I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

Ye Kang opened the attribute panel.

The level of understanding has been accumulated to a certain point.

The Imperial Supreme Heaven-Reaching Skill requires 20,000 comprehension points to advance from the second to the third level, which is just right.

The battle with that monster just now gave Ye Kang a renewed sense of crisis.

A disciple of the Crimson Demon Lord can unleash extraordinary power through demonic arts. If I were to actually encounter the Crimson Demon Lord, I fear I wouldn't even have a chance to make a move.

Only when comprehension is transformed into strength can he be at ease.

"System, comprehend the Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique."

【Ding】

[The host has consumed comprehension points and successfully comprehended the third level of the Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique]

……

As his comprehension rapidly depleted, Ye Kang closed his eyes slightly, and his Imperial True Qi erupted, enveloping him in a golden form.

In a daze, Ye Kang felt a stinging sensation on his skin from the surge of true energy. Without hesitation, he jumped into the icy pool, circulated his true energy, and sank all the way to the depths of the pool.

The stinging sensation gradually disappeared in the icy pool water, and rings of Imperial True Qi continuously merged into Ye Kang's meridians, continuing to grow stronger.

In a daze, Ye Kang seemed to have returned to the underground dragon vein, where the dragon energy formed a real dragon that breathed above his head.

The dragon's breath was scorching hot, helping Ye Kang to connect with heaven and earth. Day after day, ten years of enlightenment passed in the blink of an eye.

However, dragon breath is no ordinary thing. Ye Kang was in great pain because his physical strength was insufficient. Fortunately, there was also the gentle Yi Wood True Qi to help him regulate his breathing.

Even so, it took another ten years before Ye Kang finally tamed his surging true energy and successfully comprehended the third level of the Imperial Ultimate Heaven-Reaching Technique.

【Ding】

[Congratulations, host, on reaching the fifth rank of Innate Realm!]

System beep.

Ye Kang slowly opened his eyes at the bottom of the icy pool, his brows furrowed.

He regulated his breathing for a while, concealing his presence, before slowly surfacing.

"Although I have made a breakthrough, the enlightenment I just experienced has also completely exposed my weaknesses; my physical body can't keep up."

That's right, Ye Kang possesses many martial arts techniques, but he lacks only one powerful technique for refining the physical body.

The physical body is not very useful in the early stages of a martial artist's career; learning internal energy cultivation and other offensive martial arts is more cost-effective than focusing on the physical body.

However, as strength increases, both internal energy cultivation and higher-level martial arts require a stronger physical body to support them.

"It's a pity that after killing so many people, we haven't encountered a single one who practices physical cultivation. We'll have to be more careful in the future."

Ye Kang didn't dwell on it. He used his inner energy to dry his clothes, mounted his horse, and headed off in another direction.

Having at least reached the fifth rank of the Innate Realm, completing tasks becomes much easier.

……

One day and one night passed.

Sixty li east of Jinling City.

Ye Kang did not rush; he rode his horse calmly to the county town.

This place is called Cangyu County. It is said that someone once discovered rare and beautiful jade here, hence the name.

Ye Kang ate a meal and replenished his water supply in the county town before heading out again, eventually reaching a large lake.

The lake ripples gently, and many streams flow into it, making this a famous source of fish and shrimp.

The village by the lake is called Jingshui Village, where people make a living by fishing. However, the lake is now lifeless, and all the fishing boats are moored at the lakeside dock.

Ye Kang tied his horse outside the village, put on a mask, and walked into the village without making a sound.

The mission report states that a dangerous water monster, suspected to be an evil spirit, has appeared in the Clear Water Lake.

Ye Kang had never seen any demons or evil spirits before, and he wasn't sure what was causing the trouble, so he had to investigate first.

However, most of the houses in the village were empty, and there were hardly any villagers around. Ye Kang walked for a while before he encountered a down-on-his-luck scholar.

Upon seeing Ye Kang, the scholar paused for a moment, then retreated warily.

He didn't seem to recognize the masked man.

Ye Kang then removed his mask, revealing a smile, and said, "Brother, why is there no one in the village?"

Seeing Ye Kang's handsome and amiable face, the scholar no longer thought he was a bad person, and that's when he came over.

"Excuse me, may I ask who you are?"

"Just a passerby who came in to ask for a bowl of water."

"You've come to the wrong place. It's dangerous here. You'd better leave quickly!"

"Why?"

Seeing Ye Kang's clear eyes, the scholar completely lowered his guard and leaned closer to whisper, "I'm well-versed in classical texts and would never lie. This lake is plagued by a demon, and the villagers have all gone mad! You'd better leave quickly!"

Ye Kang shook his head.

"The journey is long and I cannot travel any further. Since you have studied the classics, I would like to ask you for a good meal."

"This……"

The scholar looked embarrassed, rummaged through his pockets, and said, "I have been poor since childhood and am quite destitute. Where would I get such a good meal for you, sir..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Kang reached out and handed over two taels of silver.

"Please take it."

The scholar's eyes widened, and after hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but take the silver.

"You're too kind. Though I may be poor, I have some simple food and drink."

Ye Kang followed the scholar into a small, dilapidated house on the water.

This is also a common house style in the Jiangnan region, with wooden houses built over streams.

This scholar was indeed poor; there wasn't a single grain of rice to be found in his house. Fortunately, Ye Kang wasn't really there to eat. He said, "My name is Ye Kang. May I ask your name, sir?"

"No, no, I am Tang Wen. To be honest, I am ashamed to say that I have been studying hard every day and my life has been very unstable."

Ye Kang simply smiled, without any contempt. These scholars were focused on passing the imperial examinations; how were they any different from himself in his previous life?

After exchanging a few more words, Ye Kang asked, "Could you elaborate on the demonic calamity you mentioned earlier?"

The scholar's expression changed, but when he thought of the two taels of silver, he stopped worrying about it, poured two glasses of cold water, and sat down.

"Don't doubt me, my lord. I saw this with my own eyes, and it is absolutely true! Our Jing Shui Village has always relied on Jing Shui Lake for its livelihood. We fish and shrimp every day. Although we can't become rich and powerful, we are well-off with food and clothing."

He frowned as he said this.

"But for some reason, a few days ago, a water monster came to the lake. It was huge and as fierce as a demon! I saw with my own eyes that one of my fellow villagers was dragged off his fishing boat by that monster and eaten alive!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Are there still monsters in this world?

He asked, "What about the government?"

The scholar shook his head and said, "It's no use. How can the government's constables deal with such a powerful demon? They just told us to wait and someone would take care of it."

Just as I finished speaking, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the door.

"Tang Wen! Come out quickly, the altar is open for the ritual! Don't delay the time!"

After saying that, the person who knocked left.

Ye Kang asked in confusion, "What kind of altar are you setting up? What kind of ritual are you performing?"

Tang Wen's expression darkened, and he continued, "Naturally, it's about eliminating the demon's scourge. A few days ago, a Taoist priest came by and said he had a way to get rid of the demon. The village chief asked him about it, and the priest said that the water monster was the lake god and that we should offer up young boys and girls to appease the lake god, so that it would naturally stop harming people..."

The more Ye Kang listened, the stranger his expression became.

This is such a classic claim, does anyone actually believe it?

Seeing Ye Kang's expression, the scholar sighed helplessly.

“It’s understandable that you find it strange. I was against it too, but everyone actually believed it in order to catch fish as soon as possible… That’s why I said the villagers have all gone mad…”

Ye Kang nodded and stood up.

"Since we're already here, I'll accompany you to take a look, just to join in the fun."