[Appraisal successful] [Lone Testicle Orb: A pearl inhabited by a Nether Mist Spirit, formed from a certain bodily organ after a Nethermist Black Goat's death. Other creatures have a 1% chance of gaining the ability to control "Nether Mist" after swallowing it.]
At last, after countless failures, Zhang Ping had forcibly succeeded in appraising the black pearl.
As the black pearl's attributes unfolded, an image of it appeared before Zhang Ping's eyes: a massive black goat emanating black mist all over its body. The mist transformed into enormous goat horns that continuously attacked the surrounding Mutated Beasts.
Suddenly, a huge Mutated Wild Boar charged in. The black goat instantly dissolved into mist, then gathered above the Mutated Wild Boar again, descending with a dense mass of goat horns. Several large holes were immediately pierced through the boar's back.
Yet the Mutated Wild Boar possessed incredible vitality. Even as it was attacked, it opened its mouth and bit upward. The black goat immediately let out a miserable cry, and the black mist actually dispersed at once.
The next second, the black goat fell from the Mutated Wild Boar's back. Its entire body convulsed violently, already rigid with paralysis.
Gradually, vast amounts of black mist seeped out from its body and surged into the Mutated Wild Boar's mouth. Before the boar could spit out what was in its mouth, a cold flash swept over from somewhere. Its head was instantly blasted away by the shockwave, while its body crashed heavily to the ground.
The image ended there.
Zhang Ping looked at the black pearl in his hand, at a loss for words. To eat it or not to eat it—that was the question.
He had a feeling that if he swallowed this pearl, there was a high chance he would gain the "Nether Mist" ability. The problem was that now that he knew what this thing was, he felt rather disgusted.
Some foodies could eat anything, so why wasn't he one?
Zhang Ping sighed inwardly.
He was certain that in Mingzhu City, the Lone Testicle Orb was more valuable than an Elemental Gem.
This was a treasure that could change someone's fate.
Why did martial arts schools charge so much?
Because most martial arts schools possessed a powerful martial technique that, when practiced to its peak, could rival superpowers.
Why were weapons and equipment so expensive?
Because once humans wielded weapons, they essentially gained an additional means of fighting. Weapons were also a kind of ability!
The issue was that the former required grueling cultivation, and even talent and comprehension. The latter likewise required learning how to use weapons, and reaching mastery demanded a great deal of time as well.
Treasures like the Lone Testicle Orb were different.
As long as one swallowed them, there was a chance of gaining an ability. How could they not be precious?
Most Awakened only possessed one ability throughout their lives. No one didn't want more abilities.
Zhang Ping looked at the Lone Testicle Orb as scenes from the past surfaced in his mind.
In his previous life, he had died in a mountain landslide, buried beneath the earth as he slowly suffocated.
At the Patrol Unit Headquarters, he had personally seen the Heavenly Fox that killed Su Jingyao standing brazenly before him, yet he still had to force a smile and play along.
When Prince Yue inspected the dormitories at school, his life and death had not been in his own hands.
In the Black Chamber, when faced with the Heavenly Fox's attack, there had been that final feeling of despair.
"Do someone as weak as me really have the right to be picky?"
Zhang Ping came back to his senses. Looking at the Lone Testicle Orb, he couldn't help mocking himself inwardly.
He tilted back his head and swallowed the Lone Testicle Orb. It took him quite some time to force it down.
After swallowing it, he immediately appraised himself, but his attributes showed no changes. He frowned slightly. Just as he thought he might not have gained an ability, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from his abdomen.
He gritted his teeth without making a sound, clutching his stomach as he collapsed onto the ground and curled into a ball.
Vaguely, he felt as though something rapidly shot from his stomach toward his brain. Then, he seemed to hear a shrill scream.
The scream was like an auditory hallucination, vanishing in an instant.
Next, black mist began to seep out from his sweat glands.
The thin mist drifted around his body, as though draping him in a gauzy veil.
About five minutes later, the pain gradually faded.
Zhang Ping lay sprawled weakly on the ground, too exhausted to move.
Only after quite a while did he appraise himself.
[Appraisal successful] [Summoned Beast: Zhang Ping] [Master: Zhang Ping] [Race: Human] [Potential: ?????] [Lifespan: 99] [Rank: Novice Awakened] [Level: 9] [Talents] [Contract Gem: Can consume physical strength + Mental Strength to condense a Contract Gem. Once a target voluntarily accepts the Contract Gem, their life, soul, and consciousness will all be ruled by the summoner. At the same time, they will gain the summoner's potential and luck enhancement. After taking it for the first time, every subsequent use will slightly increase one's own potential, with a 1% chance of awakening a new talent. Note: This talent ability was obtained by summoner Zhang Ping through overdrafting his intelligence, potential, and luck. Though powerful, it possesses some immense flaw. Having ambitions that are too great does not seem to be a good thing.] [Absolute Command: You possess absolute dominion over Summoned Beasts. Your commands cannot be disobeyed by them.] [Absolute Obedience: You absolutely obey the summoner's commands. You will loyally carry out the summoner's orders.] [Collector's Edition Appraisal Technique: Can appraise a target, with a 60% chance of obtaining the target's information. After the first successful appraisal, the success rate when appraising the same target afterward will rise to 100%. Note: A talent ability born from Summoned Beast Zhang Ping and summoner Zhang Ping's thirst for knowledge.] [Nethermist Nightwalker: Gain night vision. At night, your presence is greatly reduced, your movement speed greatly increases, and your body weight decreases. You become completely invisible while in shadows. When your body is covered by Nether Mist, your presence is drastically reduced.] [Fire Eater: Can restore physical strength by consuming flames and convert excess flames into Fire Element energy stored within the body. After releasing the energy, you will temporarily gain a flame-wreathed effect until the Fire Element energy is depleted. This ability will gradually increase the user's resistance to high temperatures. Note: Potential is only potential. Only when it is transformed into strength does it become true power.] [Wind Whisperer: The wind will bring you all kinds of news, whether you want to know it or not. Note: There are no walls that can keep out the wind, nor secrets the wind does not know.] [Other-Eater: When consuming special items, there is a 10% chance of gaining a corresponding special constitution. Note: Why does this kid eat everything?] [Nethermist Body: Can absorb the fear of living creatures and transform it into controllable Nether Mist. Note: Your fear is my food supply!] ...
It was worth it!
After reading his attributes, Zhang Ping wanted to burst into laughter. But considering that the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader was nearby, he held it in.
He truly hadn't expected swallowing the Lone Testicle Orb to improve him so much. His lifespan had risen from 89 to 99, while his Level had climbed from 3 to 9.
Strategic Appraisal had upgraded into Collector's Edition Appraisal Technique, and Nightwalker had evolved into Nethermist Nightwalker.
Most importantly, he had actually gained two more abilities this time.
Nether Mist.
This was his first true offensive ability, and it could both attack and defend.
As for Other-Eater, he had yet to experience it, so he wasn't sure of its exact effects. Still, gaining such enormous improvements from eating the Lone Testicle Orb had already left him more than satisfied.
Awesome!
Zhang Ping lay on the ground with his eyes closed, smiling silently. But as he smiled, tears began to flow.
There were too many things he wanted to do.
Those Heavenly Foxes he hated so much that his teeth itched—he had wanted to slaughter every last one of them for a long time. But lacking strength, all he could do was watch helplessly.
Especially after personally seeing Su Jingyao's human skin, he had still needed to pretend he knew nothing. He had even needed to act calmly before the murderer, pretending that person was Su Jingyao.
Whenever he recalled that feeling, it was like fire scorching his heart.
Zhang Ping placed his right hand over his mouth. Then the Fire Element transformed into flames, which he quickly consumed. Once his physical strength recovered, he sat up from the ground.
Although his injuries had not healed, recovering his physical strength left him much more alert.
He looked toward the battlefield and discovered that Liu Sishan had already approached the Salt Frost Tree. The burly men wielding axes had also climbed onto the Salt Frost Tree and were struggling upward.
The White Ape, too, had carved out a bloody path not far from Liu Sishan and had likewise approached the Salt Frost Tree.
Zhang Ping counted and found that there were roughly ten people who might be able to pick the Salt Frost Fruit. There were even more Mutated Beasts, with the White Giant Serpent, the White Ape, and other Mutated Beasts having already broken through the encirclement.
"I hope she's okay."
Zhang Ping knew that his current strength was still not enough to help Liu Sishan, so he could only pray silently.
Then he looked at his hand. The Nether Mist floating around him immediately gathered in his palm. Compared with the immense amount of Nether Mist controlled by the black goat, he could currently only condense a clump the size of his palm.
Only by absorbing enough fear could he possibly transform more Nether Mist.
Nether Mist was not truly mist, but a very peculiar existence. It did not even count as energy, and Zhang Ping had no idea what exactly it was.
Zhang Ping could use it to cut objects, block attacks, and even wrap himself in Nether Mist to shift his position. Visually, it looked like elemental transformation.
This ability had tremendous potential. Even more bizarrely, it possessed properties that transcended rank.
Even though Zhang Ping was only a Novice Awakened, Nether Mist could still effectively harm high-tier and even Top-Tier Mutated Beasts. It was an extremely special ability.
"Nethermist Black Goat... I should investigate what kind of Mutated Beast it is when I get the chance."
Zhang Ping controlled the Nether Mist to fly around his body. With another thought, he used it to slice apart the surrounding rocks. He gently stroked the smooth cut surface of a rock and silently thought to himself.
Grrr.
At that moment, a thunderous rumble came from his stomach. He was hungry.
After coming out in the morning, he had only eaten compressed energy bars for lunch and dinner. Although his physical strength had recovered, that did not mean he would not get hungry.
After thinking about it, he poked his head out again and looked at the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader nearby.
With his current strength, the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader was no longer much of a challenge. But as food, it might be perfect for testing Other-Eater's function.
He flicked a finger, and a ball of Nether Mist instantly shot toward the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader.
The Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader reacted quickly. Facing the Nether Mist, it immediately leaped up, its powerful hind legs kicking viciously at the mist. But the next second, the Nether Mist pierced through its legs and all the way into its brain, killing it in a single strike!
Why did all Awakened pursue more and stronger abilities?
Because a powerful offensive superpower could easily change the outcome of a battle.
Zhang Ping stepped forward and picked up the completely dead Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader. He weighed it in his hand and estimated that it was around forty jin.
Carrying the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader, he returned behind the rock and formed a small knife from Nether Mist. Although he had far less Nether Mist than the Nethermist Black Goat, compared to how the goat could only turn Nether Mist into goat horns to attack enemies, his control was more flexible and varied.
He skinned it and removed the internal organs.
Then flames ignited in Zhang Ping's palm as he carefully roasted every inch of rabbit meat. There happened to be salt all around, so he carefully scraped up some salt that looked clean and lightly sprinkled it over the meat.
A fragrant aroma drifted from his position toward the battlefield.