Inside the Demon Hunter Division, three cultivators sat together and watched the scene playing out in midair. The Angler kept the Mirage Pearl active, replaying the battle, while explaining what had happened. "We've confirmed the identity of that white-robed cultivator. He is indeed an heir of the devil sect, but his real name is Yan Zhixian, not Qin Tianming. He's actually also quite talented. Before the sect fell, he was even planning to compete for a True Inheritor spot. He went out searching for treasures, and that's how he avoided the catastrophe. I mean... not that he matters much. Aside from resources related to the sect's cultivation manuals, the rest of his belongings can be put up for exchange by demon hunters. As for now, you should assess these two cultivators."

The other two were a man and a woman. The man looked young, but his head was unusually big, which gave him the look of the kid from Big-Headed Kid and Small-Headed Father[1]. The woman had a graceful figure. Although she was no longer young, she had in no way lost her appeal. The purple robes hugging her body tightly gave her the distinct charm of a mature woman.

The man said lazily, "Duan Li has a solid foundation, but his strength is pretty average, and his combat experience is lacking. He didn't contribute much this time. If you ask me, that's a fail."

The woman shook her head. "The Society may have plenty of cultivators, but most of them are a mixed bag. We're short on capable cultivators as it is. Like you said, Duan Li's foundation is solid, but he's got potential. As for combat experience, that comes with time. I suggest we pass him but with a lower star rating."

Then she looked at the Angler. "Fellow Daoist Angler, what do you think?"

The Angler stroked his beard. "I'm with you. Let's give him a three-star rating."

With two against one, the man pouted but did not argue further. Then the discussion turned to Luo Chen. His qualification as a four-star demon hunter was already a given and needed no further debate. What interested them was the abilities he had revealed in that battle.

"Azure Yang is really good at spells. That palm technique of his is impressive even to me, at the ninth stage. And his mana is incredibly powerful, definitely on par with that Yan Zhixian guy. Such strength is rare among rogue cultivators," the woman praised him.

The Angler nodded with a hint of admiration. He had witnessed the battle in person, and Luo Chen's fire arts had left a strong impression on him. What stood out most was the sheer volume and power of his mana, so great that even the Ten-Direction Shadowless Formation could not hold it back. Even he himself could not have achieved such a feat at the same level.

The woman continued watching the projection, but her brow gradually furrowed. "This guy's hiding more than he lets on. He handled the enchanted hammer quite clumsily, so it's clearly not his life-bound treasure. And that Myriad Soul Banner also doesn't seem to be something he's been using for long, either. But those chains..."

The Angler picked up where she left off. "They're not physically real, just manifestations of mana. But from what I can tell, they're not a spell either. I suspect it's the ability of his actual life-bound treasure."

But how could a life-bound treasure of a mid-stage Adept carry such power? It tore through resentful spirits as if they were paper. It blocked a sneak attack from a flying sword at the very last instant. In the end, it even bound the strange Ghost King and left it unable to move!

The woman blinked a few times; she was clearly becoming more and more curious. She turned her head. "Bigan, why aren't you saying anything?"

The man was frowning and staring at nothing in particular; he seemed to be pondering. When he heard her, he lifted his head and answered hesitantly, "Azure Yang... I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before."

The Angler smiled. "Someone with such strength would never be unknown, even as a rogue cultivator. You might really have come across his name a long while back."

"No, this was definitely more recent!" the man said decisively. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I remember it now! No wonder he felt familiar. A few days ago, I was in Divine Origin City with some people, and they were talking about the Sage battle at Coldlight Island. Apparently, there was a fight between Adepts before the outbreak, and one of the participants was a rogue cultivator called Devil Lord Azure Yang."

"Devil Lord Azure Yang?"

"Who is that?"

The man then recounted what he had heard. When he got to the part about Azure Yang using his signature palm technique to utterly squash several opponents of the same realm, both the Angler and the woman were visibly impressed.

"Looks like this Azure Yang might really be that Devil Lord Azure Yang," the woman said. "But even if he is, it doesn't really matter to us. Let's wrap up the evaluation here. As for the rest... since you're the one overseeing it, Angler, you can handle it."

The Angler did not object. These were simply transitional matters. In the Demon Hunter Division, there were only three eight-star demon hunters and they took turns handling such affairs. It was his turn now, so he naturally could not refuse.

***

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Early that morning, Luo Chen arrived at the entrance of the Demon Hunter Division. To his surprise, Duan Li was already there. The man stood wrapped in a heavy cloak, looking somewhat withdrawn. Luo Chen frowned but said nothing. After a simple greeting, he walked straight inside. Duan Li followed behind, looking at Luo Chen's back with a hesitant expression.

Azure Yang wasn't affected by the white-robed cultivator at all. Even that strange Ghost King's pressure was nothing to him. He clearly knows his way around his divine soul. But can he deal with the poison still in my body...? If I ask him for help, I'd have to lay everything bare. You never really know what's in someone's heart... and with enemies still out there, I can't afford to risk it.

Duan Li was lost in thought and could not make up his mind. When he came back to himself, he saw the Angler speaking with Luo Chen in a friendly tone. "This is your identity token. See the gold stars on it? Demon hunters in the Society are ranked from one to nine stars. One to three are white, four to six are gold, and seven to nine are purple. The color shows what kind of privileges you get. Besides the discounts you already know about, you can also access intelligence from the division depending on your rank. If you're interested, you can look into it more later."

The Society had many rogue cultivators, which naturally meant a wide range of intelligence. This was an unexpected benefit. Luo Chen accepted his token and glanced at it. A dark sea of blood lay beneath a bright moon in the space with four golden stars circling the moon.

Duan Li felt somewhat dejected. His identity token bore only three white stars. Many Initiates could reach that level.

The Angler patted his shoulder. "Don't get discouraged, it's only temporary. If you want to raise your rank, just take on a few more missions."

Duan Li gave a bitter smile. His injuries were not even resolved yet, so how could he think about such things? But the old man paid no mind to his thoughts and waved his hand. "Come on. It's a rare occasion. I have some spare time, so I'll personally take you to the mountain range and help you pick a suitable cave residence."

At this point, he looked at them with a half-smile. "You've got your spirit stones ready, I assume?"

Luo Chen said calmly, "Yes, Angler."

This time, Duan Li did not hesitate and followed the two of them.

***

Above Hidden Dragon Mountain Range, three streaks of light moved swiftly through the sky. The Angler held a map shimmering with spirit light, guiding them to inspect various cave residences while explaining the details. However, it was clear that he was withholding some information. In the end, choosing a suitable cave residence would depend on their own judgment.

"This mountain is called Splendid Mountain. The spirit energy here is extremely dense. Among low-grade third-tier cave residences, it's one of the best. Quite a few Adepts stayed here before. You might want to consider it."

After hearing the introduction, Duan Li was quite tempted. He wanted it, but since Luo Chen was there, he decided to wait for him to choose first.

Luo Chen shook his head. "No need to wait for me. Just pick whatever you like."

Then after a pause, he added, "But if this place was really that good, it probably wouldn't have changed hands so many times."

Duan Li froze. That... actually makes sense.

Damn, he's a sharp one. He caught it right away. The Angler frowned. "Well, if neither of you wants it, then we'll move on. There may still be plenty of vacant cave residences here, but most are only first- or second-tier. Third-tier ones are few and far between. If you miss this chance, there might not be another."

Luo Chen curled his lips slightly but said nothing. Still, he sneered inwardly, You're just working for those Hermits; why are you so hung up on every little gain and loss? What's wrong with letting us rogue cultivators take a bit of advantage? Ugh, I guess he's really gotten too into the role...

He spread out his divine consciousness and scanned each glowing point on the Angler's map. There must be something suitable for me...

1. This is what the kid looks like. ☜