The cave was rugged with jagged rocks, pitch-black and dark, winding and twisting as if leading straight to the Nine Netherworld.

The air had a distinct fishy stench, and after thousands of years of constant movement by insect beasts, the exposed rocks had long since been smoothed over, presenting an oily sheen with the dark soil.

The confined space and the grotesque insect beasts... as a training ground, every time the black-clothed Profound Guards of the Astronomical Bureau mentioned this place, they would spit heavily and curse continuously.

But now, the cave once densely packed with insect beasts was already empty, shrouded by billowing black mist.

After a moment, a rustling sound came from deep within the cave again, and a dozen or so insect beasts cautiously emerged, but as soon as they approached the black mist, they were ensnared and dragged inside by vines.

"Ha, what a profitable deal!"

In the Black Fog Space, watching the insect beasts getting dragged in and shredded, Zhang Kui felt pleased and even leisurely took out a jug of strong liquor for a few gulps.

"I never imagined the Astronomical Bureau had such a good place. If these insect beasts come endlessly, Old Zhang can block them here for a few years, wouldn't that make me an immortal after I come out..."

Unfortunately, although the insect beasts were bloodthirsty, they instinctively sensed danger, and fewer and fewer emerged; it took a long time to save up enough for two skill points.

Suddenly, a shadow reached out again from the depths of the cave, striking the outer wall of the Black Fog Space.

Zhang Kui, using the same method as before, once more severed the large strange tentacle, letting the vines consume it.

He had discovered that severing the tentacles didn't give any skill points, but it did allow the Vine Demon to replenish quite a bit of life force.

Apparently, this was just part of some demon creature.

"What the hell is this thing down there..."

Gazing at the tentacle with numerous screaming human faces, Zhang Kui shivered, activated the Cave Abyss Skill, and his pupils glowed slightly as he carefully probed.

Unfortunately, several hundred meters down, the cave became steep, seemingly blocked by something, and he couldn't see clearly in the darkness.

Zhang Kui hesitated for a moment. Though he was bold, he wasn't foolish; even the National Guardian True Man had gone down and not returned, indicating it was fraught with danger and required thorough preparation.

After a while, no more insect beasts emerged from the depths of the cave, Zhang Kui's eyes rolled, storing away the "Longevity," and he flew towards the cave entrance...

...

Elsewhere in the depths of another cave.

Boom!

A suddenly extending tentacle fiercely slammed against a floating bronze giant shield.

The bronze giant shield was ancient and full of cracks, with over a dozen talismans pasted on it. When struck by the tentacle, several talismans immediately turned to flying ash.

Nearby, an old man in a blue robe saw this and felt immediate heartache. Ignoring the continuously emerging insect beasts, he swiftly retreated with a regretful look on his face,

"I'm losing out big time; this Merit Silver is indeed hard to earn..."

After exiting the cave, the eunuch named Yin standing next to the black-clothed Profound Guards immediately stepped forward and clasped his fists, "Guest Minister Liu, how is the situation inside?"

The old man shook his head slightly,

"Luckily Commander Yin reminded me, though I'm not afraid, that demon creature is lurking below, so it's better to request the National Guardian True Man..."

Just then, Zhang Kui flew down.

"I've cleared the area over there, let me take a look at this side..."

Before he finished speaking, he rushed into the cave, and the black mist immediately spread.

The old man was stunned, "Who is that?"

Eunuch Yin, fully confident in Zhang Kui, relaxed a bit, a slight smile appearing on his stern face, "Guest Minister Liu, you may not know, but that was Zhang Kui, Taoist Zhang, who once at the Enlightenment Realm slew the Grain Avoidance Realm Old Demon, and now at just twenty-five, he's already at the Grain Avoidance Realm."

The old man's eyes showed a trace of doubt, then he chuckled, "I've been in seclusion for a long time, unaware that such a remarkable talent emerged in Qian."

As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, "It's a pity; his temperament seems a bit reckless and impatient. I've seen many geniuses, but to want to..."

Just as he was speaking, the black mist inside the cave suddenly dissipated, and Zhang Kui flew out, "There's nothing left here; I'm going to another cave."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had disappeared without a trace.

The old man fell silent, having already sensed that the cave, once replete with demon beast auras and swarming with insect hordes, was now empty.

"This Zhang, is he really only twenty-five?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm... but he does look a bit old..."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, a large monk also looked on with a wooden expression as Zhang Kui cleared the cave,

"Amitabha, Taoist friend's killing intent is too strong..."

Generally speaking, cultivators have their own social circles, practicing, visiting friends, discussing the Dao, trading... They know each other well and are often guests at various elite gatherings.

However, Zhang Kui, who became famous through battles, only communicated with Elder Huayan in the Capital City. Despite being low-key, his actions were unrestrained, which led to a poor reputation.

From his months of residence in the outskirts of the city without any fellow cultivators visiting, it was evident just how poor his connections were.

But Zhang Kui didn't care what his fellow cultivators thought, as he was busy running back and forth between three caves, clearing out the gradually gathering insect beasts.

A few Guest Ministers came after hearing the news, watched for a while, then shook their heads and left; some were amazed, others smirked.

There were plenty of ways to earn Merit Silver. Even by associating with elite families, one could obtain a lot of cultivation resources. Dirty work like this could be left to this ruthless star.

Indeed, in their eyes, Zhang Kui had transformed from a genius of unknown origin into a ruthless star,

a killer...

Gradually, only Zhang Kui was left in the cave, even the Black-clothed Profound Guards began to withdraw.

Yin Bai stood there all along, his expression changing from surprise to shock, and eventually to admiration.

Finally, Zhang Kui stopped; the insect beasts in the three caves had been completely killed, even the giant tentacles that emerged from the depths stopped moving after being cut several times.

"Taoist Zhang..."

Eunuch Yin's face was solemn, deeply bowing and cupping his hands,

"After my entire family fell victim to demons, I entered the palace seeking survival and learning skills. Since joining the Astronomical Bureau, only the Taoist can be considered a hero!"

"Brother Yin, you must be joking..."

Seeing the thirty-two skill points accumulated in the display throughout the day, Zhang Kui's face beamed with a smile.

"Old Zhang, I'm just an ordinary person."

Never before have I felt so wealthy,

I almost don't know how to spend it...

By now, night had fallen deeply. Yin Bai arranged a room for him in a row of official residences by the Grand Profound Lake.

Zhang Kui, having reached the Grain Avoidance Realm, found eating merely an indulgence of taste, except for treasure medicines containing spiritual qi, so he declined Yin Bai's banquet arrangements.

The day was a great harvest, yet it was time to think about the next step.

Now that his mana is deep and temporarily adequate, and skill points are precious, using pills for enhancement, even if slower, is more cost-effective.

Though Demon-slaying Skill, after reaching level six in Qingzhou, never lagged behind in attack power, facing demons or ghosts with no restrictions.

However, the experience with the Guiding Skill taught him that the Demon-slaying Skill reaches an entirely different level at full capacity, and with the next step of practicing "Swordsmanship," Lu Li's sword can be transformed into sword light and concealed within the body, even enabling sword flight.

At that time, he would truly be carefree.

Thinking of this, Zhang Kui no longer hesitated, spending twenty-four points energetically to rise to level nine, just waiting to accumulate two more points for the Demon-slaying Skill to reach perfection.

...

The next day, Zhang Kui went to the caves early in the morning to stand guard.

Sure enough, in just one night, several insect beasts emerged again from deep within the caves, which he quickly cleared, almost enough to gather two skill points.

Unfortunately, the insect beasts seemed to have sensed something, not appearing again by nightfall; the strange tentacles remained so as well.

Yin Bai was full of joy, "Taoist Zhang, this matter is completely settled, I've helped you apply for one thousand taels of Merit Silver, plus a bounty of two thousand taels from some half-demons at the Demon Star Pavilion. Let me accompany you to claim it."

Zhang Kui's expression was not good, "The silver can wait, I'll stay for two more days to slay a few more."

Yin Bai looked admiring, "The Taoist handles things thoroughly; rest assured, the remaining insect beasts can be dealt with by the Black-clothed Profound Guards."

Zhang Kui: "Say no more..."

This time, the wait was even longer. The insect beasts simply appeared sporadically, and it took a full two days to gather enough points.

After claiming the Merit Silver, Yin Bai accompanied him to the gate of the Astronomical Bureau, gratefully cupping his hands, "This time, it's all thanks to the Taoist."

Zhang Kui was in a good mood, laughing heartily, "No need to thank me, next time there's such a good deal, be sure to let me know."

With that, he turned and left.

Watching Zhang Kui's departing figure, Yin Bai had a wry smile.

This ruthless star killed so thoroughly that now there were no insect beasts left in the cave, even the normal training of the Black-clothed Profound Guards couldn't be guaranteed, hopefully, they did not cut the roots.

And Zhang Kui, hurriedly returned to Iron Blood Manor.

He found this resource extraction too satisfying to give up.

He had made up his mind to control the Nether Soil coffin that night and explore the depths of the cave to see what was there...

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