activa-t Chapter 34: Demon - Blade Demon
Chapter 34: Demon - Blade Demon
The city is large, and it is not easy to live there.
The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts," meaning that the nourishment needed for martial arts training can cost a lot of money.
In their original small county town of Lingchuan, a martial artist who had undergone skin tempering could either work as a bodyguard for a wealthy family or join a martial arts school, and could live a very respectable and respectable life.
But this is Lanjiang Prefecture! It has a population of one million, is full of hidden talents, and has many martial artists.
At this level, those in the Skin Tempering Realm are at most slightly stronger than ordinary people, far from being superior.
Even a master like Chongxin, at the Refining Realm, could barely gain a foothold here. Those who truly wield power are the Bone Forging masters, who are above the Refining Realm!
Of course, the martial arts resources here are indeed abundant. The annual apprenticeship fee at an ordinary martial arts school is only thirty taels of silver, which is much cheaper than in smaller places...
Just then, the boy named Xiaocheng came out, huffing and puffing, carrying a heavy wooden box.
"Brother Zhang, look!" Hua Zhu enthusiastically lifted the lid of the box.
"These are all my treasured possessions; you rarely see them outside!"
Zhang Ping leaned closer.
The inside of the box is cleverly divided into small compartments. Each compartment contains a uniquely shaped praying mantis, some brightly colored, others with a ferocious appearance.
"Brother Hua, do you know any praying mantises that are...extremely fast, extremely fierce, and incredibly powerful in a fight?"
When branding animal patterns, you should naturally choose the best varieties! Even if it has nothing to do with knife skills, its responsiveness is a good characteristic.
Hua Zhu's eyes lit up when she heard this; Zhang Ping's question had clearly struck a nerve with her.
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers lingering among the boxes in the trunk for a while, before carefully pulling out three:
"Brother Zhang, these three are definitely up to par! They're all exotic species I found deep in the mountains outside the city, and they're incredibly ferocious! One of them has even been tainted by demonic energy."
"Oh?" Zhang Ping's interest was piqued upon hearing this.
"Xiaocheng, go and cook first," Huazhu instructed.
After seeing off the reluctant Hua Cheng, Hua Zhu carefully opened the first wooden box.
The moment the box lid was opened, a green shadow shot out, its scythe-like sharp forelimbs moving with lightning speed, slicing straight at Hua Zhu's fingers!
Hua Zhu reacted extremely quickly, instantly withdrawing her hand.
Almost simultaneously, she pulled out a small dagger from some corner of the box, and with a flash of cold light, she began to clash with the giant praying mantis that suddenly pounced out!
Zhang Ping was somewhat bewildered.
The mantis was as big as an adult's fist, and the pair of gleaming scythes on its chest were probably twenty centimeters long!
The speed of that attack was astonishing. If an ordinary person were to be accidentally struck in a vital spot, they would probably die on the spot!
It was only at this moment that Zhang Ping noticed that the seemingly ordinary wooden box was lined with a thick layer of sheet metal.
The boxes are their houses, and the iron walls are like the interior decorations.
clang!clang!clang!
The two, one large and one small, fought fiercely in this confined space, sparks flying everywhere.
Zhang Ping wanted to express his concern, but as he looked at the scene, his expression gradually became serious.
"She...is she really learning swordsmanship from the praying mantis?" He was shocked and could hardly believe his eyes.
At first I didn’t notice, but now that I look closely, every time Hua Zhu swings his dagger, it clearly follows a certain pattern and trajectory!
He had practiced the Dragon Slash technique himself and considered himself to have some discernment.
The sword techniques that the girl in front of me used through trial and error revealed a subtle depth that was even greater than the Wandering Dragon Sword Technique!
Just as Zhang Ping was astonished, Hua Zhu suddenly swiftly ducked and turned around, precisely flicking the back of her knife to sweep the ferocious mantis off the table.
Without pausing, he swiftly grabbed the box and snapped the mantis back into place.
"Huff...huff..." Hua Zhu raised her hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat that had seeped from her forehead, but a satisfied, almost joyful smile spread across her face.
"Brother Zhang, how about this one?"
Zhang Ping's gaze grew increasingly strange. "Brother Hua, your taste... well, it's quite unique."
"Haha!" Hua Zhu scratched the back of her head a little embarrassedly.
"When I was little, I used to go to the fields with my dad and we'd always catch praying mantises to play with. It just became a habit. There were two other ones too!"
He then went to open the other two boxes.
"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Zhang Ping quickly intervened, not wanting to witness another battle between humans and insects.
To be honest, the ferocity and speed of that praying mantis were exactly what he wanted. Since the first one was so amazing, wouldn't it be a shame to miss the other two?
He carefully lifted the lid of the second box. Inside lay a slender, bright red praying mantis, slightly smaller than the first one.
As soon as it made a move, Zhang Ping caught it with lightning speed.
"So beautiful!" Zhang Ping exclaimed sincerely.
At the same time, he silently recited in his mind: Beast pattern, sword technique.
[Red-bellied Mantis] [Skilled in swordsmanship]
[Swordsmanship Familiarity: Increases suitability for swordsmanship]
Is it just an improvement in suitability?
He frowned and gently placed the red mantis back into the box.
"Brother Zhang is not satisfied?" Hua Zhu was a little surprised. This red-bellied mantis was handsome and had a particularly charming fighting style.
"Not very suitable." Zhang Ping shook his head, thought for a moment, and then opened the box of the giant mantis that had just been fighting with Hua Zhu.
"Brother Zhang, be careful..." Hua Zhu's warning had barely left her lips when Zhang Ping moved with lightning speed, his five fingers like pincers, firmly grasping the ferocious giant praying mantis.
[Kujira the Mantis] [Sword Flash]
[Flash Blade Beast Pattern: Significantly accelerates sword technique comprehension, making strikes as swift as lightning]
"Flash Blade!" Zhang Ping's eyes lit up!
They can quickly grasp sword techniques and make their swordsmanship as fast as lightning, making them stronger than others using the same set of sword techniques!
That's it!
"Brother Hua, how much is this mantis worth?" he asked eagerly, suppressing his surprise.
"Huh?" Hua Zhu's face immediately showed embarrassment, and she said awkwardly, "Brother Zhang, this is not for sale."
"However," she quickly added, "if you want one, I can go outside the city and find you another one!"
"Uh..." Zhang Ping was momentarily speechless.
"This one really... isn't for sale?"
"It really won't work." Hua Zhu looked troubled.
Seeing the girl's troubled expression, Zhang Ping didn't insist. Catching a new one wouldn't affect his beast-marking; it would just mean waiting a little longer.
"Okay." He nodded and then opened the last box.
Seemingly feeling a little guilty for not explaining things clearly before, Hua Zhu whispered, "This one has a very gentle temperament."
Zhang Ping did as instructed and fully opened the box lid.
At the bottom of the box, a mantis of moderate size, about the thickness of two fingers, was quietly perched.
Its entire body is covered in a pure, deep black, without a single blemish, like the solidified night.
At this moment, he stood tall and proud, exuding an inexplicable air of authority.
"What kind of mantis is this?" Zhang Ping's eyes flashed with surprise. Such a pure body color was truly rare.
The mantises he had ever seen were mostly mottled and variegated.
"It's the one I mentioned before, the one that was corrupted by demonic energy." Hua Zhu shook her head.
"It's a variant, I guess. I don't know its exact name. As long as you don't provoke it, it won't hurt you."
She encountered the praying mantis by chance in the wild. It was very docile, so she brought it home without touching it. Only after getting home did she realize something was wrong.
Zhang Ping's curiosity was piqued. Although he had initially identified it as the Mantis Scythe, there was no harm in observing it further.
He reached out his finger and carefully touched the back of the jet-black mantis.
After a while, he felt as if he had been scalded by boiling oil, and he quickly withdrew his hand, his back instantly covered in a layer of cold sweat!
"What's wrong?" Hua Zhu was startled by his violent reaction.
Zhang Ping did not answer, but stared intently at the dark figure in the box, took a deep breath, and reached out his hand again with trembling hands.
【Demon - Blade Demon (Juvenile)】【Demon Blade】
【Ghost Blade: The Demon Blade's innate swordsmanship cuts through all illusions】
My goodness!
The icy touch on his fingertips made Zhang Ping's hands tremble uncontrollably.
That's not a praying mantis at all!
It's clearly a living, breathing young demon!