In the past two days, after comparing the cultivation levels of various demons on the Demon Hunting List, he could now confirm that his true realm was nothing more than an ordinary, weak, and pitiful peak Qi Refining stage.

However, if he used the aid of the Chaos Pearl, he could reach a state where his sword energy could sever rivers and his intent could communicate with spirits and ghosts, a power comparable to the Spirit Refining stage.

But this time, he did not use the Chaos Pearl. He only borrowed the power of this Li Talisman, and his flame arts were already enough to rival those of the Spirit Refining stage.

Samuel Brooks could not help but feel delighted, thinking to himself, “It seems this tiger demon only stumbled upon the benefits of the Li Talisman by accident, but since it does not understand fire-based arts, it cannot make use of the Talisman’s mysteries. Otherwise, this duel would have been much more troublesome.”

In that instant, Samuel Brooks vaguely wondered: if he used the Chaos Pearl between his brows and then borrowed the Li Talisman, stacking their powers, just how powerful would his flame arts become?

Moreover, the Li Talisman could amplify flame arts tenfold.

So, what kind of arts would the Qian Talisman correspond to?

Chapter 008 Demon Hunting Bureau! Demon-Slaying Officer!

Jinyang County Office.

Samuel Brooks arrived here once again.

Last time, he was accompanied by a young lady from the Jiuxiao Immortal Sect; this time, he came in person to claim his reward.

“Daoist, long time no see.”

Marshal hurried over to greet him, saying, “The people from the Demon Hunting Bureau have already arrived and completed their inspection. They confirmed it was the demon cultivator from the Demon Hunting List. He’s here with your reward, waiting inside.”

Samuel Brooks nodded slightly, then paused and said, “Three constables from Jinyang County Office have gone missing, haven’t they?”

Marshal was taken aback and asked, “How did you know, Daoist?”

Samuel Brooks said, “They died outside the city.”

Marshal exclaimed, “What? They’re dead?”

Samuel Brooks said, “They were killed by George Parker from the Demon Hunting List.”

Marshal was stunned. How could such demons from the Demon Hunting List keep appearing one after another in a small place like Jinyang County?

Samuel Brooks stepped into the county office and continued, “After I repelled George Parker, I took care of their remains. Two li southeast of the city, there’s a ruined temple. Their remains are behind the statue. To prevent the blood from attracting other wild beasts, I also took some precautions.”

Marshal quickly said, “Thank you, Daoist, for your compassion.”

After speaking, he turned to the side and ordered, “Did you hear that? Hurry and get the coroner to collect their bones!”

The other constables nearby responded in haste, and four of them immediately set out.

——

The Demon Hunting Bureau is located in the capital, with thirty-eight civil officials, each in charge of different duties.

Those cultivators who hunt demons outside are called Demon-Slaying Officers.

There are three ranks of Demon-Slaying Officers.

White Robe, Red Robe, and Gold Robe.

These correspond to the three major cultivation realms.

Refining Essence, Refining Qi, and Refining Spirit.

At this moment, inside the county office.

A middle-aged man was dressed in a red robe.

“A Red-Robed Demon-Slaying Officer?”

Samuel Brooks thought to himself, “A cultivator at the Qi Refining stage?”

Thinking this, he did not stop walking and continued forward.

The Red-Robed Demon-Slaying Officer did not put on airs. He came forward with a smile and said, “I am David Turner, an outer sect elder of the Yulong Immortal Sect, currently serving as a Red-Robed Demon-Slaying Officer of the Demon Hunting Bureau. You must be Samuel Brooks, the one who slew the demon cultivator Qiufeng?”

Samuel Brooks saluted and said, “Indeed.”

David Turner returned the salute and said, “I have personally inspected the head of that demon cultivator earlier and confirmed it is Qiufeng, ranked 172nd on the Demon Hunting List. Tonight, I will take it back to Guangshan Region for sealing and then send it to the capital. As for your reward, I have brought it with me. Please check it yourself.”

He took out two wooden boxes from his robe, one long and one short.

Samuel Brooks accepted them and opened the long box. Inside were banknotes of the Great Xia Dynasty, totaling thirty thousand taels of silver.

Even in the face of such a huge sum, Samuel Brooks remained calm as he opened the short box.

Inside were three pills, bright red in color, radiating a faintly scorching aura.

Although Samuel Brooks did not recognize Pure Yang Pills, he could tell these pills were extraordinary and would aid his cultivation.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

David Turner said, “I see that you are quite young, yet you were able to slay the demon cultivator Qiufeng. Truly a prodigy in the Dao. May I ask which sect you hail from?”

Samuel Brooks replied indifferently, “Baihong Temple.”

David Turner was taken aback. He had never heard of this sect, but he could tell it was not a famous immortal sect within Great Xia. It must be a legacy left by some itinerant cultivator.

He pondered for a moment and then said, “Would you be willing to join the Demon Hunting Bureau?”

Upon hearing this, Samuel Brooks raised his eyebrows.

The Demon Hunting Bureau was temporarily established by the Great Xia Dynasty.

Currently, the ones in charge of the Bureau were cultivators from the imperial court.

But when the Bureau was first founded, many cultivators from various sects were also recruited, such as the outer sect elder of the Yulong Immortal Sect before him.

According to the young lady William Clark from the Jiuxiao Immortal Sect, the Demon Hunting Bureau had recently begun to recruit unaffiliated cultivators within Great Xia as well.

For these unaffiliated cultivators, they had no renowned masters to guide them, nor did they possess a complete system of cultivation methods and arts, and they also lacked sufficient cultivation resources.