Chapter 28: I Have a Bold Idea

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The humanoid spider demon was far more troublesome than Chu Chen had imagined, exceeding everything he understood about fourth-tier demons.

He had once been toyed with by three fifth-tier demons working together, so he considered himself qualified to speak about the abilities of fifth-tier demons.

This humanoid spider demon was labeled a fourth-tier demon in the illustrated bestiary.

Yet its racial talents alone were enough to give him a terrible headache.

Spiders were among nature’s finest hunters, and demonization only magnified those strengths.

Even a single web could vary in size, density, and length.

The spider’s round, swollen abdomen seemed to have a button on it. Press it once, and the firing mode changed.

Single shot: a strand of web shot out with tremendous speed and force.

Barrage: rat-a-tat-tat-tat, a string of shorter strands sprayed forth.

There was even a three-round burst—rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat—which made Chu Chen suffer miserably.

If the illustrated bestiary hanging in the corridor had not been there, Chu Chen would have seriously suspected that this bastard was also a transmigrator—and that, before transmigrating, he had been a devoted player of battle-royale games.

Though he must have been terrible at them, judging by that wildly inaccurate shooting.

Chu Chen was hardly any better himself. He was the pot calling the kettle black.

None of his own attacks could harm the spider demon.

He could not simply draw the Coiling Serpent Sword and shout, “Profound Thunder Sword Art!”

If he did that and slew the spider demon, how was he supposed to explain it to everyone afterward?

Yes, that was the real issue: explaining it to everyone.

Before he knew it, the commotion from the courtyard had attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Even the trees outside the walls of the Demon Suppression Bureau had men from the commandery’s tea houses crouched in them.

They had received word that Chu Chen had returned.

Each of them had rushed to seize the opportunity, eager to obtain firsthand information.

The tea-house workers perched in the trees, glancing at the situation inside the Demon Suppression Bureau while rapidly scribbling notes on paper with charcoal pencils.

The storytellers did not need to come in person. They were professionals. With only a little information, they could weave it into a stirring, heroic tale.

The people of the Demon Suppression Bureau had also gathered around the courtyard.

Some sighed that, despite having served in the bureau for many years, they had never witnessed anything like this.

Just how much did General Bai Ning dote on Chu Chen? Afraid that something might happen to him if he went out again, she had even captured a demon and brought it to the bureau for him to practice against.

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard held a demon-slaying sword in both hands and offered a different opinion.

“I don’t think this is favoritism. Though I don’t understand how Chu Chen reached the peak of Qi Refining in a single step, he is facing a troublesome spider demon.”

“Didn’t you notice?”

“Chu Chen had only just thrown a punch. Before his spiritual energy had even formed into a fist, the spider demon had already begun dodging.”

Prompted by the bearded man, the crowd immediately noticed.

The spider demon’s evasive movements and Chu Chen’s punches occurred almost simultaneously, one following the other by the tiniest margin.

Without watching closely, no one could detect that subtle difference.

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“How can that be?”

Someone asked the question. The corners of the bearded man’s mouth curled upward, as though he had been waiting for someone to seek his instruction.

“Spiders have eight eyes and are extremely sensitive to light. They can perceive the slightest changes in brightness and darkness in their surroundings.”

“After demonization, they even gain a brief ability to foresee the future, allowing them to see what is about to happen.”

“Chu Chen is using the Bai family boxing style, which he has yet to master. And his opponent is a fourth-tier spider demon. His defeat is inevitable.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man contentedly let out a long breath.

He had put on another fine display.

“Then may I ask you this, fellow warrior? A fourth-tier demon corresponds to the early stage of Spirit Refining.”

“Why do the strands of web hitting Chu Chen seem so weak and powerless?”

The bearded man was rendered speechless. After a moment, he put on an air of profound wisdom and said,

“The answer lies within this battle…”

Not only were the spectators filled with questions—even the spider demon, one of the participants, was completely baffled.

Spiritual energy and demonic energy were similar. The vibration produced as they circulated through the body was called spiritual pressure or demonic might.

A powerful cultivator needed only to release his spiritual pressure to instantly kill entire groups of low-tier demons.

The same was true of the effect produced by a great demon’s demonic might.

The liquid spiritual energy flowing through Chu Chen’s meridians was like a trickle produced by a preschool child, so weak that his spiritual pressure was virtually nonexistent.

Yet demons were far more sensitive to spiritual pressure than human cultivators of the same rank.

In the spider demon’s eyes, Chu Chen was nothing but a weakling.

A single shot should have been enough to pierce his flesh.

Unfortunately, the boy was fast enough that its single shots repeatedly missed.

It switched to barrage mode. Several strands struck their target, yet they felt neither painful nor threatening.

Chu Chen patted his chest.

The Silver-Thread Protective Armor, a corridor-made product. Quality guaranteed. Five gold pieces apiece.

This battle was like an old woman’s bound foot wrappings—smelly and interminably long.

The spider demon could hit Chu Chen, but it could not injure him.

Chu Chen, meanwhile, had yet to land a single blow on the spider demon. His fists were either dodged or intercepted by webs.

The spectators’ enthusiasm gradually cooled.

They had come hoping to witness the prowess of the Demon Suppression Bureau’s young hero. Instead, Chu Chen had made a complete spectacle of himself.

“Is Chu Chen actually any good?”

“He reached the peak of Qi Refining in a single step and instantly killed a fourth-tier demon in Yellow Ridge. Could those rumors have been false?”

“Even if a fourth-tier spider demon is difficult to deal with, if he really is as impressive as the rumors claim, he shouldn’t be fighting this miserably.”

“Do you think it’s possible that Chu Chen is only here because of his connections?”

The Great Ning Dynasty held its imperial examinations once every three years. If someone lacked the talent for scholarship but still wished to become an official, there was always the roundabout route.

First, they could find an unofficial position outside the center of power and build up some experience.

Then, when the opportunity arose, they could enter officialdom.

Such things were hardly unusual in Great Ning.

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“Possible? Chu Chen was personally brought back by Steward Xu.”

“So he’s a connections hire. No wonder he’s in such a hurry to prove himself.”

“After this round of inspections at the Demon Suppression Bureau, I wonder how many positions will open up.”

“What a splendid scheme.”

“Hmph!” The bearded man, who had remained silent for a long time, gave a cold snort.

“A connections hire using a roundabout strategy. He has only himself to blame.”

“I doubt this connections hire will make it through the crisis before him.”

“With General Bai Ning’s temperament, she certainly won’t step in to help.”

Several generals had also come over to join the spectacle. Cao Meng now understood what it meant to possess extraordinary talent.

Talent of this level was nothing to fear.

He spotted Huang Yuan in the crowd, his brows tightly furrowed, and could not help letting out a mocking laugh.

Old Huang, weren’t you standing with Bai Ning?

Weren’t you betting on Chu Chen’s future?

Now that you’ve seen this boy is nothing special, you must regret it terribly.

There was no medicine for regret in this world.

Then again, perhaps there was.

Once I obtain the Abyssal Sword, all you have to do is kneel and beg me. I might even give you a sword strike for free.

Among all the spectators, only Bai Ning showed no emotion whatsoever.

That was because she firmly believed that, regardless of how the battle unfolded, this little demon beast was destined to die beneath Chu Chen’s fists.

As the battle continued, the Silver-Thread Protective Armor reduced the damage he received, allowing Chu Chen to grow increasingly proficient at circulating energy through the Bai family boxing style.

The first three forms had already reached the stage where his thoughts summoned his fists.

But the first three forms alone were not enough to defeat the spider demon.

Chu Chen leaped to one side, dodging the incoming web.

Bracing himself against the ground with one hand, he did not wait for his body to straighten before immediately throwing a punch.

The fist formed from spiritual energy skimmed the ground, sending the white cobblestones rolling upward. Like waves crashing against the shore, they surged toward the spider demon.

As usual, the spider thrust out its rear and sprayed a web, blocking the incoming fist before it.

But the web could not stop the cobblestones.

Every last one of them slammed into the spider demon’s body.

Chu Chen’s eyes lit up.

“Just as I thought.”

“The web is formed from demonic energy. It can block attacks made of spiritual energy, but it can’t stop ordinary stones.”

A bold idea appeared in Chu Chen’s mind.

He intended to suffocate the giant spider to death.

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