"I was hunting beasts outside today, and these Demon Spirit Guard guys tried to shake me down. I killed them all. Didn't I hear that people can collect bounties for taking out the Demon Spirit Guard? So here I am."
Ye Qing looked around on the ground, then grabbed An Fei by the hair.
"This is the one. This is the leader of the bunch."
"An Fei!"
"A Tier 4 Early Stage Demon Spirit Guard!"
Even though An Fei's face was somewhat distorted from the kick Ye Qing had given him!
Nevertheless!
The captain recognized him in almost an instant.
He let out a low roar!
What?!
The rest of them were startled as well!
Tier 4 Early Stage!
That already counted as a powerhouse!
Yet, he had just been killed like this!
And there were so many others!
They had all been killed?!
Instantly, they looked at Ye Qing with pale faces. What kind of strength did this guy possess?!
They mentally retraced their conversation with Ye Qing just moments before—had their tone been a bit too loud?
Should they go over and apologize right now?
The captain stared at An Fei, recalling that he had crossed paths with this guy before, only for the bastard to slip away!
Yet!
Right now!
Not only had Ye Qing killed him!
He had also wiped out all his underlings and their Weapon Spirits!
What on earth was Ye Qing's cultivation level?!
This thought echoed in the captain's mind.
"These should fetch a pretty penny in bounties, right?" Ye Qing asked, and the captain nodded.
"Come this way, I'll process it for you."
A short while later, Ye Qing received two Tier 5 Beast Cores, along with several other Tier 4 Beast Cores.
However, Ye Qing directly traded the Tier 4 Beast Cores for medicinal liquid used to enhance Weapon Spirits.
The captain had someone handle the transaction.
And so, he started chatting casually with Ye Qing.
"You little rascal, you always manage to surprise me."
"This An Fei was no pushover; he specialized in sneak attacks."
"I know. His Weapon Spirit is a black spear," Ye Qing said. "This is my first time seeing a Weapon Spirit that can transform into a modern firearm."
"Haha, that's just because you haven't seen enough. One of our nine King-tier Powerhouses possesses an S-rank Weapon Spirit called the Ten-Direction Firearm!"
Ten-Direction Firearm?
Seeing that Ye Qing looked a bit puzzled, the captain patted him on the shoulder. "I only heard about it from others. Work hard; if you manage to reach the upper echelons of the Military Department and fight side by side with that powerhouse, you might actually get to see it."
"A Gatling gun that fires blue flames!"
Ye Qing: "............"
Chapter 14: Business
A short while later, a guard brought over the medicinal liquid. Ye Qing took it and headed outside.
"I'll take my leave, Captain."
"I still have actual business to attend to!"
Ye Qing had no intention of wasting time here. After all, his Vajra Indestructible was currently only at the first stage!
After Ye Qing left, the captain went off to make a report.
"Oh? I haven't heard of this kid before. I know all the top prodigies from Jinling University and the other top universities in Jinling, but this name hasn't crossed my radar."
A burly man sat behind a desk with a rigid, upright posture, a contemplative look on his face.
"As it happens, why don't I go to Jinling University tomorrow to deliver a commendation and check out this youngster myself?"
"If he's really as capable as you say, I suppose we could consider adding one more candidate to the Purgatory Training Camp."
Standing there listening, the captain was stunned. Grandmaster Li was going to visit Jinling University in person?!
And furthermore...
The Purgatory Training Camp.
Listening to this, the captain realized he had just done Ye Qing a massive favor.
Meanwhile, Ye Qing pocketed the cores and led the two girls back toward the campus.
Entering the school grounds, the trio immediately drew a high volume of turning heads.
After all, Ye Qing's terrifying display outside yesterday had already spread like wildfire through the academy, coupled with Zhou Lingxue's transformation into a lethal sword. It was safe to say this duo had become absolute celebrities at Jinling University!
Now, appearing together in this manner once again, how could they not attract attention?
"Look over there, isn't that Ye Qing and Zhou Lingxue? What's all over Ye Qing's clothes? He's covered in blood! I'm standing this far away, and I can still smell the stench of it!"
"Did he go out to slaughter beasts?"
"Judging by this state, he definitely did. Talk about dumb luck. Everyone thought he'd become a laughingstock for contracting an F-rank Weapon Spirit, but who would've thought he'd undergo an Ancestral Reversion, turning his Tetanus Blade into a razor-sharp sword? Who can you even argue with about that?!"
A male student sighed as he spoke.
"Cut it out, aren't you worried your own Weapon Spirit will hear you? Look, who's that walking next to Ye Qing?"
"No idea. She's a absolute bombshell too. Doesn't look like she's from our school."
"You think... could she be another one of Ye Qing's Weapon Spirits?"
The remark left everyone dumbfounded.
Then, they turned to look at the speaker as if he were a complete idiot.
"Holy shit, I was just making a joke! Why are you all looking at me like that? It's so awkward!"
"Don't go projecting your own idiocy, assuming Ye Qing is as stupid as you."
"Exactly. A powerful Spirit Tamer capable of instantly slaughtering Tier 4 beasts—wouldn't he know that contracting multiple Weapon Spirits damages one's core essence?"
"Not only would his future be completely ruined, but his cultivation might even regress, rendering him unable to control his previous Spirit at all."
"If it were you, would you abandon that divine sword just to contract some other random Weapon Spirit?"
"Alright, alright!" Facing the barrage of criticism from his peers, the student said in utter helplessness, "I was just joking! Why are you guys taking it so seriously?"
"You guys are no fun!"
Chatting among themselves, the group followed along as Ye Qing headed in that direction.
Then, they watched wide-eyed as Ye Qing led Zhou Lingxue and Liu Lianmeng straight into the villa.
Huh?
It was almost dark, and they just walked in like that?
Could he actually have contracted her too?
Thoughts swirled in the onlookers' minds, though no one dared voice them out loud.
After all, such a notion was entirely too absurd.
Over at the villa:
"This is where I'm living now. Come on in."
Ye Qing looked at Liu Lianmeng and gestured for her to enter.
At that moment, excitement surged in Ye Qing's chest. That giant cauldron—even if it lacked the terrifying group-healing miracle of raising the dead and healing flesh after its Ancestral Reversion—should at least be able to refine medicine!
One had to know that in this world, medicinal pills were extremely precious!
High-grade pills were literally worth a thousand pieces of gold and nearly impossible to buy!
He was itching to give it a try right now.
"You... live here?"
Liu Lianmeng stared at the villa. Was this the kind of place a student was supposed to live in?
Recovering her composure, she reasoned that this guy was quite formidable anyway—he had practically single-handedly slaughtered An Fei and all his lacklings in seconds.
Living in a place like this wasn't completely unreasonable.
Yet, as she thought about it, the desire for revenge burning in Liu Lianmeng's eyes grew even deeper!
You've contracted me now!
Just wait!
All of this will vanish from you!
You'll lose everything!
I'll make you regret this!
Liu Lianmeng shot a glare at Ye Qing.
And happened to lock eyes directly with him.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Ye Qing's gaze turned icy cold.
This little girl still looked thoroughly unconvinced!
It seemed the only way to cure her attitude was to make sure she spent the next few days staring straight at the morning sun!
Liu Lianmeng hadn't expected to meet his gaze head-on.
Instantly, the terrifying image of those severed heads flying through the air flashed back into her mind.
Her legs began to turn to jelly!
I was wrong, I was wrong!
I admit my mistake!
"Go take a shower!" Ye Qing commanded, noticing that Liu Lianmeng's defiant aura had withered significantly.
"O-Okay..." Hearing his tone that brooked no argument, Liu Lianmeng quickly complied.
Once she went inside, Ye Qing and Zhou Lingxue headed to separate bathrooms.
You had to hand it to them—living in a villa this big really had its perks.
Splish, splash!
Amidst the sound of flowing water, Ye Qing washed away the lingering stench of blood from his body.
Then, he gazed at the beast cores laid out before him.
He pressed his palm over them.
Absorb!
Whoosh!
This is it!
A massive surge of energy came rampaging through his body!
For a split second, Ye Qing felt as though his physique could barely withstand the sheer torrent of power!
Swish!
The energy rushing through him felt like a torrential river, charging wildly across his meridians!
Thud!
This is...!
Sensing the surge of raw strength, Ye Qing pulled up his status interface!
【Name: Ye Qing】
【Spirit Tamer Rank: Tier 4 Late Stage】
【Contracted Weapon Spirits: F-rank Tetanus Blade (First Ancestral Reversion: Heaven-Declining Sword), E-rank Zhangqiu Iron Wok】
【Skills: God-level Hunting Skill, Tianxiao Vigorous Qi 6th Stage, Rapid Core Absorption Skill, Dragon-Tiger Spirit, Vajra Indestructible 1st Stage】
【Items: God-level Mind-Control Pills x5】
Tier 4 Late Stage!
Feeling the immense power within him, Ye Qing recalled the battle moments ago.
Thank goodness for Vajra Indestructible.
Otherwise, his physical body might have sustained real damage.
It looked like he needed to hurry up and level up Vajra Indestructible!
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle rapid advancements in the future!
With those thoughts in mind, Ye Qing stepped out of the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Liu Lianmeng had finished her shower and stepped out to find a set of clothes laid out for her.
They had been placed there by Zhou Lingxue—clothes that Ye Qing had bought for her.
Liu Lianmeng picked them up inside the bathroom and took a look.
The corners of her mouth twitched violently!
What kind of clothes were these?!
With a flushed face, she stepped out into the hallway!
As soon as she exited, she saw Ye Qing standing there, casually drying his semi-wet hair!
"Ah!"
What a visual impact!
Ye Qing had only a bath towel wrapped around his waist!
His chiseled, statue-like upper body was laid bare for all to see.
His defined abdominal muscles were fully exposed!
Leading straight down beneath the edge of the towel!
Liu Lianmeng had never seen a physique like this before, and her gaze involuntarily followed the line of his abs downward!
Catching herself a second later, she mentally spat in disgust!
Pervert!
Without wasting a word, Ye Qing led her into a room!
............
Over on the other side, Zhou Lingxue had also finished showering and changed into fresh clothes. Stepping out into the spacious room, she found not a soul in sight.
A wave of relief instantly washed over Zhou Lingxue.
Phew!
"Tonight, I can finally get a good night's sleep."