Sword Dao Minor Success: Heart and sword move as one; no technique surpasses the ultimate technique. Any swordsman, no matter how skilled, cannot last more than a single exchange against you. At this level, within a few hundred paces, claiming a head is as easy as reaching into your pocket. You have initially grasped the essence of sword intent.
Have the times changed? No, they haven’t!
Wow.
That long description about Sword Dao Minor Success—honestly, for Su Fan right now, it’s not exactly a game-changer.
Killing someone in an instant within a few hundred paces? He can already do that with his Sword Control art.
If anything, this is just a substitute skill that does roughly the same thing when he can’t use his divine abilities.
But those six words—”initially grasped the essence of sword intent”—that’s a whole different story.
Any skill that touches on the realm of pure willpower has an incredibly high ceiling.
Not only does it grant special buffs to himself, but it also exerts considerable mental pressure on his enemies.
Against weaker spirits, just releasing his sword intent alone might be enough to shred them into nothingness.
Su Fan scrolled down in his mind.
[You used Demon Slayer, completely erasing the existence of the demon god Marbas.]
[Demon Slayer +300!]
[The effect of the divine ability Demon Slayer has been enhanced.]
That’s it?
Staring at such a brief notification, Su Fan felt a strong urge to scratch his head.
Compared to the explanations and descriptions of his other skills, Demon Slayer’s entry was brutally simple and straightforward.
Enhanced? How much was enhanced? There wasn’t even a concrete number.
Well, grumbling aside, Su Fan was still quite satisfied.
After taking that lightning-infused Demon Slayer strike, Paimon could only slink back and quietly recover in slumber.
If any other demon god had taken that hit, they’d be in for a world of pain.
[You used the divine ability Er Qu to stop the Ghost Nun’s sudden attack.]
[Er Qu +100]
[Through repeated use of Er Qu in combat, you have mastered this divine ability. You can now control targets with greater precision and in larger numbers.]
Greater precision in more intricate parts…
Earlier, Su Fan had already been able to target specific body parts with Er Qu and Zhao Lai.
He’d used that very trick to prevent Paimon from forcing Peter’s mother to commit suicide.
Now, with even finer control and higher capacity, not only would he be even more adept in future fights, but it would also open up many unexpected applications.
After reading everything, Su Fan carefully double-checked and confirmed that he hadn’t gained any new divine abilities.
In the past, he might have felt a bit disappointed.
But after shifting his mindset, Su Fan actually thought this was for the best.
Bite off more than you can chew, and you’ll choke. For now, it was better to focus on fully mastering all his current skills.
Once he could use his many divine abilities and techniques in creative and unexpected ways, his combat power would rise to another level entirely.
On top of that, there were improvements in his cultivation.
His Jade Pure Realm progress had increased from 18% to 29%.
With this advancement, both his internal spiritual energy reserves and his soul power had grown accordingly.
Now, the range of his divine sense covered a full square li around him.
That meant everything within a five-hundred-meter radius was well within his perception, as clear as if he were watching it with his own eyes.
Combined with his Sword Control art, he could now truly eliminate enemies from a long distance.
Su Fan was thoroughly satisfied and was about to exit the interface when he suddenly remembered that he’d forgotten to check one crucial piece of data.
[You slew one of the seventy-two demon gods in the mortal realm. During the intense battle, you have almost completely adapted to your enhanced body.]
[Body Strength +16]
[Vitality +20]
[Recovery Speed +100%]
[Your physical condition is now perfect.]
After reading that, Su Fan’s mood lifted considerably.
After the three rehabilitation sessions, his recovery speed had already increased by 150%.
That meant he’d cut his recovery time by more than half. Once he was fully healed, he could use his divine abilities without having to carefully ration them like before.
When that time comes, I’ll strike out with full force against the remaining demon gods still roaming the mortal realm!
If you’re from Hell, then stay in Hell. Is the mortal world some kind of playground for you to wander around in?
Wait…
Su Fan suddenly noticed a detail in the system prompt.
It specifically said “in the mortal realm.”
Why emphasize the location?
Could it be that there’s a significant difference between demon gods in the mortal realm and demon gods in Hell?
“That must be it.”
The more Su Fan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Perhaps no matter what form a demon takes when descending to the mortal realm, its power would inevitably be diminished to some degree.
Otherwise, exorcists who were much weaker than Su Fan wouldn’t stand a chance against such formidable demons.
Put another way, even Paimon in its perfect vessel state wasn’t fighting at full strength.
Thinking about this, Su Fan felt a bit wistful.
It seemed that when he’d fought Paimon, he’d really had the advantage of timing, location, and support.
But he didn’t let that discourage him.
Demons had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years to reach that level of power—he’d only been cultivating for less than a year.
In a few years, even if Paimon recovered and descended in its true form, Su Fan wouldn’t fear it.
But before that… let’s get some rest first…
Su Fan pulled a pillow over, adjusted into a comfortable position, closed his eyes, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
—
Inside the antique shop, Ron was sitting in the rocking chair behind the counter, leaning forward with her upper body resting on the countertop, staring blankly at her phone.
It had been almost a full day since Su Fan left.
Still no news.
Thinking back, it had been about half a month since she’d sensed that Su Fan needed help and rushed to Los Angeles.
The Mayfair family probably had a mountain of documents piled up, waiting for her to sign.
But that wasn’t really an issue.
The family business was run by those members who lacked psychic abilities but had business acumen maxed out.
Ron didn’t need to know much about that side of things—just keep signing, approving projects left and right.
Money flowed in like water, constantly replenishing the family’s trust fund.
When you’re rich, any business turns a profit—not because you never miss, but because out of a hundred ventures, there’s bound to be one that rakes in a fortune for investors.
Compared to family affairs, she was actually more worried about Su Fan’s safety.
Anxious and restless, Ron both wanted to call him and feared that her inquiries would annoy him. So she could only sit there, fretting helplessly.
That was when Scarlett called, letting Ron know that things on Su Fan’s end were just about wrapped up.
As for her source, it came straight from Anne Hathaway, who’d been there in person.
Unlike the warm relationship Ron had with Anne, it seemed Scarlett and Anne didn’t exactly see eye to eye.
When Anne mentioned Su Fan staying with her, Ron could almost hear a hint of resentment and defiance through the phone.
Hearing that Su Fan was safe and sound, Ron finally relaxed.
“Don’t you have any particular thoughts about it?”
“What thoughts? I’m not his girlfriend—I don’t have the right to pry. As a friend, as long as I know he’s okay, that’s enough.”
Ron and Scarlett didn’t chat for long before hanging up, and she set her phone down on the counter.
She tried to read a book, but she just couldn’t focus. In the end, she could only lay her head down and zone out.
But lying with her chest pressed against the counter hurt, and she couldn’t help feeling more and more irritated.
“Ding-dong…”
A text message alert rang out. Ron jolted upright, grabbed her phone, read the incoming message, and a smile spread across her face.
[All went well. Be back soon.]
