Hou brought Bai Xiao to a small stream on the outskirts of Sunset Forest. This was Bai Xiao's so-called Base Two.
Earlier, Bai Xiao had built a wooden hut in a tree beside the stream. He had concealed the hut with branches and leaves, treating the roof the same way. The middle was quite open, and the hut looked like a pavilion.
As soon as Bai Xiao reached the stream, he hurriedly took off his clothes, stepped into the water, and began washing himself.
Bai Xiao was not worried about any danger at all, because the surrounding plants had all been modified by him. He knew every rustle of wind and stir of grass.
Besides, although Hou only had the cultivation of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, after Bai Xiao's modifications, he possessed strength close to that of a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Taking over this place had been as easy as turning over a hand.
After a while, seeing Bai Xiao emerge from the stream, Hou walked over to get close to him.
Bai Xiao rubbed Hou's head, raised his right hand, and summoned his Martial Soul. A deep yellow ring of light rose from beneath Bai Xiao's feet.
"Haha! Laozi is a Soul Master now!"
Bai Xiao laughed happily. "Now, let's see what my Soul Skill is."
Bai Xiao sensed the information flowing from the Soul Ring.
"Not bad, not bad. This Soul Skill might not be very useful to other Soul Masters, but to me, it's practically a divine skill!" Bai Xiao grinned.
Bai Xiao's first Soul Skill was called: "Devouring."
It was the skill granted to him by that parasitic plant Soul Beast. Just like its name, it allowed Bai Xiao to "devour" the soul power around him.
He could absorb soul power from the air or from living creatures through his Martial Soul or parts of his body, replenishing his own soul power.
For other Soul Masters, they might only be able to absorb an enemy's soul power in battle. If they encountered a Soul Master of a higher level, the effect of "draining" would be greatly reduced, and they would almost be unable to draw any soul power from their opponent.
But what Bai Xiao could devour was not merely soul power, but all matter.
Cells could actively take in matter from the inorganic natural world to form themselves. This was an innate ability of cells.
Even differentiated plant cells could absorb light energy and directly store and use it.
What could an ultimate cellular organism devour?
Devour stars directly and absorb nuclear energy?
Accumulate enough mass to distort space, then devour space? Devour dimensions?
In the end, when it devoured the entire universe, that ultimate cellular organism would itself become a universe!
In the end, it would truly be one flower, one world; one leaf, one lifetime.
Bai Xiao saw endless possibilities within this Soul Skill.
The environment determined the kinds of life, while life could in turn reshape the environment.
How much of the environment could life reshape?
The civilizations in Three-Body had directly transformed a ten-dimensional universe into a three-dimensional universe. Bai Xiao did not believe he would be inferior to them.
Although Bai Xiao could currently only absorb soul power and some dust, and the restrictions were considerable, there was very little he could do against people whose soul power level exceeded his.
But Bai Xiao's train of thought ultimately turned to practical applications. Since absorbing from others met resistance, wouldn't absorbing from himself solve the problem?~
He planned to use Soul Beast tissue to make several containers for storing soul power. They would all be unconscious, so Bai Xiao could absorb the soul power within them without resistance.
Bai Xiao's endurance would be greatly strengthened.
The plants Assimilated by Bai Xiao's Martial Soul were likewise affected by this Soul Skill. In other words, Bai Xiao could control plants to draw in the surrounding soul power and replenish himself.
If Bai Xiao were within the "False Domain" he had created, he would practically be a perpetual-motion machine that never ran out of soul power!!
One had to know that Bai Xiao's Bio-Armor could provide him with tremendous combat power, but it also consumed a huge amount of soul power.
But when this Soul Skill was combined with Bai Xiao's "False Domain," it could completely make up for that weakness. Bai Xiao could even use the Bio-Armor at higher output.
Moreover, Bai Xiao could plant even more plants and use "draining" to absorb energy and assist his cultivation. Bai Xiao's cultivation speed would greatly increase...
All of this was only one aspect. The uses of this Soul Skill still required Bai Xiao's future development.
Bai Xiao discovered that his soul power had already reached level twelve. He felt that his first Soul Ring should have exceeded five hundred years, which would make his future achievements far surpass those of his peers.
To get rich, plant trees first! Looks like it's time to begin the second stage of development! Bai Xiao thought.
"Hou, follow me as I stake out new lands and expand our territory!" Bai Xiao said to Hou with a chuunibyou expression. After killing Fatty, his personality had clearly become much brighter.
"Roar roar. (Alright, but I want roasted rabbit tonight.)" Hou replied.
And so, the shadows of this man and beast gradually traveled farther and farther away.
Before you continue