CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: INTRODUCTION

In the wilderness of a mountain gully, the dim yellow moon hung high, periodically accompanied by the cawing of crows.

Chen Ku was completely immersed in the changes of the Transformation Diagram reflected by his mind.

When the Skinny Dog Transformation was temporarily dismantled from the first diagram and replaced with the Evil Qi of the Blood Blade that he could suppress for one day, the Blood Blade Transformation began.

[Blood Blade Transformation]

[Blood Blade: This blade is forged by the bladesmiths of the Blood Blade Sect from Hundred-Refined Fine Iron mixed with Taisui Demon Meat. It possesses the abilities of Metal-Splitting Stone-Breaking and Blood-Sucking Spirit Snatching. Often nourished with blood, it can become increasingly supernatural.]

[Shape-Shifting part: Blade tip (one day)]

[Blood Blade Tip: Sharp Enough to Pierce Stone]

[Still need nine strands of Demon-level Evil Qi to achieve the second layer of Shape-Shifted]

[Still need thirty-six strands of Demon-level Evil Qi to achieve the third layer of Transform.]

...

Chen Ku suddenly opened his eyes, feeling the transformation of the Blood Blade upon him.

It was like the first time he had transformed into the ’Skinny Dog’s nose’.

He keenly felt that the power of the ’blade tip’ of this Demon Blade had been transferred to the tips of his own limbs, that is...

his right index finger!

Chen Ku looked at his knuckles. Although they still looked like fingers, he could clearly feel that his fingertip was just like the blade tip of the Blood Blade!

"Blood Blade Tip... Sharp Enough to Pierce Stone..." Chen Ku stared at his finger, muttering to himself.

Then he began to look around.

He couldn’t find a large stone immediately but turned his gaze to the head of the white-fronted Fierce Tiger he had killed.

Next, he tentatively extended his index finger and lightly poked towards its forehead.

SHLICK!

It was as if he had pierced through a block of tofu!

Chen Ku was ecstatic.

Could this be too fierce?

The skull of any animal, including humans, is the hardest bone in the body, not to mention that of ferocious beasts like the tiger, leopard, lion, and bear, which are known for their ’Copper Head Iron Bone.’ Especially the tiger’s skull; it is particularly dense and hard, like stone or iron. This is not an exaggeration. It’s also why, in many cases, the skull is the part of an animal carcass that best endures over time.

Even using a drill on such a skull would take a while.

Yet, the index finger with the Shape-Shifting Blood Blade Tip pierced through it just like tofu!

"Blood Blade Tip, Blood Blade Tip... the sharpness of the blade tip is now the sharpness of my fingertip..." Chen Ku looked at his finger, completely feeling the finger bone becoming extremely hard, dense, and sharp.

I wonder how this finger’s sharpness would compare with the Finger Force of a superior martial artist who has achieved ’Force Reaches the Four Extremities’?

He felt that if it really came down to a one-finger showdown with a Force Transforming martial artist, he would be the likely winner!

Because his finger was not just Force Power; it was a weapon—the tip of a Demon Blade that could split metal and break stone!

With this finger, if I were to attempt an assassination, would I not be invincible? Chen Ku thought.

The premise was to hit a vital part.

And this was just the effect of Shape-Shifting a single Blood Blade Tip. If he were to achieve the second layer of the Blood Blade Transformation and fully possess the abilities of every part of the Blood Blade, then wouldn’t that mean...

His whole arm would become like the Blood Blade?!

Bare-handed, he could break people’s swords!

Chen Ku fantasized.

But soon, he was shocked by the glaring cultivation requirements for the Blood Blade Transformation and the word ’temporary’.

"Temporary is manageable. A day’s duration... if I keep replenishing the Evil Qi daily, how could it not be considered long-term possession?" Chen Ku was gloomy.

"Is that the Demon-level Evil Qi?!"

A Demon is something above ferocious beasts that possess Demonic Qi. Some are even more bizarre, mystical, and supernatural. So far, he had only seen Master Shang Yunfang once feed bitter gall to a Demon-class Bear and had never actually seen any other Demons.

Or, if he could count this Demon Blade in his hand as well, then that should count as having seen two types.

The Transformation Diagram stated that this blade was fused with something called Taisui Demon Meat, which was likely the reason for its blood-sucking ability.

I have to say, I’ve struck it rich again tonight.

Chen Ku glanced at the moonlight and took the opportunity to use his fingers as knives under the moon to begin dissecting the white-fronted Fierce Tiger.

During the process, he unconsciously started using the techniques of the bone-chopping butcher blade.

And he made an astonishing discovery.

After his fingers turned into blade tips, his skill in using the bone-chopping butcher blade seemed to receive an unprecedented boost.

In less than an hour, he had dissected the white-fronted Fierce Tiger into Tiger Skin, Tiger Bone, tiger innards, and tiger blood, along with some other parts. He wrapped the meat and bones in the large Tiger Skin, filled the travel bag with tiger blood, buried the traces, and then returned to his small courtyard.

The whole body of a tiger is a treasure, and if combined with Treasured Medicine, his martial arts practice expenses could be better sustained.

After all this, he went to sleep in his own courtyard.

Before sleeping, he thought, I wonder what Ni Kun’s reaction will be when he returns to the Desolate Grave in a couple of days and finds his Treasure Blade gone?

He slept until the next morning.

Early voices of traders and porters from the outer city were already audible. Chen Ku got up early, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and then buried the Blood Blade in the kang cave before going to Medicine King Hall for work.

With the experience from dissecting the tiger the night before, he felt that with the assistance of the Blood Blade Finger, within the next two or three days, his skills with the bone-chopping butcher blade should reach entry-level.

By then, he would have entered the beginning stage of the Force Transformation Martial Arts.

The conditions for the second diagram could all be met, and without dismantling, he would be able to possess the attributes and abilities of stacking two types of transformations concurrently.

「In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.」

During these three days, Chen Ku spent all his time in the butchery workshop, either slaughtering dogs, Pangolins, or extracting Snake Gallbladder.

「That afternoon.」

Ke Yansheng was inspecting various workshops in the Slaughter Court, and his thoughts inadvertently turned to Chen Ku.

I wonder how that Chen kid is doing in the Slaughter Court these days. I gave him two volumes of superior Force Transformation Martial Arts, but he hasn’t come to consult with me. Is he really practicing alone? Ke Yansheng frowned internally.

Since he had made that statement, he was ready for Chen Ku to come and consult with him from time to time; after all, Chen Ku’s performance merited such action.

But four or five days had passed, and Chen Ku hadn’t sought him out even once.

This irked him.

Without further ado, he walked towards the workshop where Chen Ku and the other two worked.

Sun Zhuang saw Ke Yansheng coming from afar with his hands behind his back. He hurriedly put down the Bone-chopping Sharp Blade in his hands, wiped the blood from his back, came out of the workshop, and said respectfully, "Master Ke, today our Workshop Number Six is responsible for slaughtering Pangolins, and we are about to finish."

He thought Ke Yansheng had come to see if they were slacking off. Today, there was an order from the outer hall for Activating Blood Powder, a medicine very useful for people with internal injuries, and one of its main ingredients was many parts of the Pangolin.

Ke Yansheng nodded. Without mentioning work, he asked indifferently, "Is Chen Ku busy inside?"

Sun Zhuang hurriedly replied, "Junior Brother Chen has been doing well these days. Are you looking for him for something? I’ll go in and call him."

"No need, I’ll go in and have a look myself."

Ke Yansheng walked into the butchery workshop with his hands behind his back. From a distance, he saw Chen Ku at a butchery table, wearing a leather apron and wielding a Bone-chopping Blade with graceful, intricate movements.

He seemed to be engrossed in his work.

Sun Zhuang stepped forward, about to shout to Chen Ku that Master Ke had arrived.

However, a strong hand immediately grabbed his shoulder.

He turned around in surprise.

Only to see Ke Yansheng looking lost as he watched Chen Ku wielding the knife, caught up in his focus: The bone-chopping butcher blade... entry-level? In just five days??