Martial Arts and Demons

The pungent stench of blood filled the air.

Acrid and foul, traces of dried blood were everywhere.

Shattered fragments of swords and blades reflected blinding glints of light under the sun.

Most of them were either deeply embedded in the trees lining the road or buried beneath the sand and weeds.

Xu Xi walked along the gravel path.

But the further he went, the filthier the road became.

It was as if some intense battle had taken place here.

Xu Xi frowned and slowed his pace. "What happened here?"

Recalling the hurried figures he had seen earlier, galloping on horseback, Xu Xi speculated that perhaps a battle had broken out ahead.

"Was it between humans, or..."

[On your way to find a town, you discovered traces of a fierce battle.]

[You grew cautious, slowing your pace, and picked up a barely usable broken blade from the roadside, just in case.]

[You walked slowly.]

[You continued walking.]

[Perseverance is activating... Surging Vitality is activating...]

[Your perseverance has slightly improved your stamina. The surging vitality has spared you from the weakness brought by hunger, and your walking speed has increased slightly.]

[After 45 minutes of cautious walking, you successfully arrived at a town.]

[After some inquiries, you learned that this is Qingniu Town, located on the outermost edge of the Great Qian Dynasty, bordering the demon-infested Ten Thousand Mountains.]

[The traces of blood and the intense destruction you saw were all caused by demons and martial artists.]

[This was a terrifying demon tide. Qingniu Town was mostly destroyed by the demons, and many commoners were brutally slaughtered. This is the truth behind the overwhelming stench of blood you smelled.]

Rip——!!

The battle between martial artists and demons was still ongoing.

A robust, shirtless man leaped into the air, delivering a fierce and whistling slash.

The blade's light stretched and intersected with the sun.

With a powerful strike, he severed the neck of a horned tiger, sending its head flying in a spray of blood.

"Impressive swordsmanship!"

"As expected of Sect Leader Ji! His Tiger-Slaying Blade Technique is truly unmatched!"

"Hahaha, you flatter me too much!"

Bystanding martial artists clapped and cheered.

Many commoners also cast admiring glances.

The man surnamed "Ji" clearly enjoyed the praise, laughing heartily before chasing after other enemies with his blade.

This was the way of Vitality Martial Arts. Practitioners tended to be bold and straightforward, their blood boiling at the sight of battle, eager to tear apart all enemies in the most violent manner.

Compared to cultivators who mastered the myriad arts of immortality, or mages who controlled the world through knowledge, martial artists seemed extreme, focusing all their skills on strengthening their physical bodies.

"Tools are weak, but flesh ascends?"

"That sounds somewhat intriguing."

After observing for a while, Xu Xi, suppressing his hunger, entered Qingniu Town.

Before this simulation, he had prepared himself with knowledge of various cultivation methods, including those of the martial path.

Whether it was cultivation techniques or life-and-death combat skills,

he had memorized them all.

But before truly beginning his cultivation, Xu Xi needed to find a place to settle and gain a deeper understanding of the world background of this third simulation.

...

[You have taken the first crucial step.]

[Qingniu Town, ravaged by demons, is in need of young laborers. You used your healthy, vitality-filled body to earn your first sum of money through labor.]

[You bought food and ate heartily, successfully eliminating your hunger.]

[In the following days, you followed your original plan, quietly saving money while learning about the state of the Great Qian Dynasty from the locals.]

[At the same time, you began diligently studying the written language of Great Qian, consulting ancient texts on your own.]

[Perseverance is activating...]

[Hard work pays off. Your perseverance has borne fruit. After a month of intense study, you have a basic grasp of the mainstream script of the Great Qian Dynasty and several ancient scripts.]

[Now, you have a foundational understanding of this world.]

[This is an infinitely vast world with no known limits. Humans have tempered themselves through Vitality Martial Arts, passing down their knowledge through countless generations to carve out a safe haven for humanity.]

[The Great Qian Dynasty emerged as a result.]

[The Great Qian Dynasty is an immensely powerful empire, ruling over human territories and maintaining order. Under its rule, human life is orderly, no longer plagued by the darkness and hardships of ancient times.]

[But beyond Great Qian lies the Ten Thousand Mountains, a domain teeming with demons and monsters.]

[The mountains are towering and majestic, with peaks rising one after another.]

[Spirits and demons run rampant, wreaking havoc.]

[The Ten Thousand Mountains are an absolute forbidden zone. Even martial artists at the Human Immortal Realm dare not venture in casually, as the demons within are endless and impossible to eradicate.]

[Places bordering the Ten Thousand Mountains, such as remote areas like Qingniu Town, are frequently harassed by demons.]

[You suddenly understand the cause of the tragedy in Qingniu Town.]

For powerless commoners,

living in a remote place like Qingniu Town is undoubtedly dangerous.

Whether old or young, they all yearn for the deeper counties of Great Qian, but the imperial court has imposed restrictions, forbidding commoners from migrating freely.

Thus, they have no choice but to stay.

But Xu Xi is different.

"I have the Perseverance and Martial Arts synergies. If used well, the rewards from this simulation will not be small."

"And the Vitality Martial Arts path places great emphasis on life-and-death combat."

"Living here is more suitable for my martial arts training."

As his thoughts flowed, Xu Xi quickly made his plans, but he was in no rush to begin his cultivation.

The essence of Vitality Martial Arts

lies in the development and refinement of the human body.

Xu Xi had just crossed over, his body weak and ordinary, and he lacked the medicinal resources to replenish his vitality. He decided to lay low for a while.

...

[You chose to settle in Qingniu Town.]

[You worked daily, earning money through labor. Your perseverance and sweat left a deep impression on others.]

[Due to your long-term labor, your physical stamina has improved.]

[Day after day, month after month.]

[You persistently practiced basic punches and kicks. Though without the support of vitality, your understanding of basic martial techniques deepened, and your body began to remember the force application of your strikes.]

[After a year and a half, you had accumulated a small fortune. You judged it was time to begin cultivating Vitality Martial Arts.]

[You spent all your savings on medicinal resources to temper your vitality.]

[Following specific sequences and techniques, you prepared batches of Vitality Powder and the corresponding medicinal baths to help stimulate your body's vitality.]

[You used both methods simultaneously.]

[Your vitality potential was quickly unleashed, instantly breaking through the first barrier of your mortal body. Vitality surged through your body, your bones and tendons resonating, as you stepped into the first realm of martial arts.]

A year and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Xi sat cross-legged inside a dilapidated wooden hut.

His entire body was flushed red.

Beneath his skin, vitality surged.

He circulated the martial arts technique he had acquired from the real world, gathering the scattered vitality and cycling it through his body at a specific rhythm, forming an endless river of vitality.

The Meridian Opening Realm had been achieved.