I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 235 White Prajna, Quality Upgrade! Rank Cap Unlocked - Four Stars! The Guardians of the Old Era
"This is it."

The young man walked around the cliff above the spring, marveling, "So much time has passed, yet this place hasn't changed at all."

Even that moss-covered stone looks the same.

"Sometimes, the ways you walk are really strange and amazing."

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had just been alerted to the shock, paused for a moment and asked in return,
"Isn't this spring water natural?"

"—Of course not."

The young man wore a matter-of-fact expression: "Everything in this secret realm was collected and dumped in by that guy bit by bit. Even the residents originally lived in the ordinary world."

In the beginning, there was absolutely nothing here.

Uesugi Tetsu raised his head, his gaze sweeping around.

The sky, the sun, the trees, and so on...

Was all of this "thrown" in from the outside by that wanderer from a thousand years ago?

He felt a little dizzy; it was hard to believe.

This is really...

That's a bit exaggerated.

"However, I'm not quite sure about the specific effects of this spring water, and I forgot to ask at the time."

The young man picked up a small pebble and threw it inside.

After a calm ripple, he shrugged and smiled.
"But in any case, there are no ancient beasts or demons living inside."

Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself that this was quite thoughtful, preventing him from being swallowed whole if he jumped down.

"—So, I'll have to trouble you to go in and experience it for yourself, Uesugi-kun. Anyway, I don't think that guy from a thousand years ago would have any reason to harm you."

The young man smiled, then looked at the young monk with the Tang umbrella, who dared not utter a word and whose breathing had become cautious.
"Miaofeng, why don't you stand up there and take a look? You might get some benefits from it."

"Yes, yes, Chief!"

The young monk with the Tang umbrella stood at attention.

"Hey, just call me village chief, there's no need to call me 'sir'."

The young man shook his head.
"Besides, I really don't think I'm a qualified village chief..."

"Then, village chief, I'll take my leave first."

Uesugi Tetsu leaped into the air, letting the gravity, almost identical to that of the real world, pull him down, and he landed with a splash in the milky white spring water.

[You have entered a special area, the Spring of Spiritual Enlightenment!]

[Please note that you can choose either to "upgrade the quality" of your demon avatar or to increase the proficiency of any skill by 2000 points!]

Please note that you can only choose between "Quality Upgrade" and "Proficiency Improvement"!

The warm and gentle touch spread across his skin, and Uesugi Tetsu felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring that didn't emit any heat, making him feel completely relaxed.

After actually falling into the spring, several new prompts popped up.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh out loud—such an obvious choice, is there really any need to hesitate?

Two thousand points of proficiency... even if added to the most difficult skill to improve, the Natural Mind Flow, which has already reached the expert level, in the long run, it is still completely inferior to the quality improvement of the incarnation.

Because no matter what, proficiency can be "gained" and can be gradually increased through effort and hard work.

However, the quality of the incarnation is not good.

Even though Uesugi Tetsu improved the quality of the Starry Hannya with "Red Oni Horns" during the Sengoku period, how many similar Red Oni Horns were there?

These two types of demons are not as common as the three types of Prajna.

Those Red Oni with sufficient strength who dare to enter the mortal world can probably be counted on two hands, and their spoils after being killed are usually divided up on the spot.

Therefore, the key question now is whether to choose White Prajna or the Four-Tailed Fox.

After a brief hesitation, Uesugi Tetsu immediately focused his gaze on "White Prajna".

There are many reasons, but most of them are straightforward and simple.

Firstly, unlike the four-tailed fox whose talents, apart from "rage," are all control or support abilities, all of White Prajna's talents are designed for combat.

Secondly, Hakubannya has a talent called "Ghost God," which alone is enough to make Uesugi Tetsuya eliminate any unnecessary hesitation at this stage.

Finally, there is the Hannya Mask, which can replicate both of White Hannya's talents.

If the quality of White Prajna is improved, Prajna Mask might evolve again.

In this way, Uesugi Tetsuya can gain a greater boost when he wears the Hannya Mask while transforming into a four-tailed fox.

[You have chosen to upgrade the quality of the Demon Incarnation - White Prajna!]

[Your demonic incarnation, White Prajna, is improving in quality...]

After two golden notifications popped up, Uesugi Tetsu immediately felt the surrounding spring water begin to churn, as if some strange substance had seeped into his body.

His whole body felt warm and cozy, and Uesugi Tetsuya's thoughts relaxed for the first time in a long time, as if he had become one with the entire spring.

The gentle and smooth promotion process took quite a while, but Uesugi Tetsu felt as if it had passed in the blink of an eye.

When he finally focused his thoughts again, the notification that the advancement was complete popped up before his eyes once more.

[Due to the quality upgrade of your demon incarnation, White Prajna, your physique has increased by 1!]

[Due to the quality upgrade of your demon incarnation, White Prajna, your Willpower +1!]

[Your demon avatar, White Prajna, has completed its quality upgrade! Please check it yourself!]

Uesugi Tetsu let out a sigh of relief, recalling the huge commotion when Hyakume's quality was upgraded in the gacha pool, then glanced at the surrounding spring water, which had faded in color.
"A silent promotion, not bad."

He then looked inward at his dantian and saw the white Prajna card with an even shinier border and a higher overall quality. He opened its panel.

A panel that had undergone a fundamental transformation lay before Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes.

【Demon Incarnation - White Prajna】

[Quality: Epic → Epic+]

[Rank: Two and a half stars]

[Rank Cap: 3.5 stars → 4 stars]

[Talents: Demons and Gods, Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Pale Madness]

The changes to the avatar panel are simple, except for a few changes to the quality, rank cap, and talent.

But those few words made Uesugi Tetsuya's lips finally part and he couldn't hold back any longer, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"A four-star rank cap, and you can reach the God-level by upgrading step by step... It sounds absurd to outsiders."

Before advancing the quality of White Prajna, Uesugi Tetsu had no idea that reality would bring him such a great gift.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Uesugi Tetsuya knew perfectly well just how vast the chasm between "three and a half stars" and "four stars" truly was.

Even without any other changes, this simple increase in the rank cap alone is enough to justify this quality upgrade.

But that's not all!

White Prajna's core skill, "Demon God," has changed once again—

[Ghosts and Deities: The power, appearance, and strength of ghosts and deities (weak).]

This time, the word "weak" after the appearance of the demon god has also disappeared. You only need to complete the last third of the puzzle to see the complete demon god talent.

"But what exactly is the appearance of a ghost or god?"

Uesugi Tetsu conjured the Hannya Mask, stroked its smooth edges, and stared at the mask whose appearance had changed drastically. After being stunned for two seconds, he began to understand the meaning of those four words.

In his eyes, deep, dark red incantations had suddenly appeared on the originally pale and mournful white mask of the White Prajna.

The incantation is mysterious, long and winding.

Just one glance is enough to make you instinctively hold your breath and dare not move.

Unlike the horror and terror that people wanted to feel before.

The current Prajna mask appears solemn and majestic.

"It's actually done quite well."

Uesugi Tetsu looked the mask up and down, then nodded in satisfaction.

And indeed, his earlier guess was correct.

After the quality upgrade, the effect of the Prajna Mask as a special item retaining talent has been increased from 60% to 70%.

Finally, the original talents "Berserker" and "White Fear" disappeared, and the two were combined into a more powerful and comprehensive talent.

[Pale Frenzy: The more severe your injuries and the greater the fear you experience, the more your physique and will grow, and the faster your injuries and inner strength will recover.]

It's still a simple and straightforward numerical talent, which fits the style of Bai Banruo's incarnation.

Of course, among all the changes brought about by the quality upgrade, the most tempting thing was the door to the gods that was open directly to him.

I wish he could get some kind of "short-time card" item someday.

Unfortunately, these kinds of props are mostly hard to come by.

Uesugi Tetsu sighed softly and stuffed the Hannya Mask back into his dantian.

He leaped out of the clear spring water, climbed the rock wall in a few steps, and came to the ground.

As soon as he got ashore, Uesugi Tetsu noticed that the Tang Umbrella Monk, who was standing a few meters away, had grown taller, and the red umbrella on his head seemed to be even shinier.

It was still standing there, swaying unsteadily, looking completely bewildered.

——【Tang Umbrella Monk (1.5 stars)】.

The change in the prompt indicates that Uesugi Tetsuya's feeling was correct.

Perhaps due to absorbing the dissipated mist, Tang Sanzang, who was originally just an unwitting bystander, also rose by half a star level.

It was like a windfall.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't disturb him. He walked straight towards the young man sitting on the moss-covered rock not far away, wanting to express his gratitude.

The young man, who had already noticed the commotion, looked at Uesugi Tetsuya, but couldn't see much difference.

He squinted: "Is this spring water useful? Or is that guy just lying to me?"

“I have learned a great deal.” Uesugi Tetsu bowed to the young man, his tone sincere. “Thank you, Village Chief, for bringing me here.”

"Wow, that's pretty good."

The young man raised an eyebrow in surprise, staring intently at Uesugi Tetsuya for a while, but still couldn't find any changes compared to before.

His curiosity was boundless and burning brightly.

But the young man ultimately didn't ask such a private question. If he couldn't find it, he couldn't find it; he could only blame it on his lack of insight and insufficient knowledge.

Asking about it would be extremely impolite.

At this moment, the little monk with the umbrella beside the cliff had also regained consciousness. It hopped over on one leg and bowed deeply to both Uesugi Tetsuya and the young man.

"Village Chief and Elder Traveler, thank you both."

The young man thoughtfully stroked his chin, then chuckled.
"No need to thank me, it's all thanks to your excellent comprehension, Miaofeng. Given time, you might even surpass your grandmaster!"

These words made the young monk with the Tang umbrella turn pale red. He lowered his head deeply and stammered, unable to reply.

The young man stood up and waved to Uesugi Tetsuya.

"Now that we've come all this way, let's go back to the village first."

……

This time, thanks to the improved strength of the Tang Umbrella Monk, the return journey took a full third less time.

As soon as he arrived at the village entrance, the young man noticed that most of the villagers had gathered together, looking towards him... no, towards Uesugi Tetsu behind him.

"So this is the legendary Walking Master..."

"The older brother actually looks quite ordinary, like a good person."

"His aura is almost that of an ordinary person; this walking aura concealment technique is truly superb."

Chattering voices rang out among the spirits, most of which were related to Uesugi Tetsu and the walking token at his waist.

Uesugi Tetsu listened for a moment and found that most of the spirits had a fairly good impression of him, but because they were strangers, they didn't dare to go forward and say much. Only an old woman with a full head of white hair, leaning on a cane, spoke in a hoarse voice: "Village Chief, you haven't seen this old woman for over eighty years..."

These words finally drew the attention of the surrounding spirits.

"village head?"

"Is this the village chief?"

"Huh? Does our village have a village chief?"

The young man stopped and looked at the wrinkled old woman, taking a while to slowly match her with the image of the woman in his memory.

"Has it taken that long?"

The young man muttered, "I just thought of a better structure for the transmission of Yin-Yang techniques and wanted to put it into practice. I never expected that decades would pass in the blink of an eye."

He gave the old woman and the villagers an apologetic look.

"Ladies and gentlemen... I'm sorry, but after being alone for so long without any threat to my lifespan, my sense of time has become rather blurred."

The villagers waved their hands repeatedly.

—The average age of the villagers standing here is not even fifty, so they don’t really feel the weight of what the village chief said.

The old woman didn't say much.

She smiled at the young man, then slowly walked over and placed a pale yellow brocade pouch in front of Uesugi Tetsuya.

"My dear traveler... if you encounter any difficulties in life in the future, perhaps it can help you solve some of your troubles."

Uesugi Tetsu accepted the brocade pouch with both hands and thanked him sincerely.

The old woman in front of him was the same "fortune teller" he had met when he passed through the village before.

"I will accept your thanks, sir."

After a slight nod, the smiling fortune teller turned and slowly walked away.

As the fortune teller delivered her gift, the other spirit villagers also brought some "local specialties," though most of them were mainly for commemorative purposes.

Regardless of the value of the gifts, Uesugi Tetsu thanked each person sincerely.

After the cheerful and lively villagers had left, Uesugi Tetsuya sighed, "This place can truly be called a paradise."

The young man, who had never heard of this idiom before, pondered for a moment, and after roughly understanding its meaning, gave a noncommittal answer.
"Eternal peace and joy... these peaceful spirits truly enjoy this atmosphere."

Uesugi Tetsu understood the implication in his words.

—I thought that only a few decades or a hundred years would pass, and I wanted to avoid the monsters that I could never defeat and make a name for myself in the new era.

But one day, they were suddenly told by outsiders that a thousand years had passed in the outside world.

A thousand years is too long.

Dust to dust, dust to dust.

Everything that belonged to him, and everything he had experienced, had been left in the Heian period a thousand years ago, a time when the world bordered the ordinary world, but also a time when the art of Yin and Yang flourished.

"Then, Village Chief, how shall I leave?"

Uesugi Tetsu asked him.

"That's easy, just take me there from where you appeared."

The young man gave him a hearty smile.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the dense forest that Uesugi Tetsu had seen when he opened his eyes.

Under the dumbfounded gaze of the young monk with the Tang umbrella, the youth simply waved his hand, and a light white vortex appeared above the grass for people to pass through.

Even though they were right next to each other, Uesugi Tetsuya, who had opened his Eye of Insight, couldn't figure out the trick.

The only finding is that this is related to the deep application of spiritual power.

The young man pinched his nose, sensing a familiar aura emanating from the other side of the vortex.

"Huojin? Is she still alive?"

"Village Chief, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now..."

"Uesugi-kun, can you do me a favor?"

The young man smiled nostalgically, interrupting Uesugi Tetsuya's farewell.

"Please say."

Curiosity flickered in the young man's eyes.

"If you have time to come next time, could you bring some historical documents? I'd like to learn about what happened over the past thousand years."

Uesugi Tetsu blinked and nodded at him: "It's nothing."

—For young people, the history that has happened over the past thousand years is the "future." If Uesugi Tetsu had the opportunity to see the next thousand years, he would ask others for it.

The young man waved to him: "Then I thank you in advance, Uesugi-kun."

After waving goodbye to the young man and the Tang-style umbrella-wielding monk, Uesugi Tetsu stepped into the pale white vortex.

……

"Uesugi, it seems you've gained quite a bit in the secret realm."

The God of Calamity's tone carried a hint of joy.

She waved her hand lightly, instantly clearing Uesugi Tetsuya's mind and allowing him to see her clearly.

"Indeed... But without Lord Huojin's guidance, I might not have been able to enter this secret realm at all, let alone obtain what I wanted within it."

Just thinking about the upper limit of the "four-star" rank of White Prajna made Uesugi Tetsuya feel that the future was really bright.

"These are just things I should do."

The God of Calamity clasped his hands together, his expression calm: "There's nothing to praise."

After saying that, she sighed softly again.
"I originally intended to do what I always did and give you, Uesugi, some simple, easy, and rewarding tasks."

Unfortunately, I can no longer do that.

The God of Calamity gently stroked the empty stone slab beside him, which had been renovated but still bore the marks of time.

“I will stay here now to ensure that the walking assembly will always exist and become the last resort for all walkers.”

Her tone was surprisingly calm.

Uesugi Tetsuya was silent for a moment, then asked her, "If it is presumptuous of me, may I ask how long your lifespan is, Lord Mokujin?"

The God of Calamity did not answer.

But Uesugi Tetsuya sensed an aura of desolation and loneliness emanating from her.

I imagine the answer will be a very, very, very large number...

Uesugi Tetsu rubbed his fingers together, recalling the request the young man had made to him earlier.

So he asked, "Lord Mojin God, what are your hobbies, what books would you like to read, or what food would you like to eat?"

The girl, wearing a white hood and as still as a plaster sculpture, froze.

She blinked, looking somewhat bewildered.

After a long pause, he hesitated and shook his head: "I...I'm not quite sure."

“Such memories are too distant, and far too fragmented and vague,” the God of Calamity said helplessly to him. “Please forgive me, Uesugi.”

This answer was exactly what Uesugi Tetsu had expected.

Uesugi Tetsuya took a bottle of chilled soda from his storage backpack and handed it to the girl.

"This drink is for you..."

After giving a mysterious smile, Uesugi Tetsu waved to her.

"Then, Lord Calamity God, please look forward to our next meeting."

The faint white light disappeared before the Goddess of Calamity's eyes. She tilted her head blankly and looked at the slightly icy dark brown cola.

She rubbed the condensation droplets on the plastic bottle a couple of times, carefully picked up a drop with her index finger, and tasted it on the tip of her tongue.

Drinks...?

Is it something like water?
The Goddess of Calamity was somewhat confused, just as she was confused about how to open this fragile bottle and see what was inside through the outer membrane.

From then on, in addition to cleaning up the empty walking gatherings, the God of Calamity had an additional daily task.

— Researching how to open this strange and fragile bottle.

……

Uesugi Tetsu opened his eyes again.

He discovered that Chisa, dressed in a white dress, was squatting in front of him with a serious expression.

"Uesugi-kun, you're finally awake."

She said with utmost seriousness, "My mother said that if I sleep here, I will catch a cold."

Chisa frowned slightly and earnestly admonished, "This habit is really bad, even Uesugi-nii should correct it."

Seeing her like this, Uesugi Tetsu didn't feel annoyed at all. On the contrary, he found Chisa's mature demeanor rather cute and amusing.

So he said just as earnestly, "Thank you for your concern, Chisa-chan, but I'm actually here to train."

"Ugh?"

Having already prepared a whole bunch of profound truths that she had heard countless times herself and had told her younger brothers countless times, Chisa immediately pursed her lips and turned her gaze away nonchalantly.

"I see... Ahaha, Chisa seems a little slow."

The girl gave two dry laughs.

Then, Chisa looked on with envy.

"Brother Uesugi, you cultivators are really amazing! Do you not catch a cold or feel unwell several times a year?"

"Ok!"

Uesugi Tetsu gave her a thumbs up, his gaze sharp: "After you've mastered your training, you won't get a fever even if you get soaked in the rain!"

Chisa's eyes lit up: "Wow—that amazing!"

"There are even more amazing ones..."

Uesugi Tetsuya was speaking when his phone in his pocket started buzzing several times.

Under Chisa's curious gaze, he first took out his phone, unlocked it, and looked up at it.

It was a message from Nanjo Manami.

[Nanjo Manami: Many strong players will be there during the preliminaries. This will be your last chance to gather information face-to-face without attracting attention, so remember not to miss it.]

This is followed by some precautions and regulations related to the preliminary rounds.

[Tsuki-sa-chan: I'll definitely be there.]

"Speaking of Chisa-chan," Uesugi Tetsuya said, quickly sending Nanjo Manami's LINE account to her. "This older sister is my boss, she's really amazing."

“I will explain the situation to her. You can talk to her later and see if she is willing to take you on as her apprentice directly.”

"OK……"

Chisa responded softly, nodding, but a hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes as she glanced at Uesugi Tetsu.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't notice.

Because he had already set his sights on the thunderstorm clouds sweeping up outside the window.

Amidst the rising tide and dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared.

"This kind of weather... is the perfect stage for practicing spirit control techniques and the Five Thunder Technique."

Uesugi Tetsu turned his gaze to the four-tailed fox avatar that would soon reach the full progress bar, and couldn't help but chuckle with delight.

He bid farewell to Qian Sha and headed towards the rooftop of the Special Affairs Department.

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(End of this chapter)