Being cared for and valued by his elders felt strangely wonderful.
Along the way, Chen An encountered other soul beasts he recognized from his memories, but they all hid and didn't dare come up to speak to him.
He had no idea what they were thinking, nor did it matter.
"Find Na'er, find Na'er..."
He murmured to himself, turning the task over in his mind.
Shrek was such a huge city. How long would it take to find her?
There were only a handful of Hundred-Thousand-Year Ferocious Beasts left, which was why they treasured themselves so dearly.
Yet they had all stayed behind to guard the still-unconscious Gu Yue, tossing a little nobody like him, who had only just transformed into a human, into a city full of Soul Masters. Why did it feel like he was heading into town to find work?
In any case, he had a legitimate reason to leave. If he ran into any problems, he would deal with them then.
He reopened the Roulette and status panel. They had become much more detailed and were no longer stuck at their initial settings.
[Identity: Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Transformation] [Age: 6 years old (Transformation)] [Appearance: D (Child)] [Bloodline: Carp (Special Dragon Species)] [Martial Soul: Verdant Crimson Fish Scales] [Soul Power: Level 10] [First Soul Ring: 800 years] [Mental Power: 80] [First Soul Skill: Ripple] [Available Draws: 2 (Next draw gained at Level 15)]
Once soul beasts who had undergone Transformation reached a certain level, they did not need to hunt soul beasts or absorb Soul Spirits. A portion of their originally compressed cultivation would release its origin power and condense Soul Rings on its own. This Soul Skill had come with it.
His initial Mental Power had not even reached a hundred, but his transformed body was only six years old. It was still far higher than that of children his age.
One draw every five levels, with two draws for being born with full Soul Power included. That was pretty generous.
Since he still had draws available, he might as well see what the sections contained.
Growth Pool—upon reaching Soul Power Level 10, would he obtain a special growth experience?
There were two sections above.
Yes: 50%. No: 50%.
He remembered the second rule. The Roulette would change its contents according to his circumstances, though he had no idea whether those changes would be good or bad.
As Chen An walked, he pondered it. The odds that had already been set theoretically would not change. It was not like gambling away his entire fortune. Being too afraid to draw because he might not win was the mindset of a loser.
"Draw."
He pressed the start button, and the indicator smoothly stopped on the "Yes" section.
Before he could celebrate, Chen An suddenly scratched his neck.
"What's going on? It's so itchy."
Leaves rustled, and the stream whispered.
Chen An crouched beside the river. He had only walked a few miles, yet his body was already feeling uncomfortable.
Lowering his head, he tugged at his clothes and examined his reflection in the water. The pendant around his neck seemed to have completely sunk into the pale red scales on his skin.
The pale red fish scales scattered across his skin had once been traits of his soul beast form. Now, they were his Martial Soul.
And his Martial Soul seemed to be devouring the necklace.
Having never encountered such a situation before, Chen An panicked and tried to tear off the necklace. But even its core, the Dragon-Scale Amber, was embedded in his chest and could not be removed.
Just as he was at a loss, a prompt from the Roulette silently appeared before his eyes.
—New content available for review. Tap to inspect identity attributes.
That had not been there before.
He tapped it open and reviewed the information on the panel. He discovered that the Martial Soul section was flashing—Verdant Crimson Fish Scales was displayed as currently devouring and fusing.
"Could this special growth experience mean this?"
—As the Martial Soul has entered devouring mode, entering the Martial Soul Judgment Pool.
Chen An felt a sharp stab of pain, and his breathing quickened as the Roulette sections began to refresh.
Fusion successful, Martial Soul Evolution, Soul Power +1 level (33%).
Fusion successful, gain absorption ability, Soul Power +1 level (33%).
Fusion failed, Soul Power +0 levels (33%).
There was actually a punishment section.
Chen An felt increasingly unwell and dropped to one knee. One hand pressed against his chest while the other activated the Roulette.
As the Roulette slowed, the discomfort gradually drained away.
The indicator stopped on the absorption ability section.
In just ten seconds, Chen An was drenched in sweat. Kneeling by the river, he panted heavily. "Absorption ability means the necklace's..."
He closed his eyes. The soul beast origin aura that his cultivation had been too low to control could actually be freely controlled now.
Chen An looked back at the river.
The necklace on his body had been completely devoured, leaving only a scale on his chest marked with an amber Dragon Scale pattern.
"I don't feel any other effects, but this is fine. It's enough."
He checked the panel again. His Soul Power had reached Level 11, his available draws had decreased by one, and there was now a draw history record.
Chen An rolled his neck, feeling refreshed enough to go a few more rounds.
But when he looked at the contents of the sections, his expression fell again.
—Would you obtain a special growth experience?
Yes: 1%. No: 99%.
"Uh..."
After staring at it for a long time, he closed the Roulette. He would not gain another draw until Level 15. He could not be lucky every time, and with odds this low, it was better not to draw.
Chen An turned his attention to himself.
The knowledge of how to use his Martial Soul and how to drive Soul Power in battle had long been carved into his instincts along with his memories. He did not need to figure it out from scratch.
He raised his wrist, and a yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.
His gaze fell upon the several deep pale red scales as he tentatively channeled his Soul Power.
The instant his Soul Power flowed, a gentle glow lit up across the scales' surfaces. Ripples spread outward in widening circles like water patterns.
With another thought, the scales peeled away in response and floated above his palm.
Other than the special scale on his chest, which could not be removed, the rest drew one another together like living creatures, joining with a faint metallic tremor.
In the blink of an eye, they assembled into a scale sword, its blade translucent and shimmering with rippling light.
With a flick of his wrist, the scale sword suddenly scattered, then gathered again into a round shield glittering with watery light, pale red radiance flowing around its edge.
That was not all. These scales could also be controlled individually and shaped into even more forms, changing freely between them.
First Soul Skill: Ripple.
Soul Power attached to the scales would create vibrations upon colliding with any object. The vibrations could stack layer upon layer, enough to disrupt the opponent's Soul Power circulation.
Once those vibrations stacked up, they could disrupt the opponent's Soul Power trajectory.
Chen An withdrew his Soul Power, and the scales obediently settled back onto his skin, their glow fading once more.
He stood and touched the cold necklace bead beneath his collar.
He needed to find Na'er, and he also needed to grow stronger. He could not rely on luck alone for this journey.
He had to interact with humans to speed up his cultivation. Now that the necklace had absorbed and concealed his aura, Chen An no longer had to fear being discovered.
Soul beasts who underwent Transformation generally had far better talent than humans and cultivated faster as well. Once they reached Level 70 and beyond, their aura would no longer differ from a human's. Only then could he truly be considered human.
Chen An sniffed at himself carefully. He was covered in sweat, so he should take a bath first.
After taking off his clothes, he enjoyed the water flowing over his body by the riverbank.
Plant-type Martial Souls felt comfortable in forest environments thick with vegetation. Chen An's soul beast bloodline reacted to water in much the same way.
Just as Chen An immersed himself in that sensation, the Roulette suddenly notified him that its section contents had changed.
"Hmm?"
Chen An poked his head out of the water.
He opened the Roulette. The section contents had not changed, but the odds had.
—Would you obtain a special growth experience?
Yes: 50%. No: 50%.
The ratio had suddenly become fifty-fifty, greatly increasing his chances of winning.
Chen An looked around. The only possible explanation was that his affinity with water had affected the changes in content.
"Should I draw now?"
Based on his experience, Chen An felt this situation probably would not happen every time.
After thinking for three seconds, he pressed it anyway.
Being too afraid to draw because he might not win was the mindset of a ().
The sections began to spin, and the surging water around him became music heralding the prize.
The indicator stopped, and fate once again favored his choice.
—Judgment successful. Entering the Growth Reward Pool.
Seeing the newly refreshed sections, Chen An stood up in the river with his eyes shining.
Slight insight gained, Soul Power +5 levels [30%].
Mind refreshed, Mental Power +100 [20%].
Gain additional bloodline fusion, enter the Bloodline Pool [10%].
Gain Martial Soul Evolution or mutation, enter the Selection Pool [5%].
Martial Soul attribute strengthened, Ultimate Water [5%].
These were all pure upgrades, but as Chen An read further down, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Obtain an otherworldly divine artifact: Curry Stick [5%].
He nearly pressed his face against the Roulette. "Wait, this is even here?"
Gain additional Talent Sequence 199: Luck [5%].
One more draw [5%].
Soul Power output method changes, learn Reverse Cursed Technique to heal the body [5%].
Obtain one of the Twelve Talismans [5%].
Double-tap the spacebar to fly [5%]
Before you continue