The Calm Before the Storm

"Yes, big brother. I'll get used to it as soon as I can." Lei Hu had only recently taken human form, and he still wasn't very good at speaking. But his eyes brimmed with affection for Lei Dong. In truth, Lei Dong was right: he and Lei Hu shared a deep bond. They had spent more time together than Lei Dong and Wan Yan had.

Throughout Lei Dong's years of growth, Lei Hu—who had once been a Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger—had helped him countless times. The man and tiger had fought enemies together and fled together. The Shadow Tiger's contributions along the way were too numerous to count.

The transformation of Monster Beasts and spirit birds wasn't entirely without rhyme or reason. Generally speaking, species born with greater intelligence and superior bloodlines began to transform at the Nascent Soul level. Dragons and phoenixes, for example. From the human perspective, Dark Phoenixes were Monster Beasts too. But their kind transformed early; at the Nascent Soul level, they could choose to take on whatever appearance they wished.

For some reason, though, certain members of the dragon and phoenix clans preferred to take human form.

Even Monster Beasts born with little intelligence gradually grew wiser over the long course of cultivation. Generally, by the Spirit Transmutation Realm, their intelligence had fully matured and was no less than that of humans. At that stage, some chose to transform, while others weren't interested and never did.

In a sense, transformation was not constrained by strength, but by intelligence and personal inclination. Some Monster Beasts never wanted to transform in their entire lives. Others could reach the Spirit Transmutation level, but still wouldn't transform if their intelligence wasn't sufficient. Of course, those who could transform often imitated high-level species such as dragons and phoenixes, taking human