Cognitive Barrier

The firewood lit up the cave, its warm glow bringing comfortable expressions to the faces of the dogs who had yet to take human form.

The place of honor beside the fire had been cleared. Red Evil Ogre wagged his fluffy tail nearby, letting out an "awoo" as he urged Tōga to sit.

The other dogs raised their heads expectantly too, their tails wagging furiously.

The dog responsible for fetching food from the outpost even stood up and rubbed his head against Tōga's trouser leg, his moist canine eyes full of eager anticipation.

"You lot."

Tōga chuckled and picked up the stored ingredients beside the fire. Under the dogs' longing gazes, his demonic energy surged.

Sharp claws suddenly extended from his human fingers, and he sliced up the ingredients in a few swift strokes.

Then he took the little wooden sticks Red Evil Ogre had cut with his claws and began the simple, unadorned work of grilling.

The rustic aroma of roasting meat began to fill the cave, and all the dogs found themselves drooling.

Perhaps because this world had spiritual energy, even the beasts hunted in the mountain forests tasted quite good when grilled normally, without any seasoning.

They tasted much better than they did raw.

The light of civilization brought by the great nation in the east had led this country, where everyone from top to bottom had lived on raw flesh and blood, into civilized society.

But long-lived demons were neither as sensitive to the passage of time nor as concerned with the development of civilization as short-lived humans.

Most wrapped themselves in animal skins. Only a few demons whose tastes were closer to those of humans wore splendid human clothing, along with armor that often served merely as decoration.

Thus, two types of demons gradually emerged. One still revered their primal demonic bodies and focused on honing them.

The other transformed their demonic bodies into human form, focusing on exploring and developing the essence of their demonic energy.

As a Dog Yokai with a Great Yokai among its ranks, the Dog Tribe's king had encountered the eastern nation's cultivation system early on and made a breakthrough based on only a few scraps of information. He placed greater importance on that path.

Heaven and earth were the parents of all things; humans were the most spiritually gifted of all beings.

A demonized wild boar that still weighed two hundred kilograms after its head and innards had been removed was soon devoured by the group.

With their hunger and thirst satisfied, some of the Dog Yokai took the first watch, lying at the entrance to the outpost cave. Their slightly damp nostrils quivered as they sniffed for scents beyond the wind and snow.

The Dog Yokai assigned to the second watch lay down beside the fire to rest.

Tōga led Red Evil Ogre, who was only one step away from taking human form, into the inner cave.

Red Evil Ogre knelt on all fours on the hay-covered ground, lifting his canine head to gaze at the handsome captain before him. Tōga's flecked golden eyes shone like stars in the sky.

"As a demon clan that uses the human body as the foundation of cultivation, our true cultivation as Dog Yokai only begins once we take human form."

As a pureblood Dog Yokai, Tōga had also been born a White Dog with snow-white fur.

Blessed with talent far beyond the ordinary, Tōga had soon learned to switch freely between his human and demonic forms under the clan elders' guidance once he had accumulated enough demonic energy.

As someone who would one day become an [Admiral] and a [King], Tōga naturally had to organize and summarize the relevant experience and key tricks, making them part of the Dog Tribe's foundation to be passed down through the generations.

It would also spare his future self some exhaustion, rather than leaving him constantly rushing about on the front lines of battle.

The vast majority of demons were sorely lacking when it came to passing down their knowledge, and the Dog Tribe was no exception.

On the path of cultivation, the younger generation listened to profound pronouncements from their Dog Tribe elders that even the elders themselves did not understand. Then, with only a vague grasp of what they had heard, they relied on their own talent to bulldoze ahead.

The gifted did as they pleased, charging straight ahead without so much as a detour. Those with poor talent were pitiful "little demon underlings," rarely getting a moment to shine.

"Awoo."

Red Evil Ogre nodded with only a hazy understanding, brought his little paws together, and waved them at Tōga in thanks.

Then he began cultivating according to the tips Tōga had given him.

This is my first time teaching someone. I hope it turns out well.

Tōga sat cross-legged nearby. His powerful senses allowed him to detect the demonic energy moving in the right direction within Red Evil Ogre's body.

Since Red Evil Ogre would eventually manage to force his way into human form, he naturally belonged among those with talent.

His talent simply was not that great. He could not compare with the Leopard Cat clan's four commanders, and later, he and Qitian would be killed by the Four War Gods of Penglai Island.

Somewhat reassured, Tōga began his own daily cultivation.

Cultivation for low-level demons was not complicated. It was purely a matter of accumulating demonic energy.

Whether a demon honed their demonic body or studied the essence of their demonic energy, once that energy filled their entire body, they reached the threshold between a low-level and Mid-Level Yokai.

In the terms used by the fantasy webnovels Tōga had read in his previous life, this was-the peak of the low-level demon realm!

Really, it was about the equivalent of being just about to graduate from elementary school.

Slaughtering the island nation's assorted samurai was easy. As long as a demon still had demonic energy and stamina, they could kill every one that came at them.

A casual slap could snap a tree trunk as thick as a bowl. Their burst speed surpassed a cheetah's, and their endurance exceeded that of a horse capable of traveling a thousand miles.

Tōga was currently stuck at this threshold, trying to understand the essence of his demonic energy.

To break through to the Mid-Level Yokai stage, demons who followed the bodily path had to increase their size.

They multiplied their demonic energy, stamina, and strength-in common terms, they became heavily armored tanks.

Demons who followed the energy path needed to uncover the essence of their demonic energy and develop ultimate techniques suited to themselves.

They unleashed several times the power with the same amount of demonic energy as before-in other words, they became agile swordmasters or artillery mages.

With the original Dog General's experiences, Tōga's first thought had been the dog demons' signature ultimate technique: Wind Scar.

While developing it, Tōga had mastered Wind Scar with exceptional ease, as naturally and smoothly as eating and drinking.

But Tōga discovered that this little basic-attack-style skill had nothing to do with the essence of his own demonic energy. Even after he figured out Backlash Wave, he remained in the realm of low-level demons.

His demonic energy itself had undergone no qualitative change. As for his combat strength, however, ordinary Mid-Level Yokai were hardly qualified to challenge him.

That was also why he could become a Patrol Squads captain.

Low-level demons were not capable of serving as patrol captains. They were too weak and would be killed too quickly by enemies to provide any warning.

It looks like the assumptions from my previous life have trapped me within a [cognitive barrier].

The essence of my demonic energy is far more powerful and profound than I imagined...

Tōga silently closed his eyes, cast the original story's plot out of his mind, and calmed his thoughts. Using the most primitive cultivation method taught by the clan elders, he honed his demonic energy.

Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning would reveal itself; throw a punch a thousand times, and its principles would become clear.

With his talent, Tōga could brute-force his way through regardless. It would merely take a little more time.