strictlysupreme Chapter 66 Drinking Blood and Slaughtering Deer, Perfecting Tendon Refinement
Chapter 66 Drinking Blood and Slaughtering Deer, Perfecting Tendon Refinement
"Jingle bells!"
Chen Yu was already very familiar with the Nine-Step Refined Forging Method.
The entire forging process was completed in just half an hour, with the operation proceeding smoothly and efficiently.
[Weapon Slot (Tier 1 69%)]
[Weapon]: Bloodthirsty Deer Slayer Knife
[Quality]: Mid-grade, Level 10
[Enhancement]: Refinement (1/1), Advancement (0/1)
[Description]: The knife is two feet eight inches long and the blade is two fingers wide. The whole body is glowing with a reddish light like the setting sun. The blade has blood patterns made of meteorite iron. The guard is shaped like a taotie swallowing a deer. The beast's mouth holds the blade. The beast's eyes are inlaid with blood jade, which will emit a scarlet light in the dark.
[Evaluation]: The blade of a tyrant is coveted by all under heaven.
[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 80 jin; 2. Proficient in swordsmanship.
【装备效果】：1.鹿死谁手；2.吹毛断髮；3.逐鹿天下；4.割鹿领域；5.天下共逐；6.嗜血暴鹿。
[Tip]: Upgrades and modifications can be performed. Once completed, all equipment effects will be enhanced, and the "Demon Deer Soul" effect will be added.
【Soul of the Demon Deer】: 1. Sacrifice 50% of the wearer's maximum health to awaken the Demon Deer Soul within the blade, releasing the killing intent accumulated by successive hosts and transforming into the "Demon Deer" state; 2. In the "Demon Deer" state, attack speed is increased to the limit that the Bloodthirsty Deer Slayer Blade can withstand (0.086 seconds/hit); 3. Each attack has an area-of-effect "slash" effect, dealing 25% splash damage to all units within 3 meters; 4. Immune to all control effects of the same level, but damage taken is increased by 20%; 5. "Demon Deer" state The duration is up to 15 seconds. During this time, for each unit killed, the user permanently gains 1% of the unit's maximum health and extends the "Demon Deer" state by 3 seconds, up to a maximum of 90 seconds. 6. After the "Demon Deer" state ends, if no unit is killed during the duration, the user will be attacked by the Blade Soul and die immediately. If at least one unit is killed, the user will retain at least 1 point of health and enter the "Weakened" state, with all attributes reduced by 50% for 1 hour. For each additional unit killed, the duration of "Weakened" will be reduced by an additional 1%, until it reaches 0%.
【Core Materials】: 1. Two pieces of dragon's reverse scale, scales that grow in reverse from the neck of a dragon, with great toughness; 2. 500 grams of blood-stained deer antler skin, forged together with jade steel; 3. 30 grams of moon frost, a thin frost scraped from rock salt licked by a white deer on the day of Frost's Descent.
【Auxiliary Materials】: 1. Dream-Guiding Incense × 5g, made from the winter down of the Nine-Colored Deer mixed with benzoin resin. Sprinkled in during quenching, it can suppress the backlash of the deer spirit in the blade and stabilize the blood patterns; 2. Winter Antler Oil × 30g, the last drop of oil that seeps from the antlers of the snow deer when it grinds its antlers at the winter solstice. Applying it to the blade can prevent the blood patterns from flaring up, making it a life-saving ointment for the wielder; 3. Azalea Deer Cry Tears × 100ml, made from the skull of a naturally aged deer king, ground into powder and mixed with azalea dew. Legend has it that the last long cry of the deer king before its death will condense in it, which can suppress all weapons forged from deer.
Upon seeing the [Soul of the Demon Deer], which can only be unlocked after upgrading, Chen Yu carefully noticed that its effect is linked to the [Bloodthirsty Deer] effect unlocked during this refinement.
【嗜血暴鹿】：1.消耗20％的当前生命值进入「暴鹿」状态，期间每次造成伤害的25%转化为生命值恢复；2.若生命值已满，则转化为「血怒」层数（最多10层），每层+5%攻击速度和+3%伤害；3.「暴鹿」状态最多持续7秒，每3个小时最多使用1次。
Both effects consume health points to enter a special state. After successfully upgrading, when entering the "Demon Deer" state, you will definitely be able to enter the "Raging Deer" state. With the two compatible states combined, they will obviously exert greater power.
The extreme attack speed effect of the "Demon Deer" state can help the "Berserker Deer" state quickly stack "Blood Rage" layers, while the life conversion effect of the "Berserker Deer" state can quickly make up for the large amount of health lost when entering the "Demon Deer" state.
"Unfortunately, we can't achieve such perfect coordination yet."
Chen Yu sighed.
After buying materials and cultivation techniques at the Night Owl Club last night, I only had a little over a thousand taels of silver left.
Even if we add the more than 1,000 taels seized from Luang Phor, the total is only a little over 2,000 taels.
Based on my previous experience buying Blood-Patterned Meteorite, this amount of silver probably won't be enough to buy the materials needed for upgrading.
Chen Yu felt that the matter of advancing to the next level should be put on hold for the time being.
Anyway, I have other ways to improve my combat power. The most important thing right now is to cultivate the Five Elements Nourishing Life Technique and learn the ancient Sassanid language.
……
Eight days passed quickly.
September 12th, the autumn sky is high and the air is crisp.
In the secluded courtyard, a few leaves drifted down in the wind.
As the morning mist dissipated, Chen Yu stood in the open space of the courtyard, beginning his practice of the Spirit Ape Technique.
He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart.
Repeat the breathing exercise three times, then slightly bend your knees, relax your shoulders and back, and hunch your shoulders like a monkey that has just come down from a tree.
After pausing for a moment, he slowly stretched his left arm upward, palm facing upward, fingertips reaching for the sky.
At the same time, the right arm extends backward and downward, with the palm lightly pressing against the ground.
"The Spirit Monkey Worships Heaven!"
With a gentle pull, the large tendons from the waist to the armpits immediately tightened.
A sharp, aching sensation spread from the Jianjing acupoint all the way down to the wrist.
Chen Yu remained in this position and silently counted to three breaths.
Only when I felt something loosening deep in my shoulder did I slowly straighten my body, shift my weight to my left leg, and lightly touch the ground with my right toes.
"The Monkey Swings on a Branch!"
Chen Yu turned his upper body to the right, stretched out his right hand diagonally with his five fingers slightly spread, as if he wanted to grab a non-existent tree branch next to him.
The morning breeze rustled the leaves, and his arm swayed gently in rhythm with it.
The power is generated smoothly, flexibly, and seamlessly from the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, without any stiffness or resistance.
"The Monkey Picking Peaches!"
"The Monkey Offering Fruit!"
……
He practiced until the end, then gathered his hands back to his dantian and exhaled a long breath of white air.
My forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, but my shoulders and back felt incredibly comfortable. My fingers were warm and tingling, and a warm current flowed from my shoulders all the way to my fingertips, making my mind feel refreshed as well.
Chen Yu stood still, checking the progress of the cultivation technique.
【Technique Section (Tier 2 15%)】
[Exercise Method]: Five Elements Nourishing Life Exercise - Spirit Ape Chapter
[Quality]: Superior Tier 1
[Status]: Equipped
[Progress]: 12th floor (880/1200)
[Equipment Requirements]: None
[Equipment Effect]: Cultivation will surely lead to success, once proven, forever, progress is visible, cultivation efficiency +40%.
"Almost there! Eight more repetitions and we'll reach the limit of the technique!"
Chen Yu rested for a while and then continued practicing his skills.
Three and a half hours passed, and the sunlight reached its strongest point of the day.
At the same time, Chen Yu is about to reach the final moment of the Tendon Refining Realm.
After completing the last set of the Spirit Ape Technique, the twelve major tendons intertwined and stretched out.
【Technique Section (Tier 2 33%)】
[Exercise Method]: Five Elements Nourishing Life Exercise - Spirit Ape Chapter
[Progress]: 12th floor (1200/1200)
Chen Yu maintained the posture of the ape worshipping the heavens.
With his left arm raised and his right arm extended behind him, his whole body resembled a fully drawn bow.
He closed his eyes, feeling the flow of qi and blood in his body.
The muscles throughout the body were slowly sliding, and the tissues that were originally as taut as strings were now like silk soaked in warm water, relaxing inch by inch.
In the blink of an eye, the changes spread to the spine.
Qi and blood originate from the coccyx, ascend along both sides of the spine, pass through the waist, cross the shoulder blades, and continue to the back of the neck.
This large tendon, which was originally stiff as a board, now seemed to be revitalized, expanding and contracting with each breath, continuously delivering blood and energy to the whole body.
Chen Yu felt his body growing longer.
It's not bone growth, but rather the opening of joint spaces, the stretching of fascia, and the rearrangement of ligaments.
These small changes accumulated and actually increased his height by more than an inch.
In less than 15 minutes, the fascial network throughout the body was completely rewoven.
With the tendon training completed, the twelve major tendons returned to their respective positions and were interconnected, forming a flexible and elastic large net.
Chen Yu clearly felt that from this moment on, his body had once again broken through its limits!
He walked to the wall, which was more than two zhang high, and jumped over it with a light leap.
From inside the wall to outside, Chen Yu didn't even feel that he was exerting any force.
This level of explosive power seems to have become an instinct of the body.
"As expected of someone who has perfected the Tendon Refinement stage, jumping around so effortlessly!"
Chen Yu jumped from outside the wall into the wall, and then jumped from inside the wall back out.
After repeating the dance more than thirty times, I finally felt satisfied and packed up to head to the cafeteria.
……
Early the next morning, in the dormitory.
Chen Yu wiped the Ahura statue clean and placed it steadily on the table.
Then, he clasped his hands together and began his third morning prayer in broken Old Sassanid.
"Great God Ahura, I don't want to be hurt. Please bless me so that I can successfully kill all those who want to harm me."
"May I be able to find your three missing parts and successfully repair them, so that you will no longer be a disabled god."
May I find 100,000 taels of silver as soon as I step out the door.
……
The prayer was short and finished quickly.
Chen Yu got up and put the Ahura statue back in the cabinet.
After muttering to himself for a while, he felt much better.
"I wonder if Ahura will answer my prayers. They're just reasonable little wishes; it wouldn't be too much to ask him to grant them, would it?"
As he pondered this, Chen Yu pulled a black robe from the cabinet.
This black robe is the very one that the Night Owls had given us before.
Although the warmth retention is so-so, it's quite comfortable to wear.
Even though Chen Yu had grown taller, he was still able to completely cover him.
Dressed in a black robe, Chen Yu picked up the Blood-Drinking Deer-Slaying Knife and headed towards Wangjiang City.
Today is September 13th, the day of the Night Owls' small gathering.
It was also the day agreed upon with Li Xiaobo, the leader of the Fishermen's Gang, to discuss the important matter of slaying the dragon.
Chen Yu was quite confident in the strength of the Bloodthirsty Deer-Slaying Blade.
How many blows can a mere old dragon withstand?
The distance from Qinglan Mountain to Wangjiang City is only sixty-five li.
Chen Yu arrived in just an hour and a half.
This was still a cautious journey, with the traveler deliberately slowing down.
If he went all out, with his current level of perfected tendon training, he could arrive in less than an hour.
There were far fewer people at the Night Owl Club's outdoor area than last time.
There were only about a hundred people scattered around.
Chen Yu arrived early and had nothing to do, so he wandered around the various areas and stalls.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at a place I had never been before.
The light here is dimmer than elsewhere.
Only two skull lamps were hung, and half of them were deliberately covered with black paper, so that the light could only be seen within three feet.
Three feet away, shadowy figures could be seen, their faces indistinct.
"Blood Plum Blossom, Bounty Zone"
Chen Yu looked at the large wooden sign hanging at the top and read aloud the words written on it.
There were no stalls in the bounty area, only a brick wall painted with blood-red plum blossoms.
A dozen or so iron nails were hammered into the plum blossom wall, and wooden plaques were hung on the nails.
The wooden signs varied in size and age; some were new, some were old, the old ones were blackened and moldy, while the new ones still showed the raw white wood underneath.
Each wooden plaque had a few lines of text carved on it, the characters crooked and twisted, as if carved with the tip of a knife.
Below the plum blossom wall is a long table made of coffin planks.
Behind the table sat a middle-aged man, around forty years old, with a donkey-like face and a lean build.
He was wearing a blue cloth robe with a bronze plaque pinned to his collar.
Chen Yu could see clearly that it read "Blood Plum Blossom - Special Bounty Offer".
"My name is Deng Zhenxing. Would you like to 'plant flowers' or 'pluck flowers'?"
The donkey-faced man glanced at Chen Yu and asked in a low voice.
What does "planting flowers" mean, and what does "picking flowers" mean?
Beneath the black robe, Chen Yu asked in a deep, muffled voice.
"New to the game? 'Planting flowers' means putting up a bounty, and 'plucking flowers' means taking down the bounty and killing someone."
"Let me take a look first."
As Chen Yu spoke, he walked to the wall.
As he looked through the wooden plaques, Deng Zhenxing was also explaining the rules to him.
"The rules in our Blood Plum Blossom Bounty Zone are stricter, but also more flexible than anywhere else."
"First, we don't ask about your background. Whether you put up a sign or take it down, you don't need to leave your name, let alone explain why you're offering a bounty. Just write down who you want to kill."
"Secondly, we do not extend credit or incur debts. Before the reward is posted, the reward money is given to someone like me who manages the post. After the deed is done, the person in charge of the post takes 10% of the money as the posting fee for the reward area, and the remaining 90% is given to the person who claims the reward."
"Third, it's first-come, first-served. Only one person can take down a wooden sign. Once you accept the job, you must complete it within the specified time. If you fail to complete it, you will be fined, ranging from one percent to one-third, depending on the time lost and the amount of the reward."
"Fourth, they recognize the plaque, not the person. When you claim the reward, you don't need to prove that you did it. You just need to bring the wooden plaque back and hand it to the plaque keeper. The plaque keeper will send someone to verify whether the target has been eliminated. Only after verification will you receive the money. As for how you did it, no one will ask."
"Fifth, the wooden plaque on the Blood Plum Blossom can only be hung for a maximum of thirty days. If no one takes it down within thirty days, the plaque will be removed and the money will be returned to its owner. If something is still not done after thirty days, it means it is too difficult or too strange, and we will not serve it."
After listening, Chen Yu felt that it was a very complete set of rules, and he could hardly find any loopholes.
Whether listing or delisting, it can be done anonymously, making it relatively safe to do so.
He suddenly had the idea of making money by picking off cards, and wanted to see if there were any suitable targets for him to kill.