Liu Chang's death had thoroughly made Shen Changqing realize that the mortality rate within the Demon-Subduing Division was no joke. The stench of blood that had once seemed distant to him now lingered on his body, inescapable. Within the Demon-Subduing Division, other Demon Hunters would die, and Liu Chang too had died. Though the Pulse Condensation Realm was not weak, it held no privilege to dictate anything in the face of life and death. At that moment, Shen Changqing's stress greatly increased.
After returning from the Demon-Subduing Prison, he stopped visiting the Scripture Pavilion and went straight back to his residence to start a new round of secluded cultivation. In the past ten months, Shen Changqing had entered the Scripture Pavilion no less than fifty or sixty times. He had thoroughly memorized all the materials he needed to read and the Martial Arts he needed to study. The rest were not worth researching, unless he could enter the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion. However, the second floor was only accessible to official Demon Hunters; provisional Demon Hunters could only roam the first floor.
With the Iron-Cloth Technique, Pure Yang Technique, Seven Kills Blade Technique, and Iron Sand Palm, Shen Changqing felt this arsenal was quite sufficient. After all, a person's energy is limited. Being able to focus on several Martial Arts at the same time already occupied all his time. Only the Iron-Cloth Technique had broken through to an unprecedented fifteenth layer, and further progress could not be made through self-cultivation alone; it had to be achieved through Slaughter Value. Thus, Shen Changqing only needed to cultivate three Martial Arts. Among them, he focused on the Pure Yang Technique.
If one does not cultivate True Qi in practice, all efforts will be in vain in old age. True Qi is the foundation of one's Realm; it is the Origin of a Demon Hunter's strength. If one's True Qi is powerful enough, they could kill others even bare-handed. Conversely, the Seven Kills Blade Technique and the Iron Sand Palm are essentially auxiliary methods.
Within two months, the Pure Yang Technique must break through to the seventh layer, preferably to the eighth. The second layer of the Seven Kills Blade Technique is almost the limit; it's difficult to improve further without actual combat. As for the Iron Sand Palm, there's still some room for improvement.
Shen Changqing had made a plan for his future cultivation. He would focus on breaking through the Pure Yang Technique first, then see if he could make progress with the Iron Sand Palm.
The Seven Kills Blade Technique was a martial art that primarily focused on actual combat, divided into seven layers, each adding significantly to its power. But without actual combat as a foundation, reaching the second layer through self-cultivation alone was already quite difficult. As for the Iron Sand Palm, Shen Changqing was confident of making progress.
Having made his decision, he stayed in his small courtyard, not stepping out unless necessary.
「During the first month.」
Jiang Zuo had visited a few times. His purpose was only to assign tasks, and the two didn't engage in much conversation. Shen Changqing was not familiar with Jiang Zuo, and he wasn't the type to initiate conversation, so they rarely spoke. The newly promoted Steward of the Huang Department's Demon Hunting Court seemed to be the same way. So, neither of them was one for small talk. However, as the number of tasks assigned increased, the two became somewhat more familiar with each other.
With this familiarity, Shen Changqing took the opportunity to inquire about the cause of Liu Chang's death and got the answer from Jiang Zuo. Not only that, but from Jiang Zuo, he also obtained other information.
"Fiend Level Strange Monster!" Shen Changqing murmured softly. The one who killed Liu Chang was a Fiend Level Strange Monster, a being even more powerful than a Resentment Level Monster.
「In February of the three hundred and eighty-second year of Great Qin.」
Strange Monsters brought chaos to the world, causing widespread disaster and immense suffering. To stabilize the situation, the Demon-Subduing Division dispatched many Demon Hunters to suppress the calamities across the land. For a time, numerous Strange Monsters were subdued, preventing the disaster from spreading. Though many disasters had been quelled, the Demon-Subduing Division had paid a heavy price. Many Demon Hunters perished at the hands of Strange Monsters, and Liu Chang was among them. As a result, significant vacancies appeared within the Demon-Subduing Division, forcing them to recruit suitable people from various places to start refilling the ranks.
That explains the many unfamiliar faces in the Huang Department's Demon Hunting Court recently, Shen Changqing realized.
If the Demon-Subduing Division in the Capital City is like this, then the other Demon-Subduing Divisions across the land must have suffered even greater losses, Shen Changqing sighed to himself.
Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division is the collective term for all Demon-Subduing Divisions. In fact, apart from the Demon-Subduing Division in the Capital City, important prefectural cities across Great Qin each have their own Demon-Subduing Division to ensure peace in their regions. Because Qin Land is vast, if there were only a Demon-Subduing Division in the Capital City, it would be impossible to deal with disasters in other areas promptly. Given the killing speed of Demon Evils, if dispatch were delayed by a day or two, the resulting losses would be immeasurable. Therefore, Demon-Subduing Divisions are set up across Great Qin; it's just that the rest of these divisions are subordinate to the one in the Capital City.
From Jiang Zuo, Shen Changqing understood that the situation in Great Qin was severe; a single disaster caused by Strange Monsters had led to the deaths of many Demon Hunters. Even though I'm currently only a provisional Demon Hunter and it seems to have no direct impact on me... In reality, if things reached a point of no return, even a provisional Demon Hunter like me would need to step up. There's no such thing as an intact egg under an overturned nest. If Strange Monsters reached an uncontrollable extent, I wouldn't have any way out either, he thought grimly.
SIGH...
After sighing, Shen Changqing calmed his mind and began a new round of cultivation. His Pure Yang Technique had already broken through to the seventh layer. In other words, Shen Changqing's Realm had also officially moved from the middle stage of the Pulse Condensation Realm to the late stage.
It might seem like just a small leap between levels, but when breaking through, I found that the Pure Yang True Qi of the seventh layer was much more vigorous than that of the sixth. Not only that, but there was a significant change in quality too. In the past, when I struck a wooden post with Pure Yang True Qi, I could only leave a charred handprint. Now, I can almost burn through the post. If it were flesh and blood, a hit with Pure Yang True Qi would leave anyone dead or crippled, unless they had achieved Perfection in the Iron-Cloth Technique, Shen Changqing mused.
As someone who had been in the Demon-Subduing Division for nearly a year, he had come to understand many things. Take the Iron-Cloth Technique, for example: many practiced it, but none had truly cultivated this martial art to Perfection. Reaching Perfection in Outer Techniques required far more time than just one year. Many provisional Demon Hunters used the Iron-Cloth Technique to build their foundation, then switched to another Cultivation Technique at an opportune moment to break through to the Pulse Condensation Realm. Without reaching Perfection, they could never comprehend the benefits it could bring once fully mastered. However, using the time that would be spent on Outer Techniques for cultivating Inner Strength could also yield significant gains. The trade-offs depend entirely on the individual.
Now that my Pure Yang Technique has broken through to the seventh layer, my goal is to continue breaking through to higher levels. There isn't much time left. Reaching the ninth layer is hopeless, but I'm confident I can break through to the eighth layer, Shen Changqing determined.
「The next morning.」
The rising sun dispelled all darkness. Shen Changqing deliberately walked into the courtyard. Facing the direction of the rising sun, he began a new round of cultivation, following the circulation route of the Pure Yang Technique.
"INHALE! EXHALE!" His chest rose and fell rhythmically.
Suddenly, a faint purple qi surged on the horizon. Shen Changqing opened his mouth and directly swallowed the purple qi.
The Purple Qi entered his stomach. Immediately, it caused his Pure Yang True Qi to tremble. The original circulation of the Pure Yang Technique seemed to receive a strong stimulus and suddenly intensified greatly.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
True Qi flowed through his meridians, the sound like a rushing river, as it surged towards a certain point.
ONCE!
TWICE!
Each impact caused Shen Changqing's face to twist slightly as if enduring great pain, and his body trembled faintly. As time went by, sweat beaded on his forehead.
Half an hour later, Shen Changqing's body suddenly shook, as if something had shattered, making a quiet sound. Immediately after, the sound grew louder, like a raging river.
"HUFF!" Shen Changqing opened his tightly closed eyes.
I've broken through! The eighth layer of the Pure Yang Technique, which troubled me for so long, has finally been broken! At this Realm, I'm only a step away from reaching the limit of the Pulse Condensation Realm!
Upon successfully breaking through, Shen Changqing felt much of the long-suppressed tension in his spirit dissipate.
With the eighth layer of the Pure Yang Technique and the fifteenth layer of the Iron-Cloth Technique, my overall strength can be considered at the top of the Pulse Condensation Realm. The only thing lacking is actual combat experience! Perfect mastery of Outer Techniques most obviously brings vastly increased defense, along with a dramatic improvement in overall physical quality. Not to mention, my Iron-Cloth Technique has surpassed the thirteen-layer limit and broken through to the fifteenth level. Combined with the eighth-layer Pure Yang Technique, I estimate I have a good chance of overwhelming other Martial Artists in the Pulse Condensation Realm. But estimates are just estimates. Without real action, I can't be one hundred percent certain, he mused.
Suppressing the joy of his breakthrough, Shen Changqing looked at his status panel:
Iron-Cloth Technique: Fifteenth Layer!
Pure Yang Technique: Eighth Layer!
Seven Kills Blade Technique: Second Layer!
Iron Sand Palm: Second Layer!
The Iron Sand Palm has five layers, slightly fewer than the Seven Kills Blade Technique's seven layers, but the power of a martial art isn't determined by the number of layers. If I could bring the Iron Sand Palm to the fifth layer, to Perfection, it might not be weaker than a Seven Kills Blade Technique perfected to its seventh layer, he considered.
In almost a year, from not having mastered any martial art to now mastering four, his strength had grown to a point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could sweep across the Pulse Condensation Realm. Shen Changqing was very satisfied with this.
There's only a one-year buffer for a provisional Demon Hunter. If I'm not mistaken, I've been in the Demon-Subduing Division for over eleven months now. When the next mission comes, it will be time to become an official Demon Hunter—
At that thought, his heart grew somewhat heated.