Chapter Seventeen: The Zealot of Supreme Martial Arts
Chen Qi pinched the Blood Blade Fruit between his index finger and thumb, lifting it up for a closer inspection. It was the size of a cherry tomato, its translucent sheen under the light revealing a faintly visible graveyard of swords, each blade representing a hundred different weapons.
A sharp, blade-like aura emanated from the Blood Blade Fruit. Just holding it between two fingers, Chen Qi felt a subtle sting. It was beautiful, but he wondered how it would taste. With a gentle squeeze, he hesitated; this was undoubtedly the most precious thing he had ever eaten in his life.
Should I place it on a plate, add some coriander, sprinkle a bit of cumin to heighten the ceremony? No, that would be ridiculous, and it would ruin the fruit’s original flavor. He decided to swallow it whole.
With a slurp, Chen Qi opened his mouth, his tongue vivid red, slowly curling the fruit inside. Bang! A wave of numbness swept over his body, knocking him to the ground as the Blood Blade Fruit slid down his esophagus.
“Pain!” The agony was so intense it obliterated his ability to think.
What is this?
He couldn’t stand, couldn’t think; every muscle spasmed uncontrollably. The sting radiated from his muscles, followed by a surge of heat racing from his throat throughout his body. It felt as if his muscles were being sewn together by sharp threads, his bones hammered by blazing mallets.
In his mind, he glimpsed a monstrous figure, obsessed with perfecting martial arts, fighting ferociously on a battlefield.
Bang!
Overwhelmed by pain, Chen Qi instinctively struck the wall, and with a single blow, cracks appeared on the tiles. Blood dripped from his hand…
When will this burning and torment end?
“Hah… hah… hah…” The intense discomfort forced him to gasp for breath, his exhalations hot and heavy as he lay on the floor.
…
After a long time, his groans and gasps gradually transformed into laughter.
It was like tearing open a scab; the pain was accompanied by a strange joy!
Exhilarating!
As the pain faded, his body felt reborn.
He couldn’t help but marvel—this sensation of remaking the flesh, becoming more than human, was simply incredible!
This was the power of the Blood Blade Fruit!
Chen Qi slowly rose.
He sensed the changes within himself. The fruit had made him taller, and his hair had grown longer. But more importantly, his physical strength had increased dramatically.
He could feel it—his body was now far stronger than before.
No longer was he the weak young man who would tire after running a thousand meters.
…
He opened the New Day game and found prompts corresponding to his transformation.
[You have successfully equipped the Body Core—Blood Blade Fruit]
[Basic Attribute Bonus: Constitution +5 (Health adjusted to 30), Strength +5]
These bonuses were impressive—
Chen Qi felt utterly transformed.
But even more than the attribute gains, he cared about the special enhancement.
[Core Trait Acquired—Martial Extremist
Effect: You gain enhanced dynamic vision and muscular ability. Your learning speed for all athletic skills will be greatly increased.
Description: Hundreds of martial arts, all within my grasp.]
[Digestion Level: 0%]
Greatly increased ability to learn athletic skills? How strong could that be?
And it could be digested further…
Chen Qi tried moving his joints.
How to describe this feeling—his actions and movement speed, even his physical reactions, were all much faster.
He couldn't wait to test out his new trait.
I need a tutorial to test my abilities. Chen Qi thought, opening a pink video site and searching for a pen-spinning tutorial.
He vaguely remembered a boy from his school days, who could spin a pen with exceptional skill. Chen Qi had tried to follow along, but after half an hour of practice, he couldn’t achieve that fluid motion.
The tutorial began:
First, hold the pen with thumb, index, and middle fingers, balance its center on the middle finger, then tap the center gently with the middle finger to make it revolve around the thumb in a 360-degree arc, and repeat.
In the video, the host spun the pen rapidly, with endless variations and flawless smoothness.
“Shadow Stiletto, come forth.”
A black dagger shot into Chen Qi’s palm; he used it in place of a pen, emulating the technique.
The jet-black stiletto danced in his hand, tracing dark shadows like a dragon in flight.
It was effortless—after swallowing the fruit, not only had his attributes improved, but his fine motor control had leapt to a whole new level.
The dagger’s balance was perfectly under his control; he could go even faster.
He pressed his fingers, manipulating the dagger to draw sharp, overlapping shadows.
Then, as his speed peaked, he flicked the dagger outward!
Swish!
The stiletto embedded itself precisely in the eye of the green pig-head pillow on the distant sofa.
This ability was even stronger than he’d imagined. He couldn’t help but marvel.
At that moment, a text prompt appeared in the game.
Chen Qi walked over to the green pig-head pillow and retrieved the dagger.
The blinded pillow, the messy takeaway boxes on the table.
If this continued, he’d destroy the whole house.
He needed to move; his current shared apartment was no longer suitable.
Luckily, he could take care of it while his game character was resting.
Just then, a message popped up in the chat group.
Luo Qing: “Hello everyone in the chat group, I’m online now! I finally have time to answer your questions. Anyone with ‘knowledge chips,’ feel free to ask me anything.”