As Gu Qingfeng walked out of the Corpse Demon's cell, he was already eager to visit the next prison cell. With the system in place, this place was truly a treasure trove for becoming stronger.
The Demon Suppression Prison was divided into three levels. The first level held low-level demons and evil spirits, the second level contained mid-level ones, and the third level housed high-level entities.
Gu Qingfeng was a trainee Demon Eliminator, so he could only patrol the first level. His rank wasn't high enough to access the second and third levels.
To enter the second level, one needed at least the status of a Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator. The third level was only accessible to those of Xuan-rank or above.
In the Demon Suppression Bureau of the Great Yan Dynasty, officials were called Demon Eliminators.
Demon Eliminators were divided into four ranks: Tian (Heaven), Di (Earth), Xuan (Mystery), and Huang (Yellow), with Tian-rank being the highest and most powerful, and Huang-rank being the lowest.
Gu Qingfeng, as a trainee Demon Eliminator, was at the very bottom of the Demon Suppression Bureau hierarchy. He was considered an external staff member, akin to a temporary worker. Only after becoming a full-fledged employee would he be considered a Huang-rank Demon Eliminator and gain an official position.
Although he couldn't access the second and third levels yet, there were plenty of demons on the first level of the Demon Suppression Prison for Gu Qingfeng to explore.
So, Gu Qingfeng lifted his foot to walk towards the next cell.
Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed from afar, followed by a voice: "Gu Qingfeng, it's time for the shift change."
Grass! (A type of plant)
Hearing this voice, Gu Qingfeng cursed under his breath. Usually, he would have been overjoyed to hear those words, "time for the shift change."
But now?
What shift change?
The Demon Suppression Prison is my home now. I want to live here every day! I won't leave!
"Alright, coming!" Gu Qingfeng reluctantly responded, then turned to leave.
He wished he could stay here, but the Demon Suppression Bureau's regulations wouldn't allow it.
If he insisted on staying, he would surely be suspected of having his mind bewitched by demons.
Gu Qingfeng clearly remembered that his system grew stronger when attacked by demons, not just when attacked in general.
The difference of two words made a world of difference in meaning.
It seemed his future code of conduct would have to be: in front of people, I'll be meek and kind. But when facing demons, I'll strike with full force and unlimited arrogance!
Soon, Gu Qingfeng switched shifts with his colleague and left the Demon Suppression Prison.
Only then did he realize that the sky was already dawning. He had unknowingly spent the entire night in the prison. Indeed, time flies when you're having fun.
Usually at this time, Gu Qingfeng would have been fast asleep at home. But after a night of constantly increasing his defense, Gu Qingfeng's physique had improved significantly, and he didn't feel tired at all despite not sleeping.
So Gu Qingfeng headed straight for the Demon Suppression Bureau's library. He wanted to verify an idea.
Gu Qingfeng jogged all the way and quickly arrived at the library. It was early morning, and the library was almost empty.
Gu Qingfeng took out his identity token, verified his identity, and went directly to the first floor of the library.
With his current status as a trainee Demon Eliminator, he could only access the first floor.
The first floor contained low-level techniques, some demon records, and unofficial historical accounts.
Upon entering, he was greeted by rows upon rows of dazzling bookshelves, overwhelming to the eye.
Fortunately, Gu Qingfeng had been to the library a few times before, so he was somewhat familiar with the layout.
He went to the external skills section and began searching according to the catalog.
After about fifteen minutes, Gu Qingfeng held a book in his hand with the words "Iron Cloth Shirt" boldly written on the cover.
The Iron Cloth Shirt, a body-tempering technique, was widely circulated. Almost all major factions in the martial world had copies of it, whether they were orthodox sects or small, obscure schools.
The reason for its widespread circulation was that the Iron Cloth Shirt was a very simple body-tempering technique. It had no requirements for innate talent; anyone could practice it, and it was easy to get started.
However, people with better options would not choose to practice the Iron Cloth Shirt.
Because it was a crude technique. Although easy to start, there were no shortcuts to mastering it. It relied entirely on grinding effort. Without more than a decade of hard work, one couldn't achieve mastery.
The cost-effectiveness ratio was extremely low, so most people were unwilling to refine it thoroughly, at most borrowing its methods to toughen their bodies.
So why did Gu Qingfeng take out this Iron Cloth Shirt manual?
Naturally, it was to verify his hypothesis.
The Iron Cloth Shirt was an external technique specifically for training tendons, bones, and skin. When mastered, it made one impervious to blades and spears, truly achieving the state where "a spear strike leaves only a white dot, and a sword slash leaves only a white line."
Coincidentally, the Bronze Skin Iron Bones talent mainly enhanced tendons, bones, and skin, making the two incredibly compatible.
That's why Gu Qingfeng connected the two.
He wondered if, with his Bronze Skin Iron Bones talent, he might be a genius at practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt, or perhaps a genius at practicing external techniques in general!
Besides, borrowing a low-level external technique manual like the Iron Cloth Shirt didn't cost anything.
So Gu Qingfeng borrowed the Iron Cloth Shirt manual.
After leaving the library, Gu Qingfeng headed straight for the training room.
The training room was where the Demon Eliminators of the Demon Suppression Bureau usually practiced. It was very quiet, and there were formations carved outside the room to prevent disturbances.
After choosing a training room, Gu Qingfeng eagerly began to read the Iron Cloth Shirt manual.
About fifteen minutes later, Gu Qingfeng closed the manual, having memorized all the various training methods and principles of the Iron Cloth Shirt.
He was able to do this so quickly firstly because the Iron Cloth Shirt was a simple cultivation method, and secondly because, due to his transmigration, Gu Qingfeng's soul was slightly stronger than average, making him quick-witted and perceptive.
After careful contemplation for a moment, Gu Qingfeng began practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt according to the methods in the book.
According to the book, it would take an ordinary person three days to enter the initial stage of the Iron Cloth Shirt, while a gifted individual could do it in one day.
"I wonder how much of a boost my Bronze Skin Iron Bones will provide."
The training began!
Fifteen minutes later...
"I've entered the initial stage already!? This is too fast, isn't it?" Gu Qingfeng's face was filled with shock. He had guessed that Bronze Skin Iron Bones would boost his Iron Cloth Shirt training, but he didn't expect it to be this dramatic. Mastered in just fifteen minutes?
Did I practice a fake Iron Cloth Shirt?
Gu Qingfeng tensed his entire body, and the muscles all over him immediately became firm and bulging. At the same time, his skin seemed to be covered with an iron-gray color.
Seeing this iron-gray color, Gu Qingfeng's expression became even more peculiar.
"Body like iron color, this is indeed the manifestation of entering the initial stage of the Iron Cloth Shirt. I really did master it! Continue, continue. Bronze Skin Iron Bones, let me see where your limit is."
Gu Qingfeng immersed himself in practice once again.
Two hours later.
"Small success!?" Gu Qingfeng joyfully looked at his skin, which was now emitting a black iron-like glow.
"At such a terrifying speed, I might fully master the Iron Cloth Shirt within today! Others need more than a decade of grinding effort, but I only need a day?
I truly am a genius at practicing external techniques!
It seems my guess wasn't wrong. The Bronze Skin Iron Bones talent is indeed incredibly compatible with the Iron Cloth Shirt, and probably with all body-tempering techniques."
As he progressed deeper into the Iron Cloth Shirt, Gu Qingfeng's understanding of external technique cultivation also deepened. He roughly understood why he could progress so quickly in the Iron Cloth Shirt.
For normal people, practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt was like forging a precious sword. They needed to repeatedly heat and hammer a rough iron blank, removing impurities to refine it into fine iron, then shape it and sharpen it.
But for Gu Qingfeng, who possessed the Bronze Skin Iron Bones talent, it was like having a sword that was already formed but not yet sharpened. There was no need for heating and hammering to forge from scratch; he only needed to sharpen it to reveal its brilliance!
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the hourglass.
"There are still four hours until the shift change. Four hours should be enough to fully master the Iron Cloth Shirt."
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
