Chapter 51: The Strength to Bind a Chicken

It was still that familiar system interface.

Zhou Bai

Mastered: Yin-Yang Eyes (8%), Curse Killing (2%), Brewing Blade (2%), Object Command Technique II (1%), Five Animal Play (100%), Wine Refining (1%)

Points: 18

After the battle at Mount Yue, Zhou Bai had slain many monsters, so his points were now much more abundant. Still, with breakthroughs in the Object Command Technique and the advancement of new supernatural abilities—two great holes to fill—the points were still somewhat insufficient.

Fortunately, the spoils of this battle were considerable, and every ability had been honed in practical use, their proficiency slightly increased. This proved that, through Zhou Bai’s own growth, supernatural powers could indeed be improved in proficiency, saving him a great deal of points.

So, if points were only enough for one technique, he still preferred to prioritize the Object Command Technique.

Without much hesitation, Zhou Bai tentatively focused on the Object Command Technique. Seeing that it required eight points, he chose to confirm.

The second layer of the Object Command Technique reached perfection at a speed visible to the naked eye. Zhou Bai himself felt little change, but the sapling in his dantian had indeed undergone some transformation.

Its roots had grown denser, the whole tree sturdier, and gray-brown runes flowed along the trunk, mysterious beyond words.

Zhou Bai sensed his body absorbing the surrounding yin energy at a faster rate, some of which was transformed into nourishment for the sapling, then fed back into himself—a complete cycle.

Thinking to press his advantage, he invested another eight points, breaking through to the third layer of the Object Command Technique.

Watching his freshly earned points vanish so swiftly, Zhou Bai felt his heart bleed.

The sapling, stimulated, grew further; branches sprouted continuously, each bearing a leaf, though none yet bore the patterns representing supernatural powers.

Zhou Bai counted: nine branches, signifying that his natal ghost device could now carry nine ghostly abilities.

The sapling had now grown into a small tree, especially the roots, which densely penetrated his dantian, wrapping it tight.

Seeing that his natal ghost device was no longer a sapling, and with the Object Command Technique at the third layer, it had fully matured. Zhou Bai noticed it was fundamentally different from the Yin Wood, so he called it the Ghost Tree.

He adapted easily; his natal ghost device was part of him, and now both the speed and capacity of yin energy absorption had increased dramatically.

Even his Yin-Yang Eyes grew stronger; though proficiency hadn’t increased, their power had.

The only drawback: the Ghost Tree had doubled in size, making the dantian cramped. Its branches shook in dissatisfaction.

Then something happened that caught Zhou Bai off guard—the roots of the Ghost Tree began shifting, forcibly expanding the surrounding space. Cracks appeared across his dantian.

Clutching his abdomen, Zhou Bai felt as if a fire was spreading throughout his body.

He wanted to stop the Ghost Tree, but it began repairing the dantian with its roots, then expanding again. After several rounds, his dantian seemed to reach its limit.

Compared to before, not only had its size more than doubled, but with the roots entwined, its solidity had greatly improved.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zhou Bai tried circulating yin energy. It flowed much more smoothly, and thanks to the enlarged dantian, the quality of the yin energy had also risen.

This was an unexpected delight. Besides this, the third layer of the Object Command Technique mostly served to expand the potential of his natal ghost device, with little immediate change.

With two points left, Zhou Bai hesitated briefly before spending them on the Five Animal Play, elevating this martial art to a supernatural ability.

A familiar tingling sensation surged through him; this time, he was prepared, yin energy flooding his dantian, a coolness coursing from head to toe.

After nearly half an hour, the advancement was complete, and the system interface displayed a peculiar new supernatural power.

Binding Strength of the Chicken (1%)

He could feel the subtle changes in his body; beside his heart, a new organ had formed—a flesh lump, no bigger than a red date.

Zhou Bai was puzzled, but then knowledge about this supernatural power surfaced in his mind.

The literal meaning described someone weak, possessing only enough strength to bind a chicken. Yet this supernatural power was a bit different.

The Binding Strength of the Chicken allowed excess physical strength to be stored for later use; when needed, this stored strength could be deployed via the supernatural ability.

What made Zhou Bai most helpless, though, was that this Binding Strength of the Chicken was a monster-path supernatural power—the strength stored was equivalent to that of a chicken demon.

However, since the power had just awakened, the amount of stored strength was only at the level of a minor demon.

With its activation, Zhou Bai could sense a subtle monster energy circulating within his body.

This monster-path supernatural power was only in its early stages and would take a long time to become significant, yet it made him feel thoroughly uneasy.

If he didn’t master the method of controlling monster energy, over time, Zhou Bai might undergo irreversible monsterification—and in the direction of a chicken demon, no less.

The thought made his skin crawl; he had to resolve this flaw quickly.

Sensing Zhou Bai’s concern, his natal ghost device stirred, sending countless roots to expel the excess monster energy from his body.

Without the monster energy, the Binding Strength of the Chicken was like an engine without fuel, the flesh lump shriveling. But Zhou Bai’s goal was achieved—he had eliminated the risk of monsterification.

Still, this could not be a long-term solution. He urgently needed to obtain a beginner manual for monster-path supernatural powers.

Zhou Bai pondered for a moment, then took out the token from his bosom. The starry sky on its reverse side now shone with nearly twenty stars—the demon slaying had earned him ample contribution, enough to exchange for a monster-path manual in the Nether Street.

The only issue was that he’d have to wait half a month before he could visit Nether Street, and his points were depleted; he’d need to gather at least four more points in that time.

Otherwise, if he needed to advance, he would have no extra points to spend.

Luckily, he remembered that Daoist Hou had a task for him, surely related to monsters or ghosts.

Concluding his seclusion, Zhou Bai stepped out of the shop. Unnoticed, daylight had already arrived.

Daoist Hou, for some unknown reason, had been waiting outside for him. Seeing Zhou Bai emerge, he hurried over at once.

“I’ve got a big job for you to consider.”

“What is it?”

“Disaster has struck at Panshan Temple: every monk there died overnight.”