Chapter 481: Coming in Droves: Changing the Staff into a Spear

Zhou You has always insisted that free-range is higher quality than cage-rearing.

After subduing the Great Crane, he used the Seal Character 'Control' to establish a connection, then released the Great Crane back into the wild to let it develop on its own.

Every now and then, he would summon it to his side to spar and hone his fist techniques and weaponry, while also reinforcing the effect of the Seal Character 'Control'.

Ever since subduing the giant snake in Chongguang Cheng, Zhou You's comprehension and mastery of this Seal Character had become even more proficient.

Unlike Kunpengzi's 'Gu' which twists the mind and resembles hypnosis, Zhou You's 'Control' is a dignified method of the superior controlling the inferior.

Having successively subdued the giant snake and the Great Crane, his practical application and understanding of the Seal Character deepened, and the techniques and methods derived from it became even more varied.

Controlling subordinates is not just about relentless suppression and exploitation; it also requires a balance of tension and relaxation.

Even ordinary commoners know the principle: give a slap and then a sweet date; if you feed them nothing but sticks all day, even your own son will turn against you.

"What should I feed it?"

Before being subdued, the Great Crane liked to tear living people apart; now that it has turned over a new leaf, its bad habits must eventually be changed.

Zhou You decided that if all else failed, he would buy more cattle, sheep, and fat pigs to feed the Great Crane; that was still better than eating people.

After subduing the Great Crane, he felt even more refreshed and invigorated.

This area had already been hunted clean by the Great Crane; let alone wild beasts, even martial artists and Witch tribesmen would become food if they stepped into it.

After Zhou You left the area, he finally encountered some living people and immediately threw himself into the fray.

"Yan Baihu of Daying Shan has beheaded 5 of the 'Ten Prodigies' of the Witch tribe alliance, ranking first in battle achievements."

"The Witch tribesman Wu Luoye has killed 2 fierce generals of Dayin Mountain and Sun Hua, the direct disciple of the Xishan Peerless, ranking first among the Witch tribesmen."

"The aristocratic scion Liu Fengji is currently in a great battle with the successor of the Witch leader Gaoyang Clan; both sides have partners and followers, and over a hundred martial master-level combatants are caught up in it."

"Lin Mochi of Chongguang Cheng has been killed, the Mysterious Pocket has fallen into the hands of the Witch tribesmen, and the secret has been leaked."

"The Witch tribe 'Ten Prodigy' Gaxiang is manipulating the calamity-charm treasure 'Fur-Bone Felt' to slaughter Lian Cunyi, a strong martial artist of Wanxiu Mountain."

"Suspected Golden Immortal Dao methods have appeared; a martial artist is shuttling through Witch Banners, coming and going as he pleases, and is instead hunting the Witch tribesmen."

"The Hundred Crafts Department is utilizing the mechanical secret treasure 'Six-Forest Ganluo Statue' to trap 3 strong martial artists of the Witch tribe; the strong martial artists of Dayin Mountain and Wanxiu Mountain are rushing over, aiming to wipe them all out."

"..."

All sorts of complex news came from every direction.

Zhou You walked along carrying his staff; when he met martial artists, he exchanged information, and when he met Witch tribesmen, he raised his staff to beat them to death and scavenged their spoils.

After a long time, it became somewhat dull; the battlefield was mostly filled with calm standoffs and tug-of-wars, and top-tier experts were, after all, as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns—you might not even encounter one after killing a hundred weaklings.

"..."

Zhou You measured the tip of the staff with his palm, gestured a few times, and attached the dagger to the staff.

Hmm, a wooden staff fitted with a dagger; in the blink of an eye, it switches into an iron spear, or one could call it a steel lance.

After battle upon bloody battle, his staff techniques had been honed to a profound and exquisite level, and he had also come up with many ingenious moves.

For instance, combining the wooden staff with the indestructible dagger—wouldn't that concentrate the advantages and specialties of both?

The dagger, fused with the remains of a dormant charm, could at best pierce the physical body of a first or second-tier strong martial artist, but its drawback was that the attack range was too short, requiring close-quarters stabbing.

The wooden staff had a wider attack range, but as a blunt weapon, it was often difficult to achieve a one-hit kill.

Combining the two was the best choice!

As he swung the wooden staff to rotate and thrust, he realized the center of gravity had shifted slightly forward; he would have to adjust the techniques he was used to.

Coincidentally, there were a few Witch tribesmen hiding in the depths of a Witch Banner ahead, hunting passing martial artists. Zhou You stepped forward carrying this 'Iron Spear', his palm holding a talisman book as he exhaled a faint ink-colored light, and as he reached the front, he raised his hand.

A gauze-like Witch Banner appeared in the void, with a Witch tribesman curled up in its folds, holding a lethal weapon and lying dormant, waiting to strike.

The tribesman suddenly realized something was wrong, looked around, and discovered his position had been exposed.

Just as he was wondering why, a point of white light shot toward him from in front, entering through his eye socket; with a 'splat', it pierced straight through his skull.

Zhou You flicked his hand to toss the corpse aside, feeling as if he had poked through a rotten watermelon, the pulp like mushy paste.

One reason was the sharpness of the blade, the other was that his weapon technique was formidable, allowing him to crush the withered and destroy the rotten, killing the enemy in one blow.

It has been said that the staff is the ancestor of all weapons, meaning that before ancient times, the earliest weapons humans mastered were wooden staves made by adapting to local conditions, cutting off tree branches and trunks.

Later, they embedded round stones, sharp points, and thin flakes into the head of the staff, creating hammers, spears, stone axes, and so on.

The material of the staff changed to copper and iron, made into oval, square, or bamboo-joint shapes to become iron whips and iron maces, and when flattened and sharpened on both sides, they became swords and sabers.

Therefore, mastering the way of the staff contains infinite possibilities; one can draw inferences about other cases and switch to any kind of weapon.

Zhou You originally practiced the Tiger Head Hammer, later gathering the essence of numerous fist techniques to create his own 'Random-Hitting' staff style.

Now, having made further progress, he thought of combining the dagger and wooden staff into one—practicing the spear! "Come, come, come, polish the spear tip for me."

Zhou You pinched the staff handle with three fingers and rotated it lightly; the iron tip, like swimming starlight, drifted uncertainly, stabbing in from under the Witch tribesman's armpit and then piercing through his chest and out of his mouth.

Then he kicked out, landing squarely on the chest, and the corpse fell to the ground like a sack.

Before he could retract the spear, an angry shout from another Witch tribesman reached his ears: "Die."

It turned out the Witch tribesman had a companion; knowing the Witch Banner couldn't hide him, he had actually dug a hole in the ground to hide, waiting for an opportunity to emerge and ambush him.

Amidst a faint sound of air being pierced, tiny Gu Insects flew over, rapidly flapping their wings.

Zhou You swept the staff in a wide arc, whipping up a powerful gale; the Gu Insects crashed into the staff handle and iron tip one after another, exploding in a spray of sparks.

He locked onto his targets and thrust the spear again and again, hitting a Gu Insect each time, causing them to explode on the spot.

The Witch tribesman who had attacked wanted to ambush him from behind, but was met with a backhanded sweep of the staff; the violent staff wind tore him in half at the waist, his upper and lower body severed, struggling and groping on the ground for a long time before dying.

Spear and staff are not separate; his 'Random-Hitting' staff style switched seamlessly into spear technique, stabbing one after another without a sound.

"Ah, Bawang Shu, you are the Little Overlord Yan Wanjun."

Zhou You's face turned black the moment he heard that; what kind of eyes did he have? He was the one and only Hungry Tiger Zhou You.

He backhanded the staff, smashing the eyes of the Witch tribesman with the poor eyesight; the remaining force was so fierce that his brains were even pulled out.

Before he knew it, the souls under his spear had accumulated to over twenty, mostly at the martial master level, along with some unlucky low-level thugs with Qi and blood.

However, he had not encountered a single enemy at the level of the 'Ten Prodigies'.

It is said that among the Shaman tribes, the Ten Prodigies are considered the highest honor; they prefer quality over quantity, and the evaluation process is extremely strict.

Usually, one is only replaced when a spot becomes vacant, and there are never any extra additions; even if one possesses the strength of a Ten Prodigy, if their battle merits are insufficient, they will still fail to be selected.

In this great war, more than one prodigy has fallen, and the rankings of the Ten Prodigies have consequently undergone a reshuffling.

One after another, unknown Shamans have stood out, slaying elite Disciples from Dayin Mountain and Wanxiu Mountain.

"The Shaman Sima Nu has beaten Huo Yulang of the Jueguang Sect to death and ascended to the rank of Ten Prodigy."

Huo Yulang, a prominent descendant of the Huo family in Fucheng, is generally considered to be on par with Liu Fengji.

(End of this chapter)