Chapter 12: Comparing People to Chickens Is Enough to Drive One Mad

Xiao Yang rolled his eyes, speaking irritably.
“Is that all you’re capable of?”
The poor thing was dead, yet here she was, beating a corpse.
Thinking about the fate of the Gold-Devouring Beetle, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
It had been living peacefully until a man and a chicken barged in—first plundering its granary, then killing its master.
What’s more, Xiao Yang could tell the beetle would hardly have a corpse left behind, as the chicken was already feasting.
Its talons shattered the beetle’s carapace, tearing into flesh and blood with greedy gulps.
Xiao Yang: ...
Let there be no such chickens in heaven!
“Wait, I remember that when a demon beast reaches the level of Demon Master, it forms a demon core inside its body. That thing is supposed to be quite valuable.”
Suddenly reminded of a rumor he’d once heard, Xiao Yang stepped forward.
He was strapped for cash; even emptying out the beetle’s lair would barely be enough for him to level up once.
If he wanted to advance quickly, he’d have to seize every opportunity to make money.
“Cluck-cluck!”
Suddenly, the chicken crowed.
Xiao Yang thought it had encountered some difficulty and looked up.
To his surprise, the chicken now had a small round orb in its beak.
He’d never seen a demon core before, so he froze for a moment.
“Could that be a demon core?”
Just as the thought arose, he snapped back to his senses and shouted at the top of his lungs,
“Don’t eat it!”
Startled by his outburst, the chicken jerked in surprise, its beak opening just a little.
A loud gulp echoed in the air.
Gulp!
Xiao Yang nearly lost his mind.
“My demon core!”
He watched helplessly as the core was swallowed, so furious he almost coughed up blood.
He’d heard tales of the marvelous effects of demon cores, but before he could enjoy it, it was devoured by a chicken.
What a waste!
The chicken, having swallowed the core, looked at Xiao Yang with timid eyes.
It hadn’t intended to swallow it; it was all thanks to Xiao Yang’s shout.
Seeing this, Xiao Yang covered his face and sighed in exasperation.
“This is my own battle beast; I won’t get angry.”
He forced himself to remain calm, lest he be tempted to do something mad like cut the chicken open for the core.
Just then, a burst of frantic crows broke the silence.
“Cluck-cluck!”
Xiao Yang’s expression changed, then turned green with envy.
“Why do I feel keeping this chicken will only bring me misery? Maybe I should make it into a stew instead.”
He glared at the chicken with hungry eyes.
In that moment, Xiao Yang could clearly sense—
Inside the chicken, a faint stream of energy was flowing, the hallmark of reaching the Demon Master stage.
A demon core!
He’d traded it for a Demon Master-level rooster.
Not exactly a loss, he supposed; after all, there was probably only one such rooster in existence.
For Xiao Yang, he could just about accept it.
If the chicken ever proved to be useless, he could always turn it into a feast.
He casually opened up the chicken’s stats panel.
Now that it had reached Demon Master, there ought to be some new changes.
Name: Chicken Overlord
Race: King of the Spotted Feather Chicken
Cultivation: Demon Master, First Level
Potential: Unparalleled Through the Ages
Description: The king among Spotted Feather Chickens
After reading this, Xiao Yang was speechless.
Why in the world does a chicken need such an overpowered stat sheet?
Look at that potential—unparalleled through the ages!
Just this one trait would doom countless people to forever be lesser than a chicken.
“Uh!”
He paused, suddenly struck by a thought.
“What’s my own potential, System?”
He asked aloud, praying in his heart.
He had to be better than the chicken; otherwise, how could he go on living?
“Ding! After amplification by the Talent Card, the host’s potential is unlimited.”
???
Xiao Yang was stunned, but quickly pressed,
“Compared to the chicken, whose talent is greater?”
“You!”
The system replied coldly.
At last, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good, I’m better than a chicken... better than a chicken...”
He muttered under his breath, but the more he said it, the stranger it sounded.
“Am I out of my mind, actually comparing myself to a chicken?”
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yang wanted to slap himself.
What had he come to, comparing his talent to that of a chicken?
“Cluck-cluck!”
Just then, a joyous crow.
The chicken had successfully advanced.
Its first order of business was to prance over to Xiao Yang, eager to show off its newfound strength.
“Cluck-cluck!”
It crowed twice, full of excitement, ready for praise.
But the next moment, Xiao Yang replied irritably,
“What are you crowing about? It’s annoying!”
This chicken had only been in this world for two days and was already a Demon Master, while he had taken ten years just to become a Martial Master.

In that moment, Xiao Yang’s feelings shifted in a peculiar way.
Without another word, he gave the chicken a swift kick to vent his frustration, letting it taste a little of the world’s cruelty.
A wicked smile crept onto his face.
The chicken, now much more intelligent due to its advancement, saw the mischievous grin and instinctively shrank back, a sense of dread welling up.
It tried to sneak away, but it was no match for the wily Xiao Yang.
He grabbed its wing and gave it a hard kick.
A miserable squawk echoed throughout the entire Cave of Ten Thousand Insects.
“Cluck-cluck!”
Outside the door, the two gatekeepers were startled awake.
They exchanged a knowing smile.
“Heh, must be the useless rooster getting eaten by the poisonous bugs,” chuckled the fat steward.
“That guy’s not only a waste, but an idiot. If there’s even a pile of bones left tomorrow, that’ll be lucky,” the thin steward said, shaking his head with disdain.
With that, the two had nothing more to say, only remembering to collect the corpse tomorrow.

In the back mountain, a young man in white robes was meditating in cultivation.
Just then, a beautiful young woman approached gracefully.
Seeing that he was still cultivating, she didn’t disturb him, but waited quietly.
After a while, the young man slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he saw her, his face lit up with delight.
“Lovely Junior Sister!”
He called out joyfully.
The young woman returned a mesmerizing smile, though with a hint of reproach.
“Senior Brother Zhang Long, you’re so bad! All you ever do is cultivate and never come to see me.”
At these words, even the accomplished Zhang Long felt a flush of heat in his belly.
He reached forward, intending to embrace her, but she stopped him.
“Wait, Senior Brother, I have something to tell you.”
“What could be more important than this?”
Zhang Long said, unconcerned, already growing handsy.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she said breathlessly,
“It’s about Xiao Yong.”
At that, Zhang Long abruptly stopped, anxiety in his voice.
“What happened to Xiao Yong?”
Seeing his concern, Gongsun Meijiao pouted, a little jealous.
“Yong’er is fine, just injured his hands. I’ve already sent the best spiritual medicine for his recovery. As for the worthless wretch who hurt him, he’s been sent into the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects.”
Hearing this, Zhang Long relaxed at once, then resumed his amorous advances.
Before long, the back mountain resounded with sounds that set the blood racing.