Massage

"After hunting so many Honkai Beasts with Big Brother Xu, it would be hard not to get stronger, right?"

Missing his attack, Lianshan used Xu Yanwu's shield as a pivot, performing a beautiful aerial flip to dodge Xu Yanwu's sweeping axe.

Landing steadily, Lianshan couldn't help but complain, "Also, Big Brother Xu, your shield counter is too good! I can't even attack you..."

Shield counter, too good – these were two phrases Lianshan had learned from Xu Yanwu...

"Defense is essential. For someone who knows how to use it, a shield isn't a burden, but a chasm that completely separates them from the enemy."

Xu Yanwu glanced at the Shennong Ruler in Lianshan's hand and shook his head. "You're at a disadvantage fighting me with the Shennong Ruler. After all, its poison doesn't affect me, and its creator is me... How many pounds did you just adjust the Shennong Ruler to when you hit me?"

The Shennong Ruler was a weapon Xu Yanwu had painstakingly crafted after much deliberation... Creating this Shennong Ruler was no simple feat...

Xu Yanwu had racked his brain trying to figure out what weapon Shennong used. In his memory, wasn't Shennong just carrying a cauldron around and boiling herbs?

Initially, Xu Yanwu had planned for Lianshan to simply carry the Shennong Creation Cauldron and smash people with it. But his efforts paid off. When Xu Yanwu saw Cang Xuan introducing measurement units to the tribe, he noticed the stone ruler in her hand and his eyes lit up, triggering a childhood memory.

Did you ever watch "Divine Soldiers"?

You know, that one with the fully green, flat-bodied beast that ran around everywhere!

It was the divine beast of Bei Mingxue, the second daughter of the Bei Mingxue Manor in the Jade Dragon Kingdom. Bei Mingxue's sled dog, the Shennong Beast, had Shennong Ruler patterns on its husky form. It could transform into the divine soldier Shennong Ruler, capable of healing all sorts of ailments and injuries!

This way, Lianshan's weapon direction was settled, wasn't it?

Excitedly, Xu Yanwu rushed into his room and created this Shennong Ruler for Lianshan.

Of course, this Shennong Ruler wouldn't transform into a Shennong Beast, nor would it be shaped like a golf club... [Author's lifelong complaint]

Unlike the Shennong Cauldron, which could neutralize all poisons and brew its own spiritual medicine, the Shennong Ruler was more about offensive power.

Of course, Xu Yanwu didn't know exactly how much power it held. He had simply materialized his understanding and concepts of the Shennong Ruler from his mind.

Let's put it this way: if Xu Yanwu believed the Shennong Ruler could truly transform into a Shennong Beast, it could do so in the future.

Unfortunately, Xu Yanwu had deliberately removed that capability.

Even though Xu Yanwu had created the Shennong Ruler and Shennong Cauldron, he himself couldn't fully grasp their functions. However, after two years of use, Lianshan had developed quite a few abilities.

First, poison.

This was one of the Shennong Ruler's strongest abilities. While it wouldn't harm Xu Yanwu, its creator, or Lianshan, its owner, it had reached a terrifying level for others through Lianshan's development.

Even Honkai Beasts, known for their physical strength, couldn't withstand the Shennong Ruler's poison for long after it entered their bodies.

Xu Yanwu and Lianshan discovered this ability when they accidentally dropped the Shennong Ruler into a large lake they were passing. Immediately, the lake began to bubble with fish...

Both of them ate their fill that day.

Second, weight.

The weight of the Shennong Ruler increased in tandem with its master, Lianshan's, maximum potential. Within this range, Lianshan could instantly adjust the ruler's power.

Many Honkai Beasts had their skulls shattered by Lianshan's direct strikes.

Third, protection for Lianshan, the master.

Actually, Xu Yanwu had always been troubled about whether Lianshan could bear Saint Marks to gain resistance to Honkai Energy corrosion on parts of his body other than his stomach.

After all, Honkai Energy was highly corrosive to the human body. And Saint Marks, developed by the peak scientist MIE, were only suitable for girls, making them difficult to replicate successfully on Lianshan.

After all, Dr. MIE was a rare genius, while Xu Yanwu was just an ordinary college graduate and a shut-in otaku...

It was unrealistic to expect Xu Yanwu to fully understand Saint Marks in just two years.

Fortunately, Xu Yanwu discovered that after the Shennong Ruler bonded with Lianshan, it actually protected Lianshan's body from Honkai Energy corrosion!

Heaven knows how dejected Xu Yanwu was when he learned this news.

He silently canceled his plan to secretly observe Cang Xuan, Danzhu, and Chi Yuan's Saint Marks...

Why didn't he peek at Ji Xuanyuan's?

Lianshan called him "Big Brother," and Xu Yanwu had no interest in peeking at his brother's wife.

The explanation has come to an end. Let's shift our focus back to the battle between the two.

"I used thirty thousand jin."

Lianshan puffed out his chest with pride.

This number represented Lianshan's single-arm lifting strength reaching thirty thousand jin. Now, with brute force alone, he could hold down a Chariot-class Honkai Beast.

Although it was only brute force...

"Thirty thousand jin? Not bad..."

Xu Yanwu stuck his axe into the ground and raised his right hand to stroke his chin. "Come on, keep attacking... Your strength is still not enough."

Brute force was still just brute force. Even with Lianshan's physical capabilities far exceeding those of Ji Xuanyuan and others, Xu Zifu would bet five mao that Lianshan would still be beaten by them.

If Lianshan discarded all his brute force and deactivated the Shennong Ruler, which he had only scratched the surface of using, he would be comparable to the ordinary, fierce warriors in the tribe.

If he didn't hurry to become stronger, how would Lianshan face... Chi You?

The temple on Xu Yanwu's right twitched, giving him a bad premonition, as if something was about to happen in the future.

"Okay, Big Brother Xu, here I come!"

Lianshan hefted the Shennong Ruler and, with a serious expression once more, charged at Xu Yanwu.

I hope… I'm just overthinking things, Xu Yanwu thought to himself.

———Nightfall———

"Brother Xu… couldn't you have gone a little easier on me…"

Lianshan, covered in bruises from Xu Yanwu's blows after a day of hunting, lay on the ground dejectedly, exposing his bruised back for Xu Yanwu to massage.

"I'm just helping your blood circulate. Bear with it. There isn't much of this medicinal paste brewed in the Shennong Cauldron, and it would be a shame to waste it."

Xu Yanwu said this with a straight face, applying a dark green ointment to Lianshan's back. However, his technique looked like nothing more than random pinching and pushing.

The only thing that worked was the ointment.