CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: DIVINE POWER (SEEKING FOLLOW-UP READS ON MONDAY)

That day, the sun was high, and it had been autumn for over a month. The midday heat was no longer intense.

With the drop in temperature, the stench in the butchery workshop also became less offensive.

Chen Ku had finished his basic butchery tasks early, having removed three pairs of antlers and retrieved a Dog Treasure. In half a day’s work, he had also collected seven strands of Wild Beast Level Evil Qi into his pouch.

"Brother Chen, your bladesmanship is getting faster and faster lately. Your talent is too good. Might you achieve Minor Achievement in the bone-chopping butcher blade this month?" Sun Zhuang, who still had half of his work unfinished, couldn’t help but admire and envy Chen Ku’s increasingly efficient bladesmanship.

Indeed, he was the man whom Master Ke favored with extra guidance.

Chen Ku smiled and said, "I’m still far from it. But Brother Sun was right about something when I first came; bladesmanship is indeed learned through practice."

His progress with the bone-chopping butcher blade during this period was indeed significant. Aside from the Blood Blade Finger technique and the hands-on Force impartation from Ke Yansheng that night, the experience gained from continuous daily butchering also accounted for half of the factors.

Hearing Chen Ku say this, Sun Zhuang joked, "Since you’ve finished, why not help me butcher a few beasts to speed up your blade skill progression?"

Having been around Chen Ku for so long, he had essentially figured out the character of this talented apprentice and thus felt comfortable jesting with him.

Chen Ku laughed. "That’s true friendship! I’ll help you."

Sun Zhuang didn’t say much more, just smiled. "Even if you really wanted to help, I wouldn’t let you. I also need more practice. But I can tell you seem unsatisfied with just butchering these ordinary wild beasts, right?"

Chen Ku nodded, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and said, "Yes, that’s right. I was about to go talk to Master Ke and see if he could assign me some more tasks."

Having said that, he walked toward the Steward’s hall where Ke Yansheng was located in the Slaughter Court.

There were several masters in the Slaughter Court, with Grandmaster Shang Yunfang being the most respected. While each master had different responsibilities, Ke Yansheng was in charge of managing the entire courtyard’s affairs, holding the position of Steward, while other masters were in charge of medicine preparation and procurement.

When Ke Yansheng saw Chen Ku approaching, his expression softened slightly. He asked, "What is it? If it’s a Cultivation issue, come find me after your shift is over."

Chen Ku stepped forward and poured tea for Master Ke. "It’s somewhat related to Cultivation, but it’s also a work-related matter."

Ke Yansheng watched Chen Ku pour him a cup of tea, slightly touched. "Let’s hear it."

Chen Ku coughed, then said slowly, "Actually, Disciple’s work these days has been too light. I finish the morning tasks in the workshop and then I have nothing else to do. I was hoping Master Ke could assign me some heavier responsibilities..."

"Heavier responsibilities?" Upon hearing this, Ke Yansheng gave Chen Ku a meaningful glance and asked, "Are you trying to take over someone else’s tasks?"

Chen Ku immediately said, "Absolutely not. I was just thinking of helping out in Workshop Number Three."

"Workshop Number Three?" Ke Yansheng looked at Chen Ku. "That’s the workshop for dealing with tigers, leopards, bears, and rhinos. Can your current physique handle that? If you can’t restrain them, a single swat from one of those large beasts could cost you your life!"

Chen Ku offered the tea and smiled. "Could you give Disciple a chance to try? Actually, I do have some strength... mainly, butchering those ordinary wild beasts is slowing my bladesmanship progression, so I thought I could help in Workshop Number Three."

Hearing Chen Ku admit he possessed some strength, Ke Yansheng couldn’t help but recall the monthly assessment when Chen Ku had drawn the bow with such ease. He had initially intended to advise Chen Ku against such haste. But then he remembered how several courtyards, including Guard Chai, had vied for this boy, recognizing not only his talent in pharmacology but also his considerable Root Bone.

Root Bone essentially means innate divine strength.

In other words, even now, Ke Yansheng hadn’t figured out how much Qi Power Chen Ku possessed beyond the strength derived from his Martial Arts practice.

Since he’s so eager to progress, why not take this opportunity to test him? After all, I’ll be nearby. Even if a tiger or leopard goes berserk, I can suppress it immediately.

"Alright, then let this old man see if you can truly shoulder this responsibility."

Ke Yansheng stood up and said, "Come on."

The two of them went to Workshop Number Three.

This workshop had five people, all stripped to the waist, wearing only aprons, each revealing their powerful muscles. They were all relatively young, appearing to be in their twenties or thirties.

When Ke Yansheng brought Chen Ku in, the apprentices in Workshop Number Three looked over curiously. They of course recognized Chen Ku, who had recently gained notoriety for assisting the government in capturing Ni Kun and was highly favored by Master Ke.

So, although the five apprentices in Workshop Number Three were all at least at the ’Unity of Move and Force’ or ’Unity of Force and Intent’ stages in Force Transforming, they dared not look down on this junior brother whose Martial Arts were a few small realms behind theirs.

Upon arriving, Ke Yansheng asked a tall apprentice, "Qin Sheng, I recall Workshop Number Three received a white bear, a giant sloth, three female black leopards, seven giant antelopes, and ten giant lizards today. What’s left?"

The tall apprentice named Qin Sheng cupped his hands. "Master, the five of us have already dealt with almost half. What remains are one black leopard, one giant sloth, one giant antelope, and five giant lizards."

He didn’t understand why he was being asked these details—was it an inspection of their work?

Ke Yansheng pondered for a moment, then said to Qin Sheng, "Give Chen Ku the key to the cage containing that black leopard. Let him try and see if he can handle it."

"Him? Master Ke, this is no joke! A pregnant female leopard is extremely aggressive, especially a black one, comparable in size to a Fierce Tiger! Junior Brother Chen hasn’t even achieved ’Unity of Move and Force’. It could be dangerous," Qin Sheng said hurriedly.

"Don’t concern yourself with him. If he gets injured or crippled, he’s responsible for himself," Ke Yansheng said coldly.

Chen Ku, seeing this, also cupped his hands. "Please allow me to try, Senior Brother Qin."

Qin Sheng hesitated for a moment, then finally took out a key. Pointing towards the back room, he said to Chen Ku, "Junior Brother Chen, don’t force yourself. The leopard is chained. If you feel you’re being overpowered, immediately pull back and create distance..."

"Thank you for the reminder."

Chen Ku took the key and walked towards the back room.

The others, curious, followed. After all, for someone whose strength had just reached the first extremity to attempt to tackle a ferocious beast was extremely dangerous.

Upon reaching the back room, Chen Ku found many large cages. He was particularly shocked to see a sloth larger than an elephant. Such prehistoric creatures have long been extinct on Earth. It’s unbelievable they are still being hunted at will in this world...

Then again, this world had Demons, so its biodiversity was bound to be far greater than Earth’s.

He looked around and spotted the black leopard. Its physique was indeed similar to that of a Fierce Tiger, its black fur as smooth and glossy as silk. Seeing Chen Ku approach its cage, its eyes instantly filled with ferocity!

ROAR!

Ke Yansheng and the five apprentices watched Chen Ku walk up with the key to open the cage, and they all couldn’t help but frown.

Was this a case of great skill breeding courage, or simply rashness?

They were about to find out.

The moment the cage was opened, Chen Ku took only a single step inside.

ROAR!

The female leopard, the size of a small calf, instantly lunged at Chen Ku. To Chen Ku, its speed was even faster than that of a Skinny Dog; truly befitting a leopard.

WHOOSH!

With lightning speed and terrifying Ferocious Beast Level power, its paws shot directly towards Chen Ku’s face, and its mouthful of sharp canine teeth aimed for Chen Ku’s neck.

Ke Yansheng’s eyebrows twitched violently, and he had already started to move.

But then he saw something astonishing.

Chen Ku’s speed seemed no less than that of the female black leopard. Surprisingly, he didn’t dodge. Instead, a large hand, though launched later, arrived first, pressing down directly onto the female black leopard’s head in mid-air.

BANG!

It was as if a thousand-jin weight had smashed onto the ground.

ROAR! ROAR!

The head of the tiger-sized female leopard was actually slapped down from mid-air and pinned to the ground. It thrashed its four claws wildly on the earth but could not lift its head.

The six onlookers were astounded.

"Divine Power!"

"This female leopard was pregnant and at its fiercest. Our Medicine King Hall wanted it primarily for the leopard fetus. I just butchered one of the three today and felt its power. A single pounce carries at least two thousand jin of force. Unless one has fully reached the Four Extremities and achieved great achievement in Force Transforming, it’s impossible to withstand this beast..."

"Junior Brother Chen... just illogically grabbed the leopard’s head and slammed it to the ground like that?"

Qin Sheng looked at Ke Yansheng in disbelief. "Master, Junior Brother Chen hasn’t even achieved great achievement in Force Transforming, has he?"

"He’s only cleared one extremity," Ke Yansheng said, suppressing his surging emotions and feigning calm. "In terms of realm, he’s only slightly stronger than the Strength Training Phase."

"Then this... how do we explain this? He..."

Ke Yansheng glanced at Qin Sheng, took a deep breath, and said, "Can’t you see? This boy has Innate Divine Strength!"

"Innate Divine Strength."

Suddenly, they all understood.

"Root Bone?"

They had heard that some people were born with strong Root Bones, possessing divine strength even without practicing Martial Arts. If such individuals trained in Martial Arts, they would become even more formidable.

Qin Sheng felt his lips go dry and licked them. "Even the Strength Training Martial Arts of our Medicine King Hall, at most, enable one to develop a Thousand Jin Force. Junior Brother Chen’s action just now... he didn’t use Force Power, it was pure brute strength... Just how much innate Root Bone Divine Power does he possess?"

Ke Yansheng watched for a moment, then turned and left.

"Master Ke, where are you going?"

"Of course, to find a suitable Cultivation Technique for him. From now on, let him assist you all here. You’ve seen it; he won’t drag you down."

Ke Yansheng walked out, his hands behind his back.

Looking at the glaring sunlight outside, he muttered to himself:

With such a gift of Innate Divine Strength, if I can’t cultivate his talent properly, it would be a terrible waste for him to end up in my Butcher Court... If Chai Bao finds out, he’ll surely turn the Butcher Court upside down!

Instinctively looking towards the Guardian Hall, he made a firm decision.

This child, my Butcher Court will protect him! No one can take him away!