Chapter 10

Liu Chang's death.

It made Shen Changqing thoroughly understand that the mortality rate in the Demon Suppression Bureau was no joke.

The originally distant scent of blood now lingered around him, refusing to dissipate.

In the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Other demon hunters would die, and Liu Chang would die as well.

Although the Pulse Channeling Realm was not weak, in the face of life and death, it had no power to influence anything.

For a moment.

Shen Changqing felt immense pressure.

After returning from the Demon Suppression Prison, he didn't even go to the library but directly returned to his residence and began a new round of intensive cultivation.

Ten months.

Shen Changqing entered the library no less than fifty to sixty times.

The materials he needed to read and the martial arts he needed to learn were already memorized to perfection.

The rest.

Had no research value.

Unless he could enter the second floor of the library.

However, only official demon hunters had the qualifications to enter the second floor of the library. Non-official demon hunters could only stay on the first floor.

Possessing the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi, Pure Yang Qi, Seven Kill Blade Technique, and Iron Sand Palm, Shen Changqing felt that it was already sufficient.

After all, one's energy is limited.

Being able to master several martial arts simultaneously already occupied all his time.

The Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi had already broken through to an unprecedented fifteenth level, and there was no way to further cultivate it through personal effort; it could only be advanced through slaughter points.

In this case.

Shen Changqing only needed to cultivate three martial arts.

Among them.

He focused on the Pure Yang Qi.

"Practice without cultivating qi, and you will be empty-handed in old age."

True qi is the foundation of realms and the source of a demon hunter's strength.

With sufficiently powerful true qi, even bare-handed, one could kill others.

On the contrary.

The Seven Kill Blade Technique and Iron Sand Palm were auxiliary means.

"Within two months, the Pure Yang Qi must break through to the seventh level, and ideally, to the eighth level. The second level of the Seven Kill Blade Technique is almost the limit; further improvement without practical combat is difficult.

As for the Iron Sand Palm, there is still some room for improvement."

Shen Changqing made a plan for his future cultivation.

First, he would break through the Pure Yang Qi, then the Iron Sand Palm.

The Seven Kill Blade Technique.

Is a martial art primarily focused on practical combat, divided into seven levels, with each subsequent level adding more power.

However, without practical combat as a foundation, it is already difficult to reach the second level through personal cultivation.

As for the Iron Sand Palm, Shen Changqing had confidence in improving it.

After making the decision.

He stayed in his small courtyard, not stepping out unless necessary.

At the beginning of the first month.

Jiang Zuo came a few times.

The purpose was only to assign tasks, and the two did not engage in much conversation.

Shen Changqing was not familiar with Jiang Zuo, and he was not a particularly outgoing person, so he did not initiate any conversations.

The newly appointed Yellow Department demon hunter supervisor seemed to be the same.

So.

The two did not waste many words.

Only after the number of tasks assigned increased did they become more familiar.

Taking advantage of the familiarity.

Shen Changqing specifically asked about the cause of Liu Chang's death and received the answer from Jiang Zuo.

Not only that.

From Jiang Zuo, he also obtained other information.

"Shackled-grade monstrous beings!"

Shen Changqing murmured softly.

The one who killed Liu Chang was a Shackled-grade monstrous being, which was superior to the Grievance-grade monstrous beings and was a more powerful existence.

In the 382nd year of the Great Qin, in February.

Monstrous beings wreaked havoc, causing a massive disaster, leading to widespread suffering.

To stabilize the situation.

The Demon Suppression Bureau dispatched many demon hunters to various places to suppress the disasters. Many monstrous beings were suppressed, preventing the disaster from spreading.

Although many disasters were suppressed, the Demon Suppression Bureau paid a great price.

Many demon hunters died at the hands of monstrous beings, and Liu Chang was one of them.

For this reason.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had a significant shortage and had to recruit suitable people from various places to fill the gaps.

Shen Changqing, thinking about the many unfamiliar faces in the Yellow Department demon hunter academy recently, understood the situation.

"The Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital is like this, so the Demon Suppression Bureaus in other places must have suffered even greater losses!" Shen Changqing sighed.

The Great Qin Demon Suppression Bureau.

Is the collective name for all Demon Suppression Bureaus.

In reality.

Apart from the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital, every important city in the Great Qin has a Demon Suppression Bureau to protect the peace.

Because the Great Qin territory is vast.

If the Demon Suppression Bureau only existed in the capital, it would be impossible to handle disasters in various places in a timely manner.

Given the speed at which monstrous beings kill.

If there were a delay of one or two days, the losses would be immeasurable.

For this reason.

The Great Qin has Demon Suppression Bureaus in various places.

However, all the Demon Suppression Bureaus are subordinate to the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital.

From Jiang Zuo, Shen Changqing understood the severity of the Great Qin's situation, where a single monstrous disaster caused many demon hunters to die.

Although he was currently just a probationary demon hunter, it seemed to have no impact on him.

In reality.

If there were no way out.

Even a probationary demon hunter would have to step up.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

If the monstrous beings reached an uncontrollable level, Shen Changqing felt that he would not have a way out either.

"Ah—"

Sighing, Shen Changqing calmed his mind and began a new round of cultivation.

His Pure Yang Qi had already broken through to the seventh level.

In other words.

Shen Changqing's realm had officially advanced from the middle Pulse Channeling stage to the late Pulse Channeling stage.

Although it was just a small advancement.

During the breakthrough, Shen Changqing found that the seventh level of Pure Yang Qi was much more robust than the sixth level.

Not only that.

Even in terms of quality, there were significant changes.

Previously, when he used Pure Yang Qi to strike a wooden post, it would only leave a charred handprint. Now, using Pure Yang Qi to strike a wooden post, it could almost burn through it.

If it were a flesh and blood body.

A single strike of Pure Yang Qi, Shen Changqing believed, would either kill or severely injure, unless the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi was perfected.

As someone who had been in the Demon Suppression Bureau for almost a year.

He had also figured out many things.

For example, the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi. Many people cultivated it, but none had perfected it.

Because perfecting an external martial art requires a lot of time, which cannot be achieved in just one year.

Many probationary demon hunters used the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi to build a foundation and then directly switched to other cultivation methods to break through the Pulse Channeling stage.

Not to mention probationary demon hunters.

Even official demon hunters, Shen Changqing estimated, had few who had perfected the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi.

After all, a foundational external martial art is not worth the effort to cultivate.

Without perfection, one cannot understand the benefits of the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi when perfected.

However.

Using the time spent on external martial arts to cultivate internal martial arts can also yield significant results.

The gains and losses depend entirely on the individual.

Now that the Pure Yang Qi had broken through to the seventh level, Shen Changqing needed to continue advancing.

Time was running out.

Breaking through to the ninth level was not hopeful.

But breaking through to the eighth level, he had some confidence.

Soon.

A night passed.

The sun rose, dispelling all darkness.

Shen Changqing deliberately walked to the courtyard, facing the direction of the rising sun, and began a new round of cultivation according to the route of the Pure Yang Qi.

"Exhale! Inhale!"

His chest rose and fell rhythmically.

Suddenly.

A faint purple glow appeared on the horizon.

Shen Changqing opened his mouth and directly swallowed the purple aura.

The purple aura entered his abdomen!

Immediately, it caused the Pure Yang Qi to vibrate.

The original circulation of the Pure Yang Qi, as if receiving a strong stimulus, suddenly intensified.

Rumbling!!

True qi flowed through the meridians, and the sound of a river rushing could be heard faintly, then it rushed towards a certain position.

Once!

Twice!

Each impact made Shen Changqing's face slightly contort, as if he was enduring great pain, causing his body to tremble slightly.

As time passed.

Sweat appeared on his forehead.

After half an hour, Shen Changqing's body suddenly trembled, as if something had broken, making a slight sound.

Then.

The sound grew louder, like a turbulent river.

"Exhale!"

Shen Changqing opened his tightly closed eyes.

He had broken through!

The eighth level of Pure Yang Qi, which had troubled him for a long time, was finally broken through.

At this realm.

He was only one step away from the Pulse Channeling limit.

The successful breakthrough made Shen Changqing's long-suppressed mind feel much lighter.

"Pure Yang Qi at the eighth level, late Pulse Channeling stage, plus the fifteenth level of the Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi, my overall strength can be considered at the top of the Pulse Channeling stage. The only thing lacking is practical combat experience!"

The most obvious benefit of a perfected external martial art is increased defense and a significant improvement in physical attributes.

Not to mention.

The Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi had already surpassed the thirteenth level and broken through to the fifteenth level.

Combined with the eighth level of Pure Yang Qi.

Shen Changqing estimated that he had a high probability of matching Pulse Channeling stage martial artists.

But estimation is just estimation.

Without actual practice, it cannot be 100% confirmed.

Suppressing the joy of the breakthrough, Shen Changqing checked his status panel.

Thirteen Protectors' Hard Qi at the fifteenth level!

Pure Yang Qi at the eighth level!

Seven Kill Blade Technique at the second level!

Iron Sand Palm at the second level!

The Iron Sand Palm has five levels, slightly lower than the seven levels of the Seven Kill Blade Technique, but the power of martial arts is determined by the level.

If the Iron Sand Palm were perfected to the fifth level, it might not be weaker than the seventh level of the Seven Kill Blade Technique.

In about a year.

From not mastering any martial arts to now mastering four, his strength could be said to be capable of sweeping through the Pulse Channeling stage.

Shen Changqing was very satisfied with this.

"Prob