Primordial Yang Fist: Level 7 (730/3000) (+) Golden Bell Shield: Level 4 (112/800) (+) Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique: Level 1 (21/200) (+) Great Sun Profound Scripture: Not Yet Initiated (10/100) (+) Universal Proficiency: 2400
Three days had passed since Ning Xiu last visited the Three Saints Hall. In that time, he had executed three Evil Spirits in the Xuan Zone, accumulating a total of 2,400 Universal Proficiency.
Compared to the martial arts taught at Champion Camp, like Primordial Yang Fist and Golden Bell Shield, the Great Sun Profound Scripture was clearly much harder to cultivate.
After three days of practice, he had gained only 10 proficiency points. Ning Xiu had even cut back on his Primordial Yang Fist training to make time for it, yet his progress still hadn't improved.
According to the old man guarding the Three Saints Hall, anyone who chose the martial path would be considered to have entered the Ninth Rank as soon as Internal Energy formed within their body.
If he relied on his own cultivation, it would take at least a month to bring the Great Sun Profound Scripture to Level 1. That pace was painfully slow.
Ning Xiu decided to stop saving Universal Proficiency for now and spend it all for a little rush.
He added 100 points of Universal Proficiency directly to the Great Sun Profound Scripture. The moment it reached Level 1—
He felt a sudden surge of warmth well up in his dantian and spread outward. The heat traveled through his meridians to every part of his body, circulated three times, then returned to his dantian.
The warmth was faint, but Ning Xiu could clearly feel it.
"So this is Internal Energy."
Ning Xiu couldn't help getting excited at his first taste of a new realm. He immediately guided the Internal Energy in his dantian into his palm.
He swung his hand hard against the wall of his room. A palm-shaped dent appeared in the surface, which was built entirely of stone bricks.
The indentation was shallow, but it was enough to show the power of Internal Energy. Before, without Internal Energy to aid him, Ning Xiu could have slapped his hand bloody and still never managed anything like this against a stone wall.
"Cultivating blood energy through Primordial Yang Fist keeps Evil Qi from affecting me, but the Internal Energy from the Great Sun Profound Scripture lets me fight Evil Spirits. That's the real trump card for protecting myself." Looking at the palm print on the wall, Ning Xiu rejoiced.
He put all his remaining Universal Proficiency into the Great Sun Profound Scripture, raising it straight to Level 4 in one go.
At once, the Internal Energy in his dantian seemed to grow at least fifty percent denser. If the Internal Energy at Level 1 had been a wisp of air, then at Level 4 it had nearly condensed into water.
Across all of Great Shang, this rate of cultivation was surely one of a kind.
Primordial Yang Fist: Level 7 (730/3000) (+) Golden Bell Shield: Level 4 (112/800) (+) Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique: Level 1 (21/200) (+) Great Sun Profound Scripture: Level 4 (910/1600) (+) Universal Proficiency: 0
"I've reached the Martial Ninth Rank. I could join the Demon Subduing Bureau now, but instead of going out every day to work myself to the bone fighting Evil Spirits, I'd be better off staying in the Demon Subduing Prison and executing them every day with ease." Ning Xiu looked at the panel and thought.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Ning Xiu went to open it and found He Yunlang standing outside, beaming with joy.
"What's got you so happy?"
"The Prison Warden has summoned all the Executioners to the main hall. A Demon Subduing Captain has come to the Demon Subduing Prison today to recruit people. If they pick us, we can join the Demon Subduing Bureau right away!"
Compared to He Yunlang's excitement, Ning Xiu looked utterly reluctant at the news.
He had no desire to join the Demon Subduing Bureau now. His dream was to keep a low profile in the Demon Subduing Prison and work as an Executioner for ten or eight years.
But there was nothing he could do. This wasn't something a lowly Champion Camp apprentice like him got to decide. Ning Xiu had no choice but to follow He Yunlang to the main hall.
By the time Ning Xiu reached the hall, most of the Executioners had already gathered. He was among the last few to arrive.
In the crowd, six men and women in Mysterious Silver Lock Armor, all with an extraordinary air about them, immediately caught Ning Xiu's attention.
Demon Subduing Captains!
"Quiet down. Everyone, get into formation and wait for the Demon Subduing Captains to make their selections. Don't draw too much attention to yourselves," a jailer called out from the side.
Ning Xiu and He Yunlang joined the line one after the other. Unlike He Yunlang, who deliberately took a place at the very edge, Ning Xiu kept squeezing toward the center of the crowd, stopping only once he had reached the innermost spot.
His attempt to avoid notice was so obvious that many Executioners looked at him in confusion. Still, his behavior was a good thing for them, so no one spoke up to stop him.
But Ning Xiu failed to notice that one of the six Demon Subduing Captains, a woman, was watching him intently.
She was petite, with a baby face and skin as white and delicate as porcelain. If she took off her Mysterious Silver Lock Armor, no one would ever guess she was a Demon Subduing Captain.
While everyone else wanted to stand at the edge of the crowd, Ning Xiu's determination to squeeze his way inside struck Su Qianqian as very amusing.
"So Champion Camp has an apprentice who's cultivated Internal Energy ahead of time. That's pretty good talent, though he's a bit of a coward—trying to use the crowd to avoid being selected." Su Qianqian had already decided to check Ning Xiu out first.
If Ning Xiu had known what Su Qianqian was thinking, he would have been astonished. He had only just gained Internal Energy, yet someone had seen right through the secret that he had cultivated it.
"Prison Warden, all the promising apprentices we recently recruited from Champion Camp are here. Some of them are Executioners trained by the Demon Subduing Prison, too. Please take a look at them, my lords. If any have the potential to join the Demon Subduing Bureau, they'll surely serve it with all their hearts."
The Prison Warden approached the six Demon Subduing Captains with a smile.
"Very well. I won't stand on ceremony, then. I'll have first pick." Su Qianqian stepped forward first and cupped her hands to the other five with a smile.
Su Qianqian was the captain of Bronze Leopard Squad 6. A few days earlier, her squad had suffered heavy losses while out fighting demons, and she had lost quite a few people.
The six of them had agreed beforehand to let her pick first to fill the vacancies in her squad.
Su Qianqian was allowed to recruit seven people this time. The moment she stepped forward, she drew everyone's attention.
In this troubled age of Evil Spirits, men and women alike could cultivate to defend their homes and country and fight demons. As long as they had enough talent and worked hard, women could join the Demon Subduing Bureau and even take on important positions.
Su Qianqian looked like a young girl barely sixteen, but she was a genuine Immortal Path Seventh Rank, Bronze Leopard Rank Demon Subduing Captain, with both strength and beauty.
Who wouldn't want to work under such a young, accomplished, and adorable superior?
So when they saw Su Qianqian was the first to pick, many of the young Champion Camp apprentices subconsciously puffed out their chests, ready to show their best side.
Yet under everyone's gaze, Su Qianqian strode straight toward the crowd as if she had already chosen her target.
Everyone along her path hurriedly stepped aside, keeping their distance from her.
Watching Su Qianqian walk deeper and deeper into the crowd, her gaze never once straying to anyone beside her—
Everyone was baffled. What was this Demon Subduing Captain doing? Why wasn't she picking anyone?
At first, Ning Xiu had been perfectly calm in the middle of the crowd. But as Su Qianqian kept coming in his direction, an inexplicable sense of dread rose in his heart.
Surely not? Sure, he was handsome and the type young girls liked, but it couldn't be enough to make a Demon Subduing Captain spot him at a glance in the crowd.
But as Su Qianqian drew closer, the people around him who had been shielding him all moved aside. Ning Xiu was now certain.
This little girl was coming for him. What a disaster.
Smack.
At last, Su Qianqian stopped in front of Ning Xiu and looked up at him with interest. He was a full head taller than she was.
Seeing the people around him wearing expressions that said, "How could it be you?" Ning Xiu awkwardly scratched his chin. As if he'd wanted this.
"You don't want to join the Demon Subduing Bureau?" Su Qianqian stared at him for a few seconds before asking.
Her voice was pleasant, gentle and soft as a breeze.
If Su Qianqian weren't wearing the Mysterious Silver Lock Armor of a Demon Subduing Captain, Ning Xiu would never have believed she was a Demon Subduing Captain of Great Shang.
"It's not that I don't. I do want to." Under Su Qianqian's gaze, Ning Xiu could only answer honestly.
"Any hidden ailments? Trouble walking? Greedy or lecherous?"
"No. I'm a decent guy."
Su Qianqian nodded, then suddenly reached out with two fingers and poked him three inches below the navel.
The gesture was so sudden that Ning Xiu didn't have time to react. After all, that was a pretty private spot for a man.
Who would expect a sweet, adorable girl who looked so clean and well-behaved to poke him there?
With his dantian poked, Ning Xiu instinctively drew on his Internal Energy, directly knocking Su Qianqian's fingers away.
Su Qianqian's eyes lit up at the sight. "Good. You'll join the Demon Subduing Bureau with me."
Her words immediately drew countless envious looks from those around them. They were jealous that Ning Xiu had been chosen by Su Qianqian.
"Who is that guy? Why did that Demon Subduing Captain go straight to him? She even touched him there. Do they have some kind of story?"
"I know Ning Xiu. He's always been hardworking and quiet. I don't think he'd have any kind of story with this Demon Subduing Captain."
"I want that pretty Demon Subduing Captain to pick me too. Even dealing with Evil Spirits would be easy on the eyes if I worked under her."
Amid the hushed chatter, Ning Xiu stepped out of the crowd and waited off to the side.
From this moment on, he was a probationary Demon Subduing Captain. Now that Su Qianqian had picked him, his dream of staying in the Demon Subduing Prison and executing Evil Spirits every day with ease had gone up in smoke.
Since he was there, he might as well make the best of it. Ning Xiu quickly came to terms with the situation. There would still be Evil Spirits to kill outside, though it would be harder work.
After Ning Xiu, Su Qianqian carefully selected six more people. None of them were as outstanding as him.
The other five Demon Subduing Captains took turns making their selections after her, and soon they had all chosen the people they wanted.
To Ning Xiu's surprise, He Yunlang, who had been standing at the very edge of the crowd, wasn't selected. Seeing the despondent look on his face, Ning Xiu couldn't help but feel a little wistful.
The one who most wanted to join the Demon Subduing Bureau hadn't gotten in, while the one who most wanted to lie low in the Demon Subduing Prison had joined. Fate sure knew how to play tricks.
"All right, you can all go back and rest. Don't lose heart. If your instructors brought you here, that means you're among the best apprentices at Champion Camp. You weren't selected this time, but there'll be another chance next time." Seeing the disappointed young men, the Prison Warden offered words of comfort.
Perhaps He Yunlang was just too disappointed; he left the hall without even saying goodbye to Ning Xiu, his head held high.
Watching the best friend he'd made at Champion Camp, Ning Xiu couldn't help thinking that he should find a chance to put in a good word for He Yunlang with Su Qianqian.
He'd get her to recruit He Yunlang into the Demon Subduing Bureau. He had observed the six apprentices she picked after him, and He Yunlang was better qualified than at least some of them.
He just didn't know why none of the six Demon Subduing Captains had chosen him. What a pity.
"Come with me." They had achieved their purpose in coming to the Demon Subduing Prison, so there was no reason to waste any more time there. Su Qianqian beckoned and led Ning Xiu and the other six away.
The Demon Subduing Bureau had four ranks for its Demon Subduing Captains: Iron Horse, Bronze Leopard, Silver Tiger, and Golden Dragon.
Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captains were the lowest rank, responsible for going out to investigate strange incidents and gather intelligence on Evil Spirits.
If selected by a Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain, one no longer had to do that work and could simply join the squad to hunt down demons and subdue Evil Spirits.
A Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain could lead a team of ten, tasked specifically with eliminating signs of Evil Spirits and known demonic creatures uncovered by Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captains.
Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captains handled Evil Spirits that Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captains couldn't deal with. Any particularly dangerous matter could simply be reported to them for handling.
Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captains were the most mysterious people in the Demon Subduing Bureau. The Demon Subduing Captains knew that experts of this rank truly existed, but had no idea what they were actually responsible for.
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