Chapter 13

"Persist, no matter what, you must hold on, success is just around the corner!"

Sweat gradually seeped from Hu Gao's forehead, soon soaking his entire body. The intense pain made his face twitch. He guessed that his heart soul should have been awakened by now, which was a sign that the totem was about to take shape. He couldn't afford to fail at this moment!

Hu Gao gritted his teeth so hard that he felt his lips might crack! He knew how hard-won this opportunity was. From his fellow villager's words, he could deduce that it was all thanks to Qing Lian, who had forcibly aligned his soul and even startled the fellow villager hiding inside his body. How powerful must her mental strength be?

Although Qing Lian had not mentioned what would happen if the first totem formation failed, if he couldn't successfully summon his heart soul with such powerful mental strength, the chances of him ever forming a totem in the future would be slim.

So this time, it must succeed, no matter what!

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Soon, after several bouts of intense pain, two streams of energy gradually formed and separated within Hu Gao's body. One was red, the other golden. The red stream kept retreating, seemingly extremely wary of the golden stream.

The two colored streams slowly wriggled, forming thin lines. The red line was several meters long, while the golden line was less than half a foot.

The red stream gave a sense of brilliance, with a mysterious and unfathomable aura, suggesting it was not an ordinary first-stage totem. As for the golden one, it was actually a legendary ninth-stage totem! Two totems existed within Hu Gao's body!

Hu Gao also noticed this. He suddenly found that he could see inside his body, a feeling of deep confusion rising in his heart. Could this be the inner vision mentioned in Daoist legends?

This feeling was too mystical. It wasn't a direct visual image seen with the eyes, nor a vague picture in the mind. It was as if there were an extra pair of eyes inside his body. Of course, what he saw wasn't his internal organs, but rather the flow of energy in his meridians. In the center of these meridians was an embryo-like object, about the size of a soccer ball.

Watching the two lines in the embryo gradually stabilize, Hu Gao was speechless. Had he just awakened his heart soul and directly formed two totems? Or were they just half-finished products?

"Gurgling..."

After a moment of silence, the two colored streams began to swell and gradually grow larger. However, they did not transform into terrifying and powerful creatures. The red totem looked like a completely red snake, a color that only a few mutated species in China would have. Its head resembled a python, fierce and terrifying, with large eyes that glinted with a lost light.

As for the golden totem, it transformed into a miniature version of a five-clawed golden dragon, a creature from ancient Chinese legends. Its eyes were lively, radiating divine power.

"It's actually a dragon, definitely not an ordinary totem. It might even be a mutation of a mutation. As for the red one, I don't know what kind of snake it is. I'll have to ask Qing Lian later."

Before the totems fully formed, the intense pain in Hu Gao's head had already subsided, and his thoughts had become clear. He could feel two creatures coiled in his mind, ready to appear at his command.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

As soon as he opened his eyes, Hu Gao felt countless energies from the universe surrounding him. These energies, as if drawn by some force, were directly absorbed into his body, washing through every meridian. More energy eventually gathered in the embryo within his body!

In just a short while, Hu Gao began to emit a powerful aura that shook the heart.

"God, you actually advanced one stage just by forming a totem, officially becoming a first-stage Condensation Shadow Realm warrior. This... This is impossible!" Qing Lian, standing beside him, drenched in sweat, began to breathe more rapidly. She understood very well what this meant.

Mutated totems! Only mutated totems have such a strong attraction to the universe's energy, capable of creating such a miracle in such a short time. If Hu Gao really formed a mutated totem, the entire Ningcheng and even the Longhua Kingdom would be completely changed because of him.

No matter which faction, if someone forms a mutated totem, they will be immediately designated as the heir, fully cultivated and protected, as they represent the future and hope of the family. Throughout history, those who formed mutated totems have all become renowned and powerful figures.

"First-stage Condensation Shadow Realm? Is that the name for a warrior's strength classification?" Hu Gao, seeing Qing Lian's shocked expression, wondered if he had achieved the legendary cross-realm cultivation.

"That's right. The great founder of the cultivation system, Yao, in his only lifetime work, the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas,' divided the cultivation levels of warriors into nine realms: Condensation Shadow Realm, Body Passage Realm, Essence Explosion Realm, Form Transformation Realm, Heaven Movement Realm, Heaven Swallowing Realm, Ten Thousand Beasts Realm, Essence Return Realm, and Void Breaking Realm. Each realm is further divided into nine smaller stages.

Reaching the first-stage Condensation Shadow Realm means that Big Brother is now a formal warrior!" Qing Lian's voice was still relatively smooth, but her tone grew weaker.

What the heck, what a letdown. It turns out he's just a low-level warrior. Qing Lian is really overreacting. There's nothing to be happy about. I thought the heavens had suddenly bestowed a golden finger on me.

Fortunately, he still had Qing Lian. Her contribution to his successful totem formation was immense. Hu Gao, concerned, helped the pale and weak Qing Lian sit down on the bed.

"Hu Gao, let me see your totem!" Qing Lian said, catching her breath. She needed to confirm whether Hu Gao had really formed a mutated totem, which was crucial for the Li Qing lineage and the entire family!

At her words, Hu Gao focused his mind, and the red snake coiled in the embryo within him immediately spiraled above his head. As for the five-clawed golden dragon, after some thought, he decided not to summon it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Qing Lian, but this was too extraordinary. Given her research-oriented personality, it would be better not to shock her further today.

"This is a first-stage totem, the Red Silk Snake? No... No, the Red Silk Snake is known for its violence, toxicity, and bloodiness, but this 'Red Silk Snake' looks very calm. Apart from its appearance, it has none of the characteristics of a first-stage totem Red Silk Snake."

Qing Lian initially thought the red snake was a first-stage totem Red Silk Snake but quickly shook her head in denial. The Red Silk Snake was too common and easily recognizable, but the red snake before her only had an 80% resemblance to the Red Silk Snake. Upon closer inspection, the scales of this Red Silk Snake were not vermilion red but a deep red with a hint of black! Wasn't that the color of blood? Although it was a subtle difference, it meant that Hu Gao's totem was not an ordinary first-stage totem!