"Burning another's soul?"

Qin An's sword-like brows furrowed slightly, his knuckles tapping lightly on the hilt: "That's unheard of."

The Grand Shaman was already trembling with fear, terrified of losing another arm: "Mr. Wang has mastered a secret technique that can devour others' souls and store them within himself. He can slowly refine them to enhance his cultivation or instantly burn them to increase his combat strength..."

"It's said... it's said..."

"Said what?" Qin An's gaze turned frosty.

"It's rumored that this technique comes from the ruins of the Ancient Battlefield," the Grand Shaman's Adam's apple moved: "Mr. Wang once said it was bestowed by a powerful figure..."

"A powerful figure?" A cold gleam appeared in Qin An's eyes: "This matter isn't simple."

He thought it was just about getting rid of a traitor, but now it involved the ruins of the Ancient Battlefield, and even a so-called powerful figure.

The Grand Shaman lay prostrate on the ground: "That's all I know, please, my lord, have mercy, I know I was wrong."

Qin An nodded slightly.

The Grand Shaman felt a surge of joy.

But before he could savor it, a cold flash passed by.

The Grand Shaman's head flew skyward and thudded heavily on the ground, his features still showing disbelief.

Qin An sheathed his saber, contemplated slightly, and headed towards the Soul-Gathering Four Peaks.

No matter what secrets lay within, since he took the task, Qin An was determined to complete it.

The task was too lucrative; completing it would be equivalent to the achievements of slaying a dozen Outer Elixir Realm beasts.

Once Qin An finished this task, he could forgo others for a long time, focusing solely on honing his skills.

Both logically and emotionally, he had to see it through.

Soon, Qin An's figure faded into the wilderness.

...

Not far from Changnan County, four towering peaks stood quietly.

Upon closer inspection, these peaks formed a perfect square.

At this moment, on the silent and deserted mountain paths, Qin An employed the Dragon Roar Shadow Step, stealthily maneuvering through the trails.

"The peaks are vast; for an ordinary person, they'd be hard to find," Qin An remarked slowly, "but for me, it's surprisingly simple."

The peaks were indeed large; even dozens conducting a sequential search would take considerable time.

But to Qin An, the peaks seemed transparent.

The reason was simple: the four peaks were connected by an Array, and for Qin An, a Level Eleven Array Master, it was utterly exposed.

The peak Qin An stood on was the Array's core.

To Qin An, the opposition should not have relied on the Array.

"As the Array indicates..." Qin An looked towards the end of the path, "after walking for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I'll reach the Array's location."

Upon this thought, Qin An didn't hesitate, channeling the True Essence within, becoming a series of afterimages, following the mountain path upward.

...

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Qin An reached the mountainside, gazing at the thick forest ahead, slightly frowning.

Within the dense woods, a man-made path appeared before him.

No further explanation was needed; this was sure to be where Wang Longjie was.

Qin An stepped into the forest, walking for about half the incense time before stopping.

An opening in the forest revealed itself.

A short distance ahead, a thatched cottage stood amid the clearing.

In front of the cottage was a vast open space, littered with countless jars.

Each jar was about the size of a fist, numbering over a thousand if counted thoroughly.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in plain clothes was intently inspecting one of the jars.

His expression was earnest, as if it was of great significance to him.

After a thorough inspection, the middle-aged man carefully opened the jar.

A wisp of the power of divine soul seeped out from the seal.

Before it could disperse further, the middle-aged man quickly resealed the jar.

Qin An raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze to the bamboo pole beside the cottage.

On the bamboo pole hung a dark garment, the copper-patterned waist badge reflecting faintly in the moonlight.

The Evil Extermination Bureau's dark garment, along with the Mountain Patrol Copper General's badge, all confirmed the man's identity.

Qin An pondered briefly, and seeing no one around, he gripped his saber and stepped into the open space.

The middle-aged man inspecting the jar heard movement and turned to look.

Upon seeing Qin An, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes but quickly returned to normal.

Qin An asked, "Wang Longjie?"

The middle-aged man's posture stiffened slightly: "From the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

Qin An nodded slightly.

Wang Longjie smiled bitterly: "I didn't expect you'd truly find me."

Qin An replied calmly: "End it yourself, or shall I send you on your way?"

Wang Longjie slowly straightened: "For old time's sake, you still have time to retreat."

Qin An shook his head: "Since you're with the Evil Extermination Bureau, you know the Mountain Patrol General's way. Your demeanor suggests you're not planning to end it yourself."

"If you strike, you might not kill me," Wang Longjie said slowly. "Besides, are you aware that you'll offend others?"

Qin An raised an eyebrow: "Who backs you?"

Wang Longjie sneered: "I still have family at home. If I speak, my life wouldn't be guaranteed. Don't ask further. I'm giving you another chance; are you willing to leave?"

Qin An scrutinized Wang Longjie for a long moment before suddenly slashing Cold Star at him: "If you won't talk, I'll borrow your head."

The saber's edge was sharp, the cold gleam like silver.

Wang Longjie had been prepared, but seeing Qin An's blade still startled him: "You're Qin An?"

Qin An frowned slightly.

Logically, Wang Longjie shouldn't know him, so why mention his name in a single sentence?

But there wasn't time to ponder now.

The blade was about to land, and Wang Longjie suddenly crossed his palms, clashing with Cold Star.

"Boom!"

A tremendous roar erupted, Wang Longjie's stance steady as a mountain, parrying Qin An's straight blade, his other hand reaching for Qin An's chest.

Qin An remarked: "Supreme True Elixir, not mentioned in the intelligence. It seems you forged it secretly, nearly slipped by me."

As the words fell, a golden manifestation enveloped Qin An.

Wang Longjie's right palm landed on the manifestation at Qin An's chest, reverberating with immense force.

The manifestation wavered slightly, showing minor cracks but remained unbroken.

The Supreme True Elixir Foundation wasn't simple; its combat power was top tier among the Outer Elixir Realm.

Taking the opportunity, Qin An shifted his saber momentum, slicing horizontally.

Wang Longjie attempted to withdraw, but before he could retreat two steps, Cold Star abruptly accelerated, leaving him no escape.

Seeing this, Wang Longjie gritted his teeth, lifting his palms to clash with the straight blade.

"Boom!"

A huge explosion rang out, causing Wang Longjie's face to slightly change.

"What kind of powerful True Essence is this!"

Now Qin An had advanced his Heart Method to the Great Success of the Outer Elixir Realm. The Bodhi Golden Dragon Five Elements Technique carried the true dragon's bloodline, doubling the True Essence content, making his combat power invincible in the Outer Elixir Realm.

How could Wang Longjie possibly contend with such True Essence?

The Five-Colored True Essence flowed along the blade, and Wang Longjie was sent flying back, spilling blood like money on the ground, shattering many jars.

Qin An was about to step forward to finish him off.

Wang Longjie suddenly grabbed the spilled divine soul from the broken jar and stuffed it into his mouth: "I can't die! I still have my family to care for! I might as well fill this soul void!"

The divine soul was swallowed by Wang Longjie, and originally heavily injured, he became lively and energetic.

The fierce wind seemed like the sea, wildly devouring the divine souls in the surrounding jars. When half of them were consumed, Wang Longjie's aura had climbed to its peak.

"The same trick as the Grand Sorcerer?" Qin An narrowed his eyes slightly.

He could feel that Wang Longjie's aura was bolstered by the divine soul, bringing his physical body to an extreme.

Coupled with the assistance of True Essence Power, Wang Longjie could elevate his physical body to its limit, much stronger than the Grand Sorcerer.

"Die!"

Wang Longjie turned into a shadow, extending his right palm to press brutally towards Qin An's head.

Qin An gripped Cold Star tightly, raising the blade to slash horizontally.

The cold light was like the moon, clashing with Wang Longjie's palm.

"Boom!"

The Three Blades Unite, exploding!

The Five-Colored True Essence poured out like madness, using Cold Star as a guide.

Wang Longjie thought he had victory in hand with his supreme body paired with terrifying True Essence, combined with the foundation of the Supreme True Elixir.

Yet he underestimated the terror of Qin An's slash.

Blazing True Essence swept across his entire body, sending Wang Longjie flying back, heavily hitting the ground, spilling blood without restraint.

He tried to get up, but under the searing pain coursing through his body, even a finger couldn't move.

Qin An stepped forward with the blade, the edge resting at Wang Longjie's throat: "Still unwilling to talk?"

Wang Longjie struggled to turn over, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand: "Kill me."

Qin An slightly raised his eyebrows: "As someone from the Evil Extermination Bureau, yet turned into a stray dog for the so-called big figure, that big figure must have an impressive background."

Wang Longjie closed his eyes without answering.

"To have you so loyally committed... someone from within the Evil Extermination Bureau?" Qin An suddenly said.

Wang Longjie's eyelids slightly twitched.

Qin An rubbed his chin: "So it is true."

To have a Mountain Patrol Copper General willingly become a traitor and reluctant to reveal the identity, Qin An couldn't think of anyone other than someone from the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Wang Longjie suddenly opened his eyes, raising a palm to strike his head.

In an instant, Wang Longjie's head shattered into pieces, turning into a corpse with no more movement.

Qin An narrowed his eyes: "Would rather die than let me extract anything, it seems my earlier speculation wasn't wrong."

The Evil Extermination Bureau in Xunyang Prefecture was chaotic, but Qin An didn't expect it to be to this degree.

The identity of the other party was a mystery without clues or guesses for Qin An.

After some thought, Qin An took Wang Longjie's token and walked towards the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Though curious about who was behind it, Qin An would not dive deep into the matter.

For now, the plan was to return and practice to improve his skill proficiency.

Later, he would search for herbs for the Divine Spirit Pill and exchange with Long Tianxing for the Water Element Divine Sense, to enter the Inner God Realm as soon as possible.

Soon enough, Qin An's figure disappeared in front of the thatched hut.

About half a joss stick time later, a person in a black robe arrived at the clearing.

The black-robed figure emanated a killing intent upon seeing the scattered mess and corpse on the ground.

"Who killed Wang Longjie?"

"If the lord finds out, I fear another suitable candidate must be found."

"The General Mansion is about to vacate the office, this is a significant matter, I must notify the lord promptly."

Under the moonlight, the corner of the black robe lifted slightly, revealing a silver-patterned waist badge.

...

Evil Extermination Bureau.

When Qin An returned, the time was deep into the night.

The night was like a curtain, the moonlight hidden among the clouds.

The Mountain Patrol General had their achievements recorded in the waist badge, similar to Lingzhou, sparing Qin An the necessity of shuttle back and forth to the Confidential Library, wasting time.

Upon lighting the oil lamp, its flickering light cast Qin An's features into shadow and illumination alternately.

Qin An narrowed his eyes, focusing in thought.

A line of smoke appeared before his eyes.

[Butcher lv.11 (1000/8000): Your slaughtered livestock are more delicious, enhancing their essence, increasing the butchering speed]

[Talent: Pulse Condensation Realm Blade Skills Perfection, Pulse Condensation Realm Weapon Skills Insight Perfection, Pulse Condensation Realm Blade Skills Damage Perfection]

...

[Blacksmith lv.11 (0/8000): The quality of your forged items is improved, material consumption reduced, item characteristics enhanced]

[Talent: Pulse Condensation Realm Strength Skills Perfection, Pulse Condensation Realm Forged Object Spirituality Granting, Pulse Condensation Realm Heart Forging Skill Perfection]

...

The occupations of Butcher and Blacksmith concern the evolution of Blade Skill and Fist Technique.

After completing the task, Qin An's gains were substantial, equivalent to several missions' worth of achievements.

Now Qin An's idea is simple, to first cultivate Butcher and Blacksmith to level twelve, to achieve qualitative changes.

Then elevate his Blade Skill and Fist Technique to the Great Success of the Outer Elixir Realm.

By that time, at least the Power of Attack would be sufficient.

Adding the Heaven and Earth Heartless Saber acquired from Lulou, he only needs to exchange for a Fist Technique book.

"Tomorrow, I'll head to the butcher shop to improve the Blacksmith skill first."

Thinking of this, Qin An gazed at the moonlight outside the window and went to sleep early.

...

The next day.

As the first ray of morning light streamed in, Qin An quickly washed up, changed into clean black clothes, and prepared to head to the butcher shop to train his Butcher skill proficiency.

Leaving the courtyard of the Evil Extermination Bureau required passing through the front courtyard.

But before he reached there, hurried footsteps abruptly sounded.

Two Prefecture Officers carried a stretcher, on which lay a Mountain Patrol General.

Upon seeing this Mountain Patrol General, Qin An's pupils slightly contracted.

"Is that... the aura of the Earth Element Divine Sense?"

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