Chapter 63: Transformation and Ascension

After unleashing a mental blast, Long Qianwen collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from her nose and mouth, and fell unconscious. The giant spider spun in place, while Wang Ji continued his relentless assault on its back.

“Die! I’ll cut you to pieces!”

Wang Ji’s mental state was on the verge of collapse. Not a patch of skin remained whole on his body; his clothes had been burned away by the intense heat, revealing raw, red muscle beneath. He hacked at the giant spider’s head again and again with the chainsaw sword in his hand, until the monster slowly slumped to the ground, dying with an unimaginable sense of unwillingness.

Finally, Wang Ji rolled off the spider’s mutilated back and landed beside Long Qianwen. Bloodied and barely conscious, he reached out and gently checked Long Qianwen’s pulse, satisfied, before succumbing to unconsciousness himself.

Several hundred meters away, Li Cong watched as dawn crept across the horizon. At last, the battlefield fell silent.

He hesitated, then slowly stood.

Green blood seeped from beneath the giant spider’s corpse, pooling into a shallow basin under their bodies; its heart core oozed from the wounds, rolling toward Wang Ji and Long Qianwen.

The heat emanating from Wang Ji caused the green blood to rise in vapor. Instinctively, he pulled Long Qianwen’s cold body close to his chest.

The intense heat burned away Long Qianwen’s clothing, causing her elegant brows to knit briefly, only to relax under the strange, nourishing warmth of the blood pool.

By now, Wang Ji had fully lost consciousness. The green blood around him burned more fiercely by the moment. When the green heart core finally reached the pool, a surge of blue, green, and red light entwined and spiraled upward, the burning blood forming a cocoon the size of a car around them.

When Li Cong arrived, he stared in horror at the scene before him.

At that moment, the earth welcomed its first ray of dawn.

…

Long Qianwen kept her eyes closed, enveloped in an unprecedented warmth, reminiscent of her mother’s embrace before the cataclysm. She curled up instinctively, murmuring, “Don’t move~ It’s so warm!”

Wang Ji, meanwhile, froze mid-dodge, eyes wide open. The beauty in his arms stirred, her delicate nose twitching, her entire body nestled against his chest, her breath warm against his skin, sending tremors through his soul.

He roared inwardly, “What happened?!”

[Commander! Congratulations on breaking through to Two-Star Battle General! Due to unknown mutation factors during your advancement, the resulting consequences cannot be analyzed at this time.]

At the prompt, Wang Ji immediately pulled up his status panel.

Host: Wang Ji
Title: Novice Butcher
Level: Level 2 Battle General
Strength: 210
Spirit: 250
Agility: 190
Stamina: 100/100
Condition: Excellent
Advancement: Level 2 genes unlocked (mutation direction unknown)
Energy Points: 915

[Beep! Commander has slain a high-level mutant leader, unlocking the title Bloodthirsty Butcher!]
[Beep! Commander has broken through level limits consecutively at low odds, earning the title Defier of Fate!]
[Beep! Commander has unlocked system Major privileges…]
[Beep! Commander has learned Basic Telekinesis…]

A string of cheerful notifications left Wang Ji stunned. He barely had time to savor the joy of winning the lottery when the beauty in his arms suddenly stirred.

“Ah~!”

“Ah~!”

Wang Ji clutched his blackened eyes, scrambling awkwardly to his feet. Long Qianwen angrily covered herself, tears welling in her eyes as she retreated to the edge of the blood cocoon in distress.

Outside, Professor Li Cong’s anxious voice rang out, “Xiao Wen! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Long Qianwen shot Wang Ji a fierce glare before calling out, “Professor, I’m fine!”

Wang Ji forced a grin, peeking at her with panda eyes.

Long Qianwen raised a fist, realized she was exposed again, and hurriedly turned away, muttering, “You wretched man! How dare you look!”

Wang Ji shrank back, turning away but still feeling the lingering fragrance in his arms, his heart pounding.

Feeling something, Long Qianwen glanced back at Wang Ji, her cheeks flushed, annoyance mingling with embarrassment. “Damn it, how did I end up… with him without even realizing it?”

After a moment, Wang Ji came to his senses, grinning awkwardly, “Wait, I have clothes!”

Without hesitation, Wang Ji used the X system to manifest several sets of camouflage combat uniforms.

They quickly dressed and only then dared to look at each other.

Wang Ji finally saw Long Qianwen’s face—exquisitely beautiful, her eyes shining, cheeks tinged with a blush, the collar of her uniform revealing a slender, jade-like neck, radiant and flawless, as if carved from ivory, a fairy come to life.

“You…”

Both spoke at the same time.

They shared an awkward smile. Wang Ji took the initiative, “What’s your name?”

For some reason, Long Qianwen felt an irresistible fondness toward Wang Ji, even though they’d only just met and ended up alone together by chance.

“My name is Long Qianwen…”

Wang Ji smiled, “Such a lovely name, Qianwen. I’m Wang Ji—‘Wang’ as in king, ‘Ji’ as in auspicious.”

Long Qianwen memorized his words, lowering her head bashfully, leaving the moment awkward again.

Wang Ji, flustered, searched for a topic. “That… that big spider! I killed it!”

Long Qianwen’s expression changed, worry flashing in her eyes. “Ah! The professor’s still outside. We need to go check on him. How do we get out of here?”

She looked at the smooth walls of the blood cocoon, at a loss.

“Here, let me try to open it.” Wang Ji pressed his hand against the cocoon, willed it, and instantly the cocoon broke apart into palm-sized fragments, swirling in the air.

Long Qianwen looked on in astonishment. “Wang Ji, what ability is that? Amazing!”

“Uh, telekinetic control, I guess!” Wang Ji stacked the fragments neatly to the side, revealing Professor Li Cong, still clutching his abdominal wound, staring in shock.

“Ah, Professor, your wound is bleeding again! Are you alright?” Long Qianwen rushed to his side, examining the seeping injury.

Li Cong regained his composure, relieved to see Long Qianwen unharmed. A smile appeared on his pale face. “I’m fine, I’m fine…”

“No, let me check myself!” A sudden insight welled up in Long Qianwen, as if a force burst forth from within. Her hands glowed with white light as she pressed them to Li Cong’s abdomen. Within moments, his expression eased; Long Qianwen entered a trance-like state, hands on his wound, eyes closed.

Several minutes passed. Li Cong’s face gradually regained color.

“Whew, so tired!” Long Qianwen opened her eyes, delighted as she looked at her hands, sweat beading on her forehead.

Wang Ji watched her in concern, helping her up. “Are you alright? Is this your ability?”

Long Qianwen shook her head, naturally accepting Wang Ji’s support, smiling. “Just a bit tired, nothing serious. I suppose this is a gift for surviving such peril.”

“Hm~ Let’s call it the Rejuvenation Technique!” Long Qianwen’s eyes lit up.

Professor Li Cong, incredulous, got up, flexed his hands, unwrapped the bandage to reveal a healing wound. “Rejuvenation… rejuvenation! Miraculous hands! Xiao Wen, your ability is incredible! Let your grandfather study it later.”

Hearing this, Wang Ji’s brow furrowed. A powerful mental pressure bore down on Professor Li Cong as Wang Ji spoke in a low voice, “Who are you? What did you say? You want to study Qianwen?!”

Professor Li Cong staggered back, dropping to the ground, paralyzed by Wang Ji’s mental coercion, horror etched on his face.

Long Qianwen hurriedly stepped between them, anxious. “Wang Ji! Calm down, this is Grandpa Li Cong, my father’s teacher! He doesn’t mean to study me…”

After more than ten minutes, Wang Ji finally understood Long Qianwen’s background and Li Cong’s identity. Realizing his mistake, he apologized repeatedly.

“Enough! Stop talking. The professor has forgiven you. Besides, we’ve slept for an entire day…” Long Qianwen’s cheeks reddened as she continued, “Ah, I’m starving!”

At her words, Wang Ji seized the chance to escape his embarrassment. “I’ll go gather some food!”

The giant spider nearby was dead beyond doubt; despite its massive size, the thought of eating it was unbearable.

Now empowered by his advancement, Wang Ji let out a triumphant roar, his shadow flickering as he sped toward the distant mountains.

Long Qianwen smiled quietly, looking at the spider’s remains. She picked up Wang Ji’s chainsaw sword from the ground and walked over.

Professor Li Cong watched the two thoughtfully, a sudden insight dawning in his mind. He smiled and sat down to study the blood cocoon.

“My telekinesis, combined with spirit, lets me sense movement within a thousand meters!” Wang Ji could barely contain his excitement, moving swiftly across the rocky hills.

“Maximum jump height—fifty meters!”

“Speed without armor—eighty kilometers per hour!”

“Shattering stone with a punch! Kicking through the air!”

“I’m practically a superhero now!” Wang Ji reached the highest peak, gazing over the magnificent landscape, his spirit soaring skyward.

After a moment of awe, Wang Ji remembered his task and spread his senses, soon locating two wild boars, each weighing several hundred pounds.

With bare hands, he shattered their skulls and hurried back, carrying them effortlessly.

Upon returning, he found Long Qianwen had already cut off the giant spider’s eight sharp, sturdy legs, along with some hard carapace, and was working on one of the spikes.

Seeing Wang Ji return with two wild boars, her eyes brightened as she brandished a spider leg.

“You’re back! The spider’s leg is quite sharp. I’ll use one as a weapon! Too bad I couldn’t find its crystal core—it must have shattered.”

Wang Ji chuckled, “These are our spoils. Take whatever you like. I’m starving, too. Let’s roast some wild boar first!”