"Ah Yin, did you know? The day before yesterday, when I went out to visit Xiao San, I unexpectedly ran into a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt her cultivation and taken human form!"
"And she seemed to have a very good relationship with Xiao San, just like we did back then..."
Tang Hao spoke to the Blue Silver Grass, pouring out his feelings as if to himself.
The Blue Silver Grass swayed with Tang Hao's words.
"Ah Yin, if I ever run into that girl again, I'll definitely save her. It's a shame that I don't know what secret technique that Evil Soul Master used that day. He ran off with the girl!"
Tang Hao hadn't expected Luo Yan to summon a monster whose strength was beyond his own, one that had managed to hold him off.
It had also made his injuries much worse, and now he could only hide here and recover slowly.
"I wonder if Yu Xiaogang will be able to teach Xiao San properly..."
Three more days passed before Luo Yan finally woke from his unconscious state.
As soon as he came to, he felt that someone had bound him.
He lifted the covers and looked underneath, only to find Xiao Wu wrapped around him like an octopus, drool running from the corner of her mouth.
"This girl—she should at least be a little more careful!"
Luo Yan shook his head with a smile.
But when he tried to free himself from Xiao Wu's embrace, he found he couldn't break loose at all. Xiao Wu was still fast asleep, too.
"I give up..."
Seeing this, Luo Yan had no choice but to wait for Xiao Wu to wake up on her own.
As he waited, he circulated his spiritual energy and repeatedly checked his condition.
Luo Yan found that although he had woken up, the vital essence he had spent on the sacrifice still hadn't been replenished. About a third was still missing.
He glanced at the panel again.
The more than ten thousand Resentment Points he'd originally gained from clearing out the Notting City Martial Soul Hall Branch had now increased to more than eighteen million.
That was enough for him to evolve several times.
Suddenly, the corner of Luo Yan's eye caught sight of Xiao Wu in his arms. He grew curious about what her status panel looked like.
"System, bring up Xiao Wu's status panel!"
As soon as Luo Yan spoke, a virtual panel appeared beside Xiao Wu:
Name: Xiao Wu
Race: Soft Bone Rabbit (Evolvable)
Cultivation Realm: Tier 1 Lesser Demon, Early Stage (Tier 6 Demon Emperor, Early Stage)
Physical Cultivation: Tier 1 Lesser Demon, Middle Stage (Tier 3 Demon Master, Full Mastery)
"System, what do the parentheses after her cultivation mean?"
Seeing parentheses after both entries, Luo Yan found it a little strange.
"Host, those show Xiao Wu's former cultivation realms. She won't encounter any bottlenecks up to those realms; she only needs to keep absorbing spiritual energy."
At that, Luo Yan understood.
After all, Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt her cultivation. She already had a solid foundation before this.
And Soul Power wasn't all that different from spiritual energy. The only differences were the method of cultivation and the rules of this world, which imposed certain restrictions.
After closing the panel, Luo Yan finally looked around the little house.
Although he had never been here before, he had a guess: this was probably the little house where Xiao Wu had once lived with her mother.
It was also Xiao Wu's home deep in the Star Dou Great Forest.
It wasn't until noon that Xiao Wu finally woke up, leisurely.
"Carrot!"
Half-asleep, Xiao Wu grabbed hold of something on Luo Yan.
"Ah..."
A chill ran through a certain part of his body. Luo Yan scrambled up in alarm, broke free of Xiao Wu's embrace, and got off the bed.
His sudden movement roused Xiao Wu, who had still been drowsy.
When she saw Luo Yan standing beside the bed, she cried out, "Brother Luo Yan, you're finally awake!"
After shouting, she jumped straight off the bed and threw herself into his arms.
"Mm. My injuries have healed a little, so I woke up without needing to remain in a deep sleep!" Feeling Xiao Wu's concern, Luo Yan was warmed inside.
It made him feel that risking everything to take Xiao Wu away back then had been worth it.
Beside the Life Lake.
Luo Yan leisurely roasted Soul Beast meat, with a pile of gnawed Soul Beast bones scattered by his feet.
He hadn't eaten much of anything in all these days. On top of that, his blood and qi were depleted, and he desperately needed nourishment. He was starving.
Sitting across from Luo Yan, Er Ming chomped on a huge piece of roasted meat.
Xiao Wu had eaten her fill and was now sprawled comfortably on the ground, her little head resting against Luo Yan's thigh.
"Brother Luo Yan, are you saying that our Soul Beast Clan are essentially demon beasts, and that the rules of this world are what made us like this?"
"After I ate your vital essence, did I become a true demon beast?"
As they ate, Luo Yan had explained to Xiao Wu why her Soul Ring had disappeared.
The term "demon beast" was unfamiliar to Xiao Wu and to Da Ming and Er Ming, who were beside her.
"That's right. You can try it. Just focus your thoughts, and you'll be able to switch between your true form and human form as freely as I can!"
Luo Yan swallowed the roasted meat in his mouth and nodded.
At that, Xiao Wu grew interested.
After standing up, she followed Luo Yan's instructions and pictured her true form in her mind.
Suddenly, Xiao Wu's standing figure vanished. In her place appeared a palm-sized rabbit with colorful fur.
Fine eyeliner framed her eyes, and beautiful patterns adorned her eyelids.
"Brother Luo Yan, it really works!"
Even in her true form, Xiao Wu could still speak.
After saying that, she hopped around Luo Yan, then leaped into his arms.
"And now that you've become a demon beast, your strength will grow much faster, and you'll be stronger in battle too!" Luo Yan rubbed the Soft Bone Rabbit in his arms and continued.
Er Ming looked at Xiao Wu, a hint of longing in his eyes.
He was a straightforward sort. Setting down his roasted meat, he looked at Luo Yan and asked urgently, "Luo Yan, if Da Ming and I can become demon beasts too, will we be able to take human form as freely as Sister Xiao Wu?"
He thought that if he could take human form, he could go with Xiao Wu to the human world.
After Er Ming spoke, Da Ming, whose lower body was still submerged in the lake, also turned his gaze to Luo Yan.
"Of course!" Luo Yan nodded.
Then, as he stroked Xiao Wu, he continued, "But Xiao Wu was able to transform into a demon beast so easily because she condensed her bloodline using the Heavenly Tribulation when she crossed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Tribulation."
"If you want to take human form, you'll need a Yao Clan cultivation method, and you'll have to compress your bloodline power while cultivating it."
"Only when your bloodline is sufficiently refined will you be able to do it."
"Of course, there's an even simpler way: when you face your Two-Hundred-Thousand-Year Tribulation, choose to rebuild your cultivation. Then you'll be able to do what Xiao Wu did!"
Luo Yan had figured all this out after asking the system and thinking it through.
Put simply, Martial Souls were actually bloodlines. They were simply prevented from fully merging with the body by this world's rules.
Luo Yan's vital essence could serve as a medium, allowing the two to merge completely.
Before you continue