Da Xuan Martial Saint

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The next morning dawned.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes, stretched his body, and gradually sat up.

Having completed the final step of Tendon Changing Realm cultivation yesterday, he had given himself a rare day off. He didn't continue the arduous practice and contemplation and had gone to bed early. Now, waking up after a long sleep, he felt extraordinarily refreshed.

Dressed in a thin white sleeping robe, Chen Mu stepped out of bed and strolled to the door, only to see a delicate figure in the courtyard practicing with a Soft Sword. Morning light spilled from the distant east, casting the sword in a pale golden hue like petals of pear blossoms, an elegant sight to behold.

The one practicing was Chen Yue.

In just over a year, Chen Yue had managed to cultivate Skin Toughening to Perfection, particularly due to her innate talent. Additionally, her significant progress in mastering swordsmanship was no less remarkable than Chen Mu's own dedication to cultivation.

Every day when Chen Mu rose, Chen Yue would already be up early, practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard; today, she even started before him, having been at it for a while.

"Brother, you're awake."

Chen Yue, catching sight of Chen Mu at the door, revealed an incredibly sweet smile amidst the golden morning rays. The little girl was gradually maturing, her childlike cuteness now accompanied by the delicate beauty of a young lady.

"Mhm."

Chen Mu walked slowly into the courtyard.

Putting away her sword, Chen Yue ran over and looked up at Chen Mu, biting her lip slightly, "You, you're going to the Demon-Slaying Office today. You'll rarely come back after that. I've heard that the Office doesn't just hunt demons frequently to maintain the peace of the region, but that there's also a lot of competition, both overt and covert, among the families.

Brother, please be very careful..." Read exclusive content at mvl

Chen Mu couldn't help but smile warmly at her words.

In the past, Chen Yue had always been extremely caring towards him, such as looking after him tirelessly by his bedside when he was ill, and always considering his convenience in everything she did. She even suppressed her own desires for outings, just to avoid bothering him.

Now, Chen Yue had grown up a lot and was even beginning to understand the disputes between families and some matters concerning the Demon-Slaying Office, most likely having made an effort to learn about these after hearing he would be going there.

"Don't worry, there aren't many people who can harm me anymore."

Chen Mu lifted his hand, intending to pat Chen Yue's head, but she had grown taller—her head now above his chin—making it awkward to do so. Instead, he patted her shoulder lightly.

"Okay!"

Chen Yue beamed with a smile.

She was aware that Chen Mu had reached the Tendon Changing Realm, and indeed, the number of people who could harm him had greatly diminished. Ordinary villains, even in dozens or hundreds, posed little threat to him.

But what she didn't realize was that the "not many" Chen Mu referred to encompassed the entire Yu County, where indeed there weren't many people left.

"Come, show me how much your swordsmanship has improved."

Chen Mu nodded slightly and walked a few steps forward, gesturing to Chen Yue with his hand.

Chen Yue, with a joyful expression, lifted her Soft Sword and said,

"Watch the sword!"

Immediately, she flicked the Soft Sword, pointing out three glints of light towards Chen Mu, like raindrops falling.

Chen Mu had guided her swordsmanship more than once before, and as previously, he would do so barehanded. Knowing full well she couldn't hurt him even with all her might, she executed her sword moves without much hesitation.

Facing the three-fold Sword Rain from Chen Yue's flick of the Soft Sword, Chen Mu calmly raised his left hand, his index and middle fingers together as if they were a sword. A tap to the left, another to the right, and finally, his index finger flicked upwards, bent.

Ding ding dong!

The two bursts of sword light on either side were extinguished by Chen Mu's fingertips; and then the body of Chen Yue's Soft Sword was flicked by his finger, bending upward into an arc and redirecting back towards herself.

However, Chen Yue showed no surprise or panic. She ducked swiftly, dodging the rebound of her Soft Sword while sweeping it in an arc bathed in the morning light's pale gold, drawing a light arc.

From back to front, from below upward, a slanted upward stroke targeted the lower body.

It was a close call, narrowly attacking the vulnerable spot.

Chen Mu, seeing this stroke, revealed a hint of amusement in his eyes but remained stationary. His fingers flexed and struck down three times in succession. Chen Yue's Soft Sword trembled violently under the impact, and she lost her grip, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Your adaptability has improved since last time, knowing to strike at vital points—that's good. After reaching Major Achievement in swordsmanship, you should gradually move beyond the confines of the moves themselves. However, right now, you should still focus on mastering swordsmanship, understanding how to inflict harm and find openings. You can refine these aspects further later on."

Chen Mu nodded slightly to Chen Yue and offered a few pointers.

Though not very familiar with the Kan Water Sect techniques, his current standing was such that even many longstanding instructors at the Yu Family Martial Arts Institute paled in comparison to him. Naturally, he was more than capable of guiding Chen Yue in her swordsmanship.

Chen Yue listened attentively by his side, and after Chen Mu finished analyzing and commenting on her sword techniques, she watched him return to the house. After Chen Mu had changed his clothes and come out again, they went to the main hall for breakfast. Afterwards, she escorted Chen Mu all the way to the doorway.

Chen Mu waved his hand to her.

Then he set forth, quickly disappearing into the distant streets.

Chen Yue looked at the receding figure of Chen Mu, took a deep breath, lowered her gaze to the Soft Sword in her hand, and her eyes gradually steadied with determination. These leisurely days would soon come to an end. It had been over five months, and as Chen Mu set off to do what he must, she too should practice her swordsmanship more earnestly.

She aimed to enter Minor Achievement in Body Refinement and grasp Sword Momentum at an early stage so she could be of some help to Chen Mu in the future.

...

Although Chen Mu had rarely wandered around during the more than five months at the Yu Family residence, his memory was excellent. He had a clear recollection of every street in the Yu Family's territory and the general layout of the Inner City.

Now walking towards the center of the Inner City, he quickly left the Yu Family's residence behind and arrived at the outer gates of the Demon-Slaying Office's Yamen.

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However, he didn't go in.

Instead, he stood silently in front of the towering stone monument, waiting.

The Demon-Slaying Office's Yamen was solemn and quiet, with no guards at the main entrance, only the occasional person coming and going. Passersby who saw Chen Mu standing silently in front of the monument merely glanced at him briefly before indifferently walking past.

Within the Demon-Slaying Office, from the Deputy Governor down, are all titled 'Demon Slayer Guards', but they are also divided into three different levels, from high to low: 'White-Clothed', 'Green-Clothed', and 'Black-Clothed'.

Among them, the Black-Clothed are the lowest-ranked Demon Slayer Guards, usually people whose Realm has not reached Tendon Changing. They often only deal with low-level demons that do not pose a significant threat, with more of them being responsible for passing on intelligence and information.

Green-Clothed and White-Clothed Guards above them are the main force of the Demon-Slaying Office in hunting demons.

Most of those coming and going from the Demon-Slaying Office are Black-Clothed, all hurrying by with solemn expressions, with only the occasionally passing Green-Clothed and White-Clothed Guards appearing a bit more leisurely. Some of them looked at Chen Mu, but since they didn't recognize him, they quickly moved on.

Chen Mu didn't have to wait long, just a quarter of an hour, when two familiar figures appeared in the distance and walked towards him; it was Xu Hongyu and Ning He.

"Chen Mu."

Ning He waved at Chen Mu from afar, calling out to him, but only her lips moved without any sound.

Chen Mu waited for the two to come closer before he looked at Xu Hongyu, seeing she still had that unadorned appearance, yet her complexion, like that of white jade, seemed to need no embellishment from rouge or powder, her Qi-Blood full and her lips rosy and luscious. She wore a white, neutral longshirt, which, more than beauty, imparted a distant and cool feeling.

Xu Hongyu nodded slightly at Chen Mu, saying, "Our hometown and names were registered yesterday. You can just go to the Yamen over there to get your identity waist token and guard uniform. Since you're not familiar with the Demon-Slaying Office, it's better to go in together."

"That was my intention as well."

Chen Mu smiled.

Xu Hongyu gave a slight nod and then headed into the Hall Office of the Demon-Slaying Office, followed by Chen Mu and Ning He. Soon, Xu Hongyu led them through the familiar halls to an office on the east side within the Yamen of the Demon-Slaying Office.

The Hall Office was quiet and not very spacious, only an old man dressed in Black-Clothed sat inside.

"Xu Hongyu, Ning He, Chen Mu."

Xu Hongyu spoke calmly to the elder.

The elder looked up, glanced at Xu Hongyu, then turned to examine Chen Mu and Ning He beside her. He then raised his hand and tossed three waist tokens, which arced through the air toward each of them.

Chen Mu deftly caught his with one hand and upon closer inspection, saw 'Demon-Slaying Office's Green-Clothed Guard Chen Mu' inscribed on it.

He glanced sideways.

Ning He's waist token read 'Demon-Slaying Office's Green-Clothed Guard Ning He'.

And Xu Hongyu's read 'Demon-Slaying Office's White-Clothed Guard Xu Hongyu'.

It was then that the elder spoke in a slow voice, "Take the waist tokens and go to the back for assessment, then collect your guard uniforms."

Xu Hongyu, without much talk, led Chen Mu and Ning He through the Hall Office and towards the back, saying calmly, "Here in the Demon-Slaying Office, everything is direct and quick; there's no need to be as cautious as on the outside."

Chen Mu played with the new waist token in one hand, asking, "This assessment is?"

"Just a formality."

Xu Hongyu casually replied, "In earlier years, there would first be an assessment, and after a few days, the waist tokens and corresponding guard uniforms would be issued. Nowadays, the registration is done first; the waist tokens are prepared in advance, and the assessment is just a formality."

While speaking, the three of them arrived at a much more spacious but even darker and silent Hall Office.

Hisss.

It sounded like the striking of a match, followed by a lamp lighting, brightening the dark Hall Office slightly. The entire Hall Office was very spacious, with only an iron post in the center bearing many chopping marks.

Beside the iron post was a rough wooden block with many wooden swords stuck into it.

"Xu Hongyu."

A voice came from inside the Hall Office, belonging to the person who had lit the lamp, another expressionless, elder-faced man who sat not far from the iron post.

At the sound of her name, Xu Hongyu casually approached, drew a wooden sword, and then stretched and tensed her limbs, immediately producing five crisp and clear noises from her tendons, a sign of Tendon Changing Perfection known as the 'Five Rings'.

Then she snapped the wooden sword in her hand.

Crack!

The wooden sword struck the iron post, instantly shattering, but at the same time, it left a deep mark on the post.

The elder nearby, still showing no change in expression, looked at the scene, then nonchalantly drew a circle on a piece of yellow paper before calling out, "Ning He."

Ning He stepped forward lightly, drew a wooden sword with one hand, then stretched her body, producing a clear tendon noise. She swung the sword at the iron post.

After the wooden sword shattered, it too left a mark, but it was much shallower than Xu Hongyu's.

"Chen Mu."

The elder's expression remained unchanged as he drew another circle, and now it was Chen Mu's turn.