Improving Martial Arts and Techniques

"Huh? ... Execute an Evil Spirit?"

Hearing the jailer's words, everyone was taken aback. Though their aspirations were all to become Demon Subduing Captains and slay demons for the court, Evil Spirits had always felt like a distant concept to them. Being told out of the blue that they were to kill one now brought a mix of two parts excitement and eight parts fear.

"Don't be afraid. The Evil Spirits here are all sealed by the Demon Subduing Captains—they can't harm anyone. Walk straight down that way to the end, and you'll reach the Huang Zone among the four zones: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang. Each of you pick one of the cells I mentioned and go in to carry out the execution. Remember, no one here has ever fled before a task. Don't commit the Demon Subduing Bureau's gravest taboo."

Ning Xiu thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Sir, if a Demon Subduing Captain encounters an Evil Spirit, shouldn't they kill it on the spot? Why bother capturing it and bringing it back to the Demon Subduing Prison? And if they're going to lock it up, why then send people to finish it off now? Isn't that redundant?"

"The Demon Subduing Captains have their reasons—don't be so curious. Just follow the rules and don't ask too many questions or say too much. Go on, don't waste time."

Urged by the jailer, Ning Xiu and the others followed his instructions and walked into the Huang Zone.

In this area, a cell stood every ten paces, its door sealed shut and made of iron. Aside from the numbers written on the doors, there was no way to see what was inside.

After each picking a cell, they said their goodbyes. Ning Xiu went alone to the cell he had chosen: number one hundred thirty-two.

Clang!

As he shoved the iron door open, a gust of eerie wind rushed out from within, sending an inexplicable chill down his spine.

By the light of the oil lamp inside the cell, Ning Xiu immediately spotted a figure pinned to the wall by several iron spikes. Its limbs were withered, its skin ashen gray, and its face bore six eyes. A gory slash across its abdomen still dripped blood. An iron sword was lodged in its chest, likely left by the previous executioner.

Beyond that, the strange creature was covered in cinnabar talismans, and red ropes strung with bells bound its entire body. Far from inspiring a sense of safety, it only made things more unsettling.

In the corner of the cell sat a wooden table, neatly laid out with blades: a saber, a sword, a short axe, a dagger, and other sharp tools—presumably prepared for the executioner.

"All I have to do is kill this Evil Spirit, and that's it?" Ning Xiu mused, watching the creature show no reaction to his arrival.

No matter how he looked at it, this was a task so simple it couldn't get any simpler. It didn't even require a Demon Subduing Captain—even an apprentice from the Champion Camp could handle it alone.

Picking up the Wild Goose Feather Saber from the table, Ning Xiu walked toward the strange creature. He had never trained in any saber techniques, but this weapon was the most straightforward to use. For an execution, it was perfect.

Without hesitation, Ning Xiu raised the Wild Goose Feather Saber and swung it down at the six-eyed Evil Spirit's neck.

No obstruction or resistance met the blade. The Wild Goose Feather Saber cleanly severed the six-eyed Evil Spirit's head. But the moment the head hit the ground, something went wrong.

Countless eyes burst open all over the six-eyed Evil Spirit's body, all fixed on Ning Xiu.

A nauseating, dizzying sensation exploded in Ning Xiu's mind. The world spun around him, and his stomach churned with a rising urge to vomit.

"Ugh!"

He barely lasted a few breaths before collapsing to the ground, bracing himself on his hands as he retched violently.

Sour stomach acid splattered onto the floor, along with eyeballs slipping from his mouth. They rolled with a life of their own toward his arms, burrowing into his flesh one by one.

Killed Evil Spirit. Universal Proficiency +500.

A faint voice echoed in his mind, but by then Ning Xiu could no longer hold on. His consciousness blurred, too hazy to pay it any mind, and he blacked out on the spot.

"This apprentice must have trained hard in his spare time—his blood energy is far stronger than others his age. The Evil Qi from the Bewildering Eye only knocked him out. He's good material for an executioner."

"We recruited over two hundred apprentices from the Champion Camp's instructors this time, but only seventy-six passed. The rest—who knows what they've been practicing in the camp? It's got those Demon Subduing Captains who brought them here furious."

The noise was too grating. Ning Xiu slowly opened his eyes, unable to keep pretending to sleep.

When his vision cleared, he found himself lying in a clean little room. Two jailers stood nearby—the ones who had been talking.

Seeing him awake, they stopped their conversation. One jailer said, "You're up. How do you feel?"

Ning Xiu raised his hands and noticed his arms were tightly wrapped in white bandages. Moving them sent a dull ache through him.

"Where am I?" Ning Xiu asked.

"The Demon Subduing Prison, of course. You got knocked out by the Evil Qi from the Evil Spirit 'Bewildering Eye.' I carried you back here," the jailer replied.

Ning Xiu muttered to himself, "The books say that when an Evil Spirit dies, it releases its Evil Qi. For ordinary people, a light case brings a severe illness; a heavy one means instant death. I only just remembered that now."

"You know quite a bit. But that only applies to common folk who haven't trained. For an apprentice like you, raised in the Champion Camp, your blood energy can offset the Evil Qi's effects. Out of that batch we brought in from the Champion Camp, you performed the best. If you stick with it, you'll join the Demon Subduing Bureau in time."

The jailer set an apple beside Ning Xiu's hand. "Get some rest. After the Bewildering Eye dies, it tries to reincarnate by parasitizing eyeballs. We've already dug out the eyeballs it planted on your arms—no lasting harm. Come report to us in two days once you've healed. We'll have a new execution task for you."

With that, the two jailers left the room.

Once they were gone, Ning Xiu immediately checked his Proficiency Panel.

Primordial Yang Fist: Layer 4 (599/800) (+)

Golden Bell Shield: Layer 3 (211/400) (+)

Universal Proficiency: 500

"So I wasn't just hearing things." Seeing the new content on the panel, Ning Xiu felt a wave of relief.

After killing the Evil Spirit "Bewildering Eye," he had gained this Universal Proficiency—something he had never seen before.

It seemed that these 500 points of Universal Proficiency could be directly applied to the martial arts and techniques he had already mastered.

Ning Xiu decisively added the Universal Proficiency to his Primordial Yang Fist. The departing jailer had mentioned that a person's blood energy could offset the effects of Evil Qi.

The main reason he had remained unharmed after being contaminated by the Evil Spirit's Qi was that he had spent the past two years diligently training in the Primordial Yang Fist, which had made his blood energy far stronger than an ordinary person's.

If he wanted to stay in the Demon Subduing Prison long-term as an executioner, abundant blood energy was essential.

Raising the Primordial Yang Fist further would allow his blood energy to grow even more vigorous.

Primordial Yang Fist: Fourth Layer (599/800) → Primordial Yang Fist: Fifth Layer (0/1600)

After upgrading the Primordial Yang Fist, Ning Xiu did not continue adding proficiency points. Instead, he put the remaining 299 points into the Golden Bell Shield.

This way, the Golden Bell Shield could also advance another layer, strengthening his overall power.

"I usually train hard all day and only get a little over 10 proficiency points. Killing one Evil Spirit gives me 500—that's a whole month's worth of work in one go. It really messes with my head." Ning Xiu looked at the Proficiency Panel, torn between laughter and tears.

With that in mind, the job of an executioner in the Demon Subduing Prison became even more critical. Only by staying here could Ning Xiu kill Evil Spirits for free and earn proficiency points.

Two days later.

He didn't know what kind of external medicine the jailer had given him, but in just two days, after removing the white bandages, the wounds on his arms had already scabbed over and wouldn't hinder his movements.

Ning Xiu wasted no time. He immediately left his room and went to report to the jailer.

Entering straight through the main gate of the Demon Subduing Prison, one would reach a circular hall. From there, four corridors branched off, leading to the Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang prison zones.

When Ning Xiu arrived at the hall, he immediately spotted a few familiar faces, and they noticed him too.

"Ning Xiu!" He Yunlang walked over happily with two others. They were all apprentices under the same instructor, Wu Yan, just like Ning Xiu.

Meeting acquaintances in a strange place was naturally a pleasant surprise.

"I didn't see you for two days. I thought you'd been sent back to the Champion Camp." He Yunlang laughed.

Ning Xiu asked in surprise, "Someone got sent back?"

"Of course, quite a few. The jailer brothers said those people couldn't withstand the Evil Qi and couldn't work in the Demon Subduing Prison, so they had to be sent back for retraining. Those of us who stayed are the promising ones." He Yunlang puffed out his chest with a grin.

"Ning Xiu, we've already picked up today's execution tasks. You should go choose yours too. I heard the further back the cell, the stronger the Evil Spirit locked inside. When it dies, the Evil Qi it releases is extremely dangerous and bad for our recovery." A young man standing beside He Yunlang kindly advised.

"Thanks for the heads-up. You all get busy, I'll take my leave." After bidding farewell to He Yunlang and the others, Ning Xiu went to the area in the hall where the jailers gathered.

The two jailers from the other day were also there. Seeing Ning Xiu, they walked over and said, "Looks like your injuries are healing well."

Ning Xiu cupped his hands. "I have to thank you, sir, for bandaging me. Otherwise, I might have lost both arms."

"No need for thanks. We're short on hands in the Demon Subduing Prison right now, so the more executioners we have, the better. Today, go to Cell 260 in the Huang Zone. Same rules as before—once the job's done, you can rest."

"Yes."

Leaving the hall, Ning Xiu, now familiar with the layout from his first experience, easily found Cell 260 in the Huang Zone.

Pushing open the door, a damp, fishy smell rushed at him. The entire cell echoed with the dripping sound of water droplets falling.

Ning Xiu stepped inside. The cell held no visible Evil Spirit—only a vat filled with murky, dirty water sat on the floor.

Seven inches above the vat hung hundreds of silver needles, their tips pointing straight at the water's surface, seemingly meant to prevent whatever was inside from escaping.

"Ugh..."

A strange sound rang out. The murky water suddenly began to boil like hot water, rippling and churning.

A mass of long hair surfaced, quickly filling the entire vat. Under Ning Xiu's gaze, a pale, white-faced human head slowly rose from beneath the water.

This was undoubtedly the Evil Spirit imprisoned in this cell.