Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Clap clap clap!

All the weapons that the Treasure Vault Guardian had unleashed shattered one after another. As the last weapon broke, the Treasure Vault Guardian had no time to react and was slashed across by the Karmic Fire Curved Blade.

Karmic fire is invisible, yet it is the nemesis of the soul. The moment it came into contact with the treasure vault guardian, his aura was extinguished on the spot.

Having lost the control of the treasure vault guardian, the remaining weapons fell to the ground, losing their spiritual light.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the Divine Calculator of the Heavenly Chart reacted, it was too late. He had no way to save the Guardian of the Treasure Vault.

They could only watch helplessly as their companions perished before the Blazing Fire Blade.

[Defeat the demon general to gain +10000 general proficiency]

[Additional Forging Talent Extracted]

[Forging Talent: Normal (0/10)]

"Huh?" Ning Xiu was surprised to hear a voice he had never heard before coming from the proficiency panel.

He had never experienced anything beyond general proficiency that he could gain from it.

However, now is not the time to focus on this. Although the Treasure Guardian is dead, the Divine Calculator of the Heavenly Map is still alive.

We absolutely cannot let this guy leave alive, lest he severely damage the vitality of the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom.

Seeing Ning Xiu turn his gaze to him, Tian Tu Shen Suan felt a tremor in his heart. If Ning Xiu were to use that move again, even he, as if guarding a treasure vault, would be unable to resist it.

The only option now is to escape.

Suddenly, the celestial map rolled upside down, enveloping the Celestial Calculation Chart within it, and then flew off northward with a whoosh.

"Don't run!" Ning Xiu once again gathered karmic fire, transforming it into a karmic fire scimitar and slashing it towards the sky.

However, it was still slightly slower than the Celestial Calculation, and after only glancing across a corner of the star map, it disappeared into the horizon.

The sky returned to normal, and a blood-stained object fell from the sky to the ground. Ning Xiu looked at it and saw that it was an elephant ear with a bloody gash.

Each of the Ten Phases was an ancient elephant demon that had lived for hundreds of years, and their strength far exceeded that of a first-rank demon. The reason why the Treasure Vault Guardian was defeated by Ning Xiu was purely because of his lack of understanding of Ning Xiu and his arrogance. He had no intention of dodging at all.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, even if a master of this level couldn't defeat Ning Xiu, he could still escape by running away.

Ning Xiu was incredibly lucky to kill a heavyweight expert from the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom, making it a very profitable deal.

If the Elephant King of the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom were to learn of this, he would surely vomit several liters of blood and be filled with unquenchable hatred.

On the Shang Dynasty's side, the Shang emperor applauded, for a powerful demon like the Treasure Vault Guardian was of paramount importance to the nation, and the death of even one was considered a blow to the very foundation of the country.

Once the Heavenly Calculator had escaped, Ning Xiu immediately left with the Demon Buddha.

It's not advisable to stay in Sixiangzhou for long.

After catching up with Long Ning and her group, Ning Xiu summoned the proficiency panel and checked the forging talent that had appeared for the first time.

[Forging Talent: Normal (0/10)]

Unlike cultivation techniques, there are no symbols that can be added after this forging talent, and one's general proficiency is not of any use to this forging talent.

"Does this mean I can only improve this talent by obtaining more forging talent points? That would be troublesome," Ning Xiu thought to himself.

Unlike cultivation techniques, the bonus from talent should be even more powerful. If Ning Xiu can improve his forging talent, he will become a forging master himself and will no longer need to find others to forge weapons for him.

This new talent is truly promising for the future.

……

The Great Shang Dynasty, Chaotiandu.

People have their own destiny, and nations have their own destiny.

The Shang emperor valued the concept of destiny and fortune, so he spent five years building the Astronomical Tower in the capital, Chaotian, which allowed him to observe the national fortunes of many demon kingdoms in the surrounding areas.

Just as Ning Xiu used the Karmic Fire Curved Blade to kill the Treasure Vault Guardian, the Star Masters of the Celestial Tower immediately changed their expressions.

Because they observed that the fortune of the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom in Sixiang Prefecture had clearly declined. If the previous fortune was like a hundred-zhang peak, then now it was like a ninety-zhang mountain.

Such an event must have dealt a severe blow to the nation's destiny; something must have happened to the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom.

For the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom, this was a disaster.

For the major merchants, this was a cause for celebration.

Immediately, a astrologer ran down from the Imperial Observatory to report the matter to the palace and inform the emperor.

[123] Longxiang Neijingtian prepares to refine weapons

A few days later.

The outline of the Great Shang border finally came into view of Ning Xiu and his party.

They did not encounter the team led by Li Xianhe, Ning Lian, and He Kuang along the way, so they did not know their situation and could only return to China first.

"Finally, they're back alive..." Many of the Demon-Subduing Guards breathed a sigh of relief.

If it weren't for Ning Xiu escorting them, they would never have made it this far.

With the destruction of the Four Symbols Altar by Ning Xiu and others, the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom mobilized its entire nation's resources in an attempt to kill all the Demon-Subduing Officers who appeared in the Four Symbols State.

Following the Heavenly Calculation and the Treasure Vault Guardian, Ning Xiu encountered many demon soldiers along the way, forming a very large force.

"Gentlemen, once you enter the pass, what you do next is entirely up to you. I have urgent business to attend to and must return to Jingzhou first, so I won't stay any longer to find a place to have a few drinks with you all," Ning Xiu said with a smile.

"If you have something to do, please go ahead and do it. We'll do as we please."

"I am already very grateful that you escorted us to this place, sir. I will definitely repay Lord Ning for saving my life in the future."

Although Ning Xiu is young, his performance along the way has convinced all the Demon Subduing Officers that he must be a high-ranking Demon Subduing Officer of the upper third rank or even the first rank.

People are judged by their strength, not their age. Ning Xiu has already impressed these Demon Subduing Guards with his own strength.

"Farewell. If there is an opportunity, we will meet again at the Demon Subduing Martial Arts Competition." Ning Xiu clasped his hands in a fist salute.

After entering the pass, Ning Xiu bid farewell to the Demon-Subduing Officer who was traveling with him, and then, together with the Demon Buddha and Long Ning, escorted Fang Jingzhou on their journey to Jingzhou.

……

As the Tianyun Fulan Festival approaches, towns, counties, and villages throughout the Great Shang territory are decorating with festive decorations related to the festival.

There were orchids at the entrance of the house, and red ropes strung with coins minted by the Shang Dynasty hung on the windows.

Purple orchids with bells hanging from them lined the streets, tall banners and colorful towers stood a zhang high, and chandeliers shone brightly even at night. Colorful dust covered the streets where people walked, and purple ribbons were tied to the branches of the trees...

All of these are unique decorations specifically for the Da Shang Fu Lan Festival.

Hundreds of years ago, during a time of chaos, the Great Shang Dynasty established its Demon Subduing Division, which reclaimed the lands from numerous demons and evil spirits, stabilized the twelve provinces, and laid the foundation for the Great Shang Dynasty's initial structure in the chaotic world.

That day is the origin of the Tianyun Fulan Festival.

All citizens and officials of the great merchant state, under the leadership of the emperor, were to give thanks on this day.

Meanwhile, the Demon Subduing Division will go to the unreclaimed territories to hold a Demon Subduing Martial Arts Competition, in order to demonstrate the power of the Demon Subduing Division.

Each time the Demon Subduing Martial Arts Competition is held, the chosen location in a different outer region will be announced by the Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Officer as the date approaches.

After several days, Ning Xiu finally escorted Fang Jingzhou to Chaotian Capital. The first thing Ning Xiu did upon arriving in the capital was to take Fang Jingzhou to the Demon Subduing Division for a final judgment. Once the matter was settled, he would receive the reward for the Demon Subduing Summoning Order.

The fact that Fang Jingzhou stole the Vermilion Bird's blood and fled to the Four Symbols Prefecture was already common knowledge throughout the Demon Subduing Division. Every high-ranking Demon Subduing Captain wished to capture this traitor and punish him.

When Ning Xiu escorted Fang Jingzhou into Qin Daorong's private office, Qin Daorong immediately stood up from his chair upon seeing Fang Jingzhou. His eyes were like those of a tiger eyeing a sheep, which startled Fang Jingzhou so much that he quickly took a few steps back.

Compared to Qin Daorong's strength, Fang Jingzhou was truly no match.

"You actually managed to bring him back! Good, well done!" Qin Daorong patted Ning Xiu on the shoulder, his tone revealing barely suppressed admiration.

Although Fang Jingzhou was just a minor character, his actions were a slap in the face to the Great Shang Dynasty. Only by severely punishing him according to the Great Shang's criminal law could this anger be appeased.

"Lord Qin, what about the rewards for the Demon-Slaying Summoning Order..." Ning Xiu asked.

"Oh, I forgot. Tell me, what do you want?" Qin Daorong said magnanimously.

Although he wasn't the strongest Demon Subduing Captain in the Demon Subduing Division, he was responsible for managing the Jingzhou Demon Subduing Division on a daily basis, so his status and influence were considerable. Basically, as long as Ning Xiu didn't make any excessive requests, the Demon Subduing Division could meet them.

"I would like to ask the retired master craftsmen of the Great Shang Dynasty to forge some weapons for me."

The Shang Dynasty fought against the demon race for hundreds of years. In addition to the powerful personal strength of the Demon Subduers, a suitable weapon was also very important.

The Shang Dynasty once had three top-notch master craftsmen, but as time went by, these master craftsmen either passed away or chose to live in seclusion, rarely making a move.

If Ning Xiu wants to unleash the full power of the Heavenly Might Divine Spear, he needs to have a reclusive master craftsman personally forge the weapon for him.

"Well... alright, I'll go talk to them tonight."

With Qin Daorong's promise, the matter was considered half settled. Basically, given Qin Daorong's status as the Silver Tiger Demon Subduer, the Divine Craftsman would not refuse to give him face.

After all, they are merely living in seclusion, not sealing their skills.

……

into the night.

Inside the Demon Subduing Bureau, at Ning Xiu's residence.

What used to be a quiet place was unusually lively tonight.

In the courtyard, all the members of Ning Xiu's current Bronze Leopard Squad were seated around a large table: Chen Peifeng, Daoist Kongxu, Chang Fenghai, and Aying.

And the Demon Buddha, and Long Ning after she transformed into a human.

The fact that everyone was gathered together at once made it feel very homey.

Chen Peifeng and Daoist Kongxu had lived together for many years without any family. Now that they had joined the Demon Subduing Division with Ning Xiu, the Demon Subduing Division was their family.

Although Chang Fenghai was once a shaman, his parents had long since passed away, and he had no wife, so he was now all alone.

Needless to say, A-Ying's identity is extremely mysterious. She was entrusted to Ning Xiu's care by that mysterious old woman and is now all alone.

Adding Ning Xiu, Demon Buddha, and Long Ning, they could easily form a group of loners.

A steaming hot pot was bubbling on the table, with slices of meat boiling inside.

Ning Xiu raised his wine glass and said, "Let's all get to know each other. From now on, we're all family. In this Demon Subduing Martial Arts Competition, you must all perform well and strive to achieve a top ranking. This way, you can all receive rewards from the Demon Subduing Division."

"Thank you, Lord Ning, for giving us this opportunity. This old Daoist will certainly do his best with his disciples to eliminate as many demons as possible," Master Kongxu immediately replied.

Chang Fenghai clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I will certainly live up to Lord Ning's expectations."