The fresh memory of getting cut in half hit me. The searing pain of getting my body chopped in half despite the tremendous defense I had. I thought I had transcended that level of damage already, especially coming from the Spirit Realm Cultivators.

But, I guess that just showed that I was not invincible yet. Level Five of the Spirit Realm, a Sword Cultivator, someone who focused exclusively on attack, was just about the only thing that could hurt me.

While other, weaker people could similarly use Spirit Qi with the help of relics, having a Spirit Realm Cultivator manipulate his own power was something completely different. He could mold and shape that Qi to make it stronger, sharper, denser. They could still hurt me if they really tried. I guess there were big differences between the levels, and the steps required to reach the next one grew ever greater, never diminishing.

I sighed. I still had much to learn it seemed.

“Hey... Gerald?” I heard a call.

I opened my eyes and saw Arkos standing beside me.

[What’s up?]

“I… I need your advice.” The guy said.

I stood up to be level with him. [Shoot. What’s bothering you?]

“You know when you said I could merge with another creature?”

[A Drake? Yeah, I remember. Why, you got some blood?]

The guy smiled and shook his head. “No, but I thought I might as well ask some questions before doing anything stupid. Bloodlines are not cheap.”

[True… The Shadowbeast was quite expensive.] I murmured to myself the last sentence. Obviously, he heard it.

“You merged with a Shadowbeast?!” He exclaimed.

[Yeah, well…] I glanced at the screen and then placed a hand on his shoulder. [Let’s take a walk outside.] The constant beeps coming from the screen were starting to annoy me since I couldn’t just cut off my hearing ability anymore, not to mention other people were beginning to perk their ears at the mention of the Shadowbeast.

I was a one-on-one kind of guy. I needed space.

“Sure…” Arkos quickly agreed and we left the bunker and exited the barrier, walking in a wide circle around the base.

“You said you merged with a Shadowbeast?” He began.

[Oh, yeah. And a few others as well. I’m telling you, nothing feels better than the power coursing through my veins in my enhanced form.]

“How?! How can you merge with multiple beasts? I feel the strain with just this one…”

I looked at the guy and became serious. [You really wish to know?]

“Yes!”

[Very well. The truth is… that I have no idea what I’m doing. It just works.] I said.

“Er… What?”

[Honest. I just did what I was told, drew the Formation, used the blood… You know, the usual. I just did it more than once. I don’t even fully understand how the whole process works, and I have experienced it multiple times.]

“Seriously?!”

[Yup.]

“Then…” He appeared crushed. “There’s no chance…?”

[Well, I wouldn’t say that…] I clapped him on the shoulder. His eyes brightened and he looked at me with hope. [I did notice a few differences between us, so there might be something there.]

“What is it?” He asked with renewed hope.

[First, let me ask you something… Why do you fully transform?]

Arkos frowned. “What do you mean?”

[Your bear form, why do you completely turn into a beast?]

“Well, it’s easy, and what else am I supposed to do?”

[Why don’t you try something like…] I growled and my body expanded as dragonification took hold. I only used the bloodline of the Drake to transform so I was far from my peak, but it was good as a demonstration. Although I gained many foreign attributes, my overall shape was still that of a human.

[Something like this.]

“Woah. It looks even more impressive up close.” Arkos marveled at my scales, looking at them up close. Real close.

[Your answer?]

He shook his head and sighed. “Partial transformation is much harder to sustain. It requires constant concentration to keep it going while full transformation can be held passively.”

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[Yeah, that’s true, but then you can guide it better. Don’t you feel like you lose part of yourself when fully transforming?] I asked. I certainly felt the pull of the beast while changing shape, and the last one, from the Shadowbeast, was especially powerful. I kept its instincts at bay most of the time unless I was in a fight where I could let loose.

“Yeah, but that’s normal, right? Letting instincts take over? It makes it easier to control.”

[Does it?] I squinted my eyes at him.

“Yes.”

[Are you sure?]

“Of course!” He insisted.

[Hmm.] I rubbed my chin. [So you are saying it’s easier to control, but what if that’s exactly the problem?]

“What do you mean?”

I squinted my eyes and looked at him with all the seriousness I could muster. [It took me hundreds of hours of keeping the transformation going until I felt I got used to it. The fact that you are not putting any effort into it might be good for a beginner, but you are just shooting yourself in the foot long term.]

He opened his eyes and mouth wide in shock and tried to speak, but no clear words came out.

[Didn’t you receive guidance from an Elder?]

Arkos shook his head. “No. To be honest, I kind of skimmed my studies back then, but I was still young at that time. And besides, Elder Fa also transformed completely.” He pointed out.

[Yeah, but he’s not a warrior, while you are, right?]

The guy nodded.

[No matter what you think, the fact is that a more humanoid form is the correct one. I saw that the pangolin guy kept his shape with only minor changes. That’s what the bloodlines are supposed to do. Add value. You can’t just turn into something else and expect it to be better. It would just be different.]

“So what you are saying…”

[I’m saying that you need to take the good stuff and discard the rest. Every beast out there has some advantages and some disadvantages. We, as beast Cultivators, should be able to choose.]

Arkos frowned. “I never thought about it that way. I just knew that merging with another beast would make me stronger, but to pick the bits and pieces…”

[Look at it this way. It’s like choosing different pieces of gear when going to battle.] I said and pointed at myself. [The strong vitality of a Drake.]

Then my scales turned darker, growing thick and black with a metallic luster. [The unparalleled defense of a Blackshell Titan, and…]

My form expanded, my muscles grew, bulging to the limits of practicality, and I gained another head and then some in height. [The power of a Shadowbeast.]

I growled, letting my power flow. The horns, claws, and spikes were all on display, and together with my savage Aura, I was the incarnation of death.

Arkos gulped and took a step back, body trembling and eyes wide.

[Your turn.] I rumbled with a rough voice. [Transform, but keep your human form.]

He timidly nodded and did just that. However, unlike his complete transformation from before, which took only a second or two, I could see him struggling to shape his body. He had a concentrated frown on his face and his flesh slowly shifted, expanding and contracting in places.

Hair grew thicker from his limbs, his frame expanded in every direction, and his flesh bulged out as he filled out, a weird mixture of a bear and man.

“This is…” He began. “So uncomfortable. I feel like I’m flexing the entire time. This doesn’t feel right.”

I snorted and flashed my Killing Intent. He flinched and stumbled, his transformation slipping out of control. His body shrank back down while his limbs fully transformed into those of a bear. The change was sudden and unexpected and he lost balance, falling on his ass.

I huffed in laughter. [You have absolutely no control over your own body. Are you a warrior or a small child? Come on, do it again!]

He groaned but obliged. His body shifted again, changing shape, returning to that optimal mixture of man and beast. I flashed my Killing Intent again and the same thing happened, only this time half of his body remained transformed while the other half didn’t. The change was drastic and swift once more, and he stumbled, his limbs being different lengths and all.

[Again!]

He transformed and I disrupted his conscious mind with my own. He failed, over and over, and over again. Every time the changes shifted under my assault, I forced him to repeat it.

An hour later he was gasping for air while lying on the ground, but his transformation stayed steady. The last mental poke didn’t budge it.

[There we go, finally some progress.] I undid my transformation and helped him stand up. He also undid his as sweat ran down his exhausted face.

“That was… quite the experience.” He huffed.

[It’s a good start.] I nodded. [Just keep doing that for a few weeks and it should become easier.]

“Weeks?”

[Yes. A few hours each day should suffice. Just make sure you are consistent. To fully integrate the transformation into your subconscious will probably take longer, but it shouldn’t be a struggle anymore at least.]

“Really? That seems… less than I expected.”

I laughed. [That’s just to get you familiar with the feeling. After you start adding up other bloodlines the effort required grows exponentially greater.]

“Oh…” He mouthed, sounding disappointed. “Well, I should have expected it I guess. I’ll do my best.”

[That’s the spirit!] I slapped him on the back and he stumbled. I forgot he was exhausted from all the transformations.

[Ah, before I forget… When merging with a beast, try to feel the changes, don’t just passively let the ritual do its thing.]

“You can do that?”

[Of course!] I almost wanted to facepalm at his surprised expression. He clearly had no idea he could do that. How did I have more common sense than a century-old Cultivator? The entire foundation of Cultivation was built upon the mind and thoughts of the user. If you wanted something to change, demanding it to be so was the best way.

The ritual wants to give you body hair? I say fuck that. Who’s going to win? An automatic magical construct or a mind that can change and adapt? The answer is obviously the latter.

[You need to guide the process, don’t let the Formation just willy-nilly alter your appearance.] I said. [Considering the Inferno Bear you have has both Fire and Earth Element, you have many choices to pick. I would suggest something that can cover your weaknesses, but that’s something you know best.]

“Yeah… I guess I’m kind of slow when transformed.” Arkos admitted.

[There you go, then maybe pick some beast with speed or agility and just merge with that part of it. There probably is a book with all the possible beasts that could fit your needs in the library.]

“Hmm, I’ll have to meditate on that. I guess I should probably pick something Fire based? It’s definitely better for speed than Earth.”

I shrugged. [that’s completely up to you, that’s the beauty of it. You can create a completely unique combination that suits you best.]

Arkos nodded absentmindedly and then suddenly cupped his fists and bowed. “Thank you, Senior, for this eye-opening experience.”

I laughed. [I’m not your Senior, man! I’m less than half your age. And besides, we are Brothers, we should help each other.]

“Even if that is the case, please accept my gratitude. You have shown me a new path and opened my eyes to the possibilities.”

[Alright, alright!] I lifted him up and smiled. [I accept your-]

My Soul shivered with detected danger. My gaze hardened and time slowed down to a crawl. I crouched down, detecting every minuscule movement of air brushing against my skin, and gathered my energy, before striking out with an open palm. A powerful blow hit Arkos in the chest as I hastily pushed energy out of my body, and before he even started moving, my skin was already turning dark red and my bones expanding in preparation for battle.