Chapter 16 The Sound of Wind and Cranes

On the training ground, thirty trainee demon slayers stood in formation.

Zhao Shan led his men away from the Demon Suppression Division to investigate the situation. Currently, the one in charge of the Demon Suppression Division's defenses is another junior officer, Sun Yan.

Sun Yan was about forty years old. He was dressed in a black flying fish robe and had a long sword at his waist. His gaze swept over everyone present with a scrutinizing look.

"The situation tonight is special, and we must not let our guard down," Sun Yan said in a deep voice. "Commander Zhao is leading his men to investigate, and the Demon Suppression Division cannot be left unguarded. Although you are trainee Demon Suppression Envoys, now that you have cultivated martial arts, you should shoulder your responsibilities."

"You will now be divided into three teams of ten, each led by a formal Demon Suppression Envoy. Team one will guard the front gate, team two will guard the back gate, and team three will patrol all areas of the Demon Suppression Division."

"yes!"

Everyone responded in unison and quickly formed lines.

Shen Lian and Li Hu were assigned to the front gate guard team, led by a demon-suppressing envoy named Zhou Wu, a man in his early thirties.

Zhou Wu briefly instructed, "The front gate is the first line of defense for the Demon Suppression Division. You will take turns on guard duty, remain vigilant at all times, and report any unusual activity immediately."

The streets in front of the Demon Suppression Bureau were deserted, with only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

Shen Lian held a long sword, his gaze sweeping across the street ahead, while his internal energy circulated slowly, sensing the rustling of the wind and grass around him.

Li Hu, standing to his left, asked somewhat nervously, "Brother Lian, do you think that thing might cause trouble at the Demon Suppression Division?"

"It's hard to say," Shen Lian said in a low voice. "But the palace is protected by an array, and ordinary demons dare not easily break in. We are guarding here mainly as a precaution."

Chen Yun stood on the right. She had broken through to the Body Tempering Realm, and the light purple mark between her eyebrows appeared and disappeared. She gripped her long sword tightly: "Senior Brother Shen is right. Especially at times like this, we must not lose our composure."

Time passes little by little.

Midnight had passed when the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar.

Everyone immediately became alert and held their breath.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as several people rode up, led by Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan, accompanied by more than ten demon-suppressing envoys, stopped outside the palace.

"Commander, how is the situation?" Zhou Wu stepped forward and asked.

Zhao Shan dismounted and said in a deep voice, "It got away. That thing was extremely fast; even I couldn't catch it. This is the only thing we found at the scene..."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of cloth stained with blood.

Zhou Wu frowned and said, "This is... a fragment of clothing?"

"Old Zhang's clothes," Zhao Shan said, clenching his fist. "We found his body in the south of the city. His blood and essence had been drained, just like the methods used in the previous murders."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this.

Even with Zhao Shan personally leading the team, they failed to capture the monster, which shows that the monster was not simple; otherwise, it would not have been able to escape from Zhao Shan's grasp.

Zhao Shan looked at Zhou Wu: "How is the situation within the department?"

"Everything is normal," Zhou Wu said. "Squad leader Sun Yan has arranged for more guards to be deployed, and these interns are holding up well."

Zhao Shan nodded slightly, then looked at Shen Lian and the others: "Thank you for your hard work. Although we didn't capture that monster tonight, I've injured it, and it shouldn't dare to commit any more crimes for a while. Everyone go back to your rooms and rest. Training will resume as usual tomorrow."

"yes!"

The group accepted the order and dispersed.

Shen Lian and Li Hu returned to the office at three-quarters past midnight.

Li Hu slumped onto the bed: "Finally, I can rest. Brother Lian, what exactly is that thing? Even Commander Zhao can't do anything about it."

Shen Lian took off his flying fish robe and said in a low voice, "Commander Zhao injured it, which means that the monster is not invincible. It's just that the thing is too fast and good at hiding, which is why it escaped. I have a feeling that this is not over yet."

Li Hu gasped. "You mean, that monster will come out and wreak havoc again? Does it really have that much guts?"

Shen Lian shook his head and said, "If Commander Zhao hurt it, it may not let it go. Judging from the recent cases, it is becoming more and more arrogant. It even dares to commit crimes right under the nose of the Demon Suppression Division. It is clear that it is not afraid of our Demon Suppression Division."

Li Hu felt a chill run down his spine: "So, what do we do next?"

Shen Lian continued, "Commander Zhao has already injured it. It should lie low for a while, but we cannot let our guard down."

Li Hu nodded, agreeing with Shen Lian's statement.

……

The next morning.

Numerous trainee demon slayers gathered at the training ground, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

Zhao Shan stood at the front of the line with a stern expression.

"You are all aware of what happened last night," Zhao Shan said in a deep voice. "That demon not only harmed the people, but also escaped from the pursuit of the Demon Suppression Division. This cunning and vicious creature will become a great threat if it is not eliminated as soon as possible."

"From today onwards, the training intensity for all trainee Demon Suppressors will be doubled, especially the 'Wave-Slicing Style,' which must be mastered as soon as possible!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, a weight pressing on their hearts.

Even Zhao Shan's personal efforts last night failed to capture the monster, indicating that its strength and escape ability are extremely powerful.

The Demon Suppression Division needs more people to step forward, and these trainee Demon Suppression Envoys must grow up faster.

Training begins.

Swing the knife, step forward, twist the waist, slash...

Every movement was practiced repeatedly, and sweat quickly soaked through their flying fish suits, but no one complained of being tired.

Shen Lian was immersed in practicing his swordsmanship. He alternated between the "Mountain Splitting Style" and the "Wave Slicing Style," trying to find the perfect connection between the two.

His blood and qi surged with the force of his sword strike, and the martial arts mark between his eyebrows appeared and disappeared intermittently. His control over power was even stronger under high pressure.

After the morning training session, many trainee demon slayers went to the dining hall for lunch.

The discussions in the dining hall had lessened considerably, but Shen Lian still managed to glean some fragmented information from the conversations of several Demon Suppression Envoys.

Sun Yan and his team investigated for a whole morning and found grayish-white powder in the west of the city.

Chen Biao's pursuit of the demonic aura ended at the moat, as if a water-based escape technique had been used...

After careful consideration, Shen Lian was filled with doubts.

The grayish-white powder, the drained life essence, the bizarre speed, and the escape technique—these characteristics, when put together, make absolutely no sense.

The afternoon sessions continued with two-person practice sessions.

This time, Shen Lian and Wang Lin were assigned to the same group for a live-fire exercise.

"Go all out, don't hold back!" Zhao Shan said from the sidelines.

Wang Lin's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. He was the first among them to break through to the Body Tempering Realm. He possessed abundant blood and qi and solid swordsmanship, making him one of the best among the trainee Demon Suppressors.

However, Shen Lian, the opponent, was also someone who had broken through to the Body Tempering Realm, and had previously performed exceptionally well, with his swordsmanship improving extremely quickly.

The two men stood facing each other, each holding a knife.

"please!"

"please!"

Wang Lin was the first to move. He took a step and slashed his long sword straight at Shen Lian's face. It was the "Mountain Splitting Style" starting move, which was powerful and heavy.

Shen Lian neither dodged nor evaded, but instead stepped forward and charged forward, meeting the attack with the "Wave-Cutting Style".

Bang!

The two swords clashed, creating a powerful gust of wind.

Wang Lin felt a tricky force coming from the blade, which deflected his slash. He changed his move accordingly, turning the blade from a horizontal pull to a sweep.

But Shen Lian was faster. He changed his footwork and circled around to Wang Lin's flank, immediately slashing at his ribs with his second strike.

Wang Lin was startled and quickly turned around to block Shen Lian's attack.

Shen Lian's third strike was unleashed almost simultaneously, aimed directly at his neck.

The strike was too fast; Wang Lin had no time to dodge.

A long knife was held against Wang Lin's throat.

The sidelines were completely silent!

Three cuts!

With just three strikes, Shen Lian easily defeated Wang Lin with the "Wave-Slaying Style," a result no one expected.

Wang Lin was stunned for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Lian: "Brother Shen's swordsmanship is indeed strong, I admire it."

Shen Lian sheathed his longsword: "Brother Wang, you flatter me."

Zhao Shan showed a hint of approval: "Shen Lian, you have mastered the essence of your 'Wave-Slaying Style,' which is swift and powerful. Very good. But remember, in actual combat, demons will not stand still and wait for you to make a move. The coordination between your footwork and sword strikes needs to be more refined."

He then looked at Wang Lin: "Your 'Mountain Splitting Style' is powerful but lacks variation. Against a fast opponent, a relentless attack will easily expose weaknesses. Next, you need to work hard on your 'Wave Slicing Style' to make up for your speed deficiency."

The two bowed in agreement.

Zhao Shan then instructed several groups in sparring until sunset before announcing the end of the session.

On the way back to the barracks, Li Hu excitedly surrounded Shen Lian: "Brother Lian, those three strikes you just did were so cool! Wang Lin didn't even have time to react! How did you train?"

Shen Lian smiled and said, "There's nothing special about it; it's all about practice. The 'Wave-Slaying Style' emphasizes the unity of waist and stance, and the continuous release of power. You need to feel the sensation of your steps driving your waist power, and your waist power driving your arm power. Once you find that rhythm, you'll naturally become faster."

Li Hu nodded thoughtfully.

Back in his quarters, Shen Lian leaned against the bed, and a control panel appeared before him.

[Host]: Shen Lian

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm (1/10)

[Combat Strength]: 16~24

[Martial Arts]: Tiger-Taming Stance (Minor Success) (3/5), Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Beginner) (2/3)

Skill Points: 0

After this period of standing meditation practice, his "Tiger Subduing Stance" has improved to (3/5), and his combat power has also increased significantly.

At this rate of cultivation, it won't be long before he can master the "Tiger Subduing Stance" and become even stronger.