Chapter 267: Size at Will, Dragon-Blooded Warhorse

Chapter 267: Size at Will, Dragon-Blooded Warhorse

"Ah, Qing."

In his hazy state, Lu Qing heard a childish voice reverberating in his mind.

He thought he was dreaming, but the next moment, he realized something was amiss and jolted awake.

"Ah, Qing, you're awake."

This time, the childish voice persisted, and Lu Qing knew that he wasn't dreaming or imagining things; someone was indeed calling out to him.

However, this was the first time he had heard this voice.

He sat up, turned his head to locate the source of the voice, and finally, his gaze landed on a tiny figure.

Then, his mouth hung slightly agape as he asked, "Xiao, Xiaoli?"

"It's me, it's me!" Xiaoli jumped onto his shoulder excitedly. "Qing, I think I can talk now!"

"Mhm, I heard you," Lu Qing nodded, but his expression remained somewhat dazed.

The situation had caught him off guard, and even he felt a bit overwhelmed.

However, he soon regained his composure, as he was no ordinary man.

"Xiaoli, did you gain the ability to speak after consuming the Moon's Essence? No, wait, you're not speaking; you're transmitting your thoughts!" Lu Qing finally figured out what was happening.

Although Xiaoli's voice resonated in his mind, her mouth didn't move.

Xiaoli tilted her head in thought and replied, "I'm not sure. After drinking the Moon's Essence last night, I felt like I could speak when I woke up. But when I called out to Sister Xiaoyan, she seemed unable to hear me."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing was convinced that Xiaoli was indeed transmitting her thoughts and not speaking aloud.

Thought transmission was a skill that only those with extremely profound cultivation could use to communicate with anyone.

Otherwise, only martial arts masters who had tempered their spiritual souls could perceive the information conveyed through thought transmission.

"Come, let me take a look at you."

Lu Qing thought for a moment and then held Xiaoli in his arms.

Xiaoli didn't struggle; she, too, wanted to understand what was happening to her.

Lu Qing activated his ability and directed it toward Xiaoli.

Soon, a faint purple aura emanated from Xiaoli's body.

"Purple?"

Lu Qing was slightly startled and quickly glanced at the notes that appeared.

【Mutant Black Night Spirit Marten: Mutant Innate Spirit Beast, Juvenile Form, Female】

【Extremely fast, sharp claws that can shatter stones, rend gold, and cut through all things】

【Due to the refinement of the Beast Spirit Fruit, the bloodline has evolved and transformed, becoming an Innate Spirit Beast, activating the bloodline legacy】

【After consuming a large amount of Moon's Essence containing a trace of the power of rules, spiritual intelligence has greatly increased, giving birth to spiritual soul power, further bloodline transformation, and awakening a new divine ability】

【Darkness Lurk: After the bloodline transformation, the innate talent has also evolved into a divine ability, allowing the fur to distort space, completely merging with darkness, and hiding all traces】

【Size at Will: A divine ability awakened after consuming a large amount of Moon's Essence, able to control the transformation of the body, and change size at will】

【According to legends, Black Night Spirit Martens love to eat fish but are born with an aversion to water, leaving them longing for fish from afar】

"It actually mutated."

After reading the notes that appeared on Xiaoli's body, Lu Qing couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

The Moon's Essence was indeed a great opportunity bestowed by the heavens upon all creatures.

After consuming most of the bottle, Xiaoli had indeed transformed.

Not only had she gained spiritual soul power, but she had also awakened a new divine ability.

"Xiaoli, did you also awaken another new ability similar to your ability to hide in space?" Lu Qing asked.

"Let me think."

Xiaoli tilted her head, trying to sense and recall.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, "Yes, I think I've gained a new ability. Qing, I'll show it to you!"

With that, Xiaoli jumped to the ground, and a peculiar aura emanated from her body. Her fur began to glow with a black light.

The next moment, Lu Qing witnessed Xiaoli's body slowly expanding and growing larger.

Soon, she reached a height of about two meters, and her fur also lengthened, resembling burning black flames. She looked majestic and formidable.

The aura emanating from her body surged exponentially, causing Lu Qing's heart to pound with a sense of awe.

If they had been on the second floor, the floorboards might have cracked under her weight.

"How's that, Qing? I'm amazing, right?" Xiaoli looked down at Lu Qing proudly.

"Qing, what's going on over there? Why did I suddenly sense a strange and powerful aura?"

At that moment, the old doctor's voice echoed in Lu Qing's mind.

"Master, it's nothing. I'm just messing around with some new stuff. I'll explain it to you later," Lu Qing replied through thought transmission as well.

Upon hearing this, the old doctor didn't inquire further.

"Xiaoli, can you suppress the aura emanating from your body?" Lu Qing asked.

Xiaoli thought for a moment and replied, "I'll try."

She focused her senses and gradually suppressed the surging aura, eventually containing it entirely within her body.

"Alright, Xiaoli?"

"That's right, well done." Lu Qing nodded in approval.

He knew that Xiaoli's Darkness Lurk ability was an incredibly powerful innate divine ability that could perfectly conceal her presence.

Suppressing her aura would undoubtedly be child's play for her.

"Xiaoli, can you use your other ability to hide your physical body now?" Lu Qing asked after seeing Xiaoli retract her aura.

Xiaoli tried and then shook her head. "I can't. I think I can only use one ability at a time for now, but I feel that as I get stronger, I'll be able to use both simultaneously."

"I see..." Lu Qing said thoughtfully.

It seemed that although Xiaoli had awakened two innate divine abilities, she couldn't use them simultaneously for the time being.

However, that was to be expected. To hide her physical body, Xiaoli would need to distort space, which would require an immense amount of power, far beyond her current capabilities as a Precelestial Spirit Beast.

"Just then, Xiaoli's body began to shrink, returning to its usual size."

"Why did you change back so quickly?" Lu Qing asked in surprise.

He had thought that the little guy would show off a bit more.

"I don't want to change anymore. It's tiring to be big; I prefer being this size."

Xiaoli jumped onto the bed and lay there, sticking out her tongue, unwilling to move any further.

"Do you get tired when you stay in your larger form?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it's very tiring. That was the biggest I could make myself. I can only maintain it for a quarter of an hour. If I make myself a little smaller, I can hold it for longer."

"It looks like your transformation ability increases your strength but also consumes a lot more stamina the bigger you get." Lu Qing realized.

In other words, Xiaoli's transformation ability was similar to the explosive secret techniques that warriors used, allowing a short burst of immense power at the cost of increased stamina consumption.

However, Xiaoli's transformation ability was far more mystical.

"Since that's the case, Xiaoli, you shouldn't use this ability casually, and don't tell anyone about it either."

Lu Qing had been startled by Xiaoli's terrifying aura when she had transformed. Her transformation ability could definitely be a trump card.

"Okay, I understand."

Xiaoli lazily agreed; she had no desire to use this tiring ability anyway.

"Also, don't tell anyone about your ability to speak."

"Alright~" Xiaoli readily agreed to this as well.

Besides Lu Qing and Xiaoyan, she didn't like dealing with anyone else anyway.

And since Xiaoyan couldn't hear her, she figured she'd only talk to Lu Qing for now.

"Brother Lu Qing, are you awake yet?"

Just as Lu Qing was about to say something else, Magus's voice sounded from outside the room.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"There seems to be a problem with the horses pulling our cart. I think you should come and take a look."

"The horses have a problem?" Lu Qing's interest was piqued, and he immediately replied, "Alright, go ahead, I'll be right out."

"Xiaoli, rest for a while. I'll be back soon."

After leaving a message for Xiaoli, Lu Qing left the room and made his way toward the stable.

When he arrived, he saw Magus standing outside the stable, looking lost in thought.

"Uncle Magus, what happened?"

"Brother Lu Qing, you're here?" Magus snapped out of his daze and quickly stepped aside, "Come and take a look. I don't know what happened last night, but our two horses seem... seem a little different."

Lu Qing approached the stable and peered inside. He, too, was stunned by what he saw.

The two horses had grown significantly, and their originally gray manes were now a dazzling snow-white.

They looked at least ten times more majestic than before.

But most strikingly, small white horns with intricate patterns had sprouted from their foreheads.

"Brother Lu Qing, do you think these are still our horses?"

Magus asked, unable to believe his eyes.

The two horses in the stable walked up to Lu Qing and nuzzled his hand affectionately.

Lu Qing patted their heads and nodded, "Yes, they are our horses. Something happened last night while you and Zian were asleep, so you didn't see it..."

Lu Qing briefly explained what had happened the night before, leaving Magus both amazed and regretful.

He was amazed by the incredible transformation that had occurred and regretted that he had missed such a spectacle due to his deep sleep, brought on by exhaustion.

"So, these horses transformed like this because they drank the Moon's Essence you mentioned?" Magus asked.

"Yes, but this transformation should be beneficial to them. The Moon's Essence is beneficial to all living creatures, and it seems that their bloodlines have undergone a metamorphosis.

"No wonder." Magus suddenly realized, "I almost thought our horses had run away this morning."

When he had gone to check on the horses earlier, he had indeed been startled by their transformation.

If not for the fact that he had been driving them daily and was extremely familiar with them, he might not have recognized the two transformed creatures before him.

Moreover, the reins on them were also ones that he recognized.

He had even suspected that the absent-minded Lu Qing had swapped their horses.

Lu Qing smiled and patted the heads of the two horses as they nuzzled up to him affectionately, simultaneously activating his ability to inspect them.

Soon, a dense red light of his ability emanated from the two horses.

【Dragon-Blooded Warhorse: A magnificent steed that has awakened a trace of the bloodline of an ancient dragon.】

【Due to the consumption of the Moon's Essence, which contains the power of rules, the bloodline has undergone a metamorphosis, awakening a trace of the bloodline of an ancient dragon, greatly increasing strength and endurance.】

【According to legends, the vast majority of creatures in the world possess a trace of the bloodline of ancient dragons within their bodies, and once awakened, they can obtain the power of the ancient dragons.】

...

"As expected, their bloodline has transformed."

After reading the notes that appeared on the two horses, Lu Qing's eyes widened in surprise.

When he had first seen the drastic changes in the two horses, he had already had his suspicions.

However, the benefits they had gained far exceeded his expectations.

He had not anticipated that they would awaken a trace of the bloodline of ancient dragons, transforming into Dragon-Blooded Warhorses.

Nevertheless, this was a good thing.

With the addition of these two Dragon-Blooded Warhorses, their journey to the Sacred Mountain would undoubtedly be expedited.

"Uncle Magus, the bloodlines of these two horses have transformed, and their strength has increased significantly. Their speed will also be faster, so be extra careful when we set off later." Lu Qing instructed.

"Rest assured, Brother Lu Qing, even if they run faster, I can still control them." Magus confidently replied.

His words were not mere boasting.

After driving the carriage daily for the past few days, Magus was confident that his carriage-driving skills were at least on par with a master-level expert.

"Then get familiar with them first. These two horses have also gained higher spiritual intelligence, so driving them shouldn't be difficult.

I still have something to attend to, and I'll be back soon.

Last night, I discussed with Master that after we set off, we won't make any more stops along the way, and we'll head straight to the Sacred Mountain."

"I understand." Magus nodded solemnly.

Leaving Magus to get acquainted with the two Dragon-Blooded Warhorses, Lu Qing left the stable and made his way toward the Benevolent Heart Medical Clinic.

"Landlord Lu, you're here?"

As soon as Lu Qing arrived at the clinic, he saw the young apprentice waiting at the entrance. The apprentice's eyes lit up when he saw Lu Qing, and he quickly greeted him.

"You're up early, Little Apprentice." Lu Qing smiled.

"Master instructed me to get up early and wait for you. So, as soon as it was light out, I got up.

Landlord Lu, the medicinal ingredients you requested are all prepared." The young apprentice, Xiao Yi, attended to Lu Qing eagerly.

"Then thank you. By the way, how is the patient from last night doing?" Lu Qing asked.

"Landlord Lu, soon after you left, Uncle Wang woke up. He has already returned home to rest." Xiao Yi replied.

"That's good."

Relieved, Lu Qing followed Xiao Yi into the clinic, where he saw Zhao Dafu, the clinic owner, sitting inside.

"Doctor Zhao, you're up early as well?" Lu Qing was a little surprised.

"I'm an early riser by habit." Zhao Dafu replied with a gentle smile, "Landlord Lu, did you sleep well last night?"

"It was alright." Lu Qing nodded slightly, "Doctor Zhao, I came to collect the medicinal ingredients we discussed yesterday."

"The medicinal ingredients are ready. Xiao Yi, go and get the medicinal ingredients for Landlord Lu."

"Yes, Master." Xiao Yi respectfully replied and fetched a large package from under the counter, "Landlord Lu, these are the medicinal ingredients you requested. Please check them."

"No need." Lu Qing directly took the package and pulled out a money bag, "How much in total?"

"Landlord Lu, you're too kind. The medicinal ingredients you requested are not expensive. The silver ingot you left yesterday is more than enough to cover the cost, and we still owe you one tael of silver."

Zhao Dafu spoke warmly.

He then instructed Xiao Yi to return one tael of silver to Lu Qing.

"Then thank you." Lu Qing did not refuse and put the silver into his money bag, "Doctor Zhao, I have something else to attend to, so I won't disturb you further. Farewell."

"Landlord Lu, please take care."

Unexpectedly, this time, Zhao Dafu did not try to detain Lu Qing and courteously saw him out of the clinic.

After Lu Qing left, a figure appeared behind Zhao Dafu.

"Master, why didn't you ask Landlord Lu about the heavenly phenomenon that occurred last night? What exactly happened?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end