Based on his long experience using the Panel,
Bai Chuan had already gotten a general idea of how long it took the Panel to strengthen an ability.
Normally, an LV1 ability took a day and a night, while an LV2 ability took two days and two nights. But that was for a single ability, and not one that caused external limbs to appear or transformed the body on a massive scale.
He still hadn't figured out how long those abilities took, since they involved too many changes to the body's structure.
Aside from that, whenever several abilities evolved at once, the time needed increased severalfold.
But he still hadn't figured out the exact time required for several abilities to evolve at once. That didn't matter here, though, since he was strengthening only a single LV2 ability.
As he considered this, Bai Chuan had already moved away from the nest. Of course, he didn't go too far.
Just a few hundred meters away, in the dense forest, he followed his serpentine instincts and found a relatively secluded spot.
Then he started digging.
He wasn't digging a burrow to live in for the long term this time; it was only a temporary refuge for his evolution.
So it didn't need to take too long. After all, one kind of burrow had to be dug deep underground, with concerns like cave-ins, ventilation, and access, before it could be expanded into a large nest.
The other only needed to let him hide his whole body underground and allow air to circulate.
They were in entirely different leagues of difficulty.
He spent just one night digging. By dawn, the burrow was ready.
After that, he returned to his previous spot to check on the little mouse. He found it still lying quietly where it had been.
The only thing that had changed was that its wounds seemed to have healed a little. The improvement wasn't obvious, but its condition was definitely getting better.
That surprised him. It really does have some effect. Then he remembered that this ability came from its fellow African Spiny Mice.
That made it seem much more reasonable. Although abilities changed to suit his body to some extent after evolving, more or less a little of their original nature still remained.
He just didn't know whether it would ultimately make it through this ordeal.
After all, there was bound to be a difference between the true host of an ability and an outsider using it.
Bai Chuan thought silently.
Then he cut open a small wound and dripped some blood into its mouth.
The temperature was still pleasant this time of year, and the chunks of meat he'd brought back earlier hadn't shown any obvious signs of spoiling.
If it woke up, it should still be in time for a hearty meal.
Inside the burrow, in the darkness,
the Panel appeared once more.
Its faint, shimmering white light—which only Bai Chuan could see—shone on his snake's head.
'Name: Bai Chuan.' 'Species: King Cobra.' 'Length: 6.8 meters.' 'Lifespan: 6 years, 10 months.' 'Points: 8 (5%).' 'Abilities: LV3 Abilities (Expand), LV2 Abilities (Expand), LV1 Abilities (Expand).' 'Ability Structure Library (Expand).' "Editable..."
He looked at the Panel and silently selected the Ability Structure Library, then selected the ability model named Ice Blood Cold Silkworm.
It was a creature with only four abilities, which was rare. Yet it was so powerful that it made Bai Chuan's heart race.
The familiar model floated up. Bai Chuan directly extracted the ability named [Symbiosis LV2 (Cold-Loving)]. He'd originally planned to play it safe and strengthen all of them.
But when he tried, he discovered that the Ice Silkworm's other abilities were either incompatible with him, highly redundant with abilities he already had, or even harmful to him.
Take [Spinning Silk Cocoon], for example. If it let him spit silk to attack like Spider-Man, that would be fine. But what was this?
Wrapping himself in silk, turning into a cocoon, and then... nothing.
Silkworms spun cocoons so they could break out as moths or butterflies. According to the ability model, it had to be paired with the [Complete Metamorphosis] ability. But did he have that?
No!
As for [Complete Metamorphosis], if his current understanding of it was correct, it was probably something like a snake's [Final Growth]—a change in body size.
Strengthening it could result in a massive change to his size.
There was no need to even mention [Dormant Shedding]. He already shed his skin, and this ability also required entering a hibernation-like state.
He'd worked so hard to escape hibernation. How could he go back to needing it again?
In other words, aside from the Symbiosis ability, the other three were all part of a set. Did he dare strengthen them?
That meant that, setting aside the compatibility issues, if he strengthened them, he might well turn into an insect.
He was already a perfectly good snake. Why would he become a little bug?
He'd have to be out of his mind.
If he was going to change, he might as well evolve into a creature like a True Dragon.
So in the end, only the ability he had strong doubts about remained—
Symbiosis LV2 (Cold-Loving).
After weighing the gains and losses of the past few days, Bai Chuan extracted the ability and fused it into his body.
Then the familiar drowsiness came over him again.
Bai Chuan slowly drifted into sleep, and that strange, viscous substance once more completely enveloped his body.
Time began to flow again. In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
After two days and two nights, amid a sound like a eggshell cracking, one of Bai Chuan's Sharp Claws broke through a giant egg, and he slithered out.
Instinctively, he took a deep breath.
He nearly inhaled a lungful of dirt.
After sneezing several times, Bai Chuan hurried out of the deformed underground burrow, feeling both exasperated and speechless.
Once he was out, he saw the vast, boundless sky and the lush green leaves once more.
Bai Chuan's spirits lifted for once, and only then did he have the presence of mind to sense the ability he'd just strengthened.
He stood perfectly still, closed his snake eyes, and felt every subtle change in his body.
After a while, he opened his eyes again, full of confusion.
Because, just like before, there wasn't the slightest change.
What's going on? Did I just waste two points?
No! He had to go back and look at that Ice Silkworm first.
This is strange. Could I really have gotten it wrong? Am I really incompatible with these abilities?
Bai Chuan felt baffled. He headed straight for the place where he'd left the Ice Silkworm.
Before long, after quickly slithering along, Bai Chuan returned to the burrow, which was now more spacious than before.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
He hadn't even gone in yet. The moment his snake head reached the entrance, he heard a series of excited squeaks.
The excitement in its voice was just like a dog that hadn't seen its master for ages, suddenly watching them come home one day.
It was so thrilled it could hardly keep still, bouncing up and down.
He was startled, then realized what had happened.
Did Little Mouse make it through?
At the same time, he slowly slithered inside.
The moment he entered, he saw a little mouse with sleek, glossy fur and a lively, energetic look.
It was standing upright, holding the little wooden box, and squeaking at him nonstop. If the box weren't so heavy, it probably would have jumped right up.
When it saw him approach, it instinctively held out the little wooden box with its tiny paws. Its squeaking never let up.
Even though he couldn't understand it, he could still sense how excited it was.
Seeing this, Bai Chuan instinctively nodded his snake head at it, then stretched out his claw—which was about as large as the little mouse itself—and accepted the wooden box.
And the moment he took it, a tremendous reaction occurred.
A reaction Bai Chuan hadn't expected.
The wooden box began to shake violently!
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