...….
After the initial few system notifications, Azmodeus clicked on the option that said, 'Choose to Absorb Stats.'
Following the click of that button…
BLING!
[You have obtained 0.1 Stats in all of your basic attributes!]
[Ding! Your overall combat power and cultivation have been moderately improved!]
[Your combat power and cultivation have increased from the 'Middle Stages of the Flesh Refinement Realm' to 'Nearing the Late Stages of the Flesh Refinement Realm.']
Following these system notifications, Azmodeus felt another surge of power course through him. Still, he wasted no time and continued his hunt, determined to reach Level 3!
_____
A few minutes passed by as he ultimately killed another four creatures that roamed the forest around his 'house,'--- a small yellow bird, two lizards, and a frog.
Absorbing their stats granted him the exact same amount of stat points upon choosing the option.
As he finished off the frog, a few more system notifications rang out.
BLING!
[Ding! You have obtained a total of 0.05 Evolution Essence and have accumulated enough to level up!]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[You have reached Level 3.]
[All of your basic attributes have increased by 0.1 points!]
[Ding! Your overall combat power and cultivation have been tremendously increased!]
[Your overall combat power and cultivation have advanced from the 'Middle Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm' to the 'Peak Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm.']
As these system notifications echoed in his mind, another wave of power washed over Azmodeus as it started coursing through his veins, enhancing every basic aspect of his existence!
"This means my stats have successfully reached 0.78!" he exclaimed, his typically impassive expression once again breaking into one of satisfaction.
After all these years of solitude, Azmodeus had grown accustomed to the lack of emotions he would show through his facial expressions.
But ever since this system had entered his life, a spark had returned to his eyes, and even his complexion had dramatically improved from what it had been a few days ago.
Nevertheless, he played around with his newfound level of strength, which now allowed him to lift 400 kg!
He just couldn't get enough of the feeling of becoming stronger!
And as he reveled in his strength, he took this chance to take a look at his system interface.
He called out, 'Open System,' following which, a bright light flashed.
BLING!
__________
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: Human]
[Lifespan: 12/66]
[Cultivation: Peak Stages of the Flesh Refining Minor Realm (Body Refinement Realm.)]
[Overall Combat Power: Peak Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm]
[Level: 3]
[Evolution Essence needed for reaching the next level: 0.20]
{[Stats:]}
[Strength: 0.9]
[Speed: 0.9]
[Defense: 0.9]
[Qi: 0.9]
[Cultivation Talent: 0.9]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Inherited Traits and Active Species Alterations: None]
__________
Azmodeus felt pleased seeing his new level of strength, but when he saw the amount of Evolution Essence he needed, he realized that he might need to hunt a prey that was a little stronger. That was the only way to maintain the ecosystem around his house to a level where it would function properly…
"Maybe I should try to hunt a Spiritual Beast?" he wondered with a pondering expression.
He considered it for a second before coming to the decision that it wouldn't hurt to take on the challenge of defeating a few Lowest-Ranked Beast Minions.
In the world of Prometheus, creatures that surpassed the certain 'Mortal Rank' were categorized into specific tiers.
Both Monsters and Beasts adhered to the same ranking system to determine just where it was that they stood in terms of the power hierarchy.
These ranks, from the lowest to highest, were as follows:
Monster/Beast Ranks:
[Minion] → [Body Refinement Realm]
[Low-Class Soldier] → [Qi Condensation Realm]
[Mid-Class Soldier] → [Foundation Establishment Realm]
[High-Class Soldier] → [Core Formation Realm]
[Low-Class General] → [Golden Core Formation Realm]
[Mid-Class General] → [Nascent Soul Realm]
[High-Class General] → [Soul Transformation Realm]
[Low-Class King] → [Void Refining Realm]
[High-Class King] → [Unity Form Synthesis Realm]
[Emperor Class] → [Tribulation Transcendence Realm]
[Great-Emperor Class] → [Mahayana Realm]
This ranking system was widely known since it was passed down from generation to generation like common knowledge.
However, knowing the ranks and actually experiencing the reality of them were two entirely different matters.
For instance, someone of the Rank 1 Yang Sect would be out of luck if they encountered a monster or beast of the Low-Class Soldier Rank.
After all, even the most powerful elders of the Yang Sect had only reached the peak of the Body Refinement Realm…
Of course, all of these ancient elders yearned to acquire a way to break through into the Qi Condensation Realm; however, achieving this was far easier said than done…
Even if one scoured the lands for hundreds of miles, it would be nearly impossible to find a master who stood at the Qi Condensation Realm.
On the other hand, in the case of Minion-Ranked Beasts and Monsters in the Body Refinement Realm, one could find them sprawling all over the place.
This was because Minion-Ranked Beasts and Monsters were nothing more than creatures that had acclimated to the Qi-rich atmosphere and started their unique cultivation journeys.
But when it comes to the cultivation journeys of beasts and monsters, unlike humans, the beastkin or demon subspecies, pure-blooded Monsters and Beasts advanced in their cultivation by devouring other creatures.
Still, for Azmodeus, none of that was particularly relevant at the moment. He was in the midst of a beast hunt, aiming to find prey that would yield him substantial gains from killing them.
"This is where the beast tracks lead to, but I can't quite figure out where the beast is…" Azmodeus muttered, his perceptive gaze scanning the ground. He put his hand over the hand-sized imprints in the dirt, and a sudden flash of realization struck him.
Sifting through the dirt, he noticed the most distinctive feature of a baby direwolf's tracks—the slightly larger padding they possessed.
"It looks like a relatively high-ranking Minion-Ranked Beast has taken away the owner of the first set of tracks belonging to a horned rabbit."
At first, he hadn't realized it, but the tracks weren't just from a spazzy horned rabbit. They were instead mixed tracks of a young Direwolf chasing its prey…
After understanding the situation, Azmodeus brushed aside some shrubbery and saw the two culprits responsible for both tracks.
There stood a two-meter-long Direwolf and a much smaller one-meter-long Horned rabbit. The Direwolf had dark-gray spiked fur and savage eyes, while the Horned rabbit had tannish-brown fur with a single, spiraling pointy horn at the top of its head.
However, of the two, only one had a glimmer of life left in its eyes…
….