At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

The next day, early in the morning.

As the morning light shone, Mu Yang rode Xiao Hei out of the city and headed towards the Demon Slayer Division outside the city.

There are still three days until the election in the blessed land, so he plans to go to the Demon Slaying Division to see if there are any nearby demons that he can kill.

The result disappointed him greatly.

Even the closest mission requires more than two days to travel to.

If the monster were more cunning and hid deeper, there simply wouldn't be enough time.

Left with no other choice, he could only regretfully ride Little Black away from the Demon Slayer Division.

"Clang clang clang—"

Just as he was riding his little black horse back to the city along the official road, a series of dense metallic clanging sounds suddenly reached his ears.

"Is there a fight going on?"

Mu Yang raised an eyebrow.

Less than ten miles ahead is the Demon Slaying Division branch of Qinghe County, and at most seven miles ahead is the county seat of Qinghe County.

On this road, are there still fools who dare to fight?

Mu Yang immediately became interested and quietly sneaked over with Xiao Hei.

In a clearing in the woods, several figures were seen.

One of them was dressed in a dark black uniform with a vermilion "斩" (slay) character embroidered on his chest and a bronze token of a third-class demon-hunting captain hanging from his waist.

It was a middle-aged man with a slightly weathered face, who was being attacked by three people.

To be precise, two people were watching the commotion from the sidelines, while only one young man was fighting with the middle-aged man.

The three men were dressed in dark black outfits that were somewhat similar to the uniforms of the Demon Slayer Division, but the cut was slightly different. They had no decorations on their chests, but instead had blue patterns embroidered on their sleeves and collars, and they also wore a wooden token at their waists.

A large character for "door" is engraved on it.

Judging from the fighting aura of the two, the middle-aged man from the Demon Slayer Division was around the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, while the seemingly younger man was of higher cultivation, possessing the late-stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivation.

The young man wielded a steel knife with great force, overwhelming the middle-aged man and nearly causing him to drop his sword several times.

The young man had many opportunities to defeat his opponent, but he always stopped short, using his long sword to slowly cut through the middle-aged man's uniform, like a cat playing with a mouse.

"Is this some kind of grudge?"

Mu Yang frowned slightly.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted from the side of the official road into the clearing in the woods.

He was a young man with a dignified appearance and an upright demeanor.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and distinct brow bones. He wore the uniform of the Demon Slayer Bureau and carried a black and red water-fire staff.

The moment he landed, the stick in his hand slammed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

Then, he took a step forward, changed the water-fire staff in his hand from upright to sweeping, and pushed the staff horizontally, forcing the young man who was suppressing his colleague back dozens of steps, along with his knife.

He sheathed his staff and stood firm, helping the disheveled middle-aged man to his feet with one hand, while his sharp gaze swept over the surrounding group: "In my Demon Slayer Division's territory, you dare to bully my Demon Slayer Division's captains? Have you considered the consequences!"

His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried a strong sense of pressure.

The three young men, who had just been laughing and joking, suddenly became serious.

"The Meridian Opening Realm?"

Mu Yang glanced at the token on the young man's waist, which was bronze and engraved with "Second Class".

Judging from the speed of his attack and the momentum he just displayed, he is undoubtedly a fifth-level Qi Refining Realm martial artist.

Haven't you finished killing the fifth-tier monster yet?

Mu Yang secretly guessed.

"I've long heard that the Demon Slaying Division is one of the top departments in our Great Jing Dynasty. My brothers and I were just itching to test our skills, and couldn't resist sparring with your colleague!"

Just then, a strange-looking boy who looked no more than ten years old jumped down from a tree trunk in the forest.

His clothing was somewhat similar to that of the three youths, except that the patterns on his collar and cuffs were blue instead of cyan, and the token at his waist was not made of wood, but of dark gray iron.

"A friendly spar?"

Han Kuang gripped the Water-Fire Staff with one hand, his voice ringing out: "If this is a friendly spar, why be so aggressive and disrespectful! If you truly wish to spar, then let's try it out!"

"I will try, but not now. Judging from your age, you should be no more than twenty-five. We'll see who's the real deal on the dueling platform then."

The strange-looking youth played with a few glass beads on his fingertips. With a casual wave of his hand, three glass beads flew to the waist belts of the three young men beside him.

With a whoosh, the three of them were lifted into the air by the power of the glass beads.

The strange-looking youth made quick, rapid steps, and then disappeared into the forest with the three of them.

"You run pretty fast!"

Han Kuang slammed the water-fire stick to the ground with a bang, snorted coldly, and then looked at the middle-aged man beside him: "Are you alright?"

"Thank you for your help, Lord Han. I am unharmed!" the middle-aged man said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"It's good that you're alright."

Han Kuang nodded, his expression softening slightly, but recalling the scene just now, his large, rough hand gripping the Water-Fire Staff tightened unconsciously: "These guys from the Six Doors are getting more and more arrogant!"

..................

"The Six Doors?"

Hidden in the shadows, Mu Yang listened to Han Kuang's mutterings and frowned slightly.

The name doesn't sound like a martial arts sect; it sounds more like an organization affiliated with the imperial court.

Considering their uniforms are similar to those of the Demon Slayer Division, could it be that...?

"...A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. You are an official of the Demon Slaying Bureau, so you are certainly skilled at slaying demons. However, since this involves the life and death decisions of officials, it would be best to avoid any appearance of impropriety..."

"...Times have changed. His Majesty now has grand ambitions and his thoughts and actions are not bound by old rules. The Demon Slaying Division is probably in the eye of the storm. We hope that you, sir, will be more careful with your words and deeds in the future..."

Mu Yang suddenly recalled what Fu Rui had said that night.

With the power and prestige of the Demon Slaying Division in the Great Jing Dynasty, who could possibly challenge it except the emperor sitting on the dragon throne?

As for the reason why the emperor did this?

It's nothing more than someone whose achievements overshadow their superiors, harboring resentment, or simply wanting to maintain a balance.

"What a nuisance! I just wanted to quietly kill some demons, but this damn emperor keeps causing trouble!" Mu Yang thought to himself.

He had no interest in participating in any imperial power struggles, nor did he want to guess what the emperor was thinking. He just wanted to quietly slay demons and become stronger.

As for the rest...

Mu Yang touched the black gold four-sided mace at his waist.

On the other hand, one wonders if the emperor's treasury might hold many treasures...

..................

the other side.

The strange young man from the Six Doors.

"Brother Yu, why are we running away? Why did we stop fighting?"

The three youths, suspended in mid-air by the glass beads, looked at Yu Sheng with confusion.

Despite being only thirteen or fourteen years old and not very tall, Yu Sheng's strength was already close to the mid-stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, having opened up a full four major meridians.

She looks young, but that's purely due to genetics; she'll actually be twenty-five in two months.

"Why are you running?"

Yu Sheng glanced at the three of them but did not answer.

He simply raised his hand to touch his heart.

The powerful, drum-like heartbeat could be clearly felt even through skin and clothing.

Just now, he felt as if there was a terrifying presence in the forest, just like the man-eating monster he faced when he was a child.

He felt that if he hadn't left, he might not have fared well.

They might not even be able to maintain their disguise.

Although that's what she thought in her heart, Yu Sheng said in a calm voice:

"What's the point of fighting here where no one's around?"

"If we're going to fight, let's fight in front of everyone from all the sects and factions in the martial arts world!"

"We'll beat them so badly that no one in their Demon-Slaying Division dares to face the Six Doors!"

"Let them know that my Six Doors is the true face of the Great Jing Dynasty!"

"The Demon Slayer Bureau? That's a thing of the past!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately brightened up.

"As expected of Brother Yu, so domineering!!"