I'm Kinda Curious What "Mutation" Is Supposed to Look Like

As Feng Xue walked, she flipped through the "guide" in her hand, a hint of thought appearing in her eyes. According to the book, the cultivation methods practiced by these Demonic Cult Demonic Person were fundamentally different from those of ordinary martial artists. The methods were not written down, but were taught using a method similar to the transmission of skills.

There have been righteous heroes who feigned defection to the enemy in exchange for intelligence, but once they practice this Demonic Cult sect's techniques, their temperament will change drastically, and they will kill even their former loved ones as easily as crushing ants.

Therefore, even after more than two hundred years of struggle, there is still no accurate understanding. Based on their characteristics, they can only be roughly divided into four categories: "Evil Gu Demonic Poison".

However, regardless of the type, these techniques all share a common characteristic: they are extremely corrosive. Ordinary people who come into contact with even a little bit will be corrupted by Demonic Nature and turn into cruel and bloodthirsty monsters. Even if they are armed, they will be corrupted by Demonic Nature after only a few battles and turn into demonic weapons that devour their masters. Only by reaching the Grandmaster level can one rely on "Immaculate True Astral Energy" to resist this corruption.

"No wonder those who can't become grandmasters can't leave the mountain... After all, martial arts aren't immortal arts. It's almost impossible to avoid contact completely in battle... Hmm, I can understand those soldiers with crossbows. When dealing with Demonic Cult Demonic Person, only ranged weapons like crossbows can avoid being corrupted."

Feng Xue savored the meaning between the lines. Although she still lacked a concept of this somewhat abstract description, it was not difficult to imagine the evil nature of this technique based on the four words "Evil Gu Demonic Poison".

Generally speaking, the True Qi cultivated by this Demonic Cult probably possesses characteristics similar to the "Talisman of Life and Death" or the "Great Art of Dissolving Power," capable of directly invading the enemy's body to cause internal damage, and even having some Mental Pollution effects.

The so-called Grandmaster is not a Combat Power level as he previously thought, but rather a certification of the quality of Internal Force. As long as one can cultivate "Immaculate True Astral Energy," that is, to the point that it is not contaminated by demonic energy, one can be called a Grandmaster.

Following these points, the booklet also includes some helpful tips, such as which taverns are safe to enter, which temples are unsafe to stay in, and how fellow martial arts practitioners can quickly determine if someone is normal or not.

To be fair, this is definitely an extremely practical beginner's guide. If the content described in it is true, as long as you read it carefully, you can avoid many pitfalls that beginners are prone to make. It's just a pity that Feng Xue thinks most of the martial arts practitioners who come here are probably not the type to have the patience to read it all.

Of course, this also requires that the content in the book is true.

"But judging from the atmosphere here, if there were any tricks in the brochures being sold, they would have been exposed by now, right?"

Feng Xue muttered to herself, but the idea was slowly taking the shape of Weird Tale.

He had no intention of staying overnight inside the Yumen, but instead headed straight for the North Gate, as passing through there would be equivalent to entering the territory of Yanzhou.

Seeing that Feng Xue was going out so late, the guards at the gate immediately stopped her:

"Young hero, it is getting late. Why not rest in the city for the night before heading to Yanzhou?"

Hearing the soldier's advice, Feng Xue smiled brightly and shook her head, saying:

"Thank you for your kindness, but I follow the path of assassins, and the night is our domain."

Seeing Feng Xue say this, the soldiers could no longer dissuade her. The moment she stepped out of the north gate of Yumen, Feng Xue sensed the change in the atmosphere.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere at the south gate of Sizhou, outside the north gate, in addition to two teams of crossbowmen guarding the gate, there were also two martial arts masters. If that were all, it would be fine, but after walking about two hundred meters, Feng Xue began to notice the hidden sentries.

Whether hidden atop a tree or concealed within a boulder, if not for the protection of his Mirror of Clarity, which allowed him to perceive the emotions of the sentient beings around him, he wouldn't even have been able to detect these sentries.

"This is only just outside Yumen; I wonder how tense the border between Yanzhou and Qingzhou is."

Feng Xue muttered to herself, but following the directions in the booklet, she began to walk towards the first village.

Nowadays, there are almost no civilians left in Yanzhou. Most of the villages here are strongholds rebuilt by martial arts practitioners from various factions. They are like nails driven into this half-fallen land, constantly hunting down the Demonic Cult Demonic Person and protecting the supply lines of the Qingzhou defense line.

What's remarkable is that this world doesn't seem to have a situation where "the front lines are in dire straits while the rear is thriving." Although those protected in Sizhou don't have to face large numbers of Demonic Cult Demonic Person, they do take on logistical tasks. The logistics of the entire Yanzhou and Qingzhou defense lines are entirely provided by Sizhou.

However, perhaps because Feng Xue was a stranger, they didn't have enough "trust" for him. Otherwise, when he left the city, the soldiers wouldn't have suggested that he rest for the night, but rather that he join the grain transport team to leave the city.

Of course, Feng Xue didn't care about that. He really wanted to see the legendary Demonic Cult Demonic Person, but he didn't know whether to say it was good luck or bad luck. Even when a roadside inn came into view, he still didn't encounter the legendary Demonic Cult Demonic Person.

This roadside inn has a bit of the feel of a gas station next to a highway in modern times. It stands there by the roadside with a big flag bearing the character for "wine". When Feng Xue saw it, the first thing that popped into his mind was Maggie Cheung... oops, I mean, Dragon Gate Inn.

To be fair, no one would think it was normal for such an inn to pop up in a place like this, except for a fool like Tang Monk, but Feng Xue saw two marks under the banner with the word "wine".

"..." Feng Xue took out the booklet and compared the two marks twice to confirm that they were correct. Then she grinned and walked into the inn. But as soon as she pushed open the not-so-thick wooden door and saw a bunch of eyes on her, Feng Xue felt that she had probably been tricked.

Because eight out of the ten people sitting in this hotel right now don't really look like humans.

The man sitting at the innermost table was a typical Strong Man with a sword, but his left hand, from the elbow down, was a thick, slippery tentacle with several barbs on it. He was holding something that looked like a lamb leg and putting it into his mouth.

At the table by the window sat a man and a woman. The man had eight eyes on his face, each blinking independently, which was physically unsettling at first glance. The woman was a little better off, except for three bloody cracks on her cheeks. However, the sight of the fleshy growths wriggling with her chewing motions was enough to make one's sanity plummet.

Near the entrance was a swordsman, his sword aura extremely sharp, but he looked like a skin and bones dried corpse, with a pair of large, round eyes that gave him the appearance of a deep-sea creature.

The man behind the counter, presumably the accountant, was even more outrageous. He had twenty fingers on his left hand, skillfully manipulating three abacuses, while his right hand was glued to a pen, writing something on the ledger in a bizarre posture.

At the table in the center of the hall, three men (questionable) with no facial features and only a terrifying mouth with countless sharp teeth like a lamprey were sitting in front of a hot pot, constantly stuffing various cooked ingredients into their mouths.

Faced with this chaotic scene of demons dancing wildly, Feng Xue felt as if he had entered a monster's cafeteria. Almost instinctively, he placed his hand on the hilt of the Disassembly Madonna's sword, but before he could make a move, the swordsman at the door, who looked like a dried corpse, had already pressed his sword against the hilt. Meanwhile, the only two normal people inside waved at him and said:

"Newcomer, don't get excited. We're all fellow martial artists. Look closely, none of us have any mutations..."

"You call this 'no mutation'? I'm starting to wonder what 'mutation' even looks like..."