Three Saints Hall

For several hundred years, Great Shang had been plagued by evil spirits and overrun with demonic creatures.

The chaos of the world had grown so dark that the powerful and influential in the capital could scarcely imagine it.

With the Demon Subduing Bureau stationed in Chaotian Capital, it was somewhat safer. Ordinary evil spirits hardly dared cause trouble there, and even if one did, the Demon Subduing Bureau would quickly send people to eliminate it as soon as it was discovered.

But the common folk living in distant lands, far from the capital, were not so fortunate.

Demonic creatures hunted and ate people, while evil spirits ravaged entire regions. Though the Demon Subduing Bureau often sent people out to quell them, it was like distant water failing to put out a nearby fire—far too little to meet the need.

In such an atmosphere of fear, many wicked people emerged. Some were willing to obey evil spirits in everything, abase themselves and submit, and actively study demonic arts, greatly increasing their strength.

Though such people still counted as members of the human race, their nature had long since fallen into that of half an evil spirit. They slaughtered villages to refine souls and razed cities to forge weapons. Their deeds were cruel and vicious, no different from those of evil spirits.

The Demon Subduing Bureau called these people who went against the way of humanity "Evil Spirit Cultivators."

The Black Heaven Gate was a fairly well-known force of Evil Spirit Cultivators. Its emblem was the Three-Headed Evil God treading upon black clouds, and it was said that the cultivators in the sect all worshipped this god.

Not long after the Evil Spirit Cultivator died, his belly suddenly swelled round. The colorful patterns on his chest seemed as if they were about to come alive; black clouds and blazing flames rose up in three dimensions, and the air filled with a scorching heat.

Having plenty of experience, Ning Xiu simply ignored the sight. He brought up the Proficiency Panel and added all 800 points of Universal Proficiency he had just obtained to Primordial Yang Fist, raising it by another level.

Primordial Yang Fist: Sixth Layer (200/2000)

Golden Bell Shield: Fourth Layer (110/800)

Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique: First Layer (3/200)

Universal Proficiency: 0

Ning Xiu felt a warm heat spread through his body, most pronounced three inches below his navel. When Primordial Yang Fist advanced to the sixth layer, all the bizarre phantoms before his eyes vanished into nothing.

This meant that Ning Xiu's vital energy was now strong enough to withstand the effects of the Evil Qi released after an evil spirit's death. Executing them would be much more convenient from now on.

"Primordial Yang Fist has already advanced two layers in less than five days. This progress is truly soaring. Before, it would have taken at least half a year of hard training to achieve this. Now I can raise my cultivation just by executing evil spirits and gaining proficiency. Even if I can't join the Demon Subduing Bureau in the future, I'll still have enough strength to protect my life." Ning Xiu rejoiced inwardly.

For others, coming to the Demon Subduing Prison to serve as an Executioner was a form of training and a miserable chore.

But for him, it was like grinding monsters to level up—and these monsters had most of their strength restricted, leaving them at the mercy of whoever came along. There was hardly any danger at all.

To Ning Xiu, the Demon Subduing Prison was practically a treasure trove. If he could, he would gladly keep working as an Executioner for the rest of his life.

Then, once he left with a full set of martial arts at their peak, wouldn't he be invincible under heaven?

Just as Ning Xiu was preparing to leave the cell, the Evil Spirit Cultivator's belly suddenly caught his attention.

In the knife wound Ning Xiu had carved into the man's belly with his Wild Goose Feather Saber, a glimmer of golden light flickered in and out.

If Ning Xiu hadn't had such sharp eyesight, he might have overlooked that detail.

"What is this...?"

He poked around inside the Evil Spirit Cultivator's belly with his Wild Goose Feather Saber. A blood-soaked golden bead rolled out and clattered to the ground.

The object was perfectly round and flawless, about the size of a walnut. Embossed characters encircled its surface: "Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum"—the Buddhist Six-Syllable Mantra.

Ning Xiu picked it up, wiped off the blood, and held it in his palm, turning it over in his fingers.

Whenever evil spirits or Evil Spirit Cultivators were brought to the Demon Subduing Prison, every item they carried was taken from them.

This golden bead was clearly a Buddhist artifact. The Evil Spirit Cultivator must have obtained it somewhere, then swallowed it before being locked up in the Demon Subduing Prison to keep the Demon Subduing Captains from taking it, hiding it in his belly.

"That Evil Spirit Cultivator swallowed the golden bead to hide it. It's only natural the people from the Demon Subduing Bureau didn't get to shear this sheep. Now it's mine." Ning Xiu laughed as he tucked the bead into his robes. He had no intention of honestly handing it over.

If the Evil Spirit Cultivator had gone to such lengths for it, it had to be a valuable treasure. Why would Ning Xiu hand it to someone else?

After executing evil spirits in the Xuan Zone for three days straight, Ning Xiu had gained a total of 2,500 points of Universal Proficiency, enough to raise Primordial Yang Fist by another layer.

Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to trick any more techniques or hidden treasures out of the evil spirits. His gains had been rather meager.

But there was another piece of good news: the number of evil spirits he had registered as executed had reached eleven.

According to the rules the prison guards had explained, Ning Xiu could now apply to leave the Demon Subduing Prison at any time and go to the Three Saints Hall of the Demon Subduing Bureau to choose a cultivation method as his reward.

The Three Saints Hall was a repository of cultivation methods from every path under heaven, founded several hundred years ago by the three greatest figures of the human race: the Martial Saint, the Dao Saint, and the Buddha Saint.

It contained martial arts from the Martial Path, techniques from the Immortal Path, and profound Buddhist scriptures. Later, the Demon Subduing Bureau added the cultivation doctrines of other paths as well.

Those interested in newer paths such as the Official Path, General's Path, Puppet Path, or Medical Path could strike out in a new direction and change their cultivation. They did not have to cling to the traditional Martial, Immortal, and Buddhist paths.

Ning Xiu had long been interested in the Three Saints Hall. That very day, after executing an evil spirit, he applied to leave.

He had been in the Demon Subduing Prison for seven days. Every day, fire had been his only light; he had seen neither sun nor moon, nor clear skies or rain.

As he stepped through the gate leading to the surface, the daylight outside made Ning Xiu feel as if he had crossed into another world. Even the air seemed sweeter.

"Finish your business and come right back. Don't go wandering off to play," the guard at the gate reminded him.

"Got it." Ning Xiu nodded and strode away.

The entrance to the Demon Subduing Prison was inside the Demon Subduing Bureau headquarters, so the Three Saints Hall wasn't far away.

Following the route the prison guard had described, Ning Xiu soon found the Three Saints Hall.

As befitted a sacred repository of cultivation methods built by the Three Saints, its six connected halls were imposing and grand. Even the doorways stood more than two zhang high, making anyone who approached seem tiny.

When Ning Xiu reached the threshold, an old man guarding the entrance blocked his way with his cane. "Halt. No one but a Demon Subduing Captain may enter."

"Greetings, sir. I'm an apprentice from Champion Camp, helping with executions in the Demon Subduing Prison. I've executed more than ten evil spirits, and I've been rewarded with the chance to come to the Three Saints Hall and learn a cultivation method," Ning Xiu explained.

"I believe there was some such arrangement recently. Go on in. Remember, you'll have to memorize the entire method; you won't be given a copy to take with you. You may stay for only three shichen. Once the time is up, you must leave. Anyone who disobeys will be punished."

Three shichen amounted to six hours, which was more than enough for Ning Xiu. But he had to spend that time wisely.

After the old man finished speaking, Ning Xiu didn't immediately enter the Three Saints Hall to pick a cultivation method. Instead, he went up to the old man and asked, "Sir, you must be very familiar with the cultivation methods in the Three Saints Hall. Could you recommend a few that you think are worth choosing, so I can get a general idea of what to look for?"

The old man stroked his beard. "You're a clever one. Tell me, which path do you want to cultivate?"

In Great Shang, the Martial, Immortal, and Buddhist paths were the most prevalent, and plenty of people had reached the First Rank in them. By contrast, the newer paths were less prominent, and comparatively few had reached the First Rank.

Though Ning Xiu had a Proficiency Panel, he wouldn't recklessly venture into fields he knew nothing about.

He had practiced Primordial Yang Fist for over a year and supplemented it with the Hardening Skill Golden Bell Shield. That made him a Martial Path cultivator.

After thinking it over, Ning Xiu replied, "The Martial Path."

"Champion Camp doesn't teach Internal Energy Cultivation. Since you've been given the chance to enter the Three Saints Hall, choose an Internal Energy Cultivation method. Once you've developed Internal Energy, you'll have entered the Ninth Rank Realm, and joining the Demon Subduing Bureau will be easier. I recommend the Great Sun Profound Scripture. It focuses on the Lower Three Ranks of the Martial Path and can also cultivate pure Yang Internal Energy. It's ideal for dealing with evil spirits."

Ning Xiu had known that the Three Thousand Great Paths were all divided into Ranks One through Nine, but he hadn't known what it meant to enter the Ninth Rank. Hearing the old man explain it, everything suddenly became clear.

The Three Thousand Great Paths were all divided into nine ranks, with the upper, middle, and lower ranks in each.

The Lower Three Ranks of the Martial Path focused on cultivating Internal Energy and the body.

Ning Xiu already had Golden Bell Shield to train his body. What he lacked was an Internal Energy Cultivation method like the Great Sun Profound Scripture.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I'll go learn an Internal Energy Cultivation method."

After taking his leave of the old man, Ning Xiu soon found a copy of the Great Sun Profound Scripture in the second connected hall and began to read through it quietly.

An hour later, once Ning Xiu had thoroughly read the entire book, the words Great Sun Profound Scripture appeared on his panel. He had achieved an initial grasp of it.

After putting the Great Sun Profound Scripture back in its place, Ning Xiu couldn't help glancing at the other books on the shelves.

There was no one supervising the place. For anyone else who entered the Three Saints Hall, three shichen would barely be enough to learn one cultivation method. They would hardly have any time to spare for a second.

But Ning Xiu didn't have that concern. He still had two full shichen left. As long as nobody noticed, couldn't he secretly learn another two methods?

He looked around. Seeing no one, Ning Xiu slowly reached for a book.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from above. Ning Xiu's heart jolted. He had clearly checked his surroundings, so how had someone suddenly appeared?

He looked up and saw a golden-haired boy of about five or six lying on the highest shelf, holding a wine gourd. Though the two of them were several feet apart, Ning Xiu could still smell the strong reek of alcohol.

"Where did this little brat come from?" Ning Xiu wondered.

Smack!

An unpeeled peanut struck Ning Xiu in the chest. Its violent force sent him flying a zhang back, and he only managed to stop after slamming into another bookshelf nearby.

Ning Xiu clutched his chest in shock. He hadn't even seen where the peanut came from. The force packed inside it was terrifying. If the one who threw it hadn't clearly lacked any intention to kill, that tiny peanut would have pierced straight through him by now.

"This old man is Immortal Duke Heshan. People in the Demon Subduing Bureau usually call me True Man Heshan. What, you've never heard of my name?" The golden-haired boy cracked the peanut open with one hand.

Of the Three Thousand Great Paths, True Person was a title unique to the Immortal Path, generally used only to honor experts of the Immortal Path Fourth Rank or higher.

Ning Xiu had never imagined he would run into an Immortal Path True Person while reading in the Three Saints Hall. What a lucky encounter.

For some reason, the other party looked like a young child despite his advanced age, leading Ning Xiu to misunderstand. He could only explain helplessly, "Senior, I'm an apprentice from Champion Camp and don't know much about the experts in the Demon Subduing Bureau. Please forgive me for offending you."

"So you're a child from Champion Camp. I can forgive you for not knowing me, then. But you've already learned the cultivation method you came to choose. Why didn't you leave at once? You still dared to let greed take hold. I can tell this is your first time here, so I'll let it pass. Don't do it again."

Ning Xiu was quite puzzled. "Senior, how can you be sure I've already learned a method?"

True Man Heshan took a sip of wine and smiled. "I just watched you recite the Great Sun Profound Scripture from beginning to end. You looked confident. I've guarded the Three Saints Hall for ten years. I can tell at a glance whether someone has mastered what they've read. What, do you still want to argue with me?"

"I wouldn't dare. I was in the wrong." Faced with such an old monster, Ning Xiu had no desire to argue. He would be coming back to the Three Saints Hall to study again, after all; he absolutely couldn't afford to fall out with its guardian.

Though he hadn't managed to freeload a few more cultivation methods, Ning Xiu had still achieved his goal by mastering the Great Sun Profound Scripture. Once he returned to the Demon Subduing Prison, he could keep executing evil spirits and use Universal Proficiency to advance his cultivation.

After bidding farewell to True Man Heshan, Ning Xiu turned and left the Three Saints Hall.

Watching Ning Xiu's departing figure, True Man Heshan narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "The evil spirits are throwing the world into ever greater chaos. The Demon Subduing Bureau is even pulling apprentices from Champion Camp in to make up the numbers. It seems Great Shang truly has reached a desperate point."

Life in the Demon Subduing Prison passed like still water.

Aside from having to execute one evil spirit every day, Ning Xiu spent most of his time cultivating. Every so often, acquaintances from Champion Camp, such as He Yunlang, would come find him to hang out, and Ning Xiu would make time to entertain them.

As long as it wasn't execution time, the prison guards turned a blind eye to the young men temporarily assigned to the Demon Subduing Prison and didn't interfere.

So, although the days were uneventful, they were still much freer than they had been in Champion Camp.