The Three Saints Hall housed countless martial arts and cultivation techniques.
Some were recorded on silk, others on several large boxes of bamboo slips.
Some were recorded in books, others on enormous stone steles.
They came in all shapes and forms, each different from the others. This also showed, from another angle, just how differently people of different paths conducted themselves.
The most wondrous thing Ning Xiu had ever seen was an immortal-path jade slip. It was made entirely of fine jade.
An immortal cultivator only had to press the jade slip to their forehead to sense the cultivation method recorded within. It was truly wondrous.
Martial arts techniques were mostly passed down in the most common form: paper books. They weren't as dazzling or mysterious as those of the immortal path.
But compared to a certain path where you had to rummage through several large boxes of bamboo slips, they were much more convenient.
Over the several centuries since the Demon Subduing Bureau had been founded, it had produced no shortage of clever people.
Whether they were in the Lower Three Ranks, Middle Three Ranks, or Upper Three Ranks, there had been experts capable of creating their own techniques.
Techniques created by experts in the Lower Three Ranks were easy to pick up, but had limited potential. Those created by experts in the Upper Three Ranks were obscure and difficult to grasp, but their power was extraordinary.
The Demon Subduing Bureau ranked its merits by merit points. Any Demon Subduing Captain could select a technique of the corresponding rank from the Three Saints Hall based on their merits.
As soon as Ning Xiu arrived at the Three Saints Hall, before even entering, he began looking around for the old man he'd met last time.
He quickly spotted the old man dozing on a reclining chair behind the main hall's entrance.
Everyone knew the most formidable figure in a temple wasn't the abbot, but the humble monk sweeping the grounds.
So Ning Xiu had reason to suspect that this old gentleman might be some hidden master within the Demon Subduing Bureau.
I'll have to rely on you again to recommend a suitable hammer technique.
"Sir."
Hearing him, the old man slowly opened his eyes, looking bleary with sleep.
Only after recognizing Ning Xiu standing beside him did he come to his senses and ask, "What do you need?"
Ning Xiu clasped his hands. "Last time, you recommended that I cultivate the Great Sun Profound Scripture. Recently, I've made some progress with it, and only now have I truly come to appreciate its power. I came especially to thank you."
"The Great Sun Profound Scripture..." The old man, who had looked a little dazed, perked up. He picked up the teacup on the small table beside him and said, "It's you. What technique are you looking for today?"
"Sorry to trouble you, sir. Please recommend a hammer technique for me."
"Hmm..." The old man stroked his beard and began to ponder. Ning Xiu didn't rush him, simply standing quietly to one side as he waited.
Before long, the old man gave his recommendation.
"The hammer is a fierce weapon. If your aim is to hold the front line against the Demon Country, you can choose the Mountain Shaking Hammer Technique. It focuses on striking a point to break through a surface. Once mastered, you'll be able to fight a thousand troops alone.
"But if you often go out on missions, you should choose Fivefold Hammer Force. Once this technique is mastered, each swing of the hammer will contain five layers of force. They say:
"One blow smashes a bull to death, two shatter a mountain, three sever rivers, four send you straight to the gates of hell, and five make even immortals sigh in despair."
"Different hammer techniques have different uses. Only when you put them where they're best suited can you bring out their true power. How can a killing art be used to slaughter chickens and ducks? Where would you use an assassination technique in a spar? The choice is yours. The hammer techniques are on the sixteenth bookshelf from the left in the Seventh Hall. Go and choose one yourself," the old man said.
"Thank you for the recommendation, sir. I understand." Ning Xiu nodded and headed deeper into the Three Saints Hall.
Watching him go, the old man's previously calm expression turned warm with satisfaction.
"A martial arts prodigy."
At the bookshelf the old man had mentioned, Ning Xiu had already made up his mind. He reached out and took Fivefold Hammer Force from the shelf.
The old man's description of the technique had to be admitted: it was very tempting.
Ning Xiu glanced around. Seeing no sign of True Man Heshan, he opened the book and began to read.
"The letters of safety sent back from Cloud Mist Mountain these past few months have been rather brief. I hear the locals often preach Buddhist teachings to passersby, and some traveling peddlers have gone to Cloud Mist Mountain and then disappeared. Master finds it strange, so he asked me to find a day to go there and take a look."
"Isn't Master Chan Hui of Great Spirit Sound Temple stationed at Cloud Mist Mountain? Surely nothing could go wrong. He's a Buddhist Fourth Rank high monk, after all."
"It's better to be safe than sorry. Cloud Mist Mountain is rugged and remote. We should go in person and make sure."
"How about this? I'll go with you when the time comes, and we can find a few colleagues who aren't on a mission. That'll make things safer."
From the other side of the bookshelf came the hushed voices of two people discussing something.
Ning Xiu moved the books aside and peered through a gap. On the other side were two Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captains.
One of them had a gleaming bald head. He was clearly from the Buddhist path.
Ning Xiu had been in the Demon Subduing Bureau for quite a while, but this was the first time he'd seen a Buddhist monk in person. The previous occupant of his room had already passed away, so he didn't count.
As for the other Demon Subduing Captain, Ning Xiu actually knew him: Ren Qianxing, an Eighth Rank cultivator of the Puppet Path.
"Brother Ren," Ning Xiu called through the gap.
"Brother Ning!" Ren Qianxing clearly hadn't expected to run into him in a place like this.
"What a coincidence, Brother Ren. What technique have you come to look for in the Three Saints Hall today?" Ning Xiu walked around to the other side of the bookshelf with a book in hand and asked with a smile.
If that incident with He Yunlang hadn't happened, Ning Xiu would have had at least one friend in the Demon Subduing Bureau he could chat and drink with.
Now, he barely knew anyone in the bureau. Since he'd run into someone familiar, he naturally had to exchange a few words.
"A technique for making puppets. Brother Ning, let me introduce you. This is the monk Zhengwu, a Buddhist Seventh Rank."
"Benefactor Ning." Zhengwu immediately pressed his palms together and bowed to Ning Xiu.
A faint golden hue showed across the skin exposed beneath his monk's robe. It was clear that he'd made some progress with his Buddhist Golden Body.
Once he advanced to Buddhist Sixth Rank, the golden tint would become even more obvious, and he'd be even tougher and harder to beat.
"Brother Zhengwu," Ning Xiu greeted him with clasped hands.
At the way he addressed him, Ren Qianxing couldn't help laughing. "That sounds rather strange. I've never heard anyone say it that way. Just call him Zhengwu."
"That works too." Ning Xiu nodded.
Thinking of how Ning Xiu had single-handedly killed four Demon People who'd broken into the prison in Wendeng County, and knowing that he was no weakling, Ren Qianxing asked, "Brother Ning, do you currently have any assignments from your squad leader?"
"None at the moment. I only just returned from Wendeng County, as you know."
"That's great." Ren Qianxing patted Zhengwu on the shoulder. "Zhengwu is a monk from Great Spirit Sound Temple. His master recently wanted to send him to Cloud Mist Mountain to visit the venerable Master Chan Hui stationed there.
"It's not an assignment from the bureau, so the squad leader can't dispatch reinforcements. I'm worried Cloud Mist Mountain may not be safe, so I wanted to find a few colleagues to accompany Zhengwu there. Since you don't have an assignment, Brother Ning, could you lend us a hand?"
Ning Xiu asked, "When are we leaving?"
Zhengwu replied, "In three days. My master didn't give me a deadline, but it's best not to put it off for too long."
"Alright, I'll go with you both."
Ren Qianxing clasped his hands. "Then thank you, Brother Ning. If you ever need help, just say the word. Zhengwu and I will both be there for you."
"Don't mention it."
Cloud Mist Mountain lay two thousand li east of Chaotian Capital. It was a stretch of rugged mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.
It was a fairly distant place to travel to. You couldn't get there in just a few days.
Eighteen villages were scattered throughout Cloud Mist Mountain, each with a population of two hundred. Mountain paths connected every village, allowing people to travel between them.
According to the Demon Subduing Bureau's regulations, any town or county had to have an expert of Sixth Rank or above stationed there.
The eighteen villages in Cloud Mist Mountain had a combined population that was already comparable to that of a town or county. By the rules, Cloud Mist Mountain also needed an expert of the Middle Three Ranks to protect it.
This was to prevent the locals from falling victim to Evil Spirits or Demon People.
Twenty years ago, the Great Spirit Sound Temple had sent the Buddhist Fourth Rank Master Chan Hui to Cloud Mist Mountain to establish a Buddhist temple and protect the area.
For the past twenty years, Master Chan Hui had sent a disciple back each month with a letter assuring them of his safety. But for some reason, the letter he'd sent back most recently was written in a frenzied hand, as though something were troubling him.
Venerable Chan Jue, Zhengwu's master, found it strange, so he sent Zhengwu to investigate.
The monk Zhengwu was a Buddhist Seventh Rank cultivator with a golden body to protect him. Sending him on an investigation like this was a waste of talent even by the standards of the Demon Subduing Bureau.
Whenever something suspicious happened somewhere, the bureau usually sent an Eighth or Ninth Rank Demon Subduing Captain to investigate.
Only after confirming that the trouble was caused by an Evil Spirit or Demon Person would they send a Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain to lead a team there and kill it.
Cloud Mist Mountain was too remote. Ren Qianxing and Zhengwu had become close friends while in Champion Camp, and he didn't trust Zhengwu to go there alone.
That was why he'd thought of inviting colleagues from the Demon Subduing Bureau to join the investigation.
The team consisted of Zhengwu, a Buddhist Seventh Rank; Ren Qianxing, an Eighth Rank cultivator of the Puppet Path; and Ning Xiu, a Martial Dao Seventh Rank. It was a fairly strong lineup.
But Ren Qianxing had joined the Demon Subduing Bureau one or two years before Ning Xiu. He clearly had plenty of friends, so the team would likely grow before they set off.
Ning Xiu didn't need to concern himself with that. After obtaining Fivefold Hammer Force, he immediately left the Three Saints Hall and headed straight for the Demon Subduing Prison.
For now, opening his Martial Aperture was the most important thing.
That day, Su Qianqian had chosen him to join Bronze Leopard Squad 6. He could no longer spend every day comfortably in the Demon Subduing Prison, executing Evil Spirits and earning Universal Proficiency.
Ning Xiu felt a little regretful, but he didn't have many misgivings.
Protecting the people, slaying demons, and exorcising evil spirits as a Demon Subduing Captain had been his original intention.
As a Demon Subduing Captain, he could go out and eliminate Evil Spirits. In his spare time, if he wanted, he could also help out in the Demon Subduing Prison. No one would say a thing.
Returning to the familiar Demon Subduing Prison filled Ning Xiu with warmth. He went straight to the Prison Warden, intending to ask for permission to execute Evil Spirits in a hundred or so cells.
He was already a Martial Dao Seventh Rank now. Surely the Prison Warden couldn't come up with excuses to hold him back anymore.
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