I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

Gu Yan waved his hand, gesturing for Zhao Jingyuan to sit down.

He knew that the Zhao family was only being so respectful today because they were disguised as officials from the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion. If they were officials from the Demon Suppression Division, they would most likely have been treated coldly.

This Runren is strange. He holds power and is arrogant in front of his fellow countrymen, living a carefree life, but for some reason he has to fawn over demons and alien races, and it's unclear what he's after.

With servants attending him, Gu Yan took his seat in the VIP position. By then, all the doctors in the room had already been dismissed. Only then did Zhao Jingyuan answer his question.

"You may not know this, Special Envoy," Zhao Jingyuan sighed and said, "My son accidentally offended a member of the Demon Suppression Division a few days ago, and was ruthlessly attacked, his meridians were crippled, and now he has lost all his martial arts skills and is a cripple."

That's why I searched far and wide for renowned doctors, hoping to find a way to cure him, but it turns out these human doctors are all useless incompetent fools, completely incapable of doing anything of value."

"Unintentional Collision", "Ruthless Action".

Gu Yan found it amusing, wondering whose dagger and poison had crippled that young master Zhao.

But he feigned surprise, frowning as he asked, "Is this really true? I wonder which villain from the Demon Suppression Division is so ruthless that he dares to lay a hand on Young Master Zhao? Such a humiliating disgrace, Brother Zhao, don't you want to seek revenge?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jingyuan immediately gritted his teeth, his chest filled with resentment: "Revenge? How could I not take revenge? I just heard that although that person is a new recruit of the Demon Suppression Division, he has quite a background and is expected to be promoted directly to captain right away."

Although my Zhao family has some influence, we dare not openly provoke the Demon-Suppressing Captain. However, this enmity is irreconcilable, so we will temporarily bide our time and wait for the opportune moment to settle things.

Gu Yan nodded slightly and echoed, "The Demon Suppression Division is so arrogant, relying on the power of the dynasty to oppress the noble families. It is truly despicable. Brother Zhao's decision to join the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion is a wise move that shows his understanding of the times."

Zhao Jingyuan hurriedly seized the opportunity to express his loyalty, saying that the Dajing Dynasty had always been suspicious of aristocratic families and had hindered them in many ways. He had long been unable to tolerate it, and he kept praising the powerful Wanyaofang and the strong Netherworld Ghost Kingdom behind it. He was willing to wholeheartedly submit to them, hoping to get their protection in the future and get rid of the dynasty's control.

Gu Yan laughed and said, "Since you were able to abandon the darkness and turn to the light in time, the shop owner will certainly not treat you unfairly."

He hesitated for a moment, then pretended to ponder for a while, and said, "How about this? Let me take a look at your son's condition first. If ordinary quack doctors can't do anything about it, then my Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion might be able to help."

Zhao Jingyuan was overjoyed. He knew that the demon race possessed many special methods, being extremely adept at sacrificing the flesh and blood of others to nourish and repair themselves, and many intractable diseases could be cured in this way. Such methods were absolutely forbidden in human territory.

He wouldn't care even if it meant sacrificing dozens or hundreds of lowly people's lives, as long as it could save his child's meridians. He thanked him repeatedly and respectfully invited Gu Yan to Young Master Zhao's bedroom.

As soon as Gu Yan entered the room, he saw Zhao Linyuan lying on the bed, his face deathly pale.

Zhao Jingyuan introduced his son, saying that this was the special envoy of the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion. Although Zhao Linyuan was unable to move in bed, upon hearing that he was a special envoy, he hurriedly struggled to get up and tried to get out of bed to kowtow and pay his respects.

Gu Yan did not stop him, but nodded and smiled as he watched the young master Zhao, whom he had just crippled yesterday, struggle to get out of bed to bow, and then struggle to climb back into bed.

When he finds out that the person he's kneeling to is the number one enemy who caused him to end up like this, his expression will definitely be priceless.

"Come here, let me take a look."

Gu Yan stepped forward and reached out to take Zhao Linyuan's pulse. Of course, he didn't actually know anything about medicine, so taking the pulse was just a pretense. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then frowned as if the situation was very serious.

Of course, the more he acted this way, the more anxious the father and son became, fearing that the envoy's next words would be, "There's no hope, bury him."

Gu Yan withdrew his hand, still frowning in thought, and remained silent for a while.

Well, every minute counts, as long as we can buy the Thief Saint some more time.

By now, Bai Jingye might have already sneaked into Zhao Jingyuan's secret room.

After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Jingyuan finally couldn't help but ask cautiously, "Your Excellency, what do you think of my child's injury...?"

Gu Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Young Master Zhao's injury is both difficult and easy to treat..."

Upon hearing there was hope, the father and son's eyes immediately lit up. Zhao Jingyuan hurriedly said, "Sir, please tell me your orders! As long as my son's meridians can be repaired, I would go through fire and water..."

"That's not necessary." Gu Yan smiled slightly. "Patriarch Zhao, I see that your cultivation has improved quite a bit recently. You've already reached the early stage of the Condensation Realm... no, perhaps you're not far from the middle stage either. It seems that you've indeed been diligently studying the 'Devouring Demon Scripture' passed down by my Ten Thousand Demon Pavilion."

The demonic arts of the demon race were one of the reasons why Zhao Jingyuan joined the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

Zhao Jingyuan's cultivation was originally stuck at the Qi Control Realm with little progress. It was only after obtaining the "Devouring Demon Scripture" from the Ten Thousand Demon Pavilion that he broke through to the Condensation Realm.

The martial arts were originally pioneered by humans. Although the demons stole human martial arts, their overall aptitude was incomparable to that of humans.

Therefore, the demon race took a different approach and developed its own martial arts system, which people collectively called "demonic arts".

The characteristic of demonic arts is that the talent threshold is low—so low that even someone as foolish as a demon can master it. But the cost is that it consumes a great deal of talent.

Zhao Jingyuan's cultivation level was stuck at the Qi Control stage, and he felt that he would probably never be able to break through again in his lifetime. It wasn't until he joined the demon race and obtained the "Devouring Demon Scripture" that he secretly used the talents of others to help him cultivate, and he broke through in one fell swoop, becoming a master of Qi Condensation.

Even Zhao Jingcen, the second strongest member of the Zhao family and his cousin, was in the same situation. If it weren't for the power of the Devouring Demon Scripture, neither of them would have ever been able to reach the Condensing Qi realm in their lifetime.

Zhao Jingyuan said respectfully, "Since the Master bestowed upon me the Demon Tome, I have never dared to slack off in the slightest. I have diligently practiced day and night, following the Master's instructions without daring to slack off even for a moment."

Gu Yan smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "That's good. Your cultivation has progressed remarkably, which shows your sincerity and determination. Your loyalty to my Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion is unwavering. If the Pavilion Master knew of your steadfast loyalty, he would surely be pleased."

Once one begins practicing demonic arts, there is no turning back. Moreover, the more diligently one practices and the faster one progresses, the more human resources are required, which proves the practitioner's loyalty to the demon race.

Gu Yan said, "Well then, since you are so determined to join my Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion, and the current situation is so delicate, I can make an exception and pass on to Young Master Zhao the 'Demon Fiend Refining Yuan Technique,' which our sect has never passed on to outsiders."

This method is far more profound than the "Devouring Demon Scripture" you practice, and in principle, it is never passed on to humans. However, Young Master Zhao's situation is special, and this "Demon Fiend Refining Essence Technique" happens to contain a method for repairing meridians—of course, it still requires the consumption of other talents.

By drawing upon the essence, blood, and vital energy of a living person, and slowly nourishing and repairing the damaged meridians, not only can your son be cured, but once mastered, his skill will surely surpass that of his previous practice.

Upon hearing this, the father and son were overjoyed, as if they had received a timely rain. Zhao Jingyuan immediately wanted to call his son forward to express his gratitude.

But then I thought, firstly, I probably felt that ordinary expressions of gratitude were too frivolous and not solemn enough, and secondly, I was afraid that the other party would change their mind, so I wanted to take the opportunity to deepen our relationship.

Zhao Jingyuan hurriedly said, "This special envoy's actions are no different from giving Yuan'er a second life! Such a heavenly favor is no different from that of Yuan'er's second parents, and my Zhao family has no way to repay it."

If the Special Envoy does not mind, I will allow my son to kneel before you, recognize you as his godfather, and serve you for life!

Upon hearing his father's words, Zhao Linyuan was initially stunned, but then realized this was his chance to save his life. Without hesitation, he struggled to get out of bed again and respectfully kowtowed three times to Gu Yan, saying, "Your son greets Father!"