Changes

He steadied himself.

"Um..." Ye Xunhuan cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound as normal as possible. "My name is Ye Xunhuan. I just arrived to register today. Teacher Cao assigned me to Room 301. I'm probably... your roommate."

"Roommate?" Xu Qingqing looked him up and down, swallowing hard. "First, clean that... black stuff off your body. It stinks."

Ye Xunhuan looked down and saw that his body was covered in black impurities expelled from his pores, giving off an indescribably sour stench.

Those were impurities expelled after cleansing his meridians and marrow. They smelled like stinky tofu left out for three days.

His old face reddened.

"Then go outside first. I need to put on some clothes."

"You put them on!" Xu Qingqing abruptly turned around, slammed the door behind her, and fled as if running for her life.

The door shut with a bang.

In the corridor, Xu Qingqing leaned against the door and slowly slid down it, squatting on the floor with both hands cupping her burning cheeks.

So big.

It looked much bigger than in the illustrated books.

And his body was so nice too... abs. Hehe, I really want to touch them.

Xu Qingqing was startled by her own thoughts.

She hurriedly buried her face in her knees. Her twin ponytails fell forward, hiding half her face, while the tips of her ears turned red enough to bleed.

Several seconds later, she suddenly raised her head, patted her cheeks, and took a deep breath.

She stood up and dashed toward the washroom at the end of the corridor.

She had to wash her face quickly.

This was too embarrassing!

After Xu Qingqing left, Ye Xunhuan was in no hurry to get dressed.

He climbed down from the bed and entered the bathroom, using cold water to wash away the grime on his body.

After cleaning himself up, he stood before the mirror and began examining his body.

The changes were outrageously drastic.

First, his skin.

His originally fair skin had turned a healthy wheat color, faint golden glimmers flashing across its surface. The Bronze Behemoth Bloodline had completely fused into his flesh.

Then there was his height. Ye Xunhuan compared himself to the mirror, then checked the markings on the doorframe. He was at least 1.7 meters tall.

He was only six.

A six-year-old growing to 1.7 meters could have played basketball in his previous life.

His facial features had fully grown in as well.

The lines of his once baby-fat face had become distinct. His brow ridge was slightly pronounced, his nose bridge straight, and his jawline sharp.

He looked like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy, his defined features carrying a fierce edge.

His gaze moved downward.

His formerly flat stomach was gone, replaced by eight neat abdominal muscles. Their lines were clear and their shape full, as though carved with a blade.

His chest had thickened, his shoulders had broadened, and his entire body had gone from the proportions of a child before awakening his martial soul to those of a young man.

Ye Xunhuan figured that if he grew a little taller, he would look much like the lean, muscular college guys his previous life considered attractive.

As for the changes down there...

Ye Xunhuan glanced down, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Good lord.

It had to be thirty centimeters, right?

It was almost catching up to all you dear readers in front of the screen.

Pulling back his gaze and no longer dwelling on such nonsense, Ye Xunhuan began taking stock of the truly important changes.

He closed his eyes, sank into his sea of consciousness, and sensed his soul power.

Then his eyes snapped open.

Level seventeen.

His soul power had leaped directly from barely entering level fifteen after absorbing the metacarpal bone to level seventeen.

What did that mean?

It meant he was only three levels away from level twenty and obtaining his second Spirit Ring.

With the cultivation speed of the Primordial Unity Art, those three levels would not take long.

There was a strong chance that he would reach level twenty before the Champion Selection and obtain his second Spirit Ring.

When that happened, offense and defense would completely switch places.

And it was not merely an increase in level.

After being tempered by the Behemoth bloodline, his meridians had widened tremendously, and his total soul power had more than doubled.

At the same soul power level, his former total soul power was like a porcelain bowl, while now it was a washbasin.

Although his widened meridians would make his soul power circulate slightly slower due to the "thicker pipes," slowing his soul power level growth once more,

the quality and density of his soul power had undergone a qualitative leap, and his foundation would become incomparably solid.

The most direct manifestation was the duration of his soul skills.

The Berserk Blood Battle Physique, as a heaven-defying enhancement-type soul skill, had obvious drawbacks as well. With that thousand-pound muscular armor draped over him, not only would his speed decrease, but his soul power would also be consumed at a tremendous rate.

If he could not finish the battle quickly, he could easily be toyed with like a dog after exhausting his soul power.

His previous total soul power could support Ye Xunhuan's Berserk Blood Battle Physique for at most ten minutes. Now, it was at least more than double that—over twenty minutes.

Beyond that, the Bronze Behemoth Bloodline had granted him two bloodline talents.

The first was Mighty Dragon.

It was a passive bloodline talent.

Just as its name implied, it was bloodline pressure. In battle, every gesture would release the savage aura of a Behemoth, suppressing beast martial soul masters and soul beasts with bloodline ranks below his own. The larger the bloodline gap, the more obvious the suppression. In battle, Mighty Dragon alone could make an opponent go weak all over and slow their soul skill casting by a beat.

It was especially effective against dragon-type soul masters and soul beasts.

The second was Soul-Shattering Wall.

This was a defensive bloodline talent. Once activated, it erected a wall of soul power barrier before him.

Its toughness depended on bloodline concentration and soul power level. With Ye Xunhuan's current cultivation, this barrier could withstand at least four or five soul skills from soul masters of the same level.

Ye Xunhuan thought about it. The mechanisms of these two bloodline talents were quite similar to the soul skills produced by Tang Wulin's Blood-Qi Spirit Ring.

They were growth-type talents that would continuously strengthen as his bloodline broke through its limits.

He just did not know when he would receive another bloodline-related reward.

Leaving his sea of consciousness, Ye Xunhuan opened his eyes and looked at his reflection, which was completely different from before he awakened his martial soul. He took a deep breath.

Worth it!

He left the bathroom, took out a clean set of clothes from his cloth bundle and put them on, then carried the wooden basin into the bathroom to rinse it before opening the window to air out the smell.

After tidying up, he noticed a book lying on the floor by the door.

Xu Qingqing had dropped it earlier.

Ye Xunhuan bent down, picked up the book, dusted it off, and held it in his hand as he pushed open the door.

Bang!

The door slammed into someone.

A short cry followed. "Ow!"

Looking down, Ye Xunhuan saw Xu Qingqing squatting outside the door, covering her nose. Water droplets she had not wiped away still clung to her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ye Xunhuan hurriedly crouched down. "Are you okay?"

Xu Qingqing covered her nose and looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. Her voice was muffled. "I'm fine... My nose just hurts..."

Ye Xunhuan handed her the book tucked against his chest. "Your book. You dropped it outside the door."

Xu Qingqing took the book, rubbed her nose, and stood up.

The two stood face-to-face in silence.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

After all, ten minutes ago, one of them had awakened naked in a wooden basin, while the other had screamed and fled in fright.

Now that they had met again, neither of them could quite relax.

Ye Xunhuan broke the silence first. "Um... how about we talk inside?"

Xu Qingqing gave a quiet "Mm," lowered her head, and followed him into the room.

She looked like a little girl who had been wronged.

The window was open, and the night breeze blew in. Most of the foul smell had dispersed.

Xu Qingqing subtly sniffed with her delicate nose, while Ye Xunhuan scratched his head awkwardly.

"Let's formally introduce ourselves." Ye Xunhuan took the initiative to extend his hand. "My name is Ye Xunhuan. I'm six years old, from Sky Star City of the Heaven Dou Empire. I'm a level fifteen... no, level seventeen assault-type Battle Soul Master. My martial soul is the Behemoth."

A flicker of astonishment crossed Xu Qingqing's eyes.

Six years old? He was already a whole head taller than her!

And what the hell was a six-year-old at level seventeen?

Ye Xunhuan saw her confusion and guiltily touched his nose. "Luck, just luck."

Xu Qingqing clearly did not believe him, but she did not press the matter. Instead, she tilted her head and said, "My name is Xu Qingqing. I'm eight years old, from the Star Luo Empire. My martial soul is the Star Crown. I'm a level eighteen support-type Tool Soul Master."