Beside the Couch

In this world, Demon Sealers are a peculiar existence.

Most of them are orphans, without parents, and even less with friends or family. They prefer to go their own way, rarely keeping company, and living solitary lives. They focus on slaying demons and monsters, disliking conflict with others, and their strength is unpredictable.

These kinds of people are also the ones others least want to provoke.

At this moment.

Looking at the Man in Black Hat on the hilt, whether it was people from the Iron Leg Sect or the Divine Fist Martial Hall, they were all somewhat taken aback.

Tie Longgang's expression changed several times, and finally, he let out a hearty laugh:

"We are all Martial Masters, emphasizing sparring that stops at a touch. Fighting and killing is not our style."

"Let's go!"

With that, he turned and walked off the Martial Arts Arena without the slightest hesitation.

This guy is truly cunning... Mu Ye thought, watching the scene.

The overall strength of Demon Sealers actually surpasses that of other characters.

This is because although Martial Arts are shared among characters, Demon Sealers possess the unique talent of the Demon Subduing Body. This ability temporarily enhances their own state, and the stronger they are, the greater the enhancement. The more Martial Arts they learn, the stronger a Demon Sealer becomes.

Although they are specifically for killing demons and monsters, the effect on them is merely less potent, not nonexistent.

Among the many playable characters, as the official protagonists of Sword and Blade Demon Sealing, the strength of Demon Sealers is undoubtedly unquestionable.

With the sharing of Martial Arts, even if they learn more Martial Arts in the future, the improvement of Demon Sealers will definitely be a cut above other characters.

The only drawback is that due to their special identity, Demon Sealers find it difficult to befriend other factions and even harder to gain their trust, making it relatively difficult for them to learn Martial Arts.

In reality, if a fight truly broke out, a Demon Sealer using Golden Blade Art might not necessarily be able to completely defeat Tie Longgang, a Third Grade cultivator who had opened a hundred apertures.

But the stereotype of Demon Sealers in this world is that if you fight them, you have to go all out.

Most Demon Sealers are solitary, and fighting desperately is commonplace for them. They have long since cast aside life and death, something few others can do.

If a fight ensued, an unknown number of Iron Leg Sect disciples would die, and even if Tie Longgang could win, he would suffer heavy losses.

If he lost, he would be finished.

Then everything would be over.

"In another month or two, it won't be this easy to leave..." Mu Ye glanced sideways.

His objective was achieved, and he didn't have absolute confidence in winning, so he couldn't be bothered to make a move.

Anyway, the current exploration on the World Map is all about cultivation and exploration. Isn't it more satisfying to raise your level and crush everything like mowing grass?

Seeing the latter leave, Mu Ye didn't want to linger either. He drew his long saber, tapped his toes, and flew onto the eaves, soaring to a certain corner, just about to log off.

A dark figure suddenly appeared:

"You've finally shown up!"

"?" Mu Ye drew his long saber, looking at the sneaky figure. Was it tracking him the moment it appeared?

"Demon Sealer Mu Xinghe? Don't make a move yet. I'm here on behalf of Madam Shen," the man in black said. "She wishes to invite you to the Shen Mansion tomorrow at Midnight for a chat. Madam Shen said you saved her life last time, but you left in a hurry. She hasn't had a chance to repay your kindness yet..."

[Shen Mansion Side Quest Activated: Beside the Couch]

[Quest Requirements: Go to Shen Mansion tomorrow at Midnight...]

[Yes/No]

Without hesitation, Mu Ye chose yes.

To hesitate for even a second would be an insult to a player who aimed for all side quests and achievements.

Seeing the latter nod, the man in black quickly cupped his fists:

"Then I won't disturb you further. The Shen Mansion will await your arrival tomorrow."

With that, his figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.

"Judging by his skills, he's quite extraordinary," Mu Ye thought.

He figured it was probably one of the Shen Mansion's enforcers.

Speaking of which, although the tutorial stage was fun, after experiencing the game carefully for a month, he felt there were many questionable points.

For example, the Shen Mansion was one of the most prominent families in Taiping City, and Hero Shen was a famous Third Grade expert in Taiping City. Why did the mansion only have house guards who were merely proficient in basic combat?

Not a single martial warrior of any significant rank?

And what about the origins of those two demons, and why they were in Madam Shen's side room...

As a player, it was usually enough to enjoy the thrill of combat and completing quests. The plot often wasn't a priority.

But considering Madam Shen was a female character with unique favorability, it meant she could be romanced. As a player, even if he wasn't after her beauty, he was after the achievement of romancing her.

Mu Ye was after both.

And to achieve that, he needed to think about the plot.

After logging off, he switched back to his ranger character.

He was still in the martial arts hall.

Just logged in and got a prompt.

['Restore Sect Prestige' Complete]

[Reward: 100 Paradise Coin, Reputation Increased, Martial Hall Friendship Increased]

Paradise Coins are all that matter.

Without Paradise Coins, I can't afford the subsequent second chapter stages.

I don't have many Paradise Coins right now. After exchanging them for two keys in the mall, I opened the Ranger Character and Thief Character, leaving me with 200 Paradise Coins.

Based on the game's usual mechanics, I estimate that other games in the future will also require Paradise Coins to purchase.

If there's no pay-to-win system, Paradise Coins can only be obtained by completing game missions.

At this moment, Yan Zhennan also walked back into the Inner Hall, his face full of surprise:

"That Demon Sealer Mu Xinghe is actually your Big Brother? Aren't Demon Sealers all orphans with no parents?"

"Uh... we're sworn brothers." Mu Ye bluffed.

That's my main account.

"I see..." Yan Zhennan didn't ask further, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Actually, I had foreseen today's events long ago, I just didn't expect them to happen so soon..."

Hearing this, Mu Ye knew there must be follow-up side quests and immediately pressed for details.

"Although you've only joined my Martial Hall for a month, you are righteous, brave, and unyielding. If you're interested, I'll tell you about the Old Story of my Martial Hall."

Mu Ye listened carefully.

Through some fragmented information from before, he had already guessed most of it, but after hearing Yan Zhennan's full account, he still found it quite interesting.

Many years ago, there was an Eccentric Person in the Jianghu. Because he was fond of fighting, his right arm was broken. Because he was fond of gambling, his left leg was broken.

He was completely crippled.

Yet, this cripple, after turning thirty, suddenly had an awakening. Not only did he restrain his temperament, but he also began to study martial arts using only his remaining fist and leg.

Forty years later, at the age of seventy, he created the Divine Aperture True Martial Art, Innate Qi Technique.

Later, relying on this technique, he became a Fourth Grade Minor Grandmaster who had Opened Five Hundred Apertures. If not for the limitations of his lifespan, he could have even become a Fifth Grade Grandmaster!

Hearing this, Mu Ye was truly astonished. It was like cheating, but this seemed to have nothing to do with Divine Fist Iron Leg.

"Innate Qi Technique is a true martial art that can open our Head Apertures." Yan Zhennan said with reverence and longing. "However... because this divine skill is too powerful, it is also too difficult to cultivate. The Master took in countless disciples, but he found that none of them possessed his willpower and resilience. They were simply unable to cultivate this divine skill. Furthermore, opening divine apertures is inherently very dangerous. If one's willpower and resilience are even slightly lacking, they might make a mistake during cultivation and die directly."

"Therefore, after much thought, he believed it was normal for these disciples to not have his experiences from those years, nor that kind of willpower and resilience."

"Through past experiences, Master split this true martial art into two parts. The first part, after modification, became two secret martial arts that open the Limb Apertures, which are now the Crimson Flame Fist and the Vajra Leg."

"The latter half is the true Innate Qi Technique."

"To cultivate the Crimson Flame Fist, one must endure the pain of being burned by flames. If cultivation is successful, one will possess extremely strong Willpower."

"To cultivate the Vajra Leg, one must endure countless instances of Bone Shattering pain. If cultivation is successful, one will be exceptionally resilient."

"When cultivating these two, even if something goes wrong, it won't directly lead to death."

"If both are cultivated successfully, then one can smoothly cultivate the latter half, the Innate Qi Technique. And because it was split from the original, cultivation will be extremely smooth."

"Master truly put in great effort..." Yan Zhennan sighed.

Mu Ye, after reading this part of the story, also felt a sense of emotion. He hadn't expected such a story behind these two Divine Aperture Secret Martial Arts.

Behind a divine technique, there must be a divine person.

"What happened later?" Mu Ye asked.

"Later?" Yan Zhennan was taken aback. "It was fine when Master was alive; no one dared to say anything. After Master died, many disciples believed Master was Concealing Skills and hadn't taught them the Real Thing. My Senior Brother, Tie Longgang, was one of them. So, he Betrayed the Sect and founded the Iron Leg Sect."

"I, along with some disciples, established the Divine Fist Martial Hall."

"But our Aptitude was very poor. None of us managed to reach Perfection in Master's two secret martial arts."

"These years, that Tie Longgang, wanting to plot for the true Innate Qi Technique, wanted to Annex us. Because I not only have the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map for the Crimson Flame Fist, but also the Secret Secretion Ointment Recipe needed to cultivate the Crimson Flame Fist."

"On the surface, he only plots for the recipe, but in reality, he needs the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map as well. This is because the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map hides the location secret of the latter half of the Innate Qi Technique that Master buried back then, though ordinary people simply can't see it."

Mu Ye suddenly understood.

Yan Zhennan looked at the latter, sighing:

"If you had the talent to learn the Vajra Leg, and also the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map for the Vajra Leg, I could decipher this secret and allow you to find the Innate Qi Technique, passing down Master's divine technique. That way, Master could rest in peace in the Underworld."

"His greatest regret was that such a divine technique had no disciple to inherit it..."

"It's a pity that getting Tie Longgang to hand over the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map is almost impossible... even killing him might not be enough..."

As he said this, a system notification appeared.

[Divine Fist Martial Hall Side Quest Activated: Gathering of Two Martial Arts]

[Quest Requirements: Obtain the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map, learn the Vajra Leg.]

[Accept/Decline]

This is interesting.

Mu Ye chose to accept.

"It's too difficult for you to learn Vajra Leg..." Yan Zhennan shook his head, "But Master said, there's always a sliver of hope in everything, perhaps... it's not impossible."

Heh, of course it's possible.

Mu Ye bid farewell to his Master, left the martial arts hall, logged off early, and then switched to another character to log in.

"Thief."

"I've wanted to use this character for a long time... I'll just steal it for you!"