to be fully made up for now.

Shen Yi felt the white mist surging towards him, filling him with warmth.

The Yin God in his sea of qi quickly solidified, becoming as alive as a Dao Infant, transformed into a living human figure.

The Martial Immortal Realm, which needed the entire Qingzhou's reverence to maintain, had now taken shape, but the rushing white mist showed no signs of diminishing.

Such was the foundation since the start of the Great Qian Dynasty... truly abundant.

To think, this was only the part belonging to the Demon-suppression Bureau.

[In the fifty-sixth year, you had become a Lower Realm Martial Immortal, finally qualified to practice the technique. You opened it again, and since learning the Heaven-Devouring Elixir Technique, you began to understand these abstruse words. They were no longer the enigmatic scriptures you once could not fathom.]

[By the one hundred and twenty-third year, you had memorized the entire content and fell into deep contemplation. To your eyes, it went from an enigmatic scripture with indecipherable characters to one where you recognized every word but still had no clue regarding the nonsense it preached.]

[Reading the same line, you and Lady Qinghua came up with forty-eight different interpretations.]

[What does a demon know about Yin God techniques? Pondering for a moment, you decisively dismissed her interpretation. Now forty-seven remain.]