Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

This title, which sounds incredibly prestigious, is unprecedented in the history of Yunze Prefecture for hundreds of years, and naturally attracts a lot of attention from martial artists.

Furthermore, if the leader of the martial arts alliance truly appears, it will inevitably change the current situation of the martial arts world in Yunze Prefecture in the future. No one can predict what changes will occur at that time.

Relying on the speed of the Iron-Eating Beast, Ning Xiu and his companions finally arrived at Cangshan Mountain half a day later.

This mountain enjoys considerable fame throughout Yunze Prefecture because its shape and terrain resemble a giant sword piercing halfway into the earth.

The mountain walls are steep and sheer cliffs, accessible only by a single stone staircase. Halfway up the mountain, there is a deep gorge with clouds and mist swirling below, hundreds of feet deep.

If anyone slips and falls, even the best light-footed skills will be useless, and they will ultimately end up being smashed to pieces.

There are three ways to pass through a canyon:

One of them is a wooden boardwalk built by the Azure Dragon Society on both sides of the mist layer. When you walk on it, the chains of the entire bridge will sway and undulate, which is quite amazing.

Secondly, there is a mysterious copper chain that originally connected the two sides of the gorge in Cangshan. This chain is as thick as a person and runs through both sides of the gorge. The chain is extremely heavy and covered with rust, making it very slippery to walk on. If someone is confident in their lightness skills, they can use this path to cross the gorge in mid-air.

Thirdly, every hour, flocks of red-headed, white-bodied cranes would shuttle and fly through the clouds. Those with the ability to skim across the water could use the backs of many cranes to step across the gorge. Those who could do this were all renowned masters of lightness skills in the martial arts world.

Following the mountain steps upwards, the group soon arrived at the rift canyon. Further ahead, the Iron-Eating Beast could no longer proceed, as its size made it impossible to cross the wooden plank bridge.

"You two can wait for me here with the Iron-Eating Beast. I'll go to the Azure Dragon Society alone to investigate," Ning Xiu said, picking up the Thunder Hammer and the Corpse-Slaying Blade.

"Please be careful, sir." Chen Peifeng and Daoist Kongxu were well aware that as members of the immortal path, their presence at such a martial arts gathering would be too conspicuous.

If Ning Xiu takes them with him, his goal of conducting a discreet investigation will be impossible to achieve.

"Hmm." Ning Xiu jumped off the back of the Iron-Eating Beast and immediately walked towards the covered bridge.

Of the three routes to the summit of Mount Cang, the first one is the safest and most reliable. Although Ning Xiu is a fifth-rank martial artist, he does not want to choose the copper chain and the crane flock just to show off in front of the world.

Both of these methods of crossing the gorge can lead to a tragic end if one is not careful.

With the martial arts tournament officially starting tomorrow, a large number of martial artists have come to Cangshan today, crowding the entire gorge.

For safety reasons, everyone chose to cross the gorge via the covered bridge, resulting in an unusually high density of people crossing the bridge, almost to the point of being packed together.

With so many people crossing the bridge together, the covered bridge swayed violently in the air above the rift, causing the martial artists who were still watching from the edge of the gorge to feel secretly worried.

They were terrified that the covered bridge would suddenly break in the middle and wipe out all the martial artists crossing it.

Ning Xiu found an empty spot by the gorge and stood there, gazing at the opposite bank. The gorge was about twenty or thirty feet wide, which wasn't too far for a martial artist skilled in light-footed techniques. Crossing the gorge via the thick copper chain would be more than enough.

"At this martial arts tournament, Master Tianhe of the White Crane Sect and Xiao Beidou of the Overlord Blade Sect have both come. I just witnessed Master Tianhe use the Azure Cloud Flying Crane Step. He stepped on the copper chain and flew across to the other side in just a dozen steps. It was truly magnificent."

"These two sects are both major powers in Yunze Prefecture. I didn't expect that they would even send their respective leaders to participate in the martial arts tournament. It's going to be a great show when they fight in the arena. It seems that my long journey here has been worthwhile."

"Not only did the leaders of those major martial arts forces come in person, but I also saw many masters whose names I had never heard of before. Their methods of crossing the gorge were dazzling and varied. We are not in a hurry to cross the gorge. Just watching the various masters' methods of crossing the gorge is enough to make this trip to Cangshan worthwhile."

Ning Xiu stood in the crowd, eavesdropping on the conversations of the martial artists.

Just then, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a blue robe, slowly walked out from the crowd.

He was holding a cane, which made him look like he had difficulty walking.

"Martial Arts Rank 4!" Ning Xiu looked at the man with slight surprise. It seemed that this martial arts tournament had indeed attracted quite a few experts.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the old man did not walk towards the covered bridge or the location of the bronze chain. Instead, he walked straight towards the edge of the gorge, which was hundreds of feet below. At this moment, the old man still showed no intention of stopping.

Could it be...?

"Is this old man going to choose that method to cross the gorge?"

Just as everyone was discussing this, the cries of cranes suddenly came from the clouds below the rift.

The first red-headed white crane emerged from the clouds, followed by the second, the third, and the fourth...

Just then, the old man moved. He leaped into the air, as light as a swallow, and landed precisely above the first red-headed white crane.

Before the red-headed white crane could react, the old man gently stepped on its back, using it as a foothold to leap forward again.

His posture and appearance truly gave off the feeling of a reclusive master, causing the martial artists on the edge of the canyon to exclaim in shock and amazement.

"Crossing the gorge on a crane! I've only ever heard about such a scene from other people, I never thought I'd actually see it with my own eyes today! This trip to Cangshan was definitely worth it."

"Who exactly is this person? He has such superhuman lightness skills. I feel like I've never heard of this person in Yunze Prefecture before. That can't be right. Someone with such strength would definitely have a reputation."

"Wait, the man in the blue robe and leaning on a cane... I know! He is 'Flying Snow Chasing Deer' Li Yi'an!"

"You mean that Detective Li from Nanjiang City who was famous throughout Yunze Prefecture ten years ago?"

"It should be him. I heard back then that Li Yi'an was a master of lightness skills, able to chase a white deer while walking on snow. He was a famous constable in Nanjiang City, and his weapon was a green iron cane. But ten years ago, he suddenly disappeared overnight for some unknown reason, and has since become a regret in the martial arts world."

As soon as someone started, people in the crowd began to recount their deeds related to Li Yi'an, which sounded increasingly fantastical.

Although Ning Xiu didn't know whether these rumors were true or false, judging from the scene of the old man walking on a crane above the clouds, it was undoubtedly true that this person had superb lightness skills.

Before long, Li Yi'an successfully reached the other side of the rift valley and continued up the mountain, his figure disappearing from everyone's sight.

"If only I had such superior lightness skills, I could show off my divine abilities in front of others, and even without fighting, my name would be known throughout the martial world."

"Stop dreaming. Once there are fewer people on the covered bridge, we'll honestly cross the gorge using the covered bridge."

"If I hadn't only been learning lightness skills for three years and wasn't so unsure of myself, I would have insisted on crossing this copper chain to the other side today."

Looking at the crowds of people crossing the covered bridge, Ning Xiu couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

If one were to cross the bridge like these martial artists, it would probably take an hour to reach the other side. On the other hand, the copper chain has been ignored for a long time. If one could cross to the other side from here, it would be much easier.

However, if you choose to take this path, you must have certain abilities; otherwise, if you lack the ability, taking this path is tantamount to suicide.

Looking around, Ning Xiu walked directly toward the young martial artist who had only studied lightness skill for three years and was not far from him.

This person looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, and his strength was only at the ninth rank of martial arts. When Ning Xiu walked towards him, he immediately cast a wary look at Ning Xiu.

"Young hero, would you be willing to teach me your lightness skill? I'll offer to learn from you," Ning Xiu said.

Last month, the Demon Subduing Division settled accounts. Ning Xiu had earned a lot of silver notes for his contributions to Wendeng County and Wuyi Marquis. He hadn't spent a penny on this trip so far, and now he had a small fortune on him.

"Learn lightness skill from me?" The boy was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but sneer, "You don't mean you're thinking of learning lightness skill at the last minute so you can cross the gorge on copper chains, do you?"

"Young hero, you only need to answer whether you are willing to teach me. How you use the lightness skill after learning it is my own business," Ning Xiu said with a calm smile.

Previously, Demon Buddha Ning Xiu destroyed the violent slaughter and gained 8000 points of general proficiency, which is more than enough to improve his lightness skill.

It's unlikely that these ordinary martial artists possess the kind of superior lightness skill that requires 2000 proficiency points to advance to the next level.

"Alright, one hundred taels of silver is the price. If you're willing to pay, I'll teach you this 'Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada' lightness skill," the young man said nonchalantly.

Folk martial arts techniques are usually of ordinary quality. If ordinary people want to learn martial arts, they can go to a martial arts school and pay twenty taels of silver to learn from the instructor of the school for a year.

If you want to learn other techniques from the instructor during this period, you will need to pay extra.

The price for learning a basic light-body skill is about fifty to seventy taels of silver. Ning Xiu didn't care about the price the young man offered and simply took out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it over.

"Great! I'll explain the cultivation method now, listen carefully." Having earned a hundred taels for free, the young man happily put away the silver note, then leaned close to Ning Xiu's ear and whispered the cultivation method of "Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada".

The martial artists nearby couldn't help but find the scene amusing.

Is someone really planning to learn kung fu to cross the gorge on the spot? That's ridiculous. Even if there were truly gifted geniuses in the world, they couldn't possibly do that. Otherwise, what would be the point of justice?

……

[Spiritual Vision Technique: Level 8 (711/6000)] (+)

【Burning Sun Taiyao Scripture: Level 5 (12/6000)】(+)

[Heavenly King Vajra Skill: Level 6 (8/7000)] (+)

【Fivefold Hammer Force: Eight Layers (34/6000)】(+)

[Concealment Technique: Level 6 (0/3000)] (+)

[Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada: Not Yet an Expert (0/100)] (+)

General Proficiency: 8200

……

The old sayings about cramming for the last minute or sharpening one's spear at the last minute don't actually apply to martial arts.

Martial arts emphasizes persistent and arduous training. Mastering a skill is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires unwavering dedication, day after day, for ten years.

Almost all martial artists think this way, but Ning Xiu doesn't buy into it.

Consuming 5100 general proficiency points directly upgrades the Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada to the sixth level.

In an instant, all the insights, practical experience, and techniques related to the Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada lightness skill flooded Ning Xiu's mind, leaving a deep impression.

"How is it? How much have you remembered? Let me repeat it to you a few more times, otherwise I won't feel comfortable accepting your hundred taels." The young man asked, looking at Ning Xiu's face.

"No need." Ning Xiu waved his hand and walked directly towards the copper chain.

The surrounding martial artists were all looking at his back with strange, mocking eyes.

"This kid isn't really planning to use his newly learned lightness skill to fly across the copper chain, is he? I've lived for over thirty years and never seen anything like this."

"Lightness skill requires the coordination of body movement, footwork, and internal energy. With such skill, let alone internal energy regulation, he probably doesn't even understand the body movement. Trying to fly across the copper chain like that is no different from courting death."

"I suspect it's just a publicity stunt; I don't believe anyone in the world would dare to do that."

Ning Xiu paid no attention to the chatter of the group of martial artists, but instead began to observe suitable places to step on the copper chain.

After a few dozen breaths, he had a general idea of ​​what was going on. Before anyone could notice him, Ning Xiu picked up the Thunder Hammer and rushed towards the copper chain.

As he approached the edge of the gorge, he pushed off with both legs, and his whole body instantly leaped high into the air like a cannonball, flying more than 30 feet away.

Just as he was about to land on the copper chain, Ning Xiu lightly tapped the chain with his toes, channeling his inner force into the acupoints on his legs, instantly increasing the power in his feet.

Using the momentum, he leaped into the air again, covering another three or four zhang in one breath, gradually moving away from the edge of the gorge.

"Look, someone is using the copper chain gate."

"Holy crap, isn't that the guy who was practicing his light-body skills on the spot? He actually dared to go over there."

“Something’s not right. Didn’t you see how steady his steps are? This can’t possibly be the behavior of someone who just learned lightness skill. He must have been immersed in it for at least ten years.”

"Another strange expert."

Among the crowd, the boy who had taught Ning Xiu the "Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada" technique was completely stunned. He was absolutely certain that Ning Xiu had performed the correct "Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada" lightness skill.

Furthermore, their level of cultivation is probably several levels higher than mine, which would be absolutely impossible to achieve without several years of arduous training.

In other words, Ning Xiu must have learned the Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada before. If that's the case, why would he spend a hundred taels to learn it from me?

For a moment, the boy's mind was in a state of great confusion. The two thoughts kept entangled in his mind: was Ning Xiu a martial arts genius or was he just someone he had learned before? But he just couldn't come to a conclusion.

As Ning Xiu set off, he immediately attracted the attention of other martial artists on the edge of the gorge. Although walking on the copper chain was not as cool as Li Yi'an's flying across the air on the back of a feathered crane.