boyutpedia Chapter 10 Earthworm Meat and Barbecue
Chapter 10 Earthworm Meat and Barbecue
A day can be very short or very long.
In this dark and abandoned mine tunnel, time stretched out for a very, very long time.
When Yang Jin awoke again from the Demonic Ape Visualization Diagram, he didn't know whether it was day or night outside.
All he knew was that he had refined 3 more points of earth vein essence, and the fusion rate with the earth-walking marmoset had increased from 7.6% when he first entered the mine to 8.3%.
He lit a pile of wood chips, and by the dim light, stretched his body before walking to a slightly more open area at the mine entrance, where he practiced the Mountain-Splitting Style again.
He needs to master this technique as soon as possible so that he can unleash his full combat power and not just charge around like a bull with brute strength.
call!
This time, the axe wind howled, its trajectory even more stable and sharp!
He cleaved a protruding rock face in the side with an axe!
"Clang!"
Sparks flew everywhere, and a white mark about an inch deep was cleaved into the rock wall, sending fragments of rock flying!
The force of the recoil sent a slight numbness through my arm, but I gripped the axe handle firmly with my thumb and forefinger, and my body only swayed slightly.
Yang Jin inhaled and put away his axe, staring at the white mark, then looked down at his palm, which was only slightly red.
An uncontrollable confidence, mixed with a chilling killing intent, surged and churned in his chest.
"Sun Yaozu...you're going to die..."
He muttered his enemy's name under his breath, his eyes like knives, "If I ever see you again, I'll take your dog's life within three axe strokes!"
This is not arrogance.
He had compared his current strength, speed, reaction time, and the flesh and blood that had been initially tempered by the essence of qi and blood and the earth's veins. It was far superior to the version of himself he had been on the cliff, and also far superior to the average young man from a mountain village.
He was absolutely confident that he could win a head-on fight against Sun Yaozu, a spoiled brat who had been corrupted by wine and women and was arrogant only because of his family background.
but……
The sharp light in Yang Jin's eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a deeper solemnity.
Sun Yaozu has never been alone.
He always had henchmen around him.
Those guards might not be experts, but they had some martial arts training, had seen many situations, and knew how to cooperate.
More importantly, the Sun family also has the Iron Bone Martial Arts School behind them!
True martial artists practice systematic fighting techniques, experience brutal battles, have excellent blood circulation, and use ruthless and cunning moves.
What about yourself?
All I had was the "Mountain Splitting Style" obtained in exchange for a fox fur, and a visualization of a demonic ape that I hadn't fully grasped yet, which leaned more towards body training.
It might be an overwhelming victory against ordinary people, but against a skilled and experienced martial artist...
"You'll get beaten to death."
Yang Jin came to a cruel conclusion.
Having power but not knowing how to use it makes you a sitting duck in the face of real killing skills.
The "Mountain Splitting" style is ultimately just a beginner's technique.
He needs to learn the real way to play! The real, powerful way to play!
Systematic guidance is needed! Experience needs to be gained through sparring with martial artists!
We need...we need way too much!
But now, with the situation tense, the Sun family and the martial artists he hired are like a pack of wolves that have smelled blood, searching the whole mountain for people.
I felt like a mouse hiding in a burrow, forced to remain in the darkness, silently accumulating strength, waiting for the storm to pass.
"We must wait... but not out of fear or cowardice, but to prepare for a more powerful strike next time!"
Yang Jin gripped the axe handle tightly, feeling the texture of the wooden handle in his palm, as well as the increasingly vigorous fire of blood and qi within his body.
He turned around and looked at the side path that Atu had just emerged from, where... there lay the hope of him continuing to grow stronger.
"The nearby ore has been basically mined out, so we have to send Atu to collect ore from more distant places."
This abandoned mine vein must contain more than just these scattered ores; perhaps we can even find another spiritual spring cave.
"Go, Atu, go find your own starry sea, and bring me back some more ore while you're at it."
Atu nodded and faithfully carried out the orders.
This wasn't the first time it had left its territory; it had previously ventured into unknown areas in search of ore. However, this time it ventured further and deeper... resulting in an even greater efficiency in collecting ore.
Every one or two hours, it would wriggle back and spit out a few pieces of newly mined ore.
[Earth Essence +0.04]
[Earth Essence +0.06]
[Earth Essence +0.03]
···
Small accumulations eventually form a mighty river.
The earth's essence reserves within the mountain cauldron are slowly increasing.
This put his mind at ease, at least for the time being, he wouldn't lack the "fuel" for cultivation.
However, shortly after Atu entered a new side path, the emotions transmitted through the mental link suddenly became intense and chaotic!
That emotion was no longer the peaceful vibration of digging, but... a collision, a tumbling, and a sharp and hostile hiss!
"Something's happened!"
Yang Jin was startled and immediately focused his mind on the connection.
The "view" was shared: a rock-splitting earthworm, slightly thinner than Atu but darker red in color and with a faint metallic sheen on its cuticle, was baring its teeth at Atu!
It perched in front of a small patch of exceptionally deep-colored hematite, its mouth wide open, revealing dense, file-like teeth, and let out a menacing hiss at Atu, who had intruded into its territory.
Atu also tensed up, his jaws rubbing together at high speed, making a threatening "click-clack" sound.
The other person looked furious, as if their territory had been violated.
呲!
The standoff didn't last long; almost instantly, the apex predators in the two mine tunnels clashed violently!
The dark red rock-splitting earthworm moved even faster, shooting towards Atu like an arrow, attempting to tear at Atu's relatively soft abdomen with its mouthparts.
Atu is a bit large and clumsy, but after Yang Jin's hammering and refining for several days, coupled with the nourishment of the earth's essence, it has long been transformed and is no longer an ordinary rock-carving earthworm.
It was a bull-like, rock-carving earthworm.
How could this salted fish, which burrows through rocks, possibly be a match for Ah Tu?
However, A-Tu did not take the opponent's attack head-on. Instead, he suddenly turned his head and used the side of his head, which was covered with a hard keratin layer, to smash the opponent's attack away.
boom!
The dull thud echoed through the narrow mine tunnel.
Yang Jin could feel the impact pain and the increasingly high fighting spirit transmitted by A Tu through the connection.
A-Tu actually started to get excited.
Its ox and horse spirit is burning.
Yang Jin did not panic, but became increasingly calm and focused his mind to convey more specific instructions to Atu.
"Left! Whip! Wrap it up!"
The command was transmitted through the mental link.
A-Tu suddenly understood. Its thick tail suddenly exerted force, lashing out like a steel whip and slamming into the middle of the dark red rock-carving earthworm.
At the same time, he twisted his body, trying to wrap himself around it.
The dark red rock-carving earthworm cried out in pain, its hissing intensified, its body twisting wildly, its mouthparts recklessly biting at Atu's coiled body.
"Tighten! Don't let it bite your vitals! Use your head to ram it!"
A-Tu did as instructed, suddenly increasing the force of the binding, and simultaneously aimed the hardest part of his head at the neck behind the dark red stone-carving earthworm's mouthparts, slamming it hard!
One, two!
Rock fragments fell in a fierce struggle.
The two giant worms rolled and tangled, turning the already narrow side passage into a mess.
Yang Jin was highly focused and dared not be distracted for even a second.
Seeing that Atu had gained the upper hand, the opponent was on the verge of death and about to die.
Instead of ordering Atu to stop attacking, he kept sending out commands like "attack," "suppress," and "beat him to death."
He was teaching Ah Tu a lesson... either don't make a move, or if you do, you'll be taken away.
Atu also grew stronger with each battle. Its body, which had been nourished by the essence of the earth's veins and honed by Yang Jin's high-intensity "labor," had a clear advantage in endurance and strength.
Most of the bites from the dark red rock-cutting earthworm were deflected by Atu's thick keratin layer and skillful twisting, and each of Atu's impacts and strangulations weakened its opponent.
Finally, after a successful entanglement and a series of headbutts, the struggle of the dark red rock-cutting earthworm weakened, and the dark red luster on its body surface dimmed.
At Yang Jin's command to "completely resolve" the situation, Atu opened his mouth full of file-like teeth and bit down hard on the opponent's vulnerable neck, tearing it frantically!
The neighing stopped abruptly.
The dark red rock-carving earthworm's body went completely limp.
The victorious Atu exuded a tired but excited aura.
It did not stop immediately, but instinctively began to devour its opponent's body!
Yang Jin frowned, but did not stop them; he simply observed them carefully.
As A-Tu devoured his opponent, a notification from the mountain cauldron suddenly lit up in his mind:
[The mountain beast 'Atu' devours creatures of the same origin but different species, absorbing their life essence and a portion of their origin.]
[Evolution requirements reduced! Current requirement: 83/100]
The evolution requirement has been reduced from 93 points to 83 points!
One absorption reduced the requirement by 10 points!
This effect far exceeds its usual accumulation of the earth's essence through slow absorption!
Yang Jin was shaken.
Is this the real way to experience Atu?
His previous approach to training was actually wrong.
It can't be said to be wrong, but rather inefficient and not targeted enough.
At the same time, fragments of memories about hunters in the mountains also surfaced at this moment—
The old hunters sat around the fire pit, talking with awe and longing, while little Yang Jin squatted beside them, munching on dried naan while listening intently:
In the deep mountains and marshes, strange beasts often appear. Their fur is like iron, their claws and teeth are coated with poison, and they are as swift as the wind. These creatures, known as "strange beasts," are prey that top hunters both dream of and fear.
Their flesh, bones, and even fur, once captured and brought to town, would be snapped up at extremely high prices by martial arts schools, wealthy merchants, and even government officials.
It is said that martial artists who consume medicinal dishes made from the flesh and blood of exotic beasts, or bathe in medicinal baths with their blood and bone marrow, have incredible effects on breaking through realms and strengthening their qi and blood!
"Strange beasts... Atu, and these rock-carving earthworms, although they look strange and live deep underground, there's no doubt they belong to the category of 'strange beasts,' just of a low level and not so conspicuous..."
A bold, almost insane idea, like a poisonous fire erupting from the ground, instantly ignited Yang Jin's mind!
Since martial artists can eat it, and A-Tu can eat it, and the effects are so remarkable...
Can I eat this?!
Once this thought arises, it can never be stopped.
What does he lack most right now?
Besides systematic gameplay guidance, it's essential to accumulate sufficient Qi and Blood to break through the barrier of the Skin Refining Realm!
The essence of the earth veins can nourish qi and blood, but it is more like a "fuel" and "catalyst". Its efficiency in directly strengthening the source of qi and blood may not be as good as the most direct absorption of "life essence"!
There's nothing else in the mine tunnel, but these rock-drilling earthworms... there must be more than one of them?
Atu's recent encounter proves this point.
"A-Tu!" Yang Jin suppressed his excitement and waited for A-Tu to finish eating before transmitting a new command through the link: "Search the nearby area, collect ores first, then search for rock-drilling earthworms in other areas... Once you find them, don't act rashly, let's hunt them together."
He couldn't wait to try the taste of the 'monster' meat.
After digesting the spoils, Atu's aura became much more solid, and his strength became even greater than before!
This is a good thing; Yang Jin is now even more confident about the upcoming hunt.
After receiving the order, Atu began collecting ores from the nearby area.
......
Yang Jin sat down on the spot, calming his mind and thinking quickly.
How do you eat the meat of exotic beasts?
I've never had this before!
Eat it raw? I can't accept it psychologically. It's not that it tastes bad, it's just that it looks too ugly.
Roast it and eat it? He carried a tinderbox, and there were a few bits of rotten wood left behind by former miners in the mine tunnels...
However, will baking reduce the effectiveness?
Ugh, I don't know how to eat this! What should I do? I need help urgently!
About an hour later, Atu suddenly sent a message:
At another, more secluded and damp fork in the road, it sensed the presence of another rock-carving earthworm, slightly weaker than the first one, as if it were asleep.
"They've found a new rock-digging earthworm so quickly!"
"Quick, finish it off and bring it back for me to taste..."
There was no fear in Yang Jin's eyes, only a longing for fresh ingredients.
Moreover, this time, he is prepared to take action personally.
The main problem is that A-Tu's actions are too risky and exciting. If he makes a mistake and A-Tu is killed by the opponent, Yang Jin will have nowhere to cry.
He picked up his short axe and had Atu lead the way.
A man and an earthworm traversed the winding mine tunnels, making their way forward. The humidity in the air ahead noticeably increased, and water droplets began to seep from the rock walls, making them feel quite uncomfortable.
It took about ten minutes to walk.
Yang Jin spotted his target in a corner where a large amount of loose sediment had accumulated:
It was a rock-carving earthworm, slightly smaller than Atu and the previous one, grayish-brown all over, curled up in a ball.
There was no hesitation, and there was no fair competition.
Yang Jin signaled A Tu to attract attention from the front, while he quietly circled around to the side and rear. When the rock-splitting earthworm was startled by A Tu and raised its head to show off, he gathered all his strength, visualized the demonic ape swinging its arm, and poured all the essence of the mountain-splitting style he had been practicing for many days into this one axe!
"die!"
A flash of cold light!
The axe blade cleaved precisely into that grayish-brown neck!
puff!
Thick, dark green bodily fluid with a fishy smell splattered out.
The rock-splitting earthworm convulsed violently, but after suffering such a severe injury, it struggled for a few moments and then became still.
One axe blow and he's dead!
That mountain-splitting style is pretty impressive!
But not many, after all, the key to this attack was the surprise attack.
Yang Jin didn't have time to think about that. He quickly dragged the stone-carving earthworm to a relatively clean place to the side.
He forced himself to endure the strange, fishy smell, used an axe to cut it open, removed the main internal organs, and then cut off the fattest sections of the body.
Looking at the earthworm meat carved from the rocks, he suddenly didn't have the courage to eat it raw.
I really don't dare to eat it raw, I'm worried about parasites or something.
"Let's bake it and eat it."