Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"Shen Ming, leader of the Third Bronze Leopard Team."

...

In an instant, the many Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Guards who were in the Fifth Trial Hall greeted Ning Xiu, and Ning Xiu returned their greetings one by one, thus getting to know each other.

"Not bad, you're both a Copper Leopard Demon-Slaying Captain and the number one in the slogan contest. You're pretty impressive. I'm Huang Hou, the leader of the Copper Leopard Thirteenth Team. They all call me Yellow Monkey." The man who had just reported the rankings took the initiative to walk up to Ning Xiu and introduce himself.

The Bronze Leopard Demon Subduer is already a mid-level rank officer, so his treatment is different from that of the Iron Horse Demon Subduer. The department will hold a grand welcome party to celebrate the new Bronze Leopard Demon Subduer's arrival.

In reality, it was just a banquet held at the company headquarters, inviting all the bronze leopards and silver tigers who had nothing to do to gather together for a meal.

At this welcoming party, you will see the largest number of Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Captains ever seen in the department at once for the first time, which will broaden your horizons.

When you reach the third rank in martial arts and are promoted to Silver Tiger Demon Subduer, you will receive a grand promotion ceremony.

The Emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty will personally preside over the ceremony, with all officials present, the people arranging the streets, and all the Demon Subduing Officers of the Bronze Leopard rank and above from the Demon Subduing Division attending to witness the birth of a new Silver Tiger.

Furthermore, the replacement of the Silver Tiger Token will not be as casual or lacking in ceremony as the Iron Horse and Bronze Leopard Tokens. Instead, it will be personally handed over to you by the Emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty, who will then bestow upon you a specially made Silver Tiger Overlord Armor.

After all, the Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Captains were already considered the backbone of the Great Shang Dynasty. They were the vital force and potential of the Great Shang and the Demon-Subduing Division.

Every time a Silver Tiger Demon Subduer is promoted to Golden Dragon Demon Subduer, the chances of the Great Shang Dynasty successfully reclaiming its lost territories increase significantly.

Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Captains are rare, but Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Captains are more common. According to custom, whenever a new Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Captain is appointed, the special-type Demon-Subduing Captains in the Department of Cooking will personally cook a feast like a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

The delicious food that will be presented then will be incomparable to that of other restaurants and time-honored establishments.

Anyone who has eaten there is guaranteed to want to come back again and again, which is why every Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Captain who has eaten there remembers this welcome feast fondly.

They couldn't wait for new colleagues, like the Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Captain, to join the Fifth Trial Hall every day.

"The top three in this slogan election will receive a gift from the Silver Tiger Demon Slayer. Ning Xiu, you can look forward to the welcome party tonight. I have other things to attend to, so I'll have to go now." After waving goodbye to Ning Xiu, Huang Hou took the list and returned to his own cubicle.

The lively atmosphere in the Fifth Trial Hall came and went quickly. Before long, the hall returned to its original quiet atmosphere, and everyone continued to carry out their official duties.

Ning Xiu then chose to leave the Five Trial Hall and planned to go to the Thousand Machine Pavilion to see if the puppet he had ordered had been completed.

Carrying a Thunder Hammer with you when you go out is really inconvenient. After the trip to Yunxia Mountain, Ning Xiu's need for puppets has become even greater.

……

Having learned from his first experience, Ning Xiu was much more adept at handling things this time when he visited Qianji Pavilion.

After a series of turns, we entered Nie Ying's puppet shop. Just like last time, Nie Ying was sitting behind the counter, fiddling with some gadgets.

After Ning Xiu approached, he asked, "Hello, Manager Nie, how is the puppet I ordered from you last time coming along?"

Upon hearing the voice, Nie Ying raised her head. Seeing that it was Ning Xiu, she nodded, stood up, and said, "Your timing is quite good. I just finished the work yesterday. You didn't leave your contact information when you left last time. I was worried about how to notify you, but I didn't expect you to come today."

Nie Ying walked to a wall inside the store, and with a gentle press on the wall, the entire wall instantly flipped over, revealing a space behind it.

Behind the wall stood a huge, standing puppet, about seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and thick arms. Its appearance was like that of a tyrant, and one could feel a fierce and menacing aura emanating from it.

The puppet was exquisitely crafted, with a lifelike appearance, almost like a real person, even more human-like than the two puppets Ren Qianxing had previously possessed.

With Nie Ying's skills, she could easily become a top-tier sculptor or even a puppeteer, or a creator of human skin masks.

"Everything is made according to your requirements. The inside can store your weapons." Nie Ying patted the puppet's belly, and a crack immediately appeared in the middle, opening up like doors to reveal the internal storage space.

Nie Ying then began her explanation: "The internal space of this puppet is large enough to hold two hammers like yours, as well as other miscellaneous items. It's more than enough for you to use when you go out. Furthermore, the puppet's kinetic energy is quite good. It's made entirely of lightweight materials and can travel ninety miles a day."

It must be said that Nie Ying's considerations were more thorough than Ning Xiu's. Ning Xiu's original plan was simply to have a puppet that could be stored inside the Thunder Hammer.

However, if he were to one day actually be able to wield another Purple Lightning Hammer from the Purple Thunder Immortal, then the puppet's storage space would be insufficient again.

Now that Nie Ying has created this, Ning Xiu can easily store both hammers into the puppet's body when he has two hammers in his hands in the future.

"Women are indeed more meticulous and thoughtful," Ning Xiu thought to himself.

“Besides its excellent storage space and physical kinetic energy, this puppet has other commendable features. Let me demonstrate them for you,” Nie Ying said, turning to look at Ning Xiu.

【074】Overlord's Puppet

Under Nie Ying's control, the puppet, shaped like a 'bully man,' swung its legs and arms and walked out of the dark room.

This puppet's movements and details were indistinguishable from those of a real person. If one did not know the puppet's identity beforehand and could not sense its presence, an ordinary person would truly believe it was a living person.

Nie Ying then took an irregularly shaped metal plate from the shelf next to her and pointed it at the puppet. The material of this metal plate was really special. Its surface had a copper luster and an iron sheen, and it was mixed with a variety of colors.

After Ning Xiu saw it, he couldn't tell what kind of metal it was for a moment, but he was certain that it was definitely not an ordinary thing.

"This is Youdu Forged Iron, forged by local blacksmiths using seven rare and hard iron ores. It can withstand and absorb a blow with the force of four thousand jin. However, because the forging method and time are too long, most of the shares are only allocated to the merchant army. A small portion can be purchased at a high price through private channels. We usually buy them as testing tools to measure the strength of our qi. Take a look at this first," Nie Ying introduced.

boom!

After saying that, the puppet reached out and punched the Youdu Forged Iron in Nie Ying's hand.

Nie Ying herself remained completely unmoved, but the Youdu Forged Iron vibrated violently, trembling like a bell being struck.

"Although it's just a storage puppet I made for you, its combat ability isn't actually that weak. If you encounter some small fry and are too lazy to deal with them yourself, this puppet can take care of them for you, and you can just rest on the sidelines," Nie Ying explained.

The fact that it could make the Youdu forged iron, which is capable of absorbing four thousand catties of force, tremble is enough to prove that this puppet is quite powerful.

Although Ning Xiu did not explicitly state that he wanted this effect customized, Nie Ying added a completely new configuration to the original price of one thousand taels. How could he not be happy to get it for free? It must be said that Nie Ying was a kind person who considered so much for his customers.

"Manager Nie's idea is truly ingenious. It seems that my spending of one thousand taels was well worth it," Ning Xiu said with a smile.

"I opened a shop as a puppeteer not just to make money, but more to improve my puppet-making skills and make my craft more advanced so that I can create more comprehensive and powerful puppets in the future to protect the people who were not able to be helped by the Demon-Subduing Guard."

"I deeply admire Manager Nie's idea."

"It's not just me; most puppeteers think this way."

Looking at the piece of Youdu forged iron in Nie Ying's hand, Ning Xiu suddenly had an idea and said, "Shopkeeper Nie, may I borrow this piece of Youdu forged iron to test my strength? If I cause any damage, I am willing to compensate you."

"No problem, please go ahead." Nie Ying readily agreed.

Since he began practicing martial arts, Ning Xiu had never had a rough estimate of his own strength. Today, he had finally encountered something that could test his strength, so he naturally couldn't miss it.

Both the Golden Bell Cover and the Heavenly King Vajra Skill have the effect of enhancing a martial artist's strength, so Ning Xiu, who is now at the fourth rank of martial arts, should not be underestimated for his physical strength.

"Manager Nie, I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt you. You should put this piece of Youdu forged iron against the wall for support. Don't carry it yourself," Ning Xiu reminded him.

“Okay.” Nie Ying nodded and did as Ning Xiu said.

But in her heart, she was still somewhat skeptical. You should know that Youdu Iron Forging is capable of absorbing 4,000 jin of force, and after absorbing 4,000 jin, it can still withstand a lot of excess force.

Judging by the extreme values, it should weigh around 5,000 jin. Even if Ning Xiu is a third-rank martial artist, he probably wouldn't be able to make much of a ripple with the Youdu Iron Forging.

After Nie Ying placed the Youdu forged iron against the wall, Ning Xiu clenched his fist and gathered his strength. He then took a few powerful steps forward and unleashed a punch, using the force of his waist to swiftly and violently strike the surface of the forged iron.

Buzz!

The entire piece of Youdu forged iron trembled violently instantly, even bouncing several inches high off the ground.

Click click click!

Visible cracks began to appear on the surface of the wrought iron. The most conspicuous of these was the fist imprint that Ning Xiu left after he stopped, which almost pierced through the entire piece of Youdu wrought iron. It was truly shocking.

boom!

Outside the puppet shop, an invisible gust of wind rose up on the street, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Passersby, bewildered, quickly moved aside, their expressions somewhat blank, wondering why the Thousand Machine Pavilion was experiencing such a tremor.

Logically speaking, Qianji Pavilion is located deep within the Demon Subduing Division, which is one of the safest places in Chaotian Capital. It's impossible for anyone to cause trouble here.

Inside the shop, Nie Ying was completely stunned. To destroy the Youdu Forged Iron to this extent, Ning Xiu's punch must have been at least 4,000 jin, and even more powerful than the Youdu Forged Iron could withstand.

In this way, the piece of Youdu forged iron was completely exposed and could no longer be restored to its original state.

"It seems that after I broke through the Heavenly King Vajra Technique, my own strength has also improved." Ning Xiu thought to himself as he looked at the Youdu Forged Iron.

The Black Heaven Floating Pagoda Supreme Body is an advanced version of the Heavenly King Vajra Technique. Unlike the Dragon Elephant Eight Treasures Dharma Form, which follows the Buddhist and Taoist path, the Black Heaven Floating Pagoda Supreme Body is more inclined towards power combat, and strength is the most obvious area of ​​improvement in this aspect, which is also the reason why Ning Xiu chose this path in the first place.

This is merely the power of physical strength. If internal energy were added, the power would be even more formidable. Not only would this piece of Youdu forged iron be unable to withstand it, but even Nie Ying's puppet shop would likely be reduced to ashes and vanish under Ning Xiu's punch.

"Manager Nie, I'm so sorry. Name your price, I can compensate you." Ning Xiu immediately turned around and said after he had damaged someone else's Youdu forged iron in this state.

"Forget it, forget it, no need to pay." Nie Ying said with a complicated expression.

Youdu forged iron is sometimes a precious material that money can't buy, and it can't be offset by simply losing money.

But there was nothing she could do. Nie Ying had agreed to let Ning Xiu try throwing a punch, and she never imagined that Ning Xiu could do that much with just his strength. Now she had no choice but to pay for it herself because she had misjudged him.

Ning Xiu was naturally unwilling to take advantage of others. Now that he was a Bronze Leopard Demon Slayer, his future income would far exceed that of when he was an Iron Horse Demon Slayer. After discussing the specific amount of compensation with Nie Ying, the two returned to the topic of puppets.

For Ning Xiu, a custom-made puppet worth a thousand taels, Nie Ying used the soul talisman control method, that is, to attach the soul talisman that controls the puppet to a jade pendant. As long as Ning Xiu carries the jade pendant with him, he can control the puppet's actions at will.

While it may not be as easy to control as a puppeteer's own puppetry, it is still sufficient for non-puppet practitioners.

“Each puppet is like a weapon. You can give yours a name so it will be easier to disguise your identity when you’re out in the world,” Nie Ying said.

“I see…” Looking at the puppet’s tall, burly, and bullying appearance, Ning Xiu thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s call it ‘Overlord’.”

After taking the bracelet and paying the remaining silver, Ning Xiu said goodbye to Nie Ying and left Qianji Pavilion with Ba Wang.

In the future, I will no longer need to carry the Thunder Hammer with me when I go out, which will free my hands and is something to be happy about.

Take the Overlord back to your residence, and then put the Thunder Hammer and the Corpse-Slaying Blade into the Overlord's body. Normally, if you don't go out to Chaotiandu, you don't need to carry the Overlord with you; just let it stay in your residence.

Time flew by, and soon it was dark and night fell, with the sun setting behind the mountains.

Ning Xiu stayed in his residence to cultivate, and Huang Hou and Su Qianqian came directly to his residence to call him.

The news of a newly promoted Bronze Leopard Demon Slayer had already spread throughout the entire Demon Slayer Bureau's circle of Bronze Leopards and above within a day, and everyone was eagerly anticipating the welcome feast that evening.

As the one welcoming people at the party, Ning Xiu naturally had to be there. The chefs from the Demon Subduing Division had already started cooking and were just waiting for Ning Xiu to arrive.

"Ning Xiu." Huang Hou called out as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Ning Xiu, who was sitting cross-legged in the room cultivating the Concealing Qi Technique, opened his eyes, got up, and went outside.

Upon seeing Ning Xiu, Huang Hou quickly said, "Everyone is already waiting for you in the cafeteria. Don't delay, come with us now. There are quite a few Bronze Leopards and Silver Tigers in the department who didn't go out tonight. This welcome party for you is the largest in recent years."

Ning Xiu asked curiously, "How many Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Guards will be coming tonight?"

"Lord Qin, Marquis Wu Zhan, and six Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Captains who are often out on missions, a total of eight people. How about it, your welcome party is quite impressive, isn't it?" Huang Hou patted Ning Xiu on the shoulder and laughed.

With one of the three Demon-Subduing Tigers missing, plus six other top-tier experts, Ning Xiu couldn't help but feel a little excited at the thought of having dinner with so many high-ranking members of the Demon-Subduing Division later.

It wasn't because these people were strong that I was excited, but because it was the first time I had come into contact with the top circle of the Demon Subduing Division. These people were the most powerful figures in the division after the Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captain.

"Let's go, stop talking. We can talk on the way," Su Qianqian reminded her.

Ning Xiu washed his face, changed into a brand new set of clothes, and then quickly left the courtyard with the two of them, heading straight for the Demon Subduing Division's internal canteen.