In the city of Cangnan, Peace Bridge.

At the bridgehead of Peace Bridge, there were a variety of stores.

Between the wedding services and funeral services shops, there was a modest and inconspicuous storefront.

An old red sign read: Peace Affairs Office.

The Peace Affairs Office, underground.

Unlike the dilapidated building above, the underground of Peace Affairs Office was a different world entirely.

In the spacious and bright hall, four people were sitting.

"I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to join the Night Watchers?"

Wu Xiangnan repeated.

Beside him, Hong Ying and Wen Qimo curiously observed the divine agent of Nidhogg.

"I’m sure."

Lin Xuan's gaze was firm.

"Alright, then. Let me introduce myself again. Wu Xiangnan, vice-captain of Night Watcher team 136."

He then turned to the two people beside him.

"Night Watcher team 136, frontline combat, Hong Ying, you can call me Sister Hong Ying."

Hong Ying winked at Lin Xuan.

"Night Watcher team 136, frontline combat, Wen Qimo."

The two introduced themselves.

Lin Xuan nodded, signaling that he remembered.

As described in novels from his previous life, Hong Ying was indeed a great beauty.

Wen Qimo appeared scholarly and easy-going, always squinting.

Well... maybe his eyes were actually open as wide as they could go.

"The others are all busy right now. When they come back, I’ll introduce them one by one," Wu Xiangnan said.

"But I have to remind you, you’re not a formal member yet. You need to go through training first."

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, pretending to be puzzled. "Training?"

"Any newcomer joining the Night Watchers has to go through a year of training, learning combat, firearms, the use of Forbidden Ruins, and other necessary skills."

Lin Xuan nodded and asked the question that concerned him most. "Can I start learning combat right away?"

"Are you sure?" Wu Xiangnan raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

It was rare for someone to be so eager to learn combat just after joining the Night Watchers. Most newcomers were usually excited but wouldn't rush like Lin Xuan.

"Yes, my physical fitness and my Forbidden Ruins abilities are both strong, but my combat skills are lacking. I want to quickly make up for this gap and go hunt the mysterious."

Wu Xiangnan nodded, understanding.

After all, the directive given to Lin Xuan by his god was to kill as many anomalies as possible.

Last night, Wu Xiangnan reported the situation to headquarters, and they gave instructions.

They were cautious but also open to the idea. After all, Lin Xuan was the agent of Nidhogg, a being of legendary status, even more evil than Lucifer by some accounts.

But headquarters' stance was clear—since he had chosen to join the Night Watchers, they couldn’t just push him away. They couldn’t treat him as an enemy unless there was clear evidence of such.

There had been no sign of him being an undercover agent for another organization. With the status of Nidhogg, there was no reason for anyone to send the agent of such a high-ranking god to infiltrate an organization.

"Since the team leader isn’t here, let Hong Ying teach you for now."

Wu Xiangnan quickly decided on who would guide Lin Xuan.

"Alright, follow me."

Without any delay, Hong Ying led Lin Xuan to the training area.

It was only then that Lin Xuan realized just how large this space was.

They first walked through a long corridor with iron doors lining each side, their cold metallic surfaces gleaming under the lights.

The training area was at the end of the corridor, behind a large iron door.

Pushing the door open, the training area was vast. Inside, there were rows of weapons, from wooden training weapons to sharp steel swords and iron spears.

Hong Ying immediately grabbed a long staff from the weapon rack.

Guns and staffs were somewhat interchangeable.

"Do you want to pick a weapon?"

Hong Ying asked.

"No, Sister Hong Ying, you just come at me directly."

"Alright, go put on some protective gear."

When Lin Xuan called her "Sister Hong Ying," she seemed pleased.

She pointed to a pile of protective gear stacked in the corner.

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To quickly improve combat skills, there was a simple method: take a beating!

Lin Xuan would try to dodge Hong Ying's attacks without using his Forbidden Ruins abilities.

But Lin Xuan was at the Light Realm, and Hong Ying was one realm higher, so even without using her Forbidden Ruins, a strike from her wooden staff would be a lot for a person in the Light Realm to handle.

Although she was confident in controlling her strength, she also didn’t want to accidentally break Lin Xuan’s bones.

However, Lin Xuan simply glanced at the pile of protective gear, shook his head, and said, "No need. My physical strength has been enhanced by Nidhogg. It’s far beyond that of an ordinary person. Let’s go for it."

Hong Ying looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"I’m not bragging. Come on."

Seeing Lin Xuan’s resolve, Hong Ying didn’t say more. She figured she could control her strength. If it was too much, she’d stop and let him put on the gear.

She stepped forward, and the long staff in her hand swung with a precise strike.

...

"How was it?"

Back in the underground of the Peace Affairs Office, the three sat at a wooden table, each with a bowl of noodles in front of them.

Wen Qimo, slurping his noodles, asked curiously.

By now, the morning had passed. He noticed that after they left the training room, Hong Ying seemed somewhat quiet.

Hong Ying glanced at Lin Xuan, who was devouring his noodles, and replied, "Very good, or rather, too good."

She was still in shock from the training earlier and hadn’t recovered.

As a formal member of the Night Watchers, Hong Ying was at the Pool Realm.

Even without using her Forbidden Ruins abilities, her physical strength was extraordinary.

But Lin Xuan’s physical prowess was inhuman. When her wooden staff struck him, it felt like hitting a solid stone pillar. Her hands were slightly numb from the impact.

Not only that, but after training for an entire morning, Lin Xuan never once asked for a break. His endurance was incredible.

Hong Ying found herself feeling a bit frustrated.

She knew that divine agents were typically strong, but this was outrageous.

Could it be that Nidhogg gave his agents not just Forbidden Ruins powers but also enhanced physical strength?

Lin Xuan, on the other hand, was oblivious to the conversation between Hong Ying and Wen Qimo. He was solely focused on devouring his noodles.

Even without activating his Golden Eyes, he had near-superhuman dynamic vision and an incredibly fast reaction speed.

This was the key to his rapid progress.

His powerful physical strength allowed him to endure high-intensity combat, but it also came with a side effect—insatiable hunger.

His body was stronger, his muscle density higher, and he could exert more power, but he also needed more energy.

Especially after a whole morning of intense exercise, he felt only slightly fatigued but was starving.

The hunger felt almost soul-deep and was unbearable.

He even considered chewing on the wooden table.

No wonder some people said hunger was the best seasoning.

Lin Xuan also thought about it. With his bloodline purity at only 10%, as his bloodline improved, his physical strength would grow, and his energy requirements would increase.

It was foreseeable that later on, regular human food wouldn’t be enough to sustain him.

He suddenly remembered his ability to devour the mysterious.

Although he devoured the mysterious, he only consumed certain abstract aspects, not the mysterious itself.

Did this mean he could feed on the mysterious...

Even more so, when his bloodline purity became high enough, would regular mysterious objects no longer be enough to sustain him?

Would he eventually need to feed on gods themselves?

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xuan pushed this thought to the back of his mind.

One step at a time.

He had finished seven bowls of noodles and placed his bowl down, feeling completely satisfied.

"Hong Ying, why do I feel like we’ve got a big eater in our team?"

Wen Qimo couldn’t help but comment, astonished by the amount Lin Xuan had eaten.

Hong Ying nodded silently. This was completely normal.

Lin Xuan’s powerful physical strength would require a large amount of energy to support it.

Eating a lot, burning a lot, and growing fast was a good thing.

Their Night Watchers team was more than capable of supporting a big eater.

Hong Ying silently made a note in her mind.

Looks like they’ll need to prepare more food from now on.