I defeated the saint with a parry.

"..."

Xu Ling stood bathed in blood, the sky stained red by the sprayed tiger blood, the entire courtyard turning crimson.

The shattered sword, ironically, became the most captivating object.

At this moment, the temple was eerily quiet.

"He actually did it."

Zhao Yi muttered to himself, his eyes glazed over: "Is this still a bronze-level demon slayer?"

Li west also turned his gaze to the old servant beside him: "Elder Hou, do you think he might be hiding his cultivation level?"

Hou Le shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it, but it's also very strange. His vision and fighting instincts don't seem like those of a human cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm. This old servant suspects that his true identity is not simple, at least not as we have perceived it."

The two nodded slightly and said nothing more.

The sudden escape from death and the overwhelming joy shattered the momentary silence, and everyone in the trading company cheered.

"The human-faced tiger is dead, we don't need to offer blood sacrifices. Heavens above, God has opened his eyes."

"You should thank the wandering knights and demon slayers outside, not some damn God."

"Yes, yes, you're right. But how is the Demon Slayer? He's covered in blood. I wonder if he's injured."

"Why isn't he moving? Could something be wrong?"

Tonight's experience had already made everyone extremely nervous, so when they heard this guy ask that question, everyone stopped in their tracks.

Only Li west and the old servant Hou Le continued walking towards the figure in the courtyard, and Zhao Yi followed after a moment's hesitation...

Zhao Yi was grabbed by his wife: "Husband, what are you doing? What if that tiger demon isn't dead yet?"

Zhao Yi turned around: "It's alright, anyway, the Demon Slayer is here..."

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "You wait here, I'll go and see for myself."

After saying that, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to his henchmen: "Please bear with me, everyone. All commissions will be doubled this time."

"Go away, sir; we're here."

Zhao Yi quickly followed Li west and the others, stepping on the blood-stained ground, the sticky feeling making him uncomfortable.

That tiger demon was indeed very strong, with abundant blood and energy. Even though the blood had been dispersed for so long, it still felt very warm.

It's like there's something grilling near a hot spring.

Upon getting closer, Zhao Yi also saw Xu Ling's condition. The latter was currently closing his eyes, his posture unchanged. Even Zhao Yi, who had never cultivated, could sense that there seemed to be some change in Xu Ling.

"Young Master Li! What's wrong with the Demon Slayer?"

Li west looked somewhat surprised, and upon hearing this, explained, "It seems that he has entered a state of enlightenment."

"Sudden enlightenment?"

This sounded like a high-class situation, so Zhao Yi didn't dare to say anything. He could only stand aside, and the only thing he dared to do was squat down and pick up a piece of the blade, examining it in his hand.

As for that demon core, he did glance at it several times, his eyes filled with longing, but he dared not have any thoughts about it.

The tiger demon core of the Concentration Realm is extremely valuable; it's probably the most valuable thing he can get his hands on.

However, the tiger demon still possessed many valuable items, and he couldn't help but think about how to persuade Xu Ling to hand over the tiger demon's inheritance to him for sale once Xu Ling woke up.

"This kid really is at the Body Tempering Realm." Hou Le sized up Xu Ling, becoming more and more confused. "He didn't hide his cultivation level. That's strange."

"Could it be that my eyesight is failing me?"

No, no, no, there's nothing wrong with my eyes, but not my heart.

Hou Le was even more puzzled: "You've already had an epiphany, so why hasn't your aura changed?"

He followed the aura of sudden enlightenment and examined it closely, almost exclaiming, "It's actually a severed meridian!"

凸(艹皿艹)！

The old man was dumbfounded and glanced at the tiger demon's corpse not far away.

So, someone who has severed meridians and is unable to cultivate spiritual energy managed to cut a tiger demon in the Concentration Realm in two, and did so with a mortal weapon.

He didn't rely on any spiritual energy at all, just pure qi and strength... He created it all from the basics, young man.

He didn't know whether to say Xu Ling was stubborn or that these demon slayers had all gone mad. First, there was Zhong Song, a cultivator in the Meridian Opening Realm, who was willing to die to buy time, and then there was a cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm who was reckless and used his physical body to cut through the human-faced tiger demon.

He knew about demon slayers; there were indeed rumors that they were a bunch of lunatics, and now he had seen it for himself.

"Young Master!" Hou Le pulled Li west away and reminded his young master from a corner, "This kid is really at the Body Tempering Realm. He's a real madman for not hiding his cultivation. He actually dared to fight a demon at the Spirit Condensation Realm with reckless methods."

"If this record were in our clan, we would definitely raise him as a genius, but unfortunately..."

Li west looked up and heard the words "extinct pulse." It was truly a pity, because often, courage is the rarest and most precious thing.

"Elder Hou, I remember you used a horizontal sword when you were young."

"Why...why are you eyeing this old man?"

Elder Hou cursed and flipped his hand, revealing a jet-black horizontal sword, even the hilt was black: "Take it, take it, give it to that brat, consider it repayment for saving this old man twice."

Xu Ling also woke up at this time.

The sudden death of the human-faced tiger did not bring him obvious benefits, but it was very useful.

His physical body underwent a comprehensive upgrade, and his attributes in all aspects were improved, but his cultivation level remained unchanged.

On the surface, he still appears to be that weakling at the ninth level of Body Tempering, a useless cripple with severed meridians. But in reality, he has already crossed that hurdle, achieving a significant leap forward in terms of attributes. He just can't mobilize his spiritual energy...

If the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm is LV9-10, and the Meridian Opening Realm is LV11-20, then Xu Ling is currently at LV12 in terms of attributes, having advanced three levels.

Next time you parry and dodge, you'll not only be able to defend against a wider range of attacks, but it will also be easier.

"woke up?"

Li west walked over with a sword in hand: "Are you alright?"

Xu Ling shook his head. The beast blood on his body had turned into a sticky paste, which was very uncomfortable, but he had no wounds: "How about you guys? Are you alright?"

"Of course we're fine. We're all hiding inside, not daring to peek out. Even if there are pebbles, they won't hit us." Li Xi handed over the sword: "It's a real pity that your sword is ruined. My elders used swords when they were young. I'm giving this sword to you on their behalf."

Hou Le, who was following behind, raised his eyelids, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Xu Ling was also surprised. This boss seemed to have gone crazy, suddenly starting to give out benefits, which was obviously not right.

After he took the knife, he felt a slight coolness in his hand. The blade and handle were made of a single piece of material, a craftsmanship not found in ordinary knife makers.

If it's not made by an ordinary person, then it must have been refined by a cultivator.

Xu Ling was startled: "This is a magical artifact?"

Li west smiled and shook his head: "It's not a magical artifact. It's just that the person who forged this knife has extraordinary skills, which is why it has such an effect. You can hold it without worry."

He thought to himself, this isn't exactly a lie, because this knife isn't a magical weapon, but a magical treasure, which is even more advanced than a magical weapon.

Xu Ling looked puzzled. Li west's knife gave people a very different feeling. As a swordsman, he liked it more and more the more he touched it. This was a swordsman's instinctive reaction to a good knife.

He really needed it, so he asked, "What's the name of this knife?"

"ink!"

Hou Le added a comment.

Xu Ling nodded and sheathed the sword, which fit perfectly in his original scabbard. "Thank you, sir. I'll take the sword, but you still have to pay the balance."

"Of course, this knife is just a thank-you gift. Once we arrive in Fancheng, the remaining balance will be paid in full."