Duoluo Dalu: Hail Hydra

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Xiaotian took a deep breath as the golden-yellow spirit ring floated above the corpse of the Void Eye Snake. It pulsed with energy, waiting for him to absorb it.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

As soon as he guided the ring toward himself, his body locked up. A crushing force wrapped around his meridians like a vice. His muscles clenched, his bones creaked, and he suddenly understood why every protagonist in cultivation stories always screamed during this process.

Holy fuck! The traditional energy absorption near death experience. It fucking hurts!

The energy of the Void Eye Snake crashed into him like an angry dragon, threatening to tear him apart. This was where the melted whale rubber he consumed earlier came in handy. Instead of exploding like, his body held firm. His meridians stretched, allowing the energy to settle instead of wreaking havoc.

Then came the rest of the pain.

Xiaotian clenched his jaw. His senses exploded as every nerve in his body lit up. His senses had clearly improved, he could hear birds chirping from ridiculous distances, see the tiniest ant crawling far away and even smell the faintest trace of blood in the air.

Ultra-instinct for beginners. Neat!

Then came the data transfer, he instinctively understood his new ability.

Void Step – A short burst movement skill that temporarily distorts perception, making the user seem faster while slowing down the enemy.

Xiaotian opened his eyes, exhaling deeply. "No ominous voice in my head? No dramatic announcement? Just instant understanding? Well, that's extremely practical."

He flexed his fingers, feeling his power settle. The enhancement from the spirit ring was more than just an ability, it refined his entire body. He felt lighter, sharper, and far more aware.

Not bad. Let's see what I can do with it.

Under a large tree on a cliff, Xiaogang and their ever reliable bodyguard sat waiting.

The bodyguard sighed. "We've been here for an hour and a half. What's the plan?"

Xiaogang, lying comfortably on a rock, lazily stretched. "The plan is to wait another hour."

"…We didn't come all this way to just sit around, did we?"

Xiaogang chuckled. "Well, the exact location of thunderquill hawk's nest is not known to anybody. According to Xiaotian's calculations, the next thunderstorm should hit in about an hour. These birds love soaking in the rain like our clan elders in hot springs. When they rise from their cliffside nests, that's when we attack."

The bodyguard raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me we're waiting on a weather prediction?"

"Trust the process."

The bodyguard sighed and sat back. He had to admit, the brat had a point. These hawks nested in high places most predators couldn't reach. Also, It's territory must be deep inside were humans can't go either. Attacking them while they were still in dangerous grounds was like trying to rob a dragon in its lair.

As if on cue, the sky darkened. A low rumble echoed through the valley, followed by a flicker of lightning. Within moments, a light drizzle began.

Then it appeared.

A Thunderquill Hawk, its golden-yellow feathers glowing with streaks of electricity, gracefully rose from its nest. It stretched its wings wide, sparks dancing with each movement.

The bodyguard narrowed his eyes. "That thing is at least 450 years old. I don't think you'll be able to absorb its ring."

Xiaogang smirked. "I've been training long for this moment. No turn backs. Do it, now."

The bodyguard let out a sigh. "Alright, kid. Hope you've got a backup plan."

And just like that, he vanished.

One moment, he was standing next to Xiaogang. The next, he launched himself like a missile toward the hawk.

The Thunderquill Hawk screeched, flapping its wings and sending arcs of lightning across the air. The bodyguard, showing the patience of a man who had been through too much shit in his life, dodged effortlessly.

Then, he appeared behind the bird and WHAM!!

One punch. Straight to the gut. The hawk plummeted like a broken kite, slamming into the cliffside. The bird let out a dazed squawk, barely managing to flap its wings before the bodyguard grabbed its legs and swung it like a medieval flail.

BOOM!!

Straight into the rock again.

The hawk twitched.

The bodyguard dusted off his hands. "Done."

Xiaogang blinked. "That was… unnecessarily brutal."

"Look, you wanted it alive. This is as alive as it gets." The bodyguard dragged the half-conscious hawk over. "Go ahead."

Xiaogang pulled out his flask, took a massive swig, and finished off the hawk in one smooth motion.

The bodyguard frowned. "What was that?"

Xiaogang smiled innocently. "Oh, energy drink mixed with a very strong analgesic. Another gift, from my brother."

The bodyguard squinted but let it go.

Xiaotian stretched his arms as he walked deeper into the forest, his body still buzzing from the effects of absorbing his first spirit ring.

After collecting the spirit ring, he had evolved into level 16, Spirit Master. After collecting the Radiant Sun dew herb, his next plan was simple: find a relatively weak beast, get some combat experience, and confirm his new ability's effectiveness. He wasn't looking for anything crazy, just a stepping stone to test his power.

That was when he arrived at a riverbank.

There, half-submerged in the murky water, was a crocodile like spirit beast. It had thick, dark scales that reflected the sunlight, making it look like some kind of battle hardened veteran of the swamps. Its long tail swayed lazily in the water, and its golden eyes locked onto Xiaotian the moment he stepped closer.

Xiaotian sighed dramatically. "Of course, the first thing I run into is a murder log."

The croc, clearly unimpressed with his nonsense, let out a low growl.

Xiaotian examined it closely. It was definitely a spirit beast, probably a few hundred years old. Its aura wasn't overwhelming, but it wasn't weak either.

'Alright, big guy. You'll do.'

The croc didn't wait for an invitation. It surged forward with surprising speed, its jaws snapping shut right where Xiaotian had been standing a second ago.

Xiaotian blinked. "Huh. That was fast."

The croc, apparently taking that as a challenge, lunged again.

This time, Xiaotian summoned his martial soul. A giant hydra head materialized in front of him, its glowing red eyes staring down at the incoming reptile. Its enormous jaws opened, ready to counter the attack.

The croc, however, was no rookie. Instead of mindlessly charging forward, it twisted mid-attack, dodging the hydra's bite and lunging for Xiaotian's side instead.

Xiaotian raised an eyebrow. 'Okay, this guy has actual brain cells.'

But that was where the croc made a mistake.

Because Xiaotian wasn't just seeing with his own eyes, for he was seeing through the hydra's vision as well.

It was like having a mini map in a video game. The moment the croc changed direction, Xiaotian's brain processed the movement from two perspectives at once, giving him an almost unfair advantage.

'Alright, time to test the new ability.'

As the croc lunged, Xiaotian activated Void Step.

And suddenly, time slowed.

Everything around him turned sluggish, be it the croc's massive jaws creeping toward him at a snail's pace, the river water rippling in slow motion, and even the faintest breeze moving like it was in a chinese kung fu movie sequence.

Xiaotian grinned. Welcome to bullet time.

With the grace of a seasoned protagonist, he casually stepped aside, dodging the attack like he had been training for it all his life. Then, because he couldn't resist, he reached out and two finger tapped the croc on the nose.

"Forgive me croc, next time." The time resumed.

The croc's attack missed entirely, its jaws snapping shut around empty air. It landed with a splash, looking momentarily confused.

Xiaotian dusted off his sleeve. "That was fun. Let's do it again."

The croc, now thoroughly annoyed, let out a deafening roar and activated its own ability, Titan Jaw.

Its body tensed, muscles bulging unnaturally as raw strength surged through its form. This time, when it lunged, it was faster, more precise, and far more dangerous.

Xiaotian's smirk faded slightly. 'Okay, maybe I shouldn't have provoked the prehistoric chainsaw.'

The croc's jaws clamped down, this time, directly onto the hydra's neck.

Xiaotian winced. "Oof. That looked painful."

The croc shook its head violently, tearing the hydra's neck apart, thick black blood splattering across the ground.

For a moment, Xiaotian was actually stunned.

Then, something strange happened.

The hydra's wound didn't stay a wound.

Instead, the torn flesh wriggled and pulsed before rapidly regenerating.

And then…

A second head grew nearby the first head's location. And all the while, what he felt was a weird feeling inside, like he could've spawned it somewhere else if he wanted to.

The battlefield fell into a brief, awkward silence. The croc, still holding a chunk of hydra meat in its mouth, froze.

Xiaotian tilted his head. "Huh. So that's how it works. I need more practice, I guess!"

The croc slowly spat out the piece of flesh.

Then, in an absolutely uncharacteristic move for a supposedly deadly predator, it started backing away.

Xiaotian grinned. "Oh no, buddy. This is not how we end this."

The croc turned to flee.

Xiaotian sighed. "Tsk, tsk. Should've read the fine print before biting a regenerating monster."

With Void Step still active, he dashed forward, cutting off the croc's escape route.

The croc hissed, eyes darting left and right, searching for an opening. But Xiaotian wasn't giving it one.

After all, this was no longer a fair fight. It was a hunting lesson and Xiaotian was the teacher.

Alright, let's end this.