Monument Splitting Palm! Astonishing Swan Steps! Seventh Layer of Body Forging!

An hour later.

A notification flashed before Yang Xiao's eyes.

[The equipped "Breath-Nurturing Method" meets the conditions for permanent solidification. Its effects have been permanently solidified.]

[The Breath-Nurturing Method has reached the perfected realm.]

[Acquired trait Vitality Recovery (Green): Slightly increases the rate of blood and qi recovery.]

The Breath-Nurturing Method vanished from the Equipment Slot, leaving one slot empty.

After waiting for so long, Yang Xiao first picked up the Astonishing Swan Steps.

The instant he flipped open the cover, transparent words appeared before his eyes.

[Equipable item detected: Astonishing Swan Steps]

[Equip?]

Yang Xiao did not hesitate. "Equip."

The next moment, the thin booklet transformed into a streak of faint light and fell into the Equipment Slot.

["Astonishing Swan Steps"]

[Effect One: Astonishing Swan Steps proficiency perfected.]

[Effect Two: Acquired trait (Green) Shadow Swoop: Lightens the body and slightly increases agility.]

[Permanent solidification condition: Equip for one hour.]

A flood of memories surged into his mind.

How to gather his qi, how to place his feet, how to borrow strength from his waist and hips, and how to weave and dodge in cramped spaces.

In an instant, Yang Xiao felt as though he had painstakingly trained his movement skills for more than a decade.

His legs grew slightly hot as he stepped forward.

Whoosh—

The wind in the courtyard stirred.

Yang Xiao's figure had already appeared several paces away, leaving only faint footprints on the ground.

"What movement skill."

Yang Xiao's eyes lit up.

If he had possessed these Astonishing Swan Steps before the battle at Liu Family Village, killing the Rat Demon would have been even easier.

More importantly, movement skills could save one's life.

In this world overrun by demons, being able to kill demons was one thing. Whether one could survive was another.

Yang Xiao tried them several more times in the courtyard.

His figure alternated between speed and slowness, his clothes stirring the wind.

When he finally stopped, his blood and qi churned within him, faintly breaking through a layer of obstruction.

His sinews and bones gave a soft crack.

Sixth Layer of Body Forging!

Yang Xiao clenched his fists, feeling the strength that had surged within him, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

From the moment he awoke yesterday until now, he had advanced from Body Forging 3rd Layer to Body Forging 6th Layer.

He had just barely reached the minimum threshold for the Demon Suppression Division's selection.

But that still was not enough.

Far from enough.

The Rat Calamity at Liu Family Village had consisted only of a group of low-tier Rat Demons, yet they had nearly overwhelmed the entire village's defenses.

Wang Village had a Dog Demon.

Li Family Hamlet had an entire mountain of Great Demons.

Beyond the County Yamen, who knew how many man-eating things still lurked?

Relying on Body Forging 6th Layer alone was still too precarious.

An hour later, the Equipment Slot trembled faintly.

[The equipped effects of "Astonishing Swan Steps" have been permanently solidified.]

[Astonishing Swan Steps has reached the perfected realm.]

[Acquired trait (Green) Shadow Swoop: Lightens the body and slightly increases agility.]

Looking at the Equipment Slot that had been freed up, Yang Xiao felt that reassuring solidity return to his heart.

This was the most terrifying aspect of the Equipment Slot.

Others could cultivate for years and still might not master a perfected martial art.

But as long as he equipped something and permanently solidified it, he could turn it into his own foundation forever.

Yang Xiao picked up the second thin booklet, Monument Splitting Palm.

"Equip."

[Equipable item detected: Monument Splitting Palm]

[Effect One: Monument Splitting Palm perfected.]

[Effect Two: Acquired trait (Green) Mountain-Opening Force: Gives palm strikes tremendous weight, allowing them to shatter sinews and bones and interfere with the self-healing of low-tier demons.]

[Permanent solidification condition: Equip for one hour.]

Heat surged into his body once again.

This time, it was no longer his legs that grew hot. Both arms, his palms, shoulders, and back swelled together.

Standing in the courtyard with his palms spread, Yang Xiao's sinews, bones, flesh, and skin faintly revealed a layer of dusky jade. As his blood and qi surged, it seemed to wrap him in a layer of iron armor, making him feel incomparably solid.

He thrust his palms forward—pushing, slapping, and sweeping sideways. Explosive booms rang through the air one after another.

He walked to the bluestone in the courtyard, raised his hand, and brought his palm down.

The bluestone jolted violently. Cracks spread outward from the point where his palm landed.

With a series of sharp snaps, the entire bluestone shattered into several pieces.

Yang Xiao withdrew his palm. He felt only a slight numbness in it, with no other discomfort.

Monument Splitting Palm perfected, adding a thousand jin of strength. It could shatter stones and split monuments; a pair of bare flesh-and-blood palms was comparable to a demon's body!

If he encountered something like the Rat Demon again, he would not even need to swing a saber. He could slap several of them to death with his bare hands.

As his blood and qi circulated, Yang Xiao felt a stream of heat rise within him. His sinews and bones rang together, and his strength increased once again.

Seventh Layer of Body Forging!

Standing in the courtyard, Yang Xiao exhaled a long breath.

In less than two short days, he had advanced from Body Forging 3rd Layer to Body Forging 7th Layer.

If he told anyone, they probably would not believe him.

But this was only the beginning.

He had now figured out his path.

Kill demons for merit, exchange merit for cultivation methods, permanently solidify the effects of those methods, then kill even stronger demons...

If this cycle continued, one day he would be able to establish a firm foothold in this man-eating world.

He awoke at dawn.

Looking at the empty Equipment Slot in his field of vision, Yang Xiao felt incomparably hollow.

Ever since equipping the Spring Embroidery Saber yesterday, he had grown accustomed to filling this slot with something, giving himself a sense of fullness and progress.

"No. I have to go out. I have to kill demons!"

Yang Xiao straightened his clothes, slung his saber around his waist, and headed straight for the Xiangyun County Yamen.

A quarter of an hour later, Yang Xiao finished the last bite of his Scallion Pancake in front of the County Yamen, then turned into his duty room with practiced ease to begin his shift.

Xiangyun County had three Constables. Aside from Head Constable Zhang Hu, who remained stationed at the County Yamen, Second Constable Li Tie and Third Constable Wang Dagui were respectively stationed at Li Family Hamlet and Wang Village, returning every few days.

He belonged under Zhang Hu's command and usually did little more than patrol the streets in the county. He almost never faced the risk of encountering demons.

Yang Xiao secretly decided that he had to find a way to leave today.

Otherwise, where would his merit come from?

How else could he improve?

County Yamen duty room.

When Yang Xiao arrived, Zhang Hu was standing before the desk with a grim expression, while Zhao Qiang stood to one side and gave him a slight nod.

A rough map was spread across the desk, with a crumpled letter of aid pinned beside it.

Zhang Hu looked up at Yang Xiao. His expression eased slightly as he studied him carefully.

There was more scrutiny in this glance than there had been during the day.

After the battle at Liu Family Village, Yang Xiao's performance had spread throughout the County Yamen.

To an ordinary Yamen Runner, a Body Forging 6th Layer Rat Demon was a deadly thing.

Yet Yang Xiao had slain it cleanly and decisively.

If Zhang Hu had not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have found it difficult to believe that this was the same Yang Xiao who had once muddled through his duties.

"Sit."

Zhang Hu pointed to the long bench before the desk.

Yang Xiao did not stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he let his gaze fall on the map.

Several villages around Xiangyun County had been marked out simply.

Liu Family Village lay to the southwest, Wang Village in the eastern suburbs, and Li Family Hamlet farther north, near a stretch of Back Mountain.

Zhang Hu tapped Wang Village's location with his finger.

"Something happened in Wang Village."

Yang Xiao thought for a moment before asking, "A Dog Demon?"

"Mm." Zhang Hu picked up the letter of aid and handed it over. "Wang Dagui had someone send this back three days ago."

Yang Xiao took it and skimmed it.

The handwriting was hurried, and the ink had blurred in places.

The gist was that the number of Dog Demons around Wang Village had increased. They were frequently attacking livestock and villagers, and several people had already been dragged away.

Third Constable Wang Dagui had led people to guard the village, but they were short-handed and had requested reinforcements from the County Yamen.

After reading it, Yang Xiao placed the letter back on the desk.

"They requested aid three days ago. Why are we only sending someone now?"

Zhang Hu's expression grew even darker.

"The Rat Calamity at Liu Family Village suddenly expanded, tying up the County Yamen's manpower."

He looked at Yang Xiao. "I originally intended to go there myself, but someone has to hold down the County Yamen."

"Zhao Qiang has to lead people in handling the aftermath at Liu Family Village."

"So I want you to go take a look at Wang Village."

Zhao Qiang's expression changed slightly. "Constable Zhang, Yang Xiao alone?"

Zhang Hu fell silent for a moment.

"I am not asking him to exterminate the Dog Demons, only to investigate the situation."

"If Wang Village is fine, return immediately."

"If something truly has happened, do not act recklessly. Come back to the County Yamen and report first."

With that, he looked at Yang Xiao.

"Are you willing to go?"