High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Qingzhou District, suburban cemetery.

A light drizzle fell from the gray sky, making the already somber cemetery seem even more desolate.

A group of people holding black umbrellas stood in front of a brand-new tombstone.

There was no photo on the tombstone because Shen Chang'an didn't even leave behind a body. What was buried beneath were just a few old clothes that Shen Chang'an had worn, which Li Xiwan and the other two girls had collected from their dormitory at Shanghai University, forming a cenotaph for him.

Zhang Hai and Li Yue are standing in front of the tombstone, supporting each other.

Li Yue was already sobbing uncontrollably. Even with Zhang Hai holding her tightly by the shoulder, she was still so grief-stricken that she could barely stand. Zhang Hai, usually a strong man, also had red eyes and his calloused hands gripping the umbrella handle tightly.

Although Shen Chang'an was an adopted son, in their hearts, he was no different from their own son.

Zhang Qingqing stood beside her parents, her face deathly pale, tears welling up in her eyes and silently streaming down her face, mingling with the rain. She bit her lip hard until it bled, but stubbornly refused to let out a sound.

Bai Yin and Li Xiwan, standing nearby, were sobbing uncontrollably. The two girls hugged each other tightly, their thin shoulders trembling violently in the cold rain.

On the outermost edge of the crowd.

Old Zhao looked at Shen Chang'an's name on the tombstone.

"Hold......"

His eyes were red-rimmed, and he grabbed a handful of his somewhat messy hair.

"I shouldn't have let him go to Shanghai. If I had known this would happen, I would have kept him in Qingzhou District as a regular night watchman! Even if he spent his whole life in Qingzhou, at least... at least he would still be alive!"

With trembling hands, he pulled an old, flat metal flask from his trench coat pocket and unscrewed the lid.

He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of strong liquor, the pungent liquid causing him to cough violently.

I haven't drunk alcohol since I was injured and had to step down from my frontline duties, and now I find it very difficult to drink.

Then, Old Zhao walked to the tombstone, squatted down, and tilted the wine pot.

The cool liquor slowly spilled onto the soil along the cold tombstone.

"You brat... this drink is for you. When you get down there, be smart, and if you encounter someone you can't beat, run fast."

......

Abyss Rift, Zhenyuan City.

Three months have passed since Shen Chang'an arrived here.

"when--!"

Inside the small courtyard with its blue bricks, the crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.

Shen Chang'an held a long spear, his muscles tense, sweat pouring down his face. He gasped for breath, staring intently at Qin Xu standing not far away.

Qin Xu remained as cold and aloof as ever. He didn't even draw the ancient sword behind him that exuded a terrifying aura. He simply held his fingers together like a sword, with a three-inch-long wisp of cyan sword energy emanating from his fingertips.

"Again."

Qin Xu's voice was completely flat.

Shen Chang'an roared, the runes beneath his feet lit up, and he leaped out, his spear thrusting straight at Qin Xu's chest.

Faced with this fierce attack, Qin Xu neither dodged nor evaded. Just as the spear was about to pierce him, the sword energy at his fingertips subtly tapped the side of the spear blade.

"when!"

A subtle, powerful force erupted instantly, causing Shen Chang'an's spear to deflect, its unstoppable momentum completely shattered. Immediately afterward, Qin Xu shifted his stance slightly, closing in like a ghost, his two fingers firmly positioned at Shen Chang'an's throat.

"Your marksmanship is too aggressive and too direct. While it's fearless, excessive force is prone to failure, leaving too many openings."

"Moreover, you seem to have gotten used to doing this, probably because you couldn't find opponents who matched your strength in the past. This leads you to use habitual thinking when facing strong enemies, making it easy to expose weaknesses."

"I guess you don't usually encounter any decent opponents. If you play too much against bad players, you'll become a bad player yourself."

Qin Xu withdrew his fingers and stood with his hands behind his back: "Although the weapons used in swordsmanship and spearmanship are different, many of the techniques for generating power and combat intuition are the same. Weapons are just an extension of the hands and feet. Don't be bound by the moves. You must learn to 'conceal your weaknesses' and 'borrow strength'."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Qin!"

Shen Chang'an put away his spear and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute.

Qin Xu nodded slightly, said nothing more, and transformed into a streak of sword light, leaving the courtyard. Clearly, he had finished his four-hour shift for the day and had taken the opportunity to give him some pointers.

For the past three months, apart from burning demonic energy to generate spiritual energy every day without fail, Shen Chang'an has spent all his remaining time absorbing the knowledge of these three ninth-realm experts.

Qin Xu taught him close-combat techniques, as well as a profound Lesser Thousand Swords Formation.

The Lesser Thousand Swords Formation is a complete set of talismanic techniques that can compress spiritual energy into countless tiny sword-like runes, forming an array to kill enemies.

Du Qiongyu taught him an exquisite fire control technique, and she also planned three body tempering sessions for Shen Chang'an to enhance his physical fitness.

Today is the day Shen Chang'an tries body tempering for the first time.

"call......"

Shen Chang'an wiped the sweat from his brow and prepared to wash up first.

Before he could even catch his breath, an alluring and fiery fragrance wafted into the courtyard.

"Little brother, are you ready?"

Du Qiongyu, still wearing that fiery red robe, swayed gracefully as she walked in. An excited smile graced her alluring face.

"Today, your older sister is going to 'pamper' you a lot."

"Senior Du, shall I clean myself first?"

"Stop talking nonsense and come with me."

Without saying a word, Du Qiongyu grabbed Shen Chang'an's wrist and lifted him into the air.

The two soon arrived at Du Qiongyu's residence.

Here grows a gigantic, ancient tree. Its branches are a strange crimson color, as if formed from burning flames, and every leaf radiates terrifying heat.

"This is the sacred parasol tree. When I entered the abyss years ago, I casually dug up a piece of its root from outside. I never expected it to grow so big after thousands of years."

"However, because they are all watered with the flesh and blood of monsters, they seem to have mutated a bit and are stronger than traditional phoenix trees."

Du Qiongyu patted the thick tree trunk, her tone tinged with pride.

She then pointed to a small pit below the tree roots, roughly the size of two square meters, with a layer of reddish-brown viscous liquid surging at the bottom, which looked quite hot.

"Go in."

Du Qiongyu slightly raised her chin, gesturing to Shen Chang'an.

Shen Chang'an peered into the scalding liquid at the bottom of the pit, a chill running down his spine: "You...you just go in like that? Without even taking off your clothes? This is my last set of intact clothes!"

"Take it off! Who told you to go in fully clothed?"

Du Qiongyu looked at him like he was an idiot, then a mocking smile appeared on her lips as she crossed her arms.

"What? Are you afraid your sister will peek at you? Hurry up and take off all your clothes."

Shen Chang'an blushed slightly: "Senior...it's improper for men and women to touch each other. Perhaps you could excuse yourself?"