Three days later, Holy Soul Village.
A rushing stream cascaded down from above, splashing water everywhere and leaving the surrounding air thick with moisture.
Chen Xing looked up at the waterfall before him, his heart pounding as he clenched his fists in excitement.
"This is it! It can't be wrong!"
Over the past few days, he had kept asking around for directions and had made it all the way to Holy Soul Village on foot.
Tang Hao's attention was entirely focused on Tang San, who had just obtained his Soul Ring. It was the perfect opportunity to steal the Soul Bone.
The "Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone" possessed just two heaven-defying soul skills that were enough to drive the continent's strongest experts mad with greed. What was more, since he was also a plant-type Soul Beast, Chen Xing's martial soul might even evolve after fusing with the Soul Bone.
After taking a moment to steady himself, Chen Xing stopped hesitating and leaped forward. With a splash, he plunged into the icy river.
The bone-piercing cold instantly spread through his body. Gritting his teeth, he endured the force of the current, searched for footholds among the slick rocks, and climbed upward with all his strength.
Fortunately, as a transformed Soul Beast, his physical condition was somewhat better than that of an ordinary person. That was the only reason he managed to find the cave entrance amid the rushing waters.
Inside the cave.
His current body was simply too weak. Just entering this cave had already exhausted all his strength.
Fortunately, it had all been worth it!
In the dim surroundings, the entire cave lay in plain sight. It was nothing but rock, making it impossible for him to miss Ah Yin.
On the flat ground, a small mound of dirt stood conspicuously in the middle. A pale-blue blade of grass drooped its leaves, its roots limp against the dry soil.
"This... truly is the Blue Silver Emperor!"
Perhaps Tang Hao had truly been afraid of Ah Yin reviving, which was why he had planted her in such a place.
If he had casually tossed her Grass Seed into any patch of earth, she would not have ended up in such a miserable state.
Dragging his exhausted body over to Ah Yin, Chen Xing tried to communicate with her.
His fingers gently brushed across her leaves, and he could clearly sense that she was severely dehydrated.
Tang Hao had probably planted Ah Yin here and never cared for her again!
Seeing that she wanted to respond to him but lacked the strength to do so, Chen Xing could not help feeling a pang of heartache.
"Should I take you with me too?"
Perhaps because he had spent some time as bamboo, he deeply sympathized with Ah Yin's plight.
Setting aside whether Tang Hao had deliberately schemed to make her sacrifice herself, simply abandoning her for all these years was already beastly enough...
Chen Xing crouched before the little mound for quite some time, and his strength had mostly recovered.
Once he could move again, he began feeling along the cave walls.
He remembered that the Soul Bone had been hidden inside a lead box, and that the box had a mechanism that could make it spring out.
As he pondered, he did not know which stone he touched when a sudden click sounded behind him!
"Hm? Found it?"
Sure enough, the moment Chen Xing turned around, he saw a long lead box protruding halfway out.
Excitedly, he removed it.
The moment the lead box landed in his hand, he could tell from its weight that it was far from ordinary.
As the lid was slowly lifted, an incomparably pure life energy rapidly spread outward, filling the empty cave in the blink of an eye.
Before his eyes was what seemed to be a pale-blue mist, flecked with tiny points of golden light.
"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! It really is extraordinary!"
Chen Xing marveled at the phenomenon caused by the Soul Bone's energy, while yearning for the changes that would come after fusion.
Not far away, the blue grass sensed the aura as well. Its shriveled leaves gradually regained their vitality, and in just a few seconds, the veins on its leaves began to emit golden light.
As the lid was fully opened, a jade-like leg bone was revealed to the air.
With just one glance, Chen Xing was captivated by its beautiful appearance, and his heart began pounding violently.
As a transmigrator, Chen Xing detested hesitation most of all.
To prevent complications from arising, he decisively picked up the Soul Bone and pressed it directly against his right leg.
Anything else could wait until after he absorbed the Soul Bone!
As the emperor of plant-type Soul Beasts, capable of embracing all things, its Soul Bone transformed into pure energy in an instant and completely merged into Chen Xing's body.
In an instant, all the blue mist and golden specks inside the cave converged upon Chen Xing.
Vast yet gentle energy continuously washed through Chen Xing's meridians. The Solitary Bamboo Martial Soul emerged on its own, its emerald-green bamboo body glowing with golden light, as though it were undergoing a baptism.
His entire body was wrapped in warm Soul Power. Chen Xing could feel his flesh and bones growing as his Soul Power Level rose at a steady pace.
Level 3, Level 4, Level 5...
Once his Soul Power reached its bottleneck, his level could no longer increase unless he obtained a Soul Ring. Yet he could feel that the Soul Bone's energy was far from exhausted.
Streams of gentle energy circulated through his meridians on their own. The soothing sensation made him narrow his eyes as he enjoyed this transformation...
The entire process lasted around half an hour. Only after the final trace of energy successfully merged into his meridians did Chen Xing slowly open his eyes.
[Host's Soul Power Level has reached Level 10] [Hextech quality draw now unlocked]
The mechanical female voice rang out again, and he summoned the System Panel.
Sure enough, a rolling display appeared once more in the center of the transparent screen.
Now that he understood the different Hextech tiers, Chen Xing unexpectedly felt a little nervous this time.
There was no doubt that prismatic Hextech offered the best rewards. Even the most basic silver-white Hextech had helped him transform into human form. If he really drew prismatic...
His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened.
"Whether I can get ahead of Tang San depends on this step!"
The card pack's scrolling speed gradually slowed with time. Chen Xing nervously closed his eyes and began praying inwardly.
"I'm willing to trade ten years of being single for one prismatic Hextech..."
"Turn the whole situation around!"
"Open!"
He stomped his foot hard and opened his eyes!
The card pack draw had ended, and three options appeared above the screen.
Once Chen Xing saw them clearly, he was so excited that he punched the cave wall beside him...
[Ascend to the Highest Peak] Immediately gain 1 level of Soul Power. When you reach Level 90, immediately gain 9 levels of Soul Power.
[Golden Egg] Obtain 1 large Golden Egg. You may claim its loot upon reaching Level 70.
[Birthday Gift] Gain a random reward every time you increase by 10 levels. The higher your level, the greater the rewards.
Prismatic!
It really was prismatic!
After a brief burst of excitement, he immediately began examining the options.
The first one, Ascend to the Highest Peak, looked incredibly tempting.
As long as he advanced to Title Douluo, he would immediately gain 9 levels of Soul Power. If paired with a godhood, becoming a god directly might even be possible!
Its flaw was obvious as well. Despite being prismatic Hextech, it offered him no help at all right now.
That was not very friendly...
The second one...
Since it had appeared among the options, there had to be a reason for it.
It had the same flaw, while its reward was still uncertain. Even if the Golden Egg contained a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, it would still not compare to the first option...
The third one!
No... who could possibly resist choosing this?!
The moment Chen Xing saw the Birthday Gift option, he completely forgot about the 9 or 10 levels of Soul Power.
What gambler could resist such temptation? Most importantly, choosing it now would immediately grant him a round of rewards!
As a transmigrator, he knew full well how important early development was.
It did not matter how powerful he might become at higher levels later on. On this continent, where strength reigned supreme, if a poor boy with no faction or background possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, who would not be tempted to kill him?
Besides, he still did not know whether powerful experts could detect his identity as a transformed Soul Beast. What if some old monster ran into him one day and wanted to kill him for Soul Bones?
Though the Soul Bone he dropped might ultimately only be a ten-year Soul Bone...
With that thought, Chen Xing stopped hesitating!
Before you continue