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After applying the medicine, Ben took Leo to a nearby county town and rested in an inn.
As expected, the night passed peacefully. The monsters didn't catch up to disturb him.
It seemed the old beggar was very experienced in dealing with demons—he even crafted a medicine that concealed their scent.
Overnight, Ben's chest wound completely healed—good as new.
His physique had become extraordinary, and minor injuries no longer affected him.
The next morning...
The old beggar found them again, precisely.
What shocked Ben wasn't that the beggar had found them, but how different he looked now.
His hair was neatly combed, his body clean—he no longer looked like a beggar, but a proper Taoist master.
"Old brother, suddenly dressed like this? I'm not used to it."
"When offering sacrifices to Heaven, one must bathe and change clothes to show respect," the beggar replied casually. "Everything's ready—follow me!"
"Okay!"
Ben agreed, took Leo, and followed the beggar out of town.
Once they were in the wilderness, Ben asked:
"Old brother, those demons are immortal… I pierced the governor's chest last night, and he was fine. How can we eliminate them?"
"Demons aren't truly immortal. Inside their bodies is a crystal—shatter that, and they die," the beggar explained. "But each demon's crystal is in a different place. That's why I told you not to face them until you achieved divinity."
"Achieving divinity solves it?"
"Exactly. Divine-level warriors have incredible perception—they can see where the crystal is. Or, if that fails, they can destroy the demon's body entirely, shattering the crystal."
"Thank you for your guidance, old brother."
"No need to thank me. I only appeared because I saw hope in you."
As they spoke, they arrived in the wildlands.
"We're here—this is the place!"
The beggar retrieved items from a hidden spot: a long table, Taoist robes, yellow cloth, yellow paper, cinnabar, chicken blood, pig's head, bull's head, sheep's head…
When the beggar donned the robes, he carried a sacred aura.
He began arranging the offerings, chanting in a language Ben didn't understand—but he didn't need to.
All Ben had to do was take the oath.
At noon, the beggar took out a large yellow scroll and a cinnabar brush.
"Quick! Time for the oath!"
Ben stood at the altar, eyes to the sky, and solemnly repeated the lines.
"In the year of calamity, year of Bingwu, the eleventh day of the ninth month of Yichou..."
For each line Ben spoke, the beggar wrote it down.
"...The people suffer in the wilderness. Demons wreak havoc. The world is in chaos. I, John swear to eradicate all demons from beyond the realm and restore peace. I offer this sacrifice—may Heaven bear witness!"
The beggar lit the oath in a brazier.
Then—a miracle.
The burning paper flew into the sky.
Moments later, a dazzling beam of sunlight shone down, enveloping Ben in golden light.
A prompt appeared in Ben's left eye:
[Notice: Realm restriction lifted. You may continue progressing.]
Ben's heart surged with joy.
The old beggar, meanwhile, panicked.
"Damn! That caused too much of a scene!"
He quickly burned the remaining ritual items and dragged Ben away.
"We have to go! The demons will sense this!"
"You mean the ceremony will attract them?"
"Absolutely! The court hasn't performed this ritual in centuries. The demons will notice. Maybe even the Six Doors are already coming."
Ben remained calm.
Now that he could ascend to divinity, he had nothing to fear.
"Old brother, wait—give me more martial arts manuals!"
The beggar was stunned.
"What? Isn't the Ancient Sword Blood Technique and the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms enough? Even geniuses can't master them in a lifetime…"
But then he felt it.
Ben activated his energy.
The scorching power of the Ancient Sword Blood Technique radiated from him, heating the area like a furnace.
Then—"Roar!"
Ben struck out.
The dragon's roar exploded through the air—eighteen dragons appeared in illusion, spiraling with fury.
The old beggar was stunned.
"You… you monster! Number one across ancient and modern martial history!"
He handed over three more manuals:
Shadow Shifting Technique (movement)
Buddha's Palm (palm)
One Finger Divine Skill (finger technique)
Ben smiled. With these new arts, his Spiritual Energy Points could finally be spent.
"Thank you, brother! Don't worry—soon, I'll kill that palace hag!"
"Alright—I'll await your good news!"
With that, the beggar vanished using his movement technique.
Ben turned to Leo.
"Let's go!"
"Where to?" Leo asked.
"The Imperial Palace," Ben said, eyes gleaming.
Leo was surprised.
"Ben the mission only has three hours left—you won't make it in time!"
Ben smiled.
"I already have over 100,000 martial arts points—enough for another SSS evaluation. This trip to the palace is for our next mission."
Leo's eyes lit with understanding.
Her teacher had told her: the eighth level of the Spirit Realm was part of the same world—and it was an assassination mission.
Time limit: 10 hours.
The more important the assassination target, the higher the mission rank.
Ben was planning ahead—using John identity to prepare for the next round, aiming to assassinate the demonic queen.
Leo couldn't help but admire him.
"He's planning three steps ahead while others are still catching up…"
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