Douluo Dalu: I have a Soul Beast Clone

After discovering the potential of the size-shifting ability, Li Chang'an began testing and studying its effects and limitations in various ways.

Eventually, he reached the following conclusions:

First, shrinking his body did not require energy consumption. Currently, the smallest he could shrink to was the size of an earthworm. Remarkably, even in this state, his physical strength, speed, and other attributes remained unchanged from his normal form.

Second, returning to his normal state from a shrunken form was not considered enlargement but rather recovery—like untying a tightened rope. Thus, it required no additional energy.

However, if he wanted to grow larger beyond his normal size, he needed to consume energy to fill the gap. The more energy consumed, the larger he could become.

This growth effect would revert after a period of time.

The ability had no cooldown period. As long as he had enough energy, he could activate it at any time.

As for the duration of the effect, it typically lasted only a few minutes. However, he could extend this duration by consuming more energy.

Through experimentation, Li Chang'an discovered that he could control the extent of his growth by adjusting his energy consumption. This allowed him to grow only by a few dozen meters without depleting his entire energy reserve.

When the effect was about to end, he could consume more energy to extend it. In theory, as long as he had enough energy, the effect could last indefinitely.

"Energy... energy is key!" Li Chang'an muttered to himself.

After awakening the Nine infant bloodline, he could sense that his internal power was still soul power, albeit more refined and potent due to the influence of the bloodline. However, compared to the divine power he had once experienced from the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, it was still far inferior in quality.

This clearly showed that bloodline and strength were two different matters. The awakening of a powerful bloodline did not automatically elevate him to the level of a top-tier expert.

Therefore, he was still far from his goal.

The awakening of the Nine-Infant bloodline had merely granted him better aptitude and stronger innate abilities.

To truly grow stronger, Li Chang'an needed to work hard on his cultivation and seek methods to enhance his power. Otherwise, if he simply relied on accumulating energy instinctively, he feared he would become nothing more than a plump, defenseless creature—like that fat Iceworm from Soul Land II, merely a delectable feast in the eyes of others.

"It seems my idea of forming an inner core needs to be prioritized," he muttered to himself.

Based on his existing knowledge of cultivation, most beasts followed the path of condensing an inner core. However, he had no clue how to go about forming one.

After all, an inner core was not simply a ball of condensed energy. If it were that simple, it would just be a lump of stones rather than a true inner core.

He believed the formation of an inner core must involve a deeper principle. It could never be that shallow.

"Grumble~"

A thunderous rumble echoed from his snake stomach.

Li Chang'an snapped back to reality, realizing that he probably hadn't eaten in a long time.

He immediately began slithering forward, guided by his sensory perception toward a location teeming with prey.

As he moved, countless weaker soul beasts fled in terror. Some were even frightened to death by his mere aura.

"My presence is too conspicuous," Li Chang'an remarked as he halted.

Standing still, his massive body remained motionless as his nine heads and eighteen snake eyes simultaneously closed, controlling the fluctuations of energy unintentionally leaking from his body.

As a natural predator, a snake was inherently skilled at concealment. Suppressing its presence was as instinctive as breathing.

Soon, he managed to completely suppress his aura.

Reopening his eyes, Li Chang'an resumed his journey forward.

In a forest where trees commonly stood dozens or even hundreds of meters tall, his thirty-meter-long body wasn't particularly eye-catching. Moreover, there were soul beasts with much larger bodies than his.

As long as he didn't release his aura as a high-level lifeform, the powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts wouldn't pay him any attention.

After traveling for a while, he sensed a gathering of numerous prey ahead.

To better conceal himself and prevent the prey from noticing and fleeing, Li Chang'an shrank his body until it was only a few meters long. He then slithered forward silently.

Before long, a vast lake appeared in front of him. Many soul beasts had gathered here to drink and rest.

There were wild boars, deer, porcupines, and even small creatures like rabbits and birds.

Despite not being natural enemies, the animals coexisted peacefully at this location.

The most powerful among them was a blue-glowing deer with crystalline antlers, whose soul light indicated a cultivation level of over a thousand years.

Next were a few wild boars, whose cultivation levels approached a thousand years as well. As for the porcupines, birds, and other smaller animals, their cultivation hovered around ten to a hundred years.

Looking at this harmonious scene of beasts and nature, Li Chang'an couldn't help but hesitate to disrupt the tranquility.

It was his first time venturing this far from his nest. Previously, he had only hunted nearby and never dared to go too far.

Thus, it was his first encounter with such a serene scene of harmony between beasts and nature.

He stared blankly for a long time.

Suddenly, the world before him transformed.

From all directions, countless threads enveloped the entire world. Every being was interconnected by these threads, influencing and affecting each other, thus forming this vibrant and intricate world.

This time, having experienced it once before, Li Chang'an didn't panic. His nine snake heads turned to look at one another and confirmed that his once blood-red eyes had all become mismatched—left red and right blue.

"It seems this must be some hidden ability of the 'Nine-Infant.' So what exactly am I seeing?" he wondered.

Due to the lack of any inherited memory from his soul-origin bloodline, he had to figure out the Nine-Infant's abilities on his own through trial and error.

"What do these omnipresent threads represent?" Li Chang'an pondered with confusion.

Looking around, he saw that every soul beast—whether a thousand-year-old soul beast or a mere decade-old one—was invariably connected by threads of varying thickness and color.

"Can I influence these threads?"

With this thought in mind, he attempted to focus his mental energy on the thickest thread attached to the thousand-year-old deer soul beast.

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted in his mind!

His spiritual power began depleting rapidly.

(Chapter End)