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Chapter 35: Inspection
Time passes like water, quietly slipping away.
Two days later, Yang Xie and Nangong Ya began their journey back.
Yang Xie had successfully broken through to the ninth stage of Warrior, while Nangong Ya had reached the second stage of Warrior. The past few days in the wild had been crucial for their progress. The battles with strange beasts had pushed both of them to grow immensely.
The wilderness was dangerous, but it was also a great teacher.
Yang Xie reflected on the progress made during this journey. In terms of cultivation, advancing from the first stage of Warrior to the ninth stage was an extraordinary feat. After all, Nangong Ya, with his S-level talent, had only managed to break through to the second stage. Yet, Yang Xie had surpassed him by seven stages.
This rapid growth was largely due to his god-level martial soul, the Lord of Shadows. Breaking through his limits was as easy as drinking water.
Over the course of their time in the wild, Yang Xie had accumulated 24 personal warrior terminals. The pig-headed masked man had contributed 19, and Xie Hu's team had added five. Once back in the city, these terminals were sold on the black market, providing an unexpected windfall.
Regarding his talents, Yang Xie's Shadow Lord bestowed him with three amazing abilities: Shadow Legion, Shadow Devourer, and Shadow Lord—each remarkably powerful. Furthermore, through Shadow Devourer, Yang Xie acquired several other talents, including Agility (increasing speed), Wind Blade (an offensive skill), and Copper Skin, Iron Bones (a defensive ability). He had also gained Bloodthirsty from dangerous plants and Rapid Growth from the pig-headed masked man.
Yang Xie and his team had spent the last two days in the wild hunting beasts and devouring their shadows. This included many powerful creatures, such as the giant python from the waterfall. Without this, Yang Xie wouldn't have been able to reach the ninth stage.
However, Yang Xie was puzzled—he hadn't gained any other talents. Did it require a certain amount of luck to acquire talents via Shadow Devourer?
After asking Yang Yi, Yang Xie learned that beasts and humans needed specific characteristics for the shadow devouring process to yield talents. In particular, a beast's blood concentration and the strength of a human's talent were crucial factors.
Simply put, beasts with higher blood concentrations were more likely to yield talents. For those with lower concentrations, one would need to devour more of the same kind to unlock a talent. Yang Yi also explained that it wasn't just about strength—strong warriors didn't necessarily have the strongest talents.
Interestingly, when devouring shadows from beasts, it didn't always result in new talents. Instead, it could enhance existing ones. For example, after devouring the shadow of a mixed-blood rabbit beast, Yang Xie might gain enhanced agility rather than a completely new ability.
Furthermore, accumulating more of the same talent could even upgrade it. Yang Yi's explanation helped Yang Xie understand that Shadow Soldiers weren't particularly picky about what they devoured; rather, they needed a sufficient amount to truly benefit.
Yang Xie found this information both surprising and enlightening. Overall, he was pleased with the results of his time in the wild.
He had hoped to keep some shadow soldiers to continue hunting, but now that he was a ninth-level warrior, he couldn't break through to the next stage without a second-level technique. So, he had to abandon that idea.
...
The group reached the city, and Yang Xie couldn't help but marvel at the weapons assembled on the city wall.
"Everyone, out of the vehicle," came the command.
"Understood, sir!" echoed the soldiers stationed at the city gate, guiding the group as they disembarked.
Entering the city was more complicated than leaving it, with thorough checks in place. Yang Xie was curious and asked, "Brother Qing, is this level of inspection really necessary? It's making me nervous."
Nangong Qing nodded and explained, "It's absolutely necessary. Yang Xie, you probably don't know much about the alien beasts. Before you awakened, the school didn't allow much exposure to that knowledge."
Yang Xie was intrigued. "Are the alien beasts more complex than we think?"
"Yes, much more so. Some alien beasts can actually parasitize the human body. A person may still appear alive, but their body is completely occupied by the beast. And some alien beasts can even transform into humans—these are extremely dangerous and typically stronger than Beast Generals."
Yang Xie was stunned. Parasitic and shapeshifting beasts? He had assumed alien beasts were simply wild, powerful creatures. The thought that some could disguise themselves as humans was terrifying.
His earlier sense of excitement, brought on by the recent surge in strength, quickly gave way to unease as he considered the potential dangers lurking in the world.
"The process is simple," continued Nangong Qing. "Each of you must enter your portrait into the scanner. After that, you'll undergo blood sampling."
Yang Xie and the others followed the instructions. They each registered their images, and when Yang Xie's turn came, the soldier at the desk glanced at him with some surprise. An awakened warrior who hadn't registered yet, returning from the wild alive? Quite impressive.
After checking their portraits, the group proceeded to a small pavilion for the blood test. A handcuff-like mechanism locked onto Yang Xie's hand, and the staff inside used a palm-sized instrument to draw blood. A small needle pricked his finger, causing a brief sting, but the pain faded almost immediately. The instrument emitted a green light, signaling that everything was safe.
"Next," came the voice of the tester.
Yang Xie stepped away, still processing the situation. "Sister Xiuqin, I understand the portrait registration, but why the blood test?"
Nangong Xiuqin explained, "The portrait is used to verify your registration in the database, helping identify any potential threats. However, just the image isn't enough to catch parasitic or shapeshifting beasts. Blood tests are essential because they can detect abnormalities in your cell structure. There's a distinct difference between human and beast biology."
Yang Xie nodded in understanding. Now, it made sense. The city had to take extra precautions to keep its people safe from the dangers of the wild.
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