Is It a Human or a Soul Beast?

The next day...

Morning light filtered through the window lattice and spilled across the bluestone path in the small suburban courtyard, reflecting a ground full of scattered light spots.

Perhaps because of Ah Yin, the grass in the backyard was almost completely covered with Blue Silver Grass.

Morning dew clung to the blue blades of grass. When the wind blew, they swayed gently, as if greeting those who rose early.

Ah Yin wore a newly made light-blue dress. Crouching beside the Blue Silver Grass, she carefully brushed the dewdrops from the blades with her little hand.

The moment her fingertips touched the leaves, the Blue Silver Grass seemed to gain sentience, gently winding around her palm.

"Ah Yin, what are you doing? Why are you up so early?"

Jiang Zhen's voice came from behind, carrying the slight rasp of someone who had just woken up.

Rubbing his eyes, he walked over and looked at the little figure crouching on the ground.

He suddenly remembered something. According to the original setting, a Soul Beast that transformed and began cultivating again should have an initial Soul Power Level of ten.

But Ah Yin had transformed using a Form Transformation Pill!

Besides, he seemed never to have asked about her Soul Power Level.

Hearing his voice, Ah Yin immediately turned around. Her azure eyes lit up. "Brother A Zhen! Look, they can shake hands with me!"

Jiang Zhen smiled and crouched down, helping her gently pluck a blade of grass. His fingertips accidentally touched her wrist, and he could faintly sense a warm yet far-from-weak fluctuation of Soul Power.

He took the opportunity to ask, "Ah Yin, can you sense what your Soul Power Level is now?"

"Soul Power?"

Ah Yin tilted her head, and her blue-gold hair slipped over her shoulder.

Seeing Jiang Zhen nod, she closed her eyes and seriously sensed it for a while. When she opened them again, her gaze was full of certainty. "I can feel it! It seems to be Level Ten! And... it feels like it can keep growing higher, much, much higher!"

Jiang Zhen's heart stirred. It really is Level Ten? And it can still grow? Is that because of the Form Transformation Pill's medicinal power?

But he was more concerned about something else, so he pressed on. "Then, Ah Yin, do you think you can condense Spirit Rings yourself? The kind that doesn't require Hunting Spirit Beasts."

At those words, Ah Yin first froze. Then, as if she had recalled something instinctive, her eyes slowly widened.

She closed her eyes again. This time, she sensed for much longer. The Blue Silver Grass in the courtyard swayed gently along with her, and even the vitality in the air seemed to grow denser.

After quite a while, Ah Yin finally opened her eyes. Her voice carried excitement she herself had not noticed. "I can! I can condense them! And... I can condense a lot of them! All the way... all the way to the level called a 'Titled Douluo'!"

She paused, then added, "Also, Brother A Zhen, I feel that the rings I condense will become more powerful as my Soul Power grows stronger! Just like grass growing taller!"

"What?!"

Jiang Zhen shot to his feet, undisguised shock covering his face.

He stared at Ah Yin, almost suspecting that he had heard wrong.

The original work clearly stated that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that transformed and began cultivating again could, at most, condense its first six Spirit Rings using its own power.

Starting with the seventh ring, it had to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain them like a Human Spirit Master. Let alone the fact that a Spirit Ring's age could increase along with one's cultivation!

This completely broke the Spirit Master rules of the Douluo Continent!

Wait!

The Form Transformation Pill had merely given the Soul Beast the ability to freely switch forms. It had not changed its species.

In other words, Ah Yin was still fundamentally a Soul Beast.

And a Soul Beast's strength increased along with the growth of its cultivation age. In other words, the higher its cultivation, the greater its Spirit Rings.

A Humanoid Spirit Beast?

Not only did she possess a human's cultivation speed, but she had also retained a Soul Beast's traits?

At that moment, he suddenly remembered something in his Storage Ring—the Thousand-Year Whale Jelly that had dropped from the Thousand-Year Demonic Orca he had hunted earlier.

Jiang Zhen pulled a dark-yellow, slightly fishy-smelling gelatinous substance from his Storage Ring.

He held it out for Ah Yin to see. "Ah Yin, this is Thousand-Year Whale Jelly. It was extracted from the brain of a Soul Beast called an Evil Spirit Orca."

"It's a powerful supplement. It can strengthen your physique, so that when you condense higher-age Spirit Rings in the future, your body will be able to withstand them."

Although Ah Yin's Spirit Ring ages could increase on their own, there was no reason not to use something beneficial.

Ah Yin leaned over and sniffed it. Although it smelled of the sea, it was not unpleasant.

She looked at Jiang Zhen trustingly. "If Brother A Zhen says it's useful, then I'll use it!"

Jiang Zhen smiled and got up to prepare.

First, he found a clean wooden bucket and filled it with icy well water. Whale Jelly was extremely potent and intensely yang in nature. Ah Yin was still young, and although her physique was special, she had not fully matured. Cold water would neutralize some of the Whale Jelly's heat and keep her from being unable to withstand it.

Then he heated the Whale Jelly until it became liquid and poured it into a small bowl.

"Ah Yin, come sit in the bucket and drink this."

Jiang Zhen carried the melted Whale Jelly to the wooden bucket. Only after seeing Ah Yin obediently sit inside did he bring the liquid to her lips.

Ah Yin held the bowl and tipped her head back, drinking it in one gulp. The moment she swallowed it, she furrowed her little brows.

"It's a little hot... and a little fishy."

But in the next second, she let out a small cry. "Ah! It's so hot!"

"My stomach feels hot, like there are little bugs crawling around inside!"

Jiang Zhen reached out and touched her shoulder. "Don't be afraid. That's the energy from the Whale Jelly strengthening your physique. If it gets too hot, tell me."

As he spoke, he also poured himself half a bowl of the Whale Jelly liquid.

He had previously consumed quite a few Body Tempering Pills provided by the system. His physique had long since surpassed that of Spirit Masters his age, and he could even withstand absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Still, he wanted to see whether the Thousand-Year Whale Jelly could further improve his physique.

However, he also knew about the side effects of Whale Jelly. Thus, the moment he drank it, he immediately circulated the "Profound Water Clear Mind Art" he cultivated.

Light-blue Water Element instantly swirled around him, wrapping his body like a thin veil and suppressing much of the heat brought by the Whale Jelly, leaving behind only a gentle energy flowing through his body.

But when that energy reached every part of his body, Jiang Zhen frowned. He could feel that his physique had indeed improved, but the increase was pitifully small, practically negligible.

"Looks like... Thousand-Year Whale Jelly is useless to me now." Jiang Zhen sighed, already understanding. "If I want to improve my physique further, I'm afraid I'll need Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Jelly."

Just as he finished digesting the effects of the Whale Jelly, he heard Ah Yin let out a comfortable sigh from inside the wooden bucket.

He looked up and saw Ah Yin sitting with her eyes closed and her little face flushed red. The icy well water that had originally filled the bucket had already turned warm.

"Ah Yin, how do you feel?" Jiang Zhen hurried over.

Ah Yin opened her eyes and waved her little hand. "! My body feels warm, as if I have so much strength! And... I feel like the Blue Silver Grass is happier!"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and waved toward the Blue Silver Grass outside the window. The blades immediately bent toward her, as if responding.

Jiang Zhen knew that the Whale Jelly's energy had not only strengthened Ah Yin's physique but had also indirectly activated part of her Blue Silver Domain's abilities—accelerating plant growth and communicating with plants.