Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Ning Xiu led a team alone, escorting ten Demon-Subduing Guards on a round trip from the southwest back to the Great Shang territory. In fact, for him, this kind of mission was the easiest one besides Li Xianhe's.

With the Demon Buddha and Long Ning as his two henchmen, Ning Xiu could easily handle most opponents, unless they were exceptionally powerful individuals whose strength was not documented.

Even three cobblers can outwit one Zhuge Liang. His side has three experts who wouldn't be intimidated even if a first-rank expert from the Xiang Kingdom came.

"I... um... hand..."

After the dragon condensed into a human, it seemed to have lost the ability to transform back into a dragon body. It was practicing its language by talking to itself, which left Ning Xiu without a mount for a while, forcing him to walk on foot.

Fortunately, as a third-rank martial artist, he was fast on his feet, so it didn't affect his progress.

While traveling, Ning Xiu took the opportunity to bring up the proficiency panel, preparing to use up the huge amount of general proficiency he had accumulated since entering the Four Symbols Continent.

After the battle at the Four Symbols Altar, Ning Xiu gained an incredibly high amount of general proficiency, a whopping 26. This is even without considering that he didn't charge into battle; otherwise, it would have been even more.

...

[Aura Observation and Fortune Telling Technique: Level 1 (1/2000)] (+)

【Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture: Twelve Levels (2/13000)】(+)

[Heavenly King Vajra Skill. Black Heavenly Pagoda Supreme Body: Twelfth Level (7/13000)] (+)

[Concealment Technique: Level 10 (0/7000)] (+)

[Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada: Eighth Floor (2897/6000)] (+)

[Heavenly Might Divine Spear: Beginner (0/2000)] (+)

General Proficiency: 265601

...

“There are many powerful demons in the outer realms, and many more demons that are no weaker than them. In addition, after witnessing the power and prestige of Lord Li Xianhe, my strength is still somewhat insufficient in the outer realms,” Ning Xiu thought to himself.

This trip allowed Ning Xiu to witness firsthand the saying that there are always people more capable than oneself, and mountains beyond mountains, which made him no longer focus solely on Chaotiandu.

Although Jingzhou and Chaotiandu are safer than the frontier, danger comes with high reward. As his strength grows, Ning Xiu naturally desires to gain more proficiency.

Now that he has broken through to the third rank of martial arts, the concealment effect of the Concealing Qi Technique has been greatly reduced, and it does not achieve the effect that Ning Xiu hoped to see. This time, he has gained more than 200,000 proficiency points, so he naturally has to max out this Concealing Qi Technique.

Eleventh floor...

Twelve floors...

Thirteen floors...

After spending over 4 general proficiency points, the Concealing Qi Technique officially reached its peak, and the 'Entering Body' notification was also triggered.

Having had many experiences, Ning Xiu knew very well that this entry into the body meant that he would once again possess a new supernatural power.

Without hesitation, I clicked to enter the body.

[Supernatural Powers: The Secrets of Heaven Are Unfathomable]

[The secrets of heaven are unfathomable: Only those three realms above you can discern your true strength, and divination, fortune-telling, and other methods cannot detect your identity and existence.]

Seeing the new supernatural power transformed from the Concealing Qi Technique, Ning Xiu was quite astonished.

There's no other reason than that this supernatural power is simply too formidable. There's nothing wrong with concealing one's strength in front of a powerful figure, since this is the very function of a concealment technique.

But the second half of his ability was just too powerful; it was as if Ning Xiu had struck gold.

In this world, there are many methods that can find out a person's information over extremely long distances, such as the divination and rituals of some ancient tribes in outer realms.

The methods of fortune telling and divination in the Shang Dynasty also employed such techniques.

If they want to know about Ning Xiu's existence or any information about him, they can obtain it by paying a certain price.

Now, Ning Xiu can use the unpredictable nature of the heavens to prevent those guys from seeing through him. It goes without saying what kind of effect this can have.

"Not bad." Ning Xiu nodded in satisfaction, and then began to improve his next martial art.

Living in this world dominated by demons and monsters, one must rely on strength. Although not much time has passed since the last breakthrough, no one feels that their growth rate is too fast.

Thinking of Li Xianhe's sword strike that revealed the divine sword intent, its power was immense. Even now, when Ning Xiu recalls that scene, he is still deeply shocked.

As a martial artist, he naturally wanted to possess that kind of strength.

Only by continuously improving one's own strength can one truly know how high and how thick the sky really is.

General Proficiency -13000

Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture, Thirteen Levels

General Proficiency -14000

Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture, Fourteen Levels

General Proficiency -15000

Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture, fifteen levels

……

As Ning Xiu upgraded the Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture layer by layer, internal energy continuously condensed within his body. The already dense internal energy began to gather into clusters, which were then refined into even purer Heavenly Gang Internal Energy after entering the Martial Aperture.

boom!

It was as if an invisible shackle had been blasted away, calming the mind and refreshing the body.

Ning Xiu clenched his fists, and a burst of energy instantly erupted from them.

Officially entered the second rank of martial arts!

It's impossible for anyone to imagine that there could be such a crazy way to increase one's strength in this world.

The other Demon-Subduing Guards around Ning Xiu looked at him with considerable surprise. Although they could not perceive Ning Xiu's true strength due to the unpredictable nature of the Heavenly Secrets, they could all vaguely confirm that Ning Xiu's strength must have made a breakthrough in some aspect just now.

This is good news for the Demon Extermination Bureau.

But this is just the beginning. The remaining general proficiency is enough for Ning Xiu to continue improving the Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture.

Today, he will challenge the limits of power as currently understood—the first rank of martial arts.

He was also a representative of the renowned group within the Demon Subduing Division, the Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captain.

Hundreds of miles away, two elephant demons strolled leisurely across the ground. Although they only took a small step, each step covered a distance of tens of feet, making them seem extremely ethereal.

The two elephant demons were of different species. One had a gray-skinned, long-bearded head and a face full of wrinkles that marked the passage of time. The other had a white-skinned head with four ears and was adorned with dazzling jewelry, exuding a magnificent air.

Among the royal family of the White Elephant Kingdom, there are rumors of three ancestors and ten prime ministers, which is the foundation upon which the White Elephant Kingdom has been able to dominate the Four Elephant Provinces for hundreds of years.

It is precisely because of the existence of these thirteen mysterious elephant demon powerhouses that the Great Shang Dynasty has been unable to successfully reclaim the Four Elephant Provinces for so many years.

If any member of the Elephant Kingdom's royal family were here, upon seeing these two old elephant demons, they would immediately kneel and kowtow to show their respect for their seniority.

They are the Heavenly Calculators and Treasure Guardians of the Ten Phases, beings that even the Golden Dragon Demon Subduer would find heavy-hearted upon encountering.

"what!"

While they were chasing each other, the Heavenly Calculator suddenly stopped, which puzzled the guards of the nearby treasure vault.

"what happened?"

"The aura of that Demon-Subduing Commander has vanished; I couldn't even detect his presence," the wrinkled divination master Tiantu said in surprise.

Among the Ten Phases, he was most famous for his unique methods of calculation. The fact that the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom was able to rival the Great Shang Dynasty was largely due to this divine calculus master.

However, now, a Demon-Subduing Officer whose existence could not be calculated has appeared, which greatly shocked the Heavenly Calculation Master. After all, just now, he was able to calculate the location of that Demon-Subduing Officer using the Heavenly Secrets.

What exactly happened in those few breaths?

"So what do we do now? Can we pinpoint the approximate location? If we chase after them with all our might, will we still make it in time?" the Treasure Guardian asked.

"They probably haven't noticed my presence yet. It shouldn't be too late to catch up at full speed now. Let's give it a try."

This time, the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom dispatched ten ministers to hunt down and kill those Demon Subduing Officers who had disrupted and destroyed the Four Symbols Altar, determined to leave them all in the Four Symbols State forever.

Although the Four Symbols Altar had been destroyed, the Elephant King, enraged upon receiving the news, still wanted to make the Shang Dynasty pay a bloody price.

If the Ten Ministers were to appear, unless it was a master like Li Xianhe, even someone of the upper three ranks would likely face dire consequences.

Having confirmed Ning Xiu's last known location before his aura vanished, the Heavenly Calculation Master immediately unleashed his full speed and rushed towards him.

……

Martial Arts First Rank!

After using up all his general proficiency, Ning Xiu raised the Burning Sun Supreme Scripture to the twentieth level, the Great Perfection realm.

His personal strength also broke through, and he stepped into the first-grade realm that countless people dream of.

For Ning Xiu to reach the first rank in martial arts at his age is unprecedented in the entire Great Shang Dynasty.

Apart from the fact that the Demon Buddha and Ning Xiu were one and the same, and could sense it, no one else in the world knew about Ning Xiu's transformation.

The powerful internal energy of a first-grade martial artist roamed through his body, and his martial acupoints frantically devoured and refined every bit of internal energy, allowing Ning Xiu to spread the Heavenly Gang Battle Body to every corner of his body, no longer limited to his arms as he had at the third grade.

At the same time, the increase in internal strength means that Ning Xiu's punches and kicks will be several times more powerful than before.

However, after the brief moment of joy subsided, what was placed before Ning Xiu and what he took very seriously was something else entirely.

【Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture: Twentieth Level (Completion)】

Unlike any previous ascension to the limit, there was no entry into the body, nor any evolution.

This Burning Sun Supreme Scripture is like a dwindling potential, with no further path to take.

"Is it possible that even the proficiency panel can't improve this technique anymore?" Ning Xiu wondered, looking at the panel.

The Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture was the only way for him to improve his strength. Without this method, Ning Xiu really didn't know what to do if he wanted to continue to improve.

However, since I'm already here, I might as well make the best of it. The Great Shang Dynasty once produced a Martial Saint, a super strong person who surpassed even the first rank of martial arts. Presumably, the Demon Subduing Division should have some records of this. After I return to Chaotian Capital, I'll try to find a way to break through by using the treasured ancient texts within the Demon Subduing Division.

Just as Ning Xiu put away the proficiency panel, he suddenly sensed two powerful auras approaching him from behind at a speed that was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

What a coincidence! Two powerful figures happened to be traveling the same way as him. Ning Xiu immediately realized that these must be pursuers sent by the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom.

The Demon Subduing Division members who were traveling with him were injured and weak, and could no longer participate in any battles. Ning Xiu then said to Long Ning, "You take them away first. Keep walking and you'll catch up with them later."

"Brother Ning, what happened? Could it be that the demon race has caught up with us?" Upon hearing Ning Xiu's arrangement, the Demon Subduing Officers all asked.

“Brother Ning, let us stay and help you. After all, Sixiang Prefecture is not part of our Great Shang territory.”

"No need, just follow my instructions. Long Ning, let's go." Ning Xiu waved his hand.

Long Ning didn't care what the Demon Subduing Officers thought. She directly used the monstrous strength of the dragon to pull all the Demon Subduing Officers away, leaving only one Demon Buddha to help Ning Xiu.