Chapter 102: Martial Arts and Demons

The pungent smell of blood filled the air.

Pungent, foul, traces of dried blood everywhere.

Shattered fragments of swords and blades reflected dazzling white spots under the sunlight.

More were either deeply embedded in the trees along the road or buried in the weeds by the wind and sand.

Xu Xi walked along the gravel road.

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

As if some fierce battle had taken place.

Xu Xi frowned and slowed his pace: “What happened here?”

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

“Was it between people, or…”

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

[You became alert, slowed your pace, and picked up a barely usable broken blade from the roadside, just in case.]

[You walked slowly.]

[You continued walking.]

[Perseverance activated… Surging Qi and Blood activated…]

[Your perseverance brought you a slight boost in stamina, and your surging qi and blood kept you from the weakness of hunger. Your walking speed increased slightly.]

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

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

[The traces of flesh and blood you saw, as well as the fierce battle damage, were all caused by demons and martial artists.]

[This was a terrifying Demon Tide. Qingniu Town was mostly destroyed by demons, and many mortals were brutally slaughtered. This was the truth behind the strong smell of blood you detected.]

Rip——!!

The battle between martial artists and demons continued.

A burly, shirtless man leaped into the air, delivering a fierce and howling slash.

The blade’s light stretched under the sun.

With a powerful strike, he severed the neck of a horned tiger, causing its head to spurt blood and fall.

“Great swordsmanship!”

“As expected of Sect Leader Ji, this Tiger-Slaying Blade Technique is truly unmatched!”

“Hahaha, you all flatter me too much!”

Onlookers clapped and cheered.

Many commoners also cast eager glances.

The man surnamed “Ji” clearly enjoyed the praise, laughing heartily before chasing in another direction with his blade.

This was the Qi and Blood Martial Arts. Practitioners were often bold and straightforward, their blood boiling in battle, eager to tear apart all enemies in the most violent way.

Compared to immortal cultivators who mastered a hundred arts.

Compared to mages who controlled the world with knowledge.

Martial artists seemed too extreme, pouring all their skill points into their physical bodies.

“Tools are weak, flesh ascends?”

“Sounds interesting.”

Xu Xi took a deep breath, enduring his hunger as he entered Qingniu Town.

Before the simulation, he had prepared various types of cultivation methods, including those of the martial path.

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

Everything was memorized.

But before truly cultivating, Xu Xi needed to find a place to settle and gain a deeper understanding of the world’s background in this third simulation.

…

[You took the first important step.]

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

[You bought food, ate heartily, and successfully eliminated your body’s hunger.]

[In the following days, you quietly saved money while learning about the state of the Great Qian Dynasty from others.]

[At the same time, you began to diligently study the Great Qian’s script, reading ancient texts on your own.]

[Perseverance activated…]

[Heaven rewards the diligent. Your perseverance paid off. After a month of hard work, you roughly mastered the mainstream script of the Great Qian Dynasty and a few ancient scripts.]

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

[This is an infinitely vast world with no known limits. Humans tempered themselves with Qi and Blood Martial Arts, passing down the flame through countless generations, carving out a safe haven for humanity.]

[The Great Qian Dynasty was born from this.]

[The Great Qian Dynasty is an extremely powerful empire, ruling over human territories and maintaining human stability. Under its rule, human life is orderly, no longer the dark and difficult times of ancient history.]

[But beyond the Great Qian lies the Ten Thousand Mountains, infested with countless demons and monsters.]

[The mountains are towering, the peaks overlapping.]

[Spirits and demons run rampant.]

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

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

[You suddenly understood the truth behind the tragedy of Qingniu Town.]

For mortals without power.

Living in a remote place like Qingniu Town was undoubtedly dangerous.

Whether old or young, they all yearned for the deeper counties of the Great Qian, but the Great Qian court restricted this, forbidding commoners from moving freely.

Thus, they had no choice but to stay.

But Xu Xi was different.

“I have Perseverance and Martial Practice, two traits that complement each other. If used well, the gains from this simulation won’t be low.”

“And the Qi and Blood Martial Arts path emphasizes life-and-death combat.”

“Living here is more suitable for my martial cultivation.”

As his thoughts flowed, Xu Xi quickly made arrangements, but he didn’t start cultivating immediately.

The so-called Qi and Blood Martial Arts.

At its core, it was about developing and excavating the human body.

Xu Xi had just transmigrated, his body weak and ordinary, lacking the medicinal supplements to replenish qi and blood. He needed to settle in first.

…

[You chose to settle in Qingniu Town.]

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

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

[Day after day, month after month.]

[You persistently practiced basic punches and kicks. Though without the boost of qi and blood, your understanding of basic techniques deepened, and your body began to remember the force behind each punch.]

[After a year and a half, you accumulated a small fortune. You judged it was time to cultivate Qi and Blood Martial Arts.]

[You spent all your money on medicinal supplements to temper your qi and blood.]

[Following specific sequences and techniques, you prepared batches of Qi and Blood Powder and corresponding medicinal baths to help stimulate your body’s qi and blood.]

[You used both methods simultaneously.]

[Your qi and blood potential was quickly stimulated, instantly breaking through the first barrier of your mortal body. Qi and blood surged through your body, your bones and muscles resonating, stepping into the first realm of martial arts.]

A year and a half passed in a flash.

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

His entire body was red.

Beneath his skin, something surged.

He circulated the martial arts techniques exchanged from the real world.

Slowly gathering the scattered qi and blood into his body, cycling it at a specific frequency, forming an endless river of qi and blood.

The Meridian Opening Realm was achieved.