Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

At the entrance to the secret chamber, two martial artists, armed with swords, entered. They had been waiting for their prey for quite a while.

This secret chamber had been discovered by others, but it was impenetrable. The two men believed that the contents of the chamber must be even more valuable due to its fortifications.

Therefore, with that thought in mind, and the fighting outside growing increasingly fierce, they had chosen to stay here, ready to play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole following close behind.

"Put the stuff down, you snotty little brat who hasn't even grown a full set of hair, what right do you have to touch anything here?"

"That's right, everything here is ours!"

Upon entering the chamber and seeing the box filled with glittering gold, silver, and jewels, their eyes lit up with nothing but greed.

Even, between them, glances began to carry a hint of wariness.

"Get lost!"

The swordsman with the knife pushed Gu Chen aside as he approached, squatting down with eyes only for the treasure. He scooped up an armful, exclaiming joyously, "Fantastic, we've struck it rich! There's so much treasure here."

The other, wielding a sword, came forward and squatted down like his companion, their eyes glowing as they fantasized about the wonderful life they would lead once they obtained the treasure.

Unaware of their surroundings, the two stood there, entranced, smiling foolishly for quite some time.

Gu Chen felt somewhat reluctant to shatter their daydreams, but staying put was not an option. "Gentlemen," he voiced, "perhaps it's time to snap out of it?"

At his words, the two snapped out of their reverie. Irritated at being interrupted by Gu Chen, they glared at him and snapped, "You little pest, what are you babbling about? Mind your manners or I'll cut you down!"

"Gentlemen, I found this place first. You barged in without a word and started taking things; isn't that a bit impolite?" Gu Chen said.

"Polite?"

The pair exchanged a look, then burst into haughty laughter, finding Gu Chen's naivety amusing. They then sneered at him, saying, "Alright, we might as well teach you a lesson today. That's how the world works: the one with the stronger fist makes the rules. It doesn't matter if we rob you of your goods or even kill you—what can you do about it?"

"While we're still in a good mood, scram!" the two said impatiently, shooing Gu Chen away as if he were a pesky fly.

Though aware that Gu Chen had the strength to open the chamber door, they thought little of it. So what?

In the martial world, there are plenty of strong folks. A blacksmith has the strength to hammer iron, but are they a match for a warrior?

Having strength doesn't mean much; as long as the two of them avoided a head-on confrontation and fought Gu Chen guerrilla-style, they were certain he could do nothing to them.

Bear in mind, both had reached the realm where their meridians were clear, having unlocked twenty-three meridian channels within their bodies. Among all those who rushed here, they considered their strengths to be non-negligible.

Most importantly, seeing Gu Chen's youthful appearance, not more than twenty or so, they assumed his strength couldn't be significant—how could it surpass theirs, when they had been practicing martial arts for decades?

Even if their martial prowess was somewhat similar, they could still wear Gu Chen down gradually by leveraging their numerical advantage.

It must be said, their greed blinded them; their eyes and minds were filled only with visions of gold and silver.

Hearing their words, Gu Chen nodded and said, "So, might makes right, correct?"

"Now that you understand, get the hell out of here and stop dawdling. I'm tempted to slice you up," said the swordsman with the knife, visibly irritated.

Gu Chen kept his expression calm, replying indifferently, "Since we're talking about strength, then please leave."

"What did you sa..."

Their ire was palpable as they eyed Gu Chen furiously, but before they could finish their sentence, Gu Chen casually sent out a palm strike. A surge of air swept through the chamber, blasting the two of them out the door.

Thump!

Tossed from the chamber by Gu Chen, they tumbled on the ground like rolling gourds, finally coming to a stop covered in dust.

Lying face down on the ground, their eyes revealed utter confusion. They were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend how Gu Chen, so young, could possess such strength.

"How terrifying," one of them muttered. "Could he be... an old monster?"

"That... that can't be possible..."

The duo lay there, afraid to rise, dreading another strike from Gu Chen that could cost them their lives.

In their minds, they labeled Gu Chen as an old monster.

Strong young fighters existed, but they were famed in the rankings, recognizable figures, and it was improbable they wouldn't know them.

To them, Gu Chen's youthful appearance and great power, absent from the rankings, could only mean he was an old monster.

Gu Chen ignored the two men, flipping through the medicinal pills. As he opened the bottles, many of the pills turned to dust upon exposure to the air.

Gu Chen shook his head, deciding not to inspect further, as the pills were mostly beyond use. Then, his attention shifted to the box of treasures.

"What a pity, it would have been nice to have a storage ring." Gu Chen's face showed regret, imagining if he had a storage ring like those described in novels from his previous life, he could've taken all the treasure with him.

Unfortunately, he had no such item. Not to mention him, even the Jing Tian Department or the entire region of Jiuzhou may not have such spatial artifacts.

Gu Chen had never heard of one, at any rate.

Fortunately, Gu Chen wasn't someone who was extremely covetous of wealth, and he hadn't come here for money.

Besides, while he couldn't take away all the treasures, Gu Chen wasn't going to leave empty-handed. He started by pocketing the thick stack of banknotes, easily amounting to at least tens of thousands of taels.

Then, he picked out some gold and silver jewelry, choosing items that looked valuable and were easy to carry.

After taking the most precious items, Gu Chen closed the box and left the place.

On his way out, he made sure to close the great door of the secret chamber.

The remaining treasures, Gu Chen decided to leave for someone with destiny on their side.

The two men were still not daring to rise from the ground; seeing Gu Chen passing without a glance and not taking the entire box with him, their hearts leapt in delight at the thought of going back to scavenge what was left.

But, reaching the door of the secret chamber and finding it firmly closed, they were stunned.

Unaware of those men's baffled actions, Gu Chen walked deeper, patting the banknotes and jewelry snug against his body, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "No matter how you look at it, I'm now a scion of wealth, right?"

With these riches, even if he left the Jing Tian Department, finding life in another city would be more than comfortable.

Of course, this was a mere jest.

Continuing on his way, the number of corpses Gu Chen encountered increased, and soon, the sounds of fighting he had heard were now distinctly clear. He saw a large hall not far ahead, where a throng of martial artists were engaged in a chaotic battle, clearly contesting for something.