Chapter 5, "Dragon Elephant Demon Suppressing Skill"!
Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...
Mosquitoes the size of fingernails hummed in the dark room. As they grew in size, their hunger increased.
It had been a long time since it tasted blood, and it was parched with thirst.
Just as it finally found a prey and was about to strike, piercing the flesh with its long needle for a satisfying drink, it suddenly felt an ice-cold chill. An invisible force bound its body, making even its nimble wings heavy.
Danger!
As it prepared to flee, a flash of white light appeared, and it saw a familiar lower half of a body plummeting down.
Oh, that was its own midsection...
"I've lost some weight recently!"
That was its last thought before it lost consciousness.
The mosquito was split in two, and the Dog Leg Knife once again floated silently in mid-air, waiting for the next prey.
This was the Qi Manipulation Skill that made predators tremble with fear, using Qi to manipulate the knife, killing from a distance.
After the great cataclysm, many humans migrated to New Star, while many more struggled to survive on the Wasteland.
Affected by nuclear radiation, flora grew wildly, and wildlife mutated. They became strong and aggressive, with even the weakest creatures like cats, rats, and mantises becoming unusually fierce.
To survive in such a world, one needed a strong body and formidable self-defense capabilities.
Thus, the Ancient Martial Body Techniques, long forgotten by humanity, began to show signs of vigorous resurgence. Tai Chi, Bagua Palm, "Five Animal Frolics," "Eight Pieces of Brocade" had all become national fitness programs. Some humans also chanced upon Secret Technique manuals that granted even more miraculous powers.
It is said that humans on New Star also practiced these ancient martial arts to dominate the vastness of the starry sea and control a variety of powerful weapons and equipment. Some came from families with deep legacies; some bought them at great cost, while others, in search of greater opportunities, sent various expedition teams to Blue Star to find the ancient Royal Mausoleums.
After all, Blue Star was the birthplace of ancient martial arts. Though now in ruins, its stone sarcophagi and thick earth hid countless immortal masters.
Clearly, Phoenix was also one of those who came to Blue Star seeking fortune and chances.
Thinking of Phoenix, Tang Fei couldn't help but exclaim once again,
"Her skin is so white!"
Tang Fei practiced a cultivation technique called "Dragon Elephant Demon Suppressing Skill." This technique has nine levels; breaking through each level added the power of one dragon and one elephant. Reaching the ninth level would manifest the miracle of Nine Dragons Empowerment — at that time, the cultivator would transcend the ordinary, gaining immortality.
Of course, Tang Fei suspected these were the old man's tall tales.
After all, the old man had given him this cultivation technique, and he hadn't even broken through the first level, let alone experiencing the "overbearingly unreasonable" power of the Dragon Elephant...
Tang Fei did not sleep well tonight. He tossed and turned on his bed, unable to sleep.
He pondered over the matter of sleep. The old man said that the sleep he referred to wasn't the kind he had in mind...
After all, how different could sleeping be?
There was an old television at home, but due to the electromagnetic storm, it hadn't received any signals for a long time. Left unused, its inner parts had corroded.
He did find a few tattered old magazines under the old man's pillow, reeking of fish—most of the time, the men and women in them were undressed. But that didn't quench his thirst, nor did it offer much useful knowledge, only making him thirstier...
"What kind of sleep was the old man talking about?"
"Has he slept?"
"He's definitely had an affair with Sister-in-law Cheng at the head of the village. She looks at him with such syrupy eyes... The old man won't admit it, though."
"I must make the old man clarify..."
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Tang Fei lay in the forest, manipulating the Dog Leg Knife that cut through wood like mud. Each cut was just right, crisply removing the excess parts of the wood or carving out neat grooves.
After shaping the final piece of wood to his satisfaction, he blew on it, clearing away the sawdust.
Then, he picked up the strangely shaped pieces of wood between his legs and started to assemble them. The movements were swift, almost without thought; the location of each piece had been firmly etched into his mind. Like the wind, like a phantom, smooth as flowing water.
Quickly, a little wooden bird appeared in his palm.
He wound the spring on the bird's tail, and the bird began to cry with a 'creak, creak.'
When he felt the moment was right, he hurled the bird into the sky with all his might. Propelled by inertia, it actually began to fly with its wooden wings flapping.
Flap... Flap...
One meter, two meters, three meters...
Ascending step by step.
Just like a real bird.
Tang Fei watched, full of anticipation, his fists clenched, cheering it on...
Suddenly, smoke started to billow from the bird's tail end, quickly turning into flames. Then, the wooden bird, now a Fire Bird, fell vertically to the ground and crashed with a 'thud,' shattering into pieces.
Tang Fei sighed softly; the result was the same as before...
He had conducted thousands of 'test flights' in order to make this little bird fly. Alas, each attempt ended in failure.