Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art

Wang Quan licked the demon blood splattered at the corner of his mouth, its taste faintly sweet and fishy. His expression was indifferent. "You're the only one left."

The young jackal stared daggers at Wang Quan. The fury in its eyes slowly subsided, replaced by a chill that made Wang Quan's heart jolt—and something else... mockery? Instead of rushing to avenge Big Brother, it spoke. The impatience in its voice was gone, replaced by a calm utterly out of place for its age, even carrying a touch of old-world weariness:

"Don't waste your effort, Blood Food. You can't kill me."

Wang Quan furrowed his brows and tightened his grip on the saber hilt. The Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength quietly began circulating through his body as he guarded against any tricks.

The young jackal bared its teeth as though it were smiling, but paired with its jackal-dog face and green-flame eyes, the sight was especially eerie. "Speaking of which, I should thank you. You took care of that stupid, bothersome brother of mine for me. With one less person to share the spoils, I can climb higher faster."

Wang Quan's pupils contracted. Borrowing someone else's blade to kill? Brothers turning against each other? The beast's cold-bloodedness exceeded anything he had expected.

"Next time we meet, it'll be the day you die," the young jackal said coldly. Its green eyes held not the slightest trace of grief, only naked killing intent and a condescending appraisal. "That shallow little scheme of yours might fool those brainless fools, but me? I never believed you from the beginning."

It paused, its tone turning teasing. "Blood Food, thanks. Hurry up and build your strength. Get stronger. Otherwise, if we run into each other again, you won't be as lucky as you were today. You won't get to pick up another bargain."

Before Wang Quan could react, it abruptly raised a forepaw. Clutched in its claws was a palm-sized beast-hide talisman, covered in winding blood-colored patterns. The talisman burst into flame without any fire, transforming in the blink of an eye into a dense mass of blood light that completely engulfed it!

"Damn!" Wang Quan knew something was wrong. He lunged forward and swung the Blood Drinking Saber viciously at the mass of blood light!

The blade swept through, striking only the rapidly fading, dispersing afterimage of the blood light. The young Candlejackal Monster had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a faint, nauseating stench of blood.

Wang Quan stood there with the saber in hand. Blood still seeped from the wound on his back, and his face was dark enough to squeeze water from. He stared at the place where the young jackal had disappeared, then glanced at the corpse of Big Brother on the ground and slowly exhaled a breath of foul air.

"I still underestimated the hearts of these beasts..." he muttered. There was some vexation in his voice, but more than that, there was icy clarity. Failing to uproot the weeds meant endless trouble later. The little one that had escaped was clearly more cunning, more patient, and... more troublesome than its dead brother and teacher.

He walked to the corpse of Big Brother, which had been pierced through the chest by a single saber stroke. Fighting back his disgust, he used the Blood Drinking Saber to cut open its chest. After fumbling around a few times, his fingertips touched a walnut-sized lump—warm, somewhat hard, and glowing with a faint red light.

A Monster Core! Its quality was quite solid, and its demonic power was stable. It looked even better than the old jackal's from before. Its foundation should be decent.

Wang Quan put away the Monster Core, then swiftly dug another one from the head of the impatient young jackal whose head he had cut off. This one was smaller, and its light was dimmer.

Clutching the two Monster Cores that still carried a trace of warmth, Wang Quan showed little joy. He efficiently cleaned up the scene, roughly burying the two young jackal corpses and erasing some of the more obvious traces of battle. Once he finished, he did not linger and immediately headed back.

Wang Quan dragged his injured leg into the garrison just as dusk settled. Beneath the crooked locust tree in the courtyard, Madman Xu was crouched down, using an iron skewer to poke at a piece of black dried meat. When he saw Wang Quan enter, he did not even look up. A muffled laugh rolled from his throat. "Yo, Blood Food knows how to come back. The monsters didn't carry you off?"

Wang Quan did not answer. He pulled a cloth bundle from his robes and slapped it onto the stone table. The bundle came undone, and three Monster Cores rolled out—one the size of a walnut and glowing bright red, the other two smaller, their dark red hue tinged with green.

Madman Xu stared fixedly at the three Monster Cores without speaking for a long while. The oil lamp in the room was nearly snuffed out by his gaze. Suddenly, he split his mouth into a grin, exposing a missing front tooth, and his laughter exploded like a shattered gong. "You've got guts, you've got nerve! Good kid, you really dared to do it!" He circled Wang Quan twice, then jabbed a withered finger into his shoulder, the force hard enough to grind against bone. "The old jackal's core, plus those two little brats'—you got them all. You're even crazier than I was back then."

As he spoke, he pulled a battered booklet from his trouser pocket. Its cover was polished bright with grease, and written across it were the words Blood Monster Body Tempering Art. Dark red streaks, like dried blood, had seeped into the brushstrokes. "I came up with this technique myself. So far, you're only the second person to get it." He suddenly lowered his voice, his gaze like a blade tempered in poison. "As for the first, hopefully you two never meet. Otherwise, heheh, all that'll be left is a pile of bone scraps to feed the dogs."

Wang Quan took the booklet. It felt cold to the touch. Madman Xu leaned back against the locust tree, pulled out a wine gourd, and took a swig. He smacked his lips. "I'll give you the rest of this technique once you can control that murderous madness in your heart. But not now. You haven't reached the Palace Knocking Realm. Practicing it now would just be courting death."

Palace Knocking Realm? Wang Quan frowned. He had never heard that term before.

Madman Xu gave a derisive laugh, alcohol spraying across Wang Quan's face. "You don't even know that? Human, monster, nightmare, corpse—the legends of the four races say that reaching the Ninth Realm lets one become deathless and indestructible, transcending heaven and earth. For us, that's the moon in the sky—too high to reach. Human cultivation follows the nine realms of ascending heaven, questioning the Dao, and singing long songs. The first realm is Martial Man, the second is Mortal Transformation, and the third is Palace Knocking. Knowing anything beyond that won't help you. It'll only bring trouble down on your head." He suddenly stood and kicked the Monster Cores on the ground. "Go on, don't stand around being an eyesore. Bring me good monster materials and I won't cheat you. If something feels wrong during cultivation, come report it immediately. Don't cultivate yourself into a monster."

Then he began laughing strangely again, the sound striking the courtyard walls until they hummed. "Oh, right. Think it over carefully before you start. Don't follow my example when I was young and muddleheaded—I nearly tempered myself into a Human Pig. Hahaha!"

Wang Quan hugged the booklet as he left the garrison. He found a secluded corner, sat down, and opened to the first page. The handwriting was as messy as if it had been carved with a knife: Extract the essence blood of monsters and demons and fuse it into your own body. With every kind of power absorbed, your strength will increase by one part, and your flesh will harden by one part. In theory, your body can become far stronger than that of a monster or demon.

His heart stirred, and he summoned the system interface.

System display: Fuse Blood Monster Body Tempering Art with Bronze Armor Technique to generate a new technique?

Wang Quan confirmed the fusion.

His vision blurred. Countless blood-colored Runes exploded inside his mind. The steadiness of Bronze Armor Technique and the violence of Blood Monster Body Tempering Art twisted together, transforming into a searing current that traveled along his meridians and drilled toward his dantian. He could feel his blood growing thicker, while the gaps between his bones seemed stuffed with iron filings that radiated a faint heat.

Fusion successful. New technique: Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art (Mortal Transformation Realm technique: sinew cleansing and marrow purging). Minor mastery achieved. Skill Points consumed: 7. Remaining: 0. Physical strength comparable to a late-Spirit Awakening Realm monster or demon, slightly superior.

Wang Quan clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked. The places where the old jackal had scratched him had formed scabs covered in dark-red keratin. They felt hard as iron beneath his fingers.

Madman Xu's words rang in his ears: Don't cultivate yourself into a monster. This technique was domineering. It would probably become even harder to rein in later. But for now, he had to stay alive before he could worry about the future.

Distantly, the night patrol's wooden clappers sounded. Wang Quan put away the booklet and headed toward the barracks. As he passed beneath Madman Xu's window, he heard the sound of an iron skewer poking meat inside, along with Madman Xu's muttering: "Who will be the third person to get the technique?"