“Both of you — you can come out now.”
At the War Temple entrance, a middle-aged man in plain clothing came to a stop and offered the quiet reminder.
“Apologies. We’re leaving.” Jiang Chengyun bowed politely and guided Shen Yi back outside.
Once clear of the hall, he kept his voice low. “These people are selected from exceptional talent across every province and prefecture — including the capital itself — and no shortage of imperial family among them. But regardless of background, once they enter here, they’re all War Temple disciples.”
He gestured toward both sides of the main hall.
Compared to the towering central structure, the administrative offices on each side looked like ears attached to the War Temple’s head.
“Demon-hunters on the left. Division on the right.”
Several people had already noticed Shen Yi’s dress, then looked more carefully at his face.
Quickly, a few men in personal attendant Deputy Commander’s dress outside the Division office stepped aside to clear the way.
“General, please go ahead.”
The demon-hunters on the left side laughed. A Demon Suppression General this young coming to the capital — almost certainly here for War Temple refinement. Those Deputy Commanders were going to have quite a wait. Enjoy the queue.
Then Shen Yi shook his head slightly.
“No need.”
And in full view of everyone — turned and walked into the demon-hunter office.
The crowd blinked. Then several of the personal attendant Deputy Commanders let the corners of their mouths rise.
“Keep laughing.”
“…”
The demon-hunters pursed their lips. “Your rank over there doesn’t mean anything here. We go by credits.”
A Demon Suppression General on the Division side would naturally be given priority for War Temple refinement — demon-hunters didn’t observe that system. Highest credits went first.
The words hadn’t finished before a surprised voice came from inside the office.
“Ten times?“
Several demon-hunters’ expressions shifted. No more interest in the argument — they pressed inside quickly.
Jiang Chengyun had placed the prepared gilt-covered record book on the table. The woman standing across from it was reading in silence, looking at the name that had required an entire page to record its credits.
“Has every other demon-hunter in your Qingzhou gone into retirement?”
“Ten War Temple refinements—” She shook her head with feeling.
Having the woman confirm what they’d suspected, the demon-hunters’ expressions went openly stunned.
Each of them had spent years accumulating enough for a single refinement.
This person walks in and it’s ten at once? Was this a refinement or a bath?
“Understood. I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.” She gave a small nod.
“Wait — first, bring General Shen a copy of the Heaven-Devouring Core-Consuming Art.” Jiang Chengyun stopped her.
The woman had just steadied herself, and now fell back into silence. Her fingertip moved to the entry recording the death of the core-nurturing White Deer Demon Lord, and she looked at the young man waiting quietly to the side.
She was finding it difficult to connect this black armor, this page of credits, and a Condensate method all to the same person.
“Is this what Jade Liquid Realm practitioners from your Qingzhou are normally like?”
She rubbed her temple. If not for the earthworm-handwriting being unmistakably from someone she knew, she would genuinely have suspected Qingzhou of fabricating credits to deceive the court.
She verified the demon blood qi in the silver bell, then went to the back.
There was no safer location in all of the Great Qian empire than the building next to the War Temple, which was why most martial techniques, medicines, and implements were stored here — it saved considerable time.
The other demon-hunters watching, upon learning that this young Demon Suppression General still needed to cultivate a Condensate method, collectively exhaled in relief.
Then before the breath was done, they caught the inconsistency.
And fell into the same silent confusion as the woman.
Shen Yi ignored the expressions around him — the ones people made when they saw something that shouldn’t exist.
The Nine Transformations’ low cultivation but high combat power had a habit, in many circumstances, of failing to conceal anything. Instead of being hidden, the inconsistency drew more scrutiny than having a straightforward high cultivation would have.
At least once the Condensate method was in hand, this particular situation would stop occurring.
A moment later, the woman came back out and placed a thick technique manuscript on the table.
“General Shen — please stay at the War Temple for a few days. When you’re ready, I can arrange the refinements at any time.”
“Thank you.”
Shen Yi took the Condensate method. He didn’t open the panel immediately.
New to the capital. A hall full of unknown presences a short distance away. Being too conspicuous was not ideal.
At least five days, he decided.
The Four Harmonies True Astral Force and the Meridian-Severing Dragon Capture had each taken about that long — which aligned with what others would reasonably expect.
Staying at the War Temple turned out to mean the accommodation behind the War Temple.
The central courtyard there had people occasionally moving in and out. Their clothing wasn’t uniform like the Division’s, but all of it was plain — long robes, cloth shoes, without exception.
Being within the imperial city, these people hadn’t bothered concealing their qi.
Shen Yi took a rough read of what was around. No particularly extraordinary presences — nearly all of them Condensate Realm practitioners, just somewhat more numerous than Qingzhou had.
“That’s where the War Temple disciples live. Ours is this way.”
Jiang Chengyun led him to the left. The conditions were noticeably less polished than next door — not in furnishings particularly, but in appearance. It had the look of something rarely occupied, with a fine layer of dust over everything.
“Make do. Not many come to the capital to collect rewards — most who do collect and leave. Only those waiting for War Temple refinements stay more than a day or two.”
“You’ve just been appointed a Demon Suppression General. Looking too comfortable too quickly invites comment.”
Jiang Chengyun moved his qi through the space and cleared out two rooms.
“I don’t mind.” Shen Yi genuinely didn’t.
When he’d first arrived in this world, the side room he’d been given was worse. Without Lin Baixi’s cleaning efforts, it had been a proper mess.
He went in, sat at the table, and looked at the thick technique manuscript with considerable satisfaction.
The Division, whatever its other qualities, had never let him down in this regard. The Thunder-Wind Solar-Fusion Scripture had been the same — detailed explanations, filled with annotations, considerably more useful than anything those self-important Baiyu Monastery Daoists had ever produced.
He turned to the first page and began reading.
The easy expression on his face quietly stiffened.
It wasn’t that the writing was detailed.
It was simply that there was an enormous amount of it. Each page was no shorter than the gold tablet with the Twin-Harmony True Intent engraved on it.
He looked toward the door. “The Condensate method you trained — was it also this thick?”
“You’re joking.” Jiang Chengyun raised an eyebrow, something envious in it. “I saved up credits for a long time, and what I could afford was a mid-grade Condensate method. Less than ten pages in total. Do you think everyone has the talent of you or General Jiang, to dare take on the single top-ranked Condensate method in all of Great Qian?”
At that, Shen Yi looked back down at the Heaven-Devouring Core-Consuming Art.
He’d made a mistake.
The casual manner Jiang Qiulan had recommended it with had made him assume this was a standard Condensate method.
He set his teeth and turned page after page.
Dense columns of tiny characters. He recognized every individual word. Together, they read like something from another world entirely.
When the final page was turned, a line appeared on the panel at last.
【Condensate · Rare · Heaven-Devouring Core-Consuming Art: Untrained】
Another technique with Rare after it. And unlike the Immortal-Demon Nine Transformations, which at least had the defense of being a body cultivation method — this was a fully orthodox internal cultivation technique.
Shen Yi exhaled, and offered himself a quiet internal apology.
Brother. Sorry about this.
His intent shifted. Vast demon lifespan began pouring into the technique.
(End of Chapter)