The bright lights of various parts of the Skinny Dog flickered on and off in his mind.
[Skinny Dog Transformation·First Layer of Shape Shifting]
[Shape-Shifted: Nose, Legs, Waist, Eyes, Claws, Mouth, Ears]
[Ability: (Nose) Smell up to Ten Li, (Legs) Leap up to Four Zhang, (Waist) Fragile as Mud, (Eyes) Night Vision, (Claws) Fine as Hemp Stalks, (Mouth) Chew Meat and Crush Bones, (Ears) Hear Over Ten Zhang]
...
[Need two more doses of the same level of Evil Qi to awaken the 'Shape-Shifted State']
...
In an instant, Chen Ku felt his entire being had changed. It was as if he had been endowed with various Special Abilities.
The most significant change was that his hearing had suddenly exceeded the confines of his own house, allowing him to hear the crackling of the firewood in the kitchen, as well as the sounds of field mice burrowing ten Zhang away from his home. His eyes could perceive objects in the dark room as if equipped with night vision goggles, though without color.
This hearing is like that of a dog's ears? Five or six times that of a human! And there's also Night Vision!
Besides this, Chen Ku felt his legs becoming incredibly light, as if a slight leap could instantly trigger a burst of muscle, propelling him over ten meters away!
Seven doses of Evil Qi had granted him so many Skinny Dog Transformation abilities all at once.
But Chen Ku soon discovered some unfavorable changes as well. That was, he acutely felt that his waist, after the Shape Shifting, had become particularly weak, like the vital spot of a snake. His hands had also become much more fragile.
Chen Ku understood.
Nature creates all things with their own strengths and weaknesses. The Skinny Dog's advantages lay in a sense of smell far superior to humans, a terrifying burst of speed and power in an instant, Night Vision, and decent hearing. But on the other hand, the disadvantages were also obvious…
Chen Ku touched his waist.
They say dogs have 'tofu waists' and 'hemp stalk claws,' vulnerable to the slightest touch. These obvious weaknesses have also been added to me.
He couldn't help but recall how True Lord had captured the Great Saint by exploiting 'one object to subdue another,' using the strengths of his own transformations to target the weaknesses of the other's.
After a moment of silence, he stealthily stepped out of the house. He wanted to test if he really had acquired the speed and explosive power to leap Four Zhang.
If it were true... Even just with this Special Ability, he could be considered a superhuman.
He walked out of the courtyard to a deserted field and eyed a dirt wall about a dozen meters away. Feeling the explosive strength in the muscles of his Shape-Shifted legs, he suddenly lunged forward.
WHOOSH.
Air instantly whistled past him from behind. The dozen meters were traversed in a single leap, and he slammed hard against the dilapidated dirt wall. So fast was he that the leap took only one breath.
CRASH!
Using his shoulder, Chen Ku, who weighed over a hundred pounds, toppled the small dirt wall with the terrifying explosive force of his leap!
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...
Chen Ku stood amidst the dust and mud, patting off the earth and coughing ceaselessly, then massaging his sore and painful shoulder from the impact. Yet on his face, there was no expression of pain, but pure joy.
Looking down at the ruined dirt wall, which was about a meter high, he knew that even if he'd hit it with all his strength normally, it would have remained intact. But under the Skinny Dog's explosive force, plus his own weight...
Speed is power! That hit must have produced the force of at least four or five hundred pounds; otherwise, it simply wouldn't have knocked down the wall!
Chen Ku was secretly shocked, yet thrilled. This was equivalent to the power of the Fifth-Section Brocade, and he hadn't even started martial training yet. Just the transformations of the Skinny Dog allowed him to unleash such power in an instant.
However, he was also aware that this was power available only in the Skinny Dog Transformation state. This state couldn't be maintained for very long. Once back to his normal state, he was still the ordinary man with only a hundred pounds of force.
But Chen Ku suddenly thought of something...
If muscle eruption is power, and the strength of one's entire body is power, then wouldn't practicing Ten-Section Brocade in the Skinny Dog Transformation state help with the growth and changes in strength, as well as the flexibility and relaxation of muscles? Could it increase the experience gained in martial arts training?
He immediately returned to his home.
「At that moment」
"Second uncle, it's time to eat!" Hu Zi called him to dinner at his mother's behest.
Chen Ku replied, "Okay, I'll come in a bit. You guys go ahead and eat first."
He still wanted to do some research. So, inside his home, he began to practice the Ten-Section Brocade while in the Skinny Dog Transformation state.
In the Skinny Dog Transformation state, he easily breezed through the One-Section Brocade, completed every move and Stance Skill of the Two-Section Brocade, and smoothly entered the state of the Three-Section Brocade, then finished the Four-Section Brocade. The entire process was nowhere near as arduous as before. Clearly, in the Skinny Dog Transformation state, his body and muscles could already unleash an explosive force of 500 pounds. Therefore, he passed through easily, without feeling the exertion.
Finally, after completing the Five-Section Brocade, it was only when he reached the Six-Section Brocade that he began to feel the strain of the moves and Stance Skills once again. But during the process of the Five-Section Brocade, he could feel the pulling and the opening and closing frequency of his muscles.
This was… experience! Indeed! Just as I suspected, the Skinny Dog Transformation practically gave me the Realm and experience of the Five-Section Brocade in advance. All I need to do now is to swallow these experiences, and I'll be able to fully digest the 500-pound force and make it my own.
With that thought, half an hour had already passed. He was forced out of the Shape Shifting state.
Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes.
Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! An extreme emptiness from hunger!
He could barely stand up anymore. Forcing himself to the kitchen, he saw the potful of cornmeal cakes his sister-in-law had prepared—over ten of them—along with shredded potatoes. He devoured them like a ravenous wolf, grabbing and stuffing them with one hand, nearly swallowing them as soon as they were shoved into his mouth.
It took eating all fifteen cornmeal cakes and a large bowl of shredded potatoes before he started to recover his Spirit and strength.
Yet Chen Ku still felt weak.
It's not enough! Eating these things is nowhere near sufficient to replenish what I've expended practicing martial arts in the Skinny Dog Transformation state! Absolutely not enough!
He finally understood why martial artists had to supplement their bodies with medicinal soups and had such huge appetites. Practicing martial arts is itself a path of consuming Vital Energy to transform it into physical power. If the Vital Energy spent isn't replenished, it results in a deficit in the body! Training injuries are minor issues; the real danger is draining the body empty, depleting Vital Energy completely, which often leads to death.
I need to eat meat! Just meat isn't enough, either! I also need medicinal Prescriptions to replenish my body!
Chen Ku leaned against the stove, his eyes cast down, flickering with contemplative light.
I don't have enough money to become an apprentice yet, nor to buy medicinal soups. Although today I got that ginseng, which could sell for Four or Five Taels, once I get to the Medicine and Firewood Market, I'm going to be gouged. To end up with even One Tael in hand would be considered very fortunate. At this rate, even if I earn money, it won't be enough for buying medicinal soups and practicing martial arts...
Unless he was willing to endure a bit longer, to withstand some time and save a larger sum of money. But thinking about how even Master Li, a Registered household, had to pay half in taxes, the idea of saving up enough money to practice martial arts peaceably seemed impossible without a year or so of saving.
And, looking at the reminder on the Transformation Diagram:
[Huang Ba: Rushing Fiend Diagram Master. Kill to obtain Evil Qi.]
There were also the possible bandits and refugees that posed a threat to Snake Fish Town, all representing dangers and insecurities. He had to make himself truly powerful quickly to change his current predicament and gain enough sense of security.
This matter couldn't be delayed! Who knew when the calamities of these ancient and chaotic times would befall him?
Hence, I need to find a way to avoid taxes, at least to ensure that the gains from selling medicinal herbs won't be so pitifully small… Seven or eight-tenths go to others! Selling something for 5 taels only nets me One Tael. How can I practice martial arts with that?!
As he pondered this, Chen Ku thought of someone.