Meridian Storage Spiritual Qi! Force of a Thousand Jun!

Yang Xiao tightened his grip on the Spring Embroidery Saber and silently weighed his options.

That last collision had revealed a problem: including its hilt, the Spring Embroidery Saber was only three feet long, reaching about halfway down a person's thigh.

The Bull Demon, meanwhile, had thick hide and tough flesh. Its massive body stretched over twenty feet—nearly seven meters!

The Spring Embroidery Saber's blade was barely over an inch wide. Even if he buried the whole thing in the beast, it would only inflict a flesh wound.

He had to strike somewhere vulnerable!

With that thought, Yang Xiao darted forward like a ghost, closing the distance in an instant.

White, misty blade qi wrapped around his saber as he drove it at a tricky angle toward the Bull Demon's comparatively unprotected armpit!

Surprise flashed through the Bull Demon's eyes. Its massive body started to retreat, but Yang Xiao was faster!

The blade sliced through hide. Blood sprayed!

"So fast."

The Bull Demon's deep voice rumbled. It suddenly twisted around and brought down a hoof like a mountain!

Instead of retreating, Yang Xiao advanced. Mountain-Opening Force surged around his left palm as he met it head-on!

Palm and hoof collided, sending waves of force rolling outward!

A terrifying force surged through the hoof. The bones in Yang Xiao's left arm crackled under the strain!

Roar—!

Yang Xiao flew backward. His feet plowed two deep furrows through the ground before he barely steadied himself.

His left arm trembled. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split, and blood seeped out.

In a contest of raw strength, he was at a slight disadvantage.

The Bull Demon advanced slowly, its massive body like a moving fortress.

Yang Xiao drew a deep breath and forced down the sharp pain in his left arm.

He truly could not match the Bull Demon in strength alone, but he had other methods!

The Bull Demon charged again, its front hooves falling in turn like two enormous hammers!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yang Xiao's figure flickered as he pushed Astonishing Swan Steps to its limit, weaving through the assault.

Each hoof blasted a deep crater into the ground, scattering broken stone.

His hands brushed across the Bull Demon's forelegs like flowing water. A deft force surged out and guided them aside!

"Roar!"

The Bull Demon bellowed and lunged at Yang Xiao headfirst!

Yang Xiao slipped to one side, letting the horns pass, and slashed the side of its neck!

Blood sprayed. Another wound!

Floating Cloud Shattering Hands unraveled the Bull Demon's attacks one by one, while every stroke of Yang Xiao's saber left a mark!

The Spring Embroidery Saber was light, but in Yang Xiao's hands, it became a razor, shaving away the Bull Demon's flesh bit by bit!

"Damn you!" the Bull Demon roared, attacking in a frenzy.

But Yang Xiao stayed at the edge of its reach, sometimes meeting it with Monument Splitting Palm, sometimes using Floating Cloud Shattering Hands to dissipate its force, and sometimes evading with Astonishing Swan Steps.

These were all basic martial arts, yet he wielded every one of them to its utmost!

The Bull Demon was strong, but its attacks were too direct, too fierce, and too predictable.

Yang Xiao's attacks, by contrast, spread like mercury across the ground, seeping into every opening!

Before long, cuts covered the Bull Demon's body. As its blood drained away, so did its strength.

Its movements slowed a fraction.

That was the moment Yang Xiao had been waiting for. He surged forward and stopped dodging!

"Seeking death!"

Delight flashed through the Bull Demon's eyes as it brought a hoof crashing down!

But Yang Xiao did not dodge!

He used Floating Cloud Shattering Hands to shed most of the hoof's force, then drove forward beneath it and swung the Spring Embroidery Saber.

The blade stabbed into the Bull Demon's throat like lightning. Blood gushed out like a spring!

"Roar—!"

The Bull Demon let out a wretched howl, its massive body thrashing wildly.

But Yang Xiao did not let go!

Gripping the hilt with both hands, he drove the Spring Embroidery Saber deeper, until its tip pierced the Bull Demon's neck bone!

The Bull Demon's massive body crashed to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

It twitched a few times. The gleam in its eyes gradually faded, and a moment later, its chest no longer rose and fell. No breath escaped its nostrils.

Yang Xiao released the hilt, staggered back a few steps, and dropped onto the ground.

He gulped down breath after breath.

The fight had left bruises all over his body. If not for his defensive prefixes, his injuries would have been far worse...

Yang Xiao closed his eyes and began reviewing what he had gained and lost in the battle.

The Demon-Slaying Blade Technique and his other martial arts had consumed half the Spiritual Power in his twelve Apertures, leaving only half of his reserves.

His abilities were well-rounded. His fist techniques, palm techniques, movement arts, and defensive martial arts had all reached perfection, but every one of them was basic. He had no stronger techniques.

The Demon-Slaying Blade Technique and the Spring Embroidery Saber... were starting to fall short.

If he had a better, longer saber, or a stronger martial art... Yang Xiao shook his head and pushed the thought away.

Now was not the time for that.

He stood and walked over to the Bull Demon's corpse.

Reaching into its chest, he felt around among the flesh and pulled out a dark-yellow Demonic Core the size of his fist.

Yang Xiao put the Demonic Core away, then turned toward the Condensed Essence Fruit Tree in the lake.

Three fruits hung from its branches, each giving off a faint white spiritual glow.

There was still some time before noon, as the Bull Demon had said. He practiced Breath Regulation to restore the Spiritual Power in his Apertures while he waited.

Half an hour later, the concentration of spiritual qi in the air quietly rose by half a measure.

A faint, luminous white sheen flowed across the three Condensed Essence Fruits before him. Even from several yards away, he could smell their sweet, rich fragrance.

Yang Xiao stepped closer to examine them. The ripe fruits weighed their branches down slightly. Beneath their skins, something seemed to slither like spirit snakes. They trembled gently, constantly releasing fine wisps of pure spiritual qi from heaven and earth.

"It's time!"

Delight lit Yang Xiao's face.

He plucked one and laid it in his palm. Its surface was smooth as jade, and it gave off a delicate fragrance.

This was the fruit tree the Bull Demon had guarded for centuries. By eating its fruit, it had gone from ordinary livestock to a great demon of the mountains.

It was also a treasure that low-realm martial artists dreamed of possessing.

[Usable equipment detected: Condensed Essence Fruit (single-use)]

[Effect: Replenishes the Spiritual Power of one Aperture.]

[Usable equipment detected: Condensed Essence Fruit Tree (single-use)]

[Effect: Grants prefix (blue) Meridian Storage Spiritual Qi: Meridians form channels for storing spiritual qi. Excess spiritual qi can be stored and drawn upon at any time.]

Yang Xiao paused when he saw the last entry.

The Condensed Essence Fruit Tree... could be equipped in an Equipment Slot too?

It could even grant him the immensely useful Blue Prefix Meridian Storage Origin, letting him stockpile a great deal of spiritual qi and greatly extend his endurance in battle.

Still, he would have to try it to know exactly how effective it was.

He equipped all three Condensed Essence Fruits, and three of his Apertures instantly filled.

Yang Xiao then equipped the Condensed Essence Fruit Tree, sat cross-legged, and circulated the Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art while carefully sensing the changes within him.

Previously, whenever he used spiritual qi, he had to draw it from his twelve Apertures. Once they were empty, he had to absorb the energy of heaven and earth again and slowly build up his reserves.

And once all twelve Apertures were full, he could not store another wisp.

Even with three times the Spirit Swallowing efficiency, he could not replenish it as fast as he spent it in battle. His expenditure outstripped his supply.

Now, besides his twelve Apertures, he could store spiritual qi in his meridians. Like a plant moving energy freely through its stems and leaves, he could draw on it as he pleased.

Yang Xiao closed his eyes, looked inward, and estimated that once his meridians were full, they would hold as much spiritual qi as twelve more Apertures!

His endurance had doubled outright!

At that thought, Yang Xiao's eyes flashed. Yet his resources suddenly felt stretched thin, and he grew more eager to join the Demon Suppression Division.

He urgently needed martial arts with greater destructive power. High consumption did not matter—he had reserves to spare!

The martial arts in the County Yamen's collection were still too low-level to keep pace with his progress.

Yang Xiao reached out again, and the Bull Demon's dark-yellow Demonic Core appeared in his hand.

Single-use equipment did not take up an Equipment Slot, so he might as well use it now.

[Qi Gathering Demonic Core (single-use)]

[Effect One: Replenishes the Spiritual Power of nine Apertures.]

[Effect Two: Grants prefix (green) Force of a Thousand Jun: Gain the strength of a thousand jun, increasing the strength of one arm by thirty thousand jin.]

[Solidification successful!]

An immense tide of Spiritual Power surged into Yang Xiao. All twelve Apertures filled instantly, and even the reserves in his meridians filled halfway.

At the same time, the strength of one arm increased by thirty thousand jin.

The frightening strength the Bull Demon had wielded moments ago was now his as well.