The sound of footsteps echoed, soon followed by a gentle knock, breaking the silence of the room.

Mr. Zhang was immersed in the joy of his daughter's awakening, and upon hearing the sound, his brows furrowed deeply, his face showing displeasure.

"Who is it?" He turned his gaze to the doorway, asking in a deep voice.

He had previously instructed the disciples in the household not to disturb him unless necessary, so someone showing such disregard for courtesy made him lose face in front of Mr. Qin.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, someone from the Evil Extermination Bureau is here, requesting an audience with Mr. Qin, saying there's an important matter to discuss." A female disciple's respectful report came from outside the door.

"Someone from the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

Qin An lifted his sword-like brows slightly, "Tell him to wait for me outside, I'll be there shortly."

Generally speaking, if there wasn't an urgent task, it would be impossible for someone to be sent specifically to find him.

Someone coming at this moment must indicate a significant matter.

Qin An turned his head, clasping his hands in a fist salute, "There is an urgent matter at the bureau, forgive me for taking my leave first, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Sun, we shall talk another day."

Mr. Sun stroked his beard and nodded, "Mr. Qin has important matters to attend to, we won't hinder official duties, please go ahead."

Mr. Zhang said no more.

He originally intended to invite Qin An to a meal, hoping to foster a closer relationship.

After all, the potential demonstrated by this young talent could undoubtedly bring great benefits to the Zhang Family in the future.

However, seeing the urgency of the situation, he had to give up on this plan.

Qin An said no more, his Cold Star Saber at his waist swaying lightly with his steps, striding briskly through the courtyard.

...

At this moment, in a small courtyard, a Household Officer was anxiously looking around.

When he saw Qin An coming out with his saber, he immediately stepped forward, respectfully saying, "Your servant greets Mr. Qin! Mr. Zhou ordered me to deliver a message, there is news regarding the Jiao Long Hall matter, please return to the bureau to prepare, we can set off tomorrow."

This morning, Zhou Yuanfeng suddenly called him over and instructed him to inform Qin An about the Jiao Long Hall matter.

However, when he went to Qin An's small courtyard, he found no sign of Qin An.

After inquiring around, he learned that Qin An had gone to the Sun Residence.

He then went to Mr. Sun's residence to search, and only learned from the family servants that Qin An had moved on to the Zhang Residence.

After all this running around, he finally got to see Qin An, allowing the Household Officer to breathe a sigh of relief.

Qin An's gaze slightly focused, he gently caressed his saber and nodded, "Understood, you may withdraw."

Qin An was completely aware of what the Jiao Long Hall matter entailed.

This must mean they were going to take action against Jiao Long Hall.

The memory of helping Jiao Yue infiltrate back then was still vivid, and now that the Evil Extermination Bureau had come specifically to seek him out, it must be to completely eradicate this fiend.

"If it's tomorrow, then time is indeed sufficient." Qin An lightly tapped the saber's sheath with his fingers, silently calculating.

Currently, he was only five hundred experience points short of a breakthrough in his butcher's profession.

If he diligently cultivated tonight, he should be able to accomplish the advancement before the operation.

At that time, by hastening to deduce the cultivation technique and elevate his saber technique to the Outer Elixir Realm, he would be in peak condition to face the fierce battle tomorrow.

Having contemplated this far, Qin An thought no more, turning around and striding rapidly towards the butcher's shop, his figure gradually blending into the long street's end.

...

Carefree Mountain, with its picturesque scenery and chorus of birdsong and fragrance of flowers.

At this moment, within a flower bed.

The Fox Girl was holding a watering pot, watering an exotic, enchanting flower.

The flower rooted itself on a ferocious human head; casting a glance, the entire garden was filled with such horrifying sights.

Bloody blooms flourished on pained, twisted faces, resembling the soul-attracting flowers of the netherworld's other shore.

Beside her, the Fox Girl was holding a silk handkerchief, occasionally wiping nonexistent sweat from the Fox Girl's brow.

"This is what it means to cultivate flowers." The Fox Girl handed the watering pot to her Fox Girl attendant, her face showing a pleasant look, her red lips gently parting, "Though we are of the demon clan, we should still be proficient in all garden crafts, pass down the order for the children to learn self-cultivation."

The Fox Girl nodded, not daring to hesitate, quickly agreeing, "You are right, Your Highness, I'll convey Your Highness's message to the younger ones, so they might cultivate flowers with human heads during their leisure."

The Fox Girl nodded in satisfaction, "This is a good thing, far better than those flesh-and-blood-eating demons, remember, the demons of Carefree Mountain should appreciate elegance."

As her voice fell, the Fox Girl was about to leave the flower bed.

But just two steps away, as her lotus-like steps shifted, her body suddenly halted, a flicker of ferocity flashing through her eyes, the aura of Inner God Realm spreading like a mountain over the flower bed.

The originally blooming flowers all shattered, turning into a ground of broken petals.

The Fox Girl following behind was shocked, her whole body trembled uncontrollably, prostrating on the ground.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger..."

She didn't know why the Fox Girl was angry, but kneeling on the ground to soothe her anger during such times was always the right choice.

Turning her head, the Fox Girl's extremely beautiful face sprouted strands of white fur.

In just an instant, it transformed into a sinister fox head.

"Qin An! It's Qin An again!" The Fox Girl's eyes were filled with killing intent, her robe billowing, sharp claws piercing her palms, "Daring to kill my dream confidant, it's utterly unforgivable!"

The Fox Girl prostrating on the ground was taken aback when she heard the name Qin An.

She had heard the name more than once and knew exactly who was behind it.

The numerous Fox Demons of Carefree Mountain already knew the name Qin An well.

But it was unexpected that Qin An had once again slain one of Carefree Mountain's demons.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger... Now that the Hunter Conference commotion is over, perhaps you should let me bring his head." The Fox Girl raised her head, a look of flattery all over her face.

The killing intent surrounding the Fox Girl was as cold as ice, mocking with derision, "Those who offend Carefree Mountain never live long, but the ancient battlefield ruins are currently stalled, making it impossible to dispatch an Inner God Realm demon."

"Issue a decree, closely monitor Qin An's whereabouts, keep him under strict surveillance, and if an opportunity arises, mobilize Outer Elixir Realm elites to take his life!"

The Fox Girl bowed her head again, respectfully agreeing, "The little demon obeys the command!"

Seeing the flower bed full of shattered remnants, the Fox Girl's eyes flashed a hint of heartache, waving her sleeve, "Instruct the young ones to gather more cultivator heads, I want to replant this flower garden."

The Fox Girl hurriedly complied, quietly departing.

As the Fox Girl gazed upon the devastated flower bed, her delicate fingers clenched tightly, knuckles turning white, the killing intent in her eyes soaring.

...

Time passed, and in a blink, it was late at night.

When Qin An returned to the Evil Extermination Bureau today, the moon was hidden behind clouds, much later compared to usual.

He first went to the Confidential Library to exchange for a saber technique, then closed the door and lit an oil lamp within the room.

Before him, the smoke swirled and floated in the air, twisting like a serpent.

[Butcher Level 11 (0/8000): Your slaughtered livestock are tastier, enhancing their essence and speeding up slaughter]

[Talent: Vein Condensation Realm saber cultivation technique perfected, weapon cultvation insight perfected, saber cultivation damage perfected]

He came back late today to practice the butcher profession to level eleven.

Finally achieving the goal now.

The condition to level up was to slaughter a thousand monsters, which Qin An had completed long ago, so leveling up was unimpeded.

Feeling a stir in his heart as he looked at the swirling smoke before him, Qin An took out a newly exchanged saber technique from his clothes.

The saber technique was called Blood Demon God Saber.

This saber technique is aggressive, and can draw fresh blood onto the saber when attacking others.

Qin An's Ice Flame Blood Transformation Saber also had this same effect, but Qin An now wanted to deduce it to the Outer Elixir Realm, thus planned to deepen in the blood transformation path.

This feature can be used for area attacks or against individual enemies, whether for burst or endurance, it is extremely formidable.

Qin An opened the saber manual and carefully read under the lamp.

Half a stick of incense later, he suddenly closed the book, with an explosively bright gaze.

"Zheng——"

The Cold Star Saber responded and unsheathed.

As the True Essence within Qin An surged, he raised his hand in a single saber strike.

This strike was executed according to the Blood Demon God Saber methods.

Five-colored True Essence entwined the saber blade, as the Blood Demon God Saber opening move unfolded, rich blood energy instantly filled the room.

When the saber move faded away, the smoke condensed into text.

[You practiced the Blood Demon God Saber, triggering the butcher talent blood]

[Blood Demon God Saber (Perfected)]

The Vein Condensation Realm Blood Demon God Saber, paired with the already level eleven butcher talent, instantly reached the perfect state.

Without pausing, Qin An turned to perform the Ice Flame Blood Transformation Saber.

As saber momentum turned, the aggressive moves became even fiercer.

The smoke before him was dispersed by the saber technique, after the cold light flashed, it condensed again.

[You possess the Ice Flame Blood Transformation Saber and Blood Demon God Saber, intending to merge them into one, but due to insufficient talent, you cannot combine the advantages of both techniques]

[The threat of Jiao Long Hall loomed in your mind, you gritted your teeth, planning to consume the Qi and blood within]

[After consuming a large amount of Qi and blood, a spark of inspiration arose in your mind, realizing that to master unparalleled saber techniques, one must understand the principles within the saber]

[You do not understand what are the principles within the saber, but you have a large amount of demon pills, you continue to burn the Qi and blood within the demon pills]

[After burning a large amount of Qi and blood, you finally gained insight, merging the two saber techniques into one]

[You named the new saber technique Ice Flame Blood Demon Blade]

[Ice Flame Blood Demon Blade (Initial)]

Massive smoke continuously rolled and then transformed into a torrent, pouring into Qin An's brow.

Qin An tightly gripped the Cold Star Saber hilt, closing his eyes and contemplating.

After a few breaths, he comprehended the Ice Flame Blood Demon Blade that had already reached the Outer Elixir Realm Initial.

Cold light flashed, like a silver moon.

Five-colored True Essence spread across the blade of the Cold Star Saber, when this strike was unleashed by Qin An, the saber edge sliced through the darkness, with devilish sounds whistling as if blood demons attached to the blade.

"Indeed worthy of the Outer Elixir Realm saber technique, now Ice Flame Blood Demon has become my strongest attack method."

Qin An sheathed the saber, the Qi and blood within gradually calming.

Not only does the Ice Flame Blood Demon Blade possess the might of three absolutes, but it also includes the effect of blood transformation, pushing the effect of blood transformation to the peak.

Qin An estimated, even if up against one at the Outer Elixir Realm Great Success, without using the might of three absolutes, he could fight relying on the blood transformation trait.

"It's a pity only one demon pill is left..." Qin An sat on the bed, stroked the saber and sighed: "Outer Elixir Realm resources are indeed enormous, fortunately I resolved to leave Lingzhou, otherwise I would still be stuck in the Vein Condensation Realm by now."

Although Lingzhou is safe, it cannot compare to the abundant resources of Xunyang Prefecture.

This world has no absolute safety.

Qin An felt his past decision was extremely correct.

Though only one demon pill remains, tomorrow he can head to the Jiao Long Hall task, surely this will yield significant harvests.

With this in mind, Qin An thought no more, blew out the oil lamp flame, and closed his eyes to sleep.

The task tomorrow is no small matter, he needs to face it with the best spirit.

Outside the window, Xunyang Prefecture's night deepened further.

...

The next day.

Morning light poured through the window, cast a golden scattered glow, filling the entire room.

After Qin An woke up, he changed into a clean black robe, had a simple breakfast, and walked towards the courtyard where Tang Zizhen was located.

By that time, many Silver Prefecture Generals had already gathered in the courtyard.

Tang Zizhen held a teacup, coldly sweeping his gaze over the crowd, pausing briefly on an empty seat, his brows slightly furrowed.

Not far away, Zhou Yuanfeng stood upright and waited.

After seeing Tang Zizhen's expression, he searched the surroundings for someone's presence, yet found no one.

"Where did he go? Why hasn't he come today?" Zhou Yuanfeng thought in his heart.

"The Evil Extermination Bureau values discipline most." Tang Zizhen suddenly spoke, his voice icy: "If you can't even be punctual, how is it different from defying the law?"

Many Silver Prefecture Generals exchanged glances, not understanding who Tang Zizhen's words were targeting.

Zhou Yuanfeng was clear in his heart but pressed his lips tightly, saying nothing.

In this situation, he couldn't speak, he could only remain silent.

While the crowd was puzzled, unsure, the sound of steady footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

Everyone turned their attention to the courtyard entrance, seeing Qin An walk in confidently in black clothes.

Tang Zizhen sneered: "Our talented genius finally arrives late, it seems he has yet to learn the rule of punctuality."

As soon as this remark dropped, the crowd instantly understood, knowing who Tang Zizhen was referring to.

Qin An slightly raised an eyebrow, stood firm beside Zhou Yuanfeng, his gaze calm yet hidden with edge: "Is Mr. Tang referring to me?"

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