Divine Aperture True Martial Art, Sea-Covering Supreme Art!

Actually, Mu Ye didn't feel it was strange.

As for being used, any task could be refused; it wasn't as if they were mandatory.

If he didn't intend to romance this heroine, he could just skip it entirely.

Mu Ye chose 4.

Favorability did not drop.

As for the others, Mu Ye felt that even without choosing them, favorability would definitely decrease.

"Why?" Madam Yun was taken aback.

This, it seemed, was also her confusion.

[1. To be honest, I actually have a unique hobby (tell the truth)]

[2. I am merely fulfilling Hero Shen's commission (stubborn)]

[3. Actually... I have some interest in the Shen Family's Sea-Covering Supreme Art... (request)]

[4. ...]

Huh, this option seemed quite critical.

"The third option looks like it should allow me to obtain the Sea-Covering Supreme Art as a bonus..."

"Senior Brother Qin said that the Shen Family's Sea-Covering Supreme Art is a true martial art for opening the Divine Apertures of the torso. Even if it's just a fragment, it can definitely reach the fourth rank!"

Normally, choosing 3 would be the right move.

That way, he would have a direction for his next stage of cultivation.

After all, Master Yan hadn't yet deciphered the hidden information in the two secret martial art diagrams left behind by his master, so he didn't know where that Innate Qi Technique was hidden.

Even if he did know, he would still have to go find it.

In Mu Ye's view, this was highly likely a secret that could only be unlocked after completing subsequent levels, a hidden divine art to be discovered.

"If I choose 3, will favorability drop?"

Mu Ye pondered. The save file had already been created after leaving Feng Mansion.

If he chose wrong, he could always try again.

Mu Ye chose 3. Favorability indeed dropped, but at the same time, he obtained the fragment of the Sea-Covering Supreme Art.

And it dropped by quite a bit, falling to 29 points.

This was not just a little bit.

"No, no, this Madam Shen's favorability is just too damn hard to raise... It dropped so much all at once, the side quest was a total waste."

He could not give up on the female lead.

Mu Ye still liked this female lead quite a bit.

"Let's try answering on my own instead of using the options. If that really doesn't work, I'll pick option three."

And so, Mu Ye tried answering for himself, but... it was even worse than the given options; most of them just caused her favorability to drop further.

When it came to understanding women, it was just too difficult.

I'm no Casanova. Who could possibly know what you're thinking?

After trying many times, Mu Ye felt a bit speechless and reloaded the save once again.

This time, Mu Ye felt a bit irritable. He simply gave up on trying, couldn't be bothered to answer these comparison questions, and said to Madam Yun in a calm voice:

"Don't ask why. One day, you will know."

Yun Xian was stunned. She looked into his deep eyes, which seemed to hide the profound mysteries of the world, making it impossible to see through him in the slightest.

[Yun Xian favorability increased 49/100]

"?" Mu Ye.

Huh?

Mu Ye was stunned on the spot. Favorability actually increased?

Four points at once?

No way, right?

At this moment, the carriage arrived at the Shen Mansion.

"We've arrived at the Shen Mansion." Mu Ye lifted the curtain, intending to slip away.

"Wait..." Madam Yun hurriedly called out to him. She fumbled in her bosom for a moment, then gently took out a golden, ancient parchment scroll and handed it to him. "This is... the Sea-Covering Supreme Art. The second time you came to the Shen Mansion, you said you had some interest in it..."

"Take it and have a look..."

"?" Mu Ye.

What is wrong with this woman?

Mu Ye was puzzled. Did the favorability increase come with the Sea-Covering Supreme Art as a bonus?

What is the meaning of this?

Mu Ye took the golden parchment scroll, which faintly radiated an inexplicable power.

[You have obtained the first volume of the Divine Aperture True Martial Art, 'Sea-Covering Supreme Art'.]

I got it just like that?

A hidden reward for the side quest follow-up?

Mu Ye was pleasantly surprised. Can it really work like this?

With the True Martial Art in hand, Mu Ye logged off, feeling absolutely delighted.

Madam Yun is great!

I'll come back to learn more tomorrow!

In a good mood, sleep comes easily. When Mu Ye woke up, even though he had only slept for an hour or two, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

That is the one good thing about the Foundation Building Art.

Stepping out of the stone hut, Mu Ye was just planning to start his day's labor when he noticed two disciples dressed in the outer sect attire of the Jinshi Sect questioning several chore disciples outside the huts.

Seeing Mu Ye walk out, one of the disciples walked over, his voice stern:

"Are you Mu Ye?"

Mu Ye nodded slightly.

"You know Chen Li from that stone hut, right?"

"Have you seen him recently?"

Chen the Lame? Mu Ye nodded.

"You've seen him?" The disciple was overjoyed. "Where is he?"

"I don't know..." Mu Ye's heart stirred. "May I ask why you two senior brothers are looking for him? I only saw him once a month ago and didn't pay attention to where he went. I thought he had come back to continue mining."

"Hmph..." The disciple sneered. "In the past month, there have been multiple instances of evil cultivators devouring blood and killing people for their treasures in Qinghe Market."

"This person is brutal by nature and extremely wicked. He harbors a particular hatred for female cultivators, often raping them before killing them, especially those who are married. It is said that he even forces himself upon them right in front of their husbands... Truly, his crimes are heinous!"

"The people of Qinghe Market call him the 'Blood Lust Butcher'."

"Ah, this... what does this have to do with Chen the Lame?" Mu Ye was shocked.

"Someone identified this evil cultivator as Chen the Lame," the disciple said. "Because the situation has caused such a massive stir and the people of Qinghe Market are in a state of panic, the Jinshi Sect has dispatched us to handle it."

"Who identified him?" Mu Ye asked, surprised.

"Naturally, it was his former wife. She was fortunate enough to witness him committing violence once, and she recognized him from the back as he fled."

"..." Mu Ye.

Is that so?

Mu Ye recalled seeing Chen the Lame standing in front of his old stone house, staring blankly, not long ago.

An evil cultivator?

Thinking back on it now, it really was a bit strange...

"If you have seen him and can tell us the locations he frequents, we will reward you with three to five Spirit Stones depending on the situation," the disciple said slowly. "If you help bring Chen the Lame to justice, the reward will be tenfold, and you will also receive a Qi Refining mental cultivation method from our Jinshi Sect or a first-tier spirit pill of your choice."

This reward could be described as extremely generous.

Providing a lead earned three to five Spirit Stones, and helping to bring him to justice meant ten times that—thirty to fifty Spirit Stones—plus a choice of mental cultivation method and a spirit pill.

The value was very high.

For the Jinshi Sect to offer such a reward, it seemed the matter had blown up quite significantly!

Mu Ye weighed his own strength and decided to forget it.

Mu Ye looked at the excited disciples around him. They were likely all worked up, each one wishing they could reveal every detail about Chen the Lame.

However, most of them were not familiar with Chen the Lame, so what they said was as good as saying nothing.

Mu Ye did know one or two things.

But...

Mu Ye shook his head and said:

"I'm not too sure either."

"Then forget it." The disciple turned around and walked away. "You all be careful lately. With evil cultivators running rampant, you handyman disciples are the easiest to bully."

"Also, do not spread the word that we are investigating Chen the Lame, so as not to alert the enemy."

Watching the two outer sect disciples walk away, Mu Ye was lost in thought.

Soon, Mu Ye put the matter to the back of his mind.

Mining, farming, day after day.

The day passed by quickly.

At dusk, Mu Ye was just about to head back to his room when he suddenly caught a faint scent of blood.

The source was precisely from the direction of Chen the Lame's place.

Mu Ye froze. Someone is there?

Could it really be Chen the Lame?

An evil cultivator, the Blood Lust Butcher... For a moment, Mu Ye hesitated.

After a brief thought, he walked over to take a look.

The door was slightly ajar. Stepping a bit closer, he could see someone slumped on the floor inside.

It was indeed Chen the Lame. His clothes were soaked in blood, and he was panting heavily. His face was smeared with gore, and a foul, fishy stench radiated from his body. He truly looked extremely sinister.

"Who is it?" Seeming to sense someone approaching, he let out a low growl like a vicious beast.

"It's me, Mu Ye. Chen the Lame, are you... alright?" Mu Ye asked from outside the room.

There was a long silence inside before a voice slowly replied:

"Thanks for your concern, I'm fine."

Mu Ye frowned slightly. Although Chen the Lame looked like an evil cultivator at the moment, he still felt that something wasn't quite right.

Mu Ye returned to his room, grabbed some simple medicinal herbs, and tossed them into the other man's stone hut.

"I have some herbs here. See if they're any use... I have things to do, so take care of yourself."

With that, Mu Ye went back into his own stone hut and pasted several protective talismans left behind by the original owner onto the walls.

Better safe than sorry.

However, not long after, Mu Ye heard stumbling footsteps exiting the stone hut.

The footsteps faded into the distance...

Mu Ye shook his head, unsure of what was going on.

"Forget it, time to play the game."

"Today, the Sea-Covering Supreme Art! Then, I'll unlock the second stage of the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map!"