Chapter 33: Perfect Soul Transformation

Lei En's understanding of the golden‑eating ant's hardness was too deep; that afternoon at the shop, the owner used an iron hammer to kill the ants as if he were forging iron, striking hard several times to kill one.

The owner is just an ordinary person; after killing a few golden‑eating ants in a row, he ran out of strength.

Lei En's stamina and strength are, of course, far greater than an ordinary person's, but he has no tools at home, never cooked before, and doesn't even have a kitchen knife.

Bare‑handed, he can't kill a golden‑eating ant at all.

With no other choice, Lei En decides to go out and buy a tool.

That Huo Gen can't possibly have shown up exactly during this period, can he? If I'm truly that unlucky, I'll just accept it!

He remembers a blacksmith shop just on the next street, not far from his apartment, recently converted into a mechanical craftsman's shop selling various tools, likely having something suitable.

He hides the golden‑eating ant, Lei En hurries downstairs, crosses the street, and finds the craftsman's shop.

Since it was already late, the shop had few customers, only a man who looked like the owner sitting behind the counter, guarding the goods. His attire—a canvas apron stained with oil, a big round belly, unkempt—clearly marks him as a mechanical craftsman.

A mechanical craftsman isn't a supernormal profession; just an ordinary person who has mastered mechanical techniques, similar to a combination of a technomancer and blacksmith from a past life.

Of course, most Empire craftsmen have countless ties with the Mechanical Guild.

This mechanical craftsman seems very weary; when Lei En enters, he merely glances, with no intention of getting up to serve.

Lei En's eyes sweep the shop and notice the weapon selection is extremely comprehensive.

Various longswords, shortswords, two‑handed swords, broad swords, slender swords, thrusting swords, hand‑and‑half swords—just swords alone number over a dozen—plus axes, daggers, shields, bows, gauntlets, defensive armor, chainmail, and also everyday tools like kitchen knives, hammers, scissors, etc. The display is dazzling, covering several walls, some stacked on tables for customers to try.

Lei En doesn't want to waste time and heads straight to the hammer weapons.

For these heavily defended insects, blades cause limited damage; a blunt weapon is needed, and the most suitable is a hammer.

Coincidentally, Lei En's nickname in his past life was "Hammer."

His name Shi Jingchui was given by his war‑veteran grandfather, originally meaning to pacify the frontier; because it sounds like "use force hammer," he was nicknamed "Hammer" from childhood, and classmates and friends called him that, and he got used to it.

In college, during a metal‑working internship, Lei En personally forged a hammer he couldn't put down.

At that time, a few roommates saw his fondness for the hammer, took it back to the dorm to collect, and often joked, mock‑thanking him for his mercy in not killing them…

For a moment, Lei En missed those roommates a bit, but sadly never saw them again.

He puts aside the melancholy, grabs an iron hammer at random, swings a few times, and feels it's not very comfortable.

"Too light."

This iron hammer is not a combat weapon but a daily tool, maybe only two or three pounds, feeling in the hand like holding straw.

There are also weapon hammers, called war hammers in Ai Lun E Si, but Lei En just shook his head and gave up after a glance. Those war hammers are too heavy; the heads are as big as a head, clearly for berserkers or iron guards—he can lift them but can't swing them.

In his hurry to return, he randomly picks an eight‑pointed mace.

This hammer is identical to the ones used on construction sites in his past life, the so‑called big hammer; the head is a bit heavier, about thirty pounds, the handle about a meter long, forged entirely of iron and wrapped in a layer of shock‑absorbing leather.

Lei En lifts the big hammer, and in his ears seems to hear a demonic voice shouting: "Eighty! Eighty! Eighty…"

The hammer is cheap, only three silver kron.

Lei En pays and leaves, taking the hammer back to his apartment,

Nothing happens.

He thinks that hammer‑killing the ant in the apartment would be too noisy, so he brings two glass jars downstairs, relies on the sounds of all things, sneaks out at night to avoid people, enters a secluded corner behind the apartment, spreads thick cloth on a stone, and pours out a golden‑eating ant.

This ant has no Element; it's just for practice.

The ant has been soaked in solution for a long time and hasn't fed, already half‑dead.

Lei En raises the hammer with both hands, aims, and slams down with all his might. With his phone's gyroscope assisting, his whole body's force concentrates in his hand, transferred to the big hammer, striking the ant heavy and accurately.

With a muffled "bang," the ant turns into a mushy lump of flesh.

Lei En takes out a soul stone, places it near the ant's corpse; a soul quickly flies out and enters the stone. Even in the darkness, he can clearly see the demonic soul inside the stone is just a black mass, with no Element.

He puts down the soul stone, thinking, "The crucial moment has arrived."

He carefully pours out a golden‑eating ant that contains three Elements; it is clearly in better condition than the previous one, immediately starts crawling, though slowly.

Lei En feels a bit nervous; this ant truly is different.

He spits a bit into his palm, rubs his hands together, lifts the hammer and slams down again with force.

Bang!

After the muffled sound, a recoil force travels to Lei En's hand, his thumb feels numb, the hammer head bounces back. The ant, despite the heavy blow, doesn't die; its body is slightly torn, six iron‑like legs leave white scratches on the stone, sparking bits of fire.

"Whoa, this is so hard!"

Lei En can hardly believe it; seeing the ant move again, he quickly swings the big hammer, pounding while silently chanting "Eighty, eighty, eighty…"

Though it looks like random smashing, under gyroscope control each strike lands precisely on the ant, wasting no force. Its body deforms gradually, leg joints separate, after being struck a dozen times, finally with a "pop" it is flattened into a corpse.

Lei En quickly throws the hammer aside and uses the soul stone to absorb the demonic soul.

In his expectant gaze, a demonic soul flies out, swiftly fills the white crystal in his hand, turning into a deep black gem; faintly three Element runes flash and vanish—hard to notice without a soul eye.

"Success!"

Lei En clenches his fist and swings, so excited he nearly jumps up.

This golden‑eating ant will become his first demonic soul, marking a solid first step on the path of a battle Wizard.

After the joy, Lei En puts away the soul stone and notices the cloth on the floor is torn, and the stone beneath is cracked.

He quickly cleans up, throws the two ant corpses into the drain, and returns upstairs with the hammer.

Taking all his money, Lei En leaves the apartment overnight.

He doesn't return to Luo Le Hotel, but in Huo Ni Dun Qu, just a river away from Yin Xing Qu, finds an ordinary small inn, eavesdrops outside for half an hour to confirm no supernormal beings inside, then books a room.

Not until the latter half of the night, near dawn, does Lei En finally sleep peacefully.

He sleeps until almost noon, wakes refreshed, eats a delicious feast, then boards the carriage heading to the Violet House.

As long as he passes today and becomes a supernormal, he won't have to be so nervous.

The carriage arrives smoothly.

Lei En steps off the carriage and sees Ta Li Ni already waiting, smiling, greeting, "Mr. Lei En, good afternoon."

"Ms. Ta Li Ni, can we hold the ceremony today?"

"Of course."

Lei En nodded, handed the prepared over sixty Gold Shields to the front‑desk waitress, then followed Ta Li Ni to the back of the Violet House and entered a spacious room.

Unexpectedly, the Half‑elf Viola was also inside; she still wore a simple elegant long robe, her figure graceful.

Just standing there, she seemed like a faint light that could not be ignored.

"Ms. Viola." Lei En greeted, his eyes a bit strange.

The Soul Transformation ceremony can be performed alone, but it is best to have an experienced host, preferably a transcendent who can cast spells; Ta Li Ni fits that role. It was agreed yesterday that Ta Li Ni would assist this Soul Transformation; if a better host is needed, extra payment is required.

Viola smiled warmly, like a spring breeze, and said, "Mr. Lei En, today the ceremony will still be hosted by Ta Li Ni; I am only here to observe, you don't mind, do you?"

"No." Lei En still felt a bit puzzled inside.

As the owner of the Violet House, Viola had witnessed countless Soul Transformation ceremonies; what was there to see?

Considering that after his ceremony he still needed to discuss purchasing a World Tree Seed with her, he suppressed his doubts.

This room is dedicated to Soul Transformation ceremonies; in the center stands a platform resembling an operating table, engraved with numerous runes forming a complete magical array.

Beside the rune platform is a table holding several items: a syringe, a vial of Soul‑devouring Elixir, and a white scroll.

"Mr. Lei En, if you are ready, lie down."

Ta Li Ni spoke calmly, trying to create a relaxed atmosphere to reduce Lei En's stress.

"Alright."

Lei En removed his coat, casually tossed it aside; inside were all his belongings, including all his money and the magical souls of the food‑gold ants.

He lay on the rune platform in just his shirt; Ta Li Ni, while binding his limbs and waist with a sturdy leather strap, explained, "Because the ceremony is extremely painful, to prevent you from struggling and wasting energy, or falling off the platform, we must secure you."

Lei En hesitated, thinking he didn't need his body restrained, and once bound he would be at others' mercy.

He wanted to refuse, but in his Soul Eye there was no malice from Ta Li Ni or Viola, so he accepted.

Once secured, his whole body was immobile; only his head could turn left and right.

Ta Li Ni took the scroll, uttered a brief incantation; the scroll unfurled instantly, releasing pale gold characters that sank into Lei En's forehead.

Imbued with mental protection, Lei En felt his mind calm, a special sense of safety, yet as if nothing had changed.

Immediately after, Ta Li Ni activated the rune platform with a magic energy crystal.

With a humming sound, Lei En felt a slight warmth beneath him, an indescribable energy enveloping him, sharpening his perception of the outside world.

Ta Li Ni drew the Soul‑devouring Elixir into the syringe, solemnly saying, "Mr. Lei En, we will begin."

Lei En gave a slight nod.

Then Ta Li Ni inserted the syringe needle into his carotid artery; her hand was steady, injecting only a third of the elixir before pausing.

Lei En had already researched: one dose of the Soul‑devouring Elixir is about thirty milliliters.

In the Ai Lun E Si world, one milliliter equals one "gilun"; only ten giluns of elixir can complete the initial Soul Transformation, unlocking the ability to merge magical souls and become a transcendent.

But this is merely the minimum; to become a meditative spellcaster, further injections are required after the initial transformation.

Every additional five giluns of elixir advances the Soul Transformation further.

The threshold for a spellcaster is fifteen giluns of the elixir; reaching twenty giluns qualifies one to become a Wizard and any transcendent profession.

Beyond that, each extra gilun is a hard upgrade.

At twenty‑five giluns, even among Wizards one is a top‑tier genius, a once‑in‑ten‑years sight.

The more elixir injected, the more thorough the Soul Transformation and the higher the innate talent.

Of course, the prerequisite is not to lose consciousness during the ceremony; injecting even a trace after blackout will kill the person.

In fact, the injection limit is thirty giluns, the human maximum; exceeding it backfires, turning the elixir into a true toxin.

Thus each dose is thirty giluns, but almost no one can use it all.

Following the steps, Ta Li Ni first injected ten giluns into Lei En.

The next instant, a chill shot to his forehead, an indescribable excruciating pain erupted; he clenched his teeth instinctively, without a sound. At the same time, something seemed to melt his brain, nibbling away bit by bit, producing a strange effect.

"Damn, this hurts like hell!"

Lei En endured for a few minutes, feeling the suffering was meaningless, so he opened his music player, and beautiful singing filled his mind.

"A great river widens with waves, wind carries the scent of rice flowers on both banks…"

Immediately, the pain lessened.

In Viola and Ta Li Ni's eyes, Lei En's expression eased, as if he were gradually adapting to the pain.

The two exchanged a surprised glance but said nothing, fearing to disturb Lei En.

Twenty minutes flew by; according to the normal ceremony progress, the initial Soul Transformation was complete. For an average transcendent, this would be the limit, making further continuation impossible, and the ceremony would end.

Yet Lei En, with a relaxed face, opened his eyes and said, "Inject another five giluns."

Ta Li Ni complied immediately.

From yesterday's soul test, she knew Lei En could at least reach twenty giluns, so she was not surprised at all.

Lei En's complexion paled slightly, but he remained fairly calm.

Ten minutes later, he said, "Inject another five giluns."

Ta Li Ni obeyed.

She carefully observed Lei En's changes; a total of twenty giluns of the elixir had been injected, and if Lei En could endure, he could become a Wizard.

However, Lei En still appeared unusually relaxed, which amazed her.

Another ten minutes passed; Lei En said for the third time, "Continue, another five giluns."

This time Ta Li Ni hesitated. After twenty giluns, each extra dose carries great risk; incremental injection is the safe method.

But Lei En persisted, so she could only proceed with the injection.

Viola, unable to hold back any longer, stepped close to the rune platform, watching Lei En's ceremony progress.

According to the usual ritual, at this moment Lei En is enduring unimaginable pain, already on the brink of collapse, his thoughts are blurred, and his body is struggling uncontrollably.

But Lei En lies there comfortably; aside from a slightly rapid breath, he is practically taking a nap!

Viola's eyes were full of astonishment, and she even carefully examined the soul‑devouring elixir in Ta Lini's hand, wondering whether the wrong medicine had been taken or the dosage was incorrect.

However, how could Ta Lini possibly make such a basic mistake? The soul‑devouring elixir is fine.

As each second passes, Lei En, who is in the ritual, appears very relaxed, while the observers Viola and Ta Lini grow increasingly nervous.

Under their shocked gazes, Lei En opened his eyes and, with clear thoughts, said, "Use all the elixir."

Viola couldn't help asking, "Lei En, are you sure?"

Being able to inject thirty gigaliters and fully complete the Soul Transformation ceremony is called a Perfect Soul Transformation.

Such people exist only in legends; each is a once‑in‑a‑century genius rarely seen by humanity, and none of them are merely famous figures—several are Holy Soul Wizards of the Supreme Council!

If Lei En also achieves a Perfect Soul Transformation, once it spreads, it will reverberate throughout the entire Empire!

Lei En knew what that meant; his expression remained calm as he replied, "I'm fine, Ms. Ta Lini, inject it into me."

Ta Lini's hand had been steady, but upon hearing Lei En's request, it trembled with excitement.

She had overseen hundreds of Soul Transformation ceremonies, had seen several geniuses, but never imagined she might personally witness the birth of a Perfect Soul Transformation individual.

"Let me."

Viola saw Ta Lini's trembling hand, took the syringe, and steadily injected the final five gigaliters of elixir into Lei En's carotid artery.

Then the two stared intently at Lei En, even their breathing softened, their hands involuntarily clenched, palms sweating, fearing that Lei En might suddenly die on the rune platform the next second.

In that case, it would be a real pity.

The final ten minutes were a torment for Viola and Ta Lini, as if they themselves were undergoing a Soul Transformation ceremony, and time stretched unusually long.

Conversely, Lei En's condition was fine; only his limbs trembled slightly, and his chest rose and fell steadily.

Finally, under their nervous yet hopeful gazes, Lei En completed the Soul Transformation ceremony. He opened his eyes, a smile on his face, and softly said, "Can you release me now?"