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

Swish!

A flash of light.

The old woman and the little demon had just turned around and taken a few steps when their heads rolled to the ground almost simultaneously.

The two bodies took another half step forward before collapsing with a thud.

Fresh blood gushed from the severed wound on his neck.

Qin Lie walked over and wiped the knife on the old woman's clothes.

Then, he looked down at the two heads on the ground.

"I said that the old and young should not be killed by the sword."

"But your hair is gray, you're definitely not a child."

"That little guy with sharp teeth next to him is definitely not an old man."

"Therefore, I did not break my promise."

As soon as he finished speaking, several lines of prompts appeared in front of Qin Lie's eyes.

[Slay the Old Demon]

[Gain 1 attribute points]

[Slay the infant demon slave]

[Gain 0.5 attribute points]

Qin Lie's eyes turned even colder upon seeing these prompts.

He's definitely not human.

He had initially thought the old woman and child were only acting out of desperation.

But now that I think about it carefully, things are not that simple at all.

When those demon slaves chased after them, the old woman seemed flustered, but she kept running towards Qin Lie.

Even after Qin Lie appeared, the two of them didn't actually leave; they stayed nearby and waited.

The old woman chose a good time.

Just as Qin Lie had dealt with the demon-producing mother's nest and relaxed his guard, she suddenly stabbed him from behind.

It seems that they were bait from the very beginning.

If the Demon Mother Nest can deal with Qin Lie, they naturally won't need to take action.

If they can't deal with the demon-breeding mother nest, they'll hide nearby and look for an opportunity.

This is definitely not the first time these two guys have done something like this.

If Qin Lie hadn't improved his strength so quickly, he might already be food for these monsters.

The people in the Zhang family courtyard were all stunned.

Especially Li Hu.

He had thought Qin Lie was going to fail at the second level, but unexpectedly, Qin Lie killed both the old man and the child in the next moment.

The turn was so fast that Li Hu didn't react for a long time.

After a while, he smacked his lips.

"This kid...is interesting."

"He's decisive enough; that kind of temperament suits my taste."

He looked at Qin Lie in the mirror, and the disdain on his face had largely disappeared.

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

Qin Lie brought him quite a few surprises today.

During the first trial, while others complained about having too many demon slaves, Qin Lie felt that he didn't have enough to kill.

During the second trial, Qin Lie said he would not kill the old or the young, but then he turned around and killed the old man and the child.

Even if he can't pass the third test, based on Qin Lie's current performance, entering the Demon Suppression Division shouldn't be a problem.

Xu Qinghe stood to the side without saying a word, but her gaze towards the mirror was much more serious than before.

Inside the Hundred Demon Mirror.

Qin Lie looked at the corpses of the old man and the child on the ground, then looked down at the wound on his abdomen.

Current attribute points: 3.5

Blood was still flowing out.

Qin Lie had no choice but to grit his teeth and add a little more to his physique.

[Constitution: 7→8]

Current attribute points: 2.5

A surge of heat spread from my chest and quickly flowed to my limbs and bones.

Although the abdominal wound had not healed completely, the bleeding had slowed down considerably.

My body, which had been feeling a bit cold, regained some strength.

Qin Lie breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, I'm out of danger for now.

As for the remaining two and a half attribute points, he was in no hurry to use them.

Because he didn't know what else he might encounter.

Just like when we faced that giant demon slave that could explode.

Keeping attribute points in hand means you can add them to the attributes you need when you encounter different dangers.

Qin Lie tore off a piece of his shirt and used it to bandage the wound on his abdomen.

Just as they finished dealing with it, footsteps could be heard again in the village.

Qin Lie immediately gripped the wood-chopping knife in his hand and looked up.

A girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old ran out from behind a dilapidated house.

Her clothes were stained with blood, and her hair was disheveled, as if she had just escaped from a monster.

The woman saw the demon-breeding nest on the ground, then glanced at Qin Lie standing beside her, and her face immediately lit up with surprise.

"The monster is dead?"

"Did you kill it?"

Qin Lie did not answer, but instead carefully observed the woman in front of him.

From the outside, he didn't notice anything unusual.

However, Qin Lie remained vigilant.

Having learned his lesson from the old man and the child earlier, he would no longer easily trust anyone in this place.

The woman seemed to have noticed Qin Lie's wariness.

She stopped when she was only three or five steps away from Qin Lie.

"Did you save us?"

"Thank you so much, thank you so much."

"You don't know, my parents, my younger brother and sister, were all killed by these monsters."

At this point, tears welled up in the woman's eyes.

She cried very sadly, and her body was trembling slightly.

But Qin Lie's grip on the wood-chopping knife did not loosen at all.

This place is really eerie.

The more normal the woman in front of him looked, the less he dared to be careless.

The woman ignored Qin Lie's actions and continued talking to herself.

"If you're so capable, why didn't you come sooner?"

"If you had come sooner, my parents wouldn't have died."

"My younger siblings won't die either."

"Why are you only arriving now?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie frowned immediately.

What does this mean?

Are they blaming him for being late?

The woman's voice grew increasingly urgent.

The gratitude in her eyes slowly disappeared, leaving only resentment.

"You capable people all like this."

"They only step forward to pretend to be good people when we ordinary people are almost all dead."

"You clearly have the ability to kill demons, why couldn't you come to protect us sooner?"

"You weren't thinking about saving people at all; you were only thinking about making others think you were heroes."

"My family members all died because you were too late."

"You're the one who killed them!"

The woman became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her speech became faster and faster.

"You're all the same."

"They talk about slaying demons and monsters, but they always arrive a step too late."

"You are the ones who deserve it the most..."

Before she could finish speaking, a blade of light slashed across the room.

puff!

The woman's voice stopped abruptly.

Her body swayed twice, then collapsed to the ground and quickly fell silent.

Qin Lie looked calmly at the corpse on the ground, without a trace of remorse in his eyes.

"How could an ordinary, kind-hearted villager say such a thing?"

"It must be possessed by a demon."

At this point, Qin Lie flicked the blood off his wood-chopping knife.

"Slaying demons and eliminating evil is my duty."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding scenery suddenly became blurry.

A dilapidated house.

Bloodstains.

Dead body.

The entire Huai Shu Village is disappearing little by little.

Qin Lie only felt a blur before his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the Zhang family's courtyard once more.

He still gripped the machete tightly in his hand.

A lingering, dull pain remained in my abdomen.

In the courtyard, everyone was watching him.

Li Hu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he stood there for a long time without being able to say anything.

Xu Qinghe's gaze towards Qin Lie carried a hint of "I knew it."

Lu Chen stood beside the Hundred Demon Mirror, a faint smile on his face.

"Am I... out?"

Qin Lie looked down at himself, then looked up at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen walked up to him.

"That's right."

"Not only did you get out, you also passed three tests."

"The scenes and monsters in the Hundred Demon Mirror are all evolved from magical artifacts."

"But the harm and death you suffered inside were real."

"As long as you survive the test, Bai Yao Jian will help you recover from the injuries you sustained inside."

"But if you die inside, even the Hundred Demon Mirror can't save you."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie subconsciously looked down at his abdomen.

Not to mention wounds, there wasn't even a trace of blood on the clothes.

The clothes on his body were still intact.

The pain I felt earlier has gradually subsided.

Lu Chen continued:

"The Hundred Demon Mirror is divided into three stages."

"The first hurdle tests courage and perseverance."

"Faced with those endless streams of demon slaves, do you dare to wield your sword, and can you hold out until the very end?"

"The second test is whether you can act decisively enough."

"Monsters don't necessarily look fierce and menacing; sometimes they can disguise themselves as humans."

"If you're fooled by appearances and can't bring yourself to act when it matters, you'll be the one who ends up dead."

At this point, Lu Chen glanced at Qin Lie again.

"The third challenge tests your mindset."

"In this world, not only monsters can kill people, but some words can also shake people's hearts."

"They will use the mouths of the dead to ask you why you are late."

"They'll blame everyone's deaths on you."

"If you can't even understand why you're wielding the sword, you'll easily develop mental obstacles when you're practicing in the future."

Qin Lie didn't pay much attention to what Lu Chen said next.

He only had two words on his mind.

evolution.

In other words, all the scenes he just experienced were evolved from the Hundred Demon Mirror?

Thinking of this, Qin Lie immediately felt a pang of heartache.

If he had known that the demon slaves born from the demon-producing nest could also provide attribute points, he should have waited a little longer.

Although the rate at which the demon-producing mother nest gave birth had slowed down, if we waited a little longer, she could still produce a few more demons.

In that case, he might be able to get even more attribute points.

Lu Chen saw that Qin Lie was looking down and not speaking, and assumed that he was recalling the test he had just taken.

"Actually, as long as you pass the first test, you'll be qualified to join the Demon Suppression Division."

"Your ability to pass three tests in a row shows that you are indeed very talented."

Qin Lie didn't care at all whether his aptitude was good or not.

He suddenly looked up and asked a question that surprised everyone.

"Lord Lu, may I enter the Hundred Demon Mirror again?"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the courtyard was stunned.

Li Hu stared wide-eyed at Qin Lie.

"Do you want to go in again?"

"You've already passed all three tests, what are you going in for?"

Qin Lie answered in a very serious tone:

"I don't think I performed well enough just now."

"During the first level, I made a few attacks too hastily."

"If I could do it all over again, I think I would be more steady."

"During the second level, I was ambushed from behind and injured."

"If I go in again, I definitely won't give them another chance to make a move."

Although he said that, what Qin Lie really wanted was those attribute points.

The monsters in the Hundred Demon Mirror can provide attribute points.

As long as he survives the test, his injuries can be healed.

This is clearly a ready-made place to farm attribute points.

Only a fool would not want to go back in.

But Lu Chen's next words poured cold water on Qin Lie's enthusiasm.

"no."

"The Hundred Demon Mirror is a magical artifact used by the Demon Suppression Division for assessment; each person has only one chance to enter."

"Whether you pass the test or not, there will be no second chance."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie felt a pang of disappointment.

There's nothing we can do about it.

"Take out your demon-suppressing token."

Qin Lie could only take out the Demon-Suppressing Token from his pocket and hand it to Lu Chen.

After receiving the Demon-Suppressing Token, Lu Chen pricked Qin Lie's finger with a needle, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto the token.

Then, he took out another talisman and pasted it on the back of the demon-suppressing token.

The moment the talisman was affixed, the Demon-Suppressing Token vibrated slightly.

Fine blood lines have appeared on the originally dark token.

Lu Chen returned the Demon-Suppressing Order to Qin Lie.

"From now on, you are a member of the Demon Suppression Division."

Although Qin Lie had already prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help but feel a little happy when he actually heard those words.

Entering the Demon Suppression Division is the first real step.

In the future, he will be able to come into contact with more demons, as well as more cultivation techniques and martial arts.

Liu Yunniang stood not far away, her eyes immediately reddening.

Tiger was so happy he almost jumped up from the ground.

"Uncle Qin has joined the Demon Suppression Division!"

"Now our family has someone to rely on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tiger seemed to suddenly remember something, quickly covered his mouth, and glanced cautiously at Zhang Erniu.

Zhang Erniu sat in his wheelchair, his face still bearing that same honest smile.

But Tiger didn't dare to continue.

Only those eyes remained bright and sparkling, fixed on Qin Lie.

Qin Lie saw all of this, but didn't say anything.

He carefully put away the Demon-Suppressing Token and cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Chen.

"Thank you, Lord Lu."

Lu Chen took out a money pouch from his pocket and handed it to Qin Lie.

"This is your reward for passing the assessment."

"Ten taels of silver, keep it safe."

Qin Lie took the money bag, held it in his hand, and felt its weight.

Ten taels of silver.

According to the memories left behind by the original owner, this was already a considerable sum of money.

Lu Chen continued:

"There's one more thing you need to think about carefully."

There are currently two vacancies.

"One is in Black Mountain Town, and the other is in East Xuan City."

"If you stay in Black Mountain Town, you can temporarily act as the squad leader, responsible for local patrols and reporting of demonic disturbances."

"However, Black Mountain Town is small and has few monsters, so the resources available are probably limited."

"If you come with us to Dongxuan City, you'll have to start as an ordinary demon hunter."

"However, Dongxuan City governs a larger area and also needs to support the surrounding towns."

"There will naturally be more opportunities and chances to come into contact with monsters."

"We will stay in Heishan Town for another day today."

"Just give me an answer by this time tomorrow."

Qin Lie nodded seriously.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Lu."

Lu Chen waved his hand.

"No need to deliver it."

After saying that, he led Xu Qinghe and Li Hu out of the courtyard.

Qin Lie followed and saw him off a few steps.

Just as he reached the courtyard gate, Li Hu suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Qin Lie, his face unusually serious.

"Brother Qin."

"I had a foul mouth before."

"I shouldn't have listened to those rumors. I really thought you were a fool... not very bright."

"I was wrong about this."

"I apologize to you here."

"From now on, we're all members of the Demon Suppression Division, so I hope you won't hold it against me."

Qin Lie smiled.

"Brother Li, don't worry about it."

"If I were you, I would also feel uncomfortable knowing that someone who isn't quite right in the head might be joining the team."

"After all, we'll be going on missions together in the future."

"If someone lags behind at a crucial moment, it can really kill them."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's embarrassment lessened considerably.

He laughed heartily.

"It's good that you think that way."

"When we go to Dongxuan City later, I'll treat you to a drink."

As soon as Li Hu finished speaking, Lu Chen, who was walking in front, spoke up.

"You promised to abstain from alcohol for three months, have you forgotten?"

"Or are you trying to use this opportunity to apologize to Qin Lie to secretly have a sip?"

The smile on Li Hu's face froze instantly.

Xu Qinghe couldn't help but chuckle.

Li Hu waved his hand and could only follow Lu Chen and Xu Qinghe away from the Zhang family courtyard.

After the three people left, the courtyard quickly became quiet.

With the people from the Demon Suppression Bureau present, none of the Zhang family members dared to speak out of turn.

Now that the people have left, all their eyes are on Qin Lie.

Qin Lie also knew what they wanted to ask.

Lu Chen just gave him two choices.

He was to stay in Heishan Town and become a junior officer.

I'll head to Dongxuan City and start as an ordinary demon hunter.