"Demon-Locking Grand Competition?"

"Sweep the Demon-Locking Tower?"

The young girl frowned, "What’s that?"

"It’s a strategy of raising tigers without fear!"

The servant laughed, "This Demon-Locking Tower incarcerates thousands of demons, with a world within and even a realm of its own, like a secret realm. The Taiyi Daoist Palace grants various cultivators permission to enter periodically, challenge demons, and even sweep the Demon-Locking Tower to curb the growth of the demons inside."

"Is there such a thing?"

The young girl furrowed her brows, looking at the other cultivators in the store and raised another question, "Demon slaying is so dangerous, why are there so many people flocking to it?"

"Honored guest, your words are somewhat inappropriate!"

The servant shook his head, "For us cultivators, it is our duty to eliminate demons and defend the Dao. With the calamity of Demon Heaven and the peril to Taiyuan, how can we stand by, idly watching? We must do our best to help the Daoist Palace and aid the Daoist Lord."

"Is that so?"

The young girl looked at him, still skeptical. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Though she looked young, she was not an inexperienced girl easily fooled by such rhetoric.

"Of course it is!"

The servant spoke righteously, then smiled, "But venturing into this Demon-Locking Tower is indeed beneficial for us cultivators. Not only can we temper ourselves, engaging in combat and magical duels, and slaying those demons, but we can also earn contributions to exchange for needed items from the Daoist Palace."

"Contributions?"

"Needed items?"

The young girl’s eyes narrowed, "What needed items?"

The servant smiled, taking out a jade slip and pushing it in front of her.

The young girl furrowed her brows, picked up the jade slip, and scanned it with her Divine Thought.

"Demon-slaying!"

"Demon-refining!"

"Exorcism!"

"Suppression!"

"Absolute Spirit!"

"This is...?"

The young girl furrowed her brows tightly, her face showing a look of surprise.

The servant took the opportunity to speak, "Though the Taiyi Daoist Palace follows the principle of ’education for all’, those who do not work shall not eat. Besides basic provisions, everything else must be exchanged with contributions, including pills, talismans, dharma artifacts, and various heavenly and earthly treasures. Those outside the Daoist Palace can also exchange for cultivation techniques and cave mansions."

"These Spiritual Objects come from the Daoist Palace’s treasury, with varying grades. There are Spirit-Gathering objects as well as Divinity Transformation treasures. Spirit Gathering Powder, Foundation Establishment Pill, Five Elements Golden Core Pill, Nascent Soul-Breaking Pill Liquid, and even Divinity Transformation Purple Qi can all be exchanged."

"Therefore, although the Demon-Locking Tower is extremely dangerous, thousands of Daoist Palace disciples and countless cultivators still flock to enter the tower, slay demons, and exchange for contributions!"

"And among these contributed items, the most precious are these five swords: Demon-slaying, Demon-refining, Exorcism, Suppression, and Absolute Spirit."

The servant spoke solemnly, his eyes also filled with longing, "These five Flying Swords were refined by the Daoist Lord with the power of the Five Elements Technique, nourished in the five major Demon-Locking Towers, and infused with the life force of demons within by the Five Elements Lock Demon Array. Each sword is extraordinary."

"In our White Tiger City, the sword being nourished is the Demon-slaying Sword!"

"The Demon-slaying Sword, as the name implies, is a sword for slaying demons. All demonized monsters infected by demonic qi are imprisoned in this White Tiger Demon-Locking Tower. Whenever cultivators enter the tower to slay demons, the murderous aura, blood aura, and demon aura from slaying demons are transmitted to the Demon-slaying Sword through the Five Elements Lock Demon Array, allowing the sword to absorb demon-slaying qi and demonic blood aura, forming the power to slay demons."

"Once the sword is completed, it will be the nemesis of demons, slaying demonized monsters as easily as cutting down dogs!"

"As for Demon-refining, Exorcism, Suppression, and Absolute Spirit, they are similar. Respectively, they are refined with the lives of demon cultivators, evil spirits, Outer Celestial Demons, and ghostly spirits and monsters. Each sword is the nemesis of corresponding demons and evil spirits."

"..."

Listening to the servant’s introduction, Li Qiying fell into silence.

As the foremost of the Three Heroes, she thought she was ruthless enough against demons. Yet compared to this Cyan Nether Sword Master, she was still like a minor sorcerer facing a great wizard.

Demon-Locking Tower?

Demon-slaying, Demon-refining, Exorcism, Suppression, and the Absolute Spirit Sword?

Goodness, you’re aiming to catch all the demons and evil spirits in the world, aren’t you?

If it weren’t for the Three Fierce of the West Sea, the North South Two Madmen being blocked at their gates, would they not come out to fight you to the death?

And this sword refining method, isn’t it too brutal? Killing people is but a nod of the head, yet you’re imprisoning those demons as materials for your sword refining and sacrificial refining. Such actions... how are they any different from the Demon Dao?

Indeed, they are not different!

But law is devoid of good or evil, it’s people who decide what’s just or unjust.

In these extraordinary times, to break the calamity of Demon Heaven and save the sentient beings of the world, some extremity in actions is justifiable.

If Taihua Mountain and the Orthodox Dao sects were in the same position, with such a Dharma Gate, they would act the same way.

So...

Li Qiying swept with her Divine Thought, then looked at the servant again, "Can these five swords also be exchanged?"

"Of course, they can!"

The servant smiled, "In theory, as long as you have enough contributions, anything in the Daoist Palace treasury can be exchanged. These five swords are included, naturally, albeit the contributions needed are exceedingly numerous. Therefore, I suggest the honored guest opt for replicas, which are more practical."

Li Qiying paused, "There are replicas too?"

"Of course, there are."

The servant spoke seriously, "The Daoist Lord is a scholar of heaven and man, not only unmatched in sword techniques, but also proficient in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, Pill Talisman Array. These five swords were personally refined by the Daoist Lord, who then passed down the Sword Refining Technique. Both Daoist Palace disciples and outside cultivators can conduct sacrificial refining. The method of sacrificial refining is quite straightforward: enter the Demon-Locking Tower, hone the sword with battle, and refine the Dao with demons. That’s how you can eventually make replicas of the five swords."

"Moreover, the Daoist Lord set up Sword Nurturing Pools around the genuine five swords, where apart from the original swords, there are some replicas refined by the Daoist Lord, superior to ordinary replicas, making them one of the prizes in the Demon-Locking Grand Competition. If the honored guest is aspiring, it’s worth giving it a try."

"Demon-Locking Grand Competition?"

Li Qiying’s eyes narrowed, "What Demon-Locking Grand Competition?"

"It’s the competition for Demon-Locking Tower contributions!"

The servant laughed, "The Daoist Palace holds it every ten years, compiling contributions from all Demon-Locking activities. Whether you’re a Daoist Palace disciple or an outside cultivator, as long as you enter the tower to lock demons, your contributions are accumulated. By the end of the competition, the top hundred contributors receive replicas of the five swords crafted by the Daoist Lord as a reward."

"Every ten years?"

"Top hundred contributions?"

"That’s quite a tactic!"

Li Qiying’s eyes narrowed, a multitude of thoughts running through her mind.

The servant, unaware, seized the moment to say, "It’s already July now, with less than half a year left until the competition draws to a close. Various parties are making a concerted effort towards the finish line. Though the honored guest came late, it’s not without a chance. Our shop offers a guide to the Demon-Locking Tower to aid the honored guest in sweeping through the demons."

"..."

Li Qiying glanced at him and, in the end, accepted the sales pitch, "What’s the price?"

Actually, she didn’t need it. As the foremost of the Three Heroes, the Purple Cloud Sword Master, she’d earned a fierce reputation in the West Sea. Apart from those cowardly old demons holed up, there was no one else she needed to guard against, let alone the imprisoned ones in the tower, which she could easily break through with a single sword. Why would she need a guide?

But after he had said so much, it was not polite for her to simply leave.

So...

"Our shop’s guide has three levels. The first to third floors are lower-grade, the fourth to sixth floors are mid-grade, and the seventh floor is upper-grade, corresponding to the Spirit-Gathering to Divinity Transformation Seventh Realm. Lower-grade guide is ninety-nine Spirit Stones, mid-grade guide nine hundred and ninety-nine Spirit Stones, upper-grade guide nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Spirit Stones!"

The servant looked at her, his smile eager, "Which grade does the honored guest need?"

"..."

Li Qiying was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help questioning, "Are these guides guaranteed?"

"Of course, they are!"

The servant’s expression turned serious, "These guides are compiled from Daoist Palace information, verified by dispatched cultivators through personal experience, risking life and death to summarize. Quality is guaranteed, and we offer no deceit. If there are inaccuracies, we’ll compensate triple!"

"Then give me an upper-grade one."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiying said no more and directly handed over a top-grade Spiritual Stone.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Seeing the top-grade Spiritual Stone, the servant’s eyes shone brightly with Spirit Light and he immediately handed over a jade slip to Li Qiying.

After expending so much effort, he wasn’t disappointed. Indeed, she was a big client.

Li Qiying took the jade slip, giving the servant a look, "Is what you just said common knowledge in White Tiger City?"

"Yes!"

The servant wasn’t surprised, nodding directly, "In White Tiger City, any cultivator knows about this, and even mortals who cannot cultivate have some understanding."

Li Qiying furrowed her brows, "And the business about the Five Demon-locking Swords too?"

The servant nodded, "Yes!"

"..."

Li Qiying fell into silence once again, then without asking more, she turned and left the shop.