At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

Merits are divided into four categories: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, and each category is further divided into two levels: superior and inferior.

As for how to obtain it?

It's simple, just kill the demons!

Each time you lead the taming of a fourth-tier demon, you will receive one Xuan-level superior merit.

If one leads the effort to eliminate a fifth-tier demon, that would be considered a low-level Earth-rank achievement.

Similarly, a first-tier demon corresponds to the lower level of the Yellow rank, and an eighth-tier demon corresponds to the upper level of the Heaven rank.

A Qi Condensation martial art ranked in the fourth tier requires one to three Xuan-level superior merits to exchange for, depending on its power and effects.

The price isn't expensive.

On the contrary, weapons, armor, precious medicines, and pills are not cheap.

But that's normal.

It's easy to make a copy of a martial arts manual.

However, weapons and armor are much more difficult to forge.

Not to mention precious herbs that require an extremely long growth period, and pills made from them.

"Let's choose a martial art first."

After quickly scanning the catalog, Mu Yang focused his attention on the Qi Condensation Martial Arts section.

The Demon Slayer Division has a large collection of Qi Condensation martial arts techniques.

However, broadly speaking, they can be divided into two main types.

One type is the most common type of Qi Condensation martial art, which has no special effects.

For example, there is a Qi-condensing martial art called "The Method of Constructing the Primordial Qi Dantian".

After constructing the dantian using this method, one can condense qi and blood into attribute-free true qi. This method is balanced and stable, with neither advantages nor disadvantages, making it the most suitable qi-condensing martial art for the general public.

The price is also very cheap, requiring only one Xuan-level superior merit.

Another example is a martial art called "Zhou Tian Qi Circulation and Dantian Construction Method".

This martial art, like the "Primordial Qi Dantian Construction Method," can only condense attribute-less true qi.

However, it is easy to learn, the dantian can be built up quickly and steadily, and the total amount of qi and blood required is not high.

The only drawback is that the efficiency of converting blood and qi into true qi is relatively low. If true qi is exhausted in battle, it is difficult to quickly convert blood and qi into true qi, resulting in a weak ability to sustain combat.

Besides martial arts that condense attribute-less true qi, there are also some martial arts that condense true qi with the five elements attributes.

For example, there's a Qi Condensation martial art that requires three Xuan-level superior merits to exchange for—the "Breath Earth Source Dantian Construction Method".

Its condensed earth-attribute true energy is thick and solid. After attaching to the body surface, it greatly enhances both defense and strength, making it most suitable for wide-ranging fighting styles and external martial arts training.

Looking at the wide variety of martial arts techniques, Mu Yang really wanted to get his hands on them all.

Unfortunately, he only had one chance to redeem it for free.

Therefore, Mu Yang could only look at the samples again and again, selecting the best from the best.

Suddenly, a line of small red characters caught my eye.

[This martial art is extremely difficult to master; choose carefully!!!]

"Extremely difficult to cultivate? Let me see what's going on." Mu Yang looked over curiously.

That was a Qi-condensing martial art called "The Great Dantian Construction Method".

There is also a short additional annotation above.

"I have studied 18,672 Qi Condensation martial arts manuals. After reviewing them all, I found that they were all just so-so and did not meet my expectations. So I secluded myself for ten years and created this divine skill."

"This technique has neither the effects of the Five Elements nor the ease of learning. The dantian it cultivates is neither too fast nor too slow, and the true qi it refines is neutral and peaceful, no different from ordinary true qi without attributes."

"But the advantage of our sect's divine skill surpasses everything: its dantian is large enough!"

"An ordinary dantian can only produce a hundred strands of true qi at the beginning, two hundred at the early stage, four hundred at the middle stage, and even at the peak, it can only produce a mere thousand strands."

"My own creation, the 'Vast Dantian Construction Method,' allows one to gather 500 strands of Qi in the dantian at the very beginning. In the early stages, one can rival a martial artist at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm. Upon reaching the peak, the true Qi in the dantian can reach 5,000 strands, eliminating any worry about insufficient true Qi!"

"Junior, be awed by my astonishing wisdom! Hahahaha!!!"

"Of course, as a wise person, I must remind you that unless you are wealthy and exceptionally talented, it is best not to practice this martial art. Otherwise, you will waste your time and bear the consequences yourself."

Mu Yang will not comment on the effectiveness of the "Great Dantian Construction Method," but its creator is quite narcissistic.

However, it must be said that a dantian five times the size of an average person's is quite exaggerated.

As for the warning, Mu Yang didn't pay any attention to it at all.

He never considers the difficulty level when choosing martial arts techniques.

Just look at whether it's good or bad!

If you have any difficulties, just tell me about them in my equipment inventory!

Just as Mu Yang made his decision and was about to choose this option, the old man on the recliner next to him suddenly spoke:

"The Great Dantian Construction Method requires a great deal of resources and places extremely high demands on the strength of the physical body, meridians, and bones. Young man, you are so young and have nothing of value, so you'd better proceed with caution."

Mu Yang was taken aback, then looked at the old man: "Thank you for reminding me, senior. I understand."

After saying that, Mu Yang tore off a note, wrote something, and stamped it, all in one go.

Seeing this, the old man didn't say anything more, but simply closed his eyes and slowly rocked back and forth in the rattan chair.

If he were younger, he might have offered more advice and explained the pros and cons, but now that he's this age, he understands that everyone has their own destiny and that it can't be forced.

After taking the note, Mu Yang turned and went to the right, intending to take the martial arts manual first, and then the clothes and standard weapons.

Although he already possessed the black gold four-sided mace, he had no need for additional weapons.

But he could easily put it in his equipment inventory and accumulate it little by little.

A few minutes after Mu Yang turned and left, a figure with only one arm hurried over.

It was Fan Duan, who had just finished assessing the remaining two people.

"Old Zhao, you're really living a leisurely life these days!" Fan Duan joked, seeing Zhao Mingli lounging in a rattan chair.

"I'm practically half-buried, if I don't relax now, I'll never have another chance," Zhao Mingli said slowly, without even opening his eyes.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. By the way, did you see a handsome young man coming over? The one with the long mace hanging from his waist," Fan Duan asked.

"I saw it, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just saw some promising young players and couldn't help but offer a few words of advice."

As he spoke, Fan Duan began to recount everything that had just happened, as if he had opened a floodgate.

Especially when talking about how he was sent flying by Mu Yang's mace, his face was flushed and his tone was excited.

You'd think he was showing off some kind of superhuman power if you didn't know better.

"Oh, I see. You're really lame." Zhao Mingli smirked and teased.

Fan Duan's face immediately darkened: "Is that what I meant? Forget it, you can't talk about ice with a summer insect, I'm too lazy to argue with you."

"Since he hasn't arrived yet, I'll wait for him here. I can't let him waste this opportunity to choose martial arts techniques for free."

Zhao Mingli: "Then you're too late. He's already finished choosing, and he chose that book, 'The Vast Law.'"

"???"

Fan Duan was taken aback.

"Could it be that useless martial art that requires ten times the consumption of qi and blood to increase dantian capacity by five times?"

"Why didn't you stop him?!"

Fan Duan was both angry and anxious.

After mastering that broken martial art, although the dantian is large enough, the combat endurance is long, and the burst damage ceiling is high.

The problem is, it's really difficult to achieve.

First, one needs to have physical strength no weaker than that of a fourth-level Qi Condensation Realm martial artist when reaching the third-level Blood Marrow Realm.

Secondly, each time the dantian is expanded, a great deal of qi and blood is consumed.

The only way for martial artists to increase their qi and blood is through eating.

Eat the flesh of demons, eat precious medicines, and eat pills.

This step is also easy to do; as long as you're willing to spend the money, you can achieve it.

The most difficult part is actually after successfully constructing the vast Dantian.

From this point onward, one needs to cultivate multiple external martial arts techniques to strengthen the body to the point where it can withstand the pressure from an excessively large dantian, thereby continuing to expand the dantian and achieving a breakthrough.

This step is arguably the real challenge.

Countless geniuses have wasted their years and youth at this stage.

Even if one succeeds in cultivating, a mere five thousand strands of true energy would only increase one's strength by 50 jin.

Instead of wasting time on this, you should focus on breaking through to the fifth rank.

The fifth-level Meridian Opening Realm consists of twelve major meridians. Opening each meridian increases strength by as much as 5 jin.

If all twelve major meridians are opened, the power enhancement effect will reach 60 jin.

Not only is their strength greater, but their endurance also far surpasses that of the Qi Condensation Realm.

Most importantly, the Qi Condensation Realm can only attach true qi to the surface of the body, while the Meridian Opening Realm can release true qi outwards.

The difference between attaching to the body surface and releasing true qi outwards may seem to be only the distance of qi release.

In reality, it's the difference in the total amount of true qi mobilized in a single operation.

The total amount of true qi that can be mobilized at the Meridian Opening Realm martial arts far exceeds that of the Qi Condensation Realm martial arts.

The Qi Condensation Realm martial art he cultivated, the Soft Bone Palm, could at most accommodate 500 strands of true Qi, increasing his strength by 50,000 jin.

The martial arts of the Meridian Opening Realm can involve at least a thousand strands of true energy in each move, which is at least 100,000 jin of force.

Their power is incomparable.

"Relax. Judging from his appearance, he's only twenty. At this age, problems aren't the main issue; the key is to understand where the problems lie."

"Once he discovers that the martial art is difficult to master, he will realize that human strength is finite and there is always something beyond the heavens. At that time, he can work hard, accumulate some merit, and then switch to other martial arts."

"The key is the tempering of one's character."

Zhao Mingli said leisurely.

Fan Duan sighed helplessly, "I hope so."