Chapter 302 - Examine
Xun emerged from Han Wu’s shadow, his keen sense of smell guiding him through the piles of corpses to uncover enhanceable body parts. He deliberately selected only those of Purple quality or higher and presented them to Han Wu.
Having already slain two powerful demons and grafted numerous Red body parts, Han Wu’s strength rivaled that of one of the Twelve Demons. He ignored anything below Purple quality and showed no interest in the body parts that Xun presented.
Meanwhile, Xun discovered one with a 90% compatibility rating: the Demon Eye. Han Wu gave him permission to graft it to increase his strength further.
They repeated this process several times. In just half a day, Han Wu had slain five Demon Lords, further thinning the ranks of survivors on the training ground. In total, he had killed eleven.
He used four of these kills to enhance his Cockroach Cells. The energy released from the four Demon Lords coursed through his body and elevated his Cockroach Cells to the next quality.
The process lasted thirty seconds before the energy faded. Inspecting the interface, Han Wu saw the upgrade complete. The Cockroach Cells had transformed into Life Cells, a Purple body part that amplified his recovery by 500%. Their three special traits remained intact, yet their effects had grown stronger with the upgrade.
Han Wu then harnessed the Demonic Origin he had collected from the slain Demon Lords and other demons to improve his remaining body parts. His Epistian Brain reached Stage 6, awakening its second trait.
He was now presented with a choice among the options available.
[Option 1: Meditation – Enhances resistance to status ailments affecting the mental state. It also boosts the Epistian Brain’s stats. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
[Option 2: Examine – Concentrates all senses on a target to gather detailed information. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
[Option 3: Lightning – Charges and unleashes lightning to strike the target. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
Han Wu dismissed the third option as soon as he read it. He already had plenty of offensive abilities and had no need for another. His attention focused on Meditation and Examine.
Meditation promised stronger resistance to mental status ailments and enhanced power for his Epistian Brain. On the other hand, Examine offered a refined inspection skill that concentrated every sense on a single target to extract maximum information.
Both options were enticing, but he ultimately prioritized the advantage of understanding his enemy. Thus, he selected Examine.
Using Xun as his practice target, Han Wu activated Examine. In an instant, his Detection—normally capable of perceiving everything within a 100-kilometer radius—zeroed in entirely on Xun. A flood of data poured into his Epistian Brain, where it was analyzed, consolidated, and distilled into a concise report.
Han Wu’s mind reeled as he read the report. It revealed a staggering array of weaknesses in Xun. His lower body lacked stability and relied on his tail for balance. If Han Wu could seize the Arrow Tail and strike the lower body, Xun would fall effortlessly. Moreover, Xun displayed vulnerability to light, fire, and lightning damage, inherent to his nature as a Demon Lord. Curiously, he was also weak to water.
Examine revealed a host of additional weaknesses, each one a potential opening Han Wu could exploit. The sheer number of them left Han Wu flabbergasted. He struggled to believe all the information was accurate, so he decided to test it through Xun.
Xun could not disobey his orders, leaving him no choice but to comply. Han Wu suppressed nearly all of his strength until he matched Xun’s. He then struck, targeting the vulnerabilities identified by Examine, and defeated Xun in under three minutes.
Unsatisfied, Xun blamed his own carelessness and demanded a rematch. Han Wu applied the weaknesses he had uncovered and fought him a second and third time. Xun lost repeatedly and finally admitted defeat.
Only then did Han Wu trust the information he had gathered. Examine allowed him to discern the weaknesses of someone as powerful as Demon Lord Xun, but what about those stronger than him? What if he used Examine on the Twelve Demons?
Han Wu imagined eliminating them instantly once he uncovered their vulnerabilities. With that in mind, he discussed their next target with Xun. They were going to hunt down one of the Twelve Demons, the Desert Demon.
The Desert Demon was considered one of the easier prey, confined entirely to the desert. More precisely, it depended on sand, and sand was vulnerable to water. Any opponent controlling more water than the Desert Demon controlled sand could overpower it. Yet the demon inhabited the largest desert in the training ground, spanning 1.74 million square kilometers. Defeating it would require an ocean’s worth of water.
Han Wu suspected the Desert Demon must have additional weaknesses beyond its vulnerability to water. To confirm this, he would have to use Examine directly on it. Hence, he flew toward the desert to see if his conjecture was correct. He attempted to locate the Desert Demon using Detection but came up empty.
Han Wu’s arrival, however, drew the attention of the Jackal Demons roaming the desert. These Intermediate demons had the bodies of jackals and each possessed six enhanceable body parts. They were among the strongest Intermediate demons in the region.
The Jackal Demons worshipped the Desert Demon as their god and had received strict orders to kill any trespassers. They patrolled the desert day and night and slew any Demon Lord who wandered too close to appease their god.
The lead Jackal Demon howled, and the others joined in, encircling Han Wu. Their howls sounded like a war song meant to strike fear into their enemies, though the effect fell short.
Standing eighteen meters tall, Han Wu felt more amused than threatened. He imagined two armies preparing for battle, and the larger one trying to intimidate the smaller by singing war songs. The attempt was both harmless and ridiculous.
Han Wu suppressed his laughter, targeted the biggest Jackal Demon, and used Examine. Instantly, every detail about the demon appeared before him, including its several weaknesses.
Even an Inferior demon could defeat the Jackal Demons with such knowledge. Someone as powerful as Han Wu didn’t even need to use Examine to do so. He raised his Dragon Claws, summoned Soul Seeker, and poured a massive amount of energy into it until it vibrated violently and revealed its afterimages.
“This is an attack from 300,000 Soul Seekers. Jackal Demons, you cannot stop this,” Han Wu warned in Demonese.
The Jackal Demons ignored him and continued to bark defiantly.
Han Wu chuckled and threw Soul Seeker. Mid-flight, it split into 300,000 clones and formed a swarm that resembled a vast locust cloud.
The Jackal Demons charged the swarm, led by their pack leader in an attempt to reach Han Wu. It took little time before the sounds of their death throes echoed through the desert.
Han Wu shrugged. “I told you so.”