Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art

Wang Quan licked the slightly sweet and bloody monster blood that splashed onto the corner of his mouth, his eyes indifferent. "You're the only one left."

The young jackal stared intently at Wang Quan. The rage in its eyes slowly subsided, replaced by a chill that made Wang Quan's heart skip a beat, and… mockery? It didn't rush to avenge its elder brother, but instead spoke. Its voice had lost its previous urgency, replaced by a calm that belied its age, even sounding a bit pompous:

"Don't bother, food. You can't kill me."

Wang Quan frowned, gripping the saber hilt tighter. The Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength within him quietly circulated, guarding against any tricks.

The young jackal bared its teeth, as if smiling, but coupled with its jackal-dog face and fiery green eyes, it looked particularly terrifying. "Speaking of which, I should thank you. For dealing with this stupid and troublesome brother of mine. With one less competitor for benefits, I can climb higher faster."

Wang Quan's pupils contracted. Killing with a borrowed knife? Brotherly strife? The cold-bloodedness of this beast exceeded his expectations.

"We'll meet again next time, and it will be your death day," the young jackal said coldly. There was no sadness in its green eyes, only naked killing intent and a condescending gaze. "Your crude schemes can only fool these mindless fools. As for me? I never trusted you from the start."

It paused, its tone laced with amusement. "Food, thank you. Hurry up and get stronger. Otherwise, if we meet again, you won't be as lucky as today, finding an opening."

After speaking, before Wang Quan could react, it suddenly raised a front paw. In its claw, it held a palm-sized beast-skin talisman, adorned with winding blood-red patterns. The talisman ignited without fire, instantly turning into an unresolvable mass of blood-red light that enveloped it completely!

"Damn!" Wang Quan knew something was wrong and lunged forward, swinging the Blood Drinking Saber fiercely at the mass of light!

The blade swept through, only hitting the rapidly fading afterimage of the blood-red light. In its place, the young Candlejackal Monster was gone, leaving only a faint, nauseating smell of blood.

Wang Quan stood there, holding his saber, blood still seeping from the wound on his back. His face was ashen. He stared at the spot where the young jackal had disappeared, then at the corpse of its elder brother on the ground, and slowly exhaled.

"I still underestimated the hearts of these beasts..." he muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice, but more so a cold clarity. Leaving a loose end would surely lead to trouble. The one that escaped was clearly more cunning, more patient, and… more troublesome than its deceased brother and teacher.

He walked to the corpse of the elder brother, who had been impaled through the chest, and enduring the nausea, used the Blood Drinking Saber to cut open its chest. After fumbling around, his fingertips touched a walnut-sized, warm, slightly hard lump glowing with a faint red light.

A Monster Core! The quality was good, and the monster power was stable. It looked even better than the old jackal's previous core. Its foundation should be decent.

Wang Quan pocketed the Monster Core, then quickly dug out a smaller, dimmer core from the head of the impatient young jackal that had been decapitated.

Clutching the two still-warm Monster Cores, Wang Quan's face held little joy. He efficiently cleaned up the scene, burying the two young jackal corpses haphazardly and wiping away any obvious signs of a struggle. After finishing, he didn't delay any longer and returned directly.

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Wang Quan dragged his injured leg into the Garrison as dusk settled. Under the crooked-neck locust tree in the courtyard, Madman Xu was squatting, poking a piece of black jerky with an iron skewer. Seeing him enter, he didn't look up, a muffled laugh rumbling from his throat, "Yo, food still knows how to come back. Didn't get snatched by monsters."

Wang Quan didn't reply. He took out a cloth bundle from his bosom and slapped it onto the stone table. The bundle opened, revealing three Monster Cores rolling out. One was walnut-sized with a strong red glow, the other two were smaller, with dark red tinged with green.

Madman Xu stared intently at the three Monster Cores, speechless for a long time, almost staring the oil lamp in the house out. Suddenly, he grinned, revealing his missing teeth, his laughter like a cracked gong exploding. "Bold, brave. Good kid, you really dared to do it." He circled Wang Quan twice, poking his shoulder with his withered finger, the force jarring. "The old jackal's core, and the cores of those two little brats, all accounted for. You're crazier than I was back then."

As he spoke, he pulled a tattered booklet from his pocket. The cover was greasy and shiny, inscribed with Blood Monster Body Tempering Art. The strokes were seeped with dark red, like dried blood. "This cultivation method, I came up with it myself. You're the second person to get it." He suddenly lowered his voice, his eyes like poisoned blades. "As for the first one, I hope you two never meet. Otherwise, hehe, there'll only be bone dregs left to feed the dogs."

Wang Quan took the booklet, its touch icy cold. Madman Xu leaned back against the locust tree, took out his wine gourd, and took a swig, smacking his lips. "The follow-up to this cultivation method, I'll give it to you when you can control that murderous madness in your heart. But not now. If you haven't reached the Palace Knocking Realm, practicing it is just seeking death."

Palace Knocking Realm. Wang Quan frowned. He hadn't heard of this term before.

Madman Xu scoffed, spitting wine breath onto Wang Quan's face. "You don't even know this? Monsters, Demonic Creatures, Nightmares, Corpses. The legend of the four races says that reaching the ninth realm grants immortality and transcendence. For us, it's like the moon in the sky, unreachable. Human cultivation has nine realms to ascend to the Dao, a long song. The first realm is Martial Practitioner, the second is Mortal Transformation, the third is Palace Knocking. Knowing the rest is useless, it'll only bring trouble." He suddenly stood up and kicked the Monster Cores on the ground. "Go on, don't be an eyesore here. Bring me good monster materials for exchange, and I won't cheat you. If you feel something's wrong with your cultivation, report it immediately. Don't turn yourself into a monster."

Then he chuckled strangely again, his laughter echoing off the courtyard walls. "Oh, and before you cultivate, think carefully. Don't end up like me in my youth, almost turning myself into a Human Pig. Hahaha."

Wang Quan walked out of the Garrison, clutching the booklet, and found a secluded corner to sit down and open the first page. The handwriting was messy, as if carved with a knife. "Absorb the essence and blood of Demonic Creatures and merge it into your own body. Each time you absorb one, your strength increases by one point, your flesh by one point. Theoretically, you can become much stronger than a Demonic Creature's body."

His heart stirred, and he brought up the system interface.

The system displayed: Do you wish to merge Blood Monster Body Tempering Art with the Bronze Armor Technique to generate a new cultivation method?

Wang Quan confirmed the merge.

His vision blurred, and countless blood-red runes exploded in his mind. The steadiness of the Bronze Armor Technique and the ferocity of the Blood Monster Body Tempering Art twisted together, transforming into a scorching current that flowed through his meridians into his Dantian. He could feel his blood thickening, and his bones felt like they were packed with iron filings, faintly burning.

Merge Successful. New Cultivation Method: Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art (Mortal Transformation Realm Cultivation Method: Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Transformation). Realm: Minor Accomplishment. Consumed 7 Skill Points, 0 remaining. Physical strength comparable to late-stage Spirit Awakening Realm Demonic Creatures, slightly superior.

Wang Quan clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. The place on his original wound from the old jackal, the scab had turned into dark red keratin, feeling hard to the touch.

Madman Xu's words echoed in his ears: Don't turn yourself into a monster. This cultivation method was domineering, and it would likely be harder to control in the future. But for now, survival was paramount.

The sound of the night watchman's gong echoed from afar. Wang Quan put away the booklet and walked towards the barracks. Passing by Madman Xu's window, he heard the sound of the iron skewer poking meat from inside, and Madman Xu muttering, "The third person to get the cultivation method, who will it be?"