Martial Artists

An Wen added, “By the way, the assimilation of this martial arts world started about two or three years ago. The progress has already reached around sixty percent.”

“In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be successfully assimilated in another year or two. If you join now, you can still earn a decent amount of Contribution.”

Zuo Lin'an stroked his chin. “Are these martial artists very strong?”

“How should I put it?” An Wen replied. “On a global scale, martial artists are still a minority. And no matter how strong they are, they can't deal with specters.”

Then, as if remembering something, he offered a word of warning.

“But there is one thing you must watch out for. You have to be extremely cautious if you encounter a martial artist. The weaker ones are fine, but the most dangerous ones are those with formidable strength.”

“The lowest rank of martial arts is Third-Rate. The key distinction seems to be whether they have cultivated true qi.”

“Those who haven't cultivated true qi are all Unrated martial artists. All they've trained in is basic physical combat. However, once they cultivate true qi and step into the Third-Rate rank, things become completely different.”

“I have a few friends who are currently dungeon bosses. When we chat, they always complain to me about how those true martial artists with true qi are absolute freaks.”

“Take the weakest, a Third-Rate martial artist, for example. Once they have true qi flowing through them, their perception becomes incredibly sharp.”

“With just a bit of close observation, they can easily pick up on subtle cues, like minute changes in your expressions or eyes.”

“And the higher their realm, the sharper their perception!”

“There was a dungeon boss before who ran into a First-Rate martial artist. Even when the specter completely suppressed its specter aura and approached while cloaked, the martial artist still detected them.”

At this point, both Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou's expressions grew solemn.

An Wen continued, “If they can even detect a specter that has suppressed its aura and hidden its form, then the murderous intent and presence on a human body would be child's play for them to spot.”

Zuo Lin'an frowned. “Murderous intent? Presence?”

“Yes,” An Wen said. “Take you two, for instance. You killed so many people back in Sin Hunter City, so you've naturally accumulated some level of murderous intent.”

“When you kill enough people, a mysterious presence naturally develops around you. Or perhaps 'aura' is a more accurate word.”

“A person who has never killed before and someone who has killed many will ultimately have different eyes, expressions, and overall aura.”

“And while these intangible things aren't completely impossible to suppress, it's obviously impossible for you to achieve that level of control right now.”

An Wen added, “I believe you both know where the advantage of a Human-Specter Symbiont lies.”

“The living body and the specter body can act independently. The living body can pose as an NPC or disguise itself as a player to lure real players into triggering your rules.”

“But to be honest, your acting skills aren't that great. Coupled with your murderous intent and that indescribable aura, if you try to act like an ordinary person...”

“Once you encounter a martial artist, or even just someone highly observant, they will easily spot the anomalies.”

“Even if your identity is exposed, it won't stop the dungeon from running. However, any player capable of noticing something off about you is clearly not simple. Your exposure will only make them more vigilant!”

“Consequently, the difficulty of wiping out all the players will skyrocket.”

“For example, those two dungeon bosses I know—both of their dungeons were cleared by players one after another a while ago. Now, their dungeons are temporarily sealed, and they'll have to wait for the next world to open them again.”

An Wen paused here.

“Well, that's about all I need to say. Do you have any other questions?”

“I do, Instructor!” Xu Youyou said.

An Wen looked at him.

He thought Xu Youyou was going to ask something important, but...

“I wanted to ask, Brother An's specter body has red vertical pupils, but mine is pitch black with only a faint red glow. Why is that?”

An Wen was speechless. “That? I'm not entirely sure either. It's probably related to your own inner obsessions and the level of cruelty of your rules.”

Xu Youyou's eyes widened.

“So, even though Brother An is a bloodthirsty, cold-blooded psychopath at heart and his Death Rule is cruel to the extreme, I'm just an innocent fool with a non-violent Death Rule?”

Zuo Lin'an pretended he didn't hear. In any case, this guy had always been terrible with words.

An Wen, however, nodded seriously. “You could say that.”

Xu Youyou felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, and his entire demeanor slumped.

An Wen ignored the clown.

“No other questions?”

“None for now,” Zuo Lin'an said.

An Wen slowly stood up.

“There's a forum in your app. If you have any questions in the future, you can ask in there. They're all dungeon bosses, so they definitely know more than I do and can give you more detailed answers.”

“Let's go. Pack up your things first, and I'll take you to choose your territories.”

Zuo Lin'an was surprised. “Now?”

“Yes,” An Wen said. “This is the first and most important thing after becoming a dungeon boss. Once you choose a place, you can move in right away.”

The two didn't delay. They quickly packed up all their belongings, wheeled their suitcases out, and followed An Wen, leaving the dormitory they had only lived in for a short while.

The dormitory keys were left on the desk; a cleaning lady would come by later to tidy up.

As they wheeled their suitcases out, several new students happened to run past them.

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou didn't feel anything. They got straight into the car and quickly drove off.

However, the new students who had just locked eyes with them stood frozen for a long time, unable to snap out of it.

They felt rather strange. It was just a brief look at Zuo Lin'an, and nothing terrifying had happened, yet their bodies had subconsciously shuddered.

As if they had been startled.

This was an instinctive reaction from their bodies, one their minds hadn't even processed.

Zuo Lin'an watched the trees and plants flash past the window. “Instructor, where are we going?”

“We're going directly to the sites to choose,” An Wen replied.

“To the sites? But we won't be able to see many places in a short amount of time, will we?”

“You don't actually have many choices anyway. Just look at them in person, and once you've made a choice, you can stay there directly.”

“This is a freebie, after all, and you're still rookie bosses. Don't set your expectations too high.”

“Of course, don't be discouraged either. The territories assigned to you won't be terrible. After all, you Human-Specter Symbiont bosses have immense potential!”

Zuo Lin'an shook his head. “How many options do we have?”

An Wen replied, “Human-Specter Symbionts are different from other dungeons. The dungeons you own possess immense growth potential, just like yourselves. Because of this, they are generally located in uninhabited wastelands, barren mountains, or wildernesses.”