Dragon Snake Transformation, An Old Friend Visits

Xiao Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, carefully sensing the information brought to him by his third soul skill.

"Third soul skill: Dragon Snake Transformation!"

He murmured the name of the soul skill, a strange light flashing through his eyes.

This soul skill was completely different from all the ones he had possessed before. It was neither a spatial movement or cutting skill, nor a strength-based enhancement or explosive skill. Instead, it was a growth-type soul skill that required postnatal cultivation and personal comprehension.

The transformation of dragon and snake, in a sense, represented the evolution of life and an evolution that resisted the environment.

Adaptive evolution meant abandoning certain advantages for the sake of survival, changing oneself in order to live on. For example, when the ancestors of fish crawled onto land, their gills became lungs and their fins became limbs—they gave up the ability to breathe underwater in exchange for a chance to survive on land.

But what Dragon Snake Transformation represented was another kind of evolution—resistant evolution.

It retained one's original strengths while evolving upon that foundation. It did not discard or abandon anything. Instead, it fused existing advantages with new abilities, making oneself more versatile and more powerful.

In the myths and legends of Xiao Cheng's previous two lives, dragons could grow large or small, ascend or conceal themselves. When large, they summoned clouds and spat mist; when small, they hid their form. When ascending, they soared through the cosmos; when concealing themselves, they lurked beneath the waves.

Transformation was precisely one of the reasons dragons were so renowned across the myriad heavens and worlds—no matter how the world changed, dragons could evolve along with it, adapt to new environments, and retain their own advantages. As a result, dragons were an exceptionally powerful race in every world, even among the strongest races.

In theory, if Xiao Cheng could comprehend the principles of dragon and snake to their highest realm and undergo sufficient tempering to adapt to all kinds of laws, then he could be said to be immune to all techniques.

At the thought of that, Xiao Cheng could not help but feel yearning rise in his heart.

But he also knew that this theoretical supreme realm was still far too distant from him. Right now, he had not even grasped the barest surface of Dragon Snake Transformation.

Moreover, Xiao Cheng had a vague feeling—this soul skill did not belong to Soul Spirit Lueqing's innate soul skills, nor was it a Self-Created Soul Skill his father Xiao Ran had inscribed within it. Its emergence seemed more like the result of the cultivation method he practiced, the Dragon Transformation Sutra, influencing Lueqing as it bestowed the Soul Ring, allowing it to naturally come into being.

There seemed to be some deep connection between the Dragon Transformation Sutra and Dragon Snake Transformation.

"This soul skill has an extremely lofty concept," Xiao Cheng thought. "But Lueqing is only a ten-thousand-year Soul Spirit right now, so this soul skill's upper limit is likewise restricted.

In the future, Lueqing can continue to ascend spiritually—although it is an artificial Soul Spirit and will find it difficult to increase its spiritual power through the Spirit Ascension Platform, once my cultivation reaches a sufficient level, I may be able to create a secret technique with the same effect but a higher upper limit based on my own comprehension."

He composed himself and began attempting to activate Dragon Snake Transformation.

As Soul Power flowed in, Xiao Cheng felt his body begin to undergo a wondrous transformation. The sensation was difficult to describe—it was not a simple matter of growing larger or smaller, but a deeper adjustment that seemed to touch upon the essence of life itself.

His bones began to crack softly, while his muscles and fascia adjusted in subtle ways. He could feel as though his body had become a mass of clay that could be shaped at will. So long as he wished it, he could alter his physical form to a certain extent.

With a thought from Xiao Cheng, his height abruptly increased by three inches!

Though it was only a minor change, Xiao Cheng could feel that it was not merely an alteration in appearance. His bones, muscles, and meridians all adjusted accordingly in that instant to suit his new height without affecting his strength.

He then tried restoring his original height, then changing the length of his arms, the width of his shoulders, and even the contours of his face. Every transformation deepened his understanding of this soul skill by another degree.

"Although the ability attached to this soul skill has no direct offensive power, its practical uses are extremely high." Xiao Cheng nodded in satisfaction. "Whether for temporary adjustments in battle or disguises and infiltration in daily life, it can be useful."

He dispersed Dragon Snake Transformation, rose to his feet, and stretched his body.

After breaking through Rank Thirty, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap. Three ten-thousand-year Soul Rings—across the entire continent, there was likely no second person of his age who possessed such a thing.

"However." Xiao Cheng clenched his fist. "The prodigies of my generation are merely people I am destined to surpass. They are not the imaginary enemies I have set for myself in the later stages."

At the same time, Xiao Cheng assessed his Soul Power consumption and discovered that minor transformations did not consume much Soul Power. However, if he wanted to undergo large-scale changes, the expenditure would rise geometrically.

"It seems I'll need a great deal of practice before I can master it proficiently," Xiao Cheng thought.

He stood up, stretched his body, and then left the room.

In the living room, Xiao Ran and Mu Wan were still waiting for him.

"You broke through?" Xiao Ran asked when he saw him emerge.

"I did." Xiao Cheng nodded. "Rank Thirty-One Soul Elder."

"Good!" A gratified smile appeared on Xiao Ran's face.

"Also, my third soul skill is quite interesting." Xiao Cheng added, then briefly explained the effects of Dragon Snake Transformation.

After hearing him out, surprise flashed through Xiao Ran's eyes. "A growth-type soul skill? Those are extremely rare. The effects of most soul skills are fixed. Only a very small number can grow stronger alongside the soul master. You were indeed fortunate to obtain such a soul skill."

"Yes." Xiao Cheng nodded. "But this soul skill is also quite difficult to cultivate. It requires extensive practice before it can be used proficiently."

"Take it slowly. There's no rush." Mu Wan spoke gently. "You've only just broken through. You have plenty of time."

"Mm." Xiao Cheng responded.

Over the following days, Xiao Cheng's life returned to its usual rhythm, except his daily cultivation routine now included another item—practicing Dragon Snake Transformation.

He asked his father, Xiao Ran, to create several low-grade Soul Tools capable of releasing attacks with different attributes, such as flame, frost, and lightning. Then, while keeping his third soul skill active, he deliberately endured those attacks, allowing his body to gradually adapt and develop resistance through the process of taking damage.

The process was far from easy.

The agony of burning flames, the numbness of freezing frost, the paralysis of lightning strikes... every kind of power left Xiao Cheng suffering bitterly. Yet he gritted his teeth and persevered, because he knew that only through such tempering could he truly grasp the essence of Dragon Snake Transformation.

Little by little, he developed resistance to different kinds of power. Although he was still only at the initial stage and could resist merely some low-level attacks, Xiao Cheng believed that as long as he persisted, one day he would achieve true immunity to all techniques.

While Xiao Cheng buried himself in cultivation, the undercurrents between the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy also began to stir quietly.

Leng Zhaoran submitted a proposal to Pagoda Master Qiangu Dieting regarding strengthened supervision of the Spirit Ascension Platform, and he gave a detailed report on the incident involving Shrek Academy students attempting to hunt the Burning Sun Heavenly Dragon. Qiangu Dieting attached great importance to the matter and immediately ordered tighter oversight of the Spirit Ascension Platform. Especially during periods of unrest, additional patrol personnel were to be dispatched to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

At the same time, the Spirit Pagoda sent Shrek Academy an official letter of protest. Its wording was stern, demanding that Shrek Academy restrain its students and cease infringing upon the Spirit Pagoda's legitimate rights and interests.

Shrek Academy's response to the letter of protest was all thunder and no rain. Bei Dexun personally approved a statement saying they would "seriously investigate the matter" and "severely punish" the students involved—though just how severe that punishment would be, only he himself knew.

Although Long Yeyue was unwilling to accept it, she had no choice but to temporarily suppress the anger in her heart. She had originally wanted to make some small moves and cause trouble for the Spirit Pagoda, but Bei Dexun clearly told her not to provoke the Spirit Pagoda again anytime soon, lest it damage Shrek Academy's reputation.

"Let's wait until the attention dies down." Long Yeyue sneered inwardly. "Xiao Ran, Xiao Cheng... just you wait."

Xiao Cheng, however, paid no attention to any of it.

He remained immersed in his cultivation, constantly improving his strength.

Time slipped away like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, another half year had passed.

Over those six months, Xiao Cheng's cultivation rose steadily from Rank Thirty-One to the peak of Rank Thirty-Three. Though the speed was not particularly fast, his foundation had been laid extremely solidly. His Dragon Snake Transformation had also improved considerably, and his resistance to various elements had increased noticeably.

In forging, he could already complete Thousand Refinement skillfully and could occasionally produce Thousand Refinement second-grade works. In another year or two, he would be able to challenge Spirit Refinement. Zheng Tie praised his progress endlessly, saying that he was "born to make a living from forging."

One day, Xiao Cheng was practicing his spear techniques in the backyard when he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the front courtyard.

"Xiao Cheng! Are you home?"

It was Leng Yaozhu's voice.

Xiao Cheng withdrew his spear and stood straight, a smile appearing on his face. He left the backyard and entered the front courtyard, where he indeed saw the sisters Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai standing at the entrance.

After not seeing her for some time, Leng Yaozhu had not changed much, except that she had grown taller. Her long fiery-red hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, and her entire body radiated a fiercer, more confident aura. Most striking of all was the added sharpness between her brows, clearly showing that she had not spared herself in training during this period.

Leng Yulai, on the other hand, had not changed much. She was still as quiet and gentle as before, standing behind her elder sister and giving Xiao Cheng a faint smile.

"Sister Yaozhu, Yulai, what brings you here?" Xiao Cheng stepped forward to greet them.

"What? We're not welcome?" Leng Yaozhu raised a brow.

"How could that be? Of course you're welcome." Xiao Cheng hurriedly smiled. "Come in and have a seat."

The three entered the living room and sat down. Mu Wan brought over tea and pastries.

Leng Yaozhu took a sip of tea, then set down her cup and got straight to the point. "Xiao Cheng, I came this time because I want to spar with you."

"Spar?" Xiao Cheng was slightly taken aback.

"Yes." Leng Yaozhu spoke as though it were only natural. "Over the past half year, I've put in a lot of hard work. Not only have I perfectly mastered Heavenly Phoenix True Fire and Evil-Breaking Sacred Fire, I've also developed a rather powerful Self-Created Soul Skill. I want to find someone to test it on. After thinking it over, you're still the most suitable."

Hearing that, Xiao Cheng was tempted as well. He had spent the past half year training in silence, and he truly wanted to find someone to spar with and test the results of his cultivation.

"Sure." He nodded. "Perfect timing. I also want to test some things I've newly comprehended."

"Then it's settled!" Leng Yaozhu excitedly rose to her feet. "Come on, let's go to the backyard!"

"Wait, Sister." Leng Yulai tugged at the corner of her clothes. "Spar if you want, but don't tear down the courtyard."

"Don't worry. I know my limits!" Leng Yaozhu waved her hand, then pulled Xiao Cheng toward the backyard.

Leng Yulai sighed helplessly and followed after them.

Once they reached the backyard, Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu stood facing each other about twenty meters apart.

Leng Yulai stood to one side, acting as both referee and spectator.

"Are you ready?" Leng Yaozhu asked. Phoenix Feather was already in her hand, crimson flame patterns flowing over the blade, faintly revealing a streak of golden light—the aura of Evil-Breaking Sacred Fire.

"I'm ready." Xiao Cheng held the Azure Sky Divine Spear and nodded.

"Then—begin!"

Before Leng Yaozhu's words had even faded, her figure vanished from where she stood!

In the next instant, she appeared before Xiao Cheng, Phoenix Feather carrying scorching flames as it slashed down!

This strike was swift and ruthless. The flames on the blade carved a crimson trail through the air, as though they would ignite the very atmosphere!

Yet Xiao Cheng neither dodged nor retreated. The Azure Sky Divine Spear took on a blocking stance as he met the attack head-on!

Clang—!!!

Spear and sword collided, producing a crisp metallic ring!