C20 Sudden Change

There were nine instantaneous steps.

The first level of cultivation allowed one to instantly increase one's speed by one fold. After that, with every level, the speed would increase by another fold.

Mastery of the ninth layer was as fast as the lightning. In an instant, he could unleash nine times the speed of light, comparable to the legendary earth shrinking technique!

If he could comprehend instant steps, in the future when the Demon Hunt Squads encountered a group of demons, Zhou Qing's efficiency would double. This was secondary.

When facing an enemy, their speed would suddenly double. It was enough to catch the opponent off guard. If they couldn't beat him, they could have the advantage of speed when running for their lives …

This was the most important boost that instantaneous movement could bring to Zhou Qing!

Comprehending Instantaneous Steps, no matter if it was one's combat power or life-saving methods, they would all rise to another level!

Two days later, in a secluded gorge outside a certain lush ancient forest.

Zhou Qing's clothes were all soaked, and even his hair was dripping with water. However, he was still standing by a lake within the valley. He held his breath, and his eyes were calm.

After taking in a deep breath, he abruptly tapped the tip of his foot and charged towards the surface of the lake.

The moment he took a step forward, his speed increased to the limit so fast that it was almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

Puff puff puff!

The sound of water being stepped on sounded out. The instant his feet touched the surface of the lake, Zhou Qing actually jumped into the water and ran. He did not fall into the lake.

With every step he took, a ripple would form under his feet. Within two breaths, he had crossed half of the lake. He was now over a hundred feet away!

However, just as he was about to take another step, Zhou Qing suddenly stopped in his tracks. He staggered, and then fell into the water in a sorry state.

As he crawled out of the lake, he ignored his drenched clothes and closed his eyes to think carefully.

He recalled the circulation diagram of his Instantaneous Steps in his mind. He recalled how his feet, ankles, and even the way his legs exerted force when they erupted, as well as the feeling when he stepped into the water.

After a few moments, Zhou Qing suddenly opened his eyes. All 361 vortexes of spiritual energy erupted at the same time, and a surge of spiritual energy rushed into his legs.

With a tap of his toes, he dashed towards the surface of the lake at an extreme speed, his figure blurring.

Puff puff puff!

The sound of footsteps could be heard incessantly. Zhou Qing's speed was as fast as thunder, but his posture was extremely graceful as he skimmed over the surface of the lake.

This time, he didn't fall into the water. In one breath, he crossed the lake and finally landed on the other side.

"Success."

As Zhou Qing turned around to look at the rippling lake surface, his lips finally curled up into a happy smile.

"Your perception is quite good. I never thought that you would be able to enter the sect in just three days."

Even someone as haughty as him had a hint of shock in his tone.

"If I want to use instant movement in actual combat, I'll need a lot of practice."

After receiving the praise of the Cursed Spirit, Zhou Qing did not become arrogant. He circulated his Spiritual Energy to dry his clothes, and after that, he did not stay any longer and hurried towards White Ridge City.

Demon Hunt Squad Hall.

"Senior, submit the mission."

Zhou Qing stood in front of the counter and said solemnly.

Behind the counter, an old man in his sixties was napping, leaning back in his chair. Hearing this, he opened his turbid eyes, glancing at Zhou Qing. He calmly said: "Record the magical mirror, the Demon Hunt Order, and the spoils of war."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, taking out a magic mirror and Demon Hunt Squad Token and placing them on the counter. Immediately retreating half a step, he waved his hand.

Five scarlet Raging Flame Bulls, a Green Shadow Eagle egg, dozens of demon wolf heads stained in blood, and other large and small spoils of war …

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Qing's spoils of war filled the front of the counter.

Shouts of surprise were heard from all directions of the Demon Hunt Squad's great hall. That sixty year old elder who was originally lazy, suddenly stood up upon seeing this.

"Song Changqing, break through to the peak of the spirit realm …" "You completed six Earth rank missions in three days?"

Spiritual energy surged from his hand, and after the elder examined Zhou Qing's Demon Hunt Squad Token, his aged face was immediately filled with shock!

He had seen Demon Hunters who completed multiple missions in a single go, before returning to submit them at the same time.

It was indeed his first time seeing someone at the peak of the spirit realm accept an Earth rank mission in such a short amount of time!

Besides, the kid before him was dressed neatly and looked full of energy. How could he put in the slightest effort?

Not only was the old man shocked, but the other cultivators in the Demon Hunt Squad's great hall were also staring at Zhou Qing in shock, as if they were looking at a monster.

Zhou Qing didn't explain any further, instead letting the old man record the reward in his own Demon Hunt Squad Token, before returning to the front of the list.

After completing six Earth rank missions, Zhou Qing had earned 3000 gold, as well as 800 points.

After pondering over the rewards list for a moment, he accepted ten missions in one go, all of which were Earth rank. Then, he turned around and left.

Looking at Zhou Qing's back, the old man behind the counter narrowed his eyes.

This little fellow wasn't simple.

There were only seven days left before the ten-day deadline, and time was of the essence. Zhou Qing began to accept large amounts of Earth rank missions, earning points crazily while relying on actual combat to continuously improve his grasp of the Teleportation Steps.

On the evening of the fifth day, Zhou Qing returned and submitted ten Earth rank missions for 5000 gold and 950 points.

On the morning of the seventh day, Zhou Qing returned as scheduled and submitted ten Earth rank missions for 4,000 gold as well as 1000 points.

On the afternoon of the eighth day, Zhou Qing stepped into the Demon Hunt Squad's great hall, and just as he entered, he heard the shocked voices of the surrounding cultivators.

"The points demon is back!"

"This time, it's only been a day. Could it be that he has also completed ten Earth rank missions?"

Someone murmured, not daring to believe it.

"This is most likely the case. I calculated that in eight days, he has already earned 2750 points … "As expected of a points demon!"

The other person said in a low voice, full of envy.

"Don't forget, his cultivation base is only at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm …"

Someone reminded them, and they all fell silent. It wasn't because they didn't want to speak, but because they didn't know what to say.

These days, the shock that Zhou Qing had brought had already numbed everyone, and he had also gained the infamous domineering reputation of "Points Berserk".

Sure enough, as expected, Zhou Qing submitted another ten Earth rank missions, earning 5000 gold coins and 1000 points.

Up until now, on Zhou Qing's Demon Hunt Squad Token, his total Demon Hunt Squad points had already reached 9750 points, only a step away from breaking through the 10,000 mark.

Stopping in front of the Demon Hunt Squad for a moment, this time Zhou Qing only accepted a top grade Earth rank mission: exterminate the Black Wind Stronghold of the Heavenly Calamity Mountain. If it was successfully completed, the reward would be 5000 gold, plus 1000 points!

For several days in a row, Zhou Qing was constantly fighting against various demons. His grasp of instant steps became more and more proficient, and his Demon Hunt Squads' efficiency also increased. Unfortunately, he was unable to take that final step, successfully stepping into the first stage.

The reason he chose to exterminate the Black Wind Stronghold this time was also because he wanted to fight with someone and find an opportunity to break through in a flash.

In these past few days, he had already collected thirty-two drops of Demonic Essence Blood. As long as he collected four more drops, he would be able to attempt to refine the first acupoint.

If he succeeded, breaking through to the Soul Formation stage would be just around the corner!

At sunset that day, Zhou Qing left White Ridge City and headed towards the Heavenly Calamity Mountain.

This mountain was not very far from White Ridge City. After four hours, he would rush to the dense forest at the foot of the Heaven Calamity Mountain. He could follow the forest path to the Black Wind Stronghold.

However, not long after they entered the forest, Zhou Qing saw a light from afar, as if someone was camping there.

With an undetectable flash of his eyes, Zhou Qing concealed his presence and approached secretly.

"Someone from the Red Dust Sect? Why are they in this damned place? "

In the open space in front of them, five slim women dressed in white and pink robes were busy setting up camp.

The leader of the group was a woman with a sword in her hand. Her figure was outstanding and her beauty carried a heroic air. She was clearly the second generation disciple of the Crimson Nimbus Sect, eldest senior sister, Chu Tianyu!

Zhou Qing furrowed his brow. After a moment of silence, he too felt a sense of relief.

There were not many people within a hundred mile radius, and the goal of the Crimson Nimbus Sect was most likely Black Wind Stronghold. Chu Tianyu should have brought her junior apprentice sister out to gain experience.

"Who is it?"

Chu Yu's eyebrows suddenly turned cold as he looked over at where Zhou Qing was hiding.

As a powerhouse at the peak of the Spirit Condensation Realm, she had keen senses and had long since cultivated Spiritual Awareness. She had easily discovered Zhou Qing, who was lurking in the shadows.

Since both sides' targets were the Black Wind Stronghold, they would encounter each other sooner or later. Zhou Qing did not plan to hide and walked out from the forest.

"Who are you? What is your motive for sneaking around? "

Without waiting for Zhou Qing to approach, a girl with an oval face shouted. She drew her sword with a clang, glaring at Zhou Qing.

Is Heaven Calamity Mountain your Red Dust Sect's territory?

Zhou Qing secretly cursed in his heart, but a bitter smile appeared on his face. He cupped his hands and said: "I am Song Zhangqing, a Demon Hunter of Black Wind Stronghold. I did not intentionally disturb the fairies, and I mean no harm."

"Song Changqing? You are the Berserk Demon Song Changqing? "

The oval-faced girl was shocked, and her eyes became unsettled.

In eight days, he killed over a hundred demons, earning over three thousand Demon Hunt Squad points. Song Changqing's crazy deeds had recently become a hot topic in White Ridge City, but all Demon Hunters had heard of the title of "Berserker with Points".

The other disciples of the Crimson Nimbus Sect gathered around as well, curiously sizing up Zhou Qing.

"Xiaofei, don't be rude."

Chu Tianyu, who had been silent all this while, finally opened her mouth and shouted at the oval faced girl to retreat. She walked up, clasped her hands, and reported her name.

"Crimson Flame Sect, Chu Tianyu."

After she spoke, her heart trembled and a pressure at the peak of the Soul Formation stage instantly spread out.

She was testing Zhou Qing!

"I've heard that Senior Chu is indeed a heaven warping beauty. She is truly beautiful and moving."

Zhou Qing returned the greeting with a calm expression, but it did not affect Chu Tianyu at all.

She had also often heard of the affairs of the points maniacal demons from sect disciples. She was only at the peak of the spirit realm, and she only accepted earth rank missions, and her efficiency was extremely high … Such power left her, ranked fifteenth on the Demon Hunt Squad Rankings, extremely shocked.

The gap between the peak of the Spirit Severing Stage and the peak of the Spirit Opening Stage was not small. Facing the pressure of the peak of the Spirit Condensation Stage and the smiling and confident Spirit Opening Stage, this was also Chu Yu's first time seeing one!

Zhou Qing's performance instantly caused her to withdraw her contempt.

"It's just an exaggeration to praise him in the outside world. Young Master Song however, his title of Berserk Demon has become extremely well-known recently!"

Chu Tianyu smiled as she shook her head, "Young Master Song's purpose for this Demon Hunt was Black Wind Stronghold?"

Zhou Qing did not hide anything and nodded slightly.

Chu Tianyu understood and said hesitantly, "To be honest, our target is also the Black Wind Stronghold. "Originally, I planned to let my junior sisters take action and treat it as a training exercise, but things have changed …"

"Oh?"

Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow.

"The head of the Black Wind Stronghold, Zhao Zhangkong, has the strength of the middle stage of Soul Formation, while the second in command, Wu Yong, is at the early stage of Soul Formation. He also has over thirty bandits under him, most of them being at the Spirit Opening Realm …" I presume that Young Master Song's information from the reward list is the same as well? "

Seeing Zhou Qing nod with a frown, a bitter smile appeared on Chu Tianyu's face.

"But not long ago, I received news from the sect that there was an expert hidden within the Black Wind Stronghold …"

"This person's name is Rushing Thunder Saber Sect's Cheng Shan. He's Zhao Zhangkong's master. It seems like he's already reached the peak of the Spirit Condensation realm ten days ago!"

At this point, even someone as strong as Chu Tianyu had a serious expression on his face.