Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Before this, he was the most senior Demon-Subduing Captain in the Great Shang Dynasty, and in terms of both background and skill level, he was number one in the Great Shang.

Many people thought that Shen Jiangxing would be the first to step into the Inner Realm of Sainthood, but no one expected that the one who achieved this was Ning Xiu, who came later.

Having reached the Inner Realm Saintly stage, Ning Xiu had already far surpassed Shen Jiangxing, so naturally, he could no longer communicate with Ning Xiu from the perspective of an equal.

Judging from Ning Xiu's potential, he is already on par with the Three Saints from hundreds of years ago.

Hundreds of years later, Ning Xiu has a great chance of achieving the same status and accomplishments as the Three Saints, and the Three Saints might even become the Four Saints.

Furthermore, there were three capable individuals in that great era hundreds of years ago, but looking at it now, only Ning Xiu can be compared to the Three Saints.

"Grand Preceptor, there's no need to be so polite. Just address me as you did before. You know the people of the Demon Subduing Division don't care about such things," Ning Xiu said with a calm smile.

"Lord Ning, there is something I actually have to say..."

Ning Xiu could tell that Shen Jiangxing definitely wanted to ask him for help, otherwise he wouldn't be acting so hesitantly.

"Please speak freely, Grand Preceptor. With a formidable enemy at hand, we merchants should unite and help each other in times of trouble."

"I would like to ask Lord Ning to show me the power of mind. I wish to forcefully break through my current realm and enter the inner realm," Shen Jiangxing said earnestly.

Ning Xiu quickly realized that in the Demon Subduing Division's library, there was a manual left by a Martial Saint, which mentioned that those who had been stuck in the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm for a long time could use the mental power of comprehending the Inner Realm Saint Realm to help themselves break through if they did not care about their future realm.

While this increases the chances of breaking through to the Inner Realm Saintly Realm, it also leaves a drawback.

That means your breakthrough was achieved by relying on the power of others, using the power of their thoughts. By relying on external forces, it is very likely that taking another step forward in this lifetime will become a distant dream.

Shen Jiangxing naturally understood this, but his lifelong dream was to reach the Inner Realm Saint Realm. Having lived for so many years, he had never seen anyone in the Great Shang Dynasty achieve the Inner Realm Saint Realm, so he was naturally anxious.

He probably only has a few decades left to live. If he can't break through to the inner realm, he will only return to dust at the Dragon-Elephant Upper Realm, leaving only regret.

Previously, there was no choice; no Inner Realm Saint could help him comprehend things with the power of his mind. Now that Ning Xiu, an Inner Realm Saint, had appeared, Shen Jiangxing no longer wanted to wait.

If I could enter the Inner Realm of Sacred Beauty sooner, I would have no regrets in this life.

"Is the Imperial Preceptor serious? I believe you will surely achieve the Inner Realm in time. Why would you prematurely destroy your Dao foundation?" Ning Xiu said, unable to bear it.

"Lord Ning is joking. I have long seen through it. If I didn't have the help of mental power, I might not have been able to enter the Inner Realm even when I die. It's just that no one in the Great Shang Dynasty has achieved the Inner Realm in recent years, so I can't borrow the Inner Realm Saint Realm. Otherwise, I would have done this long ago and wouldn't have dragged it out until now." Shen Jiangxing said with a carefree laugh.

"Furthermore, the Great Shang is facing an unprecedented crisis. It would be a good thing for me to achieve the Inner Realm as soon as possible, so that I can better protect the Great Shang and its people together with you, Lord Ning."

Seeing the determination in Shen Jiangxing's expression, Ning Xiu knew that his mind was made up and no one could persuade him otherwise.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Jiangxing was nearly two hundred years old. Ning Xiu could not even imagine the extent of his obsession with the Inner Realm.

“Alright, then I will lend the Imperial Advisor a hand.” Ning Xiu nodded solemnly, reached out and pressed Shen Jiangxing’s shoulder, releasing his mental power.

Instantly, Shen Jiangxing felt a strange energy envelop him, and the next moment the two of them had disappeared from the spot.

When Shen Jiangxing opened his eyes again, he was no longer near the Yangyao Imperial Array; instead, he was surrounded by a vast blue sea.

"This is it!" Shen Jiangxing exclaimed in shock.

Only Donghai Prefecture in the Great Shang Dynasty is coastal, but Donghai Prefecture is several days' journey from Zhongzhou. Even the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm would need a full day to reach it.

Can the Inner Realm achieve this level of perfection in an instant?

“Donghai Prefecture,” Ning Xiu said.

As he released his mental power once more, the two instantly arrived at the depths of the sea. Looking around, there was no land in sight, only an endless expanse of ocean.

Ning Xiu stood on the sea with Shen Jiangxing, as if walking on flat ground.

This technique was learned from the insights of that mysterious woman; by using the power of his mind, he could achieve the effect of teleportation.

However, Ning Xiu was not as skilled as that woman. She could easily travel from the outer regions to the ocean, while Ning Xiu could only switch between one or two states multiple times.

At Ning Xiu's feet, a large number of fish lingered and began to circle around him. If fishermen saw this spectacle, they would definitely think that the Dragon King had descended and would kneel down in worship.

"The power of thought can achieve anything you desire, but it cannot transcend the rules too much. It can only affect those who do not possess the power of thought. Grand Preceptor, do you have any insights?" Ning Xiu asked.

"It's amazing, this feeling is just too amazing. I can't describe it, but I can feel the power of this force," Shen Jiangxing said excitedly with his eyes closed.

The power of thought—this was the power of thought he had been longing for for many years.

Shen Jiangxing seemed to be deep in thought, and quickly sat cross-legged on the ground, beginning to seize this precious moment of enlightenment. As an Inner Realm Saint, Ning Xiu didn't often have free time.

He must seize this rare opportunity and learn as much as possible.

Seeing this, Ning Xiu didn't ask any more questions, but quietly increased his use of mental power while standing beside Shen Jiangxing to protect him.

If the Great Shang could have another expert at the Inner Realm Saint level, it would be very beneficial to the Great Shang, and it wouldn't be left to fend for itself alone.

As Shen Jiangxing began to comprehend, the sea surface suddenly began to slowly rotate, eventually transforming into a huge vortex that spun rapidly beneath Shen Jiangxing's body.

This extraordinary celestial phenomenon is quite remarkable just by looking at it. Shen Jiangxing's talent as a disciple of a Celestial Saint is undoubtedly exceptional; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen by the Celestial Saint.

Above the vortex, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, rolling and rumbling, with flashes of thunder, hinting at an impending downpour.

"Roar!"

A giant wave burst forth from the sea, followed by a massive figure leaping up from beneath the surface and roaring furiously toward where Ning Xiu and his companion were.

It turned out to be a dragon covered in black scales.

"Human! Why have you stepped into the Dragon Clan's territory!"

[200] The terrifying nature of the Heavenly Dao Realm

"A dragon?" Ning Xiu raised an eyebrow.

Previously, Ning Xiu had never seen any other dragons besides Long Ning within the territory of the Great Shang Dynasty. The sudden appearance of one now was quite surprising.

Unexpectedly, after the yin tide, there were still dragons surviving in the East China Sea. This is valuable information.

The Shang Dynasty relied on the Yangyao Huangji Formation to save the lives of the people of Zhongzhou. So what did these dragons rely on?

Shen Jiangxing calmly continued to close his eyes and comprehend the dragon. This dragon was nothing special to him, let alone Ning Xiu, who was at the Inner Realm Saint level.

Dealing with this dragon is a piece of cake; there's no need for me to worry about it. The real key is to focus on comprehending the power of my mind and breaking through the bottleneck in my cultivation level.

"Leave now, or don't blame me for being impolite!" the black dragon roared.

The roar of the dragon resounded, causing violent waves visible to the naked eye to appear on the sea surface. Flood dragons are born with the ability to control water, and the stronger the dragon, the stronger this ability becomes. Some even reach the point where they can summon wind and rain and forcibly cause floods in a place.

With a thought from Ning Xiu, the black dragon, which had been roaring, suddenly stopped moving, strangely coiled into a ball, and began to sleep.

It was as if the situation of Ning Xiu and the other person had been forgotten. The power of thought could affect all aspects, including influencing the perception of demons.

Now, facing opponents who are far too weak, Ning Xiu doesn't even need to lift a finger. He only needs a thought to make his opponents surrender without even trying.

While Shen Jiangxing was trying to break through his bottleneck by comprehending the power of thought, Ning Xiu was not idle either.

Now that he knows there are other powerful human beings besides the Great Shang, it's unclear whether they are friend or foe. Ning Xiu must seize every second to become as strong as possible.

Only with sufficient strength can we protect the Great Merchant and its millions of people.

……

[Burning Heaven Scripture: Second Level (0/10) Breakthrough Points, (0/200) Years] (+)

【Floating Buddha Mahakala: Second Level (0/10) Breakthrough Point, (0/200) Years】(+)

[Forging Talent: Excellent (10/100)]

General Proficiency: 5112100

Breakthrough Points: 14

Insight Points: 2

……

After killing Feng Jiu Kuang, Ning Xiu gained a considerable amount of breakthrough points, which, whether used to upgrade the Burning Heaven Scripture or the Floating Pagoda Great Black Heaven, would be enough to elevate Ning Xiu's strength to another level.

The insights gained from Feng Jiu Kuang were what Ning Xiu cared about most. The insights of an Inner Realm Saint were a treasure that Ning Xiu couldn't obtain even if he sold the entire Shang Dynasty.

With his destiny star monitoring the four seas, Ning Xiu calmed his mind and quietly began using his comprehension points.

In an instant, a flood of memories that did not belong to Ning Xiu surged into his mind. Scenes, incredibly clear and vivid, appeared before his eyes. They were all Feng Jiu Kuang's past life and his insights into it.

The lifespan of an Inner Realm Saint is several times that of a Dragon-Elephant Upper Realm expert, so Feng Jiu Kuang's memories are far more extensive than those of an ordinary Dragon-Elephant Upper Realm expert, and ordinary people simply cannot withstand them.

But who is Ning Xiu? He absorbed the insights of even an old monster like the Black Demon Ancestor who had survived for several eras, let alone Feng Jiu Kuang.

Ning Xiu quickly grasped Feng Jiu Kuang's insights and was deeply moved after learning about Feng Jiu Kuang's life experiences.

In the history of the Great Shang Dynasty, the farthest territory conquered by the ancestors was the thirty-six prefectures. There are not many records of the Great Shang Dynasty for places beyond the thirty-six prefectures.

In other words, the Shang Dynasty was still quite confused about the specific situation of the world, but Feng Jiu Kuang's experience directly filled in all the gaps in Ning Xiu's knowledge.

Beyond the thirty-six states of the Great Shang Dynasty lies an even larger territory, but those places are extremely harsh and dangerous. The demons or humans who can establish themselves in those places are all incredibly powerful beings.

The Sand City Kingdom, where Feng Jiu Kuang resides, is such a human kingdom.

This Sand City Kingdom is full of powerful figures. Even though Feng Jiu Kuang is an expert at the Inner Realm Saint level, he is just a member of the faction.

As far as Feng Jiu Kuang knew, this kind of power with many experts was not limited to the Sand City Kingdom.

Therefore, in Feng Jiu Kuang's view, a country like the Great Shang, which doesn't even have an Inner Realm Saint, is simply an ant-like existence that he can bully at will.

But to everyone's surprise, a ruthless person like Ning Xiu suddenly appeared halfway through. He failed to seize the Heavenly Dao Stele and instead lost his life and fortune in the process.

It's truly a cruel twist of fate.

"This guy doesn't seem to know anything about celestial beings or emperors at all," Ning Xiu frowned.

For him, the Heavenly Dao Inscription and the situation of the Celestial Beings were the things Ning Xiu most wanted to know. Fortunately, Ning Xiu successfully obtained the secret of the Heavenly Dao Inscription.

The Dragon and Elephant Upper Realm, the Inner Sacred Realm, the Realm of Harmony with the Heavenly Dao.

The Dragon-Elephant realm can only be broken through by comprehending the power of one's thoughts.

One can only break through to the Inner Sacred Realm by comprehending the power of heaven and earth.

Once you reach the Harmonious Heaven Realm, how to break through again is something few people know.

Above the Heavenly Dao Realm, there are two paths: the Heavenly Human Path or the Great Emperor Path.

Only one Great Emperor can emerge in an era, but the path to the Great Emperor is arduous and extremely difficult to traverse.

The Celestial Being is the ultimate goal for most powerful individuals. To achieve this goal, one needs to utilize the Heavenly Dao Stele.

However, how to utilize it is something that can only be known after obtaining the Heavenly Dao Stele.