The Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method consists of thirteen levels, and many official Demon Hunters will bring this martial art to the state of Perfection. I still have a significant gap compared to official Demon Hunters.
The six levels of the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method I've achieved only allow me to show off a bit in front of Junior Demon Hunters. I'm far from qualified to compare with official Demon Hunters.
Despite his breakthrough, Shen Changqing did not dare to be arrogant or complacent.
Gathering his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the flesh and blood within the cell.
Once he confirmed the remains could no longer provide him with Slaughter Value, Shen Changqing moved on to the next cell.
The next cell.
Enclosed within, similar to the last, were the remains of a Demon Evil.
However, unlike the arm and flesh before, this cell contained an eye.
A dark green eye.
The moment Shen Changqing saw the eye, he fell into an Illusory Realm.
A terrifying Demon Evil was lunging at him, and endless fear welled up from the depths of his heart, urging him to flee.
But just as he lifted his foot, Shen Changqing suddenly realized something.
I'm in the Demon-Subduing Prison! All the Demon Evils and Strange Monsters here are sealed. How could a Demon Evil be attacking me! Besides, if it really were a Demon Evil, with my current strength, escape would be impossible. It's an Illusory Realm; this is all an illusion!
Shen Changqing comforted himself inwardly and stood his ground, watching as the Demon Evil charged at him.
Because it was very close, he could even see each individual scale on the Demon Evil and smell the potent, nauseating stench of blood.
The scene was overly realistic, causing a great wave of fear to surge anew in Shen Changqing's heart, which had only just managed to calm somewhat.
However, no matter how fearful he felt, he did not move an inch.
In the end, the Demon Evil passed right through his heart without causing any pain.
The next second, the illusion disappeared.
A cold sweat broke out on Shen Changqing's back. He no longer dared to look directly at the Demon Evil's eye in the cell. He composed himself and checked his panel.
As expected.
His Slaughter Value, which had previously been zero, was now two.
Only two points of Slaughter Value?
Shen Changqing's brow furrowed slightly.
The previous two times he had received three points of Slaughter Value, but this time it was only two. It might be related to the Demon Evil's strength.
But gaining two points of Slaughter Value was better than none at all.
His furrowed brow soon smoothed out.
Without daring to look at the Demon Evil's eye again, he proceeded directly to the next cell.
In less than an hour, Shen Changqing had walked through the entire third floor.
Unlike the second floor, the third floor did not contain any Strange Monsters, only the remains of Demon Evils.
Moreover, compared to the number of cells on the second floor, the third floor had fewer.
After he finished with the last cell, Shen Changqing checked the panel again.
His Slaughter Value, previously at two, had now reached fifteen.
This was because some Demon Evil remains provided only one point of Slaughter Value, or even less than a full point. As a result, he had only obtained fifteen points of Slaughter Value after walking through the entire third floor.
Of course, Shen Changqing still considered fifteen points of Slaughter Value a considerable gain.
If the requirements to elevate the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method haven't changed, fifteen points of Slaughter Value would be enough to bring this martial art to Perfection, with quite a few to spare.
Standing at the entrance to the fourth floor, Shen Changqing recalled the risks of entering the third floor and did not proceed carelessly. Instead, he began to absorb his gains on the spot.
Consume one point of Slaughter Value!
The Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method advances to the seventh level!
Consume one point of Slaughter Value!
The Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method advances to the eighth level!
Consume—
Soon, the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method had reached the twelfth level.
By this point, the defensive power of Shen Changqing's Flesh had become impressively strong, and his passive strength and speed had also improved considerably.
Looking at the remaining nine points of Slaughter Value, he did not hesitate and chose to upgrade.
BOOM—
No sooner had the thought formed than three points of Slaughter Value disappeared instantly. This was followed by a surge of incredibly potent power erupting from within his body, quickly sweeping through him entirely.
His Qi and Blood Force seethed!
His bones hummed!
His Flesh quivered!
At that moment, Shen Changqing felt as if his entire body had undergone a metamorphosis.
Unlike the intense pain accompanying previous upgrades, this time there was no pain at all; on the contrary, the process was quite comfortable.
As time passed and the tumult in his Flesh gradually subsided, a warm, nourishing aura arose from his Dantian. Thin as a strand of hair, it quickly flowed through his four limbs and entire physique.
In an instant, the warm, nourishing aura returned to his Dantian and became still.
Is it over?
Shen Changqing snapped out of his breakthrough state. He immediately opened his panel to check.
Name: Shen Changqing
Organization: Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division
Status: Junior Demon Hunter
Martial Arts: Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method (Level 13, can be upgraded)
Slaughter Value: 6
Hmm?
Shen Changqing looked at the Martial Arts section on the panel, and a tremor went through his heart.
The highest level of the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method was the thirteenth level; he had never heard of a fourteenth level existing.
Yet, the words '(can be upgraded)' on the panel clearly told him that there was still room to enhance the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method.
Could it be—there are actually subsequent levels to the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method?
Shen Changqing was filled with surprise and uncertainty. However, seeing the '(can be upgraded)' text, he still chose to upgrade.
Instantly, three points of Slaughter Value were consumed, and the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method broke through from the thirteenth to the fourteenth level.
After the upgrade was complete, three points of Slaughter Value remained, and the words '(can be upgraded)' still followed the martial art's name.
Driven by the thought of enhancing his strength as much as possible, Shen Changqing did not hesitate for too long and once again chose to upgrade.
His Flesh vibrated.
The Slaughter Value instantly dropped to zero.
At this moment, upon checking the panel again, the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method had reached the fifteenth level, and '(can be upgraded)' had changed to '(cannot be upgraded)'.
Fifteen levels of the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method!
Shen Changqing stood still, closing his eyes to feel the changes within himself.
According to the records in the secret manual, when the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method is elevated to the thirteenth level, the Flesh will reach the state of Perfection.
Perfection of the Flesh! True Qi spontaneously generated!
As a martial art for refining the Flesh and establishing foundations, when it truly reaches Perfection, the Flesh will give birth to faint True Qi.
Once True Qi is born, it signifies that one has stepped beyond the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm and reached the higher Pulse Condensation Realm.
He noticed the warm aura in his Dantian. After the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method had been enhanced to the fifteenth level, this aura had grown from the size of a hair to roughly double or triple that size.
This must be the True Qi that is born only after the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method reaches Perfection!
Shen Changqing regained his senses, a smile on his face.
True Qi! Strange Monsters are classified into different ranks, and so are the Martial Artists of the Demon-Subduing Division.
Initial Junior Demon Hunters, some of whom had not stepped into the Body Tempering Realm, while others were lingering within it.
Official Demon Hunters, for the most part, have strength at the Pulse Condensation Realm or higher.
In other words, after the birth of True Qi, in terms of realm, he was already not inferior to an official Demon Hunter.
Just a day before, Shen Changqing was still someone who hadn't crossed the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm. Now, he had achieved Perfection in the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method, stepping directly into the Pulse Condensation Realm, on par with an official Demon Hunter.
Such a metamorphosis! It would be a complete lie to say he wasn't happy about it.
But he also understood that entering the Pulse Condensation Realm was just a new beginning. Compared to the powerhouses in the Demon-Subduing Division, the Pulse Condensation Realm was nothing remarkable.
Although the Pulse Condensation Realm is just the beginning, I have already left all the other Demon Hunters of my cohort far behind. Shen Changqing mused, his smile fading.
Advancing into the Pulse Condensation Realm within a year is considered normal talent. To do so within half a year is genius. Two to three months makes one an exceptional talent. One month, and you're a prodigy. But just one day— Shen Changqing shook his head. That's beyond what could be described as a prodigy; it's monstrous.
As long as I haven't grown to the point where I fear no one, I don't want to become a target too quickly.
But there's no need to hide it excessively either. I can find an excuse for closed-door cultivation for a month or two, then reveal my breakthrough to the Pulse Condensation Realm. That should be fine. Hiding my capabilities too much would be detrimental to my development in the Demon-Subduing Division! he considered.
Being too astonishing would invite deadly trouble, but there's also no need to hide my talents excessively, as long as my explanation is plausible.
Shen Changqing believed that if his talent were revealed, he would receive some preferential treatment within the Demon-Subduing Division.
After all, any prodigy would surely not be treated the same as everyone else.
As long as I don't make a move rashly, no one should be able to tell that I've already brought the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method to Perfection.
After sensing that he had generated True Qi, Shen Changqing was fairly certain that the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method indeed only had thirteen levels. His ability to enhance it to the fifteenth level was likely due to the advantage of the Slaughter Value.
He looked at his now-empty Slaughter Value and then at the entrance to the fourth floor.
Ultimately, he still went down.
Having harvested all the Slaughter Value from the third floor, he had to go to the fourth floor to obtain more.
Upon entering the fourth floor, a terrifyingly intense coldness surged at him immediately.
In that instant, even Shen Changqing's formidable Qi and Blood Force was momentarily frozen by the chill. Fortunately, a surge of True Qi from his Dantian allowed him to barely dispel the coldness.
HISS! Such potent coldness!
Shen Changqing took a sharp breath.
Before stepping onto the fourth floor, he had made some estimations about it.
But now, it seemed he had still underestimated it.
If he hadn't upgraded the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Method to the fifteenth level, he would have died the instant he stepped onto the fourth floor.
Even though he could currently use True Qi to resist the cold, and wasn't afraid of it for the moment, Shen Changqing felt he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.