Extreme cold, and cold that did him no harm at all, had coursed through his entire body in that brief moment.
The first thing it affected was all the various insects that had been parasitizing him. They were either frozen to death or driven out.
After all, while this cold posed no threat to him, the same couldn't be said for those disgusting things.
Not every parasite in nature could endure low temperatures.
Cold and scorching heat were always two of living creatures' greatest enemies.
No wonder he felt so refreshed. Almost without thinking, Bai Chuan opened the Panel and took a look.
As soon as he opened the Panel, the first thing to catch his eye was his lifespan, which was still steadily increasing.
'Lifespan: 9 years, 11 months +'
His lifespan had previously dwindled to just six years and ten months. He'd been a little troubled, wondering if he should look for some creature with an especially long lifespan and see whether it had an ability that could extend his own.
He hadn't expected that, without doing anything, his lifespan would suddenly increase by three years and one month—and it was still slowly climbing.
This had directly extended his life.
This evolution had been worth every bit of it!
Even if it had no other effects, he'd be satisfied with the increased lifespan alone.
Not to mention, he'd also gained the power of ice.
But that raised a question: why had his lifespan increased just because he'd evolved a power over ice?
His curiosity piqued, he even forgot to try out his newly acquired power.
He lowered his snake's head and began to ponder.
At last, he looked again at the parasites on the ground, and a glimmer of understanding flashed through his mind.
Perhaps, to some extent, his increased lifespan hadn't come from some external power at all?
Perhaps it was the lifespan he'd been meant to have from the start. He'd been so short-lived before because countless parasites had been hiding in his body, eating his flesh and drinking his blood every moment of every day.
The Panel's lifespan reading was based on the condition of his body at that moment.
It showed how much longer he could survive in his current physical state, barring accidents like being killed.
In other words, it was the maximum length of time his cells could survive while being ravaged by all those parasites.
Now, the extreme cold had swept through his body, clearing out nearly all the parasites and freeing him from every one of those burdens.
With no parasites eating away at his cells, his cells would naturally no longer suffer damage from them.
And so the lifespan the Panel had judged he'd lost to parasitic infestation had naturally returned to him.
Once he understood that, Bai Chuan grew even more curious about the true nature of this icy power.
He turned to look at the white worm, now sprawled on the ground, no longer crystal-clear. It was as if it had fallen from the heights of divinity back into the mortal world, looking utterly wretched.
Why had the source of these powers previously appeared as tiny specks of light, and why had nothing changed at first after he strengthened the Ice Silkworm's ability?
But when he touched the box containing the Ice Silkworm, why had such a huge change taken place? Judging by the Ice Silkworm's state, it was as if he'd stripped it of everything it had.
So what was the true nature of this power?
Then he remembered that the ability he'd strengthened was called [Symbiosis LV2 (Cold-Loving)].
What kind of existence could be called symbiotic?
That was an intriguing question.
But for now, Bai Chuan only thought about it. He didn't intend to investigate it in depth.
Or rather, he probably wasn't qualified to do so yet.
Besides, from what he could tell, he'd gained nothing but benefits. He hadn't seen any drawbacks. Just being free of parasites, as if reborn, with an incredibly healthy body and a longer lifespan, was already well worth it.
If anything, he wished he could get more of this—several more, even.
After weighing the pros and cons, Bai Chuan turned to look at the little rat. What should he do with this tiny creature?
The little thing seemed to sense something. It raised its clever little head and gazed up at him imploringly.
Killing it was out of the question. It had helped him so much, after all.
Throughout the whole process, if the clever little rat hadn't been so perceptive—if it had been like other unintelligent creatures and become a burden instead of helping him—he might not have obtained the Ice Silkworm's power at all.
After all, the one suppressing the Ice Silkworm needed to be a living creature that could move. If it had been unintelligent and unable to cooperate or obey, he couldn't have simply kept it underwater while he escaped.
If it had run wild and knocked the wooden box aside, and the box had been opened by accident, then the Ice Silkworm would have burst out, and everyone would probably have perished together.
Thinking back on it now, Bai Chuan felt he'd been far too careless.
Fortunately, things had worked out in the end.
Without it, Bai Chuan couldn't have gained the power of ice.
He had to admit, the master who'd managed to raise such an intelligent rat was truly impressive.
It would be a shame to kill a creature with such intelligence.
But taking it along was even less possible, as he'd already said.
His own unusual nature and the existence of the Panel meant he was destined to journey alone, one snake, toward ever greater heights.
Still, Bai Chuan felt bad about simply leaving it behind.
He wasn't heartless or ungrateful. He couldn't use the creature and then abandon it. If he ran off just like that, Zhang Daring would probably catch it before long.
If he was going to leave, he had to at least give it a little help.
"Then what can I do to help it?"
After thinking for a while, Bai Chuan had a sudden idea.
His Panel abilities had always seemed to be used on himself. Could the Panel help other creatures evolve too?
Come to think of it, after he chose to begin evolving each time, how exactly did the Panel carry out the whole process?
All he knew was that whenever he woke up, he was wrapped inside a hardened shell. Where had that shell come from? And how had he evolved his abilities?
If he could help another creature begin evolving, couldn't he use the opportunity to figure out how his own evolution had started?
With that thought, Bai Chuan opened the Panel and checked how many points he had left.
'Points: 8 (7%).'
Eight points? More than enough.
Bai Chuan closed the Panel and looked at the little rat again. Ignoring its frightened expression, he moved closer.
Then he reached out with one Sharp Claw and grabbed for the rat's tail, intending to lift it up and keep it from resisting.
He paused and looked at his enormous, razor-sharp claw. If he lifted it that way, he might tear the little rat's tail right off.
So he changed his grip, taking hold of it and lifting it in one hand.
Ignoring its panicked squeaks, he fixed his sharp snake eyes on it, watching intently.
Before long, a message appeared on the Panel.
'Target scanned. Editable.'
Editable!
Before you continue