Cultivation World, Qinghe Mine.
Mu Ye kicked the mine wall. His leg swept through the air with a howl, leaving a solid-looking afterimage. A layer of pale golden energy shrouded it, flashing past like a curved blade. A perfectly smooth cut appeared in the rock face.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Mu Ye lashed out with several more whip-like kicks in quick succession, his whole body turning into a spinning-top blur.
A moment later, a Red Flame Stone broke loose, and Mu Ye came to a stop.
"The Wind King Leg is incredibly aggressive... The Divine Apertures forged through the Vajra Leg were indestructible and carried tremendous force, but lacked fluidity and grace. They weren't aggressive enough. The Wind King Leg complements them perfectly. After cultivating it, my original Divine Apertures have become even stronger..."
The legs were indeed much stronger than the arms, and could develop more Divine Apertures, allowing them to accommodate a wider range of secret martial arts.
"Too bad I don't have the Lingzhi Body Nourishment buff in the real world. Cultivating the Wind King Leg here is nowhere near as effective as it is in the game..."
With fifteen days of the Lingzhi Body Nourishment effect remaining, grinding out the secret martial art Wind King Leg in the game had been exceptionally effective.
As for the real world, well, it was still decent.
"It should be noon..."
Mu Ye tidied up, left the mine, and headed for Qinghe Mountain Ridge to check on his Spirit Field.
As he walked out of the mine, Steward Xu, who was keeping watch at the entrance, said:
"You've rented a Spirit Field lately, and now you're doing two jobs by yourself."
"Can't exactly call you lazy, can I?"
Mu Ye grinned.
"By the way," Steward Xu said suddenly, "there've been rogue cultivators around the Jinshi Sect lately. Qinghe Mountain Ridge borders the Jinshi Sect, so if you're farming there, you'd better be careful."
"Rogue cultivators?" Mu Ye nodded.
Rogue cultivators were a common sight around the Jinshi Sect. In a place like the Cultivation World, where the rules were uncertain, anyone with ill intentions could easily fall into depravity.
And killing people and robbing them was quite profitable.
Once a cultivator got a taste for it, it was almost impossible to keep them in check.
Take that middle-aged cultivator from before. Half a set of Green Peak Needles and a dozen Spirit Stones were nearly equivalent to the original owner's savings from over a decade.
It would take who knew how long to earn that much by legitimate means.
Mu Ye sighed, then reached the Spirit Field. He pulled up weeds before they could leech nutrients from the soil, killed some demonic insects, and cast a spell to water the crops.
The day passed just like that.
Back at the Stone House, Mu Ye got everything ready, then entered the game with anticipation.
Today was the final leg of the Shen Mansion side quest. It also seemed to be a fairly famous quest in Taiping City's free-exploration mode.
Once he finished it, Mu Ye planned to start the second stage.
Unless something unexpected happened, he should be able to slaughter his way through.
After logging in, Mu Ye checked his proficiency as usual.
[Wind King Leg: 245/1000 (Tenth Layer)]
He'd nearly finished grinding the Wind King Leg after fifteen days.
With Lingzhi Body Nourishment, his cultivation speed was tripled.
Moreover, cultivating the Wind King Leg as the Thief Character was even faster than doing so as the Ranger.
Mu Ye guessed that the Thief Character's Lightness Skill talent made him faster at cultivating this particular secret martial art.
The Lingzhi Body Nourishment effect wasn't shared, but Mu Ye had only eaten half of the Blood Lingzhi at the time. After discovering that the Thief Character cultivated the Wind King Leg faster, he'd given the other half to that character. As a result, the Lingzhi Body Nourishment buff still had more than ten days left.
"If only I had someone to spar with while cultivating the Wind King Leg. I'd gain even more proficiency through combat."
Unfortunately, there was no opportunity.
Otherwise, Mu Ye felt he could have reached the tenth-layer cap with this secret martial art in just half a month.
"Different characters cultivate different secret martial arts at different speeds..."
The secret martial arts were shared. After switching to the Demon Sealer, Mu Ye could clearly feel how much stronger he was now than he'd been back in the Tutorial Stage.
Across his three secret martial arts, he had over four hundred Divine Apertures in total.
That put him among the very best of the Third Grade.
When he arrived at the Shen Mansion, Madam Shen had already prepared the carriages. Even when traveling within the city, a wealthy household like hers used carriages. And these weren't ordinary horses, either. They were Blood-Maned Steeds worth a fortune.
Two magnificent steeds with glossy coats pulled a carriage made of Century-Old Sandalwood, its canopy billowing like a cloud.
On both sides stood servants dressed in bright, fine clothes.
The coachman was a maid, though she was burly and powerfully built, clearly someone with martial training. Her hand on the reins was covered in calluses.
A corner of the curtain on the side was lifted, revealing Madam Shen's radiant face.
"It's almost time. Come with me to Feng Mansion," Madam Shen said. "There's another carriage waiting behind."
Mu Ye nodded and walked over to the carriage behind hers.
Just then, a little head poked out. It looked Mu Ye up and down, then glanced from side to side, as if searching for someone.
"Why didn't your brother come?" Shen Qingchan asked in her clear, melodious voice.
Mu Ye thought, If he came, how would I be here?
"He took the Blood Lingzhi and went into seclusion to practice martial arts," Mu Ye replied casually. "Did you need something from him, Miss Shen?"
"No... I was just asking," Shen Qingchan said. "The Feng family invited all the young heroes of Taiping City to visit Feng Mansion and make friends through martial arts. Your brother... he's so impressive. Why isn't he coming?"
You really do ask a lot of questions.
The Ranger wasn't as strong as the Demon Sealer. What would he go for?
What if he lost?
After a moment of silence, Mu Ye said:
"My brother said Miss Shen would definitely be attending the banquet, so there was no need for him to go. Miss Shen will surely take first place, and Feng Wuque won't be a match for you."
"Really?" Shen Qingchan's brows relaxed, and she looked rather pleased.
[Shen Qingchan's Favorability increased: 52/100]
"?" Mu Ye.
That was enough to raise her favorability?
Was this little girl that easy to win over?
All he'd done was flatter her a little.
Madam Shen glanced at the girl and said:
"Young Master Mu Huangtu certainly knows how to say the right thing."
"Unlike you..."
What about me? Mu Ye wondered.
I'm a dignified Demon Sealer... Never mind. Mu Ye turned and climbed into the carriage.
There was a change of clothes inside, prepared in advance. Once Mu Ye put them on, he found they fit the Demon Sealer's build perfectly.
It was as if they'd been tailored to his exact measurements.
"This outfit does look sharp... but it still can't compare to the Demon Sealer's cold, intimidating look."
These weren't servants' clothes, but formal martial attire.
[Black Martial Garb (Blue): Embroidered with the Jinxiu Cloth Shop's mark, this is a first-rate outer garment of considerable value. It offers a degree of protection, wards off heat and cold, improves agility, and increases the character's charm.]
After changing, he still wore his veil, but his appearance had improved considerably.
Besides that, there was a brief document on the small table in the carriage. It listed the Third Grade experts attending Feng Mansion today, along with short introductions to the members of the Feng family.
Madam Shen had already told him most of this aloud.
The document offered more detail.
"Chishui Gang, a transport force operating along the Chishui River... controls the shipping on the river outside Taiping City... Its leader, Chi Haolong, possesses the Water Smoke Palm. A single touch can turn an ordinary Martial Warrior into a puddle in a matter of hours..."
"Nanyue Blade Sect, founded by the Nanyue Martial Alliance. Its sect leader, Yue Hanshan, practices the secret art... Gold-Stone Mountain-Severing Blade. He rarely makes a move..."
"Iron Leg Sect... I'll skip that one..."
"Taiping Prefecture, an officer representing the Martial Guard Office... According to this document, his name is Huan Lei. He's also Third Grade, and his secret martial art is the Entangling Silk Hand... Hm? The Entangling Silk Hand?"
Mu Ye paused.
The man who attacked them in Chishui Village had used the Entangling Silk Hand.
The document also said that Huan Lei had once been a member of the Xifeng Army. After leaving the army, he joined the imperial administration, rose through the ranks, and was eventually transferred to Taiping City.
The Martial Guard Office was much like the police. Its main duty was to patrol the city and keep it safe.
"Maybe this Huan Lei was the one who ambushed us in Chishui Village..." Mu Ye thought.
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