Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16: New Mission, Sumeru Mark
By the time Li Buran arrived, he was met with a scene that shook him to the core.
Wang Lie, who had already stepped into the Aperture Opening Realm, had been kicked to the ground.
“Brother Lu, I submit! I know I was wrong! Please stop hitting me! Someone is going to die here!”
Wang Lie had been beaten so badly that his head was spinning, and he begged for mercy again and again.
“You only know you were wrong now? Too late!” A fierce glint flashed through Lu Zhan’s eyes.
CRACK!
BOOM!
The sound of bones shattering and a shrill scream rang out at the same time as Wang Lie slammed heavily into the wall.
Then he slowly slid down, and with a thud, both knees hit the ground. Lu Zhan stood tall and straight like a mountain, dominating the scene.
While Wang Lie looked like a subject kneeling in worship before his sovereign.
“Remember this. If you dare provoke me again, then we will meet on the Deathmatch Arena. There, we will decide not only who is superior, but who lives and who dies.”
“Do you understand?!”
Lu Zhan’s face was expressionless, and his voice was cold.
“I... I understand!” Wang Lie groaned in pain, not daring to defy the fiend before him.
The spectators around them were full of fear at how ruthless Lu Zhan’s methods were.
“You stepped into the Aperture Opening Realm?” Li Buran recovered from his shock.
“Yes. I refined the Qi-Gathering Pills, and I did not expect the effect to be this good,” Lu Zhan replied honestly.
Qi-Gathering Pills truly were precious pills.
“The pills are certainly not ordinary, but that still depends on the person. Without talent, you could never have broken through to the Aperture Opening Realm this quickly.”
Li Buran did not hold back his praise at all.
Opening an aperture in a single day— such terrifying talent was truly frightening.
As expected of the genius the Commandants had taken a liking to.
Wang Botao stood there dumbfounded. Had Brother Lu not still been at the Seventh Heaven of the Qi Condensation Realm just now?
How had half an hour passed and—there he was—at the Aperture Opening Realm?
Th-That... that was far too monstrous!
Shangguan Ling was equally stunned.
“Captain Li, Brother Lu, how about we go eat at Linhai Small Kitchen in a bit? I heard the food there is excellent.”
Wang Botao finally came back to himself, excitement written all over his face. The stronger Brother Lu became, the better. This thigh was indeed thick enough.
“Sure.”
Lu Zhan had just been feeling hungry anyway, so he did not refuse.
Only after the group left did Wang Meng dare to go over and help his older brother up. “Brother, I’m sorry. But do not worry, we will definitely recover our face in this matter—”
“Shut up!”
Wang Lie’s face was pale with pain. He had been beaten so miserably, yet he did not dare harbor the slightest thought of revenge.
“The man was already at the Aperture Opening Realm, and you still provoked him. He merely taught you a lesson and did not truly do anything excessive to you, yet you would not let it go and even brought someone to keep causing trouble. How could he not be angry?”
He had no idea that Lu Zhan had opened an aperture in a single day, so he mistakenly assumed Lu Zhan had already been at the Aperture Opening Realm when Wang Meng first provoked him.
“As for recovering our face, forget it. A heaven-blessed genius like that is not someone we can afford to provoke.”
“In the future, go around him whenever you see him. And if you really must meet him, remember to be respectful. He is not someone we can provoke.”
Looking at Lu Zhan’s departing figure, Wang Lie spoke with deep apprehension.
At the same time, Lu Zhan heard the system notification.
【Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have completed the Side Quest. Reward: Perfection Martial Art Limit-Breaking Card x1】
Lu Zhan paused slightly, a little surprised. Wang Lie had actually been beaten into true submission by him? The wholehearted kind.
Letting out a breath, Lu Zhan smiled faintly.
Sure enough, in this world, there was no reasoning that a fist could not get through.
“What is it, Brother Lu?”
“Nothing. I’m in a good mood. I feel like eating two extra bowls later...”
Night.
Only after washing up did Lu Zhan check how many Slaughter Points he had left.
【Slaughter Points: 3000】
“I still have 3000 Slaughter Points left. Looks like that will be enough to raise Cloud-Crushing Fist and Glimmering Light Shadow Escape to the Perfection stage.”
After a quick glance, Lu Zhan decided to improve Glimmering Light Shadow Escape first.
But before using the system, he thought he should check online first to see whether there were any instructional videos.
He opened the Demon Extermination Bureau App.
It was not only used for accepting missions, but also for purchasing resources.
He entered the words Glimmering Light Shadow Escape into the search bar, and soon a long list of pages appeared.
Glimmering Light Shadow Escape — Mortal Rank, Upper Grade Martial Art
Price: 50 Contribution Points
Note: After placing an order, it will be delivered to your door within three hours.
Lu Zhan ignored it at once. That martial art was already in his possession.
He continued scrolling down.
Soon, one video caught his attention.
—Glimmering Light Shadow Escape Instructional Video, Detailed Explanation by a Divine Sea Realm Martial Artist
Viewing Price: 1 Contribution Point
View Count: 1654
Lu Zhan spent 1 Contribution Point to open the video. The instant it loaded, an old man dressed in a moon-white fitted outfit appeared on the screen.
The old man lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, and his figure instantly became an afterimage.
“The core of Glimmering Light Shadow Escape does not lie in deliberately pursuing identical movements, but in paying attention to rhythm...”
Lu Zhan’s pupils contracted slightly. He saw that every time the old man stepped, a streak of flowing light appeared beneath his feet.
“System, deduce Glimmering Light Shadow Escape.”
At the next moment, the system’s voice rang out.
【Ding! The Slaughter System is wholeheartedly at your service】
【The host consumes 1000 Slaughter Points to deduce—Glimmering Light Shadow Escape】
【Detected instructional video beneficial to cultivating Glimmering Light Shadow Escape. Cultivation speed increases by 50%】
【Beginning entry into the Unceasing Cultivation State...】
【On the first day, you cultivate Glimmering Light Shadow Escape. The rhythm of your footwork is extremely chaotic, like imitating Handan’s walk. So you observe day and night how the old man in the video exerts force. At first, you merely imitate him in the simplest way, but gradually, you master some of the essentials】
【Congratulations, Host. Glimmering Light Shadow Escape has reached Beginner (1%)】
...
【Another three months later, the host has watched the video no fewer than ten thousand times. The key points of Glimmering Light Shadow Escape are now thoroughly engraved in your mind. You feel your body growing lighter and lighter, and the flowing light beneath your feet becoming more and more distinct】
【Congratulations, Host. You have comprehended Glimmering Light Shadow Escape at the Perfection stage】
【Glimmering Light Shadow Escape, Perfection (+)】
“System, use the Perfection Martial Art Limit-Breaking Card on Glimmering Light Shadow Escape.”
Lu Zhan used the Perfection Martial Art Limit-Breaking Card without hesitation.
【Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have comprehended the Entering the Divine movement art—Glimmering Light Shadow Escape】
Lu Zhan was in an excellent mood, so he raised Cloud-Crushing Fist to the Perfection stage as well.
“I need to kill some Demon Beasts.”
Lu Zhan sighed as he looked at his dwindling Slaughter Points.
“Let me check whether there are any suitable missions.”
He opened the Demon Extermination Bureau App, clicked on the mission tab, and casually refreshed the mission board.
Very soon, mission after mission with detailed information appeared before him.
He scrolled through them at random and discovered that, with his current authority, he could only accept missions in the area south of Shanzhu County Town.
His range of activity was extremely limited.
Still, that made sense. As an Apprentice Demon Exterminator, there was no way he would have much authority.
Suddenly, one mission made him stop.
【Mission Name: Investigation of the White Bone Case at Anxi Residential Complex】
【Mission Date: July 16】
【Danger Level: D】
【Mission Description: On July 15, fifteen people died at Anxi Residential Complex. The victims had all lost their flesh and blood, leaving behind only white bones. According to the local Criminal Investigation Brigade, the marks on the bones appear to be consistent with bites from wild beasts】
【After the case was submitted to the Demon Extermination Bureau, three Apprentice Demon Exterminators in the jurisdiction investigated jointly and discovered mutated rats. Their numbers are great, making extermination difficult. The demonic rats appear to have acted in an organized and premeditated manner, and a Rat King is suspected to have been born. The Demon Exterminators within the jurisdiction request urgent support】
Mission danger levels were divided into five grades in total: A, B, C, D, and E.
Ever since the Blood Moon had hung in the sky thirty years ago, many animals in Great Xia had begun to undergo demonic transformation and gain intelligence.
Some Demon Beasts could even speak human language.
And among those transformed animals, rats were not the strongest, but they were among the most troublesome.
If mutated rats appeared within a jurisdiction, then support from outside was usually the only option.
The Demon Exterminators within that jurisdiction alone were nowhere near enough.
Lu Zhan then checked the reward.
【Mission Reward: 20 Contribution Points, 50,000 yuan, 3 Merit Points. If the transformed Rat King is captured alive and brought back to the Demon-Suppressing Tower, an additional reward of 5 Contribution Points and 1 Merit Point will be granted】
【Mission Tip: Aperture Opening Realm recommended for accepting this mission】
Lu Zhan was somewhat surprised. He had not expected this mission to actually grant Merit Points.
Merit Points were different from Contribution Points. Contribution Points were used to buy resources, while Merit Points were used to earn promotion in rank.
The presence of Merit Points meant this mission was far from simple.
【Ding! Main Mission detected】
【Mission Description: Please advance to the rank of full Demon Exterminator within three months】
【Mission Reward: Sumeru Mark x1】
Seeing the system mission, Lu Zhan accepted it without hesitation. What a joke—just the two words “Sumeru” were enough to show how precious that reward was.
Very soon, his phone displayed:
Number of people who have accepted the mission: 3
“I did not expect there to be two other people daring enough to accept the mission. Forget it. I should get some proper rest first.”