Chapter 198: Animating Metal

Lei En didn't stare at this slime monster for long.

It wasn't his first time seeing a Supreme Element; although he was very surprised, he quickly calmed down, turned his head and asked, "Ha Bu, where did you get so many slime monsters?"

In the Demon Soul classification, slime monsters are categorized as anomalous beasts.

The origin of this anomalous beast is a mystery of Ai Lun E Si; no one knows how they appeared, nor their origin or motive. They are the lowest‑grade creatures, possessing only simple survival instincts.

Slime monsters can appear in many environments: damp swamps, dim uninhabited forests, city sewers, polluted riverbeds, filthy ruins, even roadside mud pits, where they may emerge overnight.

They are a sentient blob of slime, within which Demon Souls are born.

Slime monsters are highly aggressive; they devour anything they touch—animals, insects, carrion, leaves, rotting skin, including all kinds of human waste—and can digest it in just a few minutes.

Even indigestible matter merges with the slime monster.

Over time, the slime monster grows larger, becoming a terrifying creature formed from a mass of chaotic trash, and it becomes increasingly hard to kill.

Killing a slime monster usually yields no loot, because they digest everything.

The only gain is their Demon Soul.

Since slime monsters eat everything without refusal and convert it all into life‑sustaining nutrition, occasionally their souls give rise to quite valuable Elements.

Lei En has read in books that many Demon Soul breeding farms have a system for cultivating slime monsters, feeding them specific foods to induce useful Elements.

But someone like Ha Bu, who has raised so many slime monsters, is still rare.

A rough count shows that almost every cell in half of the deep pit houses slime monsters—nearly a hundred.

Slime monsters cannot be artificially bred; their appearance is disgusting and foul‑smelling, so they are instantly eradicated whenever they surface, and transport is troublesome. Ha Bu must have expended great effort to acquire so many.

Sure enough, the Minotaur's face showed a hint of pride.

"Lord, I have a team dedicated to collecting slime monsters," Ha Bu said with a smile. "These slime monsters have been accumulated over years; just feeding them costs over a thousand Gold Shields each year, and the breeding farm also employs a Soul Examiner who keeps long‑term research records on them."

"Then you're truly generous," Lei En said sincerely, admiringly.

"Hehe…" the Minotaur's tail flicked twice behind him. "They're my darlings; the Gold Shields they've earned for me have long surpassed the cost of keeping them."

Regarding slime monsters, it was clearly hitting Ha Bu's point of pride.

Before Lei En could ask, he proactively explained, "Lord, don't underestimate slime monsters; with specific cultivation for a few years, they may produce quite excellent Elements."

The Minotaur spoke while walking along the edge of the deep pit.

Along the walls of the pit's cells are narrow walkways; standing on them lets one see the slime monsters below clearly.

These anomalous beasts have no eyes, only a constantly writhing mouth that resembles a fissure.

They linger at the bottom of the cells, flowing back and forth slowly like rotten mud.

Some slime monsters constantly try to crawl out, but the cell walls are slick and offer no foothold, making climbing impossible.

A few farm workers happened to be feeding the slime monsters; they poured all sorts of junk—rotting flesh, weeds, trash—into them, and the slime monsters instantly devoured everything.

Some slime monsters have grown into giant slime monsters, their massive bodies filling entire cells, sagging like a foul‑smelling pool; pus‑filled bubbles form and burst on the surface, the stench is overwhelming, and indescribable objects periodically protrude—some humanoid, some beast‑like—each ensnared by tentacles and dragged back down, as if they were being drowned alive, a sight that would haunt anyone's dreams.

The Minotaur covered his nose and said, "A slime monster's Demon Soul Elements usually don't exceed three."

"The most common are Toughness and Slick Skin, both defensive Elements," Ha Bu said, stepping onto a cell and pointing at a black slime monster inside. Its body looked as if it had overeaten, swollen and round, surface smooth, lazily motionless.

"Lord, please look."

Lei En saw at a glance that this slime monster's Demon Soul contained the two Elements just mentioned.

"Toughness and Slick Skin aren't worth much," Ha Bu continued walking forward, "The souls that fetch high prices are those bearing Self‑Healing, Rapid Metabolism, Damage Transfer, Toxin Resistance, or Force Rebound—any one of those can sell for over a thousand Gold."

Lei En nodded; the Minotaur truly has a knack for raising slime monsters.

Ha Bu suddenly halted, his expression turning somewhat mysterious.

"What's wrong?" Lei En asked, feeling puzzled.

Ha Bu hesitated a few seconds, scanned the surroundings, and seeing only Lei En and Ai Mi Li Si, he seemed to make a decision and said, "Lord, and this lady, please keep what I'm about to say confidential; it's a trade secret of our Soul‑Cultivation Farm."

Lei En was speechless; the Minotaur's slick salesman act was layered upon layers, once again feigning mystery.

If it's a serious secret, then just don't say it!

Ai Mi Li Si fell for it instantly, curiosity sparkling in her eyes, and she replied, "Alright."

Lei En also nodded in agreement.

"Cultivating giant slime monsters for over three years gives their Demon Souls a slim chance of spawning Supreme Elements," Ha Bu said solemnly, lowering his voice, "Lord, lady, have you heard of 'Limb Regeneration' and 'Rubber Physique'?"

Ai Mi Li Si was instantly astonished.

Both are Supreme Elements; Limb Regeneration needs no further explanation—it's an advanced form of Self‑Healing that not only automatically mends wounds in a short time but can also regrow severed limbs, restoring them perfectly.

If Limb Regeneration advances again, it becomes the legendary Element 'Undying Body'!

Rubber Physique is slightly less renowned, yet it is a very powerful Supreme Element; it lets the body stretch or contract within a certain range, enlarge or shrink, granting extremely high physical resistance, immunity to paralysis and poison, and a terrifying resistance to lightning spells—almost total immunity.

Its potential is immense; based on Rubber Physique, many abilities can be developed.

Lei En was also surprised; he hadn't expected slime monsters could nurture Rubber Physique.

He had seen this Element described in the 'Book of a Thousand Souls'; it seemed the opposite of his own Iron Body, leaving a strong impression.

The Iron Body makes the body incredibly hard, whereas Rubber Physique softens it; the Iron Body's weakness is lightning spells, while Rubber Physique is nearly immune; the Iron Body resists blade strikes, but Rubber Physique's weakness is blade strikes.

Lei En had previously wondered what would happen if one possessed both Elements simultaneously.

The most likely outcome is severe conflict, making fusion impossible.

A human body cannot be both hard and soft…

"Slime monsters are merely basic anomalous beasts, yet they exhibit two different Supreme Elements—could that be possible?" Ai Mi Li Si began to doubt, having never heard of such a thing.

"Lady, I have no need to deceive you."

Ha Bu pounded his chest hard, producing a thudding 'bang‑bang', his face slightly displeased, and said in a deep voice, "Twelve years ago I cultivated a slime monster with 'Limb Regeneration' and sent it to Madam Xia Lanwei's auction house, where it fetched a sky‑high price. If you don't believe me, you can inquire."

"I simply kept the secret, arranging an anonymous sale, so ordinary people don't know the slime monster came from the Blood Hoof Soul Farm."

"I've also seen Rubber Physique with my own eyes, but it was a giant slime monster's Demon Soul discovered by someone on an island."

At that point the Minotaur looked at Lei En and said, "Lord, you don't believe it either?"

"I believe."

Lei En had a hint of a smile on his face, saying "I believe," but Hab always felt he was just placating himself and actually didn't believe it at all.

He was about to recount the past experience of auctioning a demon soul when Lei En suddenly pointed casually at a grid square beneath his feet.

"Hab, how much does this slime monster sell for?"

The minotaur was slightly startled; the slime monster Lei En pointed at was medium-sized, overall silver‑gray, sprawled on the ground occupying one‑third of the grid, its middle bulging, with a few partially undigested rusty weapons protruding, appearing unremarkable.

He remembered this slime monster.

It was found two years ago in an abandoned machine factory, with a strong digestive ability that could even process metal, but it grew very slowly—after more than two years it had only enlarged a little, disliked moving, crawled sluggishly, and spent most of its time sprawled there as if dead.

After several appraisals and tests, it was found to have only one Element, likely "Toxin Resistance," which could fetch a decent price.

Lei En suddenly offered to buy it, surprising Hab.

"Why does he want to buy this slime monster?"

Hab's thoughts began to race.

Having just taken Lei En to view those species that might develop lightning affinity, he realized the lord had keen eyes and seemed to possess a unique method for appraising demon souls.

"Did he discover something?"

Hab was cautious, did not answer Lei En immediately, and carefully re‑examined the slime monster.

However, no matter how he appraised it, he saw nothing special; the Toxin Resistance could not be wrong, as he had personally tested it before.

The Element is good, but having only one makes it hard to sell.

"There can't be a supreme Element, right?" a ridiculous thought flashed through Hab's mind, which he immediately dismissed—how could that be possible?

From his experience, only giant slime monsters can possess a supreme Element.

This slime monster also lacks the "Limb Regeneration" and "Rubber Physiology" traits; if it had them, they would have been discovered long ago.

Nevertheless, Hab remained uneasy and did not quote a price right away.

Instead, he tentatively asked, "Lord, why do you want to buy it?"

Lei En's face showed no emotion; he calmly said, "Nothing much, I just find it a bit unusual, so I want to purchase it—maybe there'll be an unexpected gain."

"Unusual? In what way?"

Hab scratched the mane on the back of his neck, a tuft of misty water.

As a Title: Master of Soul Appraisal, he had examined at least tens of thousands of demon souls over the years; how could he not see what was unusual?

"I can't tell you that," Lei En shrugged and laughed.

Given his current power and status, it was a world apart from the situation last year in Longshande when he discovered the gold‑eating ants; he wasn't afraid the demon soul would slip from his grasp.

Even if he plainly told Hab the truth, he would still have to obediently sell it to himself, merely costing more money.

Unless this Blood Hoof Breeding Farm decided to shut down.

Hab stared with his bull eyes at the slime monster for a long time, still unable to discern anything. Still a bit dissatisfied, he cautiously asked, "Lord, may I refuse to sell?"

"What do you say?"

Lei En's face bore a half‑smile, "Before I came in, I actually wanted to check the farm's tax situation."

The minotaur's expression froze.

His farm had always paid taxes on time, never evading a single Gold Shield, but that was irrelevant; Lei En, as a lord, purely wanted to find a snag—no matter how spotless his own record, he could still uncover an issue.

Hab muttered a few curses under his breath, but could only swallow them.

"Since the Lord wishes to buy, I dare not refuse; here's the price..."

Lei En saw through the minotaur's scheming and said sternly, "I give you only one chance to make an offer; think it over."

Hab had intended to demand an astronomical price to scare Lei En away, but hearing that, he knew it wouldn't work.

If he quoted an exorbitant price, Lei En could refuse and offend the lord.

If the price was too low, he feared losing out.

The minotaur wrestled with the decision for several minutes, deliberated at length, and finally settled on a price he deemed moderately high—enough to possibly scare Lei En away without causing deep offense; if Lei En accepted, the minotaur could profit and break even without a loss.

"Five thousand Gold Shields, how does that sound, my lord?" Hab offered.

"Deal."

Lei En immediately agreed, pulling a stack of gold notes from his ring and thrusting them to the minotaur.

Seeing Lei En pay so decisively, Hab instantly regretted it.

He thought five thousand Gold Shields was high enough, equivalent to several excellent slime monster demon souls, but it turned out still too low, perhaps far below the slime monster's true worth.

Yet he still couldn't discern what Element this slime monster possessed to justify Lei En spending so much.

After Lei En paid, he immediately got to work.

A cluster of silver light spheres gathered in his palm, and after a few seconds expanded to the size of a head, emitting silver flames and streaks of lightning, thunder cracking, blinding to the eyes.

Then Lei En tossed it into the grid, detonating on the slime monster.

Boom!

Electric light flashed, and the entire deep pit trembled.

The Electric Blast Orb, upgraded to the Fourth Ring by Song of Azure Sky, raged within the grid; the low‑level slime monster couldn't withstand it, instantly blown to pieces, turning into a heap of waste, while the ground was scorched black by silver flame.

Lei En produced a purple oval gem and leapt into the grid.

Seeing the soul stone, Hab's eyes fixed, and he exclaimed, "Purple Source Soul Crystal, the world's highest‑grade soul stone, capable of permanently preserving a demon soul without dissipation!"

Then a slime monster's demon soul was captured, filling the interior of the gem.

Hab didn't have time to examine it closely before Lei En retrieved the soul stone.

"Lord..." the minotaur stared eagerly at Lei En emerging from the pit; he was truly curious—if he couldn't know what Element lay within the demon soul, he might obsess over it for a lifetime.

"Sorry, that's my secret."

Lei En smiled; in truth, even if he wanted to, he couldn't say.

Because this is an unprecedented Element, not only is it absent from The Book of Thousand Souls, but after he searched his personal library several times, he also did not find the corresponding content.

From its runes, this is certainly a transcendent Element.

Based on the information sensed by the Soul Eye and the effect of this Element, if it must have a name.

Lei En would name it "Living Metal".

(End of Chapter)