Fabreydius’s attention snapped back to Gan Jin, his eyes blazing with intense scrutiny. “It’s been two years, hasn’t it?”

Gan Jin nodded. “Almost exactly two years to the day.”

“Remarkable,” Fabreydius gave a slight smile. “A Demon-Slayer Warrior.”

“Indeed,” Gan Jin shrugged. “Slipped into it by accident, it seems.”

Fabreydius’s expression suddenly grew serious. “Congratulations on reaching the Demon-Slayer Warrior realm, but you understand that even within this rank, there are significant distinctions, yes?”

Gan Jin raised an eyebrow, a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “The Nine Battles of the Demon-Slayer?”

This time it was Fabreydius who looked confused and surprised. Some warriors reached the Demon-Slayer realm yet remained unaware of the existence of the ‘Nine Battles.’ For instance, that previous warrior, Gran, clearly didn't know about the nine subdivisions within the Demon-Slayer rank.

“Then do you know about the difference in the quantity of Dou Qi, refined from the density of the Dou Jings in your apertures?” Fabreydius fired off his second and third questions. “How many apertures do you possess? I need to check if the number is too low. If it is, for the sake of your chances tomorrow, I’ll have no choice but to shatter your Dou Qi right now, reducing it back to Dou Jin. We’ll set up the Spirit Dou Great Array for you overnight and re-refine your Dou Qi.”

A warmth spread through Gan Jin’s heart, and he looked at Fabreydius with genuine emotion. They hadn’t seen each other for two years, and the moment they reunited, Fabreydius was already thinking of ways to advance his Dou Qi development.

“Don’t just stand there spacing out,” Fabreydius urged. “Speak quickly; every second is precious now. Forget it! I’ll just break it down now. I’ll transmit the Seventy-Two Aperture Heavenly Cycle Secret Method to you directly. Once you reach the Warrior’s Guild in Eternal Flow Province, just file an application to join. That way you can step straight into the core member sequence, which will benefit your future—”

“Wait!”

Gan Jin’s feet pushed off the ground, his body retreating swiftly. He raised his hands toward the approaching Fabreydius urgently. “I possess the One Hundred and Eight Aperture Heavenly Cycle Secret Method.”

“What?” Fabreydius stopped dead, his eyes widening far more than they had before. “You—what did you just say? How many apertures?” Gan Jin scratched the back of his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. Fabreydius’s shock was understandable. The value of the Seventy-Two Aperture Heavenly Cycle Secret Method was nearly priceless to a warrior; not even a city forged entirely of pure gold could exchange for such a technique. The sudden emergence of a method for One Hundred and Eight Apertures would stun anyone.

“One hundred and eight.”

“Are you absolutely sure it’s one hundred and eight?” Fabreydius asked, his voice trembling slightly. “The complete Heavenly Cycle Secret Method for all active apertures?”

Gan Jin nodded.

The One Hundred and Eight Aperture Heavenly Cycle Secret Method! Fabreydius felt as though he had been struck by a massive bolt of lightning. The number of beings capable of training the One Hundred and Eight Aperture Secret Method was vanishingly small—so rare they often existed only in legend.

Fabreydius slowly placed his palm on Gan Jin’s shoulder, closing his eyes, concentrating all his spiritual energy into his hand. “I’m afraid you’ve been tricked. Mobilize your Dou Qi now.”

Boom! The palm resting on Gan Jin’s shoulder seemed to explode. A shocking force repelled the hand lifted high off his shoulder.

“You…?” Fabreydius looked at Gan Jin as if seeing a phantom. “You—you aren’t a First Battle Demon-Slayer?”

Gan Jin was startled by Fabreydius’s reaction. He had only heard his master constantly praise how fast his progress was back in the Four Seasons Valley, thinking it was merely encouragement. Now, it seemed to be true.

“I am indeed not a First Battle Demon-Slayer,” Gan Jin sighed, privately wondering what Fabreydius’s expression would be if he revealed he was a ‘Ninth Battle Demon-Slayer’ and was rapidly surging toward the peak of that level.

“Demon-Slayer… Third Battle?” Fabreydius asked, clearly uncertain. The simultaneous eruption of all one hundred and eight apertures felt like the peak of the Third Battle, perhaps even leaning toward the Fourth. Considering Gan Jin was less than nineteen, the Third Battle was already astonishing progress; the Fourth would be—”

Gan Jin saw the gravity in Fabreydius’s expression and felt that revealing the Ninth Battle might genuinely terrify the elder. Yet, facing someone who treated him so genuinely, lying felt wrong.

“Sigh… forget it!” Gan Jin let out a heavy sigh, looking at Fabreydius. “If anyone else asked, I would admit to being at the peak of the Third Battle. But I truly don’t want to lie to you.”

“Could it be… the Fourth Battle?” Fabreydius asked tentatively. The Fourth Battle stage was genuinely enough to frighten people!

Gan Jin shook his head with a troubled expression. Fabreydius felt the world tilt slightly, and he took a bold guess. “It couldn’t possibly have reached the Fifth Battle stage, could it?”

Gan Jin simply shook his head again without speaking. Fabreydius had encountered Demon-Slayer Warriors far stronger than the Fifth Battle, so the number itself wasn't shocking to him. But applied to Gan Jin, it created a suffocating sensation—a warrior under the age of nineteen!

“Demon-Slayer… Sixth Battle?” Fabreydius’s eye muscles began to twitch, his guesses growing increasingly tentative. “The Sixth Battle?”

Gan Jin closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, suddenly spreading his arms wide. The Dou Qi from his one hundred and eight apertures surged forth at a super rotational speed of three thousand five hundred revolutions. In the quiet memorial hall, Fabreydius, relying on his extraordinary hearing, caught the low hum emanating from the rapidly spinning Dou Qi within Gan Jin’s apertures, beneath his skin!

Mighty Dou Qi burst outward. Gan Jin’s body shuddered slightly as the power of the Ninth Battle Demon-Slayer, combined with the full release of the Wind and Cloud Golden Body, manifested. The two young women standing beside him, despite the lack of outward killing intent, were forced to stagger backward by the sheer force of the aura.

“Ninth… Demon-Slayer… the Ninth Battle!”

Fabreydius nearly shouted in shock. It was like seeing a ghost! Was there any justice left in the world? When he was nineteen, he had reached the peak of the Second Battle, and his master had called him a genius among geniuses! What did that make Gan Jin? A monstrous genius? A genius among monsters?

If he were a Bloodline Warrior, and he were currently in his Bloodline Transformation state… that would still be too exaggerated! Too shocking! Even for a Bloodline Warrior entering a combat-ready bloodline awakening state, this was astonishing!

Ninth Battle Demon-Slayer! Fabreydius desperately wanted to ask Gan Jin if he was even human. He had seen Ninth Battle Demon-Slayers before, but the issue was that this level of power was housed in a warrior under nineteen!

Fabreydius doubted he would be able to sleep tonight.

After the shock receded, a wild joy swelled in Fabreydius’s chest. A warrior with the strength of the Ninth Battle at nineteen! Furthermore, he possessed the skill of a master blacksmith, and even the blade-sharpening technique that surpassed that of professional smiths!

Such talent—no, Fabreydius corrected himself, such a prodigy! If he were to join the Warrior’s Guild of Eternal Flow Province—

Fabreydius dared not dwell on it further. Based on Gan Jin’s current trajectory, how far could he develop? Demon-Subduing Warrior? Demon-Executioner Warrior? Demon-Exterminating Warrior? He wasn’t even nineteen yet! Perhaps, if his development continued smoothly, he could challenge the rank of War Saint before the age of thirty-five—a rank supposedly reserved only for Bloodline Warriors!

Fabreydius’s breathing quickened. If Gan Jin progressed well, his future was frankly terrifying! At the very least, the status of the Eternal Flow Province Warrior’s Guild within the True Policy Imperial Dynasty’s organization would very likely rise. Even just based on Gan Jin’s forging skills alone, the Grand Warrior’s Guild of the True Policy Dynasty wouldn't dare look down upon or ignore the Eternal Flow Province Guild.

“Alright, quickly retract your Dou Qi,” Fabreydius waved his hand, then continued. “In the future, unless absolutely necessary, try not to reveal your true strength—your Ninth Battle power—to anyone. Even Bloodline Warrior families would become intensely jealous of such a realm. You are young and may not understand, but the most terrifying thing in this world is not the power of warriors, nor the formidable magic of High Mages. It is the human heart.”

Fabreydius’s bright eyes dimmed instantly, and his voice grew subdued. “The human heart is the most fearsome thing in this world. Jealousy, greed… they can destroy so much beauty! And they can destroy a person, even an entire group of people’s lives, ideals, and families…”

Gan Jin listened quietly. It was nearly impossible for any truly powerful warrior to have had a simple life; there were surely shocking events hidden behind them. Fabreydius was clearly immersed in old memories.

“Remember this: try never to let your enemies know the extent of your power, especially!” Fabreydius warned again. “If an enemy finds out, kill them! Absolutely do not let them relay the information! Even the fiercest lion can meet disaster when facing a pack of wolves.”

Gan Jin smiled inwardly. In the Endless World and the Four Seasons Valley, the cunning of demonic beasts was no less than that of humans. They set traps, feigned death, and even two beasts would stage a fierce battle, making it appear they were both severely injured to fool opponents.

Having walked the edge of life and death multiple times, Gan Jin had long cultivated a fighting style where if he struck, he struck without mercy!

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