Volume One, Chapter 10: The Greater the Storm, the Pricier the Fish

I must admit, Little Snake’s technique and strength were truly impressive. Especially when paired with her enchanting gaze, flowing hair, graceful figure, slender legs, and supple skin...

Liu Yiyun would surely crown her as the top technician of the Demon Suppression Prison.

Half an hour later, Liu Yiyun reluctantly left Little Snake’s cell. Had it not been for the shift change, he would have gladly stayed, lying on her thigh and falling asleep.

Taking a dual bath with Little Snake was exhilarating—it was far more enjoyable than washing feet back on Blue Star in his past life, where he always had to worry about being ambushed by Ah Snake.

The new shift was brought by Xiang Shu, who bounced along the way, humming a cheerful tune.

“My dear, I bring you a gift~ Delivered to the East Gate~”

“Yo, why so happy after just a few days? Are you and Lady Wan’er from Spring Arrival Tower an item now?”

“Pfft, whatever!” Xiang Shu rolled his eyes but quickly said, “I’ve got some big news from the Demon Suppression Prison!”

Liu Yiyun’s interest piqued. “What big news? Are we off work?”

“I just heard that a while ago, the Deputy Warden led over a hundred elite foot soldiers to the Myriad Demons Mountain to sweep demons—and they all died. Not a single corpse was left behind. It was brutal.”

Good news???

The Deputy Warden was a high-ranking official in the Celestial Sanctuary. Xiang Shu was oddly joyful about his death. If they hadn’t spent years together, Liu Yiyun might have thought he was a demon sympathizer.

He eyed Xiang Shu suspiciously. “Why are you so excited about the Deputy Warden’s death? Did he sleep with Lady Wan’er too?”

“Shut up.” Xiang Shu swallowed nervously and continued, “No, man. Think about it—our prison’s annual budget is fixed. With so many elite foot soldiers dead, the cultivation resources allotted to us should increase!”

“More resources mean faster breakthroughs, and we won’t have to worry about demon energy corrupting our bodies anymore.”

“Once we break through Foundation Establishment and become official wardens, we’ll have official status and receive imperial salaries. Isn’t that great?”

Uh...

So the three great joys in life are: promotion, wealth, and the death of colleagues.

Liu Yiyun finally understood Xiang Shu’s logic.

Every day, countless low-ranking disciples in the Demon Suppression Prison secretly hoped for the demise of official foot soldiers so they could inherit more resources and eventually rise in rank.

Few low-ranking disciples managed to break through Foundation Establishment—not for lack of effort, but because they were given too little.

Liu Yiyun nodded. “You’re right, it is good news. But what does it have to do with you, a mere Qi Refinement Third Stage nobody? With your talent, even if resources were abundant, it’d still take decades to reach Foundation Establishment.”

“Uninformed, bro! That’s exactly why! Because official foot soldiers are so scarce, the prison will hold a martial contest in three days. The top ten low-ranking disciples will be promoted early and become official foot soldiers.”

“Ah? A martial contest to find a spouse?”

“Uh, no, I slipped up. It’s a martial tournament. When I arrived, there were tons of applicants at the gate, so I signed up too.”

Liu Yiyun was puzzled. “After all that, there are only ten spots. How does that involve you?”

“That’s the catch! The contest is done by lottery. If they pick a loser like you, Qi Refinement Second Stage, I can just casually step on you and easily secure a spot.”

Liu Yiyun: “......”

Bro, you’re overthinking it.

He was already Qi Refinement Fifth Stage, possessed two broken skills, and could defeat Xiang Shu in an instant.

Still, Liu Yiyun fell into thought.

At his current cultivation speed, breaking through to Foundation Establishment might take another month or two.

If he were on the prison’s second floor, that time could be halved.

One step faster, every step faster.

He was determined.

But entering the contest might attract suspicion and unnecessary trouble.

After all, a Qi Refinement Fifth Stage beating a Qi Refinement Ninth Stage among low-ranking disciples would be unbelievable.

Such an outclassing ability rivaled even the true disciples of the sanctuary.

A flashy contest clashed with his core philosophy of stealthy growth in the prison!

So, to participate or not...

Liu Yiyun hesitated again.

After some thought, he finally decided to enter the contest.

As they say, the greater the storm, the more valuable the fish.

If anyone suspected him, he’d just start making up stories.

After all, he only planned to use his physical secret technique. He could claim that when he was young, he wandered into a remote mountain forest, ate a miraculous fruit, and gained immense strength—strong enough to instantly defeat Qi Refinement Ninth Stage cultivators.

Reasonable?

Of course! Every cultivator has some kind of extraordinary encounter; his just happened to be a bit more remarkable.

Xiang Shu stared at Liu Yiyun lost in thought and blinked, asking, “Hey, Yiyun, what are you thinking? You don’t mean to enter the tournament, do you?”

Liu Yiyun snapped back to reality. “I’ll just sign up first. Whether I join will depend on how I feel in three days.”

Indeed, his resolve wavered again.

Damn it, this world was too dangerous. A Fifth Stage beating a Ninth Stage was hardly believable. It was safer to keep a low profile. If someone with ill intent noticed him, he’d be in trouble—99% of cultivators in the Celestial Sanctuary could kill him.

If by then he could boost to Qi Refinement Seventh Stage, he might give it a try. If not, forget it.

Personal safety must come first.

Survive and don’t act recklessly.

Hearing Liu Yiyun’s words, Xiang Shu pointed at his face and laughed loudly, “Hahaha, Yiyun, why didn’t I know you were so brave? You’re only Qi Refinement Second Stage, even worse than me, haha...”

Liu Yiyun ignored him. A man of action, he turned and said, “I’m going to sign up.”

“Ah?” Xiang Shu was stunned again. “Liu, you’re serious?”

Tch! He only played for real.

“You think otherwise?”

“Liu, you’re incredible. When I signed up at Qi Refinement Third Stage, they all called me an idiot. You signing up as a Second Stage? They’ll call you the biggest idiot!”

Unperturbed, Liu Yiyun strode toward the registration area.

Xiang Shu stared at his retreating figure. Once Liu Yiyun disappeared from sight, he suddenly remembered something.

He rushed to a small desk where the prison workers slacked off and grabbed a booklet from a nearby shelf.

After flipping through it for a while, he found the section he sought. Bold letters read:

What to do if your mind is corrupted by demons?