High Martial Arts: Martial Soul Great Sage Equal to Heaven, crushing all races.

The alloy door slid open silently.

Feng Mo walked out of the general's private training room, his aura still surging.

The five seas of qi within his dantian were now like five abysses accumulating immense thunder. With each breath, the surrounding air emitted a muffled hum, as if resonating with the pulse of some giant beast.

The spiritual energy in the corridor was drawn in and transformed into a visible white vortex that lingered around him.

"Tsk."

A soft sound came from the shadows across the corridor.

Feng Qingyang leaned against the wall, holding a worn-out wine gourd in his hand. He lazily glanced at Feng Mo and raised his eyebrows.

"Your cultivation has improved again overnight? You practice like you're drinking cold water, it's unreasonable."

Feng Mo ignored his teasing, simply rotating his wrist slightly to feel the new power flowing through his muscles and bones.

Feng Qingyang was used to his taciturn nature. He took a swig of wine, turned around and walked towards the end of the corridor: "Come on, let me show you around."

Monument of Merit Square.

The massive obsidian monument stands silently in the morning light, its surface covered with countless tiny names and numbers that scroll slowly like water.

Feng Qingyang tapped the surface of the monument with his wine gourd and succinctly explained the ironclad rules of the Demon Slayer Bureau.

"Merit is lifeline. Demon-slaying merit is exchanged for rank, and rank is exchanged for resources. From the number of levels unlocked in the martial arts library to the allocation of pills, each level suppresses the next, with strict controls and no room for leniency."

He counted on his fingers as he calculated for Feng Mo: "You've really hit the jackpot this time. Severely injuring the White Tiger Mountain Lord counts as five major merits. Those twenty blind fifth-tier demonic beasts in Xinlan River count as four major merits. As for rescuing the disaster victims, the credit is shared by everyone, but since you took the lead, you'll get two major merits too."

"All things considered, if this were applied to a reserve member, it would be enough to easily rise one rank, let alone become a Demon-Slaying Commander. But remember, Acting Commander-in-Chief is a position, not a rank. These two lines are not related."

Feng Qingyang's words were loaded with meaning: "Don't underestimate rank. If you ever run into someone who's half a rank higher than you, even if they're a complete incompetent, they still have the power to make you stand at the door. Do you believe me?"

After listening, Feng Mo nodded.

As the two walked through the main corridor, Feng Qingyang's tone became more casual, and he began to explain his original intention in sending Feng Mo to Xinlanjiang.

"I originally just wanted you, my 'acting commander,' to go out and wander around, maybe catch a few rats hiding in Shanghai. Who knew you'd be so attractive? You ended up catching two great white sharks, and you even helped me kill the White Tiger Mountain Lord! Hahahaha!"

He shook the gourd, and the wine inside made a gurgling sound as it hit the inner wall.

"The Red Scorpion Mother has escaped. That old hag doesn't hold grudges overnight. The fact that she's held back until now means either she's seriously injured, or... someone's keeping her in check, preventing her from causing trouble." Feng Qingyang grinned. "Whether it's the case or not, it means this fish isn't finished yet."

Feng Mo remained silent, but his eyes showed that he had taken it to heart.

"And then there's Gu Chongli." Feng Qingyang suddenly mentioned this name. "He's just an old scion of a powerful family who's gotten old and lost his skills, but his mind is as narrow as a pinhead. At the victory celebration banquet, you almost crushed his wrist in front of half of Shanghai's elites, so you can be considered to have made an enemy of him."

Feng Qingyang then revealed the Gu family's secrets.

The old martial arts families in the capital have been entrenched in the Demon Slayer Headquarters for hundreds of years, and their roots run much deeper than they appear.

The Gu family and the Xia family have been linked by marriage for generations. One family holds sway in the capital, while the other operates and develops in Shanghai, forming a mutually supportive relationship.

Gu Chongli's sudden attack was not his own idea at all; the Xia family was stirring things up behind the scenes.

"I, Feng Qingyang, have the Twelve Demon-Slaying Battalions at my disposal, plus a broken sword. In this small corner of Shanghai, I can do whatever I want."

Feng Qingyang's tone became unusually calm.

"But the waters of the Imperial Capital Command are very deep. They recognize lineage, not credentials. If you want to climb the ranks in the future, you'll have to overcome all obstacles with your own fists."

Feng Mo nodded again, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

Just then, a series of hurried, somewhat chaotic footsteps came from around the corner of the corridor.

Yun Wanrou walked over quickly, her usually calm and composed face now completely drained of color.

She didn't even bother with pleasantries and immediately projected a spiritual rune in front of her.

The semi-transparent screen shook violently, accompanied by the background sounds of exploding internal energy and the piercing noise of clashing weapons.

Yun Piaomiao's rapid breathing was intermittent, each word seeming to be squeezed out from her throat.

"...The Jade Faced Sect...has demonized martial artists...their infants...have fox demon characteristics...the entire sect is problematic..."

At this point, the screen suddenly jolted, and a sharp, interfering sound instantly swallowed everything up!

Just before the projection shattered completely, a broken cry for help was barely pieced together.

"Jade-Faced Sect... Demonic Transformation... Quick Rescue—"

The spirit runes projected into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

"The two teams of demon-slaying captains I sent to provide backup, a total of twenty-four people, have all lost communication." Yun Wanrou's voice trembled with suppressed emotion. "The last location was two miles inside the Jade Face Sect's mountain gate; all signals disappeared at the same time."

With a "snap," Feng Qingyang hung the wine gourd from his waist, the spilled wine soaking his clothes, but he seemed oblivious.

His gaze shifted from the dissipating patch of light, the languor and nonchalance in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling sharpness.

He turned around and uttered only one word.

"Walk."

Before the words were finished, a streak of azure sword light shot into the sky, like a sword of divine punishment, tearing through the morning mist and piercing straight toward the location of the Jade Face Sect!

Almost simultaneously, Feng Mo's figure faded away, followed closely by an even more restrained yet domineering aura that soared into the sky.

The sky seemed to be split apart by these two forces.

Yun Wanrou followed closely behind, flying through the air.

An ominous, eerie red cloud was quietly spreading in the direction of the Jade Face Sect.

The cyan sword light tore through the morning mist, abruptly stopping above the outer edge of Jade Face Mountain. The gale brought up by the sword tip was like a knife, cutting a long-lasting gash in the clouds below.

Feng Qingyang stood with his hands behind his back on the tip of the sword, his robes billowing in the air currents.

Feng Mo and Yun Wanrou appeared behind him, standing on either side, their gazes both looking down.

The entire Jade Face Mountain, from its foot to its summit, is completely encased in a huge, pale blue light dome, resembling an inverted jade bowl.

The mountain-protecting formation was clearly operating at full power, with dense and complex runes flowing across the surface of the light shield. Each rune flashed with a specific rhythm, and the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations were almost visible to the naked eye.

The archway at the mountain gate was faintly visible inside the light barrier, and the stone steps behind it led upwards, but not a single ghost could be seen.