How can I have a heart of a demonic god in my body?!

"But there's another possibility: you haven't offended anyone, and the assassin didn't come after you for a bounty."

Yuan Chen's expression became serious, and his voice lowered a few notches.

Chen Yu looked shocked.

Not having offended anyone, not being targeted for a bounty, yet still having someone come to kill him—that was too unjust.

"Brother Yuan Chen, you're not joking, are you?"

Chen Yu let out a dry laugh.

Who would have a reason to target him for no reason and send someone to kill him?

"Now that you have become the disciple of the vice headmaster, you might grow to be one of Yun Zhao Country's powerful figures in the future, so to some forces, you are also a potential threat."

Yuan Chen explained slowly.

"Some forces?"

Chen Yu seemed to catch something in those words and looked very surprised.

If he were to become a powerhouse in Yun Zhao Country, he would pose a threat to certain forces.

Then these forces must be standing against Yun Zhao Country.

Who would dare oppose Yun Zhao Country when the entire nation is unified under imperial rule?

"In the past, this ancient country was dominated by sects."

Yuan Chen spoke with a meaningful tone.

In an instant, Chen Yu understood.

Although the original Yun Zhao Holy Emperor swept through the eight wastes and purged the sects to unify the ancient states,

the sects of old were too powerful to be completely eradicated.

Many sects compromised with the imperial power, some retreated into seclusion in the mountains, and others went underground continuing certain activities.

"The country has been peaceful for ten thousand years; the imperial power is no longer as domineering as before, and internal strife exists. These remaining sect forces continue to stubbornly grow and flourish. Many geniuses have been secretly killed by them in the past…"

Yuan Chen sighed.

He himself had faced such assassination attempts before. Now, with his formidable power, assassinating Yuan Chen would cost a significant price, and those hidden sect forces wouldn't dare be so brazen.

"It seems I have to keep a low profile."

Chen Yu chuckled.

If what Yuan Chen said was indeed the case, then the fact that the opposition knew Chen Yu's whereabouts and ambushed him meant that No Demon Academy might be harboring these sect spies as insiders.

"If you suspect anyone, disciple, you can tell me. We might be able to catch a spy."

Yuan Chen said with a smile.

Those hidden sect spies were extremely skilled at concealment; they rarely acted personally and usually just passed on information.

Catching one would yield a substantial reward.

After chatting a while longer, Chen Yu left.

He went to the Wumo Sub-Hall, including No Demon Main Hall, to collect the rare materials for the fifth elixir recipe.

The other supplementary materials were straightforward; the key was the three main materials, one of which, the Thunder Stone, Chen Yu had. What he lacked were Thunder Liquid and Thunder Iron Claw, the latter of which could be substituted with other durable materials from Thunder-type demon beasts.

After a day of running around.

Finally, Chen Yu managed to gather a small amount of Thunder Liquid and half a thunder horn from a Thunder Iron Bull, barely making up one full set.

Moreover, he also traded some items for No Demon Points and Primordial Stones.

When he returned to his residence, Chen Yu began to prepare the "Thunderbolt Body Tempering Liquid."

"Little guy, you just went out and already faced an assassination. Why not quickly enhance this King's strength? With me protecting you, no one can hurt you," said the Red Flame King, raising his head proudly.

"You're not the one who tipped them off, are you?"

Chen Yu teased.

The Red Flame King indeed had a reason to harm him, but due to the constraints of their contract, he could not openly harm Chen Yu.

"This King does wish…"

Red Flame King started to say but then fell silent.

He had indeed thought about it, but being a Postnatal Late Stage ancient beast talking openly would draw more attention.

Even if he could eliminate Chen Yu, exposing himself would only be more dangerous.

"Next time I go on a mission, I'll bring you along. If I die, at least I'll have the Red Flame King as company, and that would be satisfying."

Chen Yu quipped.

Not long after, he successfully prepared a batch of Thunderbolt Body Tempering Liquid.

Upon consuming it, Chen Yu immediately felt a surge of violent thunderous energy erupt in his body, spreading through his veins and organs and reaching his muscles and bones.

Compared to the fourth elixir recipe, the third Thunder elixir recipe marked a qualitative leap in medicinal power.

Chen Yu felt as if countless ants were constantly biting him, causing a painful and numbing sensation.

However, under the stimulation of the Thunder Liquid, Chen Yu's physical condition was undergoing an astonishing transformation.

Sizzle!

The surface of his True Copper Statue occasionally sparked with thunderous light.

With the aid of this medicinal power, Chen Yu practiced the Copper Statue Technique, continuously tempering his body.

It was his first time using this elixir, and because the main material was Thunder Stone, the effects were extraordinarily potent.

Chen Yu divided it into three doses, consuming it all over half a month.

After half a month, Chen Yu felt a significant enhancement in his True Copper Statue, especially since he had used Thunder Stone as the main ingredient.

But to reach the Small Success Realm, there was still a small gap to close.

Just then, after emerging from seclusion, Chen Yu heard about a private exchange meeting being held at the academy, similar to the previous Dark Night Exchange Meeting but hosted by another group of powerful individuals.

"This is perfect for selling the resources in my hand."

Chen Yu's face lit up with joy.

The following night, he attended the exchange meeting.

By now, the news of him being taken as a disciple by the vice headmaster had spread, and everyone in the academy recognized Chen Yu. Most greeted him politely.

At the exchange meeting, Chen Yu met many familiar faces, including Puppet Master Kong Zhong, Duan Hao, and Nie Xuan, along with other students from Blood Slaughter Institute.

However, Situ Lin Yu was nowhere to be seen. Upon inquiry, Chen Yu learned that Situ Lin Yu had also gone on an adventure to a foreign land and had not yet returned.

"Brother Chen, I never expected you to become a disciple of the vice headmaster!"

Kong Zhong said enviously.

He also felt fortunate that, after the hunting competition, he hadn't chosen to make an enemy out of Chen Yu.

"Chen Yu, let's compete again at the academy's grand competition in a year's time!"

Duan Hao was brimming with a fighting spirit.

Chen Yu had apprenticed under the vice dean, which further spurred him on; he had made significant progress in recent times.

"Okay!"

Chen Yu nodded his head.

Duan Hao had great talent and had already broken through to the Late Innate Middle Stage. If Chen Yu did not work hard, he might actually get surpassed.

"The grand competition at the academy? I hope I can participate then, too."

Kong Zhong was also very interested.

However, compared to Duan Hao and Nie Xuan, his cultivation talent was not high; he excelled in puppetry.

Perhaps because the academy's grand competition was fast approaching, there were many participants at this gathering, and many precious treasures appeared.

That night, Chen Yu and this group of friends ate, drank, and then conducted some trades.

Kong Zhong was very interested in the high-quality fire ore in Chen Yu's possession and bought a large quantity.

Immediately after that, Chen Yu himself set up a stall.

In the Red Earth World, he had killed numerous sand bandits and Qi Transformation Realm powerhouses, reaping plentiful rewards, especially from the elders of the High Mountain Tribe, whose storage bags contained the most valuable goods.

Next, Chen Yu killed the "Poison Dragon" and two assassins, also obtaining many good items.

These items were too many and assorted. By setting up a stall, Chen Yu was able to sell many items and made a good profit.

Next, Chen Yu participated in a high-end trading venue.

At the high-end trading venue, Chen Yu sold a few High Grade Treasures, even taking out a few high-quality fire cores.

The appearance of the fire cores immediately sparked a frenzy among the Fire Dao Practitioners, as these items could be directly consumed to enhance strength, possessing a huge temptation for students vying for slots in the competition.

Ultimately, Chen Yu sold five high-quality fire cores, exchanging them for 150,000 No Demon Points.

As the exchange meeting was nearing its end, Chen Yu began to collect ingredients for the fifth elixir recipe, purchasing many rare materials at a low price, including a Thunder Light Grass.

"After accounting for the resources spent, I still have 400,000 No Demon Points, just short of 100,000."

Chen Yu felt a bit of a headache.

However, having already gathered 400,000, the remaining 100,000 wouldn't be difficult.

After returning to his accommodation, Chen Yu once again prepared a batch of Thunderbolt Body Tempering Liquid.

The Thunder Stone from last time had not been completely used up; for this batch, the main material was still Thunder Stone but the additional materials were of higher quality, making the medicinal effects better than the previous batch.

Due to the appearance of assassins, Chen Yu had not ventured out recently, devoting himself to a closed-door retreat.

Three months later.

Chen Yu consumed the last batch of Thunderbolt Body Tempering Liquid.

Finally, that evening.

Chen Yu's True Copper Statue broke through to the Small Success Realm.

When activating the True Copper Statue, one could see Chen Yu's copper-lustrous body surface occasionally shimmer with traces of thunder.

"I finally did it!"

Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The resources he consumed during this period of retreat were astonishingly high.

Thunder-related materials were rare and expensive in the first place; just that one Thunder Stone was extraordinarily valuable.

Fortunately, it was all worth it.

With the True Copper Statue breaking through to Small Success, Chen Yu could now contend against typical cultivators in the Late Innate Stage.

Of course, during the retreat, his practice of the Yuan Sha Divine Skill had also not fallen behind, and he had made remarkable progress.

Now, Chen Yu's strength had once again improved a notch, and his self-protection ability was stronger.

That day, Chen Yu, holding the Red Flame King, went to the mission assignment office of the No Demon Main Hall.

"I'm still short of 100,000 No Demon Points to exchange for the cultivation technique!"

Chen Yu murmured to himself, selecting missions that offered a rich reward in No Demon Points.

Just then, three people approached him from behind.

"Chen, the three of us have taken on a high-difficulty mission and just happen to need one more person. I wonder if you'd be interested."

Among the trio, the leader, a cold-faced young man in blood-red clothes, approached.

"Senior Brother Jin!"

Chen Yu was slightly surprised.

He hadn't expected that Jin Zhuo Peak, the top disciple from the Blood Slaughter Institute, would personally invite him.

"What mission?"

Chen Yu asked.

Given Jin Zhuo Peak's formidable strength, the difficulty level of the missions he selected was certainly extraordinary and, accordingly, the rewards were much richer.

"Hunting the ancient beast 'Fiery Fire Demon Lizard' in the Demon Bone Wilderness."

"As a disciple of the vice dean, a few months ago, you had the strength to defeat Shang Honglan; your strength should have reached the Late Innate Stage. With the few of us joining forces, and with Senior Brother Jin here, we will certainly complete this mission!"

A slender woman proactively spoke.

She had seen Chen Yu in the poison fog forest, but hadn't spoken to him then. Upon returning, she found out that Chen Yu had been taken as a disciple by the vice dean.

"250,000 No Demon Points!"

Chen Yu glanced at the mission board, his face showing a shock.

The Fiery Fire Demon Lizard, categorized as an ancient beast living in the Demon Bone Wilderness, was formidable, reaching the Guiyuan Realm.

One thing to note was that after killing the Fiery Fire Demon Lizard, its materials had to be submitted.

However, besides the reward of 250,000 No Demon Points, there were also 30,000 lower Grade Essence Stones and some elixirs.

Overall, the rewards were indeed quite generous.

"Okay!"

Chen Yu agreed without hesitation.

He had a somewhat favorable impression of Jin Zhuo Peak.

With the four of them together, including the main force Jin Zhuo Peak, they had a great chance of success against an ancient beast approaching the Guiyuan Realm.

"Alright, since Chen has joined, let's set off now!"

Jin Zhuo Peak showed a hint of a smile.

(Monday, seek recommendation~~)