Chapter 320: Chapter 118: Unlocking New Features on the Panel (Extra for 19,300 Monthly Tickets)
As the commoners who had been trapped in Fengqiu Mountain returned, joy and sorrow rippled through the populace. The joy, naturally, belonged to those who saw their loved ones return. The sorrow, then, was for those who did not. At such times, not returning was almost tantamount to a declaration of death.
However, news that the Demon Evils in Fengqiu Mountain had been eradicated also began to spread. The name of the Demon-Subduing Division was once again broadcast far and wide. But compared to the Demon-Subduing Division’s current soaring reputation, this small boost in fame was merely icing on the cake. Shen Changqing paid no mind to such matters. After slaying that Essence Spirit, he had returned to Qutai County at the first opportunity.
"Lord Shen!"
Inside the Yamen, Chang Cai had long been waiting for news. Seeing Shen Changqing return, he was about to inquire about the situation. However, before he could finish his words, a sentence cut him off.
"This official has had a breakthrough. Do not let anyone disturb me."
Shen Changqing left these words behind and directly returned to his room, leaving Chang Cai standing there, stunned and unsure what to do.
「Inside the room.」
An irrepressible look of joy was on Shen Changqing’s face. He calmed himself and immediately checked the changes on his panel.
Name: Shen Changqing
Affiliation: Great Qin’s Demon Suppression Division
Status: Martial Pavilion Elder
True Intent: Hundred Battles True Intent (60%)
Martial Arts: Great Sun Golden Body (Level 30, not upgradable), Great Sun Scripture (Level 27, not upgradable), Chiyang Divine Palm (Level 2, upgradable), Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step (Level 1, upgradable)
Slaughter Value: 58
Divine Skills: 1
Compared to the previous panel, the current one now quietly included the label ’Divine Skills’. Moreover, the Chiyang Divine Palm and the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step, in the Martial Arts section, had changed from ’not upgradable’ to ’upgradable’. This change had appeared suddenly, only after slaying that Essence Spirit.
Looking at the completely different panel, Shen Changqing’s heart surged.
I thought I had figured out all the panel’s functions, but it seems there are still some I haven’t unlocked. Slaying that Essence Spirit didn’t yield Slaughter Value; instead, it gave me Divine Ability Value. Judging by the changes in Martial Arts, Divine Ability Value must correspond to Martial Arts other than Inner Strength and Outer Techniques, right?
Outer Techniques. Inner Strength. Other Martial Arts.
Shen Changqing instinctively categorized the Martial Arts in the panel into these three different types.
These ’other Martial Arts’ could also be called offensive Martial Arts, primarily used in combat.
Truthfully, since integrating the Chiyang Divine Palm and the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step, he hadn’t had much time for secluded cultivation. Most of his time was spent seeking Demon Evils. When he did have time for secluded cultivation, he spent it all intensively studying Inner Strength and Outer Techniques. In comparison, his offensive Martial Arts had been considerably neglected. Therefore, offensive techniques had always been Shen Changqing’s weak point. However, his power was formidable, so there hadn’t been a pressing need for advanced offensive Martial Arts. Usually, when encountering enemies, he relied on his abundant foundation to overwhelmingly suppress them.
Overwhelming power trumped finesse. That was probably the gist of it.
Yet, this didn’t mean offensive Martial Arts were useless. If two individuals had equal foundations, victory or defeat would depend on the sophistication of their techniques and combat experience. The more refined the offensive methods, the more of one’s inherent power could be unleashed. For instance, if someone trained their Inner Strength and Outer Techniques to a pinnacle but lacked offensive methods, they might only exert ten percent, or perhaps twenty to thirty percent, of their overall strength when facing an enemy. But if they mastered offensive Martial Arts, that person would have the chance to unleash their full strength—ten-tenths of it—or even more. This—this was the wondrous utility of offensive Martial Arts.
The Chiyang Divine Palm itself was an extremely profound Martial Art; reaching the second level after integration was quite decent. However, against seasoned experts who had specialized in Martial Arts for a long time, Shen Changqing was still at a disadvantage in this area. The emergence of Divine Ability Value now had indeed solved this problem.
Stabilizing his mind, he focused his thoughts on the Chiyang Divine Palm and silently willed: Upgrade.
Instantly, the Divine Ability Value dropped from one to zero, and the Chiyang Divine Palm transformed from the second to the third level. A strong sense of familiarity surged through Shen Changqing’s mind. It was as if he had practiced the Chiyang Divine Palm countless times; he was intimately familiar with its internal moves and energy circulation paths.
Previous points of confusion now dissipated like smoke.
"Success!" Shen Changqing reviewed his memories of the Chiyang Divine Palm, his eyes filled with surprise and delight.
Success! It was truly successful! His comprehension of the Chiyang Divine Palm had truly risen by a tier.
Killing Demon Evils grants Slaughter Value, and slaying Essence Spirits grants Divine Ability Value. If I slay something else, could I unlock other panel functions?
Shen Changqing’s thoughts drifted. He had originally thought he understood all the panel’s functions, but now he realized it had other hidden features yet to be officially unlocked. Slaying an Essence Spirit now had unlocked one such feature. But he couldn’t be certain if all the panel’s functions were now available.
Soon, Shen Changqing’s attention turned to True Intent.
Now, there were direct methods to enhance Inner Strength, Outer Techniques, and offensive Martial Arts. All things considered, only True Intent lacked a direct method of improvement. Although it was said that slaying Demon Evils allowed one to plunder Spiritual Power to enhance the Realm of True Intent... The problem was, such a method wasn’t a function provided by the panel itself. In fact, every martial artist at the Grandmaster Level could plunder some Spiritual Power for their own use after slaying Demon Evils. Therefore, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but speculate whether the panel still had a function for improving True Intent that he hadn’t yet discovered.
But judging by the current situation, it seemed there was no one else suitable for him to kill at the moment to test this theory. He had killed Demon Evils. He had also killed an Essence Spirit. In both cases, Shen Changqing noticed a common thread: they were non-human. Of course, he had previously killed Fierce Beasts too, but they hadn’t unlocked any panel values. Therefore, another condition for unlocking panel features seemed to be... Intelligence!
Shen Changqing sat there, completely lost in thought.
Demon Evils and Essence Spirits were actually similar; both were intelligent beings, not mere anomalies. Ordinary wild beasts, or even the Fierce Beasts of the Heavenly Realm, might possess some primal awareness, but as for true intelligence, they were sorely lacking.
After a brief analysis, he was almost certain of two prerequisites:
Non-human, and intelligent! These seemed to be the prerequisites for unlocking new panel attributes.
Wait a moment! Shen Changqing’s gaze grew profound. He thought of something. If the criteria were being non-human and possessing intelligence... then, did Defender Envoys count? Defender Envoys had fused with the bodies of Demon Evils. Strictly speaking, they were already distinct from ordinary members of the Human Clan. After all, the power of Demon Evils mixed with the Human Clan’s own power had already evolved into an entirely new state. Although all Defender Envoys identified as Human Clan, from the perspective of life’s fundamental essence, Defender Envoys shouldn’t truly be classified as Human Clan. At least, compared to ordinary Human Clan members, there was a vast difference. If I were to slay a Defender Envoy, could it possibly unlock a new panel function—
The thought had barely surfaced when Shen Changqing forcefully suppressed it.
Slaying a Defender Envoy... was simply not an option. He was well aware of what Defender Envoys represented to Great Qin. They were the guardian deities within Great Qin’s borders. If anyone from the Human Clan killed a Defender Envoy within Great Qin’s territory, regardless of their identity, they would completely alienate themselves, becoming an enemy. Shen Changqing didn’t consider himself weak. But if he were to make an enemy of Great Qin, it would still be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—courting death. Moreover, everything concerning the panel was his own speculation, lacking any concrete evidence. To actually kill a Defender Envoy just to verify this theory would be going too far. What if... nothing was actually unlocked, and he had needlessly pushed himself into opposition with Great Qin? That would be an even greater loss.
Shaking his head, Shen Changqing dismissed the thought.
As for testing the panel, he would wait until a truly suitable opportunity arose in the future. For now, the strength he possessed was still significantly lacking.
When he opened the door to his room, a government official was already respectfully waiting there.
"Lord Shen!" Upon hearing the door open, the government official turned his head, just in time to see Shen Changqing emerge.
"Where is Lord Chang?"
"Reporting to Lord Shen, the Lord County Magistrate is waiting in the inner hall. He stated that if Lord Shen emerged, I should request you to proceed to the inner hall."
Shen Changqing nodded and then followed the official towards the inner hall.
「In the inner hall.」
Chang Cai was sitting there; from a distance, one might almost have mistaken him for a ball of flesh. This County Magistrate of Qutai County was truly excessively plump. The moment he saw Shen Changqing, he immediately sprang up from his chair and rushed forward, covering the distance in a few quick strides.
"Lord Shen is here."
"Lord Chang." Shen Changqing offered a slight fist-clasp salute and then sat down in an empty seat.
After sitting down, he turned his head towards Chang Cai. "I heard from the government official that you were waiting for me, Lord Chang. May I ask what the matter is?"
"I wished to inquire about the Fengqiu Mountain matter—" Chang Cai rubbed his hands together, his face showing curiosity.
Hearing this, Shen Changqing said, "The Demon Evil within Fengqiu Mountain has been slain by this official. Luo Yuan and the others are escorting those trapped civilians back. I believe it will still take some time before they can return to Qutai County."
"I see!" Chang Cai obviously breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he seemed to catch an implication in Shen Changqing’s words. "Lord Shen, are you saying there were survivors from Fengqiu Mountain?"