The moment Chen Feng’s fingers brushed against the shovel, it flashed, and the point where it bit instantly flared with pain, sending blood spurting out as if from a broken main—a veritable torrent.

Like some bloodthirsty ghoul, the jet-black shovel showed no mercy; any blood that spattered upon it was instantly absorbed, vanishing within.

Washed clean by the blood, the surface of the shovel began to emit an unsettling, mesmerizing radiance.

In the light, a fog descended upon Chen Feng’s mind; he stood there, vacant and motionless. It was only upon hearing the old man’s sharp cry that he forcibly shook off the stupor, yanked his hand back, and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for huge drafts of air.

“What a bizarre object!” A chill of terror ran through Chen Feng. After drawing blood, the shovel could release an aura capable of clouding the mind, trapping its victim. If not for the old man’s warning and his own formidable mental fortitude forged from two lifetimes, he would surely have bled to death!

What in the blazes was this thing?

“It is Bloodthirst!” the old man’s voice slowly echoed through the air. “This shovel possesses the property of Bloodthirst. Once it breaks the skin, it mesmerizes the victim until every drop of their blood is drained! It is an exceptional offensive weapon!”

“An offensive weapon with the attribute of Bloodthirst?” Chen Feng shivered. “How utterly eerie!”

Yet, with such a weapon in hand, even when fighting opponents stronger than himself, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. After all, this thing acted like a vampire the moment it tasted blood; anyone who saw it would turn pale!

Only then did Chen Feng grasp the true function of this shovel. It was indeed a treasure!

However, this thing weighed four or five thousand jin. How could one possibly wield it effectively in combat?

“This shovel weighs exactly 4,820 jin. I forged it by incorporating dozens of natural rare ores, including Bloodthirst Stone, Dark Gold Iron, and Yellow Jade Demon Crystal. Not only does it devour blood, but any blood that adheres to it activates the magic array etched within, producing a hallucinatory effect that temporarily clouds the mind, leaving the victim utterly defenseless. Of course, nothing is absolute; this mesmerizing effect only works on Battle Masters below the Fourth Level. I present it to you now,” the aged voice stated slowly.

Chen Feng’s expression shifted. “4,820 jin? How can one possibly deploy such a heavy lump as a weapon? And… its appearance is so bizarre. Are there really people in this world who fight with a common shovel?”

“Heh heh,” the old voice chuckled softly. “When refining this shovel, I also infused it with a large amount of ‘Spirit Essence.’”

“Spirit Essence?” Chen Feng was momentarily confused before realization dawned. While idle in the valley, he had meticulously studied the continent’s basic knowledge from Xiao Hu. Though young, Xiao Hu possessed an astonishing breadth of knowledge, possibly related to the heritage of the Magical Beasts. This knowledge mentioned the Spirit Essence ore.

To call it merely an ore wasn't entirely accurate. This substance was the shed husk of a creature known as the Spirit Worm. The Spirit Worm was a strange animal, belonging neither to the realm of Magical Beasts nor to Battle Beasts. However, it possessed a unique ability that even high-level Magical Beasts could only dream of: transformation!

The Spirit Worm’s body was naturally pliable, and its mimicry skills were capable of fooling the eye entirely. This might be the very basis for the survival of these creatures, which possessed neither Magic nor Battle Qi.

Every one hundred years, an adult Spirit Worm would shed its outer soft skin, causing its body to more than double in size.

The shed soft skin would instantly weather into a hard, crystalline ore—this was the so-called Spirit Essence.

When Xiao Hu described Spirit Essence, his eyes were filled with envy. In a world dominated by Magic and Battle Qi, a creature lacking both, yet possessing such rarity, was unimaginable. Furthermore, since they only molted once every century, and the average lifespan of a Spirit Worm was barely eighty years, few ever reached the age of one hundred. Consequently, this substance had become one of the peerless, rare minerals that one might seek forever without finding.

According to Xiao Hu, the continent’s ranking of peerless rare minerals placed Spirit Essence at the twenty-first position, demonstrating its supreme value.

The old man had incorporated this material into the shovel; its value was self-evident. But what exactly did the inclusion of Spirit Essence achieve?

“Transformation!” the old man uttered a result that nearly stunned Chen Feng senseless. “After the Spirit Essence was added, this shovel gained this extraordinary ability. However, one must first reach the realm of Battle Master and channel their internal Battle Qi into it to activate the Spirit Essence’s effect, allowing the shovel to morph—into a sword, a blade, or a staff—into whatever shape you desire!”

Chen Feng felt his breathing nearly seize up. A shapeshifting weapon—good heavens! This was undoubtedly the treasure of treasures!

“However…” the old man’s tone shifted. “Because I refined this weapon, it contains a portion of my soul imprint. Controlling it was effortless; its weight of 4,820 jin felt lighter than a feather to me. Now that it is given to you, that imprint is naturally erased, making it an unclaimed object. You must first subdue it before you can wield it as if it were an extension of your own arm!”

“How do I subdue it?” Chen Feng asked anxiously.

The old man remained silent for a long time. After a moment, he replied, “I don’t know precisely. Your best bet is to carry it on your person constantly. Perhaps with prolonged contact, it will eventually recognize you as its master.”

“…”

Carrying it every day? 4,820 jin! He’d be crushed to death before he gained any benefit!

Cold sweat beaded on Chen Feng’s forehead. “Even if I wanted to carry it, what kind of rope could possibly bear such a weight?”

The old man laughed. “That is simple. To the left of the iron door, there is some Dark Gold Silk—a rope I wove from Dark Gold Iron. You can use that.”

Chen Feng followed the instruction and indeed found some pitch-black ropes lying on the ground, each as thick as a finger. He stepped forward and bent down to pick one up, only to realize how incredibly heavy it was; this single rope alone weighed several hundred jin.

To carry a shovel, he would have to add several hundred jin of rope weight as well.

“Do you think I’m a camel?” Chen Feng sighed in exasperation.

“Heh heh, it’s not all bad,” the old man’s voice returned. “Long-term heavy load-bearing is actually beneficial to the body; at the very least, it will make your physique significantly tougher! Furthermore, carrying my shovel allows me to conceal my cultivation level. Anyone below the Fifth Level of Battle Venerable won't be able to discern your true strength!”

Chen Feng had initially been lukewarm about the weapon. Among the most powerful figures in the King of Fighters techniques, not a single one used a weapon—Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Orochi, the members of the Sacred Team…

And currently, he lacked the requisite weapon skill techniques anyway. Carrying a weapon would only be superfluous, perhaps even detracting from his power.

However, a weapon that could conceal his cultivation and simultaneously train his body might not be such a bad trade-off. Even with some King of Fighters skills now in his possession, Chen Feng was not so arrogant as to believe himself invincible. On the contrary, the higher he climbed, the more he realized that those with profound cultivation were as numerous as blades of grass! Focusing solely on revenge, figures like Kiku and Harry could undoubtedly crush him without effort!

In the valley depths, he had mentally replayed the motion Kiku used to break his arm several times. While practicing the Phantom Crane Step, he incorporated Kiku’s striking patterns from memory to evade, only to be frustrated by the result: no matter how he dodged, the outcome remained shattered limbs!

It was precisely this understanding that drove Chen Feng to train with such fierce desperation.

If he possessed an item that could mask his true strength, it would save him considerable trouble and offer better protection.

Realizing this, Chen Feng finally looked at the shovel with a genuine flicker of intense desire in his eyes.

PS: I didn’t intend to mention this, as the excitement level isn't high in these few chapters, but this is crucial groundwork for later. The design of this book borrows heavily from games, so there will be elements like ‘Rage Mode,’ Iori, ‘Crazy Iori,’ and so on. But rest assured, tomorrow’s update will be explosive; Old Ya has already mapped it out, and we should enter Volume Two around the day after tomorrow. I can leak the title early—I Am Iori…

Heh heh, truth be told, Old Ya hasn’t watched that much manga; I’ve only seen ‘97. Old Ya’s favorite game is KOF ’97, haha! I was unbeatable at the office when playing it… My favorite characters were Iori, Robert, Clark, and Daimon…

Oh, right, I posted a pinned thread in the comments section to poll which characters fellow readers prefer and what moves they favor. I hope the King of Fighters fans will chime in enthusiastically!