I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 311

Like someone reaching a higher realm after nearly dying to a pig’s foot.

Or a lizard gaining insight while deeply pondering a woman’s chest.

In that sense, Heavenly Demon Moonstep could actually serve as a fantastic teaching aid.

It’s a stimulus unlike anything they’ve seen—it sparks inspiration.

If the elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult gain enlightenment from watching the Heavenly Demon Moonstep?

Then we won’t have to worry about war.

If the Martial Alliance attacks?

The sight of elders using that step in combination with Sword Aura and Sword Manifestation will be enough to shut it down.

“Do you really want to keep coming, when we’ve got ten masters at the Super Peak level here?”

Yeah, that’ll make the Martial Alliance whistle nervously and rethink their whole invasion.

And if we suddenly announce we’re going after Jinryong? Some of their forces might quietly switch to our side.

Unless they’ve been completely brainwashed, people tend to side with the overwhelmingly stronger faction.

No matter how powerful Jinryong is, what does it matter?

I already took down four Super Peak spirit beasts—his losses must’ve stung.

And now we’re talking double-digit Super Peak masters invading?

Jinryong, if you mess around, you’re going to die.

...Of course, this is all assuming everything goes absurdly well.

There’s no guarantee anyone will actually reach a new realm just by learning Heavenly Demon Moonstep.

If even one person reaches Super Peak before the full-scale battle with Jinryong, it’ll already be a miracle.

Still, these elders are already Flower's Vision-level masters—they’ll find a way to put the technique to use somehow.

I entered a cave that looked a lot like the Silver Dragon Cavern.

Since I’d be learning each elder’s cherished martial art, we needed to handle the exchanges one-on-one.

“I am Jo Jin-gang.”

The first one I’d be dealing with was First Elder.

First Elder—Jo Jin-gang.

Seriously, his name is Jo Jin-gang?

“I wish to pass down my sword art to the young cult master, and in exchange, receive the mysteries of the Heavenly Demon Moonstep.”

Young cult master?

That’s like... heir to the cult leader, right?

Sure, I am the cult leader’s disciple, but I’m not quite at that level yet, am I?

I mean, I don’t even fully believe in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

...Ah, I get it now.

He’s obviously testing the waters with a power play, isn’t he?

Calling me ‘young cult master’ and trying to get a read on how I react.

Sorry, Jo Jin-gang, but I’m not that easy of a lizard.

“Oh, really now?”

Let’s counter with Triple-Flame Eloquence.

When I was around spirit beasts, this kind of stuff never came up—but with humans? Every conversation is basically war, even without swords.

Verbal battles.

Battles of legitimacy and standing.

My opponent is the Heavenly Demon Cult’s First Elder.

And I’m the cult leader’s direct disciple.

For the sake of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I need to utterly crush this old man.

Fine then—bring it on!

*

...This old guy’s actually kind of a good person?

“Heh heh, and that’s how I came to be called the Wandering Sword of the World.”

“The Wandering Sword of the World!”

At first, his gaze was anything but friendly.

He was probably thinking the same thing I was.

Sizing each other up.

If I was the newcomer, then he was the old fixture.

But as we kept talking, I noticed that guarded look in his eyes starting to fade.

“Can you guess which technique I intend to pass on to the young cult master?”

“Hmmm...”

All I did was banter a bit and throw in some Triple-Flame Eloquence, but this old man seemed delighted. Started telling old war stories without even being asked.

“Hwonwon Thunderblade.”

“...Hwonwon Thunderblade!”

Hwonwon Thunderblade!

What is that?

I feel like I’ve heard the name before, but I can’t recall any of the details.

Still, I couldn’t just admit I didn’t know—so I faked a properly shocked reaction.

Jo Jin-gang chuckled, clearly pleased.

“Heh... That’s right. I knew the young cult master would be surprised. It’s a technique from the Peng Clan.”

Peng Clan?

Yeah, I’ve heard of them.

“...The Northern Peng Clan of Hebei!”

“Hehehe!”

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

There’s a twinkle in the old man’s eyes now, practically sparkling with joy.

Uh... why?

I mean, I guess it’s nice to be admired, but when a man looks at me like that, it’s a little uncomfortable.

Especially when I haven’t even done anything yet.

“How could a wanderer like yourself know of the Peng Clan’s blade techniques? Then allow me to tell you the tale... of the drifter who once defeated the head of the Northern Peng Clan...”

He brought out a chest full of jerky and liquor and started telling his life story.

He probably exaggerated a bit, but honestly? It was more entertaining than I expected, and I found myself really listening.

Of course, I didn’t forget to react at the right moments.

“What a vile technique...!”

“Pfft... That’s the so-called righteous sects for you.”

“You’re not joking! Shame on you, Northern Peng Clan!”

Mmm, this jerky’s actually pretty good?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“They even used Heaven-Net Formation in the end...”

“So what became of you, Wandering Sword Jo Jin-gang?”

I should ask him to pack me some of this stuff.

We finished off the whole crate of booze and every last strip of jerky.

“Ha ha! I think we get along pretty well, young cult master!”

Jo Jin-gang.

I was wary of him at first, but I might need to revise that a bit.

“How about this—we hold a little gathering to build rapport with the followers? I was planning something like that anyway. If you were to make an appearance, it’d really light up the event...”

From Heavenly Demon Cult’s First Elder...

To just a lonely old man who missed having someone to talk to.

*

I met with more than just the First Elder.

“Well come, Hui. Let me pass down the secrets of Ice Spirit Divine Art.”

Seolhwa was in the mix too.

“W-Wait! Where exactly are you trying to crawl into? That’s a crime, you know?!”

Though honestly, I was more focused on exploring that internal energy pouch of hers than actually learning martial arts.

“Geroron? I’ll deal with that later, so for now—hey! You little lizard! You really wanna keep doing that?!”

It was a form of protest.

She did promise to take me to a hot spring and still hasn’t followed through.

Even lizards have loyalty, and Seolhwa trampled all over mine.

“You jerk, get over here! I’m freezing you solid—wait, when did you steal a rice ball?!”

I ran from her again.

It felt kind of different doing it in a human body rather than lizard form.

Honestly, mastering martial arts in such a short time is close to impossible.

Especially since the techniques the elders demonstrated weren’t low-level by any stretch.

If I manage to walk away with even a few forms, I should consider myself lucky.

The elders must know that too—probably why they showed their techniques without hesitation.

It’s not something you can just copy after seeing it once.

But come on—who am I?

The holder of the ultimate scam skill.

I’ve got Reverse Scale, remember?

Even if my body can’t replicate it right away, if I deeply understand the principles and witness a completed form, Reverse Scale can reproduce the martial art.

So this entire exchange organized by Master? It’s a total jackpot for me.

I teach them Heavenly Demon Moonstep, and in return, I siphon off the secret techniques of the elders.

My proficiency in swords, sabers, and all kinds of weaponry naturally shot up, and even the techniques I thought didn’t suit me—like bare-handed martial arts—I picked them all up.

The broader your arsenal, the more tactical options you have. This’ll be a huge advantage in future fights.

I popped one of Seolhwa’s stolen rice balls into my mouth and walked toward my next target.

Next sucker.

I mean, the next noble benefactor willing to support me.

This time, I wouldn’t be learning from a human but from a spiritual being.

The Heavenly Demon Cult, being so spirit-beast-friendly, has formed alliances with other mystical creatures.

Some have settled here permanently and live in symbiosis, while others—like the Snake Queen—reign over their own regions but still maintain close ties to the cult.

These beings hold power and status equal to that of the elders.

And since they’ve allied with humans, that means they’re interested in humanity, which also means they’ve been learning martial arts in humanoid form.

Equal status to the elders.

Human martial arts.

With those two qualifications, they’re fully eligible for “exchange” with me.

And apparently, the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ one I’m about to meet isn’t from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

They came from even farther away.

Which only makes me more curious.

Just what kind of creature is waiting for me?

As I walked toward the meeting point, I thought about it with growing anticipation.

Like the Snake Queen, this spiritual being is also a regional ruler, but for now, they’re staying inside the Heavenly Demon Cult.

I heard they took refuge here for some reason, but I never got the full story.

The place I arrived at was a lot smaller than I expected.

Considering the Snake Queen was given a whole grand building, and the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn’t exactly skimp on resources for their allies... why would someone live here?

They must be a pretty frugal spirit.

Which works for me.

I get the feeling we’ll click.

Like Cho-Do—calm, clever, quiet.

I’m getting pure herbivore vibes here.

“Grrrrr...”

Look at that low-frequency growl.

Definitely herbivore...?

...Wait.

That sound is oddly familiar.

It reeks of carnivore.

“Ughh... what now...”

Something orange stirred in the corner of the cave.

“It’s not even feeding time... oh, right, that guy said something...”

Like a stretching cat, a woman with bright orange hair extended her arms.

Even without showing her true form, I could instantly tell what species she was.

Orange hair with black stripes.

Cat-like ears and a tail.

No doubt about it—she’s a tiger.

The only problem?

She wasn’t wearing clothes.

Well—to be precise, she was barely covered by a few strategically wrapped bandages.

“Ugh... such a pain...”

She started fidgeting around like she was going to put something on, so... thank goodness.

Otherwise, I’d be stuck here Gerorong-ing all day.

I was still standing near the entrance, waiting for her to get dressed, when—

“What the—it's a lizard?”

Golden eyes flashed from the shadows.

Can spirit beasts instantly tell that I’m not human?

Or maybe... maybe she’s got eyes like mine?

I tensed slightly and watched her movements closely.

“So... what was I supposed to do again?”

The tiger yawned so hard it looked like her face was splitting.

She seems like the sleepy type.

Very cat-like. I like it.

I mean, I have wanted to meet a tiger-type spirit beast at least once.

Sure, I love reptiles, but tigers have their own unique charm.

Let’s be real—tigers deserve the title of King of Carnivores way more than lions do.

“...Was I supposed to help you with your vitality or something?”

Nope—lions are still the best.

The orange-haired woman, still half-lounging, flicked her fingers lazily.

Was that supposed to mean “come here”?

But hey, I’m the cult leader’s disciple. I’ve got no reason to obey some random spirit beast.

If she asked politely, maybe. But that kind of command?

“Hey, lizard. Take your clothes off.”

...

What did you just say, tiger-tiger?