Three Grades Gather

Cultivation World, Qinghe Mine.

Mu Ye kicked the stone wall of the mine pit. The whistling wind of his leg transformed into a tangible afterimage, coated in a layer of pale golden energy. It flashed by like a curved blade, leaving a perfectly smooth cut on the mine wall.

Swish, swish, swish. Mu Ye unleashed a series of whip kicks, his entire body turning into a spinning phantom.

A moment later, as a piece of Red Flame Stone broke off, Mu Ye stopped.

The offensive power of this Wind King Leg is extremely strong... The Divine Aperture cultivated by the Vajra Leg was originally indestructible and heavy, but it lacked agility and sufficient offensive capability. This Wind King Leg complements it perfectly; after practicing it, my original Divine Aperture has become even stronger...

The strength of the thighs is indeed far greater than that of the arms. They can develop more Divine Apertures, and their capacity for secret martial arts is much broader.

It's a pity that back in reality, I don't have the Lingzhi Body Nourishment buff. Practicing the Wind King Leg in the Cultivation World is significantly less effective than in the game...

Relying on the remaining fifteen days of the Lingzhi Body Nourishment effect to grind the Wind King Leg secret martial art in the game, the results could only be described as outstanding.

As for reality, it was decent enough.

It should be noon by now...

Mu Ye tidied up and walked out of the mine, intending to head to Qinghe Mountain Ridge to check on his Spirit Field.

As he walked out of the mine, Steward Xu, who was guarding the entrance, said:

"You kid recently rented a Spirit Field. You're taking on two jobs at once."

"If I called you lazy, you certainly aren't."

Mu Ye chuckled.

"Right," Steward Xu suddenly added, "there have been sightings of evil cultivators near the Jinshi Sect recently. The area around Qinghe Mountain Ridge is close to the edge of the Jinshi Sect. If you're farming over there, you'd better be careful."

"Evil cultivators?" Mu Ye nodded.

Evil cultivators, the Jinshi Sect had them often. In a place like the Cultivation World, rules are fluid; if one harbors malice, one can fall into depravity at will.

Moreover, killing people and seizing their goods is a very lucrative business.

Once a cultivator gets a taste of that sweetness, it is almost impossible to restrain themselves.

Take that middle-aged cultivator from before; half a set of Green Peak Needles and a dozen Spirit Stones were worth nearly the entire savings of the original owner from over a decade.

If one wanted to earn that through normal channels, who knows how long it would take.

Mu Ye sighed with some emotion. He arrived at the Spirit Field, pulled some weeds to prevent them from absorbing the soil's nutrients, killed some demonic insects, and then cast a spell to water the crops.

The day passed just like that.

Returning to his stone house, Mu Ye prepared everything, then entered the game with a heart full of anticipation.

Today is the final part of the Shen Mansion side quest, which also appears to be a fairly famous side quest for free exploration in Taiping City.

Once this side quest is completed, Mu Ye plans to unlock the second stage.

Barring any accidents, he should be able to crush it.

After logging in, Mu Ye checked his proficiency as usual.

[Wind King Leg: 245/1000 (Level 10)]

In fifteen days, he had nearly grinded Wind King Leg to completion.

Under the effect of Lingzhi Body Nourishment, his cultivation speed was tripled.

Moreover, if he used the Thief to cultivate Wind King Leg, the speed was even faster than with the Ranger.

Mu Ye speculated that this might be due to the Thief's talent for light-body techniques, which allowed the Thief to cultivate this secret martial art faster.

The Lingzhi Body Nourishment was not shared, but Mu Ye had only consumed half of the Blood Lingzhi at the time. After discovering that the Thief cultivated Wind King Leg faster, he had the Thief character consume the remaining half, which was why the Lingzhi Body Nourishment buff still had over ten days remaining.

If there were someone who could spar with me using this Wind King Leg, the proficiency gained through combat would be even higher.

It was just a pity there was no opportunity for that.

Otherwise, Mu Ye felt he could have potentially cultivated this secret martial art to the tenth-level perfection in just half a month.

Different characters have different cultivation speeds for different secret martial arts...

Secret martial arts were shared. Switching to the Demon Sealer, he could clearly feel that the current Demon Sealer was incomparably stronger than he had been during the tutorial stage.

With three secret martial arts, he had a total of over four hundred Divine Apertures.

Among the third rank, he was definitely at the very top.

Arriving at the Shen Mansion, Madam Shen had already prepared the carriage. When wealthy families traveled, even within the city, they used carriages. These horses were no ordinary steeds; they were Blood-Maned Steeds worth a thousand gold.

Two horses with bright, glossy coats pulled a carriage crafted from Century-Old Sandalwood, with a canopy as grand as clouds.

On both sides stood servants dressed in bright clothing.

The driver was a maid, though she was large and burly, clearly possessing a foundation in martial arts; the palms holding the reins were covered in thick calluses.

The curtain on the side window was lifted a corner, revealing Madam Shen's bright and beautiful face.

"The time is almost upon us. Follow me to the Feng Mansion," Madam Shen said. "There is a carriage prepared for you in the back."

Mu Ye nodded slightly and walked to the carriage behind.

At this moment, a small head suddenly poked out, staring at Mu Ye, glancing left and right as if searching for something.

"Why didn't your brother come along?" Shen Qingchan's crisp voice was quite pleasant to the ear.

If he came, how would I be here? Mu Ye thought to himself.

"He consumed a Blood Lingzhi and is currently in seclusion to practice martial arts," Mu Ye said casually. "Does Miss Shen have business with him?"

"No... just asking," Shen Qingchan said. "The Feng Mansion has invited all the young heroes of Taiping City to gather at the Feng Mansion to exchange martial arts pointers. Your brother... he's so formidable, why isn't he going?"

You sure have a lot of questions.

A Ranger isn't as strong as a Demon Sealer, so why go?

What if I lose a fight?

After a moment of silence, Mu Ye said:

"My brother said that since Miss Shen would surely attend this banquet, there was no need for him to go. Because Miss Shen would undoubtedly take the top spot, and that Feng Wuque is certainly no match for you."

"Really?" Shen Qingchan's sharp brows relaxed, and she seemed quite pleased.

[Shen Qingchan's favorability increased 52/100]

? Mu Ye.

This increases favorability?

Is this little girl really this easy to win over?

I just threw out a few casual compliments.

Madam Shen, standing to the side, glanced at the latter and said:

"This young hero Mu Huangtu of yours is... quite sensible."

"Unlike you..."

What's wrong with me? Mu Ye wondered inwardly.

I am a dignified Demon Sealer... forget it. Mu Ye turned and stepped into the carriage.

Inside the carriage were fresh clothes that had been prepared in advance. After changing into them, Mu Ye found that the size fit his Demon Sealer physique perfectly.

It was as if they had been custom-tailored.

"This outfit is handsome enough... but compared to the cold skin of the Demon Sealer, it still lacks something."

This was not a servant's uniform, but a formal martial garment.

[Black Martial Garb (Blue): Embroidered with the logo of the Jinxiu Cloth Shop, this is a top-tier outer garment of great value. It possesses a certain level of defensive capability, provides protection against heat and cold, increases agility, and enhances the character's charm.]

After changing into the clothes, he still wore a veil, though his appearance was indeed much better.

Besides that, there was a simple file on the small table inside the carriage, detailing the third-rank experts who would be heading to the Feng Mansion today, as well as brief introductions to the members of the Feng family.

Madam Shen had already mentioned most of this verbally.

The information in the file was simply more detailed.

"Chishui Gang, a water transport force roaming the Chishui River... controls the transport on the Chishui River outside Taiping City... Leader Chi Haolong, his unique skill, Water Smoke Palm, can turn an ordinary martial artist into thick liquid within a few hours of contact..."

"Nanyue Blade Sect, originating from the Nanyue Martial Alliance, Sect Leader Yue Hanshan, his secret martial art is... Gold-Stone Mountain-Severing Blade, rarely makes a move..."

"Iron Leg Sect... skip this one..."

"Taiping Prefecture, the officer representing the Martial Guard Office of the imperial court. According to the file, this person is named Huan Lei, also a third-rank, his secret martial art is Entangling Silk Hand... Huh, Entangling Silk Hand?"

Mu Ye was slightly taken aback.

The person who attacked Chishui Village before had used Entangling Silk Hand.

The file also indicated that this Huan Lei had once been a member of the Xifeng Army. After leaving the Xifeng Army, he entered the imperial court's system, was promoted all the way up, and was eventually transferred to Taiping City.

The Martial Guard Office was similar to the police, primarily responsible for patrols and security within the city.

This Huan Lei might be the person who launched the sneak attack at Chishui Village... Mu Ye thought to himself.