Perfect Soul Transformation

Rayne knew all too well how hard Gold-Eating Ants were. That afternoon in the shop, the owner had looked like he was forging iron when killing ants with an ironhammer, needing several hard blows to kill a single one.

The owner was only an ordinary person. After killing several Gold-Eating Ants in a row, he had barely any strength left.

Rayne's stamina and strength were naturally far greater than an ordinary person's, but he had no tools at home. He had never cooked before, so he did not even own a kitchen knife.

He could not kill a Gold-Eating Ant with his bare hands.

Helpless, Rayne decided to go out and buy a tool.

Hogan would not happen to come looking for him during this time, would he? If he was really that unlucky, then so be it!

He remembered there was a blacksmith shop on the next street, not far from the apartment. It had recently been converted into a Mechanical Craftsman Shop and sold all kinds of tools. It should have something suitable.

After hiding the Gold-Eating Ants, Rayne hurried downstairs, crossed the street, and found the craftsman shop.

Since it was already getting late, there were few customers in the shop. Only a man who looked like the owner sat behind the counter, watching over the goods. His canvas apron was stained with grease, and he was broad-waisted, thick-armed, and unkempt. He was probably a Mechanical Craftsman.

Mechanical Craftsmen were not a Transcendent profession. They were merely ordinary people who had mastered mechanical techniques, something like a combination of machinists and blacksmiths from Rayne's previous life.

Of course, most craftsmen in the Empire had countless ties to the Mechanics Guild.

This Mechanical Craftsman seemed exhausted. When Rayne entered, he merely glanced at him and showed no intention of getting up to receive him.

Rayne swept his gaze around the shop and found that it had an extremely complete selection of weapons.

There were all kinds of longswords, shortswords, two-handed swords, broadswords, rapiers, thrusting swords, and hand-and-a-half swords. There were more than a dozen kinds of swords alone, along with axes, daggers, shields, bows and arrows, gauntlets, defensive armor, chainmail, and everyday tools such as kitchen knives, hammers, and scissors. The dazzling array filled several walls, while some were piled directly on tables for customers to try.

Rayne did not want to waste time and went straight to the hammer weapons.

Against insects with powerful defenses like Gold-Eating Ants, blades did limited damage. Blunt weapons were still best, and hammers were the most suitable.

It was quite a coincidence. Rayne's nickname in his previous life had been "Hammer."

His name, Shi Jingchui, had been given by his grandfather, who had fought in a war. It originally meant "pacifying the frontier," but because it sounded like "swing the hammer hard," he had been given the nickname since childhood. His classmates and friends all called him that, and he had grown used to it.

During a metalworking internship in college, Rayne had even made a hammer himself and treasured it dearly.

When several roommates saw how much he liked hammers and that he had even brought one back to the dormitory as a collectible, they often joked that they were grateful for his mercy in sparing their lives...

For a moment, Rayne missed those roommates quite a bit. Unfortunately, he would never see them again.

He pushed aside his melancholy and casually picked up an ironhammer, swinging it a few times. It did not feel right in his hand.

"Too light."

This ironhammer was not a combat weapon, but an everyday tool. It might have weighed only two or three pounds, and holding it felt as weightless as clutching straw.

There were also hammers intended as weapons, called warhammers in Aerenus. Rayne only took one look before shaking his head and giving up. These warhammers were all too heavy, with heads as large as a human head. They were clearly meant for Berserkers or Iron Guards. He could lift them, but he could not swing them.

He was in a hurry to return, so he casually chose an Octagonal Hammer.

It was exactly like the sledgehammers used at construction sites in his previous life, only with a heavier head. It weighed around thirty pounds, its handle was nearly a meter long, and it was made entirely of iron, wrapped in a layer of shock-absorbing leather.

Rayne held the sledgehammer in his hand and seemed to hear a strangely addictive voice shouting in his ear: Eighty! Eighty! Eighty...

The hammer was cheap, costing only three Silver Krons.

Rayne paid and left. He returned to the apartment with the hammer, and nothing happened.

After thinking it over, he decided that hammering Gold-Eating Ants to death in the apartment would make too much noise and disturb others. So he took the two glass jars downstairs. Using the Voice of All Things, he avoided everyone under cover of night and entered a secluded corner behind the apartment. He spread a thick cloth over a stone and poured out one Gold-Eating Ant.

This ant had no elements. It was only for practice.

The Gold-Eating Ant had been soaked in potion for a long time and had not eaten. It was already half-dead.

Rayne raised the hammer with both hands, aimed, and brought it down with all his strength. With the assistance of the phone's gyroscope, all the power in his body gathered in his hands, passed into the sledgehammer, and landed heavily and accurately on the Gold-Eating Ant.

With a dull bang, the Gold-Eating Ant became a lump of mangled flesh.

Rayne took out a Soul Stone and held it close to the ant's corpse. A soul quickly flew out and entered the Soul Stone. Even in the darkness, he could clearly see that the Demon Soul inside was only a pitch-black mass without any elements.

He set the Soul Stone down and thought, The critical moment has come.

Carefully, he poured out the Gold-Eating Ant with three elements. It was clearly in much better condition than the previous one and immediately began crawling, though it moved rather slowly.

Rayne felt a little nervous. This Gold-Eating Ant really was different.

He spat into his palm, rubbed his hands together a few times, raised the hammer, and smashed it down with all his strength again.

Bang!

After the dull impact, a rebounding force traveled into Rayne's hands, leaving the webs between his thumb and forefinger slightly numb. The hammerhead actually bounced away. Despite suffering such a heavy blow, the Gold-Eating Ant did not die. Only its body had been slightly scraped open. Its six iron-forged legs scratched white marks across the stone and sent out scattered sparks.

"Damn, it's this hard?"

Rayne could hardly believe it. Seeing the Gold-Eating Ant move again, he hurriedly swung the sledgehammer once more. As he smashed down with force, he silently chanted, Eighty, eighty, eighty...

It looked like a chaotic barrage, but under the gyroscope's control, every strike landed precisely on the Gold-Eating Ant without wasting the slightest bit of power. Its body gradually deformed, and the joints in its legs separated. After being struck more than ten times in succession, it finally gave a wet pop and was crushed into a flattened corpse.

Rayne quickly threw aside the hammer and used the Soul Stone to absorb the Demon Soul.

Under his eager gaze, a Demon Soul flew out and swiftly filled the white crystal in his hand, turning it into a deep, dark black gemstone. He could faintly see three Element Runes flash past. Without the Soul Eye, they would have been difficult to notice.

"Success!"

Rayne clenched his fist and swung it, nearly jumping up in excitement.

This Gold-Eating Ant would become his first Demon Soul, allowing him to take a solid first step onto the path of a battle wizard!

After his excitement faded, Rayne put away the Soul Stone and only then realized that the cloth spread on the ground had been smashed to tatters, while the stone beneath it had cracked as well.

He hurriedly cleaned up the scene, threw the corpses of the two Gold-Eating Ants into the sewer, and returned upstairs with the hammer.

Taking all his money, Rayne left the apartment that very night.

He did not return to Basil Inn. Instead, he found an ordinary small inn in Honeydew District, separated from Silver Star District by only a river. He eavesdropped outside for half an hour, confirmed that there were no Transcendents inside, and only then rented a room.

It was not until the latter half of the night, when dawn was near, that Rayne finally fell asleep in peace.

He slept until nearly noon. Rayne woke refreshed, ate a delicious meal to fill his stomach, and then boarded a carriage for Violet House.

As long as he got through today and became a Transcendent, he would no longer have to live in such constant fear.

The carriage arrived without incident.

As soon as Rayne got out and entered, he saw Talini already waiting for him. She approached with a smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. Rayne."

"Ms. Talini, can we hold the ritual today?"

"Of course."

Rayne nodded, handed the more than sixty Gold Shields he had prepared to the female attendant at the front desk, then followed Talini behind Violet House and entered a spacious room.

To his surprise, the half-elf Viola was there as well. She still wore a simple, elegant robe, her figure graceful and slender.

Merely standing there, she seemed like a faint glimmer of light that could not be ignored.

"Ms. Viola." Rayne greeted her, his expression slightly strange.

A Soul Transformation Ritual could be performed alone, but it was best to have an experienced host. A Transcendent capable of casting spells was ideal, and Talini was well suited for the role. They had already agreed yesterday that Talini would help with his Soul Transformation this time. A better host would cost extra.

Viola smiled brightly, as though spring breeze had brushed over him. "Mr. Rayne, Talini will still host the ritual today. I am only here to observe. You do not mind, do you?"

"Not at all." Rayne was still somewhat puzzled.

As the owner of Violet House, Viola had witnessed countless Soul Transformation Rituals. What was there to watch?

Considering that he still needed to discuss buying the World Tree Seed from her after the ritual, he could only suppress his doubts.

This room was specially used for Soul Transformation Rituals. In the middle was a platform resembling an operating table, covered in numerous runes that formed a complete Magic array.

There was a table beside the Rune Altar with several items laid out on it: a syringe, a tube of Soul Devouring Potion, and a white scroll.

"Mr. Rayne, if you are ready, lie down."

Talini's tone was calm as she tried to create a relaxed atmosphere and lessen Rayne's pressure.

"Alright."

Rayne took off his coat and casually tossed it aside, though it actually contained all his possessions, including all his money and the Gold-Eating Ant's Demon Soul.

Wearing only his shirt, he lay down on the Rune Altar. As Talini used sturdy leather straps to bind his hands, feet, and waist, she explained, "Because the ritual is extremely painful, we need to secure you to prevent you from wasting your strength struggling or falling off the Rune Altar."

Rayne hesitated. He thought he did not need his body restrained, and once he was tied down, he would truly be at another's mercy.

He had wanted to refuse, but in his Soul Eye, neither Talini nor Viola showed any malice, so he accepted.

Once secured, he could not move at all, except for turning his head from side to side.

Talini picked up the scroll and uttered a brief incantation. The scroll immediately unfolded, and pale golden characters flew from it into Rayne's forehead.

With Mind Protection cast on him, Rayne felt as if his heart had become calm. He had a peculiar sense of security, yet it also seemed as though nothing had changed.

Next, Talini activated the Rune Altar with a Magic Energy crystal.

With a hum, Rayne felt faint warmth beneath him. An indescribable energy enveloped his body, making his senses toward the outside world sharper.

Talini drew the Soul Devouring Potion into the syringe and said seriously, "Mr. Rayne, we are beginning."

Rayne nodded lightly.

Then Talini inserted the syringe needle into the artery in his neck. Her hand was steady. Rather than injecting it all at once, she pushed it in slowly, stopping after administering one-third of the potion.

Rayne had already looked into it. One dose of Soul Devouring Potion was about thirty milliliters.

In Aerenus World, one milliliter was equivalent to one "Gylon." Only ten Gylons of potion were needed for someone to complete Initial Soul Transformation, gain the ability to fuse Demon Souls, and become a Transcendent.

However, that was only the minimum requirement. If one wanted to become a Spellcaster capable of meditation, one had to continue injecting the potion after completing Initial Soul Transformation.

For every additional five Gylons of potion injected, the Soul Transformation would advance another step.

The threshold for Spellcasters was fifteen Gylons of Soul Devouring Potion. At twenty Gylons, one would qualify to become a wizard, as well as any other Transcendent profession.

Beyond that, every additional Gylon of potion was a difficult improvement.

Reaching Level 25 Gylons made one a top genius even among wizards, a talent seen only once in a decade.

The more potion injected, the more thorough the Soul Transformation and the higher the talent.

Of course, the prerequisite was not losing consciousness during the Soul Transformation Ritual. If potion continued to be injected after one lost consciousness, even the slightest amount would kill the person.

In truth, there was a limit to how much potion could be injected. At most, one could use thirty Gylons, which was the limit of humanity. Any more would have the opposite effect, turning the potion into genuine poison.

Therefore, every dose of Soul Devouring Potion contained thirty Gylons, but almost no one could use it all.

Following the procedure, Talini first injected Rayne with ten Gylons.

The next second, he felt an icy chill shoot straight into his head, followed by an indescribable explosion of agony. He instinctively clenched his teeth and did not cry out. At the same time, it felt as if something was dissolving his brain, gnawing at it bit by bit, producing an extraordinary effect.

"Damn, this hurts like hell!"

Rayne endured it for several minutes, then felt that there was no meaning in suffering like this. So he turned on the music player, and beautiful singing rose in his mind.

"A great river rolls with broad waves, fragrant rice flowers drift along both banks in the wind..."

The pain immediately weakened.

In Viola and Talini's eyes, Rayne's expression gradually relaxed, as though he was slowly adapting to the pain.

The two exchanged astonished looks, but neither spoke, afraid of disturbing Rayne.

Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. According to the normal course of the ritual, Initial Soul Transformation had already been completed. For a Transcendent with relatively ordinary talent, this would have been the limit. They would be unable to endure any longer and could only end the ritual.

Yet Rayne looked completely relaxed. He opened his eyes and said, "Inject another five Gylons."

Talini immediately complied.

From yesterday's Soul Test, she knew Rayne could inject at least twenty Gylons, so she was not surprised at all.

Rayne's face turned a little paler, but he remained fairly calm.

Ten minutes later, he said again, "Inject another five Gylons."

Talini followed his instruction.

She carefully observed the changes in Rayne. A total of twenty Gylons of Soul Devouring Potion had already been injected. As long as Rayne endured it, he could become a wizard.

Yet Rayne still appeared very relaxed, leaving her incredulous.

Another ten minutes passed, and Rayne said for the third time, "Continue. Another five Gylons."

This time, Talini hesitated. After twenty Gylons, every extra bit of potion carried enormous risk. The safe approach was to inject it little by little.

But Rayne insisted repeatedly, so she could only inject it.

Viola could no longer restrain herself. She stepped closer to the Rune Altar and watched Rayne's ritual progress intently.

In an ordinary ritual, Rayne should have been suffering unimaginable pain by now. He should have been on the verge of collapse, his thoughts blurred, his body struggling uncontrollably.

But Rayne lay there comfortably. Other than his slightly hurried breathing, he looked as if he were taking an afternoon nap!

Viola's eyes were filled with astonishment. She even carefully checked the Soul Devouring Potion in Talini's hand, suspecting that they had taken the wrong medicine or used the wrong dosage.

But how could Talini make such a basic mistake? There was nothing wrong with the Soul Devouring Potion.

Second by second, Rayne appeared relaxed throughout the ritual, while Viola and Talini, the observers, grew increasingly tense.

Under their shocked gazes, Rayne opened his eyes and said with complete clarity, "Use all the potion."

Viola could not help asking, "Rayne, are you sure?"

Injecting thirty Gylons and completely finishing the Soul Transformation Ritual was known as Perfect Soul Transformation.

Such people existed only in legends. Every one of them was a peerless genius humanity saw only once in a century, and all of them became renowned figures. Several of them were Soul Saint Wizards of the High Council!

If Rayne reached Perfect Soul Transformation as well, then once word spread, it would travel throughout the entire Empire!

Rayne knew what this meant. His expression remained calm as he replied, "I'm fine. Ms. Talini, inject it."

Talini's hand had been steady, but hearing Rayne's request made her tremble with excitement.

She had hosted more than a hundred Soul Transformation Rituals and seen several geniuses, but she had never imagined that she might personally witness the birth of someone with Perfect Soul Transformation.

"Let me."

Seeing Talini's hand shaking slightly, Viola took the syringe and steadily injected the final five Gylons of potion into Rayne's neck artery.

Then the two stared fixedly at Rayne. Even their breathing became softer. Their hands unconsciously clenched, their palms sweating, terrified that Rayne might suddenly die on the Rune Altar the next second.

That would be far too tragic.

The final ten minutes were agony for Viola and Talini, as if they themselves were undergoing the Soul Transformation Ritual. Time became exceptionally slow.

Rayne, on the other hand, was doing fairly well. His limbs trembled faintly, but his chest rose and fell steadily.

Finally, beneath their anxious and expectant gazes, Rayne completed the Soul Transformation Ritual. He opened his eyes, smiled, and said softly, "Could you help untie me now?"