"So they're alive. But who is this Xiao Wu, and why are you asking me to leave her alone?" Wang Lin asked.
"You don't know her? So you weren't there to kill Xiao Wu?" Er Ming questioned in return.
"Is Xiao Wu one of the Spirit Masters? I wasn't there for the Spirit Masters. I was only there for the rabbit," Wang Lin replied.
"So you do know her. Xiao Wu _is_ the rabbit. She's a 100,000-year-old Soft-Boned Rabbit that transformed into a human," said Er Ming.
"There was a 100,000-year spirit beast among the Spirit Masters," Wang Lin thought to himself. "But this ape thinks I'm there for the 100,000-year spirit beast. I only ended up there because of the Soft-Boned Rabbit."
"If she's a spirit beast, what's she doing with Spirit Masters?" Wang Lin asked.
Er Ming, saddened by the thought of Xiao Wu's circumstances, began to recount her story.
"Xiao Wu's mother was a 100,000-year-old spirit beast. She protected me and Da Ming until we were strong enough to defend ourselves. She treated us like her children.
We all lived peacefully in Star Dou until one day, a group of Title Douluo came hunting for spirit rings. A Spirit Master with two martial spirits led them. Unfortunately, they were heading straight for Xiao Wu. Before they could reach her, Xiao Wu's mother intercepted them. She knew she couldn't protect Xiao Wu while fighting multiple Title Douluo, so she lured them away, sacrificing herself.
Da Ming and I pursued the Title Douluo after Xiao Wu informed us. We fought them, but there was no trace of Xiao Wu's mother. We assumed she was dead," Er Ming said, his voice heavy with sadness.
"But what does Xiao Wu's mother's death have to do with her living among Spirit Masters? Isn't she at greater risk of being caught there than in Star Dou?" Wang Lin asked.
"Xiao Wu couldn't forget her mother and vowed to avenge her. However, she wasn't strong enough to kill a Title Douluo. In our absence, she began recultivation by transforming into a human. Once the process started, we couldn't stop it. You know that when a beast begins recultivation, they must live among humans for their cultivation to progress smoothly," replied Er Ming.
"Are Xiao Wu's transformation and Di Tian's transformation into human forms not the same?" Wang Lin asked doubtfully.
"They're very different. When Di Tian transforms, he can only exert a fraction of his dragon form's strength in his human form. His transformation is temporary. But for Xiao Wu, her transformation is permanent. She must cultivate from the beginning like a Spirit Master. Spirit Masters cannot tell she's a transformed beast; she's indistinguishable from a human. However, Title Douluo can detect her with their spiritual power. That's why Da Ming and I were so worried about her entering the Spirit Master world.
When we sensed her presence that day, I went to bring her back," said Er Ming.
"So that's why you were at the outskirts of Star Dou, even though you had no reason to be there. But you still haven't told me clearly: are the Spirit Masters with Xiao Wu still alive?" Wang Lin asked.
"They are still alive, but I must warn you—they're Xiao Wu's companions. I cannot allow you to harm them. If anything happens to them, Xiao Wu would be heartbroken," said Er Ming.
"I have no enmity with all the Spirit Masters with Xiao Wu except for one. I have a personal debt to settle with him. And I don't think I ever needed your permission to kill him," replied Wang Lin, preparing for battle.
Both Wang Lin and the Titan Giant Ape stood in a standoff before Wang Lin relaxed his offensive stance.
"You're lucky today because I don't want to fight. But don't think that just because you asked me not to harm them, it will stop me from taking my revenge," said Wang Lin as he walked away, leaving the Titan Giant Ape both relieved and confused.
If it were any other time, Wang Lin would have fought the Titan Giant Ape. But now, he was in trouble. The blood in his body was agitated, flowing turbulently through his veins.
Wang Lin reached his cave in the valley and lay prone on the ground, trying to control the ever-increasing blood energy. After integrating the blood-enriching breathing technique into his system, memories and experiences surfaced in his mind. These memories, while helpful, distracted him during conversations. Over time, new changes began to take place. The breathing technique, originally suited for Spirit Masters, had somehow become compatible with dragon spirit beasts.
As more of this modified technique's knowledge appeared in his mind, his blood energy surged. In just an hour, his blood energy increased by an amount that would have taken 50 years of practice. Yet the surge didn't stop. This was Wang Lin's predicament: controlling the abrupt increase in blood energy.
Wang Lin, being both human and a 200,000-year spirit beast, had immense spiritual power. Using his inner sense, he examined the energy pathways in his body. These pathways transported blood and soul power to every cell.
He guided the overflowing blood energy through these pathways. For a time, it flowed under his control before continuing autonomously. However, new blood energy kept appearing.
Running out of ideas, Wang Lin wanted to retrieve the technique manual from his system space, suspecting it was the cause of his changes.
Before he could, he noticed a small, dense pool of blood energy forming near his heart. It began to attract blood energy from his body, growing slowly. This phenomenon reminded him of when he formed his Poison Soul Core. A pseudo soul core of dense soul power had appeared in his head then, and now, the dense blood energy near his heart resembled a pseudo soul core.
Wang Lin made a bold move, directing new blood energy into this dense pool. It grew to the size of a marble, forming a pseudo blood essence core. It spun rapidly, drawing in more blood energy.
The previously overflowing blood energy now flowed toward the pseudo core. After some time, the Blood Essence Core stabilized, resolving Wang Lin's predicament.