Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Cuckoo!

The instant the drowning ghost was killed, a large amount of white foam suddenly appeared on the surface of the water in the vat, and quickly covered the entire surface of the vat.

One by one, faces of different appearances broke through the water, vying to climb out of the water vat.

They were soaking wet, covered in seaweed and shellfish, looking like drowned ghosts, and there were no fewer than seven or eight of them.

It makes one wonder how such a small water tank could hold so many men and women at the same time.

Ning Xiu immediately felt a tightness in his chest, as if a breath was stuck in his throat, unable to be exhaled or swallowed.

A feeling of drowning welled up inside me, and all I could hear were the strange gurgling sounds of water bubbles, along with a putrid stench of water all around me.

This is a sign of being infected by evil spirits; strange phenomena will appear in everything a person sees, hears, and experiences.

When ordinary people encounter this situation, they become so engrossed that they can't extricate themselves and end up scaring themselves to death.

Ning Xiu specializes in Yuan Yang Fist, and his blood and energy are extraordinary, which can counteract the influence of evil.

After further enhancing his Yuan Yang Fist to the fifth level, his blood energy was far more vigorous than before, and the evil energy emanating from the drowning ghost could no longer cause him to faint.

Ignoring the bizarre scene before him, which he considered an illusion, Ning Xiu turned and walked out of the cell.

With the evil spirits gone, it was time for Ning Xiu to rest. Except for not being allowed to leave the Demon Suppression Prison, he was free to move around here.

Because of his arm injury, Ning Xiu hasn't practiced boxing for two days.

Now that his injuries have healed, he naturally can no longer slack off, so Ning Xiu went straight back to his residence and began practicing the Yuan Yang Fist.

Even though killing evil spirits could grant a large amount of general proficiency, Ning Xiu still valued the dozen or so proficiency points he gained from daily hard practice.

As the saying goes, even a mosquito's leg is still meat; before you can kill evil spirits at will, any level of proficiency is very important.

The next day.

When Ning Xiu arrived at the main hall, he saw a group of people surrounding several prison guards, having a heated discussion about something. It looked quite lively.

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Ning Xiu stepped forward and said to a jailer, "Sir, I've come to receive today's arrangements."

The jailer held a booklet in one hand and a writing brush in the other, asking, "What's your name?"

"Ning Xiu".

"Let me see. Ning Xiu has already executed two evil spirits. You can go to Yellow Zone No. 8 now. I will record the number of evil spirits you execute from now on. Every ten you execute, you can go to the Three Saints Pavilion of the Demon Subduing Division to choose a cultivation technique to learn. This is the Demon Subduing Division's reward for you, to help us solve our manpower shortage."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir." Ning Xiu cupped his hands in greeting, then turned to ask, "Sir, I have a question. Why is it stipulated that an executioner can only execute one evil spirit per day? Can I apply to execute more?"

"You little rascal, you're aiming too high." The jailer shook his head. "We have these rules for your own good. The evil energy of dead evil spirits is extremely harmful to the human body."

After killing one, it's best to allow a day for the body to recover. This will prevent any potential health risks. If multiple evil spirits are executed in a single day, over time, the body will become tainted with a large amount of evil energy, which will corrupt it like a deadly poison seeping into the bones. This is difficult to eradicate, and in the end, even the most skilled healer will be powerless to save the body.

Ning Xiu asked curiously, "Isn't there any way to deal with this problem?"

"Of course there are, but that's still a long way off for you champion camp apprentices. If you can reach the ninth rank, martial arts can strengthen your blood and qi, Buddhism can cultivate your golden body, immortality can refine your primordial spirit, and Confucianism can nurture your righteous qi. No matter which path you choose, there are ways to expel evil spirits from your body. Then you can kill as many evil spirits as you want."

The jailer, perhaps not wanting to talk to Ning Xiu any longer, waved his hand and urged, "Go on, don't be late."

Every day, new evil spirits are brought in from outside by the Demon-Subduing Officer and imprisoned in the empty cells of the Demon-Suppressing Prison.

Ning Xiu observed that all the evil spirits that needed to be executed were beings that had been imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Prison for a long time.

It seems that the people of the Demon Extermination Bureau wanted to obtain something from the newly captured evil spirits, and only after they had succeeded in doing so would they arrange for the executioners to carry out the execution.

What exactly is going on here is something Ning Xiu can't figure out for the time being. Perhaps the answer to this question will only be revealed when he successfully joins the Demon Subduing Division.

Entering cell number eight in the yellow zone, one finds a rather unusual evil spirit imprisoned there—a white fox with three tails.

Even though the cell was filthy and uncleaned, the white fox was spotless, with every hair as soft and white as silk.

Upon seeing someone enter, the person picked up the goose-feather knife from the wooden table without saying a word, and the white fox immediately stood up from the ground, trembling.

In a flash, she transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman completely naked, with a graceful and alluring figure.

Ning Xiu instinctively took two steps back.

Wow, good heavens, is this something I can watch for free?

"Young master, I am just a little fox in the mountains. For the past hundred years, I have been cultivating myself and have not done any evil. Please have mercy and do not take my life."

The white fox woman knelt on the ground, covering her face as if to weep. She looked so pitiful that it evoked a feeling of pity in one's heart.

The book "A Comprehensive History of Evil Spirits" states that fox spirits are masters of deception, their techniques being remarkably lifelike, thus harming many men.

Fox spirits cultivate by absorbing the vital essence of men, and those who are bewitched often end up with bodies as dry as tinder and exhausted as lamp oil.

The white fox in front of us has grown three tails; how could it not have committed evil deeds?

Seeing the fox demon's pleading expression, Ning Xiu suddenly asked, "While you were in the Demon Suppression Prison, did the people from the Demon Subduing Division take anything from you?"

The white fox woman was stunned for a moment: "No, nothing was taken away. It was just that the people from the Demon Subduing Division forced me to record a spiritual observation technique that I was good at."

Ning Xiu suddenly realized why the Demon Subduing Guards would capture evil spirits and imprison them in the Demon Suppression Prison, and why they would send executioners to carry them out after a period of time.

So they're really exploiting evil spirits!

Every evil spirit contains something of value; seizing these things and using them for human purposes can enhance the strength of the human race.

Once the value of the evil spirit has been exhausted, there is no need to keep it in captivity; it can be executed once and for all.

The thought that one could only learn a technique from the Three Saints Hall by killing ten evil spirits immediately stirred Ning Xiu's interest. He sheathed his sword and said, "Teach me the Spirit Eye Observation Technique, and I will spare your life today."

"Is the young master serious?" the white fox woman asked happily.

“A promise is a promise. I swear by this sword that if I kill you with my own hands today, I will be torn to pieces in the future. What do you say?” Ning Xiu said, throwing away the goose-feather sword in his hand.

"Very well! I trust you, young master."

Swearing oaths in this world is not something to be taken lightly. There are gods and spirits and karma at play, so when the white fox woman heard Ning Xiu swear, she believed him to the core.

Without hesitation, she recited a series of cultivation incantations to Ning Xiu.

The incantation was rather obscure and difficult to understand. Ning Xiu managed to memorize it with great difficulty. In order to verify whether the incantation was true and whether the white fox woman had made up any omissions, Ning Xiu secretly brought up the proficiency panel and took a look.

……

【Yuan Yang Fist: Level 5 (0/1600)】 (+)

[Golden Bell Shield: Four layers (110/800)] (+)

[Spiritual Vision Technique: Beginner (0/100)] (+)

General Proficiency: 600

……

Seeing the words "Spiritual Eye Observation Technique" appear on the panel, Ning Xiu nodded in relief. The white fox woman was honest enough and hadn't lied to him.

"Alright, I've memorized the incantation. I mean what I say, I won't kill you today." Ning Xiu walked out of the cell decisively and closed the cell door tightly behind him.

As silence returned to the cell, the white fox woman, covered in cold sweat, lay on the ground and muttered to herself, "Greedy bastard, once I escape, I will skin you alive... Uncle, why haven't you come to save me yet? Lan'er can't hold on much longer."

The white fox woman had no idea that after leaving the cell, Ning Xiu did not leave, but stood quietly in the corridor, looking around as if waiting for something.

Before long, a fellow executioner came over. Ning Xiu recognized him; the other was also an apprentice in the Champion Camp, and Ning Xiu had met him once before.

Ning Xiu immediately stepped forward and asked, "Brother, were you executed today?"

"Not yet. I just received my assignment from the jailer to execute someone in cell number 58 of the yellow section. I'm about to go there to carry out the execution."

"Hehe." Ning Xiu chuckled, "Then can I switch cells with you? I'll go and execute your evil spirit, and you can execute mine."

The boy asked in confusion, "What does this mean? Is there anything different about it?"

"There's a small reason, brother, don't ask about it yet. The execution is the priority, don't delay the time. This time you switch places with me, and if you encounter any trouble in the future, I'll help you out. We're all from the Champion Camp, let's help each other out."

"Well... okay then." The boy nodded in agreement without much thought.

Ning Xiu earnestly instructed, "Remember, the fox demon imprisoned here is good at deceiving people. No matter what she says to you, don't pay attention. Just attack as soon as you go in and finish the job quickly."

"Okay, I understand." The boy pushed open the cell door and went straight inside.

Ning Xiu then rushed to the location of cell number 58 in the Yellow District.

The Demon Subduing Division has strict rules. Unless you die, you are not allowed to fail, give up, or slack off on the tasks assigned to you by your superiors.

Although he had benefited from the white fox woman, if Ning Xiu dared not kill her today, it would be tantamount to abandoning the mission, which would be extremely heinous.

Don't even think about joining the Demon Extermination Bureau anymore; the doors will be welded shut for you.

Although Ning Xiu swore to the white fox woman that he would never kill her with his own hands today, his current actions could not be considered a breach of his oath.

At most, it was just exploiting some minor bugs in wordplay.

【004】Spiritual Eye Observation Technique

into the night.

The entire Demon Suppression Prison was silent, with no one else moving about except for the prison guards who would occasionally patrol the area.

According to the rules, the executioners must stay in their rooms at night. There is a toilet in the room, and they are not allowed to go out unless it is a major emergency. Those who violate this rule will be dealt with according to the regulations of the Demon Subduing Division.

……

【Yuan Yang Fist: Level 5 (11/1600)】 (+)

[Golden Bell Shield: Four layers (112/800)] (+)

[Spiritual Vision Technique: Beginner (0/100)] (+)

General Proficiency: 1100

……

After executing the evil spirits today, Ning Xiu gained another 500 points of general proficiency. He has accumulated quite a lot now, and it's time to use it up.

First, add 100 points of general proficiency to the Spiritual Eye Observation Technique, directly advancing this technique to the next level. In this way, Ning Xiu can use some of the abilities of the Spiritual Eye Observation Technique.

He sat on the bed and began practicing the incantation taught to him by the white fox woman. Soon, Ning Xiu's pupils turned white rapidly, making him look somewhat eerie.

[Spiritual Eye Observation Technique, Proficiency +1]

"This Spirit Eye Observation Technique is truly wondrous," Ning Xiu exclaimed in amazement.

At this moment, in his eyes, the room was filled with a large amount of black and gray turbid air that he could never see on ordinary days. This turbid air was invisible and ethereal, sometimes passing through the walls and sometimes entering through the door.