"A third-tier Beast Soul seal could advance the timeline for a second-tier Wizard to break through to the third tier by roughly twenty years!"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. This was the conclusion the Chip had reached after rigorous analysis.
"Of course, an ordinary second-tier Wizard's soul strength and physical body would be nowhere near sufficient to bear a third-tier Beast Soul seal. Only a Warlock might stand a slim chance…"
"Moreover, the limits of soul talent and strength also form the bottleneck of the Beast Soul Art. That's why in the Purgatory World, sixth-tier Beast Soul masters are already the stuff of legend — and a seventh-tier Priest or Beast Soul master has never appeared…"
At that moment, the enemy across from him saw his own fourth-tier Deep Blue Sea Serpent get pinned down by Gudorlick in a matter of moments, and the expression on his face was on the verge of going slack.
When had a third-tier Beast Soul been able to hold its own against a fourth-tier one?
In that instant, he felt as though his entire worldview had been shaken to its core.
"Beast Soul Summon — Four-Winged Bird!" But no matter how shocked and unwilling he was, the enemy still had to accept reality. Once he confirmed that the Deep Blue Sea Serpent couldn't do anything to Gudorlick in the short term, vivid tattoo runes blazed to life once more on the hawk-nosed alien across from Lei Lin.
A colossal bird with four wings materialized in a flash. Rampant wind-element particles coalesced around it, forming into a violent energy construct almost instantly — Wind Blades!
Pale cyan light-blades slashed across the ocean surface, revealing the figures of Gudorlick and the Deep Blue Sea Serpent still locked in fierce combat below.
Seeing that his side couldn't finish off Gudorlick quickly enough, the enemy immediately initiated another summon. The Four-Winged Bird was a third-tier Beast Soul, but combined with the Deep Blue Sea Serpent, Lei Lin's Gudorlick was instantly plunged into a desperate fight — Wind Blades raked across its body one after another. If Gudorlick hadn't already transitioned into its Beast Soul form, its body would have been covered in gaping wounds with blood gushing like a fountain by now.
Even in its Beast Soul state, Gudorlick's roars grew progressively weaker, and its soul-body grew dim.
"As I thought! I've only just started studying the Beast Soul Art, and with only a single third-tier Beast Soul, trying to go head-to-head against a fourth-tier Beast Soul master is far too ambitious…"
Lei Lin's gaze swept discreetly across the battlefield. Belinda and the others were already tangled up with their respective opponents, forming several small pockets of combat.
As for Belcrack, although he hadn't entered the fray himself, he was keeping his eyes locked firmly on Governor Iyas's position — clearly devoting the vast majority of his attention over there, only occasionally casting a glance this way with a look of schadenfreude.
"What a petty, biased old man!"
A trace of disgust rose in Lei Lin's heart as he silently stamped a death sentence on the fellow in his mind.
"Right now I can't use Warlock energy or sorcery — not even the Komo Yin Serpent Emperor's innate abilities. To maintain my cover, I can only use abilities related to the White Phosphorus Snake…"
His thoughts raced, and a layer of fine white scales had already surfaced across Lei Lin's body.
With the Mask of the Dreamless and the Devil White Phosphorus Snake's bloodline, simulating some of the opponent's abilities was a trivial matter for Lei Lin—even Belinda wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
[Chip notification: Subject utilizing Devil White Phosphorus Snake bloodline. Commencing simulation of target's scale state. Fidelity: 99.99%! Constitution increased! Surface defense increased! Dream Force Field strength enhanced!]
The Chip's voice echoed in his mind, and having completed the transformation, Lei Lin's entire body was now covered in a layer of delicate, white scales. Sharp claws had extended from his hands, and the scarlet in his eyes burned with an even deeper, purer intensity.
"The Devil White's bloodline!" The enemy across from him cried out in wary recognition.
"Die!" But at this moment, Lei Lin gave him no further chance to speak. He transformed into a white shadow, lunging fiercely forward, his claws slicing through the air with a flash of deadly, cold light.
Although he was confident in his disguise, a fake was still a fake. Given enough time, flaws might be spotted. Therefore, a swift, decisive battle was for the best.
"Damn you, abomination!!!" Lei Lin's opponent—the alien with the hooked eagle-like nose—glared with bloodshot eyes, then began pounding on his own chest.
Within a ring of blue, ghostly light, fine yet tough bristles emerged across the man's face. Azure flames ignited and burned continuously across his body.
"Beast Soul Fusion! Third-rank Azure Fire Wolf!" With a low shout from the enemy, the Beast Soul Master completed the fusion with his own Beast Soul, transforming into a half-human, half-wolf monster. The aura emanating from him grew ever stronger.
"Azure Fire Wolf? Seems to be some kind of high-level creature, specializing in flames and close combat, with extremely powerful physical abilities!"
According to the most popular Beast Soul bestiaries circulating on the market, Lei Lin identified the characteristics, as well as the strengths and weaknesses, of the Beast Soul being used.
A Beast Soul Master of the fourth rank or higher possessed the technique of Beast Soul Fusion. Through certain secret methods, they could grant themselves some of the abilities of a sealed Beast Soul.
The more sealed Beast Souls a Master had, the more terrifying the abilities they could employ. This fusion technique also resolved the issue of the Beast Soul Master's own physical frailty. It could be said that without this fusion capability, the value of Beast Soul techniques would diminish by at least a small margin.
"AWROOO!!!" Now, the opponent's hands had transformed into furry wolf claws, with the blue flames coating them like a layer of glazed glass.