Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Spider Martial Soul, Mega… Evolution!
Zhu Fugui's fingertips, now resembling spider legs covered in black fuzz, pressed deeply into the cold, hard Mithril button. A grayish soul power aura flickered faintly.
Inside the Mega Evolution device, the Human-Faced Demon Spider soul bone activated. Under the influence of nearly omnipotent soul power, a small number of genes briefly revived its bloodline, emitting an eerie purple glow.
Hiss—
Eight pairs of ghostly violet compound eyes lit up. Behind Zhu Fugui, a phantom-like Human-Faced Demon Spider's limbs scraped against the Mega Evolution device, producing a metallic resonance.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Zhu Fugui's neck. Just like in the Pokémon world, Mega Evolution placed immense pressure on the soul master.
At this moment, the active Aura within the device connected all components, helping Zhu Fugui relieve some of the pressure. The dial emitted a crackling sound.
Gu La frowned slightly. In fact, the soul skill tied to the Human-Faced Demon Spider soul bone involved poison. He hadn't expected such potent toxins to remain even after disassembling it.
Fortunately, Mithril—a widely used, foundational, and crucial rare metal—was relatively stable and hadn't been corroded by the spider's venom. Still, he'd need to add anti-corrosion materials later.
Zhu Fugui's expression twisted in agony as he seemed about to break free from the hypnotic state due to the pain.
Gu La's gaze remained indifferent as he reinforced the hypnosis, plunging Zhu Fugui's consciousness back into submission.
As Zhu Fugui poured his last bit of soul power into the Mega Evolution device, a shadowy purple-black silhouette of the Human-Faced Demon Spider emerged. However, it was quickly neutralized by Gu La's pre-installed mechanism to prevent the soul master from being influenced by the beast's instincts.
The sound of arachnid limbs slicing through the air echoed nearby—
Clang!
The silvery-white dial erupted with light akin to a supernova. The ordinary spider martial soul let out a skyward roar, transforming into an even uglier form.
Countless light patterns surged upward along Zhu Fugui's veins. His blood boiled, every bone vibrated at high frequency, and ancient dormant gene sequences deep within his martial soul were violently activated by energy from another world.
"Mega Evolution Sequence Confirmed, Codename: Demon Araneida·Ω (Demon Spider·Origin)."
As the mechanical female voice boomed, Gu La's eyes gleamed with fervor. This language was one only he understood, evoking nostalgia for anime from his past life.
Time seemed to freeze. Six crimson wormholes tore open behind the boy, and purple spider legs like spears, coated in venom, pierced through dimensions and descended.
The originally gray-brown, ordinary spider martial soul underwent a dramatic transformation. Dark purple exoskeletons etched with black patterns now covered him, eight spider eyes turned blood-red, and a vaguely grotesque human face appeared on his abdomen.
"This is… martial soul evolution!?"
Zhu Zhuqing's expression was one of astonishment as she looked at Gu La, unable to believe that he had achieved this through a single soul-guided tool.
Tang San stood frozen. "Martial soul evolution…"
"No, how could an ordinary spider martial soul suddenly evolve into a Human-Faced Demon Spider? There's almost no connection between them!"
He turned to Gu La, hoping for clarification.
Gu La smiled faintly. "This is an incomplete evolution, a temporary state I achieved using the soul bone. Keep watching, and you'll understand."
Tang San suppressed his curiosity and focused intently on Zhu Fugui.
Gu La gave the order: "Test the power of your martial soul after Mega Evolution."
Zhu Fugui, still under hypnosis due to the external assistance in evolving his martial soul, showed no spiritual transformation. Controlled by Gu La, he swung his spider legs, leaving purple afterimages in the air. Gu La tossed the Black Iron he had purchased earlier, and the sharp spider leg pierced it, retracting swiftly, leaving a finger-sized hole.
This attack's power was comparable to that of a Soul Elder.
Suddenly, the Mega Evolution device emitted a blinding red alert. Zhu Fugui's martial soul became translucent, and the Mega Evolution interface displayed a countdown with 7 seconds remaining. A Soul Trainee's soul power had already reached its limit during the Mega Evolution; the attack was powered by the stored soul energy within the soul bone fragment.
The alarm soon subsided, and Zhu Fugui reverted to his original form. Overwhelmed by soul power depletion, he collapsed unconscious.
Gu La retrieved a potion and forced it down Zhu Fugui's throat as compensation. Once digested, it would boost his soul power by two or three levels, at least.
Next, Gu La removed the Mega Evolution device. The silver-white dial was slightly warm, emitting white smoke and a foul odor—the result of the Human-Faced Demon Spider's toxins.
With nimble fingers, Gu La dismantled the Mega Evolution device, planning to find corrosion-resistant materials to remake the dial later.
"That's done. Xiao San, take him back. When you return, feel free to ask any questions."
Gu La clapped his hands. The experimental results were satisfactory, proving that his concept was entirely feasible. His efforts hadn't been wasted.
Tang San, lost in thought, hoisted Zhu Fugui onto his shoulder and swiftly carried him back to the dormitory using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps. Within three minutes, he returned to the garden.
Xiao Wu, unable to contain her curiosity, rushed over as soon as Tang San appeared, impatiently urging Gu La: "Xiao San's back! Hurry up and explain what just happened!"
Zhu Zhuqing held her breath, trying to focus. She had initially wanted to distance herself, but her inner longing kept her rooted in place.
Gu La didn't give her a chance to inquire. "Earlier, I explained my theory on martial soul evolution. Both soul masters and spirit beasts share the same origin."
"The bloodlines of soul masters and spirit beasts can interconnect. Based on this idea, I thought to use the spirit beast genes within soul bones to manifest bloodlines, stimulate the soul master's martial soul, and achieve temporary evolution."
Xiao Wu listened with confusion, while Tang San grasped the general principle and logic but couldn't fully comprehend the underlying concepts of bloodlines and genes.
"It was that soul bone from before."
Tang San suddenly realized, his sharp intuition leading him to ask: "The Human-Faced Demon Spider soul bone. So only spider-type martial souls can use the Mega Evolution device. That means what you just created…"
Gu La nodded, confirming his guess.
"Exactly. This is a new Mega Evolution device, suitable for feline martial souls and some tiger-type martial souls. Zhu Zhuqing, try it on."
Gu La explained further: "Soul bones are rare, but unlike soul bones, Mega Evolution devices can be replaced. Others may not be able to activate the genes, though."
"A thousand-year soul bone can produce seven or eight Mega Evolution devices. A ten-thousand-year soul bone, being more complete, can create over a dozen devices, and they can be passed down like soul bones."
"This Mega Evolution device uses three soul bones. Zhu Zhuqing, you can test it gradually."
Gu La elaborated on why he hadn't made devices for others: "As for rabbit-type soul bones and plant-type soul bones, they're too rare. Like my variant martial soul, those will require time to find."
"There's another reason. Top-tier martial souls require intense bloodline stimulation for Mega Evolution, which also needs the Dragon Transformation Technique. Once I refine the technique, I'll conduct experiments."
Tang San's expression remained unchanged as he consoled him: "It's alright. My martial soul can truly evolve. The bloodline stimulation from Mega Evolution might not be beneficial before my martial soul evolves. Big Brother, there's no rush."
"Xiao Wu doesn't need to rush either."
Xiao Wu chimed in agreement, but her confused gaze suggested she still didn't fully grasp the significance of the Mega Evolution device.
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