Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 80 Nine-Section Bone Sword, Undying Reversal

Chen Yu gradually became more and more involved.

The passageway inside the cave was much larger than the one outside.

The top was so dark that it was impossible to see the top.

Only a layer of dark light of unknown origin emanated from both sides of the cave walls, shrouding the entire cave in a dim red hue.

When you walk, the hard clods of mud will crack and crumble under your feet.

A warm, fishy smell wafted from the crevice, brushing against my ankle.

The odor is strongest near the ground.

With every step, you can smell the lingering stench of blood rising from beneath your feet.

Head east.

The cave walls narrowed considerably on this side, and the overhead rocks pressed low.

A knife was stuck in the ground, with a thin crack around it.

Place your hand on the hilt of the knife, open the weapon menu, and start viewing its information.

[Weapon Slot (Tier 1 69%)]

[Weapon]: Slicing Blade - Inch Ling

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: Thin as a willow leaf, one foot and two inches long, and only two fingers wide; the blade is transparent like ice crystals, containing blood crystals refined from the blood of ten thousand people.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 50 jin; 2. Proficient in swordsmanship.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Blood Prison Blade; 2. Anti-theft Blade; 3. Devouring Master Blade.

【Blood Prison of Execution】: 1. When the target takes damage, the damage will not immediately deduct health points, but will be converted into "Internal Bleeding" stacks. Each stack stores 100% of the original damage, with no upper limit on the number of stacks, lasting for 90 seconds; 2. When 90 seconds expire, the stored total damage is settled all at once. The settled damage cannot be blocked by any shields, damage reduction, or invulnerability effects; 3. If the target survives after the settlement, the status is cleared and recalculated. If the settled damage exceeds the target's current health points, the target dies immediately.

[Executioner's Blade Anti-Theft]: When a non-equipment user attempts to hold this weapon, the hilt instantly releases "corrosion" damage, immediately deducting 15% of the user's maximum health, and the weapon automatically drops from the user's hand and falls to the ground.

【Executioner's Blade Devours Its Master】: 1. When an enemy unit kills the wielder and picks up the blade, the next time that unit takes fatal damage, it will automatically trigger an "Immunity" effect, becoming immune to the fatal damage and briefly invincible for 3 seconds; 2. After the "Immunity" effect ends, the unit will immediately be inflicted with "Internal Bleeding" stacks exceeding its maximum health, making it certain to die after 90 seconds.

"The core mechanism of this knife is that damage is calculated with a delay, and the damage at the time of calculation ignores shields."

Chen Yu pondered.

"It has anti-theft properties, and the backlash effect is also quite impressive."

"If someone kills the person who tries to steal my knife, the next fatal wound will trigger a life-saving effect, but they will die within 90 seconds after it ends. In other words, whoever steals my knife will die with me."

"The only problem is that the healing process is too slow!"

"It takes 90 seconds to settle the damage; you have to stay alive to make the internal bleeding explode."

"If there are enough enemies and their firepower is strong enough, they may be targeted and unable to survive until the end."

"Moreover, without any hard control measures, there's no way to prevent the enemy from killing me and leaving during this time. Even if it's a one-for-one trade, it's still a loss."

Chen Yu shook his head, withdrew his hand, and walked towards the middle of the riverbed.

The ground rises slightly here.

Before the Blood River dried up, it created a whirlpool here, leaving behind a thicker layer of silt than elsewhere.

Now that the mud has dried, it feels even crisper to the touch than other places.

Chen Yu's feet sank a little deep, and when he lifted his foot, a small clump of dark red powder would rise up.

There is a sword stuck right in the center of the raised point.

The blade is made of nine bone segments, each with a different curvature.

After being pieced together, the entire sword blade has a winding arc.

"It's like it was pulled out of the body of some living thing and then just left here to dry."

Chen Yu pondered to himself.

Dark golden lines seeped out between the bones.

Chen Yu got closer and saw clearly that it was gold thread, which had dried to this color after being soaked in blood.

The tip of the sword was ground very thin, and when viewed against the dim light of the cave wall, it appeared translucent.

Inside, you can see fine, honeycomb-like pores, and something seems to be flowing very slowly within them.

[Weapon]: Vertebra Sword

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Level 10

[Description]: The blade is made of nine human vertebrae, which are polished and connected together, with gold wire soaked in blood connecting the vertebrae; the tip of the sword is a sharpened sacrum, and the handle is a complete skull; after piercing the human body, the nine vertebrae will twist on their own, like a centipede crawling into the body, crushing the internal organs.

[Equipment Requirements]: Strength not less than 30 jin (15 kg)

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Undying Bone; 2. Penetrating Strangulation.

【Undying Bone】: 1. When the wearer receives fatal damage, they will not die immediately and will enter an "undying" state for 30 seconds, increasing all damage dealt by the wearer by 30%, but their health will be locked at 0 and they will not be able to receive any healing; 2. When the 30 seconds end, the wearer will die forcibly and will not be able to be revived by any healing effect other than resurrection; 3. After this effect is triggered, the Vertebra Sword will be destroyed immediately and cannot be restored.

【透体绞杀】：1.「不死」期间每造成一次伤害，有50%的概率触发一次「体内绞杀」效果，打断目标当前动作并受到最大生命值2%的真实伤害；2.此效果每1个小时最多触发3次。

"The Undying Bone is essentially a time-limited invulnerability mechanism, which means an extra life—a second life that isn't counted by the enemy!"

Chen Yu analyzed in his mind.

"Even if you suffer fatal damage, you can still continue to attack for 30 seconds. If your opponent relaxes their guard at this time, you can launch a surprise attack. In a life-or-death battle, those 30 seconds are enough to turn the tide of the fight!"

"The problem is that it forces death, but if there were a way to revive, that could be resolved."

"The other percentage-based true damage is also pretty good, and the probability isn't low. Although it has limitations, it's still quite practical."

"Let's take another look!"

Chen Yu went around it and headed north, checking each place along the way.

[Weapon]: Bone-Eating Needle

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: Each needle is three inches long, as thin as a cow's hair, and the needle body is bone white. It is made by grinding human bones into powder, mixing it with corpse oil, pressing it into a mold, and then firing it at a low temperature. After the bone is porcelainized, its hardness is comparable to that of fine steel, but its weight is as light as a feather.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than five jin; 2. Proficient in using concealed weapons.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Bone-Stabilizing Corrosion; 2. Needle of Retribution.

【凝骨之蚀】：1.命中目标后，使目标移速初始－5%；2.之后每过10小时再－1%，最高至－10%；3.减速效果无法被净化，直至目标死亡才会消除。

【制裁之针】：1.命中目标后，该目标受到的所有治疗效果－5%；2.之后每过10小时后进一步－1%，最高至－10%；3.该效果无法被净化，持续到目标死亡为止。

"After the Bone-Eating Needle hits, movement speed and healing effect gradually decrease, up to -10%, and cannot be cleansed."

"In other words, once you get acupuncture, you will gradually become disabled within a few days."

"But it's not very useful!"

Chen Yu was not very satisfied with the weapon's effectiveness.

"The effect takes too long to fully take effect; it has a 10-hour latency period and takes several days to become fully effective."

"In fast-paced combat, this effect is practically useless; the enemy might have already escaped within days of being hit by the needle."

"The biggest problem is that it has no immediate killing power, no burst damage, and can't kill people instantly."

After finishing his look, Chen Yu moved on to the next weapon.

[Weapon]: Skull Gallows

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: It is a long rope made of human hair and intestines, three zhang long. One end is tied with a polished skull ring with a barb around the inner edge. The other end is divided into five strands, each with a finger bone buckle tied to its end.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 20 jin; 2. Proficient in using soft weapons.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Strangulation; 2. Head Throwing; 3. Hanging Head on the Battlefield.

【Head-Strangle】: 1. Base hit rate +30%, +10% if the target is not wearing a helmet, -20% if wearing a fully enclosed helmet; 2. Upon hit, the bone ring tightens around the target's head, and the target takes 1% crushing damage every second until they break free through strength or die; 3. Upon death, the target's head is trapped inside the bone ring, becoming a usable throwable item.

【Head Throw】: 1. If a human head is already stuck in the bone ring, the wearer can throw the entire head along with the bone ring out as a heavy hammer. All enemies within 3 meters of the landing point will be hit, dealing 150% area damage; 2. After the head is smashed, the bone ring returns to an empty state.

【阵前悬首】：1.战斗开始前，装备者可以向敌方展示骨环上的首级；2.展示首级时会让周身5米内的所有目标进行一次士气判定；3.判定失败的目标，所有属性－15%，最多持续1个小时。

Chen Yu didn't like this weapon and left without taking a closer look.

As I took a step forward, my gaze fell upon my feet.

There was a pair of black iron hooks on the ground.

The hook is bent into an irregular arc, and the iron does not reflect light, so it looks black no matter how you look at it.

[Weapon]: Tongue Hook - Silent Deception

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: A pair of black iron hooks, with the hook body curved like a crescent moon and the hook tip shaped like a tongue.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 30 jin; 2. Proficient in using dual-wielding weapons.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Silence; 2. Silence spreads; 3. Echoes cease.

【Silent Seal】: Upon hitting the target, the target enters a "silent" state, unable to chant any spells or conduct voice communication, lasting for 10 seconds.

[Contagious Silence]: When the wearer kills a target affected by "Silence", the target will automatically apply "Silence" to all enemy units within 5 meters for 5 seconds upon death.

【Echoes Fading】: Each time this hook silences an enemy, the duration of the next "silence" is extended by 0.5 seconds, up to a maximum of 10 seconds.

"Triggers a 10-second silence upon hit, effective against all enemies that require incantations."

"It can also spread silence. If you kill an enemy who is in a silenced state, the surrounding enemies will be automatically silenced for 5 seconds. This can create a chain interruption in team battles. If one person dies, the whole team will be silenced."

"It looks impressive, but it's pretty useless! I've never even seen an enemy who chants incantations. In this world, there are probably more martial artists who don't chant incantations!"

"This silence is a soft control, unlike stun, knockback, or suppression, which can directly render the target unable to move."

"It can only be described as a countermeasure weapon, lacking versatility."

Let's keep looking ahead.

[Weapon]: Skull Crusher

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: The hammerhead is divided into eight petals, resembling a closed iron lotus flower. Each petal has barbs and serrations on its inner side. The eight petals are connected by spring steel. Normally, the hammerhead is closed like a round hammerhead. When striking a hard object, the eight petals open outward due to the impact force, and the barbs and serrations embed into the object, which can crush the object.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 50 jin; 2. Proficient in using heavy weapons.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Skull Crusher; 2. Crushing Power.

【Skull Crusher】: 1. When hitting a target, reduces the target's physical defense by 10% for 3 seconds, and can stack up to 3 times; 2. After stacking 3 times, a "flower mark" will appear above the target's head for 90 seconds.

【Crushing Power】: 1. After charging for 3 seconds, the next attack is enhanced to deal area damage, increasing the damage dealt to all enemies within 3 meters of the landing point by 80%; 2. If it hits a "Blooming Mark" target, it will directly trigger the "Blooming" effect, dealing an additional 5% true damage.

"Not so good! Stacking the core mechanic [Skull Crusher] is a bit difficult."

"The effect of reducing physical defense by 10% only lasts for 3 seconds. To stack up to 3 layers and trigger 'Blooming Mark,' you must hit the target consecutively within a very short time."

"But this is only a single-attack effect; it doesn't have a built-in combo mechanism. In a defensive confrontation, trying to land three hits in three seconds with a cumbersome weapon is practically a pipe dream!"

"This [Crushing Force] is also weak. It deals +80% damage to a 3-meter radius around the point of impact. In the midst of a chaotic battle, how can you ensure that after charging for 3 seconds, you can accurately hit the marked person instead of having it blocked by other enemies?"

"After painstakingly stacking three layers and taking a huge risk to charge up for three seconds, the final 'Bloom' effect only deals 5% true damage. This input-output ratio is completely unbalanced and extremely uneconomical."

After reading it, Chen Yu shook his head repeatedly.

"This weapon's effect is the dumbest I've ever seen."

At the deepest part of the riverbed, there is a small pool of blood.

Chen Yu looked away and walked along the edge of the blood pool.

The pond bank is not regular; it is a series of collapsed, hard mud edges.

When walking on it, you have to look down at the cracks under your feet, or you might accidentally slip and fall.

The water level in the blood pool was very low.

The water was murky, with a layer of brown suspended matter on the surface, and the bottom was not visible.

A thin layer of oil glistened on the surface of the pool.

A bluish-green stem emerged from the water.

Less than three feet from the edge of the pool, you can squat down and see sashimi as thin as chopsticks underwater.

It has spirals on top, spiraling down from the shank end into the water until it is obscured by turbidity.

Chen Yu cautiously stepped forward to examine the situation.

[Weapon]: Heart-Slicing Dagger

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Rank 9

[Description]: The sashimi is three feet long and as thin as a chopstick. It is hollow inside, with triangular tips and blood grooves on each side. It has spiral patterns. The inner wall of the hollow tube of the sashimi is coated with a layer of blue phosphorus, which will spontaneously combust when exposed to air.

[Equipment Requirements]: 1. Strength not less than 10 jin; 2. Proficient in short weapons.

【Equipment Effects】: 1. Penetrating Bone and Heart; 2. Phosphorescent Pursuit.

【Penetrating Heart】: 1. Dash forward 5 meters. If it hits the target, it will inflict a 2-second "Fear" effect, reducing the target's attack power by 30% for 3 seconds; 2. Mark all targets in its path with "Phosphorescent Mark", making them unable to become invisible for 8 seconds.

【磷光追杀】：1.仅可对带有「磷光标记」的目标施放；2.突进至目标身前，造成120%的伤害；3.若目标血量低于5%，则直接处决。

"It looks impressive, but it's actually trash, completely useless!"

After reading it, Chen Yu gave his evaluation directly.

Since entering the cave, we have already walked a complete circle around the entire riverbed.

Looking back from where he stood, Chen Yu ultimately chose the vertebral sword.