Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

“Since the department didn’t make me work, I’ll come back and be an executioner for two more days,” Ning Xiu said with a smile.

After speaking, Ning Xiu subconsciously glanced at He Yunlang and saw that the other man's arms were bulging, and he didn't know what he had stuffed inside.

Seeing that Ning Xiu had noticed him, He Yunlang quickly turned to the side and said, "You're a strange person. Well then, you go ahead with your work. My executions for today are over, and I should go back to practice my skills."

After saying that, He Yunlang left quickly, not giving Ning Xiu a chance to look at him any further.

Watching He Yunlang's hurried retreating figure, Ning Xiu couldn't help but wonder, "Strange, why does this kid seem so sneaky today?"

Without suspecting anything, Ning Xiu, who had his own business to attend to, went straight into the prison cell.

……

After seeing Ning Xiu enter the cell, He Yunlang did not immediately return to his residence. Instead, he looked around and, seeing that no one was nearby, quickly entered cell number ninety-seven in the Xuan District.

If the jailer were to witness this scene, he would surely seize the man and interrogate him to find out his purpose.

Because trainees like He Yunlang from the Champion Camp were not allowed to wander into any cells other than the ones assigned to them for daily executions.

Inside the cell, a gaunt old man had half his body embedded in a huge black ore, with only his upper body slightly exposed.

Upon seeing He Yunlang's arrival, the old man couldn't help but chuckle, "I knew you would come."

Ignoring the old man's words, He Yunlang took out a cloth bag from his pocket and threw it over.

Before the cloth bag could hit the ground, the old man's long tongue emerged from his mouth, precisely snatched the bag, and simultaneously opened it.

Inside was a heart the size of a fist.

"Very well! I always keep my promises, this is your reward." The old man rolled the heart and the cloth together and swallowed it whole.

Suddenly, a long gash appeared on his abdomen, and three black beads rolled out and fell to the ground.

He Yunlang glanced warily at the old man, picked up a long spear from the torture table, walked over, and grabbed the black bead from the ground.

Throughout this time, he kept a certain distance from the old man, in case the sorcerer tried anything.

"Don't worry, you're willing to cooperate with me, and occasionally give me some demon hearts to satisfy my cravings. I'm too busy trying to keep you alive, how could I possibly bear to kill you?"

The old man licked his lips and smiled, "This Black Essence Pill was refined by me using my own essence. After taking it, it can enhance physical strength. The reason why the people of the Demon Subduing Division have imprisoned me here but not killed me is so that I can keep refining this Black Essence Pill for them. As long as you cooperate with me, you will have plenty of Black Essence Pills. Joining the Demon Subduing Division in the future will not be a problem at all."

"I have not cooperated with you, and you haven't even seen me today. If you still want to eat the heart of a demon, you need to understand this." He Yunlang said expressionlessly as he put away the Black Yuan Pill, and then quickly left the place.

Within the Demon Suppression Prison, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to have private dealings or transactions with evil spirits or demons. Once discovered, they will be convicted of "willing assimilation" without any room for defense.

Although he hadn't been in the Demon Suppression Prison for long, He Yunlang was very clear about this rule.

Looking at the now quiet cell, the old man sneered, "A self-righteous fool."

After leaving the prison cell, He Yunlang immediately returned to his residence. Looking at the Black Yuan Pill in his hand, he hesitated.

His situation with that sorcerer, everything has to go back to yesterday.

After the six executioners had chosen their desired candidates and left the Demon Suppression Prison, the remaining executioners returned to their previous lives.

He Yunlang was assigned to the Xuan District to execute an evil spirit. Unexpectedly, after the evil spirit was killed, its body was possessed by a demon by some unknown means. The demon told He Yunlang that as long as he took the demon's heart to cell number ninety-seven to make a deal with him, it could help him quickly improve his strength.

And so, all of this has come to be.

Sitting on the bed, He Yunlang was extremely conflicted. He didn't know whether what the sorcerer said was true or false. Was the Black Yuan Pill really that magical? What if it was a trap set by the sorcerer to harm him?

After pondering for a moment, He Yunlang still didn't dare to take it. He could only wait until tomorrow when he went to execute the evil spirit, and then feed it one to the evil spirit to see the reaction after taking it.

……

【Yuan Yang Fist: Level 7 (731/3000)】 (+)

[Golden Bell Shield: Five layers (13/1600)] (+)

[Spiritual Vision: Level 1 (22/200)] (+)

【Mahavairocana Sutra: Level 5 (311/2000)】(+)

General Proficiency: 1410

...

Looking at the black boar with broken tusks and fierce eyes, I saw a black boar covered in black fur.

Ning Xiu summoned the proficiency panel, raised his familiar goose-feather saber, and slashed down at the imprisoned pig demon.

According to the records of the monsters in the prison, this pig monster was twenty-four years old, weighed 620 jin (approximately 360 kg), and was good at disguising itself.

It had thirty-seven owners, and each time it would devour the owner's entire family before escaping the pigpen and wandering outside the nearby towns.

Some greedy people would take the stray pig home and raise it, but before it could be sold or slaughtered, the pig demon would always eat the owner's entire family first, and then do the same thing again.

Disguised as a fat pig, the pig demon had been at large for over twenty years until a few days ago when he was exposed and captured by a demon-slaying officer.

The demons and evil spirits that are captured and brought back to the Demon Suppression Prison are not simple; they must possess treasures or other valuable items.

This pig demon was like that. According to the records, the people of the Demon Subduing Division took out a pig treasure the size of a water bucket from its body, which was extremely valuable.

However, none of this mattered to Ning Xiu. Under the chaotic blows, the pig demon's massive body quickly died.

[Defeat monsters, General Proficiency +600]

Without pausing, Ning Xiu put down his goose-feather sword and left the cell, then went into the next room to begin a new round of executions.

[Defeat monsters, General Proficiency +700]

[Defeat evil spirits, General Proficiency +500]

[Defeat the demon, General Proficiency +600]

……

In less than half an hour, Ning Xiu had completely eliminated the evil spirits in the twenty prison cells.

He thus gained as many as 12000 points of general proficiency, which can be described as a sudden windfall.

Without delay, Ning Xiu immediately began to improve the level of the several cultivation techniques he was practicing.

First is Yuan Yang Fist. Ning Xiu remembered that when the martial arts instructor taught him this fist technique, he mentioned that the highest level of Yuan Yang Fist was eight.

I have already cultivated it to the seventh level, and today I will directly raise the Yuan Yang Fist to the eighth level, which can be considered a complete success.

So Ning Xiu added 2300 points of general proficiency to Yuan Yang Fist.

[Yuan Yang Fist: Level 7 (731/3000)] → [Yuan Yang Fist: Level 8 (Evolvable)]

"Evolvable?" Ning Xiu wondered, as this was the first time he had ever seen this term.

Isn't the eighth level the perfect state of Yuan Yang Fist?

[013] Evolution of a New Martial Art

To see what changes could occur with the Yuan Yang Fist, Ning Xiu immediately chose to evolve it.

In the blink of an eye, the Yuan Yang Fist skill on the proficiency panel changed.

Pure Yang Fist: Eight layers (31/4000)

In an instant, Ning Xiu's understanding of the Yuan Yang Fist technique increased dramatically, as if a peerless master had given him a profound enlightenment.

After the panel completed its evolution, Yuan Yang Fist has become a brand new fist technique based on Yuan Yang Fist and improved upon – Pure Yang Fist!

If the original Yuan Yang Fist was 70% quality, then after the panel evolution, this brand-new Pure Yang Fist directly increased by 30%, and its power was completely upgraded to a whole level.

Ning Xiu extended his right palm, and when he attempted to unleash the Pure Yang Fist, the entire back of his hand and palm would instantly turn crimson, and the temperature of his palm would begin to rise.

The main effect of practicing Yuan Yang Fist is to strengthen the blood and qi in a martial artist's body, making them immune to evil spirits and preventing evil beings from approaching.

It is said that some martial artists who focus on cultivating their blood and qi can have such a high level of blood and qi in their bodies that it is like a furnace. When they make a move, their whole body temperature rises, and their blood and qi become as hot as a raging fire.

In the presence of such a martial artist, weak and evil spirits would not even be able to resist; they would simply be boiled and evaporated by the masculine energy as soon as they got close.

Ning Xiu found it intriguing. Could it be that by cultivating the Pure Yang Yang Fist, he could eventually reach that level of blood energy? That would be incredibly powerful.

With the idea of ​​seeing what other changes the Pure Yang Fist could bring, Ning Xiu added another 4000 points of general proficiency to the Pure Yang Fist.

[Pure Yang Fist: Level 8 (31/4000)] → [Pure Yang Fist: Level 9 (31/5000)]

In an instant, Ning Xiu's right palm was no longer limited to the palm and back of the hand; his entire right hand, down to his wrist, turned crimson and was incredibly hot.

"If this fist is used to attack evil spirits, its power will definitely be much greater than usual." Ning Xiu nodded in satisfaction. His several thousand points of general proficiency had not been wasted; they had been used precisely where they mattered.

After continuously raising the Pure Yang Fist level by two, Ning Xiu still had 7110 points of general proficiency left.

If it is used to improve the Pure Yang Fist, the cost-effectiveness will not be very high, since the other techniques are still at a relatively low level.

Even the sharpest spear needs a sturdy shield to reduce its weaknesses.

Ning Xiu had been deeply concerned about the fact that the three-faced demon had broken through his Golden Bell Shield.

When people are killed, they die.

To avoid death, one must prevent evil spirits and demons from killing them.

Therefore, the level of the Golden Bell Shield is still far from sufficient and must be improved in order to ensure one's own safety.

Consumes 1600 points of general proficiency to upgrade the Golden Bell Shield from level 5 to level 6.

Consumes 2000 general proficiency points to upgrade the Golden Bell Shield from level six to level seven.

Consumes 3000 general proficiency points to upgrade the Golden Bell Shield from level 7 to level 8.

When the Golden Bell Shield reached the eighth level, Ning Xiu felt his bones cracking all over his body. A pain emanating from his very bones spread wildly throughout his body, causing him to involuntarily grimace in agony.

"Could this be the true effect of the Golden Bell Shield that Instructor Wu mentioned back then—bone forging!" Ning Xiu leaned against the cell wall to support himself so as not to fall to the ground.

Last year, when the martial arts instructor publicly taught the Golden Bell Cover training method at the champion camp, he mentioned that the Golden Bell Cover is not an ordinary external martial art.

The first three layers of the Golden Bell Cover can enhance a martial artist's resistance to blows, while the fourth to seventh layers can make a martial artist fearless of weapons, and when they tense up, their body becomes as hard as copper and iron.

The effects of the first seven levels are not much different from those of ordinary external martial arts training.

Only by cultivating to the eighth level can one truly come into contact with the wonders of the Golden Bell Shield—bone forging.

The Golden Bell Cover is named as such because when mastered to a high level, it not only makes a martial artist's entire skeleton stronger.

It can also completely merge the sternum and ribs of a martial artist, and there will be no gaps between each rib, thus enveloping and protecting the heart and lungs like a bell, forming a super strong defense.

Ning Xiu had previously overlooked this matter, but now that he had reached the eighth level of the Golden Bell Shield, he suddenly remembered what Instructor Wu had once said.