Qi-Reading Art Gate, Core Illumination Aura!

"General Xie."

Yang Xiao stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke calmly.

"But I am now General Pei's Deputy General, and I have no intention of changing positions."

Cheng Su clenched his fists, looking at Chu Qingtian with slight worry.

He originally thought that General Chu, with his temperament, would be somewhat displeased to have his face rejected on the spot by a junior.

But as he looked at Yang Xiao, a look of realization suddenly appeared on his face.

"That's not surprising."

Chu Qingtian suddenly changed the subject. "The Mountain Ridge Demon King is already at the peak of the Pill-Pattern Realm, and I know very well how strong its physique is."

How did you kill him?

Yang Xiao remained silent for a moment.

A wisp of pale blue mist slowly emanated from his palm.

The wisp of moisture was extremely faint, yet it was like a living stream, silently swirling around my palm, carrying an indescribable sense of length and gentleness.

It was the Canglan Water Pattern.

Chu Qingtian stared at the Water Pattern for a moment.

He didn't speak, but simply shifted his gaze from the Water Pattern on the water and returned it to Yang Xiao's face.

The meaning in his eyes was clear: a single Water Pattern on the water couldn't explain the battle.

Yang Xiao understood what he meant.

He offered no explanation, but instead activated the Mystic Core once more.

A Wind Intent condensed from his palm.

The wisp of wind swirled halfway around the Water Pattern, its sharpness flashing like a blade.

Chu Qingtian's expression changed slightly.

His voice unconsciously rose a few decibels. "Sure enough... there are two Pill Pattern."

Cheng Su, who was below the steps, couldn't help but take half a step forward.

"Is this strange?" He scratched his head. "Isn't it normal to have an extra Pill Pattern?"

"I think you've gotten yourself muddled out staying in this mountain valley."

Chu Qingtian turned his head and glared at him, his tone becoming serious.

"After Core Condensation, the martial artist must refine the gathered energy of heaven and earth into Pill Pattern."

"With each additional Pill Pattern, the Mystic Core bears an additional burden of pressure."

"Many ordinary martial artists are stuck outside the first Pill Pattern; being able to smoothly condense the next one is already considered quite good."

He paused.

"Out of hundreds of people, perhaps only one will have two Pill Pattern."

Chu Qingtian's gaze returned to Yang Xiao, and his expression slowly became complicated.

"As for the three paths... I've only seen them once in my entire life."

"He is now someone whose existence cannot be openly discussed."

As he said this, a flicker of apprehension, which he himself was unaware of, flashed across his eyes.

He stared at Yang Xiao and immediately saw through the latter's bone structure, clearly indicating that he had just turned eighteen!

"How did you manage to do that at your age?"

Yang Xiao withdrew the Mountain Suppression Earth Pattern he was about to display, his thoughts swirling in his mind.

It's said to be quick at gathering qi?

Gathering Qi requires years of grinding in Treasure Ground, and there are no Treasure Ground in Qingzhou. The other party should know this very well, and his lie is unlikely to hold water; he simply cannot bring himself to say it.

He was pondering how to reply when Chu Qingtian seemed to suddenly remember something.

He simply stared at Yang Xiao and muttered to himself:

"Could it be... that young Pei had some unused treasure hidden on him when he returned from the capital back then?"

Chu Qingtian did not press the matter further.

He has seen too many capable people in his life, and also too many people who hide their abilities.

There's no need to ask any further questions now that things have reached a point where they need to be kept quiet, especially since this young man in front of him just saved the entire Zhenshan Commandery for him.

Chu Qingtian looked at Yang Xiao and suddenly spoke.

"You really shouldn't have stayed in one county or one place."

The other party has only been in Zhenshan Commandery for a few days and has already killed a Pill-Pattern Demon King on his own. With such age and talent, it would be too unjust to confine him to a county or city.

"Zhenshan Commandery is too small." He paused, then added, "The current Qingzhou... cannot accommodate your growth."

His gaze fell on Yang Xiao, his tone carrying the certainty of someone who had been through it all.

"Cuiyun Circuit, and even the capital, are the places where someone like you should go."

Yang Xiao smiled.

He cares more about what he can hold in his hands than where he goes.

"General Chu, how did you find that Core Illumination Realm Demon King?"

Chu Qingtian's expression straightened slightly.

He hadn't expected that the young man he'd just recruited and then turned back would ask this question.

"It seems you're more interested in that beast than in my recommendation."

He shook his head, not annoyed at all.

"Among the Demon Suppression General, there is a Qi-Reading Art,' specifically used to track Demon."

"The principle is similar to that of the Qi-Gathering Bottle; after close contact with Demon, one can extract a trace of its energy."

"As long as that beast doesn't completely conceal its presence, we can use this mark to determine its approximate location if we encounter it again."

As Yang Xiao listened, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

As long as there's enough Demon energy, you can find and kill all the Demon you can, which makes things so much easier.

"Those Demon King in Qingzhou, we, the Demon Suppression General, all possess several of these auras."

As he spoke, Chu Qingtian took a book from his robes and placed it on the table.

"This is Qi-Reading Art Gate," he said simply. "I'll give it to you directly."

Yang Xiao didn't stand on ceremony.

He reached out and took it, pressed his fingertips on the words on the cover, and then put it into his pocket.

This kind of thing, which only Demon Suppression General can access, is definitely not in the Demon Suppression Division's Cultivation Manual Archive. I've really gotten a benefit from it.

Seeing his actions, Chu Qingtian added another sentence.

"Let's start by training against the Demon who have reached the Core Condensation."

"Don't try your luck against the Core Illumination Demon King right away; they're not to be trifled with."

Before he finished speaking, he took out another object from his waist, similar to the Qi-Gathering Bottle on Yang Xiao's waist.

The bottle is semi-transparent, containing a wisp of crimson aura, like a constantly flickering flame.

Even through the bottle, Yang Xiao could feel the terrifying heat and demonic power contained within.

"This is the aura left behind by the Core Illumination Demon King that I was tracking."

"If you sense it again in the future, stay as far away from it as possible."

As he spoke, Chu Qingtian separated a small seedling from it and handed it over.

The moment Yang Xiao's fingertips touched...

The next moment, the crimson Yao Qi seemed to come alive, suddenly lunging at his palm.

A fierce and violent demonic aura seeped into his fingertips, as if it wanted to invade the depths of his consciousness along his meridians.

Yang Xiao's Golden Trait, the Soul Cleansing, suddenly activated, completely dispelling the violent consciousness. At the same time, he grasped the crimson Yao Qi in one hand and stored it into the Qi-Gathering Bottle.

His expression remained unchanged, but he had already made a clear judgment in his mind.

This aura was far more terrifying than all the Pill-Pattern Realm Demon he had encountered before combined.

He finally understood why Chu Qingtian had told him to stay far away.

This sense of oppression was far beyond what the Pill-Pattern Realm could ever achieve.

Chu Qingtian looked at Yang Xiao's face, which remained completely calm from beginning to end.

An ordinary Pill-Pattern Realm martial artist would likely suffer a blood and qi imbalance if they were even slightly touched, but Yang Xiao didn't even flinch.

This kid's foundation is even stronger than I imagined.