Development Direction

For snake-type Martial Souls, tracing their origins upward, they all ultimately had to evolve in the direction of dragons.

Dragons possessed an innate bloodline suppression over snakes. "Transforming into a dragon" was the ultimate evolutionary goal for snake-type Martial Souls.

Of course, that goal was not so easily achieved. Planning, opportunities, fortuitous encounters, and luck—none could be lacking.

For a snake to successfully transform into a dragon, its Soul Rings naturally needed to be chosen from sub-dragon Soul Beasts whenever possible.

The Soul Rings of dragon-type Soul Beasts contained the aura of true dragons. Only by accumulating dragon aura could a Martial Soul slowly evolve.

At the same time, absorbing dragon-type Soul Rings offered high attribute compatibility and minimal rejection. The Soul Skills gained would also best suit one's own needs.

The Golden Python was already a top-tier snake-type Soul Beast. Its bloodline originated from the "Golden Dragon" and followed the path of extreme strength.

Zhang Fei's intended development was that of a strong attack type with defensive capabilities, so finding a strength-type sub-dragon Soul Beast for his first Soul Ring could not have been more suitable.

He looked at She Long's back ahead of him and said, "Grandpa, I want a sub-dragon Soul Beast, preferably a strength-type one."

A trace of approval appeared in She Long's eyes. "Oh? Tell me your reasoning."

"My Golden Python has a strength attribute, so I want to find a strength-type sub-dragon Soul Beast."

"Looks like you want to follow the extreme path." After hearing him out, She Long gave a soft hum. "That's a good choice, but your offensive methods will be rather limited in the early stages. Have you thought it through?"

"I have. I want my early Soul Skills to all be enhancement-type."

"Good, but ideas are one thing. Putting them into practice will not be so simple. Most sub-dragon Soul Beasts are ferocious and extremely rare. You'll need to be patient."

Zhang Fei obediently gave a hum.

She Long continued clearing a path ahead while teaching Zhang Fei as they walked.

"First, let me tell you about Sunset Forest's terrain divisions. We're currently in the outer region. The outermost layer is the activity range of ten-year Soul Beasts, though a few hundred-year Soul Beasts occasionally appear there as well."

"Another thirty or forty li deeper is the territory of hundred-year Soul Beasts. Millennium Soul Beasts are farther in, while ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts... generally stay hidden in the deepest core region."

"So our target will be the transition zone between hundred-year and Millennium Soul Beasts."

"See those footprints on the ground?" She Long tapped a row of fist-sized hoofprints in the soft soil with the tip of his spear. "Those are traces of a Red-horned Rhinoceros. It's a Soul Beast just over a hundred years old—thick-skinned and tough, but slow."

While looking around, Zhang Fei listened carefully as well, doing his best to commit every word his grandfather said to memory. Every detail concealed the laws of survival in the forest.

"In a Soul Beast forest, the most important thing is neither speed nor strength. It's vigilance."

"Looking around like you are now is right. Don't just stare ahead. Soul Beasts could be hiding overhead, under your feet, or behind you. Countless Soul Masters have died in the jaws of Soul Beasts while hunting Soul Rings."

Zhang Fei instinctively moved a little closer to She Long and swept his peripheral vision across the dense woods on both sides.

The corners of She Long's lips curled up imperceptibly as he continued, "Before you understand the situation, don't use Soul Power carelessly. Hide your presence as much as possible. Soul Power fluctuations in the forest are like telling every Soul Beast around you, 'There's a human here.'"

She Long continuously imparted all kinds of survival knowledge to Zhang Fei. Half an hour later, the two arrived at a relatively sparse stretch of woods.

She Long suddenly stopped, and Zhang Fei accidentally bumped into his back.

Zhang Fei immediately moved to his side and followed She Long's gaze.

At the base of an ancient tree ahead, half of a grayish-brown back was faintly visible. It was as thick and sturdy as a calf, slowly rising and falling as though it were foraging.

She Long turned his head and whispered to Zhang Fei, "That's an Iron-backed Tusked Boar, around fifty years old. Earth attribute. Strong defense, simple attack methods—it relies on charging."

Zhang Fei's palms unconsciously clenched, and his heart began pounding wildly.

This was his first time truly facing a Soul Beast. It would have been a lie to say he was not nervous.

She Long said calmly, "Want to give it a try?"

Zhang Fei was a little confused. "Grandpa, I don't have any Soul Skills yet. How am I supposed to try?"

"After a beast Martial Soul possesses its master, the master gains some of that beast Martial Soul's traits. Strength and defense will both increase greatly, and you can still fight."

"Oh!" Zhang Fei felt helpless. This old man was really bad. But he would have to face it sooner or later anyway, so he might as well give it a try.

Zhang Fei summoned his Golden Python Martial Soul.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

He shouted inwardly as his consciousness sank into his body, instantly stirring the Golden Python's Soul Power.

Tangible Soul Power condensed behind him into the phantom of a huge golden python. Its body coiled into a ring, its head held high, and a pair of golden eyes slowly opened.

Immediately afterward, patterns of golden scales emerged along his arms, neck, and the edges of his cheeks.

His pupils also became vertical slits, and his vision suddenly became incomparably clear.

Finally, an intense numbness surged through his legs. From the knees down, his legs rapidly fused together and lengthened, while dense golden scales emerged across the surface of his skin.

They ultimately transformed into a thick, powerful snake tail more than four meters long, completely covered in gilded scales.

His entire body looked like it had taken on the form of a "half-snake man."

"Whoa!"

Zhang Fei tried swinging his snake tail and found that it was completely connected to his consciousness, as though it had naturally grown from his body. If he wanted it to go left, it went left; if he wanted it to go right, it went right. That marvelous sense of control made him swing it twice more.

The sensation of power surging through him was truly wonderful.

Zhang Fei could clearly feel that after the Golden Python Martial Soul possessed him, every aspect of his body had been comprehensively enhanced. His strength, speed, flexibility, and even the sharpness of his senses had all increased dramatically.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked sharply. The grip strength radiating from his palm was more than twice what it had been before.

"This feels pretty damn good." Zhang Fei looked down at his golden-scaled palm and could not help muttering.

She Long smacked the back of Zhang Fei's head. "Stop dawdling. Go subdue it already."

Zhang Fei took a deep breath. His snake tail slithered along the ground as he glided forward.

With his snake tail replacing his legs, his movement became strange yet fluid. His body barely rose or fell as he silently approached the ancient tree.

The Iron-backed Tusked Boar's ears suddenly twitched. Sensing some unusual threat, its massive head whipped around.

Two streams of thick white vapor burst from the boar's nostrils. It bared its tusks forward and scraped a forehoof against the ground, sending dirt flying.

Zhang Fei continued gliding forward, lowering his upper body slightly.

The Iron-backed Tusked Boar let out a deep, muffled snort. Its four hooves abruptly exerted force, and its massive body charged straight at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei's rational first reaction was to dodge, but that instinct was replaced by an inexplicable thrill.

He straightened his back, crossed his arms before his chest, and charged head-on toward the rushing boar.

"Boom!"

A dull collision exploded through the forest.