[Every sound of striking iron was accompanied by the agonized screams of a sea demon.]

[Once engaged in group combat, the terror of "Heartsteel" surpassed even "The Most Severe Father to Non-Humans."]

[There were fifty-two sea demons.]

[At a martial artist's speed, making two rounds in two minutes was a piece of cake.]

[After stacking hundreds of layers of Heartsteel, your height directly broke past three meters, looking even more sinister than the Demon Tribe.]

["Boom!!"]

[A single punch unleashed a vacuum explosion, piercing through a fragile little sea demon over ten meters away.]

[The residual force slammed into the sea surface behind it, stirring up terrifying waves!]

["Splash..."]

[Seawater and sea demon blood mingled, dyeing the area red.]

[You rampaged alone, slaughtering in all directions. Those sea demons were scared shitless, fleeing with their heads in their hands, begging for mercy.]

[But you had already entered a state of steel addiction.]

[Mercy?]

[Can't hear it.]

[Clearly, they were the ones running right into your fists!]

[And so fragile too, shattering at the slightest touch.]

[The Holy Land disciples and Long Yang could now only look up at you.]

[They were dumbstruck, jaws hanging open.]

["C-Chen Junior Brother... truly possesses divine martial prowess."]

["What 'Junior Brother'? It's Senior Brother Chen!"]

["What technique is Senior Brother Chen using? I've seen plenty in my years at the Holy Land, but I've never even heard of this..."]

[With the battle won, you pulled your three teammates, who were slumped in the seawater, to their feet one by one.]

["Senior Brothers, please pull yourselves together. The sea demons are numerous—they will surely return, and next time they'll be even more and stronger.

I propose we set up formations along the coast to defend against them.

Also, mobilize the islanders to dig plenty of traps and tunnels behind the formations.

If the formations are breached, the sea demons will fall into the traps, and we can strike them from the tunnels along with the islanders..."]

[As you laid out the essence of tunnel warfare, Long Yang and the other three looked at you with pure admiration.]

[Especially Long Yang.]

[You had just saved his life, while the other three Holy Land disciples had been dead weight, not earning a single kill.]

[Long Yang wasn't the type to be ungrateful. Deeply appreciative of your life-saving grace, he offered you a life-saving item given by his clan elders as a temporary token of thanks.]

[You didn't accept it, because such a life-saving item was useless to you at the Martial King Realm.]

[Seeing you refuse, Long Yang's gaze grew even more respectful, almost to an excessive degree.]

["Junior Brother Chen is truly extraordinary. Back when you came to the Holy Land alone, facing the ridicule of ten thousand without flinching, I knew your state of mind was at least above ours!"]

[You had no idea if Long Yang was suffering from qi-blood reversal due to his injuries, but why was he blushing like a tea kettle when he spoke?]

[Combined with this guy's name, you suddenly felt a chill in your rear and quickly kept your distance from him.]

["Let's focus on the task at hand..."]

["Junior Brother Chen is single-minded in his work. I imagine there must be a spot for you among the Saint candidates."]

["Let's split up to contact the local islanders."]

["Junior Brother Chen, as a martial artist, doesn't lord his power over others and understands the value of mobilizing ordinary people. That's a vision we can't hope to match."]

[That guy Long Yang had completely looked down on you at first.]

[Now he was buttering you up every chance he got.]

[For the first time, you wished your "Networking King" trait wouldn't activate.]

[Just as you expected.]

[A few days later, the sea demons returned in force.]

[This time, they were larger in number and stronger in power, completely surrounding Octopus Island.]

["Damn humans!! Give me back my son's life! Today, Octopus Island will be left with not a single chicken or dog alive—kill them all!!"]

[The sea demon leader was furious.]

[Because among the sea demons you had killed a few days ago was the leader's own precious son.]

[They charged in with ferocious momentum, twisted faces, and killing intent radiating from their bodies.]

["Loose arrows!!"]

[You had already rallied all the islanders with Long Yang and the other three, equipping them with bows and arrows.]

[As soon as the sea demons set foot on the island, they were trapped by the formations you had set up in advance.]

[With your command, a volley of arrows rained down from the islanders, taking out the weaklings among the sea demons first.]

[The sea demons were brutally stubborn and numerous, charging from every direction of the island.]

[Some inevitably stepped over their fallen comrades' bodies and broke through the formations' obstacles.]

[Once the formations were breached, what awaited them were countless traps dug day and night by the entire islander population, along with a labyrinth of tunnels.]

[The life-or-death battle between islanders and sea demons had officially begun.]

[The five of you took the lead with your superior martial arts skills, slaughtering the sea demons so thoroughly that they threw down their weapons and fled back into the sea.]

["Where do you think you're going!"]

[You started up again.]

[To this day, no demon that had made an enemy of you had ever escaped alive.]

[You charged in solo, frantically stacking Steel. Amid the "clang clang clang" of forging, you transformed into a small giant once more.]

[You stepped into the "Seven Divine Starry Steps," appearing and disappearing like a ghost, leaving no trace. Whenever you showed up, it was with a fatal punch.]

[Seeing you wreak havoc, the sea demon leader snorted coldly.]

["So it's the meddling Free and Unfettered Holy Land that's come all the way to this backwater to oppose me! Today, I'll make sure none of you leave alive!"]

[The leader let out a mighty roar, and the seawater around him instantly exploded, shooting skyward.]

[He wielded a trident, stepped on the waves with swift strides, and each step stirred up massive, crashing waves.]

[This demon was ten meters long, resembling a giant sentient goldfish in humanoid form.]

[From the sheer force of his attacks, it was clear his strength was not to be underestimated!]

["It's the sea demon leader! He seems to have Spirit Condensation Realm cultivation!"]

["The Demon Tribe is naturally physically stronger than our race—we absolutely cannot face him head-on!"]

["Junior Brother Chen, get into the tunnels quickly!"]

[You thought you heard someone calling you.]

[So you glanced back.]

[But you saw a trident stabbing toward you.]

[Your rich combat experience kicked in almost instinctively, and you went straight from defense to counterattack.]

[One punch shattered the trident.]

[A second punch shattered the sea demon leader's head.]

["Who called me?"]

[Long Yang had been coming to save you, but froze on the spot at the sight.]

["Junior Brother Chen... are you really in the Golden Body Realm..."]

[You knew the Recording Stone was always rolling, so you answered with utmost seriousness.]

["Of course. I wouldn't dare falsify things in front of the Holy Land."]

[Long Yang looked at the sea demon corpses scattered around you, and at the sea demon leader who had died without even landing a single complete attack on you.]

["Are we even practicing the same martial arts..."]

[Under your brilliant command, the sea demon calamity of Octopus Island was successfully resolved.]

[Afterward, you didn't rush to leave. Instead, you chose to stay and, along with Long Yang and the other three, teach martial arts to the local islanders.]

[Of course, you only taught Low-Grade and Mid-Grade techniques.]

[You didn't pass on high-quality techniques, partly due to sectarian bias, but honestly, even if you taught them, it wasn't certain anyone could learn them.]

[You also couldn't—and didn't have the time—to search for geniuses and provide one-on-one training.]

[Not only had you helped Octopus Island solve its immediate problem, but you also "taught them how to fish," ensuring they could defend themselves in the future.]

[The Recording Stone captured all of this.]

[You knew your pass was secure.]

[Before leaving, you recited Captain Tongshan's famous line to the islanders: "Octopus Island must be protected by the islanders' own hands!"]

[Note: The author's joke segment was omitted as it is non-story meta-content.]