One more catty, one more attribute point

Hu!

The river wind blew, the reeds swayed.

On the rippled surface of the river, a black-canopied fishing boat slowly drifted in and moored at the riverbank.

This fishing boat was the same one that Li Daoxuan had used to arrive; Li Hongxiu was still restrained and carelessly thrown into the cabin.

She was seriously injured at this time.

Blood rushed out, pooling under her into a blood puddle clear as a mirror.

Only the extremely faint sound of breathing proved that she was still alive.

The girl struggled to lift her head, her face a bloody mess, through a blood-red blur, she could faintly see the figures of Su Heng and Li Daoxuan.

She immediately collapsed, crying out.

"Kill me..." the girl sobbed quietly, her voice filled with despair.

"Such vitality, quite tenacious," Su Heng said without much pity, only surprised, "You intentionally spared her life, it seems you have other ideas."

"Hmm," Li Daoxuan nodded, "She must be from the Sky Demon Alliance. Keeping her in the Demon Suppression Tower might unearth some useful information."

"There's also another point..."

Li Daoxuan paused briefly, then changed the subject, "Do you know how the demonic creatures can roughly be categorized?"

Su Heng was stunned, then shook his head, "I don't know, Su Li never mentioned these things to me."

"That's also natural, even within the Demon Suppression Bureau, these matters are considered confidential," Li Daoxuan said with a smile. "However, if you join the Demon Suppression Bureau, you will be guarding the Demon Suppression Tower, your position equivalent to a Deputy Governor, second only to me. It wouldn't hurt to tell you these in advance."

"Let's hear it," Su Heng said, curious.

"Demonic creatures can roughly be divided into five different categories: demons, spirits, ghosts, monsters, and devils."

Li Daoxuan gazed at the sparkling river surface, "The power of Longevity Heaven, descending on animals, becomes demons; descending on plants, becomes spirits; similarly, ghosts correspond to lingering souls, and monsters correspond to lifeless objects."

"And devils? What do devils correspond to?"

"Devils are martial artists who have fused with demonic carcasses and lost control, going mad," Li Daoxuan said with a smile.

"Can't the power of Longevity Heaven descend directly on humans? And what exactly is Longevity Heaven?" Su Heng continued to ask.

"We have never seen a case where Longevity Heaven has descended directly on a human, but it's not impossible," Li Daoxuan said leisurely, "As for Longevity Heaven, it is the source of all strange powers in the world. Some say Longevity Heaven is the dwelling of immortals, others say Longevity Heaven is the Purgatory Demon Abyss that imprisons Heavenly Demons."

"Longevity Heaven, longevity, these two words, can already explain a lot."

Seeing Su Heng with a frown of contemplation.

Li Daoxuan was not in a hurry, letting him digest slowly, then spoke again, "Do you know why demonic creatures must eat humans?"

"To... gain nutrients, to sustain themselves?" Su Heng said uncertainly.

He had actually thought about this in detail before.

Clearly.

Su Heng hadn't summarized a definite answer from his own considerations.

"If it were only for nutrients, demonic creatures could also hunt animals, or even revert to primitive farming. Coexisting harmoniously with humans isn't out of the question," Li Daoxuan replied.

"Then what is it actually for?" Su Heng asked, surprised.

"Extreme emotions," Li Daoxuan paused briefly, then explained, "There's a saying that humans are demons yet to awaken, do you know why?"

Su Heng shook his head.

"That's because humans have had some kind of connection with Longevity Heaven since birth,"

Li Daoxuan said, "When human emotions become extreme, this connection becomes increasingly apparent. The fear of death is undoubtedly the most extreme and easiest to attain among many emotions. Demonic creatures kill humans for nutrients, but that is secondary. The real goal is to gain more power from Longevity Heaven."

"Is that so?" Su Heng casually picked up a stone and threw it toward Li Hongxiu on the fishing boat.

Li Hongxiu just kept crying quietly, nonresponsive.

"In fact, the vast majority of demonic creatures don't know why they kill people," Li Daoxuan said. "They just know they gain benefits from killing and eating people, which then gradually becomes a habit, and eventually an addiction."

"What does that have to do with you sparing her life?" Su Heng asked, puzzled.

"Among the four categories, demons, spirits, ghosts, and monsters, demons are the most numerous, followed by spirits, then ghosts, and monsters being the rarest,"

Li Daoxuan replied, "In over a hundred years, I have never encountered a true monster, and vengeful spirits are also rare. This girl is possessed by a vengeful spirit."

"It doesn't seem like she's very strong," Su Heng said nonchalantly.

"Indeed, being rare doesn't necessarily mean being strong, but generally, the abilities tend to be more strange," Li Daoxuan explained with a smile. "You might recall a recent encounter."

"It seems to make some sense..."

That day at the red building, Li Hongxiu was right in front of him, and he noticed nothing unusual.

The subsequent attack, though not greatly threatening, was significant with respect to Su Heng. If not for finding clues on Chen Murong, Su Heng might not have been able to pinpoint the position of the demonic creature immediately.

"However, she is your prey, how to deal with her is for you to decide," Li Daoxuan said with a smile, "When I spoke earlier, it was just to intentionally provoke you, to see what your true strength was. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me."

"I understand," Su Heng nodded.

Although somewhat annoyed, he could sense from the start that there was no malice in Li Daoxuan.

"If you wish to place her in the Demon Suppression Tower, I will compensate you," Li Daoxuan said, "Moreover, you should have noticed. Aside from the demonic carcasses being valuable, the flesh and blood on the vengeful spirit have limited stimulation on the mutant organization, only equivalent to a demonic servant."

"Okay," Su Heng said, "after all, when the time comes, I will take control of the Demon Suppression Tower. How it's dealt with is still up to me to decide."

"Hmm, that's quite good," Li Daoxuan chuckled twice.

Li Hongxiu had been listening to their conversation,

and upon hearing this remark, the glimmer of hope that had briefly appeared in her eyes immediately dimmed.

The two fell silent for a moment before Li Daoxuan slowly began, "You joining the Demon Suppression Bureau and taking over the Demon Suppression Tower is fine by me. But when the time comes, some others in the Bureau might oppose, and inevitably, a fight will ensue."

"You need to be prepared to face those conflicts."

"It seems your subordinates have also started to get restless," Su Heng calmly stated.

"The reverberations triggered by the Heavenly Longevity are becoming deeper, and more demons are descending into this world," Li Daoxuan didn't deny, "Today's pattern is bound to be impacted, and under the survival of the fittest, only the true strong will remain."

"Do we need to hold back?" Su Heng asked.

"No need," Li Daoxuan replied, "Those who are ambitious enough to extend their claws should certainly be prepared to have their limbs cut off."

"How about your stay at Jiangyue Pavilion? If you're uncomfortable, you can move to the Demon Suppression Bureau."

Li Daoxuan added, "Your sister is also here."

"Su Li... Never mind. I won't disturb her," Su Heng shook his head, "The scenery at Jiangyue Pavilion is quite nice, and I am quite comfortable living there. I don't plan to move for now."

"That's fine," Li Daoxuan nodded, "I will send the items over to you soon."

"The selection for Deputy Governor is about ten days away. Make your preparations early."

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Su Heng waved his hand and left with a flourish.

"Youth is truly wonderful," Li Daoxuan watched as Su Heng's figure dwindled into the distance, becoming a speck. His gaze vacant, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

...

...

...

Su Heng had just returned to Jiangyue Pavilion not long ago when the person sent by Li Daoxuan already arrived.

Several hundred pounds of demon flesh were sealed in jars, their nutrients locked inside, and placed in the corner of Su Heng's room.

In addition, there were various cultivation pills, precious medicinal wines, and so on.

Moreover, two of the other techniques from the Eight Phases Secret Skill, namely Cold Ice Charm and Miniature Mist Skill, were also included.

These two cultivation techniques,

along with the Green Wood Longevity Technique that Su Heng had previously practiced, made up the secret techniques he could cultivate at the bone-forming stage.

The remaining five techniques would only be effective during the flesh-refining stage.

Su Heng spared some time to skim through the Cold Ice Charm and Miniature Mist Skill, unlike the simplistic booklet Su Li had given him before.

Although the two books in Su Heng's hands were also replicated copies,

they contained complete diagrams of concepts, making them highly valuable and effective for full cultivation to major accomplishment.

"Just..."

Su Heng furrowed his brows and muttered softly, "Among these three techniques, the Green Wood Longevity Technique corresponds to wood, while the other two correspond to water and metal. It seems to subtly integrate the concept of the five elements, yet it notably lacks the techniques related to fire and earth. Why is this?"

He didn't think Li Daoxuan was deliberately withholding information.

There was no need for that.

Moreover, with the reputation of the Eight Phases Secret Skill, it appears to have intrinsic flaws from its original design.

Merely an incomplete Eight Phases Secret Skill could derive such peerless martial arts as the Demon Ape Transformation. If the Eight Phases Secret Skill could be completed, its power would be unimaginable.

However, this was destined to be extremely difficult.

After all, the original designers of this true skill hadn't managed it, leaving it flawed.

"With the attribute panel, it might not be impossible," Su Heng pondered, "but the priority now is to improve the Taotie Technique."

The Taotie Technique could increase the speed of acquiring attributes points and enhance his physical foundation.

And now...

Su Heng was virtually stepping into the Demon Suppression Bureau with significant power in hand. The only potential disruptions were those coveting the Demon Suppression Tower, minor thorns to him but not a threat.

With an unlimited supply of demon flesh,

the only limitation for Su Heng was the speed of acquiring attribute points.

Therefore, the Taotie Technique, which directly increased the rate of getting attribute points, had always been his top priority.

In the following days, Su Heng devoted himself to cultivation.

The abundant demon flesh provided by the Demon Suppression Bureau allowed him to gain about thirty attribute points each day.

Finally...

Five days later, Su Heng had fully cultivated the Taotie Technique to perfection.