I Am Also An Extraordinary Creature
Chapter 430 - 339: Being Able to Fight Means Professional Competence (Happy Chinese New Year)_1

Chapter 430: Chapter 339: Being Able to Fight Means Professional Competence (Happy Chinese New Year)_1

The Swordsman selected a skeleton soldier that was also a swordsman, and this swordsman was the kind with extensive experience. After exchanging a few moves with the skeleton, he revealed a surprised expression. Although the swordsmanship used by the skeleton was somewhat stiff, he recognized the technique.

It was a rather commonly used swordsmanship in this world, and the skeleton displayed exceptional skill in countering moves.

The reason it seemed stiff was because the sword moves were not quite fluid - as if it had forgotten the corresponding techniques?

Thinking this, the Swordsman immediately switched to a swordsmanship identical to that used by the skeleton. After a dozen or so moves, he noticed that the skeleton’s technique had become more agile, and the transitions between moves smoother.

It... had filled in the gaps in the sword technique. Although the skeleton lacked inner strength, its mastery of this swordsmanship was already superior to some swordsmen.

If it had inner strength to supplement it, it would only be more formidable.

After a while, the Swordsman stopped the exchange. He didn’t shatter the skeleton outright, despite his suppressive strength, as this device was arranged by the small clan leader for martial arts practice. He had tried it himself and, ensuring safety, found that such a skeleton soldier could be quite helpful for martial arts novices.

Although a wooden dummy post could move, it only operated within a designed range; once figured out, its effectiveness diminished. But this wasn’t the case with these skeletons—they could change moves during combat, something a dummy couldn’t do.

As for improvement, once the skeleton filled in the missing sword moves, there were no more changes in strength.

"In life, it must have mastered this set of swordsmanship to perfection, otherwise it wouldn’t have retained it after death," the Swordsman said earnestly, treating the deceased skeleton as a true Swordsman.

"Is it okay to use?" Qi Xiangyun asked.

"Of course, but we still need to take precautions," the Swordsman said, glancing at the weapon in his hand. He was using a precious sword, while the skeleton’s bone sword wasn’t as good as the precious sword. However, it was already very strong.

So far, there were only a few shallow marks on it; compared with training weapons, it was somewhat more dangerous and more lethal to novices.

"That’s no problem; I can make some suitable restraints."

Qi Xiangyun arranged for these skeletons to be sent to a workshop. Since the skeletons were so useful, they would certainly make the most of them.

"Brother Chang Qing, can these skeletons keep moving?"

"Hmm..." They probably couldn’t, Zheng Yichen shook his head. He had observed the skeleton competing with the Swordsman, and after a bout, the heat source reaction on the skeleton diminished slightly, indicating that the skeletons’ movements consumed something.

As for how to replenish this consumption, Zheng Yichen thought for a moment. He had seen in Hell that some skeletons operated around a blood pool—these skeletons became what they were after corpses fell into the blood pool and were stripped of flesh and blood.

So...

Thinking this, under Qi Xiangyun’s somewhat astonished gaze, Zheng Yichen cut his own finger and flicked a drop of blood onto the sword-wielding skeleton’s head. Although his blood contained powerful hallucinogens, such intoxicants had the greatest effect on flesh and blood bodies.

They should not affect the likes of skeletons.

After the blood landed on the skull of the skeleton, it was quickly absorbed like water into a sponge, and the whole skeleton became somewhat agitated. The arm that had turned into a bone sword and other injuries on the body quickly healed, and the bones became sturdier.

Though no flames emerged from inside the skull, two faint red lights appeared, resembling eyes, unconsciously increasing the oppressive feel towards living creatures.

"Did it... upgrade??" Zheng Yichen looked at the significantly changed skeleton and said somewhat speechlessly; it reminded him of an outdated game back on Earth. He glanced around—should he sweep his hand now, scatter a few talismans, and summon a couple of dogs to set the scene?

The transformed skeleton promptly broke free from its bindings, circled around Zheng Yichen, and lifted its bone sword towards Qi Xiangyun.

Bang—

The attacking skeleton was sent flying, crashing against the wall. Qi Xiangyun had no weapon in hand, she merely brought her two fingers together, and a faint blood blade extended from her fingertips. The power of the Supreme Demon Weapon was immense, but the weapon was somewhat too large and impractical for her to carry around daily.

With a certain mastery of the Supreme Demon Weapon, a strong bond could be formed, allowing one to summon the weapon with a gesture within a certain distance. So far, Qi Xiangyun could only summon her Supreme Demon Weapon within twenty meters.

In contrast, like Liu Hongzhao, this range had already exceeded a hundred meters. However, as the mastery and connection to the Supreme Demon Weapon deepen, touching the weapon first subjects one to the intense murderous aura it contains.

The Supreme Demon Weapon exudes too strong a murderous aura to carry around daily, so the weapon Qi Xiangyun keeps on her is the Fire Dragon Scale Sword given to her by Zheng Yichen. There is no need to draw the sword just to deal with a skeleton.

Now, without particularly special circumstances and excluding Zheng Yichen, she’s probably the strongest in Qi Family Town. Liu Hongzhao would step aside upon her return.

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The skeleton soldier, having collided with the wall, swiftly rose to its feet and charged once more towards Qi Xiangyun, the only other living person in the workshop. It seemed as though Zheng Yichen did not exist in the skeleton soldier’s eyes.

"Brother Chang Qing," Qi Xiangyun couldn’t help but look towards Zheng Yichen.

Zheng Yichen nodded and extended his hand, pressing it on the skeleton soldier: "Stop!"

"Crack—" The skeleton soldier’s upper and lower jaws collided, and it held its bone sword horizontally, maintaining a half-kneeling posture before Zheng Yichen.

"Well then." Seeing this scene, Zheng Yichen felt it was quite something—that kind of development indeed surprised him, as he had noticed that the skeleton had not attacked him earlier.

"Brother Chang Qing, you’re so powerful," said Qi Xiangyun, observing the scene: "Can I try too?"

"Give it a try. It would be good if we could make these skeletons more obedient. Isn’t there a Taoist in Qi Family Town?"

Qi Xiangyun shook her head: "In this world, there’s not much difference between Taoists and mages. I can arrange for some people to specifically research these undead."

She had read some of the novels Zheng Yichen had sent over, understanding a bit about the existence of Taoists. However, Taoists in this world were not as they were described in some novels, capable of exorcising ghosts and controlling zombies. Even mages could perform such tasks.

Controlling zombies required some minor spells, which some martial artists couldn’t achieve, unless they used carts for transportation. But when it came to exorcising ghosts, what mages could do, martial artists could do as well. If they encountered a ghost, they would simply kill it, and that was considered successful exorcism.

In a world with a low-level environment, these tasks would require specialized expertise, but in a world where martial artists could casually summon the shadows of dragons, anyone who could deal with ghosts was considered a specialist in the field.

Furthermore, the boundary between life and death in their world was not so easily breached. Ancient records indicated that the chaos caused by undead in ancient times was the result of the Supreme Demon forcibly opening a channel between life and death, which later got destroyed, restoring order.

Although some undead still appeared in the Mortal Realm, one would immediately suspect the involvement of the Supreme Demon.

Even if it wasn’t directly related, it still had something to do with the Supreme Demon.

As such, this world seldom saw beings that controlled corpses for combat. Of course, that didn’t mean there were none—some mages would still raise zombies or similar undead.

Even so, these types were distinct from the Taoists in stories; they didn’t use talisman paper and the like.

"Don’t strain yourself too much; my ability to control these skeletons is exceptional, and difficult for others to learn."

Qi Xiangyun smiled and said, "After all, Brother Chang Qing is special."

She dropped a droplet of blood onto another skeleton head. The blood was absorbed by the skeleton, but the pace was much slower compared to the half-kneeling one. There was no significant change in the latter skeleton aside from the healing of some damage on its bones.

Zheng Yichen undid the rope on that skeleton, and Qi Xiangyun approached it: "Stand properly—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the skeleton had already raised its bone dagger, swinging it at her, only to be sent flying by Qi Xiangyun right after, who said, "It seems it won’t work."

The young girl was not disheartened by this. She knew there was a significant gap between her and Zheng Yichen and that after Hong Zhao had grown stronger, she had told them that Brother Chang Qing’s traits were even more special than what the Snake God had tempted her with as the Supreme Demon qualities.

Since he was special, accomplishing special feats was quite normal.

"It’s better if Brother Chang Qing handles it."

"Leave it to me," Zheng Yichen said with a smile and dropped a droplet of blood onto the head of the sword-wielding skeleton soldier. After absorbing the blood, the skeleton trembled intensely and then, under Zheng Yichen’s gaze, its bones became covered in cracks and shattered to pieces.

Gone.

"Well, it seems it was not destined to become more powerful," Zheng Yichen remarked, looking towards the next victim. He felt like he was in a game, enhancing his equipment, except there was no guarantee of initial success like in games.

And if the enhancement failed, all he would have were seemingly useless bone dust. While the enhancement mechanism in games was undeniably appealing—requiring money and time to acquire the necessary materials—in the present moment, such a process wasn’t needed; his blood alone sufficed.

On the other hand, Qi Xiangyun carefully examined some of the finer, more complete bone fragments on the ground, resembling jade, and after clinking them together to listen to the sound, she said, "These can serve as materials."

"We can try forging weapons or armor, but first, we have to understand what effects they have."

Qi Xiangyun was knowledgeable about materials. Bones that had undergone jade-like transformations were like iron stones, sturdy enough to be used as materials. This world already possessed numerous unique resources, such as the Mysterious Ice Stone. Seeing such unique materials, she was intrigued.

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