CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: TRANSFORM, POWER BOOST AGAIN

Chen Ku had clocked out from the Butchery Workshop. An overwhelming urge was starting to stir inside him.

Taking advantage of the lunch break, he left Medicine King Hall and went to the small rented courtyard in the outer city.

His mind reflected the Transformation Diagram.

[Diagram Master: Chen Ku]

[Activated Diagrams: 1 (Skinny Dog Transformation)]

[Available Wild Beast Level Evil Qi: 42.

Crocodile Fiend (9), Evil Human Fiend (6), Black Pig Evil Qi (19), Yellow Ox Evil (2), Yellow Dog Evil (6)]

[Conditions for achieving the third level ’Transform’ of the Skinny Dog Transformation have been met.]

"Transform!"

In his private courtyard, he uttered a soft command within his spirit’s Sea of Consciousness.

He watched the changes in the Transformation Diagram.

The Transformation Diagram didn’t react immediately. Instead, a line of text appeared.

[Please select the Evil Qi to be input into the Transformation Diagram]

Chen Ku’s mind stirred. He looked at the five different kinds of Evil Qi. He decided to keep one strand of each, and two strands of Crocodile Fiend. Now I have enough to try activating other transformations later and possibly gain other useful abilities, he thought.

"Transform!"

Following another command, the thirty-six strands of Evil Qi that hovered around the First Transformation Chart like ethereal clusters were suddenly thrown up high as if on strings and then violently crashed into the Skinny Dog Transformation.

CRACKLE...

It was like fierce fire cooking oil, or a meteor striking the scroll.

The entire image of the Skinny Dog within the Transformation Diagram ’came alive,’ sparkling with divine light, and then... it stretched a paw directly out of the Transformation Diagram and lunged forward.

「...」

Chen Ku suddenly felt a release at his brow, and a stream of white Qi whistled out of him, landing beside him.

Upon closer inspection, there in front of him stood the white-haired Skinny Dog he had killed back in Dachen Village.

Now, it had ’come alive’ from the Skinny Dog Transformation.

No, more accurately, it had been separated from his own body.

Their eyes met. Chen Ku immediately sensed a connection with the Skinny Dog through its gaze.

An intelligent Incarnation, born from me, yet controlled by me through the Skinny Dog Transformation!

Curious, Chen Ku crouched down to examine it.

"Woof, woof!" The separated Skinny Dog Incarnation seemed to want to express something, but it only barked. However, Chen Ku could fully understand it, as if he were involuntarily multitasking.

"Good, good, good, good!"

Chen Ku excitedly watched the third-level transformation of the Skinny Dog.

This means that in the future, I can let the Incarnation handle certain matters.

But there was one problem. He was also curious.

Does this Incarnation have a time limit, or can it stay out forever?

Thinking this, he looked back at the Transformation Diagram.

Sure enough, he saw a line of text under the Skinny Dog Transformation.

[Skinny Dog Transformation Status]

[Skinny Dog Transformation - Transform Level (Achieved)]

[Ability: Skinny Dog Strength, Shape-Shifted, Moon-Eating Bloodline, Incarnation Power]

[Root Bone: Ordinary Demon Dog]

[Extra: Human Body Root Bone Augmentation]

(After incarnation, it enjoys the Root Bone Talent of the Diagram Master but does not inherit the Diagram Master’s own strength. It can evolve as a Demon, and the Incarnation’s duration depends on the Diagram Master’s physical stamina.)

The last annotation was a bit complicated.

Chen Ku pondered it based on his situation and then understood.

After the Skinny Dog Incarnation is created, it seems I still possess an additional five hundred jin of Skinny Dog strength. This means this Incarnation is entirely formed from the thirty-six strands of Evil Qi and doesn’t affect my previous abilities.

He clenched his fist, feeling the change in his strength.

With this new ability, my previous abilities are retained even after releasing it. This is truly perfect! At the same time, this Incarnation also has the potential for growth; it can cultivate just like a person.

Chen Ku frowned as he wondered, What do Demons need for cultivation? Is there such a thing as Demon Spells?

It seems that when I reach that level, I’ll have to investigate this.

He experimented for one hour. He felt about three-tenths of his stamina depleted, which, he calculated, meant he could keep the Skinny Dog out for a maximum of three hours before needing to recall it.

"Recall!"

Chen Ku said one word to the white-haired Skinny Dog.

It then shrunk back into a strand of Evil Qi, like one of Sun Wukong’s magical hairs, and withdrew into Chen Ku’s forehead.

At that moment, Chen Ku clenched his fist. He felt the Incarnation, created from thirty-six strands of Evil Qi, grant him an additional five hundred jin of strength.

He now possessed a total strength of two thousand three hundred jin.

With strength greater than a Fierce Tiger’s, I can slaughter that tiger tonight!

But at the same time, this process of summoning and recalling made him consider further. An Incarnation is precious. If something goes wrong—if it can’t be recalled or gets dispersed—it might be lost forever, requiring me to refine a new one, right?

Overall, Chen Ku’s anticipation for the third level, ’Transform,’ was not unmet. Having an extra self could save him a vast amount of trouble.

Tonight, I’ll eliminate that Fierce Tiger! Then, the dog and I will divide the tasks: I’ll practice martial arts, and it will search for herbs. We’ll tackle both and excel in both!

Chen Ku smiled contentedly.

Then, he looked at the six remaining strands of Evil Qi under the Transformation Diagram.

Previously, he had been saving up Evil Qi for the third Transformation Level. Now that he had successfully transformed and had some to spare, he could naturally perform a ’blind box opening.’

He first unequipped the Skinny Dog Transformation from the diagram.

Instantly, all its abilities and bloodline, including the Incarnation, became unusable. This was expected.

They couldn’t be stacked before unlocking the Second Transformation Diagram.

Then, he equipped the Crocodile Fiend.

[Crocodile Transformation - Shape Shifting Level]

[Initiating transformation.]

[Shape-Shifted: Crocodile Claw]

[Crocodile Claw (Thick and Powerful)]

[Requires nine more Wild Beast Level Evil Qi to achieve the Transformation Level]

Chen Ku looked at the result of his ’blind box opening’ using one strand of Crocodile Fiend.

A claw, thick and powerful... He recalled a flaw of the Skinny Dog Transformation: its claws were as thin as reeds. There’s a solution!

This meant that as long as the Second Transformation Diagram was activated and the attributes stacked, he could compensate for the Skinny Dog’s shortcomings!

Just as Chen Ku was about to try other Evil Qi, a notification appeared.

[Due to an insufficient number of Transformation Diagrams achieved by the Diagram Master, changing or unequipping Transformation Diagrams requires a six-hour cooling period. The Diagram Master should hasten to complete the ’Second Transformation Diagram’ to reduce this cooldown.]

Chen Ku was taken aback. Ah, True Lord, you’re really keeping up with the times.

There was no choice but to wait.

Six hours... that’s precisely half a day’s work at Medicine King Hall.

Time passed quickly. By evening, Chen Ku’s workday was over. There was no butchery work that afternoon. Instead, he was busy alongside the apprentices from the Butcher Court, sifting bones, drying herbs, and pounding medicine.

After eating the day’s apprentice meal and feeling his strength return, he waited until the cooling period ended, then switched back to the Skinny Dog Transformation.

Then, feeling over two thousand jin of strength surge through his body, he picked up Medicine King Hall’s Bone-chopping Sharp Blade. Under the cover of night, he headed toward the Lian Family’s mountain forest.

A Fierce Tiger, huh? Chasing me for over half a month, were you? Your Grandfather Chen is here!