Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

As soon as Qin Lie entered, he saw rows of iron cages placed to the side.

In terms of sheer oppression, it's much more oppressive than the mother spider in the previous spider cage.

Xu Qinghe led Qin Lie to a wooden table at the edge of the training ground.

Behind the wooden table sat a middle-aged man, also dressed in the clothes of the Demon Suppression Bureau, with a bronze token hanging from his waist.

Upon seeing Xu Qinghe approach, he immediately stood up.

"Clerk Xu, why did you come in person?"

Qin Lie watched from behind and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

Is Xu Qinghe's status in Dongxuan City really that high?

"Manager Zhao, trainee demon hunter Qin Lie has applied for early promotion, with Silver Token Xu Qinghe as his guarantor."

After hearing this, Manager Zhao first glanced at Xu Qinghe, then his gaze fell on Qin Lie.

After examining it closely, he frowned.

"Early stage of Rank 8?"

Qin Lie, having been seen through, didn't try to hide anything.

"Yes, early stage of Rank 8."

Manager Zhao looked at him, his tone clearly hesitant.

"Clerk Xu, this early promotion assessment isn't a regular probationary assessment. The lowest-ranking people here today are all seventh-grade martial artists. Isn't it a bit too hasty for this kid to participate at the early eighth-grade level?"

Qin Lie was already used to Manager Zhao's reaction; at least, everyone he encountered that morning reacted the same way.

That makes sense; the lowest rank that can get here is seventh grade, and there might even be sixth graders.

His eighth-rank position is indeed quite poor.

"He applied for it himself; I just acted as his guarantor."

Manager Zhao then looked at Qin Lie.

Are you sure you want to participate in the assessment?

"The monsters used for the early promotion assessment are all of the same level. They won't be replaced with a weaker one just because your level is lower."

"I advise you to wait a month and then go through the unified assessment; that would be safer."

Qin Lie smiled after hearing this.

"Thank you for the reminder, Manager Zhao!"

"Of course I'm afraid of dying!"

"But being afraid of death is one thing, and not daring to step up when it's time to do so is another."

"If I really weren't willing to take any risks at all, then what would I be doing at the Demon Suppression Division?"

After hearing this, Manager Zhao's questioning gaze disappeared, replaced by admiration.

"Good lad, just based on your level of awareness, it makes sense that Clerk Xu personally vouched for you."

"Today, including you, there are four of us participating in the early promotion assessment, which makes up all four assessment areas, so we'll start the assessment together."

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Are there any other people participating in the assessment?

Manager Zhao glanced at him.

"Do you think you're the only one in the Demon Suppression Division who's eager to get a permanent position?"

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to the other side of the training ground.

Qin Lie followed his hand and looked over, only to find that three people were already standing by the edge of the training ground.

Qin Lie scanned them with his Qi Observation Technique and found one at the seventh rank, one at the peak of the seventh rank, and another with even more robust Qi and blood than the other two, who should have reached the sixth rank.

Good heavens, all three of them are at a higher level than him.

As Qin Lie walked over, the three people also looked over.

The seventh-rank martial artist looked Qin Lie up and down, his gaze finally settling on the Demon-Suppressing Blade at his waist.

"Are you also here for the early promotion assessment?"

"right."

"Eighth rank?"

"That seems to be the case at the moment."

Upon hearing this, the other two laughed.

The young man, at the peak of the seventh rank, crossed his arms and spoke with a hint of amusement.

"What do you mean by 'currently it seems'? Do you think you can suddenly become a seventh-rank official while fighting?"

"That's not the case."

"Realm level isn't something that can be conjured up like magic.

"Since you know you're only an eighth-rank official, what are you doing here?"

"The early promotion assessment isn't a place for newcomers to broaden their horizons. Don't be so scared that you wet your pants when the monster is released later."

As soon as he said that, everyone around him burst into laughter.

Qin Lie could also tell that there was a barb in his words.

There are people like this everywhere. It's normal for them to be looked down upon because of their low moral character.

However, Qin Lie doesn't like to hold grudges.

"This brother is right, the assessment field is definitely not a place to broaden one's horizons."

"However, I don't have the problem of wetting my pants, so I don't like to say that other people wet their pants."

Upon hearing this, the young man's expression darkened slightly.

"You're quite stubborn. I hope your body will be as tough as your mouth when you encounter a monster later."

After listening, Qin Lie nodded seriously.

"Thank you for your concern. I was slapped by a wolf demon at the Demon Soldier Realm yesterday, but I'm lively and energetic now."

"I think my body is indeed as hard as my mouth."

After these words were spoken, the expressions of the three people changed.

Even the sixth-rank martial artist who hadn't spoken until now couldn't help but glance at Qin Lie.

"Are you the newcomer who went to Wolf Fang Mountain with Lu Chen yesterday?"

"If there isn't another unlucky soul in the Demon Suppression Division who got swatted away by demon soldiers after only two days, then that person must be me."

After hearing Qin Lie's words, the others fell silent.

The news of what happened at Langya Mountain yesterday has already spread throughout Zhenyao Temple.

A new trainee followed Lu Chen and the others to Wolf Fang Mountain, and it is said that he also participated in the killing of the wolf demons of the Demon Soldier Realm.

They all thought the newcomer would be at least a seventh or sixth rank, but they didn't expect him to be only an early eighth rank.

If it were them, they might not have survived a single blow from the demon soldiers.

Even if they manage to come back alive, they'll definitely be bedridden for ten days to two weeks, and might even end up with a disability.

Judging from this, the young man named Qin Lie in front of us does indeed have some skills.

The young man at the peak of the seventh rank looked slightly uneasy, but quickly let out a cold laugh.

"Participating in the kill and killing it independently are two different things. If that wolf demon at the Demon Soldier Realm was determined to kill you, you might not be alive now."

Qin Lie nodded earnestly, his face full of sincerity.

"That's the truth, so I'm eager to get stronger and hopefully become a full-fledged employee sooner. I can't always rely on others to do the work while I just follow behind and rack up merits."

These words made the sixth-rank martial artist glance at Qin Lie again.

He originally thought that Qin Lie, an eighth-rank official, was being reckless by participating in the early assessment.

But hearing this now, I think this kid is actually quite clear-headed.

Knowing you're weak but still wanting to become stronger, this kind of person is far superior to those who pretend to be incompetent when they clearly lack it.

While the group was talking, a number of people had already arrived at the training ground.

The application for early promotion assessment is quite a lively event within the Demon Suppression Division.

Whenever someone participates in the assessment, other people will usually come to watch.

There were also several clerks from the Office of State Affairs, including the middle-aged clerk from the Office of Merit and Honors.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw Qin Lie.

Then his mouth immediately broke into a grin.

"I can't believe this kid actually showed up!"

A young clerk standing nearby asked, "Who is it?"

"It's that kid out of those four, the one who's only an eighth-rank official. He asked me this morning how I could get promoted early. I thought he was joking, but I didn't expect him to actually dare to do it."

"You dare to come here just because you're only an eighth-rank official?"

"That's why I dared to come and see the excitement; this kind of excitement is rare!"

He wasn't deaf, so he naturally heard the conversation over there.

He turned to look at the middle-aged clerk, who smiled at him while holding a teacup.

There was absolutely no embarrassment about being caught gossiping behind someone's back.

Qin Lie smiled back at him.

If this guy is here to watch the show, then I'd better put on a good show and demonstrate my strength so that I won't be pressured to lower the price when I do business with him later.

In the middle of the training ground, Steward Zhao stepped forward.

"Today is the early promotion assessment. There are four people in total. The rules are the same as before. Each person enters the corresponding assessment area to fight one assessment monster. The four assessment areas will not interfere with each other, and no one can help anyone else."

"But I still want to remind you here that although the demons in the test are suppressed by the demon-suppressing talisman, they still have combat power."

"If you feel you can't hold on, you can give up, and the people on the sidelines will immediately lend a helping hand."

"But if you stubbornly refuse to admit defeat just to save face, and end up dying at the hands of a monster, then you can't blame anyone else."

"Did you all understand?"

Qin Lie and the other three spoke at the same time.

"clear!"

Manager Zhao nodded and then left the training ground.

After arriving at the edge of the field, he gently pressed a mechanism, and a wall rose up, surrounding Qin Lie and the other three, as well as the demon beast.

Each person has a cage in front of them, yet they do not interfere with each other.

"The assessment begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, four demon hunters walked up to the iron cage at the same time and tore off the demon-suppressing talisman.

The moment the demon-suppressing talisman left the cage, four streams of demonic energy exploded simultaneously.

boom!

Four demonic creatures appeared simultaneously in front of the four examinees.

The iron cage in front of Qin Lie opened, and a tall, black-armed ape demon slowly walked out.

He was much taller than Qin Lie when he stood up, and his arms hung down below his knees.

With each step, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

Upon seeing this scene, someone on the sidelines frowned slightly.

"It's actually a Black-Armed Ape Demon! This thing is incredibly strong. Although it's only at the peak of the mid-stage Lesser Demon realm, it can go toe-to-toe with a peak Rank 7 martial artist for a short period of time."

"Using this to test an eighth-rank martial artist, isn't that a bit too harsh?"

"The early promotion assessment wasn't going to be lenient based on cultivation level anyway. If he feels he's not good enough, he can just admit defeat now!"

After hearing this, Qin Lie scanned it with his Qi Observation Technique.

[Target: Black-Armed Ape Demon]

[Demon Aura: Peak Mid-Stage Lesser Demon Realm]

[Status: Manic]

Qin Lie slowly exhaled. Right now, the thing he feared least was a powerful type of monster.

Once his physique is increased to 21, he might not be unable to defeat this kind of monster that only relies on brute force to suppress others.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when the black-armed ape demon suddenly braced itself on the ground with both arms, and with a powerful kick, its massive body slammed into him like a rock.

Qin Lie didn't have time to look at anyone else. He raised the Demon-Suppressing Blade and smashed it towards the Black-Armed Ape Demon's right arm.

boom!

The two collided, and a tremendous force traveled down the blade.

Qin Lie slid backward several steps along the bluestone, his shoes leaving two white marks on the ground.

A low gasp immediately rose from the sidelines.

"Am I seeing things? It's blocking my view!"

"A mere early-stage eighth-rank cultivator blocked the Black-Armed Ape Demon's Iron Mountain Lean attack head-on, and only took three steps back?"

"This kid's physique is abnormally strong!"