'The Bloodthirsty Demon was caught so quickly?'
Qin Yang froze for a moment, a look of astonishment flashing across his face. He was completely caught off guard by the news.
But the bold headline trending online couldn't be fake.
[Jianghai City Serial Killer Case Solved! The Bloodthirsty Demon Has Been Apprehended! A Great Relief to All!]
After all, the Bloodthirsty Demon had been wreaking havoc for the past few days, plunging the entire city into a bloody reign of terror and leaving everyone in a state of panic.
To reassure the public, the Star Martial Police Bureau had naturally cast a dragnet to capture him.
His capture was only a matter of time.
"I can't believe this. Why couldn't they have caught him sooner? If they'd nabbed him one night earlier, would I have gotten busted in that raid at Platinum Han?!"
Xia He recalled the previous night's events, growing more irritated the more he thought about it. He forwarded a few links to the trending stories.
DING!
As the notification sounded, Qin Yang tapped the link and glanced at the comments below the trending posts.
Without exception, they were all comments of praise from the public:
"The Star Martial Police Bureau is amazing! They finally caught that monster!"
"Great work! I heard they mobilized several teams. It was a massive effort."
"My uncle's family... they were victims of this Demon. May their souls rest in peace."
"He looks so terrifying. Thank god he's been caught. Now we can all stop living in fear."
Qin Yang scrolled through the comments on his phone, then saw a crime scene photo of the Demon in the second link.
The photo's background was a deserted amusement park. Gloomy moonlight slanted across a rust-spotted carousel.
A middle-aged man knelt in the center, his limbs and neck locked down by five riot control forks, pinning him to the ground. He couldn't move an inch.
His ashen face was twisted into a ferocious, beast-like snarl.
A crimson light swirled in the depths of his sinister eyes, radiating a chilling, evil aura.
He stood in stark contrast to the dozen or so fully armed soldiers behind him.
He looked like a caged beast, ready to break free at any moment.
"Tsk, tsk. Old Qin, have you seen the photo? This Demon is seriously terrifying. Don't tell me all Evil Cultivators end up looking like this?"
Xia He shook his head and sighed. "I heard that when they caught this monster, he was still gnawing on some meat. No idea what kind of animal it came from."
"Most who fall to the demonic path end up like this."
Qin Yang shrugged, feeling a sense of relief himself.
The monster who had been roaming free was finally caught.
This way, the alert level in Jianghai City could be lowered.
Otherwise, with patrols on every street all day, it would be difficult for him to move around freely.
Now that the monster was caught, it meant a lot less trouble.
"Three days. In three more days, this guy is dead."
Xia He put his phone away and said with utter conviction.
"Three days?"
Qin Yang raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding.
"Yep. This monster's crimes are monstrous; he's killed too many innocent people. After three days, once the Star Martial Police Bureau gets all the information they need from him, he'll be publicly beheaded!"
Xia He said softly.
"I see."
After hearing this, Qin Yang felt at ease and understood the reasoning behind it.
The Bloodthirsty Demon's recent, endless slaughter had thrown the people of Jianghai City into a panic.
If they didn't take swift and decisive action, how could they possibly calm the restless public?
Besides, making an example of him would not only reassure the public but also deter other Demons. It would kill two birds with one stone.
Just as Qin Yang was reflecting on this,
Suddenly, a familiar, mechanical voice rang out in his mind!
"BING! High-risk life form detected: Blood Demon!"
"Warning! Extreme danger!"
"Host, please evacuate the area immediately! Find a hiding place and conceal yourself at once!"
The urgent, electronic voice rang like a Soul Summoning Bell, sending a jolt through Qin Yang's entire body.
"Huh? Blood Demon?"
Qin Yang's expression changed, then broke into an ecstatic grin.
'Is the system bugging out again?'
'Is another one of those little critters that makes the system freak out here?!'
"Where? Where is the Blood Demon?"
Hearing this, Qin Yang rubbed his hands together and looked around in delight, searching for the Blood Demon the system had mentioned.
Yet, after scanning the area for a good while, he couldn't find a single small animal,
not even a cockroach.
"What are you looking for, Old Qin? Spot a beauty in black stockings?"
Seeing Qin Yang's strange behavior, Xia He curiously followed his gaze. But aside from a female janitor, he didn't see any other women.
"Buddy, I think you're really desperate."
Xia He sighed, facepalming, and clapped Qin Yang heavily on the shoulder. "When you've got time after work, I'll take you to Platinum Han and show you the ropes."
Qin Yang: "..."
Qin Yang paid no mind to Xia He's teasing; he was just a little disappointed.
He hadn't found any sign of the Blood Demon.
'Is this damn system messing with me!?'
Just as he was thinking this, the alarm on his phone went off. It was time for work.
So he could only put this puzzle aside for now and head to work with Xia He.
...
The first floor of the library was no longer as packed as it had been.
Only a few scattered people sat in the lounge chairs, a stark contrast to the previously packed room.
'A lot of people have left.'
Qin Yang couldn't help but feel a little wistful as he took in the sparse scene.
Before, the library had been packed, but while people pretended to be reading, they were really just taking advantage of the building's excellent security system.
They had come seeking "refuge."
The three places in Jianghai City with Innate Realm experts were the Star Martial Police Bureau, the city library, and the Martial Arts Academy.
Even the hotels and inns nearby had been booked solid.
Now that the Bloodthirsty Demon was caught and the threat was gone, everything was finally returning to normal.
'Who's to say another Demon like him won't show up in the future? I can't let my guard down.'
Qin Yang shook his head and walked toward the section of the library containing the Body Technique books.
He had made a lot of progress with his Swordsmanship over the past few days, but he couldn't neglect his escape-focused Body Techniques either.
'Even if I can't win a fight, I have to be able to outrun my opponent.'
'As long as disaster can't catch me, there's always a chance for a comeback!'
With that in mind, Qin Yang began searching for Body Technique Martial Arts on the library's first floor.
After some searching, he ultimately only found six suitable Body Techniques.
'The Body Technique Martial Arts on this first floor are so rare, far fewer than the Swordsmanship manuals.'
Qin Yang skimmed through the Body Technique manuals. They were nothing more than basic footwork.
Thanks to his Heaven-defying Comprehension, he instantly grasped the core of these methods.
Their core principle was to imitate the beasts of the mountains and rivers.
The leap of a deer in the forest, the dive of a fish in a stream, the flight of a bird in the sky...
'Imitate the escape patterns of wild beasts?'
Qin Yang pondered for a moment, and a bold idea quickly formed in his mind.
'If I fuse all these Body Technique manuals, could I create a new Cultivation Technique that works on any terrain?'
'Let's try it!'
At this thought, Qin Yang didn't hesitate. He closed his eyes and began organizing the details of the six Body Techniques.
In an instant!
Images of the six Body Techniques materialized in his mind. It was as if thousands of creatures were stampeding, scattering like startled birds and beasts, their movements impossible to trace.
Qin Yang extracted their essence, fusing them into a coherent whole.
The core movements of the techniques merged into one.
A moment later,
A brand-new Innate Technique took form!
'Graceful as a startled swan, fluid as a roaming dragon... It combines the strengths of a hundred beasts. I'll call it... the "Seven-Star Dragon Roaming Step"!'
Qin Yang was ecstatic, a refreshing sensation washing over him.
'That's it?'
'Creating Innate Martial Arts is a piece of cake!'
...
「Three days passed in a flash.」
On this day, Qin Yang and Xia He were eating in the cafeteria.
"I've got something good to show you, Old Qin. Don't go sharing it around."
Xia He said mysteriously, sending him a video link.
"This is?"
Qin Yang glanced at his phone. It was a short video clip. "Is this the kind of 'short video' I think it is?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter. This is the video of the Bloodthirsty Demon's execution. A friend of my dad's sent it, so don't you dare share it."
Xia He said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Qin Yang's curiosity was piqued, and he immediately pressed play.
However, just as he was watching,
Suddenly, the system's mechanical voice, which he hadn't heard in a while, rang out once more!
"BING! Blood Demon detected—Bloodthirsty Leeches! Host, evacuate immediately!"