Chapter 157: He is Shen Changqing

Leaving the Council Hall, Shen Changqing glanced at the sky. Instead of going anywhere else, he returned directly to his residence.

The small courtyard remained the same.

His promotion to Earth Rank Demon Slayer didn’t warrant a change of scenery.

All Demon Slayers’ residences were fixed from the start. Only when someone died and a spot opened up would a new Demon Slayer move in.

On the way, he encountered a group of people led by Jiang Zuo.

"Brother Jiang."

As he spoke, Shen Changqing observed the individuals behind him. A mix of men and women, they shared a common trait: their youth.

They were young.

Their footsteps were unsteady, lacking a foundation in martial arts.

However, not everyone was like that. Several in the group possessed firm, solemn expressions and heavy steps, indicating some martial arts cultivation.

Shen Changqing was very familiar with this.

When he first joined the Demon Suppression Division, he was brought in just like them.

The difference being, his escort wasn’t Jiang Zuo, but Liu Chang.

Looking at Jiang Zuo, Shen Changqing was reminded of the deceased Liu Chang. Back in the unfamiliar Demon Suppression Division, Liu Chang was one of the few who would exchange words with him.

Alas, Liu Chang had died early in the hands of an evil being.

A few stray thoughts surfaced in Shen Changqing’s mind, but he quickly dispelled them.

"Brother Shen."

Jiang Zuo nodded with a smile.

"Are these the newly recruited Demon Slayers?"

"Yes, the Demon Suppression Division has recently recruited a batch of individuals. Coincidentally, the Yellow Division Demon Slaying Courtyard has suffered quite a few losses, which can now be replenished."

"Then, Brother Jiang, please carry on. I’ll be on my way."

"Safe travels, Brother Shen."

Shen Changqing smiled slightly and strode away, but as he left, he cast another glance at the group.

Roughly speaking, there were twenty or thirty new recruits joining the Demon Suppression Division this time.

The question was, how many of these twenty or thirty would make it to the end?

Even short of the end, only one or two out of ten would likely complete their Assessment Mission and become Official Demon Slaying Envoys.

From his own experience, Shen Changqing knew that he was the only one from his batch to survive until now; the rest had perished at the hands of evil during their missions.

In the past, he might have lamented the fate of these newcomers.

Now, Shen Changqing had completely seen through life and death.

He also understood that most who entered the Demon Suppression Division were people at the end of their rope.

Even if they didn’t join, they were headed for a certain death anyway. Conversely, joining offered a sliver of a chance for survival.

Though that chance was minuscule, it was still a chance.

After Shen Changqing left, someone in the group couldn’t help but ask, "Warden Jiang, who was that man? Is he an Official Demon Slaying Envoy?"

Upon hearing this, the smile vanished from Jiang Zuo’s face, and his gaze turned icy as he looked at the questioner.

Instantly, the person felt as though they were being watched by a venomous snake, and a great fear surged in their heart.

He couldn’t understand why Jiang Zuo had such an expression.

From the beginning of their journey, the Warden had acted like a kind teacher, which had greatly reduced his fear of the Demon Suppression Division, hence his daring question.

Yet, he didn’t know what had angered the Warden.

Just as that person was trembling with fear, Jiang Zuo’s cold voice echoed.

"Having just entered the Demon Suppression Division, let me teach you a lesson: don’t try to inquire about people you’re not qualified to inquire about, because it could bring you disaster.

The Demon Suppression Division never lacks for people.

It’s all too common for someone to die."

The cold, low voice sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

Most of them were disciples from ordinary families and had never heard such things before. As Jiang Zuo finished speaking, fear welled up in their hearts.

Some even had the urge to quit.

However, as soon as that thought arose, they forcibly suppressed it.

Long before joining, they knew there was no leaving the Demon Suppression Division. Anyone who tried to quit would be hunted down and killed.

That would truly be a dead end.

Faced with Jiang Zuo’s icy expression, only a handful managed to remain calm.

After issuing his warning, his expression softened slightly.

"He is Shen Changqing, the newly promoted Earth Rank Demon Slayer of the Demon Suppression Division. You may not have heard of him now, but eventually, as you travel the Jianghu, you will."

Earth Rank Demon Slayer!

Shen Changqing!

Many faces showed confusion.

The ranking system for Demon Slayers was entirely foreign to them.

However, several individuals’ expressions changed drastically, as if they had heard something extraordinary.

"Earth Rank Demon Slayer Shen Changqing—is Warden Jiang speaking of the same Lord Shen Changqing who slew a Barbarian General in Dahuang Prefecture?"

A young man carrying a sword, whose calm demeanor finally faltered.

Born into a family of martial artists, he was well-informed about the affairs of the Jianghu.

While others hadn’t heard of Shen Changqing, his name was like thunder to his ears.

"It seems you have some knowledge. Correct, he is that Shen Changqing." Jiang Zuo glanced at him and nodded approvingly.

Hearing this, the young man immediately gasped. Turning back to try and find Shen Changqing’s figure, he discovered that the latter was long gone.

The others who were similarly dressed were now pale.

Shen Changqing!

The Shen Changqing who slew the Barbarian General!

They never expected to encounter such a renowned powerhouse so soon after joining the Demon Suppression Division.

The young man exclaimed, "I heard that Lord Shen is a Grandmaster of the late stage, who, surrounded by a Barbarian army of hundreds of thousands, slew the Barbarian General and left unscathed. This battle has spread far and wide, shaking the entire Jianghu!

I never imagined that I would meet Lord Shen here today."

His words caused a stir among those who hadn’t heard of Shen Changqing.

They didn’t understand what a Grandmaster of the late stage was.

But they understood the weight of a Barbarian army of hundreds of thousands.

To be able to slay a Barbarian General and retreat under such circumstances was simply horrifying.

"If you can become Official Demon Slaying Envoys in the future, you should have the opportunity to meet him. Enough chatter."

Jiang Zuo stopped the others from further discussion.

Seeing this, the rest had no choice but to close their mouths and remain silent.

However, the name Shen Changqing was etched into everyone’s mind.

They understood that this was a powerhouse they had encountered after entering the Demon Suppression Division.

On the other side, Shen Changqing had returned to his small courtyard.

Although it was still early, he didn’t feel like practicing martial arts. Instead, he sat down to slowly digest the information he had received from Dongfang Zhao today.

"Martial artist limit!"

"No one has ever been able to break the martial artist limit. Is this so-called limit the maximum strength the human body can withstand?"

Shen Changqing recalled when he was improving his True Essence, his Dantian swelled and couldn’t hold any more.

The Dantian had a limit.

Then the human body should also have a limit.

After all, whether it was the Dantian or the physical body, they were both like containers.

The former contained True Qi.

The latter contained Qi and blood.

Improvements in martial arts both expanded and strengthened the container, and made the True Qi and Qi and blood inside more abundant.

For ordinary people, once the physical body reached a certain limit, it was indeed very difficult to improve further.

"Ordinary people can’t break the limit, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. But this conjecture is just a conjecture for now. I can only collect more slaughter points in the future and see if I can use the Status Panel to break this limit.

So what is the difference between Town Guardians and Demon Slayers?"

Shen Changqing was thinking about many things.

If Grandmaster was the limit.

Then what allowed Town Guardians to be above Grandmasters?

Then, he had another thought.

"If Earth Rank Demon Slayers are just ordinary Grandmasters, and those like me who have stepped into the threshold of Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder can reach Heaven Rank, then perhaps Town Guardians are powerhouses who have reached the true limit of one of the two systems.

Of course, it’s also possible that they’ve reached the limit of both systems.

According to Dongfang Zhao, the power that can be unleashed by reaching the limit of either system is very formidable."

Shen Changqing secretly speculated.

If the so-called Town Guardians were these kinds of martial artists, then the mystique surrounding Town Guardians would be greatly reduced.

After all, everyone was a Grandmaster, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

As long as he had enough slaughter points, he wouldn’t say he could break the martial artist limit, but improving to the martial artist limit shouldn’t be a big problem.

Even if his mental level couldn’t be improved quickly, he could take a shortcut when it came to the physical body system.

Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder!

Great Sun Furnace!

Shen Changqing calmed his mind and communicated with his physical Qi and blood. Instantly, the sound of Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder rang out again, as if a sleeping beast was awakening.

Gradually.

The Qi and blood subsided, and the Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder also dissipated.

"Even before, my Qi and blood were strong but not to the point of Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder. It was only when the Invincible Golden Body entered the seventeenth layer that I truly stepped into the Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder stage.

So, in the first place, I am only at the enter the door level of the first stage of the physical body system.

It won’t be less slaughter points to Perfected state Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder and then Great Sun Furnace in the follow-up, but the slaughter points contributed by three or five Innate Realm Peak evil beings may not be enough to satisfy it."

Now, one layer of martial arts costs sixteen slaughter points.

According to habit.

If the consumption increases after the martial arts reach the twentieth level.

At that time.

Sixteen slaughter points would become thirty-two points.

The slaughter points given by a Innate Realm Peak evil being may not be as much as thirty-two points.

So.

It is obviously not cost-effective to blindly improve martial arts in the future.

"When the Invincible Golden Body is improved to the twentieth level, I should look for other martial arts and then fuse them again."

End of Chapter