Time flew, and Andrew and the others returned to the Keli Tribe. The experience had been unforgettable for both him and Baru, but it had been particularly significant for him, because he had made an extraordinary discovery.
I actually underwent soul mutation!
Three full days had passed, yet every time Andrew thought of it, he could not help growing excited. Soul mutation-this was a shortcut to becoming a powerhouse!
Across countless planes over countless years, how many beings with soul mutations had there been in total? And how many powerhouses were among them? Yet he, Andrew, a mere fifth-level warrior, had already joined their ranks!
Whew, whew, this is wonderful. Now my plan has an even better chance of succeeding. Andrew could not help thinking that if Beirut knew he had undergone soul mutation, he would certainly see him in a new light. Then his chances of obtaining Azure Dragon essence blood would be even greater.
"Mommy, Mommy, big brother's grinning like an idiot again!"
Ling'er suddenly pointed at Andrew and called out, her childish voice full of worry. Ever since her brother had returned home three days ago, he would fall into a daze and grin foolishly from time to time. Even when Ling'er called to him from right beside him, he did not respond. The first time she had seen this, she had been frightened to tears.
Andrew came back to his senses and picked Ling'er up, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Ling'er, I wasn't grinning like an idiot. I was happy. Do you understand?"
Ling'er bit her finger and asked worriedly, "Really? Ling'er doesn't look like that when she's happy."
Andrew nodded earnestly. "Really!"
Ling'er remained doubtful. At only five years old, she truly had no way to tell.
For a long time after returning, Andrew did not see Baru. Apparently, Baru had requested permission to train in Mogan Forest. This time, he had gone alone. Andrew was somewhat worried when he heard this, but he also understood Baru's thinking.
Baru wants to prove himself, but there's no need to be in such a hurry. Still, with the Grand Elder around, Baru probably won't be in danger.
After Baru left, Andrew also began training in seclusion. This time, his goal was to master the ability to fuse lightning and fire. For this purpose, he specifically found a secluded spot and decided to enter long-term closed-door cultivation.
However, since he knew little about soul mutation, he could only feel his way forward slowly.
In the original novel, Olivier was the first to undergo soul mutation. Olivier had light and darkness affinities. While he was still at the Saint level, he was struck by Rock Sword Saint Hederson's soul attack, which triggered his soul mutation. Since he was still at the Saint level then and had no divine clones, the risk of mutation was relatively low. He succeeded after spending only a few months unconscious.
After Olivier became a deity, he had two divine clones, which amounted to a two-element soul mutation. Throughout the entire Hongmeng World, the vast majority of soul mutations involved two elements. Only one three-element mutation succeeded: Mosi, the ruler of Miluo Island. Because of this, Mosi's strength rivaled a Paragon's; he simply lacked Willpower. In terms of the profound mysteries of the laws and research into souls, he was no worse than a Paragon.
Later, the protagonist successfully completed a four-element mutation. The dangers of a four-element soul mutation far exceeded imagination. Without tremendous luck and the Soul Stone Sovereign Zijing gave him, Linley could never have held on, no matter how hard he was to kill. This mutation carried great risks, but its rewards were also great. Not only did it give Linley the Willpower possessed only by Paragons and Sovereigns, it also made his fused divine power surpass Sovereign's Might, allowing him to truly embark on the path of a powerhouse. Even his eventual rise to become a Controller was inseparable from this soul mutation. This showed just how tremendous an effect soul mutation had.
Andrew strained to recall the descriptions in the book, hoping to find some useful information.
According to my conjecture, soul mutation is an extremely chance occurrence, something impossible to control. No matter how thoroughly someone prepares, they cannot guarantee a successful mutation. Some people say that undergoing mutation at the Saint level and cultivating a few more divine clones later would greatly reduce the risk. I think that understanding is wrong. If a Saint-level magus is proficient in four elements of magic, undergoing soul mutation at the Saint level would be no easier than after becoming a deity. It might even be harder.
Olivier originally had light and darkness affinities. After his mutation, he still became a deity in light and darkness. He couldn't possibly cultivate any other divine clones. If he could also sense other elements, his mutation could not have succeeded. That is the randomness and danger of soul mutation.
Everyone who underwent soul mutation suffered severe damage to their souls, then eventually recovered and achieved mutation. But what about me? My soul has never been injured. If I really had to attribute it to something, it could only be transmigration.
The more Andrew thought, the more jumbled his thoughts became. Moreover, these were all conjectures. Even now, he could not be certain that he had truly undergone soul mutation.
Only those with soul mutations can fuse different laws. Does fusing lightning and fire elements to attack also count as soul mutation?
Andrew hesitated again.
If I have other elemental affinities too, would that count as a soul mutation involving multiple clones?
After spending an entire day in a daze, Andrew felt as though his head would burst.
"Ah!"
He abruptly rose and roared at the sky. Across the open prairie, his roar carried far, far away.
"Who cares whether it's soul mutation? As long as I can grow stronger, that's enough!"
Gazing at the star-filled sky, Andrew gradually came to understand. Whether it was soul mutation did not matter. What mattered was that he could truly fuse the elements of lightning and fire.
With that knot in his heart untangled, Andrew could finally settle down and devote himself earnestly to secluded cultivation.
Every day at dawn, he began training, using the Qi-Nurturing Stance to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and temper his body. As the sun rose higher, he would go to the rocky hill nearby to carve. He still used a long saber for carving. His previous saber had been damaged in battle, and after his return, the Grand Elder had given him another. This saber was much better than the previous one, both in material and design.
His sharp saber carved boulders into different shapes. After a few months, stone sculptures stood everywhere on the hill: people, magical beasts, and landscapes of mountains and forests, in all sorts of varieties. Even at a casual glance, these sculptures carried a unique charm that drew people in.
Unfortunately, here on the Far East Prairie, no one appreciated them.
In this environment, Andrew found unprecedented tranquility, as well as his path of cultivation.
It was worth mentioning that he had set aside his cultivation of fire element magic, because he no longer needed to deliberately pursue magic.
Whether magic or battle-qi, both are manifestations of the laws. If I can fuse two elements, I can fuse two laws. With the knowledge from my previous life, my cultivation will now aim straight at the laws.
That was what Andrew thought, and that was what he did.
Before fusing the elements, he had also considered this, but he had lacked the confidence to accomplish it. Comprehending the laws required extremely high comprehension and spiritual energy, and Andrew had not been certain whether he met those standards. But ever since he had begun suspecting soul mutation, Andrew had known that his spiritual energy was absolutely beyond imagination.
Spiritual energy was a manifestation of the soul's strength. Strong spiritual energy meant a strong soul.
In the Coiling Dragon World, the soul was the most fundamental part of life. The stronger the soul, the more readily one could touch upon the laws.
Divine beasts, for example, were born with stronger souls than humans, so they automatically became deities upon reaching adulthood. Of course, the strength of a soul was not unchanging; as cultivation advanced, the soul grew stronger as well. However, its essential nature was determined at birth. An ordinary human, for instance, would have a weaker soul than Beirut, who had not reached perfection, even after becoming a Paragon. Paragons could resist God-Eater only because of their Willpower.
Furthermore, touching upon the laws was different from fusing laws. Being able to touch upon the laws did not mean one could fuse them.
Andrew's soul was strong enough, and his spiritual energy high enough, that he was already qualified to touch upon the laws. But he was still a long way from truly comprehending them.
Those capable of comprehending the laws were at least Saint-level powerhouses. He was only a fifth-level warrior, far from the threshold required to comprehend the laws.
I can't comprehend the laws for now, but I can follow Linley's path and first gain insight into "Momentum." Andrew was brimming with confidence about this.
For warriors, strength is important, so most warriors use heavy weapons. I'm no exception. The Dragonblood Secret Manual gave a detailed explanation of training with heavy weapons, dividing it into three levels. The first is perfecting the fundamentals. The second is Wielding Heavy Weapons as Though They Were Light, and the third is "Momentum." Once you comprehend "Momentum," the laws are not far away.
Compared with Linley, Andrew was not that strong. He was only an ordinary eight-year-old human without any special bloodline. For the time being, the saber's weight was sufficient. There was also another point: Andrew intended to cultivate battle-qi of two different attributes.
I've already deduced a method for cultivating fire element battle-qi from the Rushing Thunder Secret Manual. Next, I'll practice my saber techniques while cultivating battle-qi, striving to bring my fire element battle-qi up to the same level as quickly as possible.