My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

In the southeast corner of the Liu residence, a solitary storeroom huddled in the shadow of the surrounding wall.

Lu Ming followed the butler and pushed open the door, a musty smell hitting him.

He wrinkled his nose, looked up, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

On several rows of shelves, many items were piled up crookedly:

Several scrolls of martial arts manuals, their edges tattered, the pages yellowed and brittle, crumbling into powder at the slightest touch;

Two or three scrolls were scattered in the corner, their ends detached;

A small pile of withered tree roots lay tangled on a wooden frame, oddly shaped and grayish in color, showing no medicinal value whatsoever.

There were also a few grayish stones lying nearby, their surfaces covered with fine cracks...

The entire warehouse was exactly like a surplus warehouse of a general store.

Undeterred, Lu Ming, hoping to find a bargain, reached out and touched each of the items.

He toured the warehouse, and it turned out he had clearly overthought things.

This upright official's vision was clearly comparable to his stinginess.

"Young Master Lu."

The butler stood by the door, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a constant smile on his face:

"The master said that these are rare treasures from the outside world. You can choose three items and purchase them at a 90% discount."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's eyes twitched involuntarily, and he remained silent for a long time.

You're charging money for all this junk?

He thought to himself: Is this guy sure he didn't fail in his grocery store business and is now having a clearance sale?

But he still quickly looked through the various shelves and eventually selected three items.

A withered medicine basket, containing only a few dried herbs;

A broken leg bone of a monster, a jar of dusty old wine.

Perfect, it can be used as a material for brewing.

Although I felt I got ripped off a bit, there are some things that are really hard to find outside.

"Cheng Hui, ten taels of gold."

The butler spoke with a smile.

With a heavy heart, Lu Ming pulled a gold leaf from his pocket and handed it over, his face full of helplessness.

"Liu Zhiyuan, who scrapes the ground three feet deep... indeed, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names."

He silently added in his mind:

"I knew it, a leopard can't change its spots."

Then, under the attentive gaze of the steward, he carried three items out of the Liu residence and headed home.

……

The inner city, the Lu residence.

When Lu Ming pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw Shen Ru sitting on a stone bench under the osmanthus tree, talking to a woman.

The two were very close, and Shen Ru placed her hand on the back of the other's hand, patting it gently.

Hearing footsteps, the woman hurriedly stood up, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. She bowed slightly to Lu Ming, too shy to even lift her eyelids.

Shen Ru also stood up, her expression somewhat unnatural, but she still spoke:

"Ming'er... Last night, your Aunt Zhang died in the chaos. She and her son escaped here, but were stopped outside and couldn't come in, so I... took the liberty of bringing them in."

Lu Ming paused, his gaze falling on Aunt Zhang, looking her up and down.

Last night was so chaotic, with rioters and thugs taking advantage of the chaos roaming the streets.

How did a woman and a girl manage to safely navigate through layers of danger and reach the inner city?

Luck...?

His silence instantly quieted the entire courtyard.

Aunt Zhang lowered her head even further, her hands constantly twisting the hem of her clothes.

"Big...big brother, have some water."

A crisp sound came from in front of me.

Lu Ming was startled and looked down sharply.

Before he knew it, a little girl named Wan Jun was standing in front of him.

She stood on tiptoe, trying her best to hold a ladle filled with water in front of him.

A hint of panic and unease lingered in his large, dark eyes.

Lu Ming was shocked. He had only just realized that someone had gotten so close to him.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, put down the wine jar with his right hand, took the water ladle, and drank a mouthful from the edge.

The cool, refreshing water slid down his throat. He smiled and gently patted the little girl's head.

"Wanjun is so good."

The girl's apprehension vanished instantly. She eagerly took the medicine basket from Lu Ming's left hand and shakily carried it into the house.

Seeing this, Aunt Zhang finally felt relieved.

Lu Ming turned to her and said with a smile:

"Aunt Zhang, since you're here, you can keep my mother company, so she won't get bored by herself."

Aunt Zhang looked up, a forced smile appearing on her face, and replied hesitantly:

"Um... thank you, Young Master Lu."

Lu Ming smiled, bent down to pick up the wine jar, and walked towards his room.

……

Ten miles outside the north city, at the foot of Tiger Roaring Peak.

A five-foot-wide road winds its way through the rugged rocks.

Every hundred steps along both sides of the road stands a stone pillar, its body as black as ink.

A fist-sized fluorite is embedded at the top, currently emitting a ghastly green light.

"Tch, this [Netherworld Lamp] is still as creepy as ever."

Fan Wu leaned against a moss-covered boulder, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his face pale with fear.

Lu Ming quietly observed the Netherworld Path before him, and information about this place slowly surfaced in his mind.

The Underworld Road was a major transportation route that the Great Zhao Dynasty began constructing at the beginning of its establishment. Guided by the lamps of the underworld, it connected all directions.

Because of the illumination of the ghost lamps, demonic attacks can be avoided to the greatest extent, protecting the safety of human travel.

Today marks his fourth day reporting to the Yinhu Guard.

They were organized into a small team and tasked with patrolling the more than ten-mile-long Netherworld Path at Tiger Roaring Peak.

Rain or shine, they work in shifts day and night.

During this period, his skills have also improved significantly.

He lowered his eyes, and on the scroll beneath them, several lines of numbers were slowly moving:

[Martial Arts: Azure Ox Manual (Mid-grade Spiritual Scripture; Mastery 2000/3000)]

[Martial Arts: White Serpent Crossing (Low-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 1000/4000)]

[Skill: Crimson Scale Wine (Mastery 1500/3000)]

[Skill: Placenta Wine (Mastery 1200/3000)]

[Skill: Bloodlust Wine (Minor Success 800/2000)]

With the help of the Heavenly Heart Scroll, his strength progressed rapidly.

Not only has martial arts progressed remarkably, but brewing techniques have also continued to improve.

If he hadn't yet found a martial arts manual for the muscle-building stage to absorb, he would have advanced smoothly long ago.

"pity."

A slight thought crossed his mind:

"Although the spread of these two martial arts techniques throughout the heavens has been increasing, no new techniques have been developed from them. I wonder what is so special about the martial arts techniques in the spiritual scriptures?"

But he also knew that these things couldn't be rushed.

Moreover, the more difficult it is to innovate, the more precious the next level of skill is, and the more anticipated it becomes.

He suppressed his thoughts and turned to look at Fan Wu:

"Fifth Uncle, is this demon really as terrifying as you say?"

A hint of curiosity lingered in his eyes.

Having been in this world for so long, he has never encountered a real demon head-on.

Upon hearing this, Fan Wu's body trembled involuntarily.

He took the pipe out of his mouth, tapped the ash on a stone, and said earnestly:

"Lu Ming, demons are far more terrifying than you imagine. Even the lowest level of the Ghostly Realm, if encountered below the Bone Forging Realm, will result in either death or serious injury."

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

He has recently learned that the path of martial arts progresses from skin tempering to tendon strengthening and muscle building, and only then does bone forging and marrow refining occur...

As far as he knew, besides the unfathomable Liu Zhiyuan, there was only one other master in the government office who had reached the level of Bone Forging.

At the Bone Forging Realm, one is already qualified to serve as the head of the yamen and lead the three shifts of yamen runners.

Even among the major families, he would be considered an elder.

The power of demons is evident from this.

Fan Wu got up from the rock, walked to Lu Ming's side, looked at the winding path into the mountain, and sighed:

"The Netherworld Lanterns protect the underworld, more like a means of repelling evil spirits. Demons simply don't like to get close, not that they can't."

He turned his head, his eyes filled with an undisguised gloom:

"In the past, many of the yamen runners who patrolled the city died."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly:

"If you're even less lucky and encounter a powerful demon... even if it were Headmaster Wang, he'd have to flee in terror."

As he said this, his eyes were filled with fear, as if he had recalled something terrifying.

Seeing this, Lu Ming remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ha ha--"

Fan Wu suddenly chuckled twice, forcing himself to remain calm, and said:

"However, demons generally roam the vast wilderness. With the Nether Lantern guarding them, be careful; even demons of the Ghost level aren't too common."

He put the pipe back into his mouth, took two deep drags, and the flame flickered briefly in the bowl.

Lu Ming lowered his eyes slightly, but a sense of foreboding filled his heart.

Although demons were rampant in the past, they were still within a controllable range.

But now the Way of Peace has rebelled and is openly colluding with demons... Can this demonic scourge still be controlled?

"Ah... Hong Sanshi, watch out!"

A sharp scream rang out from not far ahead, filled with terror.

Lu Ming suddenly looked up, met Fan Wu's gaze, and his expression became extremely solemn.

"Walk!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already darted out like a white snake.

Fan Wu followed closely behind.