The small thin dark blue snake coiled in a corner of the cave, almost inconspicuous in the moldy surroundings.
Tang Yue could feel that her previous meal was almost completely digested, and Tang Yue prepared her body and mind to gobble up her next meal.
She wanted to understand her system better. So she patiently waited for the notifications to show up first before gulping down the second salamander.
A few seconds later...
Ding. 30% Salamander bloodline absorbed
Ding. 1% Swamp Slime bloodline absorbed
"Hmmm... So even if I eat the whole thing, I still get only 30% of the bloodline."
The little snake bobbed its head up and down as it nodded at the illusionary blue screen.
Though the efficiency was a bit lower than expected, she was still happy with this result.
Based on these numbers, she still needed to eat at least three more salamanders to get at the complete bloodline.
She took out the next dead guy from her space pearl and reluctantly gulped down the whole animal.
Her thin figure which was barely restored, again puffed up like a humongous pillow, as Tang Yue curled up in the corner waiting for the food to digest.
This was not the most efficient way to be improving her strength but unfortunately, her body's meridians were crippled and so she needed to improve her venom toxicity, the only tool at her disposal.
After a while, the second set of notifications popped out as well.
Ding. 30% Salamander bloodline absorbed
Ding. 5% Green lizard bloodline absorbed
Tang Yue nodded and shoved the next one in.
By the time she got to the last one, it was well past the dark of the night, and faint daybreak outlined on the skies.
For the last part of the puzzle, Tang Yue decided to eat the weird looking one with the horn, the mutated salamander.
"Bingo!" And just as she had suspected, the last one gave out unique notifications.
Ding. 30% Salamander bloodline absorbed
Ding. 1% Green lizard bloodline absorbed
Ding. 5% Swamp snake bloodline absorbed
Ding. 0.0001% Storm dragon bloodline absorbed
Tang Yue's eyes glistened as she read the details.
"Storm dragon's bloodline?? What the heck? This dummy was a distant relative of the storm dragon???"
"Ok. Let's forget about it for now. 0.0001% is anyways as good as non-existent!"
Tang Yue hurriedly swiped away that notification and looked for the next one.
This was the important notification that she had been waiting for!
She needed to figure out what happens when a complete bloodline is absorbed.
Ding. 100% Salamander bloodline absorbed
Ding. Bloodline Evolution initiated
"Wait, what is going to evolve??"
Before Tang Yue could fully grasp what was happening, her thin slender snake body already started to twist and turn.
Unlike the previous times, where she gained attributes from munching on leftover sludge, this time the process was inexplicably painful.
Tang Yue's mind and body convulsed with gut-wrenching pain, as she mustered all her willpower and withstood the tremendous torture.
The entire process lasted only for about a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity for the poor tormented being.
Soon, a thin layer of glowing light covered her body and the pain finally ceased.
Tang Yue slowly opened her emerald eyes and lifted her tired head to take a look at what just happened.
Numerous dried and shredded peals of her smooth silky blue skin were scattered around the cave.
As she slowly regained her consciousness, a faint unfamiliar sensation assaulted her tired body.
But the sensation was not painful or uncomfortable, rather it was cozy and warm, even refreshing her a little bit.
A few seconds later, as realization slowly dawned on her, Tang Yue's half-opened eyes suddenly flew wide in surprise.
It might be faint, but most definitely the thing that she was sensing... it was mana!!!
She was finally able to sense mana, the mystical energy that permeated the world.
"But how the heck is this even possible? Am I no longer crippled??" Tang Yue yelped, her emerald eyes glistening.
"This missy can cultivate now!" She was going insane in joy and happiness.
Tang Yue could vaguely feel that something was still changing so she controlled her excitement and patiently waited for some more time.
And a few seconds later, a series of chimes started resounding in her mind.
Ding. Bloodline Evolution completed.
Ding. 100 Experience points have been rewarded.
Ding. Congratulations. You have leveled up.
Ding. Congratulations. Skills have been unlocked.
Ding. Congratulations. New skills acquired.
So many new notifications popped up leaving Tang Yue in a complete daze.
Each one sounded better than the other and her heart was racing like a maniac.
She patted her chest and sucked in a few breaths of the cold morning air before summoning her status screen.