The Second Trial, Seven Absolutes Imperial Map

"Humans have five viscera, and water exerts pressure upon three of them."

"Open the kidneys and liver above, open the heart aperture below."

"Connect the Divine Court... link the four limbs... still as the vast ocean, moving to cover the heavens and earth, one may reign supreme over the world..."

[You have learned the first volume of the Sea-Covering Supreme Art (0/100)]

The number of Divine Apertures in the human body is countless, like treasures bestowed by the heavens.

Among them, the torso contains the highest number of Divine Apertures, possessing the strongest functions, the widest range of effects, and the most mysterious nature.

Within the torso lies the heart, the source of life; the lungs, which inhale and absorb external energy; the kidneys, where the essence of the human body resides; the stomach, which digests food...

Countless organs are distributed throughout the torso.

This is why the torso contains the most Divine Apertures.

In the Divine Aperture True Martial Art, practitioners generally open the Divine Apertures of one or two organs to transform and strengthen them.

Those who are slightly more formidable can open the Divine Apertures of two or three organs.

Among these, the Divine Apertures of the heart are the most difficult to open, the hardest to cultivate, and the most prone to accidents.

"The heart's Divine Apertures rank in the top three within the torso, but rank first in danger."

"A total of over four hundred Divine Apertures are distributed across various parts of the heart. Once the heart's Divine Apertures are fully opened, a martial artist's overall physical functions will be significantly enhanced, the speed of injury recovery will accelerate, lifespan will increase, and they will be capable of prolonged, sustained combat."

Stepping into the Fourth Rank generally involves opening the Divine Apertures within the torso's organs.

As for any organ in the human torso, as long as one cultivates until its Divine Apertures are fully opened, one possesses the terrifying strength to crush those of the Third Rank.

Take the heart, for example.

Once the heart's Divine Apertures are opened, to say nothing else, if you fight a Third Rank, they might be able to fight for a whole day, while a minor Third Rank might not even last half that time.

Opening the kidney's Divine Apertures causes one's potential to skyrocket, allowing one to unlock the essence hidden within the kidneys, erupting with terrifying strength for a short time to finish an opponent in a single move.

Opening the stomach's Divine Apertures allows one to eat three oxen and five meals a day, digesting even soil, wood, and stone; the more one eats, the more abundant the blood and qi, the faster the cultivation speed, and mastering any secret martial art becomes a breeze.

Opening the liver's Divine Apertures strengthens the body's functions to the point where ordinary poisons become completely ineffective. For instance, the poison within the Wind Spirit Fruit has minimal effect on a Fourth Rank expert; they can consume it directly, expelling the toxins while absorbing the essence within.

"The Sea-Covering Supreme Art can open the heart aperture, as well as the kidneys and liver..."

"These are all extremely formidable organ Divine Apertures."

"The first volume has five levels and can only open the kidneys and liver; the second volume can open the heart aperture... the heart aperture accounts for over four hundred Divine Apertures, while the kidneys and liver have two hundred each, totaling eight hundred."

"It's a pity the second half is missing. Once the Divine Apertures of the kidneys and liver are opened, one can break through to the fourth rank."

In the torso, these are the primary organs. There are many other smaller organs that occupy fewer Divine Apertures, all of which are attached to these five major organs.

The complete Sea-Covering Supreme Art can open over eight hundred Divine Apertures; the outside world only knows of it through rumors.

He, however, had come into actual contact with it.

One thousand apertures can make one a fifth-rank Grandmaster. Calculating it, if he could fully master the Sea-Covering Supreme Art, Mu Ye himself would have nearly one thousand Divine Apertures.

Generally, even fourth-rank experts rarely open all the Divine Apertures of their organs because the difficulty is too high and conditions do not permit it.

Often, being able to open one or two major organs is already considered very strong.

Take the Sea-Covering Supreme Art, for instance; its difficulty to cultivate within Sword and Blade Demon Sealing is extremely high.

"Aside from the oral formulas and diagrams, the main issue actually lies in the conditions."

"The Sea-Covering Supreme Art must be practiced in deep water, utilizing intense water pressure while performing specific moves to open the Divine Apertures in various parts of the torso. If one wants to cultivate quickly, one must also smear the body with a medicinal paste ground from Metasequoia Herb..."

"Tsk..."

Not only does it require a special cultivation environment, but it also requires special resources.

The torso Divine Apertures are truly not something just anyone can train. Without a certain foundation, one cannot even begin, unless one is gifted with extraordinary talent.

Most people start by training their limbs first.

Metasequoia Herb is a type of medicinal herb that grows in water. It is quite rare and expensive, and is rarely seen even in Taiping City.

"That Shen Tianxing practiced for decades just to reach the third rank in the Sea-Covering Supreme Art..."

The resources and time consumed in that process are likely unimaginable.

Mu Ye tried practicing it directly and found the efficiency to be extremely low—even slower than when he first practiced Crimson Flame Fist.

Even when switching to the Thief class, which still had the Lingzhi buff, it took three hours of practice to gain a single point.

At this rate, even if he were to grind in the game, who knows how many years it would take?

Thus, Mu Ye walked outside the city to the Chishui River and jumped in to practice.

The Chishui River is a major river, with depths reaching over a hundred meters. The environment was suitable, but it was also very dangerous because there were demons in the water...

Mu Ye had only practiced for an hour and felt his proficiency was just about to increase when he was attacked by a demon in the water and died.

"This is just too dangerous..."

Mu Ye decided to hold off. At the very least, it was not suitable to cultivate this within the game.

Perhaps I could give it a try in the Cultivation World.

"First, let me open the second stage, then unlock a few other characters to play around with."

"With my current strength, the second stage is recommended for Rank 2. Wouldn't that be like slicing melons and cutting vegetables for me?"

Thinking of this, Mu Ye returned to the game interface and purchased the second stage in the shop.

[You have unlocked the second chapter of Sword and Blade Demon Sealing: Seven Absolutes Imperial Map.]

[In Taiping City, an ancient legend circulates. During the Rebellion of the Liang King, Emperor Zhengyang, having been defeated by the Prince of Northern Liang, fled all the way to Taiping City. Unwilling to accept his defeat at the hands of the Prince of Northern Liang, he sought an imperial map passed down since the founding of the Tianqi Dynasty.]

[This imperial map records the treasures gathered by the founding emperor to prevent the dynasty's decline and allow it to rise again.]

[However, as the dynasty waned, this map, capable of restoring the empire, was lost amidst the many wars.]

[Emperor Zhengyang exhausted all his efforts and finally found news of this imperial map: it was in the lair of a Seven Absolutes Demon.]

[Yet, in the end, Emperor Zhengyang never obtained the map, and even the Seven Absolutes Demon vanished without a trace.]

[Since then, the legend of the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map has spread... Whoever can slay that Seven Absolutes Demon shall obtain this imperial map...]

Mu Ye looked at the summary of the second stage, lost in thought.

[Please investigate news regarding the Seven Absolutes Demon within Taiping City and defeat the Seven Absolutes Demon (Time limit: 60 days)]

[Do you wish to start the second chapter?]

I didn't expect this second chapter to actually be related to that Prince of Northern Liang.

The Demon Sealer's mission still seems to be about slaying demons and eliminating monsters.

It's just that it involves a lot of background lore.

"A sixty-day time limit?"

"Interesting..."

Based on what Mu Ye had learned about the Sword and Blade Demon Sealing world over these past few days, he discovered that in free exploration mode, time within the game flows.

It passes every day, and the flow of time is the same as in the Cultivation World; even if you reload a save, it is limited to the current day's gameplay.

However, once a main story stage is opened, time only continues to move forward after it has been completely cleared in real mode.

Otherwise, it will remain in a loop.

Just like the tutorial stage from before, which took Mu Ye a few days to fully clear.

"Is this sixty-day limit sixty days within the game?"

"What happens if the time limit is exceeded?"

"Could it be... that after sixty days... something major happens in Taiping City? Or will that Seven Absolutes Demon appear on its own?"