The cave was dark and silent.

Li Ruyue and Xiang Yingtian were about to leave, but seeing Qin An's furrowed brow, they exchanged a glance and moved closer to the wooden box, peering into its contents.

Inside the box lay four Demon Pills and an opened secret letter, with the letter paper partially exposed, as if silently signifying something.

Li Ruyue's eyes darkened, frowning as she said: "There must be someone orchestrating things behind the scenes, this secret letter is likely related to the mastermind."

Xiang Yingtian nodded slightly, not committing to an opinion.

Qin An remained silent, raising his hand to absorb the Demon Pills into his body, then picked up the envelope and unfolded the letter in front of the two.

However, when Qin An opened the letter, he found the paper to be spotlessly white, without a single word on it.

Qin An rubbed the paper with his fingertip, carefully examining it but found nothing.

Li Ruyue pondered and said: "If this is the work of a major figure, it must be extremely cautious, the letter might have been written using a Secret Technique, causing the content to disappear after reading."

Xiang Yingtian replied: "Mr. Li's words are very reasonable."

The secret techniques of the world are varied and strange, making the writing appear only briefly is not difficult.

Qin An nodded slightly and suddenly said: "This paper is specially made by the Evil Extermination Bureau, the technique of making writing disappear is also a commonly used method within the bureau."

Upon hearing this, Li Ruyue and Xiang Yingtian's pupils contracted slightly, a trace of shock flashed in their eyes.

Qin An continued: "Whenever I have free time, I go to the Confidential Library to read various miscellaneous books, hence I can tell at a glance that the method of making the writing disappear is the Evil Extermination Bureau's technique."

Li Ruyue's fingers tightened around the long whip: "So you're saying someone within the Evil Extermination Bureau is colluding with that Sect Leader?"

""Could it be... the Mountain Patrol Silver General?" Xiang Yingtian probed.

Qin An shook his head: "The Silver General is only at the Inner God Realm, the Sect Leader will break through soon, why would they stoop to cooperate? Only the Mountain Patrol Golden General has such capability."

Xiang Yingtian's throat moved, stunned as he said: "So it's the Mountain Patrol Golden General, if this leaks, Xunyang Prefecture will be turned upside down."

Who exactly is the Mountain Patrol Golden General?

The Mountain Patrol Golden General, holds immense power, unmatched in Xunyang Prefecture.

If indeed conspiring with the wicked, it will be a bloody storm, and they might not withstand it.

"You both..." Qin An raised his eyes and said: "Let this matter rot inside us, do not spread it."

Li Ruyue snapped out of it, releasing her grip on the long whip, saying: "We understand."

Xiang Yingtian also nodded in agreement.

They were merely Mountain Patrol Copper Generals, such secrets, if leaked by them, would likely bring instant deadly consequences.

"Let's go, it's time to return." Qin An turned, his robes flying.

This time, Qin An spent many Demon Pills, and coupled with the Demon Pills consumed earlier in deducing two Cultivation Techniques, though he gained some, he only had eighty left now.

However, for Qin An, this expenditure brought tremendous benefits.

The heavenly spiritual grass is now in hand, and the refinement of the Divine Spirit Pill is almost a certainty.

Once he refines the Divine Spirit Pill, Qin An can obtain the Water Element Divine Sense.

By then, he'd be just a step away from achieving the Supreme True Elixir of the Inner Core Realm.

Upon returning, he had other plans, thus he did not intend to linger here.

Li Ruyue and Xiang Yingtian both nodded, understanding that even though they discovered a great secret, it could only be buried within them.

The three said no more, and after leaving the cave, they quietly departed.

As for the follow-up matters concerning the Xuanyin Sect, the Prefecture General would handle it, requiring no further concern from them.

And the secret letter was kept by Qin An, to prevent anyone from the Evil Extermination Bureau from discovering it and bringing trouble upon himself.

At least for now, Qin An's strength is insufficient to be involved in this secret, so he plans to focus on his development for a while.

The journey from Xuanyin Sect to the Evil Extermination Bureau took quite a while.

When he returned, it was already near midnight.

Li Ruyue and Xiang Yingtian had parted ways with him on the journey, so only Qin An returned.

...

The room was completely dark.

Qin An lit the oil lamp on the table, looking at its dim glow, contemplating his next plans.

"The dangers before me now are many."

Qin An stared at the flickering flame, thinking: "Not only Carefree Mountain, but even getting involved in the Mountain Patrol Golden General's schemes. It's unrealistic for them not to react, they're just waiting for the opportunity."

"Only by becoming stronger can I break the situation."

He originally thought that although Xunyang Prefecture was full of political intrigue, after becoming a Mountain Patrol General, he could at least gain some freedom.

Unexpectedly, he has now got involved in an even bigger secret.

Now, Qin An can only enhance his strength.

Only after his strength improves can he deal with further crises.

Thinking of this, Qin An raised his head to look into the void, envisioning the proficiency levels of all his professions.

After some thought, Qin An already had a plan.

"First practice the healer and Pill Master professions up to level twelve, to achieve a qualitative change, then refine the Divine Spirit Pill and then practice the dancer and Array Master professions up to level twelve, then I can go to the Ancient Battlefield remains."

All professions at level twelve will be a huge boost for Qin An.

Entering the Ancient Battlefield ruins, after obtaining the Water Element Divine Sense, he will quickly head to the desert to find the Earth Element Divine Sense.

Only with all professions at level twelve does Qin An feel confident about this trip.

"Tomorrow, I will practice the Pill Master profession."

Having figured this out, Qin An no longer overthought, snuffed out the oil lamp on the table, and went to bed early.

...

Xuanyin Sect, blood and fire intertwined.

Cries of agony tore through the night, with corpses piled high.

Bodies lay scattered along the mountain path and throughout the Xuanxin Sect.

A figure dressed in black robes held a disciple's head of the Xuanxin Sect, threw it to the ground with a face full of resentment.

Although the black-robed person had their face covered, revealing only a pair of eyes, when they threw the head, the wind lifted the robe slightly, showing a silver badge on the waist.

If anyone were there, they would realize this person was Mountain Patrol Silver General.

A sound of footsteps echoed from ahead.

Another black-robed figure holding a corpse stepped over the blood and threw it on the ground.

"All dead."

A female voice came from the black robe, carrying a chilling intent to kill.

The male black-robed one coldly said, "Investigate! Who accepted the mission!"

"No need to investigate," the female black-robed one said icily, "Inside there's five elements true qi, and qi blood power, and even knife and fist marks. This person is definitely Qin An."

"Qin An? Again, Qin An!" The male black-robed one exuded killing intent, anger rising: "Repeatedly sabotaging Mr. Li's affairs, truly deserving of a thousand cuts to vent the anger!"

The female black-robed one shook her head, "He's backed by Jin Fengyu, and Jin Fengyu values him dearly. We can't move against him for the time being."

"Just let it be?" the male black-robed one restrained his killing intent.

The female black-robed one stepped forward coldly, "Patience is crucial, he won't always encounter Mr. Li's arrangements. The experiments must continue, just in a more subtle manner."

"Once Mr. Li's experiments succeed, everyone in Xunyang Prefecture will be like dragons, pseudo-gods and demons will be wiped out effortlessly. By then, the entirety of Xunyang Prefecture will be peaceful."

Hearing this, the male black-robed one lowered his head, "Fine, when Mr. Li takes the General Mansion position, we'll deal with him. Is there anyone alive?"

The female black-robed one shook her head, "I personally eradicated them all. Let's leave quickly, or if the Evil Extermination Bureau's Prefecture General arrives, it won't reflect well on Mr. Li."

The two didn't linger, vanishing swiftly from the scene.

...

Carefree Mountain, Flower Garden.

Flowers swayed in the wind, reflecting a vibrant beauty.

This flower garden was meticulously cultivated by Fox Girl, but at the moment, she had no mood to appreciate its splendor.

Fox Girl sat on a rocking chair, gently swaying.

Behind the rocking chair, more than ten Inner God Realm fox girls kneeled on the ground, pressing their foreheads against the earth, dare not move.

A heavy atmosphere lingered in the air.

After a moment, Fox Girl's fingers tightened slightly on the armrest, crumbling it to pieces.

"Hu Long, that bastard, dared to play me! Initially, we agreed to cooperate with Carefree Mountain, yet now he's using heavy missions as an excuse to refuse repeatedly. Does he truly think I wouldn't dare report his collusion with Carefree Mountain to the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

A terrifying evil qi flowed around Fox Girl, causing the nearby flowers to bow under its pressure.

One Inner God Realm fox girl mustered her courage, tremblingly said, "Lady, why not directly present the evidence of collusion with Carefree Mountain to the Evil Extermination Bureau? They would surely take his head, thereby clipping the Bureau's wings."

Many fox girls expressed agreement upon hearing this.

Fox Girl snorted coldly, sweeping a cold gaze over the fox girls, "Fools! How could I not know of such a method? But Hu Long has dirt on me."

Confusion flickered in the fox girl's eyes, unclear about the nature of this dirt.

Fox Girl stood up, the rocking chair behind her turned to powder, "He knows Carefree Mountain wishes to ascend to a higher tier. He knows I'm one step away from advancing to the next level, and even knows I need to kill Qin An to save face. Otherwise, those above would think I'm useless, missing a golden opportunity."

"He's waiting, waiting for a price high enough. What do you think he's lacking?"

The fox girl appeared even more confused, "He's a distinguished Mountain Patrol Silver General; he seems to lack nothing in terms of power or other aspects."

"No, he lacks!" Fox Girl quickly walked to the fox girl's side, raising a fair hand, pressing it on her head: "He's missing many things, most importantly, something to lift his head before Mountain Patrol Golden General."

The fox girl looked even more puzzled.

Fox Girl released her hand, "His superior, Mountain Patrol Golden General, has a son who is currently a Mountain Patrol Copper General, possessing Outer Elixir Realm cultivation."

"That little thing is quite ambitious, forging the Supreme True Elixir, wanting to use its supreme foundation to step into Inner God Realm. Therefore, he lacks Five Elements Divine Sense."

"If the Five Elements Divine Sense is given to Hu Long, for him to deliver to his superior Mountain Patrol Golden General, Hu Long's status will rise. He'll surely cooperate with us."

The fox girl hesitated, "But Five Elements Divine Sense is incredibly rare, even in Xunyang Prefecture, it is elusive."

"I know a place," Fox Girl raised her gaze towards the distance: "In the Ancient Battlefield ruins lies a desert, where Earth Element Divine Sense exists. However, the desert is heavily covered by arrays, making entrance extremely difficult. I reached this point back when I was in the Outer Pill Realm."

"Even with Lady's Inner God Realm Perfection cultivation, you can't see through the arrays?" the fox girl asked.

Fox Girl shook her head, "Forcing through would destroy the Five Elements Divine Sense. You must study this path, otherwise can't enter."

The fox girl asked, "How can we find the Earth Element Divine Sense?"

Fox Girl raised her right hand, a jade stone floating above her palm.

"Array-breaking stone!"

The fox girl showed a shocked expression, "It's said this item is a treasure that can break most arrays. How did Lady acquire it?"

Fox Girl sneered, "Naturally, it was the old lover of Lu Mountain who gave it to me. To obtain this, I used all my charms to please him."

"Take this array-breaking stone and some Outer Pill Realm fox girls, head to the Ancient Battlefield ruins to search for Earth Element Divine Sense."

"Even breaking arrays will take time, around two months for the array to vanish without a trace. After you acquire the Earth Element Divine Sense, return to Carefree Mountain to find me."

The fox girl dared not defy, holding the array-breaking stone in her hand, bowing in acceptance.

Fox Girl gazing at the wilted flowers in the garden, her eyes sharp and cold: "To kill that little bastard, I've sacrificed too much. But as long as I can become a higher-tier power, breaking into the next realm to prolong my lifespan, it's all worth it!"

The flower garden fell into silence again.

The many fox girls quietly retreated, leaving Fox Girl alone.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, a month went by.

In a small courtyard of the Evil Extermination Bureau, the room door was tightly shut.

At this moment, Qin An opened the window, looking at the sunlight streaming in outside, his lips curled slightly.

"Pill Master, healer, finally reached level twelve!"

In front of him, smoke materialized, twisting into words, floating in mid-air.

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