Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"Is this sword intent?" Ning Xiu asked, even though he was the number one emperor of this era and a half-immortal.

However, Ning Xiu actually didn't know much about swordsmanship. In this respect, he was even less knowledgeable than a Demon Slayer who had only been learning swordsmanship for a few years.

"Those with sword intent can injure others without weapons. If they attach sword intent to a sword, they can kill from a distance and shatter the consciousness of others with sword intent. It is extremely domineering. You look only a few years older than me, yet you have sword intent. When did the Demon Subduing Division have a young sword cultivator like you?" The boy was extremely excited.

As a sword cultivator, the greatest excitement is meeting a talented person. Without sword intent, one cannot reach the pinnacle of the sword cultivation path.

The earlier one can comprehend sword intent, the greater the benefit to a sword cultivator.

Ning Xiu pressed down on the bookshelf again, and another long mark immediately appeared on the shelf.

The sword intent had just appeared, and he had not yet been able to fully grasp and control it.

"If you cultivate diligently, you will achieve it too. I believe in you." Ning Xiu put away his intention to continue using sword intent and said with a smile.

He used the evil power to fill the entire world with the essence of the Dao. With the existence of the essence of the Dao, it would invisibly affect all living things and make their talents grow.

If this young man in front of me can't even comprehend the sword intent, then it means that his talent is really lacking and he can't follow the path of a sword cultivator.

"Then I'll take your good wishes, hahaha. My name is Qi Jingya. May I ask your name, brother?" the young man asked curiously.

Logically speaking, someone as young as Ning Xiu, who has also comprehended sword intent, should be quite famous in the Demon Subduing Division. However, I have no recollection of his appearance at all.

This shows that Ning Xiu is not well-known in the Demon Subduing Division, which is quite strange.

"Lord Ning."

Just then, Master Heshan hurriedly came over: "I have already had the sword techniques you requested prepared and piled up in the library for you to read. You can come over anytime."

"Thank you." Ning Xiu nodded, greeted Qi Jingya, and then left.

Watching Ning Xiu's departing figure, and then seeing Master Heshan call Ning Xiu "Lord Ning," Qi Jingya's expression instantly froze.

They, the Demon Subduing Officers, knew all too well what kind of place Master Heshan was in the Three Saints Pavilion.

That was a Celestial Immortal, yet even such an existence had to respectfully address that young man as Lord Ning. Doesn't that mean the young man's status was far higher than that of Celestial Immortal Heshan?

"Master Heshan, who is this Lord Ning...?" Qi Jingya asked curiously.

“Who else could the Great Shang have but Lord Ning? It is naturally that Sage of Commerce,” replied Master Heshan.

"The Sage of Commerce!!!" Qi Jingya exclaimed in surprise.

He never imagined that the renowned Sage of Commerce, who had saved the Shang Dynasty from peril, was standing right in front of him.

He also encouraged himself, saying that he would definitely be able to comprehend the wisdom of the Sage of Commerce.

The feeling was like a believer seeing the deity they had been worshipping in a temple actually appear before them—the excitement was beyond words.

Now, in the entire Demon Subduing Bureau and the entire Shang Dynasty, who doesn't follow the Sage of Commerce?

Hundreds of years ago, the Three Sages laid the foundation for the Great Shang Dynasty. Now, hundreds of years later, the Sage of Commerce has stabilized the Great Shang's power. Compared to the Three Sages who have long since passed away, Ning Xiu, a living figure, is undoubtedly more worthy of admiration and respect.

"Today I am proud of the Demon Subduing Division, and tomorrow the Demon Subduing Division will be proud of me. This is the essence of the Demon Subduing Division left by the Sage of Commerce. I never thought I would actually meet the Sage of Commerce!" Qi Jingya trembled with excitement.

The youthful vigor was fully displayed at this moment.

In the Demon Subduing Division, even the Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captain is rarely seen, let alone someone like Ning Xiu who is already a legendary figure.

To be able to see him in person is nothing short of a miracle.

Seeing Qi Jingya's excitement, Master Heshan took a sip of wine and nodded understandingly.

Not to mention Qi Jingya, even Master Heshan was quite excited. However, he was old and wouldn't show his emotions as obviously as Qi Jingya.

……

The Three Saints Hall has a special library for quiet reading, but it is only for use by those holding the rank of Bronze Leopard Demon Subduer or higher.

The library that Master Heshan arranged for Ning Xiu was the largest, but when Ning Xiu entered the library, he found that the sword manuals in the Three Saints Pavilion far exceeded his expectations.

There were so many books, they practically filled the entire library, leaving only a tiny space for people to sit down.

Ning Xiu wasn't too particular; he picked up a secret manual and began to read it.

Tomorrow is the Sword-Wielding Competition for the Core of the Array. I must seize the time and become the strongest sword cultivator in the world so that I can truly have the right to wield the sword in the heart of True Immortal Qingcang.

After reading through the manuals one by one, the number of sword techniques on the proficiency panel increased. Whether it was a common sword technique or a rare one, Ning Xiu treated them all equally and studied them all without missing a beat.

Then, improve and evolve each step by step using proficiency.

After Ning Xiu had read through all the sword manuals in the entire library, he breathed a sigh of relief.

I have learned a total of 7,635 sword techniques, of which 5,132 can be used in actual combat.

Not every sword technique can lead to the understanding of sword intent, but Ning Xiu has learned so many sword techniques that his sword intent is currently extremely strong.

With a thought, Ning Xiu vanished from the library.

When he reappeared, he was in a desolate wilderness.

Ning Xiu broke off a tree branch, used his sword intent to make a light slash, and instantly the peaks of three distant mountains were smoothly sliced ​​off.

Sword cultivators represent the strongest offensive force in the world. Their physical strength is not great, but what is terrifying is their unpredictable destructive power.

When sword cultivators draw their swords, if they fight to the death, even opponents stronger than them will feel apprehensive.

"My sword intent is second to none in this world, but I feel that winning tomorrow's competition is not yet certain," Ning Xiu thought.

The ultimate swordsmanship lies in its refinement, not its quantity. In fact, while swordsmanship may seem complex, once you reach its peak, there are no more moves. It is all about using the counter-attack of "no moves to defeat moves".

Ning Xiu, feeling his 7,635 sword techniques, began to integrate them, relying on his demigod-level cultivation.

He wanted to combine 7,635 sword techniques into one sword technique.

Only then could he truly stand proudly as the strongest sword cultivator in this world.

Ning Xiu practiced sword techniques rapidly in his mind, gradually integrating each sword technique with the others. Gradually, the number of sword techniques he learned decreased, but the strength of his skills increased.

. :

[216] The Immortal-Slaying Sword

【Immortal Slayer Sword Technique: Ninety-Nine Levels (989998/2000000)】

On the stone pillar, Ning Xiu sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at the proficiency level of this new sword technique that he had mastered by combining all the sword techniques he had learned on his own.

For some reason, this sword technique seemed to have no end, with one level after another. Ning Xiu had invested at least tens of millions of skill points, but he still couldn't raise this sword technique to the Great Perfection realm.

This potential is truly terrifying.

Back then, even the Heavenly King Vajra Technique and the Great Sun Mystic Scripture did not possess such formidable potential.

As the sun slowly rose, Immortal Qingcang announced, "Today's competition officially begins. All sword cultivators who will participate in wielding the sword at the core of the formation, please go to the arena on the side to prepare."

As the Immortal Qingcang moved his hand, the gray sea trembled violently, and a large number of rocks floated up, piecing together a huge arena at the same height as the stone pillars.

Creating land out of thin air was a method that shocked countless sword cultivators. They had never witnessed the abilities of True Immortal Qingcang before, but now they were truly experiencing what it meant to be an immortal.

Many people got up and walked onto this new land. Sword cultivators are competitive, and being able to compete in swordsmanship with other sword cultivators is the happiest thing.

They won't give up or refuse to participate just because you're strong.

Since True Immortal Qingcang has said that today we can only compete in swordsmanship and cannot use any other means, then everyone is equal. Even a novice swordsman has the opportunity to go on stage and compete.

"Emperor Ning Xiu, I've never heard of you being able to use a sword before," an emperor carrying a sword case asked as he approached Ning Xiu.

Ning Xiu had quite a good impression of this emperor; his name was Chen Liangjing. He was originally a Celestial in Celestial City. It was said that he had been practicing swordsmanship since he was six years old. When he was ten, his family was robbed by bandits, and the entire village was massacred.

Chen Liangjing was the only one who escaped the calamity because he was practicing swordsmanship in the mountains.

Upon returning to the village, they found it littered with corpses and rivers of blood; their parents had both died at the hands of bandits.

Overwhelmed with grief, Chen Liangjing wandered alone, seeking refuge with various martial arts sects, all in the hope of learning a sword technique to avenge his parents.

However, no reputable sects would take a liking to such a child of unknown origin, and no one was willing to accept him. In the end, an old monk encountered Chen Liangjing while traveling and let him learn an ordinary sword technique from him.

This ordinary sword technique is indeed ordinary; many heroes in the martial arts world know how to use it.

However, Chen Liangjing's swordsmanship talent was extremely amazing. He managed to develop a killing sword technique based on this sword technique and his own understanding of assassination.

Seeing that Chen Liangjing harbored too much murderous intent, the old monk parted ways with him halfway through the journey, unwilling to acknowledge the child as his disciple.

Having left the old monk, Chen Liangjing mastered his swordsmanship and began searching for the bandit who had killed his entire village years ago, killing as he went.

Regardless of whether they were his targets or not, he wiped out all the bandits in the martial arts world, but he did not get the result he wanted.

Chen Liangjing then turned his attention to mountain bandits and river bandits; he wanted to kill any bandit gang in the world.

The bandits ruled the mountain and had hundreds of brothers in their stronghold. He slaughtered them all in one night with just a sword.

The river bandits lived on boats and drifted from place to place. He spent ten days on the water, specifically waiting in the river basins they had to pass through.

He had no qualms about the fact that the bandits in the city colluded with officials and merchants; if officials and merchants dared to stop him, he would kill them.

Over time, it acquired a terrifying reputation in the martial arts world: the Bandit Enemy.

No one knew what kind of person Chen Liangjing was, but everyone knew that this guy had an intractable feud with the bandits.

The bandits who slaughtered his entire village were never found, but Chen Liangjing had already started by killing bandits, constantly cultivating and proving his Dao. In the end, with his deep resentment at being unable to avenge his parents, he became the Great Emperor of that era.

"It's alright, I just wanted to join in the fun," Ning Xiu said with a smile.

"The way of the sword is complex. Each sword strike represents days and nights of arduous training through spring and autumn. Only by wielding a million swords can one gain new insights. Every powerful swordsman takes the sword as their life. If Emperor Ningxiu relies solely on his swordsmanship, it will not be so easy for him to obtain the position of swordsman at the core of the formation."

"Just do your best."

Ning Xiu glanced at Chen Liangjing. He hadn't had much contact with this emperor before, and he wondered if this was just how the man spoke; it was a bit strange.

The Immortal Qingcang created a continent large enough for all the sword cultivators who wanted to participate in the competition to compete. The defeated sword cultivators retreated to the stone pillars, leaving only the remaining sword cultivators to continue the competition.

Several hours later, only about a hundred people remained on land. Among them were Great Emperors and unknown, inconspicuous foreign sword cultivators.

Some sword cultivators wield iron swords, some jeweled swords, and some wooden swords; in short, their swords are all unique, and their sword techniques are also incredibly diverse.

In Ning Xiu's hand was a long sword with a blend of crimson and gold, the hilt of which was adorned with a nine-clawed golden dragon.

This sword exudes an imperial aura and is filled with a sense of righteousness. It was looted by Ning Xiu from the treasury of the Shang Dynasty.

Although not a national treasure, it was a national sacrificial weapon that the Wu clan of the Shang Dynasty had been using and passing down since the founding of the dynasty by their ancestor.

The centuries of rituals performed on this sword have imbued it with spiritual energy, giving it considerable power, making it perfectly suited for Ning Xiu's use.

The swordsmanship of these sword cultivators exceeded Ning Xiu's expectations. Some of the other sword cultivators were only at the first rank, but if they went all out, he could crush them into dust in no time.