Ten Years on Patrol

[Listening to the footsteps inside, you are certain that two people have indeed arrived.]

[Could the array in this tower be the legendary "teleportation array"?]

[How could a second-rate martial arts sect possess something linked to spatial power?]

[You increasingly feel that there is something wrong with the Scarlet Heart Sect.]

[And it makes perfect sense—what kind of decent people would inexplicably participate in the massacre of a village?]

["Gulu gulu ji... Tulu tulu pi..."]

[The two people inside began to speak.]

[But you can't understand them.]

"Oh well, I should have equipped that foreign language learning trait from before. But then again, that trait only makes you good at learning foreign languages; it wouldn't let me understand them right away, would it?"

[After listening to them babble for a while, you suddenly find yourself able to understand them.]

["Did I say that right?"]

["Ah, yes, yes, yes! Your Excellency learns very fast."]

["Heh, if I didn't have this ability, would the General have arranged for me to come here?"]

["Commander, your inspection visit this time must be kept low-profile.

This world does not lack powerful experts. If we are discovered by them, or if our identities are seen through, there will be no return.

Currently, our army only has scattered reconnaissance outposts in this realm. We haven't roped in enough 'human traitors' yet, and we haven't built up enough momentum. We must take a long-term approach.

Our biggest achievement so far is this tower, which conceals seven 'Demon Bridge Arrays', allowing us to travel between various major outposts.

It's a pity that the resources we currently possess are insufficient to bring over a large number of troops or clansmen with excessively high cultivation realms."]

[You hear every word clearly, but when pieced together, you realize you seem to have overheard some incredible secrets!]

[The tone of these two people doesn't sound like they belong to the human race.]

[You want to take a closer look, but you're worried about being discovered by them, so you can only remain completely silent and motionless to let "Silent Step" take effect.]

["Hmm? Do I smell the scent of the monster race?"]

["Your Excellency's nose is truly sharp! The descendants of the remnants of the monster race from thirty thousand years ago have indeed taken root in this world again. Their relationship with the human race is not good, which is a minor detail we can exploit."]

["Hmm... why do I also smell the scent of a human?"]

["Your Excellency must be joking. Of course there's a human scent here; we've disguised this place as the secluded cultivation retreat of the Scarlet Heart Sect's patriarch."]

["No, it's not a lingering scent. There is someone here, right at this very moment!"]

[Your heart races, beating so fast that you fear the "people" inside might hear it!]

[To think that while "Silent Step" generates no sound and prevents discovery by divine sense probes when you remain stationary, the other party actually has the nose of a dog!]

[The two individuals inside searched every floor of the tower but didn't find anyone.]

["Your Excellency, we should head to the outpost in the Eastern Wasteland. This is the Central Plains, after all, a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. If we stay too long, we might expose our traces."]

["Hold on..."]

[Before the voice faded, you feel a piercing pain drill into your back.]

[Your face instantly turns livid, and a mouthful of hot blood surges up your throat.]

[You have suffered internal injuries.]

[But you endure it, not making a single sound.]

["Regardless of whether there is someone here or not, since they don't dare to show their faces, they must be weak. The 'Agony-Piercing Demonic Voice' I just released is more than enough to kill them."]

["Your Excellency is as meticulous as ever! I am in awe!"]

[You hear a buzzing sound echo inside the tower, and faintly see the glow of the array flash for a moment.]

[You stand perfectly still on the eaves outside the tower for a full two hours, confirming that the people inside have left before flipping back into the tower.]

["Damn... thank goodness for the golden trait 'Alien Biological Father', otherwise that strike just now would have ended this simulation run..."]

[This also confirms to you that the two humanoid creatures that just appeared in the tower were indeed from an alien race.]

[And they belong to a race other than the human race and the monster race!]

[Could the massacre at Luoding Village also be related to them?]

[Unable to figure it out, you realize you must gather more clues to get closer to the truth.]

[Enduring the pain, you memorize all the array patterns before leaving the ancient tower.]

[The fifth year, twenty-two years old.]

[You continue to stay in the Scarlet Heart Sect, cultivating while keeping an eye out for clues.]

[Your cultivation has advanced to the sixth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.]

[With five years of perfect attendance in patrols, the contribution points you've accumulated are enough to exchange for a mid-tier cultivation method.]

[You browse through the mid-tier cultivation methods in the Library Pavilion.]

["Elder Yin, I'd like to exchange for this Nine Suns Heart Mantra."]

[Yin Rui is the guardian elder of the Library Pavilion; his head of red hair highlights his superb mastery of the Heart Fire Art.]

["Chen Yi, the Nine Suns Heart Mantra is a mental cultivation method used to train mental energy. You haven't reached the Soul Quenching Realm yet, so I'm afraid this method will be of no use to you, right?"]

["Elder Yin, what are you saying? It's not like I'll never reach the Soul Quenching Realm in my entire life. I'll just exchange for it first. The main reason is that I don't have much interest in the other methods."]

[The Scarlet Heart Sect isn't that large. Over the past five years, you've gotten to know most of the people here.]

[You often treat this Elder Yin of the Library Pavilion to drinks and casual chats, all for the sake of asking him questions about the martial dao at the wine table.]

[Not just about cultivation, but also alchemy, artifact forging, and arrays—this elder is highly knowledgeable and can provide some answers to whatever you ask.]

[Over time, the two of you have actually become good friends despite the age gap.]

[Yin Rui strokes his white beard, suddenly waves his hand, and a secret manual flies over.]

["Last time I watched you spar with Captain Lin, it seemed like you hadn't learned any movement martial arts. Take this one."]

[Yin Rui hands you a movement martial art manual named "Rocket Steps".]

["Elder Yin, this movement technique sounds incredibly powerful just from the name! Is this also a mid-tier method? How come I didn't see it on the bookshelves over there?"]

[Yin Rui laughs.]

["Even among mid-tier methods, there is a difference in quality. The mid-tier methods you can exchange for are all the most ordinary ones. The premium ones are on the upper floor."]

["Alright then, I'll exchange for this one first. I'll get the Nine Suns Heart Mantra next time."]

[Yin Rui turns around, clasps his hands behind his back, and waves toward the door.]

["Patrol Guard Chen Yi, exchanging for one copy of Rocket Steps today."]

[You understand his intention, cup your fists in gratitude, and leave.]

[Sure enough, practicing a bit of worldly wisdom and socializing in daily life is very useful. The drinks you bought for Yin Rui weren't for nothing.]

Time within the simulation passes by in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, ten years have gone by.

Chen Yi's cultivation has advanced by another two levels, and he is now at the eighth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Even in a place where the essence of heaven and earth converges, and with the sect providing cultivation resources every month, his improvement speed is still this slow.

Cultivating with low-grade bone roots is truly difficult.

No wonder Feng Yucheng turned to the heretical path.

Without using the methods of evil cultivators, one simply cannot see any hope!

"Fortunately, in just two more years, I'll be able to receive the Myriad Soul Banner!"

Fundamentally, Chen Yi's desire to use the Myriad Soul Banner to accelerate his improvement is also the path of an "evil cultivator." It's just that he doesn't plan on killing humans; he wants to kill monsters!