Mid Nei Jin

He first read Golden Bell Shield and Cold Plum Jin from beginning to end, committing every word and sentence to memory. Moments later, information on both techniques appeared on the system panel.

He opened the panel, his gaze settling on the line of numbers at the bottom.

[Demon Points: 42300]

"System, raise Gale Slash to perfection."

[Ding! Raising Gale Slash to perfection will cost 10000 Demon Points. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

As soon as he spoke, a vast amount of cultivation experience flooded into his mind.

The paths of the saber moves, the circulation of Nei Jin, the points at which to exert force-all were etched into his muscle memory frame by frame, as though he had spent decades painstakingly practicing the saber art.

Lu Feng opened his eyes, gripped the Six Harmonies Saber in both hands, and channeled Nei Jin into the blade.

Gale Slash.

A flash of saber light erupted, so fast it left no afterimage.

With a soft snick, the stone stool in the corner was cleaved in two down the middle, its cut surface smooth as a mirror.

Lu Feng looked down at the saber in his hands, then at the two halves of the stone stool, his gaze sharpening slightly.

Gale Slash had only one move.

But that single move was several times more ferocious than all the moves of the Gale Saber Art combined.

Most important of all was its speed. Speed pushed to the extreme. The saber struck the moment it was drawn, giving its opponent no time to react.

A thought suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart.

At this speed, I might be able to put up a fight against a third-tier demonic beast.

He shook his head again. That single slash had drained nearly thirty percent of the Nei Jin in his body. At his current cultivation level, he could unleash three slashes at most before exhausting himself.

It's still not enough.

Without resting, he drew on two separate amounts of five thousand Demon Points and allocated them to Golden Bell Shield and Cold Plum Jin respectively.

[Ding! 5000 Demon Points consumed. Golden Bell Shield raised to perfection;]

[Ding! 5000 Demon Points consumed. Cold Plum Jin raised to perfection;]

Both streams of experience poured into him at once. Lu Feng felt his muscles and bones grow hot, and the texture of his skin seemed to become finer and tougher in an instant.

He drew the Six Harmonies Saber and lightly ran it across his arm. It left only a faint white mark, without even breaking the skin.

With Golden Bell Shield at perfection, his body had been strengthened several times over once more. The claws and fangs of second-tier demonic beasts probably could no longer hurt him.

As for Cold Plum Jin-

He rose and walked over to another, intact stone stool, then stretched out his hand and pressed it lightly against the surface. He circulated his Nei Jin, and a sinister, chilling force emerged from his palm.

There was no sound. Nor did the stone stool crack.

But when Lu Feng withdrew his hand, the entire stone stool silently crumbled into fine powder across the ground, like an ice sculpture smashed to pieces.

A flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes.

"This Cold Plum Jin couldn't be more suitable for catching people off guard."

No injury could be seen on the outside, but everything within had been destroyed. Anyone struck by it probably wouldn't know how they had died even at the moment of death.

Bringing the three techniques to perfection had cost a total of twenty thousand Demon Points.

He had twenty-two thousand three hundred left on the panel.

Lu Feng sat down cross-legged again and took a deep breath.

"System, consume twenty-two thousand Demon Points to improve Innate Primordial Qi."

[Ding! 22000 Demon Points consumed. Innate Primordial Qi progress increased to 57%;]

Deep in his dantian, a stream of pure Jin Qi emerged from nowhere and surged into his limbs and bones like a flood unleashed from a sluice gate. His meridians swelled with a faint pressure as the depth and density of his Nei Jin increased at a visible rate.

The barrier between the middle and late stages shook under the assault, on the verge of collapse.

But in the end, the current of Jin slowly subsided.

Lu Feng opened his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly.

He hadn't broken through. He was just a hair's breadth away from Late Nei Jin.

He reopened the panel.

[Host: Lu Feng;]

[Cultivation: Mid Nei Jin;]

[Techniques: Innate Primordial Qi (57% progress); Gale Slash (perfection); Cold Plum Jin (perfection); Golden Bell Shield (perfection); Gale Saber Art (perfection); Carefree Steps (perfection); Gate-Severing Saber Art (perfection); Grasping Hand (perfection); Iron Cloth Shirt (perfection); Treading on Snow Without a Trace (perfection);]

[Demon Points: 300;]

Forty-two thousand Demon Points had dwindled to three hundred in the blink of an eye. Although his cultivation had not broken through, Lu Feng knew that, compared to three days ago, he was on an entirely different level.

Golden Bell Shield was at perfection, making him difficult for second-tier demonic beasts to injure. Gale Slash was at perfection, and the power of a single slash was enough to threaten a third-tier beast. Cold Plum Jin was at perfection: death upon contact.

His cultivation was at Mid Nei Jin, yet his combat strength had already far surpassed his realm.

He did not leave seclusion. For the next three days, he shut himself in the secret chamber and repeatedly practiced using the techniques he had just brought to perfection together.

He followed Gale Slash with Cold Plum Jin, used Carefree Steps to close in while Golden Bell Shield absorbed damage, and combined, broke down, and recombined each move until it became muscle memory.

Three days later.

A knock sounded at the door.

Lu Feng opened his eyes, breathed out a turbid breath, and rose to open the door.

Xiaolian stood outside.

"Miss Xiaolian?" Lu Feng was slightly startled. "Is something the matter?"

"Deputy Commandant Qin wants to see you." Xiaolian's tone was more solemn than usual. "Come with me."

Lu Feng nodded, then asked, "What about Chen Hu? Has he come back?"

"Chen Hu went out on a mission with Inspector Li Mu. There's no set date for their return." As Xiaolian spoke, she turned and led the way.

One behind the other, they passed through the Demon-Slaying Bureau's corridors and arrived at the main hall of Commandant Su's residence.

Qin Shuang sat upright in the seat of honor, dressed in a fitted white outfit, her expression as cool as ever. Two people stood on either side below her, three men and one woman in all. They wore the ink-black uniforms of demon slayers, their bearing steady and their gazes sharp.

Lu Feng walked into the main hall, looking neither left nor right, and cupped his fists in salute. "Your subordinate Lu Feng greets Deputy Commandant Qin and my lords."

No sooner had he spoken than a young man on the left, with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, frowned.

"Why is it a demon-slaying guard?"

He made no attempt to hide the displeasure in his voice.

A woman with an upright bearing beside him immediately spoke in a cold voice. "Liu Yong, this was Her Excellency's decision. Who are you to question it?"

The man called Liu Yong stiffened, then snorted and said no more.

Lu Feng was somewhat baffled by what he heard. What decision? How did I get dragged into it?

He raised his head and looked at Qin Shuang in the seat of honor.

Qin Shuang raised a hand, and the hall fell quiet.

"Lu Feng, I called you here today because there is a mission." Her voice was not loud,

"Recently, there have been incidents of demonic beasts devouring people in the Fire Saber Sect's territory. More than ten disciples have been killed. The sect master of the Fire Saber Sect submitted a written request for aid, and the matter has fallen to our Su Prefecture."

She paused, her gaze settling on Lu Feng.

"You will go with these four, uncover the truth, and slay the demonic beasts."

"These four" referred to the four demon slayers below her in the hall. Three men and one woman, all dressed in fitted ink-black outfits.

Lu Feng asked no further questions. He cupped his fists and said, "Your subordinate obeys."

Qin Shuang gave a slight nod, indicating that they could leave.

Lu Feng followed the four out of the main hall, stopped outside the door, and cupped his fists. "My lords, when do we depart?"

Among the four, a woman with a round face spoke, her tone far friendlier than the two in the hall. "Tomorrow morning. We'll meet right here."

"Thank you, my lady." Lu Feng cupped his fists again, then turned and headed toward his quarters.

He had only taken a few steps when Xiaolian's voice came from behind him.

"Lu Feng, wait for me."

She jogged after him and walked beside him. Neither of them spoke along the way, until they reached the door to Lu Feng's room.