Retrieving the two massive beasts' cadavers, Han Xiao gathered the remaining creatures and carried them to a nearby stream. There, he meticulously skinned and cleaned each one.
Reaching into his front pocket, he produced a small cauldron and, with a commanding voice, hurled it into the air. "Enlarge for me!" he intoned.
Instantly, the cauldron expanded and landed on the dusty ground with a resounding thud. Once it reached the desired size, Han Xiao halted the enlargement charm with a mere thought.
He then tossed all the meat into the now-enormous cauldron, which accommodated it perfectly. Building a bonfire, he began cooking a substantial quantity of meat.
Ding!
[Want to Cook the Meat into Pills?]
Curious, he responded, "Yes!"
+100 Curse Points Deducted!
Total Curse Points: 3060!
A surge of information flooded his mind, and he entered a trance-like state. Unconsciously, he began chanting a spell and forming intricate hand seals. Dark mist emanated from his palms as he stamped seal after seal onto the large cauldron.
As hundreds of intricate hand seals adorned the immense cauldron, it began to emit a hum with a frequency beyond the perception of ordinary human ears. The cauldron, now imbued with potent magic, compressed the meat into a fine paste. This transformative process persisted for half a day, during which Han Xiao remained ensnared in his trance-like state.
When he finally emerged from the trance, he was drenched in sweat, and a wave of fatigue and dizziness washed over him. Struggling to stand, he quickly downsized the cauldron with a mere thought.
With a graceful wave of his hand, the lid lifted, releasing a rich, intoxicating aroma that pervaded the air. The fragrant scent revitalized him instantly, dispelling his exhaustion and dizziness with a single, deep inhalation.
"Hmm, what a peculiar thing," he remarked, his surprise evident as he peered into the cauldron and beheld over two hundred pills resting at the bottom, each the size of a fully ripe apple.
Ding!
You have managed to concoct 255 Meat Pills!
Advantage: Consuming a pill will give +10 strength. This skill can heal internal and external injuries. Excellent for your Maledict Physique's body cultivation. This pill will consolidate the foundation and remove all hidden injuries inside your body.
Conditions: You can only consume one pill per day.
Han Xiao picked up one pill and took a bite. "Hmm," he moaned in ecstasy as the rich flavor of the meat melted inside his mouth. "Wow, the taste is far superior to any cooked meat prepared by the finest chefs in my previous life."
The flavor was so addictive that he couldn't resist. He quickly wolfed down the remaining portion of the meat pill. As it dissolved in his mouth, the pill's energy flowed down to his stomach, where every cell vibrated in a rhythm, echoing the incantation of the Curse Body Breathing Technique. In the next instant, the energy churned was swiftly digested and absorbed.
A rush of newfound energy surged through Han Xiao's entire body. Now empowered by the strength of both the wolf king and the bat, he felt a surge of confidence. With a peng sound, his body cultivation broke through.
Ding!
Flesh Training 100% Completed!
[You have completed laying the foundation in building your epidermis with curse essence energy.]
The next Phase of Cultivation Begins!
Viscera Training: 2% Completed!
Another 25 Acupuncture Points have been Cleared!
Total Acupuncture Points Cleared: 50 out of 351
"Hmm, what's with this Viscera Training?" Han Xiao wondered aloud.
With a soft dinging sound, the system responded.
Ding!
[Flesh Training involves cultivating the flesh. Once all the flesh is filled with Curse Essence Energy, the next phase of cultivation begins — Viscera Training!]
[Viscera Training focuses on cultivating the organs. As each organ reaches a certain level of cultivation, you will gain specific passive skills.]
[Now, consume the hearts of the bat and the wolf king to gain their bloodline skills.]
"Hmm, I almost forgot. Let's proceed," Han Xiao muttered to himself. He reached for the black leather book within the red interface and flipped through its pages until he found the painting of the dragon. Without hesitation, he drew the dagger from his waist and inserted both hands into the page, accessing the spatial storage.
A few minutes later, he retrieved two hearts dripping with crimson merlot from the book. With a thought, he returned the book to the red interface.
Then, one after another, he consumed the two hearts.
Ding!
Night-crawler Bat's Ancestral Bloodline Gained!
Berserker Bloodlust Bloodline Skill Acquired!
Advantages: When activated, gain 10% Night Vision. The more you are exposed to blood, the wilder, more agile, and stronger you become. However, if you lose a significant amount of blood, the berserker mode will reach its ultimate state, but your sanity will deteriorate, turning you into a mere beast.
There is still room for improvement!
"Hmm, overall, it sounds better. Did I gain the other bloodline technique too?" Han Xiao inquired, feeling a spark of excitement for this particular skill.
After a few moments, another set of notifications flashed in his mind.
Ding!
Saber Tooth Wolf's Ancestral Bloodline Gained!
Silver Electric Arc!
Advantages: Can temporarily paralyze any opponent hit by this skill. Highly lethal when used with weapons. Temporarily cancels the opponent's healing properties.
Disadvantages: Consumes a lot of mana and the spell's duration is short.
There is still room for improvement!
Han Xiao felt the two bloodline skills manifest within two blood droplets inside his heart—one dark and the other crimson, flickering with silver electric arcs. Focusing on the dark droplet, he willed it to activate. It exploded, turning all his blood dark.
Berserker Bloodlust Bloodline Activated!
Instantly, changes rippled through his system as a surge of powerful energy coursed through his body. He felt confident that he could defeat both the wolf king and the bat if they were to battle again. However, as his energy increased, his sanity began to wane, and dark emotions started to overshadow his mind. Despite this, he managed to maintain control over his feelings and emotions.
"Nice skill! Let's see what it's got," Han Xiao said, leaping up to practice a set of wushu moves. He finished with a powerful kick to a large willow tree. Bang! The tree exploded, sending wooden shards flying everywhere. Some of the splinters grazed his face and body, causing blood to ooze from the minor cuts.
The smell of his own blood made the dark blood in his system resonate, and his heart started racing. He felt an incredible surge of strength, but his thoughts grew more agitated and clouded.
"How do I turn this skill off?" Han Xiao asked quickly.
[It's word-triggered! Just say the command.]
"Even better. Deactivate Berserker Bloodlust Bloodline Skill!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the dark matter in his bloodstream condensed and traveled back to his heart, reverting to the original black blood droplet. He felt part of his strength diminish, but his mind became clearer than ever.