Upon returning to the burnt temple location, Claire and Grandma Yuan were actually waiting for Jin at the stairs of the underground basement. “Seems like you had more than a good bath,” Claire mentioned as she thoroughly scanned Jin’s body to the point he felt a bit violated from her staring.
“Am I late?” Jin asked as he looked at his storage watch, which indicated he should have a minute to spare.
“No, but I’d like to request something from you.” Grandma Yuan answered as she nodded at Claire as if to signal for her part. Claire brought out a suitcase from her storage ring and opened it right in front of Jin. It was not filled with cash but bars of gold right in front of him.
“I refuse if you want me to lose the fight intentionally. Also please don’t tell me to go easy on them, because I literally went through hell inside the isolation ward.” Jin was quick to refuse what he assumed Grandma Yuan was here before she could say anything.
“Hahahah! I can imagine. The sensory inscription does not exactly operate the same way as a CCTV, but it was able to track the moments in that Isolation Ward. Truth be told, I’d call it a miracle that you managed to survive after all the crazy things that happened inside that Isolation Ward.” Grandma Yuan laughed before she shook her head.
“No, I am not asking you to do anything of that sort. My words are promises. You shall fight one on one against my students and I sincerely expect you to not pull your punches. However, I never specified the location so that’s the part I would like to ask for your help.” Grandma Yuan clarified, and Jin started to realise where this conversation was heading to.
“I see. Even with this amount of money, the materials for resurrection might not cover all four of them and considering they are all fairly high grades, it would be all the more expensive.” Jin pondered out loud and Claire seemed offended by this.
“Grandma Yuan is rich enough, she does not need your pity!” Claire rebutted before Grandma Yuan stopped her.
“Claire, stop it. It’s true I might have that kind of wealth but would be stupid to waste it for such fights when it can be used for far more important matters like funding a certain store’s expenses. Am I right?” Grandma Yuan was sly enough to change the topic.
Claire initially approved when Grandma Yuan had proposed that idea, but after a while, she disillusioned herself that cultivators having a tremendous advantage in life especially Jin, who possessed the System, would be more prideful in nature. She figured Grandma Yuan lowering her tone and proud stance was to please Jin in order for him to get the request acceded.
“Sure, no problem. What kind of landscape do you want the dungeon?” Jin agreed almost immediately, which stunned Claire for a moment.
“You… are not bargaining or anything?” Claire tried to clarify her doubts about Jin, and he shook his head.
“Nope, that gold amount is more than enough for a dungeon instance. Besides, Grandma Yuan has been treating me rather nice ever since I met her despite her tsundere demeanour.” Jin blurted the truth bluntly and Grandma Yuan laughed.
“Hmmph! Cheeky brat watch your words!” Grandma Yuan smirked and walked away, ordering Claire to follow her. “A simple arena will be fine and get the portal ready when I come back here.”
“She means in five!” Claire said.
“Aye Grandma, five is more than enough.” Jin acknowledged as he returned back to the Dungeon Maker and whipped up a dungeon instance as instructed by Grandma Yuan. However, he decided to make it a bit more fanciful despite her instructions to be simple.
The terrain was endless with a few slopes and hills, but the ground was filled with water, similar to the Grand Central experience that Bin Yong and the rest had been in. The water was only ankle level and to avoid the endless pool of water, one had to make for the hills. Jin also did that to give himself a slight disadvantage, especially for the fight against Lein’s since he was an electric user.
“Why does User wish to give a slight handicap to himself?” The System asked and Jin brought up an important point. Trust.
“The moment they enter the portal, the demon exorcist trainees might discerned that its a dungeon instance if everything is in my favour. While they do not know that I might have the System, seeing an obvious advantage that Lein can utilise should be sufficient to gain their trust.” Jin replied.
“Will it?” The System shot the question back at Jin, and he was unable to answer for a moment.
“In any case, I did not do that just for the obvious disadvantage part. I am genuinely afraid of the Demon Snake Cultivator and the Nine Tailed Fox Demon. The shallow water should provide me with sufficient clues to know where they are coming from.” Jin explained his rationale and once again the System rebutted his claims.
“The Demon Snake Cultivator and the Nine Tailed Fox Demons are highly likely to use the small hills as cover and as a platform to jump on User. System recommends User to not be stupid and give himself unnecessary disadvantages.” The System stated, and it made sense when Jin considered the System’s opinions.
After all, it did witness the thirty seconds fight till the end and had probably formed some analytical report given the trainee’s performance. Moreover, the System should benefit the most from analysing them in the dungeon instance.
“Fine, fine. Give me a nice scenery then. Maybe the beach or something.” Jin passed the task over, and immediately the System recreated the entire dungeon instance to show a neverending skyline of the sea in the beyond and the beach he requested.
But as for the sandy beach part, it was spacious up to a 100 metres wide before a high cliff blocked the entire view. “Tall cliffs on on side and the ocean on the other side with an endless beach strip. Seems pretty enough and it gives the challengers options to choose whether they want to fight at the sandy beach, sky or sea. I accept this instance.” Jin smiled weakly at the System’s design.
“Of course, System will never manufacture inferior products.” The System boasted itself in front of Jin, and he sighed with a light smile once more.
Jin reappeared back at the temple hall in time and saw Claire escorting the trainees as well as Grandma Yuan into the area. “You could have just waited here, Grandma Yuan.” Jin mentioned with a little concern since she did not have to walk out to get her students. She seemed to be quite soft on the inside when it came to her students.
“Mind your own matters. Have you selected the location already?” Grandma Yuan questioned.
“Heh! He better selects one that will give him an advantage or else it might be too boring for us in a one to one fight. Am I right guys?” Rong, the Ox Demon Cultivator sniggered as he looked down upon Jin.
How much difference could three days of training really make? It’s not like he could have improved in grade, right? Besides, he heard that Jin had remained in the Isolation Ward the whole time. With no light, food or supplies, one could only cultivate within that room.
Unlike him, the demon exorcist trainees returned to their respective Royal Zodiac Clans to train under the closest scrutiny. Yes, all four of them hailed from various Royal Zodiac Clans, and they happened to have an affinity with the variant Zodiac animals which prompted them to learn these Demon Cultivations.
Each clan not only had a Main Family and Branch Families but there would always be another House related to the Royal Zodiac Clan family made up of either Monster Slayers or Demon Exorcists. This had been mandated by the Jade Emperor when he first started up to counter against the ever ongoing monster hordes that plagued the earth.
Hence, these minor Houses within the Royal Clans were called the Extermination Houses. There was even a joint organisation that handled these minor Houses to coordinate joint monster extermination efforts in the country.
Grandma Yuan happened to be Shenzhen’s best and was also ranked amongst the world’s top 100 most experienced demon exorcist instructors. For this reason, despite her little known post as the Tiangong District Guardian, she carried significant influence in Shenzhen. It was at her own request that she maintained the title as the District Guardian due to personal reasons.
Rong was from the Royal Zodiac Ox clan. Su Zhen hailed from the Royal Zodiac Snake clan while Lian cultivating the Nine Tailed Fox Demon cultivation style came from the Royal Zodiac Dog clan. Lastly, Lein who practised the QIlin Demon Cultivation Style was from the prestigious Royal Zodiac Horse clan.
Within the past three days, they had not received any instructions from Grandma Yuan. Hence, they sought out their clan’s own instructors to spar and consumed food that had high spiritual powers to rejuvenate their spiritual cultivation and body. Other fellow clan mates had also come to assist them with their training so they could practice what Grandma Yuan and their parents had taught.
As compared to Jin, they had been living the heavenly life while Jin had been in the hellish pits of a closed, isolated ward battling for his life continuously without any stop.
Not to mention, the cold soba noodles in the Emerald Mountain Hot Spring Instance had been the first meal he got to enjoy in these three days (actually a week, counting in the time dilation). And let’s not forget about his emergency surgery though it proved to be an upgrade he sorely needed.
When they reached the other end of the portal, all six of them, including Grandma Yuan was taken aback by the beautiful sun setting in the horizon. They found themselves inside a cave inside the cliffside, wide enough for everyone to line up at the opening to watch the sunset. The temperature was cooling enough so that one could snuggle in bed just to enjoy the sea breeze.
“This is an isolated, disclosed place that I found. We can fight along the beach below and to the sea if any one of you wants to do that.” Jin pretended to state that this paradise looking place was found by him even though there was a high chance they knew it was a dungeon instance.
“Amazing place! Which part of China is this place located at?” Lian asked as she tried to turn on her GPS to check, but there was no signal at all.
“Don’t bother looking, this place is isolated enough to have our battles uninterrupted,” Jin answered as he asked who would be the one to face him first.
Rong raised his hand up immediately and Jin wasn’t too surprised, especially when he had taken the initiative to attack him before the others had had the chance. “So, is he the typical ‘let me fight them all’ kind of person?” Jin wondered as he gladly let Rong entered the Beach first.
“Ox Demon Cultivator Rong has reached Grade 5 Peak as compared to the first time you battled with him. The System will continue to collect information with regards to these Demon Style Cultivators.” The System noted and Jin nodded his head, but before he left for the battlefield, Jin asked Grandma Yuan if she needed a chair to watch over the battle.
“Heh! Imprudent fool! I already brought my own chair.” Grandma Yuan coughed as Claire took out the very same majestic looking chair from her storage ring she had used to oversee the 30 seconds battle. She even prepared a teacup and placed it at the side of the chair.
“Now, don’t act all concerned about me. This isn’t anything like the previous you, and I despise being treated like an old weakly grandma by a greenhorn. So stop sucking up to me, it won’t bring you any extra merit points.” Grandma Yuan attacked Jin with her stinging words.
Jin, in return, shrugged his shoulder and took a rope and a modern pulley system out from his storage ring and tied it at the side of the cave. (Jin had actually made it beforehand when the System created this place for him.)
The dungeon supplier then slowly descended down the cliff, making Rong waited impatiently for him. “Oei, slowpoke! Can you hurry up?! Dragging out your demise will not help you any further! Just get down fast, and we can start the fight or else I will come after you immediately!”
“Huh? Me? No, I’m just actually being helpful enough to make sure the rope is strong enough to withstand your corpse after I kill you. After all, Grandma Yuan needs to see the evidence that you died. Besides, you know you cannot do that. It is a sacred part of the rite of the duel to wait for the person to acknowledge your duelling request, else it won’t be valid.” Jin lectured as he finally climbed down from the cliff.
“Who the hell invented such rules? I never heard of such rules from my instructors at all?” Rong sounded unsure of the truthfulness of Jin’s words as he folded his arms.
“Me. I invented those rules like just now.” Jin smirked shamelessly handed a peace sign at Rong and made him mad on the spot. “And your instructors? Grandma Yuan is not the only one teaching you? Do you need more than one person to explain to you how to hit and kick and such?” Jin taunted him as he took out Bam and Boo in katana and Wakizashi form and tied them at the side of his waist with a makeshift holster.
“You piece of rotten scum! I have no more words for you!” Rong took out a well ornated two handed hammer that had two bull horns at the cheek of it. With a pull and push trigger on the Hammer’s stick, it seemed like the chi from Rong’s body got inserted into the Bull Horned Hammer, and continuous steam was venting out of the hammer.
“Begin!” Grandma Yuan voice echoed in that quiet beach which Rong took the initiative.
