"Sister Yin, why did you stop?"
The benevolent blue light that had been surging into his body vanished, and Lord Pig—Zhu Hao—looked up at Ah Yin with a look of dramatic disappointment, his big eyes glistening with desperate anticipation. The feeling of watching his Energy value shoot up like a rocket was utterly addictive; he simply couldn't get enough.
"You're not actually injured. Why do you need such an absurd amount of vitality? You're a little shrew, and so frightfully greedy!" Ah Yin scolded him affectionately, gently tapping his head with a stem and leaf.
Though the vitality he absorbed was merely a drop in her infinite ocean of life force, she didn't see the need to simply waste it on Zhu Hao's insatiable appetite. What she failed to realize was that for Zhu Hao, this vitality wasn't being 'wasted'; it was being instantly converted into pure, raw material for his technological System upgrade.
Zhu Hao wisely kept silent about his methods for now. Time will reveal all, he thought. The goal was to secure a permanent, sustainable pipeline. He wasn't necessarily fixed on Ah Yin's pure, condensed vitality; even the mixed life force from the ordinary Blue Silver Grass would suffice.
Ah Yin was the Blue Silver Empress, capable of commanding the billions of Blue Silver Grass plants spread across the entire forest. If he could convince her to let each plant contribute a microscopic fraction of energy, the total amount would be truly astronomical—and utterly unnoticeable to the individual plants.
Zhu Hao's eyes began to glow with calculated avarice. This is not just a thick thigh, this is the entire foundation of a platinum-plated life! A bona fide, beautiful, wealthy, white, and powerful Empress. I must cling to her like barnacle to a ship!
He momentarily suppressed his excitement and turned his attention to his internal display to review his astonishing gains:
The Light of the Pig God: Status Update
Name: Zhu Hao
Race: Little Pig Bear
Level: Level 2 (Energy 0/100, Experience 0/100)
Energy: 56.1053
Experience: 11.2021
Magical Powers: Infinite Strength, Spider Web, Twin Scythes, Gale Bow, Ink Soul Spear
Available to Upgrade: Ink Soul Spear (Energy 0/10, Experience 0/10)
Backpack: Black Chicken Beak, Venomous Fang (Energy 0/1, Experience 0/1)
"Over fifty points of energy increase in a flash! Like a rocket soaring through the cosmos! That Mandrake Serpent is truly Lord Pig's lucky charm. I officially spare its miserable life... for now!" Zhu Hao thought, a wave of genuine gratitude for his former prey washing over him. The serpent had led him straight to this treasure trove.
"It's time to upgrade my most essential power!"
He decided to focus on his core strength. "In every fight, the Infinite Strength power does the heaviest lifting." Without hesitation, he commanded the System mentally: "Upgrade Infinite Strength!"
A prompt flashed within his mind:
System Prompt: Infinite Strength requires 10 Energy and 10 Experience to upgrade to the next tier. Confirm upgrade? Y/N
Zhu Hao confirmed immediately.
"Consuming ten points of energy and experience... Upgrading Magical Power to Law of Heaven and Earth!"
A mystical surge of power coursed through his body, and Zhu Hao's eyes widened in delightful shock. He then used his remaining experience points to upgrade his Venomous Fang into a functional Magical Power.
The Light of the Pig God
Name: Zhu Hao
Race: Little Pig Bear
Level: Level 2 (Energy 0/100, Experience 0/100)
Energy: 44.1053
Experience: 0.2021
Magical Powers: Law of Heaven and Earth (Energy 0/100, Experience 0/100), Spider Web, Twin Scythes, Gale Bow, Ink Soul Spear, Venom Fang (Energy 0/10, Experience 0/10)
Backpack: Black Chicken Mouth (Energy 0/1, Experience 0/1)
"All attributes increased by one hundredfold! Lord Pig is on the path to invincibility!" Zhu Hao's little fat face shook with triumphant laughter. He felt he was approaching the peak of his life—no, the peak of his pig-bear life! "The path is clear: Get stronger, and then marry the beautiful, wealthy, and white Empress!"
"You seem to have come into a rather large windfall?"
Watching Zhu Hao laugh so hard he nearly drooled, Ah Yin was naturally curious.
"Oh yes, a tremendous harvest! Sister Yin, how about you treat Lord Pig to another round? It doesn't have to be your ultra-pure vitality, just the standard Blue Silver vitality will do!" Zhu Hao nodded vigorously, like a frantic pecking chicken, completely free of any self-consciousness about begging.
"The more the better, of course! I'll never refuse a handout, hee-hee!" Zhu Hao's chubby face twisted into a smug, utterly shameless grin. Embarrassment simply did not exist for him. My fur is thicker than a finger, and shame doesn't fill the stomach. Getting stronger is the only right choice!
Ah Yin looked at him with her beautiful eyes. Seeing his pure, eager anticipation, she decided to indulge the odd little creature. She concentrated, and a faint blue glow quietly emanated from every single blade of Blue Silver Grass within a ten-mile radius.
While a single blade produced only a tiny blue dot, the light from the billions of blades converging created a swirling, magnificent blue ocean.
Zhu Hao was instantly submerged in the azure tide. His small body seemed to become the epicenter of the blue ocean, his core acting like a black hole, madly devouring the vitality that poured in.
Energy +10
Energy +10
Energy +10
...
"Mmm, pure bliss!"
Zhu Hao's chubby face was a picture of pure enjoyment. His eyes watched the endless stream of notifications, his smile wide and ecstatic. When he finally finished absorbing, his Energy value had increased by a staggering two hundred and thirty points!
"You still don't appear any stronger though? Where is all that life force actually going?"
Ah Yin looped a stem and leaf around Zhu Hao's round waist, lifting him gently. She inspected him up and down, her beautiful face etched with confusion.
"Sister Yin, Lord Pig is simply storing all that power! It won't be long before I can use it to become strong enough to protect you! From now on, I will be your shield!" Zhu Hao proudly patted his chest—which was, in reality, his round belly. "If anyone ever dares to bully you, I'll squash them flat!"
"Thank you."
Hearing Zhu Hao's solemn, earnest vow, Ah Yin's heart fluttered with a complex, indescribable warmth. While she couldn't realistically imagine this tiny, comedic bear protecting a hundred-thousand-year-old Empress, the sheer sentiment behind his words touched her deeply. In all her years of cultivation, no Soul Beast or human had ever made such a promise to her.
A new branch extended, placing Zhu Hao gently on his feet. The stems and leaves that had been holding him loosened and lovingly rubbed his furry head. "Be careful out there, little one."
"Sister Yin, my name is Zhu Hao! Goodbye for now!" Zhu Hao waved his little bear paw and leaped down, eager to put his upgraded power to the test. "Lord Pig is off to level up!"
"Try to kill fewer Soul Beasts, will you?" Ah Yin asked, a hint of reluctance in her voice. She knew Zhu Hao's previous habits.
"Sister Yin, don't worry. As long as a Soul Beast has no malicious intent towards me, I will spare its life!" Zhu Hao assured her solemnly.
With Ah Yin secured as his ultimate power source, the meager energy gain from hunting individual Soul Beasts was no longer worth the risk of offending his generous, wealthy Empress. Zhu Hao had calculated the cost-benefit ratio perfectly and knew how to prioritize his ultimate goal.
"Very well. Thank you, little Zhu Hao." Hearing his promise, Ah Yin's happiness deepened. She rubbed his head one last time and reminded him, "Do be careful!"
"Farewell, Sister Yin!"
"What a wonderfully funny creature," Ah Yin murmured, a genuine smile gracing her lips. She extended a small piece of her consciousness to keep an eye on Zhu Hao. Not only would this let her ensure his safety, but it would also serve as a test to see if her strange little friend truly meant his promise.
Zhu Hao bounded away, heading toward the deeper, more dangerous core of the Star Dou Forest. He needed experience, and he needed it fast. But first, he had to test his new signature ability: Law of Heaven and Earth.
He stopped in a small clearing. "This is it. Time to see what 100x"
Focusing his will, he activated the power, imagining a form that could intimidate any foe. The energy within him roared, and a powerful wave of Soul Power erupted from his body, creating a violent turbulence in the air.
Boom!
The four-foot-tall black bear began to swell. His muscles bulged, tearing through the fur like iron cables. His legs grew thick and trunk-like, his claws sharpened into terrifying scimitars, and his head expanded, his teeth becoming razor-sharp, tusks extending from his jaws. The small, cute bear was instantly replaced by a towering, menacing beast, now standing nearly forty feet tall!
The sheer size of the transformation shook the trees, sending leaves and dust swirling. His roar, once a squeal, was now a deep, resonant thunder that echoed for miles.
"Hah! Lord Pig is now a giant! And this is only the first level of the power!"
He looked down at his enormous paws, which were big enough to flatten a Soul Hunting team in a single strike. His mind instantly processed the implications: not only did his physical size increase exponentially, but every aspect of his strength, speed, defense, and overall raw power was multiplied by one hundred. A mere Level 2 Pig Bear was now a physical force rivaling a high-level, thousand-year Soul Beast!
A sense of intoxicating, absolute power flooded his senses. With this, he could crush any low-level foe effortlessly.
This is fantastic, he thought, but I must not get carried away. I am still under surveillance.
He reigned in the power instantly. The giant form shrank rapidly, the terrifying roar dissolving into a comical squeak as he returned to his original, innocent, four-foot stature. He dusted off his paws.
Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!
The intoxicating thought drove him onward. He knew exactly what to hunt now—the biggest, baddest Soul Beasts he could find! The Blue Silver Empress was secured, and now it was time for Lord Pig to demonstrate the kind of power that truly deserves a beautiful Empress.
He scurried into the thicket, a tiny, seemingly harmless black shadow, hiding the crushing might of a nascent titan beneath his fluffy exterior. He was ready to carve out his legend in the Star Dou Forest.
---------------------------------------------