I can equip strange items

There were more than twenty of these barbaric ghosts, wandering aimlessly in the rugged rocky area ahead.

Li Yuan smiled slightly and said to the people behind him, "I'll disperse them later. You each take on one, and I'll finish them off last."

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, their eyes filled with both tension and excitement.

Li Yuan said no more, exerted force with his feet, and shot out like an arrow.

He calculated the number of barbarian demons, specifically setting aside a number for the corresponding assessment members, and then charged towards the few barbarian demons in the very center.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of bones cracking rang out one after another.

Five or six barbarian ghosts flew out with miserable howls, instantly disrupting the formation of the entire group.

"Now!"

The bald, burly man shouted and charged ahead at one of the startled barbarian ghosts.

Others followed suit, each choosing their own target.

The woman in sportswear moved nimbly, and although her Tang-style broadsword was difficult to break through the demon's defenses, she kept slashing at the demon's joints, restricting its movements.

The frail young man darted about like a fish, his short sword aimed at vulnerable spots like the eyes.

The bald, burly man was the most ferocious. He used his heavy cleaver to fight the barbarian demon head-on. Although he could not inflict a fatal wound, he used his strength to keep the demon firmly under control.

"Eighty-four percent complete."

Li Yuan glanced at the solidification progress of the [Equivalent Evolution] entry, then looked at the others.

Seeing that everyone had already entangled with a barbarian ghost, he immediately made his move.

"Bang!"

The bamboo stick, like a spear, struck a barbarian demon in the chest in an instant.

The barbarian demon flew out horizontally, golden patterns spreading from its chest to its entire body. The demon's body turned into flames in mid-air and was burned to ashes upon landing.

"Thanks, brother!" The bald, burly man wiped his sweat and grinned.

Li Yuan nodded slightly, then moved again, arriving beside the woman in the sportswear.

"Bang!"

With a sweep of the bamboo stick, the barbarian was sent flying.

"laugh--"

Golden flames ignited, and the barbarian demon turned to ashes in the blink of an eye.

Taking advantage of this break, Li Yuan glanced at the solidification progress of the [Equivalent Evolution] term and found that it had increased by another two percentage points.

"As expected, it can be counted. Even if it's not helping others, it should still be considered punishing evil and upholding justice."

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Thank you!" the woman in the sportswear said breathlessly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Li Yuan continued towards the battlefields of the others.

Because of his protection, none of these strong civilians were injured, despite their varying strengths. Instead, they fought with increasing ferocity and were able to hold out until he arrived.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang……"

One by one, the barbarian demons were dealt with.

Li Yuan was too lazy to wait; as long as others felt involved, that was enough to avoid wasting time.

Soon, another thirteen barbarian demons were killed.

The health-preserving and evil-repelling jade pendant has been consumed; the fifth attribute has been successfully solidified; the sixth equipment slot is now open.

"Finally finished."

Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the last two barbarian ghosts.

"Boss..." The frail young man seemed to be unable to hold on any longer and hurriedly shouted.

Li Yuan flashed to the side of the barbarian ghost and swung his stick.

"Bang……"

The savage demon screamed and flew sideways.

Before the frail young man could express his gratitude, he charged at the last barbarian demon and easily dispatched it.

"Thank you so much, boss..." the man who had previously injured his arm said gratefully.

"Now that the mission is complete, let's all go back."

Li Yuan looked at the middle-aged man walking towards them from a distance: "I guess so?"

The others immediately looked at the middle-aged man, realizing that this must be the observer.

"Calculate."

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded: "My name is Fang Ling, and I am the acting vice president of the Donghe City Exorcist Association. I am at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm. You can just call me Vice President Fang."

Immediately, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Li Yuan with gratitude.

If it weren't for Li Yuan, killing those barbarian demons wouldn't have been so easy for them.

At this moment, Fang Ling looked at Li Yuan and said, "Although I admire your killing speed, I regret to inform you that in this assessment, each person can only get one point, and there are no extra rewards."

"We exorcists should take it as our duty to slay demons and eliminate evil spirits."

Li Yuan said naturally, "I didn't kill those barbarian ghosts for the reward."

Immediately, everyone else was filled with awe and respect.

"Well said."

Fang Ling smiled: "Although I don't know how much of it is true, we should judge by actions, not intentions. Let's go back."

As he walked back, he said to the group following behind him, "Now that you have all passed the exorcist exam, there are a few things I need you to know before you receive your certificates."

Everyone immediately perked up their ears.

"The Exorcist Association is a semi-official, non-governmental organization established to deal with various abnormal events brought about by the changes in the world."

Fang Leng spoke up: "As members of the association, you have both rights and obligations."

"Let's talk about power first."

He held up one finger: "First, you have temporary law enforcement powers. In the event of an emergency in the city, or if you witness someone committing a crime—remember, it must be a serious incident with solid evidence—you have the right to take necessary measures, including, in extreme cases, 'acting first and reporting later.'"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

Execute first, report later?

This power is far too great!

A glint of light flashed in Li Yuan's eyes.

Although he had already heard this information from Lu Jiayin—

But hearing it again now, I realize once more that the world has truly changed.

Special times call for special measures.

"certainly……"

Without turning his head, Fang Ling said, "This power is not unlimited. Every incident will be investigated by investigators. If abuse of power or indiscriminate killing of innocent people is found, the consequences will range from stripping your identity to... you understand the consequences."

"In this era, order is more important than ever."

He said in a deep voice, "The power you have been given is so that you can protect more people in critical moments, not so that you can become a privileged class that is above the law."

The bald, burly man nodded: "Vice President Fang, don't worry, we know what we're doing."

"second……"

Fang Ling continued, "Based on your contributions in completing missions, defeating demons, and providing intelligence, you can earn points. Points are the hard currency within the association."

"Third, as exorcists, you have priority access to intelligence, priority purchase of specific supplies, and priority entry into certain areas."

"You'll see the details once you get your documents."

"Then comes the obligation."

Fang Ling's voice rose slightly: "At other times, you are completely free. The association will not proactively assign any missions, but will only recommend them. However, when the city faces a major crisis, or when an abnormal event threatens the entire region, the association has the right to conscript all exorcists in the vicinity."

"Of course, this is not absolutely mandatory—"

"If you have a legitimate reason for not being able to participate, such as being on other important missions or being injured, you can apply for an exemption."

"Even if someone is truly afraid of death, they can choose not to come. The consequence of not coming is simply the loss of credibility or the loss of their status as an exorcist."

"But I must remind everyone..."

He glanced back at the crowd: "If everyone chooses to run away, then when disaster truly strikes, no one will be spared. The reason exorcists exist is precisely because we need to build a line of defense before darkness descends."

The woman in the sportswear gripped the Tang-style horizontal sword in her hand tightly: "Vice President Fang, since we chose to join, we have already made mental preparations."

"very good."

Fang Ling nodded: "Lastly, the association will issue various missions. From investigating unusual phenomena to eradicating demonic lairs, you can freely accept them. Completing missions will also earn you points, and the number of points is linked to the difficulty and completion rate of the mission."

He paused, then added, "Points can be exchanged for various cultivation resources within the association—elixirs, cultivation techniques, special materials, and even...strange items."

The last four words made everyone's breathing quicken.

Strange items!

That's something that can give people extraordinary abilities!

While there are costs associated with using them, not all bizarre items come with unacceptable costs.

"There really were strange items."

This was Li Yuan's main objective.