[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h":3,"chapter-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Devouring Evil, Exterminating Demons Across All Heavens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266953,4426,"Chapter 8: Valiant Progress","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>Another morning, sunlight pierced the window paper and spilled into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu sat up on the bed, drenched in sweat, lips cracked and dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose, bare feet stepping on the bamboo floor, left hand grabbing the teapot on the table and pouring straight into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After draining two pots of cold boiled water, Chu Tianshu let out a satisfied sigh, set down the teapot, and wiped his mouth with his left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In yesterday’s nightmare, that left hand had been bitten off by a wolf—now it still throbbed faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he’d make sure to move that left hand more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today marked his twenty-fourth day in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also his twenty-fourth day since formally opening his qi channels through boxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These days, he’d done many things, but by far the most was practicing boxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gluttonous Backbeat Fist lived up to its name—endless hard training truly expanded the digestive system astonishingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday he ate five chickens, four large ducks, crunching every bone, and still managed a few vegetable dishes for variety, plus plenty of hot water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just over twenty days, he felt his once slender frame had noticeably thickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation of rapid muscle growth, bones and organs adapting—everywhere aching and itching inside, yet impossible to scratch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Chu Tianshu, accustomed to nightmares, this was bearable—he still maintained the highest intensity possible each day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, only when stimulated by acupuncture could he see his arm muscles swell and ripple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he didn’t even need to enter the opened-channel state—extend his left hand, apply slight force, and feel the muscles move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t obvious when dressed, but his actual weight had clearly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t feel heavier or more burdensome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he felt brimming with energy, every movement of his limbs lighter and faster than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stripping off his soaked clothes, Chu Tianshu spread his arms and powered up from his lower back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat beads, smeared across his skin during undressing, had felt unpleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, as he exerted himself, those beads slowly reformed into tiny droplets, especially obvious on shoulders and arms—his forearms glistened with sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he grunted, his shoulders and arms tensed sharply—the sweat on his arms shattered into a fine mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered when, back at the Backbeat Fist dojo, an uncle who’d trained for over a decade had demonstrated this very trick to apprentices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Chu Tianshu had been awestruck, face full of envy—now he could do it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-four days—seemed to have caught up with years of accumulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t just because the Gluttonous Backbeat Fist manual had been directly transmitted into his mind, letting him constantly refine his practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More so because he realized the sensation of opening channels through boxing bore some parallels to his spirit-channeling experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange—he’d once thought the two were utterly unrelated, unable to train both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once he crossed that threshold, they seemed to share an indescribable commonality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Chu Tianshu felt as if he were converting twenty years of spirit-channeling experience into boxing skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, once his boxing mastery matched his spirit-channeling attainment, progress would slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he wasn’t worried—he wanted to reach that stage as fast as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could move fast now, then move as fast as he could!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right now, only the sweat on my shoulders and arms can be shaken off—I wonder when I’ll reach the point where every drop on my body shatters at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu grabbed a towel, wiped the sweat from other parts of his body, and changed clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no place in town selling plastic-button shirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coat he wore now was custom-made at a tailor’s—a garment resembling modern martial arts attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick blue fabric, a row of cloth-button knots across the chest, sleeves slightly loose, black trousers, cloth shoes with layered soles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his body had grown stronger over the past twenty-plus days, his hair grew quickly—he was too lazy to get a haircut, refused to let it hang loose, so tied it into a low ponytail with a thin cord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his hair grew a few more inches, washing would become too inconvenient—he planned to cut it himself with scissors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After tidying up, Chu Tianshu stepped out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few doors down, Master Ma was also rising and stepping out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past twenty-odd days, they often met in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heading out again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma, though his hair was streaked white, was always vigorous—except for his slightly red nose—and grinned, “Your appetite keeps improving; you’ve tried every dish in my inn, mostly just as side dishes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, the only thing left you haven’t tasted is my medicinal wine—care to try some?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held a wine flask in his left hand, two cups tucked under his right—clearly prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu replied, “No one drinks wine this early, but I’m curious—give me half a cup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma poured him a cup: “This is jujube wine—most nourishing. Three small cups every morning guarantee a hundred-year life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu sniffed it—yes, jujube wine—and recognized several herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vinegar-processed turtle shell, Zhejiang Fritillary bulb, Salvia root, Angelica root…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others he couldn’t identify, but with these few, the formula clearly treated qi and blood stasis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, if a channel-opened martial artist trained improperly, qi and blood stasis, malformed vessels often resulted—in traditional medicine, called “jin liu,” or muscle vascular tumors by modern standards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Master Ma noticed something—or was it coincidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu studied him with quiet inquiry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma remained calm, chuckling: “When I was young, I saw others train boxing, lift stone weights, walk with giant jars, bind iron tiles. Your appetite grows daily—you’re clearly training hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as an old man, I’ll say this: too much is as bad as too little. Enduring hardship with patience is good, but don’t wear yourself out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu took a sip of the medicinal wine and smiled: “Thank you for the warning—I know medicine, I’ll be careful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma hurried to say, “Don’t think me meddling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tonight, same as always—two chickens, one duck, a basket of steamed buns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, “I might be late tonight—Meng Shuangjiang says the weather’s been fine, the moon bright. He’s taking me to try some local eateries tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma laughed: “He truly knows food—no one in town eats better than him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breakfast, Chu Tianshu took his lunch as usual and headed out, training in the bamboo grove until evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red glow of sunset slanted through the bamboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hand shot out with a whistle, striking a bamboo stalk the width of a bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five fingers clamped inward, gripping and tearing—the bamboo split open, half its segments ripped outward, cracks spreading upward and downward from the point of impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stepped back, pulling free a bamboo strip three to four feet long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battered bamboo swayed—about to bend under the weight of its top branches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu moved first, spinning his body fully, swinging his right arm in a full arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crack like a firecracker echoed through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thick bamboo snapped cleanly at the waist—fibers ruptured near a node, rough edges still present but severed swiftly and brutally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upper half fell, the broken end driving into the soil, slowly tilting over within a few breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Chu Tianshu saw these large bamboos as obstacles, avoiding them during footwork training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past ten days, he began using them as training tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially deep in the grove, the old, tough stalks were perfect for practicing the grip, tear, and whip-strike techniques of Backbeat Fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, even in the opened-channel state, his arm strikes could only crack bamboo like wooden clubs—never break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to strike a single large bamboo many times before it bent and fell under its own weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he could snap one with a single whip-strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But pain now throbbed along the edge of his right palm—red, hot, and if left untreated, would swell slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu knew massage, acupuncture, and multiple methods to prevent inflammation and swelling—but he used none. Instead, he clenched his teeth, breathed in deeply through his nose, held his breath, and slowly pushed his right palm forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if invisible weights strained against his right arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After only two or three pushes, his palm burned red-hot, heat spreading to his fingertips—the pain along the edge eased dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many medicines merely stimulate the body’s own healing capacity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A channel-opened martial artist grows ever more precise in controlling his body, unlocking physical potential—simple movements and exertion can accelerate recovery from minor injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This too is a process of refining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a tree—if wounded but not killed, the scarred area becomes harder than the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trees grow scars from axe blows; fists grow calluses from ten thousand strikes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this period, Chu Tianshu had also obtained many fine herbs through Meng Shuangjiang’s connections, brewed into medicinal pastes—but none were for external use, only internal tonics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as he could endure and absorb them, strengthening life force at its root, letting life force repair damage—that was the best treatment. Gluttonous Backbeat Fist’s use of the digestive system perfectly met this prerequisite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin and flesh injuries healed this way—in just over twenty days, both hands bore even, thin calluses; his limbs’ resilience was incomparable to what they’d been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his battle with the Ghost Scholar, though his strength had surged under stress, his body hadn’t kept pace—when he kicked the stone tablet, one strike left his foot aching badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, if he faced it again, he’d never make that mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chu brother, where are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A distant call echoed from outside the bamboo grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu exhaled a long breath, lowered his stance, and walked toward the grove’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Shuangjiang called again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu replied with a bright, resonant laugh, his voice ringing like a bronze bell, causing the bamboo leaves beside him to tremble slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tired bird in the sky, just about to return to its forest, was startled into flight again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Shuangjiang stood on the green stone bridge, his gaze following the bird circling above the bamboo grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his eyes dropped again, he saw the physician brother already stepping out of the bamboo grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1700,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","68ff9b76ec99f4f7589e5f003ca15067896ab92b2774861791fcc2397c529465","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-9","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-7",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]