As the words fell, the young silhouette gradually revealed its true form.

A handsome man dressed in a simple white robe stood upon the scarred earth.

With his snow-white garments, he seemed like a celestial being exiled to the mortal realm.

Yet at his waist hung a golden mace, clashing with the aura of purity surrounding him.

Beside the man in white, an elder with a hunched figure stood in attendance.

The elder's face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes shone as brightly as the sun.

Upon hearing the words of the man in white, the elder respectfully bowed.

"Sir, should this matter be reported to the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

The man in white glanced lightly at the elder, shaking his head with calm indifference: "No need."

The elder showed slight surprise: "But Zhao Wuhuan indeed has acted corruptly. Reporting him would ensure severe punishment and greatly benefit your career, sir."

The man in white shook his head, extending his slender fingers to gently stroke the golden mace as he whispered: "Where is the evidence?"

The elder was slightly taken aback, carefully pondering the man's words, and then shook his head in defeat: "There is no concrete evidence yet."

"That settles it," the man in white remarked, glancing at the ground strewn with demonic corpses. "Even if there is a power struggle between us, truth and evidence are essential. Empty words alone..."

"Ha, those above would never convict Zhao Wuhuan based on baseless accusations from me. Instead, he would seize the opportunity to retaliate, benefiting immensely without cost."

Hearing this, the elder suddenly understood and praised, "Sir, your insight is exceptional."

Both of them were members of the Evil Extermination Bureau of Xunyang Prefecture.

The young man was named Wang Feng, an expert in the Outer Elixir Realm, and his golden mace held some repute within Xunyang Prefecture's domain.

The elder was named Wu Cheng, a close attendant to Wang Feng.

They were initially stationed in Xunyang Prefecture, but upon learning that Zhao Wuhuan had arrived in Lingzhou, they secretly followed him.

The two sides were already at odds within Xunyang Prefecture, and Wang Feng was curious to see Zhao Wuhuan's intentions.

Unexpectedly, they made a surprising discovery.

Wang Feng paused briefly, pondering, then said, "That Qin An is quite interesting. Pay closer attention, and if there's a chance, try to recruit him away from Zhao Wuhuan."

Wu Cheng respectfully replied, "I will do as instructed, sir."

Wang Feng let out a lazy yawn, "Let's go back."

This journey's gains were merely that.

Wang Feng had hoped to find Zhao Wuhuan's weakness during this trip and amplify it.

But now it seemed he had gained nothing.

After all, Wang Feng did not manage to obtain any reliable evidence against Zhao Wuhuan.

However, Wang Feng had developed an interest in Qin An.

Once Qin An entered Xunyang Prefecture, Wang Feng also wanted to meet him.

To see what qualities this person had that even led Zhao Wuhuan to act lawlessly.

The two spoke no more and departed from the scene.

The battlefield returned to silence, with only the gentle breeze caressing the wild grass, swaying delicately.

...

Time passed, days quickly slipped by.

Lingzhou experienced a long-awaited peace, and the people rejoiced.

At this moment, within the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An had just returned from Ge Feng's Spring Breeze Hall.

In recent times, he stayed mostly secluded, remaining in the Evil Extermination Bureau, ignoring various tasks.

Fortunately, he was a mountain patrol officer, voluntarily accepting tasks, so no one bothered him.

Moreover, his remarkable achievements in this battle allowed him to stay long in the Evil Extermination Bureau without any criticisms.

After returning to the Evil Extermination Bureau, General Prefect stayed for a while, then left to lead some mountain patrols to eradicate the remnants of the Demonic Hall.

After that earth-shattering battle, although most of the elite Demonic Hall members were slain, some had not been executed on the spot.

To grant Lingzhou the long-lost peace, it was essential to completely eliminate them.

As for the Jinzhou Officers, the three who had gone out had returned to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

With twelve Jinzhou Officers stationed in Lingzhou, there would be no major mistakes.

Along the way, many prefecture officers who saw Qin An bowed in greeting, their eyes filled with awe.

Qin An's name had already been established in Lingzhou.

Aside from the General Prefect, his name was the most prominent, known as the Sword and Fist Dual Master Qin An.

Even if not within the Evil Extermination Bureau, any major force passing through Lingzhou required their sect leaders to personally greet him.

Within Lingzhou's land, Qin An faced no risks.

But Qin An was aware that despite no risks in Lingzhou, Xunyang Prefecture was extremely dangerous, like a dragon's den or tiger's lair.

Not to mention others, even the aged figure who appeared after slaying the Hall Master made his back prickle with unease.

Furthermore, Lingzhou's resources were insufficient, and the vast demand for eight hundred monster crystals could not be fulfilled by Lingzhou alone.

Therefore, Qin An was waiting, anticipating orders from Xunyang Prefecture.

While waiting, Qin An didn't waste time.

He stayed in Ge Feng's Spring Breeze Hall, crafting various elixirs.

The proficiency of Pill Master continuously skyrocketed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He closed the door, lit the oil lamp.

Qin An sat on the chair, watching the smoke before him, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

The smoke twisted like serpents into lines of words, suspended in midair.

[Pill Master lv.9 (0/3000): Your elixir crafting success rate increases, the potency becomes purer, and crafting time shortens]

[Talent: Master of Fire Control in the Gui Cang Realm, Reduced Material Consumption for Gui Cang Realm Elixirs, Refinement Expertise of Gui Cang Realm Herbs]

Level nine!

Qin An's lips slightly curled, feeling a sense of relief.

Only he understood how grueling the monotony of recent life had been.

This feeling of silently cultivating proficiency felt like being imprisoned.

Fortunately, the hard work during this period did not go to waste, and Qin An successfully advanced the Pill Master profession to level nine.

After reaching level nine, one needs to refine specific pills to advance further.

It just so happens that Lingzhou has the resources to craft the advancement pill, allowing him to smoothly progress.

After reaching level nine, the Pill Master profession gained a trait that reduces alchemy time.

This trait seems useless, but Qin An knows it can play a significant role at certain times.

Even if making a pill only saves a little time, when the quantity gradually increases, it becomes a terrifying number.

Apart from traits, after all the talents have been raised to the Returning to Storage Realm, an additional talent for Gui Cang Realm herb purification appears.

This talent is even more powerful than traits.

Not only can it increase the purity of pills during refinement, but it can also purify the essence of the herbs themselves, making the refined pills even more pure.

According to his understanding, when the two are combined, the refined pills will produce double the effect.

Of course, this is limited to pills of the Gui Cang Realm.

And after reaching level nine, Qin An has fully mastered the formula for the Ten-Perfection Fusion Elixir.

Qin An gazed at the flickering oil lamp flame, secretly thinking, "I wonder when Mr. Sun will actually come."

Mr. Sun once said that after he finds all the herbs, he will definitely come to Qin An for help in refining pills.

But as time passes, there is still no news from Mr. Sun.

Qin An knows well that the power struggles in Xunyang Prefecture are complex, and gaining the favor of those backing Mr. Sun would better his journey in Xunyang Prefecture.

But with no news now, he can only wait patiently.

"If Zhao Wuhuan's order comes first, I'll head directly to Xunyang Prefecture."

Qin An thought to himself: "Anyway, Mr. Sun's final destination is also Xunyang Prefecture, so I can just meet him then."

Once he figured out this key issue, Qin An continued to inspect each profession carefully.

Finally, his gaze settled on the Scholar profession.

The information about the Scholar profession presented itself before him.

[Scholar lv.9 (300/3000): Your reading speed has greatly increased, you have a photographic memory, and improved comprehension]

[Talent: Gui Cang Realm Heart Method Proficiency, Gui Cang Realm Heart Method Instant Proficiency, Gui Cang Realm Heart Method Augmentation Proficiency]

Although he hasn't read much lately, after reading a few cultivation techniques, the Scholar profession has risen quite a bit.

He is just 2700 points short of reaching level ten.

Once reaching level ten, all talents will transform into the Pulse Condensation Realm, giving a significant boost to his cultivation of Pulse Condensation Realm techniques.

Currently, he does not rush to elevate himself to the Outer Elixir Realm as it requires collecting eight hundred demon crystals to forge the Supreme True Elixir.

He can first advance the Scholar profession to level ten, reducing some blood and energy consumption, and then proceed with deducing it further.

"According to my previous plan, I should find another study to practice the Scholar profession." Qin An thought to himself.

At this moment, it was still early, and after making the decision, he did not linger and turned towards another study location.

Along the way, many state guards saw Shen Bai go out and were not surprised.

They had long been familiar with Mr. Qin's character, and the fact that Mr. Qin was widely learned was already the talk of Lingzhou.

There were no obstacles upon reaching the study, and with Qin An's identity and finances, he easily reached a collaboration with the study's owner.

Before long, Qin An patiently began reading in this study.

...

While Qin An was patiently reading, far away on a desolate mountain away from Xunyang Prefecture, roars were echoing to the sky.

Even the white clouds in the sky were torn apart by these roars.

At this time, an imposing grand hall had towering Evil Qi swirling above it.

In front of the grand hall, two dragon-shaped columns were entwined by two Jiao Dragons above.

Inside the hall, a beast with a dragon head and human body was emitting a terrifying aura, kneeling on the ground.

Though in a kneeling posture, the eyes of this beast were filled with intense reluctance.

A giant throne was ahead, and a Jiao Dragon beast dressed in magnificent clothing rested its hands on the throne's armrest, glancing at the kneeling Jiao Dragon with indifferent eyes.

"Long Yuan, I know you are displeased, but the Jiao Long Hall has been watched by the bastards in Xunyang Prefecture recently, so we must not act rashly."

Long Yuan clenched his claws, yet maintained his kneeling posture, respectfully responding: "I obey."

"But Lord Dragon King… that was my brother's only bloodline, my brother died at the hands of the Evil Extermination Bureau scum, if I can't avenge this, even in death, I can't face my brother."

Hearing this, the Dragon King slightly lifted his hand.

A woman full of Evil Qi but with human-like beauty slowly approached and threw a document in front of Long Yuan.

The Dragon King said calmly, "I have already thoroughly gathered the information on Qin An."

"If you only wish him dead, there's no need for the Jiao Long Hall to act, just make his information public."

"If he comes to Xunyang Prefecture, someone will act for you."

Long Yuan clenched his fists, filled with reluctance, but could only bow and comply.

"Understood."

The death of the Hall Master, combined with Qin An once driving him away, had long planted endless aggression in his heart.

If not for the Dragon King himself intervening, instructing him not to act recklessly, he would probably have already left the Jiao Long Hall, seeking Qin An's whereabouts.

Now that the Dragon King has given repeated warnings, as long as he remains a creature of the Jiao Long Hall, he dare not defy the Dragon King's will.

The seductive woman returned to between the Dragon King's legs, gently bowing her head.

The Dragon King closed his eyes, carefully indulging, and continued, "The Hunter Conference is about to begin, once you release the information, return to Jiao Long Hall for preparations."

Long Yuan agreed once more and quietly left the Jiao Long Hall.

Once Long Yuan departed, the Jiao Long Hall returned to silence.

Only the seductive woman's undulating figure flickered.

...

Time flowed again.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

A weary traveler arrived in front of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Mr. Sun, carrying a basket full of herbs, stood excitedly at the door.

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