Chapter 1 A New Beginning

The Chen family residence in Bai County, inside the main house.

Xu Jingming sat in the small courtyard when he suddenly heard a "dong, dong, dong" knocking on the door.

"Young master," a voice came from outside.

Only then did Xu Jingming get up, pull open the wooden bolt, and open the courtyard door. Standing outside was a slightly hunched, weathered man. The hunched man's hair was disheveled, and his eyes peered around through the strands, making the surroundings seem a bit colder.

However, when he looked at Xu Jingming, his gaze was much warmer.

"Young master," the hunched old servant called out.

"Uncle Seven," Xu Jingming replied.

In this world, Chen Qi was closest to this old servant, 'Uncle Seven.' Uncle Seven's full name was Wu Qi, and he was the steward that Chen Qi's mother had brought from her maiden family! Utterly loyal, he had been serving this young master Chen Qi for many years.

If it weren't for Wu Qi, Chen Qi's life in the Chen family would have been much more difficult.

"Young master, there's something I need to tell you," the hunched old servant, Wu Qi, said solemnly.

"What is it?" Xu Jingming asked.

"I often go to sweep Miss's grave, clear weeds, and repair the tomb," Wu Qi said, his eyes turning cold. "But I discovered yesterday that the Chen family actually sent people to dig up Miss's coffin, preparing to move the grave."

"Move the grave?" Xu Jingming's expression changed slightly. He felt a wisp of obsession in his mind immediately become much stronger, even somewhat manic.

"The Wu family has caused a great disaster, and the Chen family is afraid of being implicated, so they are trying their best to clear their relationship," Wu Qi nodded. "But I didn't expect the Chen family to be so ruthless in their actions. Miss has been dead for more than ten years, and they can still do this, even moving the grave."

"Young master, don't worry. In the past two days, I've already asked an expert to reselect a blessed plot of land so that Miss can rest in peace," Wu Qi said.

"Thanks to Uncle Seven."

Xu Jingming felt the surging obsession in his mind. "Is this the obsession remaining in the body after descending into the Demon Subduing World?" Xu Jingming had learned before entering that the Demon Subduing World was created to temper and improve one's 'mind and consciousness,' so the original owner of the body that one descended into would retain an obsession.

"Chen Qi's obsession is…"

Xu Jingming felt it very clearly, "To make a name for himself! To become famous! To make his father and the Chen family regret it! Even if they begged him to return, he would never go back."

His actions couldn't violate the 'obsession.' The more he violated it, the more severe the obsession's backlash would be, and it would be normal to end up with a mental breakdown or going insane.

Fortunately… this obsession wasn't difficult.

He also had no intention of flattering the Chen family. Just knowing what he knew now made Xu Jingming dislike this Chen family. To fulfill the obsession, he would do things beautifully.

With his mind made up, the obsession immediately calmed down and became much smoother.

"Uncle Seven," Xu Jingming said, "Today, Chen Shian gave me a hundred taels of silver, forcing me to leave the Chen family and fend for myself."

"Only gave a hundred taels?" Wu Qi couldn't help but say.

Xu Jingming nodded.

Wu Qi gritted his teeth and said, "The dowry Miss brought, and the silver she earned for the Chen family over the years, have all become the Chen family's! The eight thousand taels of silver Miss left for you before her death, your father Chen Shian swore in front of Miss that he would give them to you when you turned eighteen. He has been delaying it, and now he's giving you a hundred taels to let you fend for yourself?"

Wu Qi was furious.

He felt it wasn't worth it for Miss!

"I don't even want this hundred taels," Xu Jingming said, "Let's pack up and leave the Chen family today."

Wu Qi's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Good, young master. No matter where you go, this old servant will always follow you. Moreover, Miss realized Chen Shian's true nature back then, so she secretly hid five thousand taels of silver with me! I've been keeping it safe for you, young master."

Xu Jingming was slightly stunned.

Chen Qi's deceased mother had actually prepared for this? "Before Miss married, she had only seen Chen Shian twice. He looked good and had a decent reputation. Who would have thought that it was all Chen Shian's disguise?" Wu Qi shook his head. "Forget it. Now that we're leaving the Chen family, whether we're in Bai County or go to another place, with this silver and this old servant, young master will definitely be able to live well."

"Alright," Xu Jingming nodded. "Let's pack up first."

"Some of Miss's belongings must also be taken along," Wu Qi said.

Soon, after packing some simple clothes and other items, Xu Jingming and Wu Qi left together.

Xu Jingming and Wu Qi passed through courtyard after courtyard, walking along corridors. Along the way, some guards and maids saw Xu Jingming and Wu Qi carrying packages, and they were all a bit puzzled.

When they reached the front yard.

"Chen Qi!" A furious shout rang out.

Xu Jingming turned his head to look. A young man with an arrogant expression, accompanied by some subordinates, pointed at Xu Jingming and shouted, "You and your old servant are carrying packages. Are you planning to leave the Chen family?"

Xu Jingming didn't say much and continued walking outward.

"Stop!"

The young man shouted coldly, "You two are sneaking around with packages. Who knows if you've stolen any of my Chen family's property? Someone, check their packages!"

"Chen Shuwen," Xu Jingming looked at him, "Aren't you going too far?"

"I'm afraid that the Chen family's property will be stolen by you. Go, check their packages," the young man ordered. As the grandson of the clan leader, Chen Shuwen had much more power in the Chen family than Chen Qi.

With his order, guards immediately stepped forward, wanting to take action.

"Get lost!"

The hunched old servant, Wu Qi, who had been standing behind Xu Jingming, suddenly took a step forward. Accompanied by a shout, the blade at his waist flashed, disappearing in an instant! The five guards who had approached were sent flying.

These guards fell to the ground, each spitting out blood, filled with disbelief. Just now, they couldn't block it at all. The back of the blade swept across their chests, and they were sent flying.

Chen Shuwen couldn't believe it even more. "How can this old servant be so powerful?"

Xu Jingming watched this scene, thinking, "Wu Qi's saber technique must be in the super-first-class realm. The actual combat bonus is probably around 30 times." His eyesight was incredibly sharp, and he judged the strength of that saber strike.

"You old hunchback…" Chen Shuwen couldn't believe it. At this moment, Chen Shian, having received the news, finally arrived.

Wu Qi coldly swept his gaze across Chen Shuwen and Chen Shian, and said, "Next time I draw my saber, it won't be the back of the blade."

This made the five guards quite frightened.

Yes, if he had used the blade's edge just now, all five of them would have been dead.

"Second Uncle," Chen Shuwen said through gritted teeth, "Look, Chen Qi and his old servant are sneaking around with packages, trying to escape from the Chen family. I asked people to check their packages, and this old hunchback actually injured several guards."

Chen Shian's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Xu Jingming. "Chen Qi, I just slapped you once, and you're leaving today?"

"The hundred taels of silver you gave me are in the house," Xu Jingming said.

"You don't even want a hundred taels?" Chen Shian laughed. "You have some backbone! Wu Qi, you came to the Chen family with my wife. For so many years, you've been a servant of my Chen family! Without my permission, how can you leave?"

Chen Shian was also secretly surprised.

For so many years, he hadn't realized that Wu Qi had such strength?

"A servant of the Chen family?" Wu Qi sneered. "Does the Chen family have my indenture? When Miss married over, she tore up my indenture herself. On the first day I came to the Chen family, I was a free man! I've never been a servant of your Chen family."

Chen Shian's expression changed slightly. "So that's how it is."

"Chen Qi, once you leave the Chen family, you're no longer a member of the Chen family," Chen Shuwen shouted. "Don't go around using the Chen family's name to swindle and deceive people."

"A member of the Chen family?" Xu Jingming glanced around. "Today, I'll make things clear here. From now on, I… will no longer be named Chen! I have nothing to do with your Chen family anymore."

After speaking, Xu Jingming led Wu Qi towards the door. None of the guards dared to stop them.

Chen Shuwen and Chen Shian watched the two leave.

"Second Uncle, you're amazing," Chen Shuwen flattered. "With a slap, Chen Qi really obediently left the Chen family."

"I'm doing this for the family," Chen Shian shook his head. "For the sake of the family, I naturally have to abandon this son. Let's just pretend that this son was never born." As he spoke, he turned and left.

Soon, Chen Shian arrived at Chen Qi's residence. "Hmm?"

Chen Shian saw a packet of silver placed on the table in the house. "A hundred taels of silver, he really didn't take it? Just as stubborn as his mother! This hundred taels is enough for me to drink at a brothel several times."

As he spoke, he hummed a little tune, picked up the packet of silver, and left.

"Wu Qi, that hunchback, has such strength?" The Chen family's old patriarch frowned slightly when he heard the news. "What a pity, what a pity that he can't be used by my Chen family. That little shrew from the Wu family actually tore up Wu Qi's indenture long ago. Her heart was never with my Chen family!"

The Chen family's old patriarch's eyes turned cold.

"Father," Chen Shuwen said, "What do we do next?"

"Spread the news that Chen Qi has run away from home! Publicly declare that he has severed ties with the Chen family and will no longer be named Chen," the Chen family's old patriarch said. "Since he wants to sever ties, it's only natural that we remove him from the family tree."

"Originally, removing him from the family tree would have required some effort, but now we have a good reason," the Chen family's old patriarch chuckled softly.

Chen Shuwen nodded.

Bai County, a secluded residence.

"Young master, this old servant usually moves around outside and occasionally stays here," Wu Qi opened the lock and pushed open the door. "Although it's not big, it's quite quiet. Young master, please make do for a day or two. In a day or two, I'll rent a larger residence."

"No need, I think this is quite good."

Xu Jingming looked around, quite satisfied.

Moreover, he didn't plan to stay in Bai County for long. He still had to go to the Qi family in Cheng'an Prefecture to find the Demon Subduer, Qi Xiao. This was something that Senior Brother Red-Eyed asked him to help with, and since he had already paid the reward, he naturally had to take care of it as soon as possible.

"Young master has grown up," Wu Qi was quite happy to see his young master's appearance. He was still worried that the young master would be too traumatized. "Young master, you rest first. I'll go buy some food and come back."

"Thank you, Uncle Seven," Xu Jingming said.

Wu Qi, because he was a small beggar adopted by the Wu family back then, his exact age was unknown, but his age should be about the same as Chen Qi's mother's, because he was just a teenager when he first entered the Wu family.

Estimating, he was around forty years old.

"Around forty years old, but he looks much more weathered," Xu Jingming thought to himself, then entered the house and arranged all the items in the package.

Night fell.

Xu Jingming rested in the main room.

"It's time to cultivate the Demon Subduing secret technique," Xu Jingming sat cross-legged on the bed.

In the Demon Subduing World, countless mortals were just soil. The most powerful were the Demon Subduers and the demons.

Demons were born from people's obsessions, drawing on the demonic energy of heaven and earth. As long as the obsession didn't dissipate, the demon would be immortal! Therefore, even if the demon's body was destroyed, seemingly annihilating everything, it was still necessary to 'destroy the demon's obsession.' The process of destroying the obsession was 'mind refining demons.'

Either the Demon Subduer's mind was stronger, completely destroying the demon's obsession and causing the demon to dissipate.

Or the demon was better, failing to refine the demon, and the Demon Subduer's mind would be injured!

"So, in the Demon Subduing World, subduing demons is a very dangerous thing," Xu Jingming thought. "If you're not strong enough and get killed, then you'll need to spend another 100 million to create a new account."

Dying once cost 100 million cosmic dollars. "Even for an eighth-order cosmic lifeform, the cost of dying once is quite painful," Xu Jingming thought. "Even if you defeat the demon, but during the mind refining process, you're defeated by the demon's obsession… then your mind will be injured, and the consequences will be even more serious! Like Senior Brother Red-Eye, who has the inheritance of the Primordial Star Conjecture lineage, his mind and consciousness will need to be recuperated for five years if injured. Ordinary eighth-order cosmic lifeforms will generally suffer even more severely when their minds and consciousness are injured."

Every eighth-order cosmic lifeform has a very strong earning ability!

It's just that most of their time needs to be spent on the 'path of evolution' or the affairs of their home civilization. The time and energy they actually use to earn money are limited.

So, 100 million cosmic dollars is still a bit painful for them.

Of course, 'mind and consciousness being injured' is a trouble that every eighth-order cosmic lifeform is unwilling to encounter. This is a much greater price to pay than '100 million cosmic dollars.'

"Demon subduing is divided into two steps."

"First, directly kill the demon. Second, then use mind refining to destroy the demon's obsession. These two steps are more difficult than the last," Xu Jingming thought. "But first, you must have the strength to subdue demons."

"The thirty-two secret techniques passed down by Senior Brother Red-Eye, among them, there are two based on the *Primordial Star Conjecture - Light Rays*, which are the *Great Sun Demon Subduing Diagram* and the *Myriad Star Demon Refining Scroll*."

"I originally had a deep understanding of the *Light Rays*, and what resonates most with my comprehension is the *Myriad Star Demon Refining Scroll*."

Xu Jingming nodded slightly.

"Then, in the Demon Subduing World, I will use the *Myriad Star Demon Refining Scroll* as the core technique."

Closing his eyes, Xu Jingming began to slowly spread his mental power, spreading it to the roof and touching the moonlight above the nine heavens. "Using the mind to leverage the power of the Taiyin, and then converting it through the myriad star array in the body, refining the Taiyin magic power, and building the foundation."

Xu Jingming thought to himself, "This is very similar to leveraging the cosmic origin power with the mind in reality! It's just that the power of the moon is far inferior to the cosmic origin power in terms of level."

As time passed, strands of Taiyin power were drawn into the body by mental power, and after layers of conversion within the body, they finally turned into Taiyin magic power!

The moment a drop of cold Taiyin magic power was born, Xu Jingming's speed of absorbing Taiyin power suddenly increased.

Above the roof, the Taiyin light constantly penetrated the roof tiles, flying into the house and pouring into Xu Jingming's body.

In the courtyard.

Wu Qi sat by the stone table when he suddenly sensed something. He saw a layer of flowing, colorful moonlight on the roof, the moonlight as thick as water, constantly penetrating the roof tiles.

"This is…" Wu Qi's body trembled, filled with surprise. "Drawing on the power of heaven and earth, refining Demon Subduing magic power?"

"Young master, is young master cultivating the Demon Subduing secret technique?" Wu Qi was uncontrollably excited.

"Miss, are you watching? Young master has obtained a secret inheritance and become a Demon Subduer," Wu Qi's eyes welled up with tears.