Chapter 301: Breaking Free from the Shell

Wild winds and red light instantly intertwined, rolling waves of qi surged outward in all directions.

Two sharp cracks!

The first two layers of light shields shattered into glittering fragments, while the third layer's surface flared violently with red light, its spiritual runes flickering uncertainly as it emitted a strained hum.

The tall-capped man, watching from afar, raised his eyebrows, formed a hand seal with one hand, and slowly, deliberately pointed a finger at the empty air before him.

"Mou"

Amidst the blinding white wind, the massive ox head phantom reappeared, opened its mouth downward, and spat out a thick column of blinding white light.

The third layer of the shield, already on the verge of collapse, shattered instantly under the impact of the colossal light column.

Seeing this, the tall-capped man couldn't help but smile faintly, a sneer curling at his lips.

But at the very moment the third shield shattered, a loud shout came from below—Wang Yu's voice—"Chit-chit!"—and a dense swarm of golden palm shadows erupted upward, converging in an instant into a single golden palm, over a zhang in size, fingers spreading as it slammed down and scattered the giant light column.

The tall-capped man was startled, but before he could react, another thunderous boom echoed.

The massive golden palm flashed once and appeared beside the giant ox-head phantom, blurred slightly, then struck it hard.

The white ox-head phantom instantly dissolved and vanished, revealing the bronze hammer's true form, which trembled slightly before being flung skyward by an unstoppable, terrifying force, shrinking rapidly until it returned to its original size.

The tall-capped man grunted, his face paling, and quickly formed hand seals with both hands, pointing repeatedly at the sky.

The bronze hammer, which had been soaring high, now spun in midair with a series of hums and shot downward toward the man's outstretched hand.

"Excellent, excellent! Wang Yu, your strength is truly astonishing—your test, Yun's disciple, has been passed." Yu Bin, watching from above, smiled broadly and descended slowly alongside the old man beside him.

"Thank you, Master, for holding back."

Wang Yu exhaled deeply; the golden armor's phantom faded from his body, and his figure shrank rapidly back to normal, as if deflating like a punctured balloon. He bowed slightly toward the tall-capped man.

"You've passed the test. Brothers, I'll take my leave first." The tall-capped man's expression shifted several times before he reluctantly spoke to Wang Yu, then bowed to Yu Bin and the other elder, and vanished in a flash of white light.

"Wang Yu, I'll return and report to the Sect Master that you've passed the trial. Just wait for the official notice." Yu Bin smiled warmly at Wang Yu, then summoned white clouds beneath his feet and ascended into the sky as well.

In an instant, only Li Tianqi and Wang Yu remained.

"Congratulations, Wang Yu, your status as a True Disciple is within reach. But this test was surprisingly simple—it suggests you have powerful connections behind you." The old man in brown robe smiled warmly at Wang Yu.

"Not at all—this is all due to the fairness of our Sect Master and the elders." Wang Yu smiled in return.

"Hah! Indeed, but don't wander far these next two days. If all goes as expected, your mutated beast will break free from its shell in two days—you're lucky; this Ironhead Crocodile's mutation seems to be progressing smoothly." Li Tianqi laughed, then turned and walked back into the bamboo grove.

Xiao Bai is about to complete its mutation!

Hearing this, Wang Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed after him.

……

Two days later, beside the pond outside the cave entrance.

Wang Yu and Li Tianqi stood at the bottom of the pond, eyes fixed without blinking on the white giant egg, half-buried in black mud.

Now, the upper half of the egg was continuously exuding streams of clear water, washing away the encasing mud; within moments, most of the mud had been rinsed from the eggshell's surface.

Then came a few sharp cracks—the pristine white shell split open from one side, and a white, blobby head emerged: Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai spotted Wang Yu nearby at once, let out a joyful low chirp, pushed with all four limbs, shattered the entire egg, and in a flash, transformed into a white blur that lunged straight at Wang Yu.

Without hesitation, Wang Yu flicked his arm, his fingers expertly gripping Xiao Bai's neck, lifting it close for careful inspection.

Once four chi long, the white Ironhead Crocodile had now grown to six chi, its tail dragging heavily along the ground—nearly as large as Da Lv.

More importantly, its eyes had turned a soft pink, and a single blue-scaled patch, the size of a fingernail, had appeared on its belly; no other changes were visible.

"This is phosphorescence."

The old man in brown robe, seeing the change on Xiao Bai's belly, looked surprised.

"Master, what is phosphorescence? Is it harmful?" Wang Yu turned to ask.

"Phosphorescence is a common mutation trait, but it usually appears only in beasts whose physical form mutates. According to our original assessment, this Ironhead Crocodile should have awakened a water-controlling talent—this is odd. Could it have awakened two abilities simultaneously?"

"Wang Yu, may I examine this beast?" Li Tianqi stepped forward, reached out, and gently touched the blue scale on the beast's belly, as if desperate to pluck one off for immediate study.

Xiao Bai sensed the old man's ill intent, immediately turned its head, bared its teeth, and growled threateningly—but after Wang Yu patted its back twice, it instantly softened into contented hums.

"Of course I'll allow the examination—I want to understand Xiao Bai's current state too—but it must not be harmed, and the test must be done here."

"If we do it here, I can only perform basic checks. The bloodline-analysis arrays and special instruments are only in my cave."

"Then let me do a preliminary test here. Afterward, give me a drop of its blood and one of those blue scales—I'll take them back to my cave for deeper study, and I'll notify you the moment I have results." Li Tianqi looked slightly reluctant, then nodded.

"Blood and scales—I can provide those. Thank you, Master." Wang Yu glanced at the dense cluster of blue scales on Xiao Bai's belly, thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Ironhead Crocodiles are naturally tough-skinned beasts; losing a little blood and a scale won't harm it.

"Excellent! Wang Yu, rest assured—I won't let you down. First, tell me how this beast changed before and after mutation, then let it demonstrate its current abilities, and finally I'll use my instruments for a quick check." Li Tianqi beamed.

Wang Yu readily agreed.

……

An hour later, Li Tianqi left the pond with a satisfied smile, flying straight back to his cave.

Wang Yu remained by the pond, motionless, staring at the astonishing sight before him, his face filled with astonishment.