Threads of Fate

After discovering that the ability to "grow and shrink" might have great potential, Li Chang'an began testing and studying its effects and limitations in various ways.

In the end, he reached the following conclusions.

First.

Shrinking his body did not consume energy. At present, the smallest he could become was the size of an earthworm. Moreover, in that state, his physical strength, power, speed, and all other aspects were no different from when he was at his normal size.

Second, returning from a shrunken state to his normal size did not count as growing larger, but rather as recovering. It was like loosening a tightened rope, so it did not require any additional energy.

However, if he wanted to grow larger beyond his normal size, he needed to consume the energy within his body to make up the difference. Thus, the more energy he consumed, the larger he could become!

After a while, he would revert to his original form.

This ability had no cooldown. As long as he had energy in his body, he could activate it at any time.

As for how long the effect lasted, it generally only lasted a few minutes. However, he could extend the duration by consuming energy.

After experimenting, Li Chang'an discovered that he could control how large his body became by controlling the consumption of energy within him. This way, he could consume only part of his energy and keep his body length limited to several dozen meters, rather than using up all his energy at once.

And when the enlargement effect was about to end, he could consume energy again to extend its duration. Therefore, as long as he had enough energy in his body, theoretically, the enlargement effect could last as long as he wanted.

"Energy... energy is the key!"

Li Chang'an could not help muttering to himself.

After awakening the Nine Infants Bloodline, he could sense that the power within his body was still Soul Power. At most, the influence of his bloodline had made it purer and denser. But compared to the divine power of the Ice and Fire Dragon King that he had once felt, its quality was still far inferior.

This showed that bloodline and strength were two entirely different things.

There was no contradiction between his powerful bloodline and his own weak strength. Nor was it possible for him to become a top-tier powerhouse in a single leap just because he had awakened a powerful bloodline.

So he was still far from strong enough.

The awakening of the Nine Infants Bloodline had merely given him better aptitude and stronger innate abilities.

If Li Chang'an wanted to become stronger, he still had to cultivate diligently and find ways to grow stronger! Otherwise, if he simply relied on instinctively accumulating energy in his body, he felt that he would end up just like that Fat Ice Silkworm from Douluo 2—a huge fatty covered in flesh, reduced to nothing more than succulent meat in the eyes of others.

"It seems the idea of forming an Inner Core needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible," he muttered.

Among the cultivation knowledge he knew, beasts generally followed the path of condensing an Inner Core. But he had no clue at all how to condense one.

After all, an Inner Core was not simply a ball formed by condensing the energy within one's body. If he did that, it should be called a stone, nowhere near worthy of being called an Inner Core.

In his view, the formation of an Inner Core ought to involve a deeper principle. It could not possibly be that superficial.

"Grrr~"

At that moment, a thunderous rumble came from his snake belly.

Li Chang'an came back to his senses and realized that he had probably gone a long time without eating.

So he twisted his Snake Body, moving his massive form toward the place within the range of his senses where a large number of prey had gathered.

As he traveled, countless weak Soul Beasts fled at the first sign of him. Some were even frightened to death by the aura he emitted!

"My aura is too conspicuous."

Li Chang'an stopped. His massive body stood motionless as all nine heads and eighteen snake eyes closed in unison, controlling the aura fluctuations that unconsciously leaked from within him.

Snakes were naturally a species exceptionally skilled at concealing themselves. Suppressing their aura was instinctive.

Very quickly, he concealed the aura emanating from him so thoroughly that not a trace leaked out.

He opened his snake eyes again.

Then he continued forward.

With the surrounding trees generally dozens or even hundreds of meters tall, although his body was over thirty meters long, he was not especially conspicuous in terms of height. Not to mention that Soul Beasts larger than him were everywhere.

Therefore, as long as he did not release the aura belonging to a higher lifeform, Li Chang'an's presence in this forest would not actually draw the attention of those powerful Soul Beasts that had cultivated for over ten thousand years.

After traveling some distance, he sensed the presence of numerous prey gathered ahead.

To conceal himself better and prevent the prey from noticing him and fleeing in panic, Li Chang'an willed it, and his massive body began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, he shrank to only a few meters long. Then he twisted his body and silently slithered toward the front.

Soon, a huge lake appeared before him. Many Soul Beasts had gathered there, drinking and resting.

There were wild boars, reindeer, hedgehogs, and even small animals such as rabbits and birds.

These animals, which were not natural enemies, had gathered together peacefully.

The strongest among them was a reindeer with crystal-clear antlers that emitted Blue Light. Judging by the Soul Light it gave off, it had probably cultivated for over a thousand years. Next came several wild boars, each close to a thousand years old. As for the other small animals, such as hedgehogs and birds, their cultivation generally hovered around ten to a hundred years.

Looking at this harmonious, peaceful scene of beasts living together, Li Chang'an almost could not bear to disrupt the tranquility.

Since his birth, this was the first time he had ventured so far from his nest. In the past, he had only hunted nearby and had not dared to go too far. Thus, it was also his first time seeing such a scene of harmony between beasts and nature.

He stared blankly for a long while.

In a daze, the world before his eyes suddenly changed.

From every direction, endless "threads" enveloped the entire world. All living beings between heaven and earth influenced and connected with one another through these threads, together forming this magnificent and vibrant world!

This time, having gone through it once before, Li Chang'an did not panic. Instead, his nine snake heads looked at one another and found that their originally blood-red pupils had all changed to red on the left and blue on the right.

"It seems this is some unrecorded hidden ability of 'Nine Infants.' So what exactly am I seeing?" he wondered. This soul-born bloodline was unlike the bloodlines in other novels; it did not come with things like inherited memories.

Thus, as for what abilities Nine Infants possessed or what hidden abilities it might have, Li Chang'an could only explore and guess for himself.

"And what do these threads that are everywhere represent?" Li Chang'an found it rather puzzling.

Everywhere he looked, the many soul beasts drinking and resting before him, whether Thousand-Year Soul Beasts or Ten-Year Soul Beasts, were all connected to threads of varying thickness and different colors.

"Can I affect these threads?"

With that thought in mind, he began trying to focus his mind on the thickest thread connected to the strongest Thousand-Year Deer Soul Beast. Instantly, a boom exploded in his mind!

His mental power began draining frantically!