Chapter 210: Tiger Demon Clears Inventory
The two groped their way in the dark to the front of the abandoned building. Borrowing the horse lantern that Lu Rang had hung at the stairwell entrance in advance, Yuan Zhu finally saw the other’s facial features clearly.
The other’s mental state had an indescribable exhaustion and world-weariness. It was just like at a bathhouse, battling through the night for three days and nights, completely drained of essence, qi, and spirit.
“What’s up with you? Your face looks so bad.”
The young sword immortal had a forlorn expression: “Sigh, don’t ask. It’s all because of cultivating sword dao. Last time I entered the Happy Home, the captain said my strength was growing too slowly, so he specially arranged a trial for me and Lili to catch up with you veterans’ progress. So I got anxious inside, overdid the sacrificing sword, and that feeling was really too painful.”
Lu Rang had a traumatized, reluctant-to-recall look, then continued: “Later, a guiding senior from the Security Bureau told me this was seeking quick success, over-refining sword had hurt my spirit. These past few days, I’ve been sealing sword to recuperate, mainly focusing my energy on recycling goblins.”
Hearing him say this, Yuan Zhu only then noticed that the current Lu Rang indeed had a restrained sharpness. His eyes were tired and listless, yet hid a fierce edge, indeed a bit different.
“How did you refine sword to injure yourself to this extent?”
Lu Rang didn’t hide it: “In the Security Bureau, I got to know a few sword cultivators. On their recommendation, I joined a Sword Dao Club in Running City. After getting familiar, I used blood eggplant produced by the Happy Home to exchange from a senior for a secret technique to accelerate sacrificing sword: Concentric Sword Art. I didn’t expect the effect to be too strong; just trying it once nearly tormented me to mental breakdown.”
In the young sword immortal’s agonizing description, the Sword Cultivator system had characteristics like ‘rapid success, strong lethality, excels at long-range attacks, poor personal defense, significant flaws, easy for large-scale cultivation…’ Therefore, it was valued by the New Federation and widely promoted in the military.
So the Security Bureau wasn’t all Law System; there were also officially sent sword cultivator experts stationed (weaker ones interning). Thus Running City had a Sword Dao Club for exchanging experience, materials, and officially compiled ‘quick success cultivation techniques’.
Because the military’s sword cultivators were mostly treated as tools, cultivated like human missiles or rapid-fire cannons, not pursuing higher realms or long-term potential.
Lu Rang was a newbie who had just completed registration, knew nothing, and joined the ‘sword dao patients’ club to share conditions. He even brought out blood eggplant that could ‘accelerate healing’, very popular with sword cultivators, so he exchanged for a Concentric Sword Art.
This technique connects one’s own senses with an animal (rabbit, mouse).
During cultivation, first connect, then block, then use Blessing of the Sword to extract sword qi, and slaughter it. With a heart of compassion, savor knife by knife the taste of the sharpness of sword qi slicing across every inch of the rabbit’s flesh and skin, not indulging in abuse but calmly and objectively recording.
Finally, after the slaughter ends, unblock, dump the rabbit’s ‘first-person slaughter sensations’ into the brain all at once, then review and appreciate again.
The finer the savoring and more accurate the recording during cutting; at this moment, the blessing descends, the painful sensations perfectly match the cutting tastes, mutually verifying, turning into strands of real pain deeply engraved into the soul, precipitating in the heart, becoming Sword Dao Foundation integrated into the soul, forging a Sword Heart.
Indeed a rapid success method, just prone to mental breakdown and madness.
…
Lu Rang, knowing nothing, went all-in on ‘listening to advice + seriousness’.
When cutting the rabbit, he harbored a little animal protectionist heart of ‘reluctance + guilt + sin’, diligently memorizing the feel of every knife. So when he lifted the block, he immediately enjoyed tenfold retribution, the soul impact so painful he lost control of his bowels, thus severely damaging his soul, remaining weak to this day.
After hearing the Sword Cultivator system’s retarded training method, Yuan Zhu was speechless, could only console: “My condolences!” Secretly thinking ‘impressive!’
Lu Rang forced a smile: “I heard people say my current state, though extremely painful, is the stage of highest cultivation efficiency. Those veteran sword cultivators’ Sword Hearts are already numb beyond repair; no matter how great or excessive the pain stimulation, it brings little improvement, and instead easily leads to mental breakdown and entering demonic path.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help shivering, somewhat regretting choosing Sword Cultivator. This path was too hard!
“Right, Brother Yuan. Doesn’t your Holy Church also endure the pain of holy light incinerating flesh, self-burning lifespan and soul, yet leaving nothing behind, merely tempering and improving the quality of light. How did you endure to cultivate soul crystal so quickly?!”
At this moment, Lu Rang was full of admiration and worship for Yuan Zhu who could cultivate soul crystal.
Everyone entered the path at the same time, no precedence. Sword Cultivator was indeed bound to ‘pain’; but Holy Light was no better, that was blatant self-immolation.
Just recalling his hospital holy light test, those agonized screams, eyes spraying light, souls incinerated empty like mummified little spicy sticks, he knew cultivating Holy Light was how painful, no less than Sword Cultivator! And it even shortens lifespan, wears down the soul.
He was weakened for so many days after just one Concentric Sword Art; how did Brother Zhuzi endure? Even burning out sarira (soul crystal), how much pain did he suffer?!
‘Right! How did I endure it?’
At this moment, Yuan Zhu was also stumped by the question. If not for Lu Rang asking, he wouldn’t have realized his Holy Light progress was indeed bizarrely fast, treated as a genius by many.
Comparing now with Lu Rang’s defeated look, he awoke to the realization that his holy light talent was largely based on ‘basically not feeling the flesh-heart-burning pain’.
If like Lu Rang, he needed to deeply experience holy light igniting Holy Mark, incinerating flesh, exploiting vitality, burning spirit, scorching soul’s pain. He’d probably faint from pain after one Holy Light, lying dead for two hours to recover.
With such low efficiency, how to upgrade quickly?!
Snake Snake suddenly replied: “This is thanks to Dataized Soul Firewall and Dataized Holy Light Pollution. When you branded Holy Mark, it used 1% pollution degree of Great Desolation Immortal Scripture, completed data conversion to brand new version of Personal Holy Light. Thus when burning vitality, the Firewall blocks and filters, greatly weakening pain, ensuring physical and mental health, spirit not going abnormal. Additionally, your burned vitality is secretly linked to Tiger Demon’s health regen mechanism, actually burning health bar, so pain is even less.”
Yuan Zhu suddenly thought of Shadow System; Universe Within The Belly accepts all comers, swallows any pollution, easily refines various pollution sources, extracts valuable Extraordinary Shadow Pollution, and smoothly combines with Ghost Companion, almost no mistakes, no difficulty, no loss of control…
Completely different from the daily mental pollution, demonization, loss of control, flips in Du Ling’s various supernatural systems.
Snake Snake: “Yes, I’ve noticed long ago, it’s all Great Desolation Old Man bearing the load for us! Shadow System’s smooth sailing all compensated by pollution degree. Limit unknown, anyway 1% pollution degree’s holy light also smoothly forged first mark, no adverse reactions.”
“Immortal Scripture’s pollution degree is used like this? Immune to pollution loss of control risk in pollution systems?” Yuan Zhu was a bit dazed; wasn’t this a free pass?
At this time, seeing Lu Rang’s earnest seeking gaze, he could only brace himself and boast: “I have no shortcuts, all bitter endurance. You know the path of cultivation has no shortcuts, all relies on personal enlightenment and endurance, but must seek stability, seek slowness, don’t be anxious. For this, I can only suggest you chat more with Zhou Chu, have her teach you some basic Law System secret techniques, to firm your beliefs, establish mental landmarks, so in extreme pain or temptation near compromise, ensure heart doesn’t deviate.”
What else could Yuan Zhu do?
His Holy Light seemed entirely thanks to Great Desolation Immortal Scripture compensating, avoiding price, blocking loss of control risk, crazily devouring pollution (ash) without flipping. Teaching Lu Rang like this would guarantee flip in three days, ascension to Spirit Layer in a week. Mao Mao King loses employee, or gains ‘demonic sword madman’?
On the contrary, Zhou Chu’s free parting gift of basic Law System intro has positive effects on various pollution systems. He resisted and disliked it, but for Lu Rang it truly wasn’t bad.
The sword immortal pondered: “Sister Zhou? Thanks for the reminder, Brother Yuan, I’ll seek her teachings. Just don’t know…”
“Don’t worry, she especially likes imparting Law System secret techniques. You just cultivate moderately, don’t let her fool you lame, selling yourself to Pale Great Law.”
“Mm, I understand.”
By now, the two had reached the third floor; rancid swill mixed with feces and corpse stench hit them head-on.
Yuan Zhu immediately pulled out gas mask, donned it on his face. Then Shadow Uniform automatically wrapped his whole body, isolating from the air.
He said to Lu Rang: “Drop me off here, next you ignore, head home rest early.”
Having cooperated once and knowing Yuan Zhu had other secrets, Lu Rang didn’t linger, just set tomorrow’s meet, called his pet to follow, and directly left the abandoned building.
At the same time, he pondered whether to incorporate Law into Sword Cultivator basics? Earlier consulting captain, the other suggested cultivating more auxiliary techniques like ‘nourishing primordial spirit, breathing moonlight’ to alleviate mental exhaustion and wear.
In this trial world specially opened for him and Lili, heard there’s a Moon Worship Ceremony very helpful for soul nurturing, forgot to ask Brother Zhuzi.
…
Watching Lu Rang leave, that dog beside him ignored him throughout, looks like his affinity with Wolf King was completely severed.
Snake Snake: “Don’t be disappointed, Boss, you’re now the even better Cat King!”
Thus Cat King now transformed, activated Tiger Demon Stance, becoming a five-meter-long shadow giant tiger. Body too large, it even felt its burly shoulders brushing corridor walls on both sides, squeezed in corridor center. They say kittens are liquid, yet it couldn’t even turn around.
A white light suddenly drilled into ground darkness, dragging tiger demon body, following shadowification. Turned into stretching silhouette, merged into underfoot shadow, and 180° turned to re-emerge from corridor.
“Who says you’re not liquid?!” The pale skeleton bone snake, red gem eyes, slithered along spine bulge to tiger demon’s ear, questioning.
“?”
Tiger Demon stunned, then shrank body smaller, merged again into wall shadows, turned and emerged: “Are you freaking nuts.”
No longer minding the little spicy stick that regained body (tail) control and couldn’t help twitching madly.
Tiger Demon reached nearest room door, one claw swept off door lock, terrifying polluted aura spread, oppressing room goblins silent, all prostrating on ground trembling, panicked bowel and bladder incontinence. Making already turbid air even more indescribable.
Tiger Demon full of disgust, simply didn’t step in, stayed in corridor. Only saw it shake tiger body, countless tentacle-like wriggling shadows snake-drilled from underfoot shadow.
This was the most basic Shadow Manipulation (Talent 1), becoming more vivid with tiger demon’s growth.
Then, this group of shadow tentacles surged into room all at once, giving no chance for prostrated goblins to struggle, dispersed, first drilled into goblins’ underfoot shadows.
Immediately, each goblin’s shadow turned into wriggling tentacle cluster, hatching more shadow tentacles, bursting to wrap and envelop them. Drilled into seven orifices and five senses, emitting pained wails, soon stopped twitching, stiffened motionless.
Snake Snake excitedly took over, controlling numerous goblins to rise uniformly from ground, stiffly line up in a row, obediently heading to stairs outside door.
Tiger Demon continued forward to next room, same trick, countless shadow tentacles surged on ground, converged into stream pouring into room.
Repeating several rounds thus controlled over a hundred goblins on 3rd floor. Then, underfoot shadow rustled again, one Shadow Magic Worm drilled out.
Under tiger demon command, it quickly rushed into several rooms, sprayed large amounts of shadow eggplant seedlings from body, cleaned up all 0 pollution garbage inside, then turned to face Tiger Demon.
“Snake Snake, yours. No problem?”
“Piece of cake!”
This thing (Magic Worm) after Snake Snake’s modification, had brain eggplant installed inside head, and loaded with optimized Artificial Stupidity Program 2.13 version.
Though still braindead, no intelligence. Yet could receive commands and execute.
When Tiger Demon reverted to human stance, Snake Snake could lounge in Yuan Zhu’s mental world like operating mouse, remote control Brain Eggplant (server) to manipulate numerous goblins’ behavior patterns.
As for why Shadow Magic Worm could independently exist without disappearing after Tiger Demon Stance is lifted? All thanks to Shadow Uniform.
Yuan Zhu long felt Shadow Uniform outdated, couldn’t keep up with his strength growth. So Tiger Demon on-site exerted, treated this Shadow Magic Worm as polluted materials, forcibly stuffed into Shadow Uniform, cut link with Ghost Companion, gave it to Shadow Uniform.
Reverting to human stance, Yuan Zhu went downstairs first. Behind followed a huge magic worm, splitting countless shadow tentacles from underside, parasitically controlling a group of limbless walking dead, unsteadily climbing into truck cargo bed, stacking like arhats to fill the compartment, then pulling tarp over to cover themselves.
