Netherfire Ghost Claw

Li Tianming carried a Fire Jade with a thousand yellow Heavenly Patterns on him, his confidence overflowing.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never possessed such a windfall.

"Borrowing money today will solve the pressing crisis. For the one-year promise, I will repay it tenfold." He had already carved those words into his heart.

In life, one sometimes truly needed to adapt. Being rigid and stubborn could also be a kind of foolishness.

Three years ago, he had suffered precisely because he had been too upright.

Now that he held such a vast sum of wealth, he naturally would not treat himself poorly.

He had come to the Starry Sky Heavenly Palace to choose battle arts. If he was choosing, he would choose top-tier battle arts that could truly bring out both his and Little Yellow Chick's talents.

"Blood Soul Slaughter is a Transcendent Beast-level Battle Art. It may allow me to slaughter in all directions during the passage battle of the palace examination, but it will definitely be strenuous in the ranking battles."

"In the ranking battles, many geniuses in the Flame Capital will have broken through the Beast Pulse Realm and reached the Spirit Source Realm. Those at the Spirit Source Realm have basically cultivated 'Source-level Battle Arts.'"

The rank and power of Source-level Battle Arts absolutely surpassed Beast-level Battle Arts.

One needed a certain foundation and talent, along with sufficient Beast Essence support, to cultivate them successfully.

Early in the morning, Li Tianming arrived at the Starry Sky Heavenly Palace.

This Starry Sky Heavenly Palace occupied an enormous area, practically equivalent to a city. It had dozens of entrances, each bustling with people, with customers arriving to spend money in an endless stream.

Especially since the Yanhuang Academy palace examination was approaching, the Starry Sky Heavenly Palace's business was naturally even better these days.

However, there were not many customers in the Myriad Battle Hall, which sold battle arts.

Because the palace examination was the day after tomorrow. Coming to select battle arts only now was like embracing Buddha's feet at the last minute—it was simply of no use.

The Myriad Battle Hall was a very small part of the Starry Sky Heavenly Palace, a seven-story tower.

Its lower levels were broad while its upper levels narrowed. The first floor sold only Beast-level Battle Arts, while the second floor sold only Source-level Battle Arts.

Above the third floor were even stronger Unity Battle Arts, Heavenly Will Battle Arts, and the like.

Those were beyond Li Tianming's current realm. At their age, perhaps only someone like Lin Xiaoting could access battle arts above the third floor.

The moment Li Tianming entered the second floor of the Myriad Battle Hall, someone came to receive and introduce things to him.

The people of the Starry Sky Heavenly Palace would absolutely not judge by appearances. They had all received strict training. After all, the Flame Capital was a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons lurked; even the most ordinary-looking person might be a tiger pretending to be a pig.

Li Tianming chose to search for battle arts alone. He wanted to spend more time looking around.

He was currently very satisfied with the Thunderfire Chain Beast Weapon. After all, it was a third-rank Beast Weapon with ferocious killing power.

This kind of lightning weapon could be used as a long whip, and it could also bind and entangle enemies. In battle, the chain wrapped around his right arm while his left hand was the Dark Arm. It felt incredibly cool.

He had yet to find the weapon that suited him best, but for now, he felt that chains might be worth trying.

He first made a round to get a general sense of the prices.

"Most beginner-grade Source-level Battle Arts cost fewer than fifty yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades. Mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts cost fewer than two hundred yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades. They're truly expensive."

He had brought a thousand yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades. He had originally thought it was a lot, but now it seemed that buying just a few battle arts would nearly exhaust it.

"As for high-grade Source-level Battle Arts, they cost even more. Besides, I'm still at the Beast Pulse Realm. Coveting high-grade Source-level Battle Arts would be aiming too high and wasting time."

He was not worried that he could not cultivate them, but without enough Beast Essence to support them, battle arts that were too high-ranked would be useless.

Judging by how he assessed himself, mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts were absolutely his limit.

After all, the strongest battle arts used by those who ranked in the top ten in past palace examination ranking battles were basically mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts as well.

After comparing them, Li Tianming first chose a movement technique.

It was a mid-grade Source-level Battle Art, priced at fifty yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades.

Among the many types of battle arts, movement techniques were indeed the cheapest.

"Fire Phantom Maze Step, a mid-grade Source-level Battle Art. When used, it creates fiery phantoms that confuse the enemy, achieving the effect of duplicates."

"Swift as fire phantoms weaving through a maze, its tracks are ever-changing, impossible to predict, impossible to distinguish true from false."

A movement-type battle art like this was also divided into Martial Art and Beast Art portions.

Li Tianming could cultivate it, and Little Yellow Chick could cultivate it as well.

Giving it an equally unpredictable movement technique would definitely be far stronger than Li Tianming's current Ghost Shadow Step.

After choosing this movement technique, he had nine hundred and fifty yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades remaining.

Li Tianming continued selecting. Before finding a battle art suited to the Thunderfire Chain, he first found a claw technique.

His left hand was now shaped like a beast claw. The blood-red claws formed from his fingernails were practically sharper than a Beast Weapon.

He felt it was necessary to make use of this advantage.

Moreover, claw techniques suited Little Yellow Chick even better. Though its claws were small, they were absolutely terrifying.

"Netherfire Ghost Claw. A mid-grade Source-level Battle Art. Cultivate netherfire in the hands; the netherfire is intensely poisonous, and the ghost claws are sharp. It requires a Beast Weapon of the claw-gauntlet type."

"The Beast Art of this battle art suits most lifebound beasts, especially avian types. Once Netherfire Ghost Claw tears open an opponent, the netherfire will burn without end!"

This was a battle art Li Tianming had seen before, used by a senior disciple of Yanhuang Academy.

It looked obscure, but its power was actually extremely terrifying.

This was a battle art whose Beast Art was stronger than its Martial Art, making it especially suitable for Little Yellow Chick.

"This one is so expensive—one hundred and fifty!" In terms of price, both were mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts, yet Netherfire Ghost Claw cost three times as much as Fire Phantom Maze Step!

Among all mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts, Netherfire Ghost Claw's killing power was also considered among the very best.

Ten yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades were enough for an ordinary person to live an entire lifetime.

This single Netherfire Ghost Claw could let an ordinary person live ten lifetimes.

The price truly was exorbitant. If not for that mysterious man's help, even if Li Tianming sold himself, he could not afford this thing.

"I'm taking it!" Now that he had money, he had to be willing and generous if he wanted to enter Heavenly Court through the ranking battles.

Thus, gritting his teeth, he decided to take Netherfire Ghost Claw!

Next, he wanted to look for battle arts that could suit the Thunderfire Chain. A Beast Weapon used well would certainly be stronger than catching a blade barehanded.

Within this Myriad Battle Hall were battle arts for every kind of saber, spear, sword, halberd, and all eighteen kinds of weapons.

However, chains and long whips were special types of weapons. Other shops might not even have compatible battle arts, and even within the Myriad Battle Hall, there were not many options for Li Tianming.

Still, his luck was not bad. After comparing them again and again, he selected two battle arts that could suit the Thunderfire Chain.

"Heavenfire Soul Bind, a mid-grade Source-level Battle Art, one hundred yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades. Compatible with long-whip and chain-type Beast Weapons."

"When used, it is like drawing down heavenfire. The long whip dances, locking onto the enemy's position and sealing off their movements. Once it binds the enemy, the opponent will find it absolutely difficult to move."

This battle art was also considered a special type. It was not a direct attacking technique.

But Li Tianming valued its ability to seal in an enemy. The fact that such a battle art could sell for this price showed that its power was quite good.

However, the next battle art was what he valued even more.

"Nine Thunderbolt Whips, a mid-grade Source-level Battle Art, one hundred and seventy yellow Heavenly Pattern Jades!"

"There are nine whips in total. The nine whips are like racing thunder, each strike fiercer and swifter than the last, like nine bolts of lightning crashing down from the heavens in succession—entirely impossible to resist. In terms of power, it is among the very best of all mid-grade Source-level Battle Arts!"

This price was even more expensive than Netherfire Ghost Claw, showing just how powerful it was.

Judging from the price alone, it was already close to the price of many high-grade Source-level Battle Arts.

Li Tianming had set his sights on all four battle arts. Though they were expensive, he had long since gone all out.

For this desperate gamble, he had to be more generous and willing to spend on himself.

"A total of four hundred and seventy! Half the money you borrowed yesterday vanished in one go! You really are a prodigal!" Little Yellow Chick said painfully. The more Li Tianming spent, the less it would get to eat.

"Keep yapping and I'll dock your meals."

Fire Phantom Maze Step, Netherfire Ghost Claw, Heavenfire Soul Bind, Nine Thunderbolt Whips!

Of these four battle arts, one was a movement technique, one was a control method, and two were explosive battle arts. They suited the Thunderfire Chain on his right arm and the Dark Arm on his left hand respectively.

This was already the best combination Li Tianming could put together.

Little Yellow Chick only needed to cultivate the Beast Arts of Fire Phantom Maze Step and Netherfire Ghost Claw. It had no conditions to cultivate Heavenfire Soul Bind or Nine Thunderbolt Whips.

"You actually found battle arts I can't cultivate. What a waste!" Little Yellow Chick chattered on endlessly.

"Isn't it because your whip is too short? If you had a whip as long as a Lightning Leopard's, you could cultivate Nine Thunderbolt Whips too." Li Tianming laughed.

"You dare mock me?" Little Yellow Chick grew furious, making a clamor within the Companion Space.

"Take it easy. Don't crush your brothers and sisters underfoot," Li Tianming said with a laugh.

He observed it for a moment. Recently, that egg had been moving more and more, yet it still would not hatch. He was getting anxious from waiting.

"Once this egg hatches, will I become a 'Twin Lifebound Beastmaster'?" Li Tianming was somewhat expectant.

A Twin Lifebound Beastmaster referred to a Beastmaster who was born with two lifebound beasts.

Having two lifebound beasts was not merely an increase in number, but a change to the Symbiotic Cultivation System.

Simply put, in a Twin Lifebound Beastmaster's cultivation, the cultivation results of both lifebound beasts would gather upon the one Beastmaster.

Therefore, at the same realm, Twin Lifebound Beastmasters were much stronger than ordinary Beastmasters.

For example, at the Beast Pulse Realm, both might be at the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm, but a Twin Lifebound Beastmaster's two lifebound beasts would each possess nine beast pulses.

The three of them combined would have twenty-seven beast pulses in total, nine more than an ordinary Beastmaster.

Those nine beast pulses could store more Beast Essence, and the Beastmaster's nine beast pulses would undergo the dual transformation of two lifebound beasts, making them stronger than those of ordinary people.

Within the system of Twin Lifebound Beastmasters, a Beastmaster's total Beast Essence was equal to the combined total of the two lifebound beasts.

Especially in battle, so long as it was one-on-one, a Twin Lifebound Beastmaster would always be three against two.

I have to head out today, so this chapter came early. There will be another update at 8 PM.