Chapter 36: Metamorphosis and Invitation

A sudden heat inexplicably surged from within, and the soul trembled violently; Lei En sprang to his feet, sensing that a dramatic change was about to occur.

The thought barely formed, and an invisible energy storm began to whip up in the room.

Lei En could not see the massive energies; the Soul Transformation ritual's rune platform did not raise his Element affinity, yet now he could clearly sense himself enveloped by the energy, standing at the storm's core.

He did not know the nature of these energies nor their source; they seemed to have always existed around him, like air—vital to people yet rarely noticed.

At that moment, Lei En was as if turned into a magnet, shattering the energy's calm.

The surging energy poured into his body, accelerating, and under the guidance of his spiritual power, it swept his whole being at lightning speed; every muscle, every bone, every cell greedily devoured the energy, reshaping his entire form from the inside out.

Lei En experienced an indescribable thrill and couldn't help but hum through his nose.

On the Soul World Tree, the only three leaves glimmered with golden light, the Element runes upon them becoming ever clearer, and the whole tree slowly grew.

Snap! Crack! Snap…

A faint, crisp sound echoed from within, Lei En felt his skin itch, a subtle sting spread through his body, and then realized he seemed to be growing taller!

Not only growing taller, his physique also became sturdier and more solid!

The process lasted about half an hour; finally, the energy ceased its infusion and the invisible storm vanished.

Lei En exhaled, lowered his head to examine his now somewhat unfamiliar body.

A floor mirror stood in the room; he hurried forward, saw his altered self, and was so astonished his mouth nearly couldn't close, his eyes brimming with joy.

Overall, the reflection was still much like before, not unrecognizable, still handsome and striking!

The biggest change was that he grew taller and bulkier.

His once well‑fitting shirt now clung tightly, nearly tearing from his muscles; his trousers became capri‑length, his shoes shrank, feeling cramped on his feet.

Lei En was already close to 1.8 m, though slightly lanky; now he surged nearly ten centimeters, his build expanding a notch, yet he did not look bulky at all—every muscle seemed forged of iron, shoulders broad, bearing a steady bearing, overall muscle lines perfectly balanced, as if honed by years of training, visually exuding powerful beauty.

Moreover, his skin took on a slightly deeper hue; up close it appeared matte‑finished, with a metallic feel that was nonetheless natural.

Lei En's lingering anxiety eased.

He had briefly worried about turning into an over‑the‑top muscle monster, but fortunately it wasn't that extreme—the result was just right.

What pleased him most was that his facial shape hardened, shedding a touch of delicacy, better matching his aesthetic.

Of course, these are merely surface changes; the more important shifts are internal.

Lei En lightly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power, as if a wild beast lurked within, capable of killing any foe with a single punch.

He hadn't tested it, so he couldn't gauge the exact strength, but by feel his power had at least surged four to five times; lifting a two‑thousand‑pound weight would be effortless!

"An Element of 'Power' that's been reinforced once is truly formidable," Lei En exclaimed.

Power is mighty, but defense is even stronger.

He pressed his own arm; the supple skin under pressure instantly hardened like iron, his fingers pressing the skin became rigid as well, yet his movement was unaffected.

Pressing down slightly, his arm and fingers produced a dull clank, like two pieces of steel striking each other.

Lei En tested for a moment, getting a clear sense of his body.

Steel Body is a persistent state,

His body has been fully restructured; normally it needs no special upkeep and appears ordinary, yet when subjected to force it instantly hardens like iron. If he deliberately activates the Element, hardness rises further, but his speed drops, and it continuously drains his spiritual power.

He tried to fully trigger Steel Body; his skin darkened and deepened, his whole form resembled cast iron, steps heavy, movements stiff, and spiritual power consumption massive.

In this full‑defense mode, with his current spiritual power, he could sustain it for roughly five minutes.

But that was enough.

Lei En was very pleased with the result, thinking that the Superlative Element was indeed powerful; a fellow first‑rank Transcendent would find it hard to breach this steel defense.

"Now I've become a true Iron Man!"

He happily stroked his arm, suddenly recalling a metal Element's tactile feel, quickly realizing it offered no immediate boost to his strength, so he set it aside.

Additionally, Lei En saw that after fusing the demon soul of a Gold‑Eating Ant, his energy charge rose, but only by two units!

"Only that little?"

Lei En thought it over carefully and felt something was off: "Can a single Gold‑Eating Ant raise the charge that much?"

His spiritual power had surged tenfold; two charge units now equate to 20% of his pre‑Soul Transformation capacity, whereas previously absorbing a normal person raised it by 8%, a mismatched ratio.

A normal human soul is clearly stronger than a Gold‑Eating Ant's; two or three ants equal one fallen one's soul, yet the charge supplied differs vastly, with the ant actually adding more spiritual power.

Could it be that the method of soul absorption differs?

One is full soul fusion, the other is direct soul devouring; do they have different charging efficiencies?

Lei En speculated that fusion is the superior method, yielding more spiritual power, a larger boost, and also granting the Element within; devouring souls is inefficient, like crushing a soul and crudely ingesting all Elements, resulting in most spiritual power being wasted.

He roughly estimated that, for the same soul, the two absorption methods differ by nearly tenfold in spiritual power gained!

"That's such a loss."

Lei En felt helpless; at this rate, to fill his charge he would need to devour over a hundred normal human souls, or more than thirty Transcendents!

"If I really had to kill that many, I'd be insane."

He shook his head silently.

Even with its low efficiency, devouring souls is far faster than cultivating through meditation or ingesting demonic pills to increase spiritual power.

It is a shortcut to the pinnacle of the world; for someone with weaker Willpower, the temptation could overwhelm them, eventually turning them into a blood‑thirsty killing machine.

Lei En silently warned himself to keep his boundaries, never straying onto a dark path.

He regained his composure and thought:

"From this moment on, I am a Wizard, a first‑rank Battle Wizard."

Lei En tidied his clothes, barely keeping them from tearing, left the room, walked down the corridor back to Viola's office, intending to bid her farewell.

He knocked, entered, and Viola, seeing his appearance, immediately sensed the change.

"Lei En, you fused the demon soul so quickly?" she rose, scrutinizing his body as if admiring a fine piece of art, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, I am now a Battle Wizard," Lei En did not conceal; such a drastic change could not be hidden, and he wanted someone to share his joy, happily saying, "All of this wouldn't be possible without your help; I will repay the money as soon as possible."

Viola congratulated him, "Congratulations on becoming one of the Wizards."

While guessing what kind of magic soul Lei En had fused with to undergo such a transformation, she smiled and said, "You don't need to rush to repay the money — just follow the terms of the trade contract."

Lei En nodded silently, simply keeping this gratitude in his heart.

He took the contract and was about to take his leave when Viola suddenly asked with a beaming smile, "Lei En, are you free the evening after next?"

Looking at the half-elf's stunningly beautiful smile, Lei En's heart fluttered slightly as he replied, "I have no plans for now."

He couldn't resist opening his Soul Eye to secretly observe Viola, and found that the color of her soul shifted back and forth between yellow and orange, indicating that her current emotions carried an undertone of anticipation with a faint hint of excitement — not nearly as carefree and at ease as she appeared on the surface.

Viola said, seemingly very casually, "The evening after next, the House of Violet will hold a small-scale trade fair. Everyone attending will be extraordinary beings. If you're interested, you can come take a look when the time comes. I'll introduce you to some friends."

Lei En immediately understood her meaning — she wanted to bring him into her circle of friends.

As a Wizard running the House of Violet with a mysterious background, Viola's circle of friends was naturally different from that of ordinary people.

Those qualified to associate with her were either powerful nobles or extraordinary beings — undoubtedly the top tier of Longshandecheng. Being able to join their ranks would be immensely helpful for his future development.

Lei En certainly wouldn't refuse Viola's kind intentions, but he was also somewhat puzzled — why was she so attentive to him?

Even if she intended to befriend him, it seemed a bit too hasty.

Combining Viola's true emotions at this moment, Lei En suddenly felt a bit smug and thought, "Am I really that handsome? To actually make even this peerless beauty take a fancy to me?"

Wanting to test the waters a little, he agreed, "Alright, I'll definitely come when the time comes. But I have no experience attending this kind of trade fair, and I don't know what rules and etiquette there are — I'm afraid I might make a fool of myself."

"No worries, I'll help you." Viola's eyes were full of warmth and amusement, seemingly very happy that Lei En could come, and said, "Arrive here half a day early, and when the time comes, just follow my arrangements."

"Then I'll be troubling you."

Seeing her so proactive and enthusiastic, and seemingly without pretense, Lei En's heart also grew eager.

What man doesn't like beautiful women?

Especially a super beauty like this, whose looks were off the charts!

Lei En couldn't tell Viola's age — the half-elf had the beautiful face of a woman in her early twenties and the mature charm of a woman in her thirties, with an elegant and noble bearing, a perfect and striking figure, and a touch of exotic allure — practically the ideal lover every man dreamed of!

Her real age might be very advanced, but Lei En didn't care in the slightest.

If he had the chance to intimately taste her beauty and wrap his arms around those long legs, even if people called him a gigolo living off a woman, he'd be willing!

Living off a woman takes real skill, you know — some people couldn't do it even if they wanted to!

Lei En was overjoyed in his heart, with all sorts of flirting tactics flashing through his mind, but his face remained impassive as he bade farewell to Viola. When he walked out the doors of the House of Violet, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.