Chapter 19: Chapter 18: What a Big Pig Head
At the entrance to the cold storage area, the other two were shivering from the cold, unlike He Xiaotian.
Logically, the refrigerated meat products were kept at around minus thirty degrees Celsius at most.
Even if the area outside the door was affected, it shouldn’t have been by much.
It certainly wasn’t enough to make the two of them hug their shoulders and tremble.
"Are we just going to waltz right in?" He Xiaotian asked, earning him two eye-rolls.
Their expressions seemed to say, ’What else would we do?’
"The two of us will open the door. You keep an eye on our surroundings. Don’t let us get ambushed. I’m worried there might be other butchers lying in wait," Zhao Lei said as he walked up and placed his hands on the cold storage door. Zhou Yun did the same on the other side.
He Xiaotian nodded. ’I’m just a complete rookie who’s new to this world. I should listen to the veterans.’
The very next second, he changed his mind.
Because the large metal doors to the cold storage area blew open with a BOOM!
Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun were sent flying without a shred of suspense. They crashed into a wall and lay on the ground, groaning and whimpering, their conditions unknown.
"???"
’At a critical moment like this, you both just get wiped out? Are you kidding me!’
Even if Zhao Lei was injured, his hardening ability still made him a decent meat shield. And Zhou Yun’s unpredictable liquid control was excellent support.
We were standing right at the boss’s door, about to open it and start the fight.
’And you two get taken out instantly? Is this a joke?’
’So now I have to face a grudge that’s on the verge of evolving into a monster all by myself?’
Just from its ten butcher minions, you could get a sense of the whole picture.
This grudge was definitely going to be tough to deal with.
’No gear, no teammates, and you expect me to solo this thing.’
’What the f—’
Sometimes, life is just that fucked up.
When you can’t fight back, you can only try to accept it.
BANG!
The two iron doors completely blew apart.
They flew past He Xiaotian on both sides and embedded themselves deep into the concrete walls.
GULP!
He swallowed hard. What did he see?
A massive pig’s head, with a pair of eyes filled with resentment, glared out as waves of chilling air poured from the cold storage area.
OINK! OINK!
A pig’s squeal rang out as it struggled to force its way out.
The two-meter-high doorframe was suddenly crammed full.
He Xiaotian’s eyes lit up. ’A perfect chance.’
He bent his knees, gathering power and pushing his skills to their absolute peak. In an instant, his palms turned fiery red, like branding irons.
BANG!
The floor cracked, sending tiny pebbles flying everywhere.
He shot forward like a swift sword, thrusting with both hands, aiming straight for the pig head’s eyes.
TSSS!
It sounded like a hot iron being plunged into water. Puffs of white steam billowed up.
OINK!!
A blood-curdling squeal erupted from the pig’s head.
It was so loud it felt like He Xiaotian’s eardrums were about to burst.
At the critical moment, the pig head had tried to dodge.
But one of its eyes still took a devastating hit.
BOOM!
Before he could pull back, a hammer just under two meters long smashed through the cold storage wall and slammed viciously into his waist.
PUH!
’Son of a bitch...’
He Xiaotian spat out a mouthful of blood and followed in Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun’s footsteps, finding himself plastered against the concrete wall.
’You’re not playing by the rules, are you?’
’I thought this was a fistfight, but you brought a weapon!’
Enduring the sharp pain in his ribs, he looked toward the pig head.
And then, he felt an overwhelming urge to run over to Zhao Lei and strangle him to death.
’Didn’t you say it wasn’t a monster yet, you bastard?’
’Why the hell is it so ferocious?’
Especially with its looks. Most people would probably lose their nerve before the fight even started.
A head twice the size of a normal pig’s was attached to a human-like torso.
’Even Zhu Bajie wouldn’t look this monstrous, would he?’
’But what’s with that neck full of black bristles!’
Its mouth was full of yellowed tusks, from which an unknown liquid dripped continuously.
It stood three meters tall, holding a short hammer in each hand.
They were only "short" hammers in a relative sense.
For a human, just lifting one would take all their strength.
The head of each hammer was at least the size of an adult’s torso and was covered in spikes.
HISS!
He Xiaotian glanced at his left side and saw several bloody holes.
It was only because of the low ambient temperature that he wasn’t bleeding much.
"Looks like I really have to go all out now."
He Xiaotian muttered and looked at his Experience Points system.
[Experience Points: 1050
Function: Scan
Martial Arts: *Fire-refined Golden Body* -/500+ (Slightly Accomplished: Lower Grade Scorched Earth. A casual strike can evaporate the moisture from the ground, causing it to crack and leaving it scorched and barren. Body as hard as iron, like wearing iron clothes, unafraid of blades and axes. Strength greatly increased, like that of an ox.)]
Enduring the pain, he focused his attention and gently tapped the "+" symbol.
’Better to become a dried-up husk than get hammered into meat paste by that pig head.’
’At least my corpse will be in one piece!’
The "500/500" text blurred.
The Inner Strength in his Dantian grew hotter.
It was as if a raging flame had ignited within him, burning fiercely.
His skin turned crimson as astonishing waves of heat radiated from his body.
His flesh and blood essence plummeted.
He had been a muscular young man, 1.8 meters tall.
Now, he had become as thin as a bolt of lightning.
No, that’s not right!
He was as thin as a skeleton.
The Pig Grudge, holding its two hammers, was also a bit stunned.
Its mind was in chaos.
The human it had just sent flying with a hammer... how had he turned into someone else?
[Experience Points: 550
Function: Scan
Martial Arts: *Fire-refined Golden Body* -/1000 (Well-Practiced: Perfection Level Lower Grade Scorched Earth. A casual strike can shatter mountains and crack stones. When unleashed, Inner Strength is as scorching as fire. It can cause the ground to crack, leaving it scorched and barren. Body as hard as iron, unafraid of blades and axes, greatly mitigates impact damage. Strength dramatically increased, like the combined force of three oxen.)]
The description for *Fire-refined Golden Body* changed from "Slightly Accomplished" to "Well-Practiced."
In addition, Lower Grade Scorched Earth gained the "Perfection Level" prefix.
The description now included the phrases "shatter mountains and crack stones" and "Inner Strength... as scorching as fire."
"like wearing iron clothes" disappeared, replaced by "Body as hard as iron," and the phrase "greatly mitigates impact damage" was added.
The strength of one ox increased by two, becoming the combined force of three oxen.
’In other words, my strength is now over a thousand pounds?’
WHOOSH!
Before he could even get out of the wall, a hammer came flying at his head.
CRASH!
The Pig Grudge held its throwing pose. It didn’t understand why the person had changed, but it didn’t matter. One hammer strike, and he’d still be dead.
With that, the people who had disturbed its evolution were all dead. It was time to return to the cold storage area and continue its great work.
In the pile of rubble, He Xiaotian’s face was full of relief.
’Good thing I was decisive and upgraded the level of my *Fire-refined Golden Body* right away.’
Otherwise, that thrown hammer alone would have been enough to kill him.
His body hurt a lot, but the blow hadn’t actually caused him any serious injuries.
The "greatly mitigates impact" feature was clearly the key to his survival.
Otherwise, even if his body had no external wounds...
...his internal organs would never have been able to withstand such a violent impact.
When the Big Hammer made intimate contact with him, its immense force was immediately neutralized by the scorching Inner Strength in his Dantian.
All he was left with were a few broken bones and the intense pain signals sent from his nerves to his brain.
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