Day 7 of the Hundred-Day Trial.
The Secret Realm of Origin, the Trial Space.
The border of the Embers Desert and the Warcraft Mountains.
The vast and desolate Gobi Desert is dotted with oases.
Oases provide resting places for adventurers, but they are also dangerous areas where Warcraft inhabits large numbers.
One of the larger oases, sparse vegetation grows around a lake.
The remaining ancient buildings by the lake have long been eroded by wind and sand, reduced to ruins.
Only a majestic stone sphinx remains, standing intact by the lake, weathering the ravages of time and sand.
The summer afternoon sun is blazing.
Alan leans against the sphinx, sitting in its shade to cool off.
A white cloth is spread in front of him.
On it, bottles and jars of potions are placed.
Allen examined the potions intently, his movements gentle.
These potions were truly treasures!
Before entering Origin City, Allen had used his venom glands and bone spurs to absorb numerous bloodline essences.
He hadn't imagined that these treasures would be so useful!
Mr. Rui, the steward of Origin Castle, purchased bloodline essences from all trial-takers.
The higher the bloodline and the rarer the variety, the higher the price the steward fetched!
Allen kept a sample of his bloodline essences and sold the rest to the steward.
In exchange, he received four potions unique to Origin City.
The most expensive of these was undoubtedly the third-level Anti-Aging Potion!
After injection, one could maintain youthful appearance and extend lifespan by a full hundred years!
Then came the advanced and high-level Heaven-Replenishing Potion, which could be used to enhance bloodline aptitude.
Finally, there was a 7th-tier "Origin Meditation Awakening Potion."
Alan possessed a complete set of "Soul-Calming Meditations" from tiers 1 to 7.
The Origin Meditation was no better than the Soul-Calming Meditation.
He spent a fortune on it primarily as a reference.
It would be useful for Alan's future deduction of the 8th-tier Soul-Calming Meditation.
Alan used his own venom glands to analyze all the exchanged potions and reverse engineered their formulas.
Alan already had the ingredients for most of them in stock.
The few that were out of stock could also be purchased from the butler.
Buying the ingredients directly was much cheaper than buying the finished potions!
The price difference was truly shocking!
From this perspective, it became clear that butler Rui was a ruthless profiteer!
He saw that the trial-takers were incapable of refining their own medicine, so he just sat back and reaped the profits, brimming with lucrative profits!
Alan had the Gluttony system, the recipes, and the herbs. In the future, he could perfectly imitate the potions himself.
There was no need to let Miri, a middleman, profit from the price difference!
In the distance, the roars of wild beasts echoed, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
The magically whipped sandstorm stung his face, burning him.
Alan ignored all the danger signs around him.
This oasis was not peaceful.
Blink Hounds, Displacer Beasts, and the half-human, half-lion Lamia each occupied a territory.
Over the competition for precious prey and water, the three major races of Warcraft frequently clashed.
These Warcraft had all suffered at the hands of Alan, and they avoided him when they saw him from afar.
Unexpectedly, this brat refused to leave and even recruited a group of beautiful yet vicious female sorcerers to brutally oppress the local natives!
While Alan sat leisurely under the stone statue, enjoying the cool breeze, Kelly, Renee, Maria, and Master Shiva were all battling monsters and undergoing their own trials.
Kelly's prey was a mutated displacement beast known as the "Thunder Panther."
A typical displacement beast looks like a large black panther.
A flexible tentacle extended from each side of its back.
The end of the tentacle was enlarged, leaf-like.
The inner side of the fleshy leaf was covered with dense barbs.
In addition to these two hunting tentacles, the displacement beast also possessed a racial talent.
A hazy halo always surrounded it, making it difficult to discern its true location.
It's like having a constant three-level "Transposition" spell.
Attacks launched against it always have a 50% chance of missing.
Hence the name "Transposition Beast."
Alan became interested in the Transposition Beast because it's a feline creature.
Alan, Kelly, Renee, Maria, and Shiva are all feline beastmen.
The Transposition Beast's bloodline essence can strengthen their warlock bloodline!
A normal Transposition Beast's bloodline caps at only level four, making it of little use to Alan and the others.
However, the Transposition Beast clan also has two mutant species!
One, called the "Thunder Leopard," has tentacles that can discharge electricity and has awakened electrical magic.
The other, called the "Sea Tiger," lives in the Oasis Lake, amphibious, and can manipulate water with magic, creating whirlpools! These two mutated displacement beasts have a maximum bloodline of at least level five.
They are perfect for the fusion of Kelly and Renee.
Kelly, with her strong and decisive personality, chose the Thunder Leopard.
Reni, with her more Buddhist nature and proficient in water, chose to hunt the Sea Tiger.
Before the hunt, Allen carefully considered everything for his sister and Renee.
He asked Master Shiva to grant them both the fifth-level "True Seeing" bless.
Their vision was unaffected by the displacement illusion, allowing them to clearly see the Thunder Leopard and Sea Tiger's true location.
He also asked Sister Lion for help, granting them the fourth-level "Freedom of Movement" bless.
They were immune to paralysis caused by electric shock and could not be bound by vortexes.
Reni also awakened her own "Anti-Electricity Barrier" and blessed Kelly with it, ensuring absolute safety.
After preparing, Kelly and Renee each challenged a single beast, confident of victory.
Elsewhere, Lion Sister Maria approached the Lamia Matriarch.
The Lamia clan is truly bizarre!
Their upper bodies are those of beautiful, voluptuous women, while their lower bodies are often those of powerful lionesses.
As you can imagine, a female lion Lamia also belongs to the feline family.
However, a very small number of Lamias don't have lion bodies, but python bodies!
This is puzzling.
Big cats and pythons are two completely different species, completely unrelated!
How can the Lamia clan have both lionesses and snakes?
Tracing back to their source, such an absurd phenomenon is most likely the product of magic.
Legendary sorcerers of ancient times are said to have mastered the secrets of "the origin of species."
They can forcibly fuse two unrelated creatures to create a new species.
For example, the Owlbear, a large bear with an owl's head, is a typical product of magical hybridization.
Alan speculated that the two different types of Lamia were likely the product of ancient magical experiments.
Even more amazing was...
The Lamia tribe's matriarch possessed three transformations.
She could transform into a lion woman, a snake woman, or a human woman at will.
In lion form, the Lamia matriarch's roar could stun anyone.
In snake form, the Lamia matriarch's gaze possessed a hypnotic power.
Lion Sister Maria, whose cultivation reached the early fifth stage, had already advanced to the "Lion Head Heaven."
Thunder Leopards and Sea Tigers were of little use to her.
The Lamia matriarch's bloodline capped at at least the sixth stage, enough to pique her interest.
With Sister Lion's combat prowess, and having cast various protective spells in advance, hunting down Mistress Lamia was a sure win.
The key to a trial is accumulating practical experience.
Therefore, Allen didn't intend to intervene to help his sisters.
Besides, he had already challenged Thunder Leopard, Sea Tiger, and Mistress Lamia.
He had already collected the three bloodline essences.
He had also digested the required special ingredients.
Allen kept a portion of each of the Thunder Leopard, Sea Tiger, and Mistress Lamia's bloodline essences for his collection, intending to sell the rest to his steward.
As for strengthening his own bloodline?
Frankly, all three were too weak, and he didn't care.
The sphinx Allen leaned against faintly emanated magical fluctuations.
This stone statue was actually a secret trial ground.
Sorcerers above level 6 who touch the stone statue will be transported to a mysterious dimension, where they play a guessing game.
The one who posed the riddle is a Sphinx Seer.
How powerful is he? Butler Miri refused to reveal.
Alan had once wanted to challenge the Sphinx Seer.
Unfortunately, his cultivation wasn't up to par, and he couldn't enter.
So he passed this information to Master Shiva, asking White Tiger Martial Master to challenge the Sphinx Seer.
The Sphinx is similar to the mythical Sphinx from Alan's past life.
Since the word "lion" is in his name, it must be a feline relative!
The Sphinx Seer is a wise and sage of this tribe.
Master Shiva had previously come into contact with the Sphinx tribe in the Meditation World.
She revealed to Alan that the Sphinx Seer possessed at least late-level 6 mana.
She also excels at a perverse ability called the "Riddle Symbol"!
The Sphinx Seer can use the "Riddle Symbol" three times per day.
The effects of the symbol are unpredictable, even to her.
There are ten possible spells, corresponding to ten different spells.
5th-level "Riddle Symbol" and "Persuasion Symbol";
6th-level "Riddle Symbol" and "Sleep Symbol";
7th-level "Riddle Symbol" and "Stun Symbol";
8th-level "Riddle Symbol" and "Death Symbol";
9th-level "Riddle Symbol" and "Disintegration Symbol" (likely referring to a specific spell).
Adventurers who enter the Sphinx Seer's lair must sit down and play three rounds of the guessing game with the hostess.
Predict which magic symbol the Sphinx Seer will unleash.
Guess correctly once and you'll be immune to the effects of that spell.
If she guessed wrong, she could only rely on her physical body to withstand the magic emblem.
If she guessed correctly three times, or survived all three, she could make a request to the Sphinx Seer.
As long as it was within her ability, she would do her best to fulfill it.
In this guessing game, each person only had one chance.
In the meditation world, Master Shiva failed to win the guessing game.
Now she wanted to make up for this regret by winning the guessing game and requesting the bloodline essence from the Sphinx Seer to strengthen her own warlock bloodline.
If she relied solely on luck, the probability of winning the game would be too low.
Master Shiva carefully analyzed the ten possible variations of the magic emblem and took precautions in advance.
Assuming the worst-case scenario, if she guessed wrong all three times, she would have no choice but to withstand the magic emblem.
Most magic emblems below level 7 can be resisted with the level 7 "Requiem Meditation."
Master Shiva's own awakened 4th-level "Death Ward" had been cast in advance, offering remarkable resistance against necromancy spells like the "Emblem of Weakness" and "Emblem of Death."
The remaining "Emblem of Madness," "Emblem of Petrification," and "Emblem of Disintegration" were the most challenging to deal with.
Alan, aware of his teacher's concerns, specially provided her with a "Petrification Resistance Potion."
The potion's main ingredient was his own plasma.
While it wouldn't completely immunize against the 9th-level "Petrification Potion," it would at least significantly increase resistance.
…
The sphinx behind him ceased emitting magical fluctuations.
At the same time, a beam of teleportation light appeared directly in front of the statue.
Alan quickly gathered up his bottles and jars and stepped forward.
"Did you win the riddle?"
"My luck was terrible. I didn't get a single question right!"
White Tiger Martial Lord walked out of the teleportation array, a look of fear still on his face.
"Thanks to your Soul-Calming Meditation and the Petrification Resistance, I was able to withstand three attacks from the Magic Emblem. I finally made it through without a hitch."
She pulled a blood collection bottle from her storage bag and tossed it over.
"After winning the game, I asked the Sphinx Prophet for three Bloodline Essences. She bargained with me and only agreed to give me two!"
"As we agreed, one is yours."
Alan took the blood collection bottle, smiled, and shook his head.
"That's not enough. You have to give me some more benefits."
"What do you want?!" Shiva asked fiercely, knowing the answer.
"Same old routine, kiss your little face."
"Here?" Shiva glanced around. "I don't want to... be seen. It's so embarrassing!"
"My sisters won't be back for a while," Allen insisted. "Turn into a little loli and let me kiss you!"
"Stinky brat, so annoying!"
White Tiger Martial Lord grumbled reluctantly, but his body reluctantly transformed back into human form.
With a stern face, he walked over to the mischievous boy, tweaked his ear, and then expertly slid into his arms.
She straddled his lap, finding the most comfortable position.
She rested her cheek against his chest, her small hands around his waist.
Her eyes were slightly closed, like a kitten napping in his arms.
Alan gently lifted her hair and kissed her forehead.
He then moved down to kiss her nose, ears, and cheeks. The silver-haired girl squirmed softly in his arms, purring like a kitten, her pretty face flushed, as if she were enjoying herself.
Alan gazed at this adorable face, unable to restrain himself, and lowered his head to kiss her small, rosy lips.
The silver-haired girl's body trembled as if she had been electrocuted.
She tried to struggle a few times, but realizing he wouldn't let go, she reluctantly submitted.
The tender and sweet kiss lasted for who knows how long.
Until the clear laughter of girls could be heard in the distance.
Alan came to his senses and reluctantly pulled his lips away.
The silver-haired girl opened her eyes, her watery eyes gazing blankly at him, as if she were still lost in thought.
"My sisters are back," Alan whispered in her ear.
The little girl's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly jumped out of his arms.
She transformed back into her tiger-man form, distancing herself from Allen.
With her hands behind her back, she feigned a gaze at the Gobi Desert, as if admiring the scenery.
Allen chuckled to himself.
He retracted his gaze, separated half of the Sphinx Prophet's blood essence, and poured it into his own blood collection bottle, taking a sip.
Drip—
"Consume the special ingredient: Sphinx Prophet's blood!"
"Potential +4!"
"Spirit +1!"
Current Attributes: Constitution 51, Agility 38, Spirit 58
Potential Reserve: 29 points
...
Allen nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to return the blood collection bottle to Master Shiva, he felt a chill on his legs.
Looking down, he saw a damp mark on his right trouser leg, near the crotch, its outline like a small olive leaf.
…
After a day of adventure, everyone returned to Origin Castle.
Master Shiva, Kelly, Renee, and Maria were all very satisfied with their day's gains.
Alan had accompanied them on a leisurely stroll all day, as if on a picnic.
With nowhere to channel his excess energy, he decided to take on a business deal that evening to earn some extra cash.
Sister Lion had obtained the blood essence of Mistress Lamia, using a portion for herself and selling the rest to the housekeeper, Miri.
Sitting at the dining table, she was excitedly counting magic stones.
Alan watched, worried about her extravagant spending.
Walked over and asked Sister Lion if she wanted to come play with him that evening.
Two minutes later.
Maria's
Before the wallet was even warm, it was transferred to Allen in the form of an overnight stay.
That night, Allen went on a date with Sister Lion.
"Junior brother, once I successfully merge with the bloodline of Mistress Lamia, I'll be able to transform into both a Lioness and a Snake."
Maria lay on Allen's chest, imagining the future.
"When that time comes... dear, which form of mine do you want to have sex with first?"
"Third sister, you've given me a happy dilemma!"
Allen, imagining Maria as both a Lioness and a Snake, couldn't help but feel a dilemma.
"Forget about thinking about it. Action is worse than thought!"
Maria sat up from his embrace and said excitedly:
"Let's establish a meditation session and enter the ancestral spirit world of Mistress Lamia together!"
Allen nodded happily. Just as he was about to spray spores to assist Sister Lion in her practice, a magical wave suddenly surged beside the bed, and a ball of communication light emerged. In the center of the light ball, a small white tiger-head mark flickered.
Maria grasped the light ball and read the letter, then sighed, a look of disappointment on her face.
"Teacher Shiva asked me to go to her bedroom!"
"What's so urgent about her in the middle of the night?" Allen asked.
"She can't sleep. Let me sing her a lullaby and get her to sleep!"
"Why don't you call Renee? That's her job."
"Hehe..."
"What are you laughing at?"
"I said the teacher was deliberately making trouble and trying to harass me. Do you believe me?"
"Why?"
"Jealous!"
"Huh? This..."
"She lives next door. How could she sleep after hearing the noises we made while we were making out?"
"She doesn't want me to spend the whole night in your bed, so she's looking for an excuse to act like a spoiled child!"
Maria complained, but she didn't hesitate, quickly getting dressed.
"Honey, I'm going to soothe your jealous little bastard. You need to sleep well, enjoying my scent. Don't let any other women in the room!"
"Third sister, thank you for your hard work." Allen gave her a goodnight kiss.
Sister Lion smiled and kissed back, then hurried out of the bedroom, bringing a gust of fragrant air with her.
Alan closed the door, blew out the lights, and went to bed, drifting off alone.
Halfway through his sleep, he felt a faint breeze on his face...
The bedroom doors and windows were tightly shut, so how could a cold draft be blowing in?
Realizing this, Alan's sleepiness vanished instantly!
He suddenly jerked himself up, sitting up in bed!
The bedroom doors and windows were still tightly shut, not a single gap.
Was that cold breeze just an illusion?
Pale moonlight shone through the window into the bedroom.
Alan stumbled upon a dark shadow, standing against the wall!
Apart from him, there was no one else in the bedroom.
But the dark shadow, flat against the wall...
It was as if someone was standing in front of the bed, casting a silhouette against the moonlight.
Alan's heart, which had just been at peace, rose to his throat again, and cold sweat instantly ran down his back.
A dark shadow loomed on the wall, its face blurred.
The shadow's outline revealed the graceful curves of a woman.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind!
"Ghost girl?!"
Alan couldn't help but blurt out.
"Hmph!"
A displeased hum suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Friend, do you really not recognize me, or are you playing dumb?"
The voice, soft and familiar, sounded telepathically transmitted.
Alan pondered for a moment, then remembered.
Seven days ago, when he first entered Origin City, he had received a telepathic message from this person.
She had left a message back then, asking him to contact her when the time was right.
The shadow, suspected of being a ghost, seemed to be observing Alan's changing demeanor.
"It seems you truly can't remember."
Her sigh was tinged with disappointment.
"Just a hint: my codename is 'Feng ,' and I'm from the Holy Spirit Society."
Feng ... Holy Spirit Society...?
Alan had no recollection.
"Alas... As a celestial holy spirit, something went wrong while merging with the host's soul, leaving you with memory loss and a muddled existence. How pathetic!"
"My poor friend, you've lost yourself, living in the world as a host, forgetting your mission. What's the difference between you and those atavistic sorcerers?"
Feng 's taunts didn't hurt Alan's pride.
Instead, the details she unintentionally revealed were terrifying!
"Merging with the host's soul"... Could this mean a time traveler possessing a body?!
Alan couldn't help but worry that his greatest secret had been exposed! "I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you're talking about."
Alan feigned composure, quietly gathering magic power in his palm.
"Haha! You'd better not move!"
Feng sneered and raised her hand.
Alan's body suddenly stiffened!
The magic power he had just gathered was dissipated by a mysterious force.
"This is just a small warning for you," Feng said coldly. "If you dare to act recklessly again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Alan knew that this mysterious woman was far more powerful than him.
Resisting it forcefully would be tantamount to suicide.
"Madam, I understand that I've lost my original memories?"
"That's right! Alan Panthers is merely your host in the Warlock World. My true identity is a Holy Spirit sent here by divine will."
Feng patiently explained.
"I don't know your original number, but I have a special method that can tell if a person's soul and body are genuine."
"You hid it well, kid, but I couldn't hide it!"
"Unfortunately, when your Holy Spirit merged with the host's soul, a rejection reaction occurred, causing you to lose your original memories and forget why you came into this world!"
"If you hadn't been there as a living example, I would have thought this kind of accident was just a legend."
Alan felt a little relieved after hearing this.
Feng saw that he was an alien spirit possessing the original owner—that was impressive.
However, her subsequent assumptions were completely off the mark.
"Ms. Feng , even if I'm an amnesiac ghost possessing someone else, that doesn't mean I'm in cahoots with you."
"How can you be so sure I'm some kind of divine spirit from outer space, and not just an ordinary wandering ghost?"
"Fool! If you were an ordinary ghost, possessing someone else would undoubtedly be enriched with negative energy!"
Feng retorted angrily.
"You don't even need the Holy Spirit Society's special identification methods. A simple 'Detect Undead' shot would reveal the flaw!"
"For example, I look like a female ghost, but do you sense any eerie negative energy from me?"
"No..." Allen said truthfully.
"Same for you! The negative energy concentration isn't above normal, so how could I be possessed by a spirit of the undead?"
"If you still don't believe me, we can do a test."
As she spoke, she raised her shadowy hand, and holy light surged from her fingertips.