Tracing snake martial souls back to their origins, their ultimate path of evolution always led toward dragons.
Dragons naturally suppressed snakes through their bloodlines, and "becoming a dragon" was the highest evolutionary goal of any snake martial soul.
Of course, that goal was not so easily reached. Planning, opportunities, extraordinary encounters, and fortune-none could be missing.
To successfully turn a snake into a dragon, one naturally had to choose soul rings from Dragonkin soul beasts whenever possible.
The soul rings of dragon-type soul beasts contained true dragon Dragon Qi. Only by accumulating Dragon Qi could one gradually bring about a martial soul's evolution.
At the same time, absorbing dragon-type soul rings offered greater compatibility in attributes and less rejection, while the soul skills gained could match one's needs to the greatest extent.
The Golden Python was already a top-tier snake soul beast. Its bloodline originated from the Golden Dragon, and it followed the path of ultimate strength.
Zhang Fei intended to develop as a power attacker with defensive capabilities, so a strength-type Dragonkin soul beast would be the ideal choice for his first soul ring.
Looking at She Long's back up ahead, he said, "Grandpa, I want a Dragonkin 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 Dragonkin soul beast."
"Looks like you want to follow the extreme specialization route." After hearing him out, She Long gave a soft hum. "That's a good choice, but your means of attack won't be very varied early on. Have you thought it through?"
"I have. I want my early soul skills to all be enhancement skills."
"Good, but having an idea is one thing; putting it into practice isn't so simple. Most Dragonkin soul beasts are fierce and extremely rare. You'll have to be patient."
Zhang Fei obediently murmured his agreement.
She Long continued clearing the way ahead, giving Zhang Fei a lesson as they walked.
"First, let me explain how the Sunset Forest is divided. We're on the outskirts now. The outermost region is where ten-year soul beasts roam, though a few hundred-year soul beasts occasionally appear here too."
"Another thirty or forty li inward, and you'll reach the territory of hundred-year soul beasts. Thousand-year soul beasts live deeper in. As for ten-thousand-year soul beasts... they generally hole up in the core region at the very heart of the forest."
"So we'll focus our search on the transition zone between the hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts."
"See those tracks on the ground?" She Long pointed the tip of his spear at a row of fist-sized hoofprints in the soft earth. "These were left by a Red-Horned Rhinoceros, a soul beast just over a hundred years old. Tough hide and thick flesh, but slow."
As Zhang Fei looked around, he listened carefully, doing his best to commit every word his grandfather said to memory. Every detail held a rule for surviving in the forest.
"In a soul beast forest, the most important thing isn't speed or strength. It's vigilance."
"You're right to keep looking around like that. Don't just stare straight ahead. Soul beasts could be hiding overhead, underfoot, or behind you. Countless soul masters have died in their jaws while hunting for soul rings."
Zhang Fei instinctively edged closer to She Long, scanning the dense woods on either side out of the corners of his eyes.
The corners of She Long's mouth curved almost imperceptibly as he continued, "Until you've figured out the situation, don't use your soul power recklessly. Conceal your presence as much as possible. Soul power fluctuations in the forest are the same as telling every soul beast around you, 'There's a human here.'"
She Long kept teaching Zhang Fei all kinds of survival knowledge. An hour later, they reached a relatively sparse stretch of woodland.
She Long suddenly stopped, and Zhang Fei accidentally bumped into his back.
Zhang Fei immediately moved to his side and followed his gaze.
At the base of an ancient tree ahead, half a grayish-brown back was faintly visible. As thick as a calf, it rose and fell slowly, seemingly foraging for food.
She Long turned his head and told Zhang Fei quietly, "That's an Ironback Tusked Boar, roughly fifty years old. Earth attribute, strong defense, limited means of attack. It relies on charging."
Zhang Fei's hands unconsciously clenched, and his heart began pounding like a drum.
This was his first time truly facing a soul beast. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous.
She Long said calmly, "Want to give it a try?"
Zhang Fei looked puzzled. "Grandpa, I don't have any soul skills yet. How am I supposed to try?"
"After martial soul possession, someone with a beast martial soul gains some of its characteristics. Your strength and defense will both increase greatly. You can still fight."
"Oh!" Zhang Fei felt helpless. This old geezer is really nasty. Still, I'll have to face this sooner or later. Fine, I'll give it a try.
Zhang Fei summoned his Golden Python martial soul.
"Martial soul possession!"
He shouted inwardly, sinking his awareness into his body and instantly stirring the Golden Python's soul power.
The soul power took tangible form behind him, condensing into the phantom of an enormous golden python. Its body coiled into a ring, its head held high as a pair of golden eyes slowly opened.
Next, 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 grew incredibly sharp.
Finally, an intense tingling surged through both legs. Below the knees, they rapidly fused and lengthened, dense golden scales appearing across the skin.
They ultimately transformed into a thick, powerful snake tail over four meters long, covered entirely in gleaming gold scales.
He looked like a "half-snake man."
"Whoa!"
Zhang Fei tried moving his snake tail and discovered that it responded perfectly to his thoughts, as though it had been part of his body since birth. When he wanted to go left, it went left; when he wanted to go right, it went right. That wondrous sense of control made him flick it a couple more times.
The sensation of strength surging through him was extraordinary.
Zhang Fei could clearly feel that after his Golden Python's martial soul possession, his physical abilities had improved across the board. His strength, speed, flexibility, and even the sharpness of his senses had all increased considerably.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles giving crisp cracks. The gripping strength in his palms was far more than double what it usually was.
"This feels pretty damn good," Zhang Fei muttered, looking down at his hands covered in golden scales.
She Long slapped the back of Zhang Fei's head. "Quit dawdling. Hurry up and subdue it."
Zhang Fei took a deep breath, his snake tail winding along the ground as he glided forward.
With a snake tail replacing his legs, his movement became strange yet fluid. His body barely bobbed at all as he silently approached the ancient tree.
The Ironback Tusked Boar's ears suddenly twitched. Sensing some unusual threat, he swung his massive head around with a whoosh.
Two heavy streams of white vapor puffed from the boar's nostrils. He bared his tusks forward and scraped a forehoof against the ground, sending dirt flying.
Zhang Fei continued gliding forward, lowering his upper body slightly.
The Ironback Tusked Boar let out a low, muffled snort. His four hooves drove hard against the earth, and his enormous body charged straight at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei's first rational response was to dodge, but some inexplicable excitement swept that impulse aside.
He straightened his back, crossed his arms before his chest, and threw himself into the charging boar.
Boom!
A heavy collision thundered through the woods.
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