Chapter 583 353: Master, Is the Palace Still Far?

Rong Taotao: "..."

He stroked the Nightmare Snow Owl's soft feathers with one hand and whispered, "You may look pathetic when you cower, but you're truly captivating when you act all mighty!"

"Coo~"

"Don't be scared, don't be scared now, your master is here." Rong Taotao cradled the Nightmare Snow Owl in his arms, gently stroking its snow-white feathers.

"Coo..."

Rong Taotao figured that under Gao Lingwei's terrifying pressure, he'd be able to get on good terms with the Nightmare Snow Owl in no time.

While comforting the companion in his arms, Rong Taotao also opened his Inner Soul Map. In the Soul Pet section, just below Snow General Candle, he found its entry.

Nightmare Snow Owl (Elite Level, Potential Value: 3 stars).

Seeing this, Rong Taotao's brow furrowed slightly. 'Has its Potential Value already maxed out?'

As for a rare Soul Beast like the Nightmare Snow Owl, there were Master-Level ones, but they were one in a hundred.

'It's alright, little buddy! Stick with me, Rong Taotao, and you'll be the most badass owl in the history of your kind!'

'Your master doesn't have many talents in this life. Just two words: I'm loaded!'

'Potential Value, here we go~'

Rong Taotao had a whopping 28 Potential Points, and they were meant for critical moments just like this!

Instantly, the Soul Pet panel changed to: Nightmare Snow Owl (Elite Level, Potential Value: 4 stars)

Along with it, the Nightmare Snow Owl's two Spiritual Soul Skills also had their Potential Value caps increased by one level!

It became:

1, Owl Eyes (Excellent Level, Potential Value: 3 stars.)

2, Nightmare (Elite Level, Potential Value: 4 stars.)

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow slightly. 'This Soul Skill: Owl Eyes... it's naturally one level lower. Even though its skill Potential Value increased along with the species' Potential Value, it's still one star lower.'

'What does that mean?'

'Do I have to upgrade it separately? Feels like a bit of a rip-off.'

When Rong Taotao increased the Nightmare Snow Owl's species Potential Value by one point, the Potential Value of its Soul Skills also increased by one point.

It was equivalent to using 1 Potential Point as 3.

But if he were to upgrade "Owl Eyes" individually, it would probably be a 1-for-1 trade. 'That's a bad deal...'

Of course, this was just Rong Taotao's guess. After all, he'd never tried to individually upgrade a Soul Pet's specific Soul Skill.

Rong Taotao's brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he threw another Potential Point into the Nightmare Snow Owl's species Potential Value.

Nightmare Snow Owl Potential Value: 5 stars, Soul Skill: Owl Eyes Potential Value: 4 stars, Soul Skill: Nightmare Potential Value: 5 stars.

At this moment, the Nightmare Snow Owl finally realized something was amiss!

It was a feeling... of having its shackles undone! It had felt it before, but now it was much more obvious!

Was this unlocking its genetic code? Transcending the limits of its species?

"Coo?" The Nightmare Snow Owl tilted its head up, looking at Rong Taotao with curiosity, only to find him gazing back at it with a gentle expression.

'Was it you?'

'Were you the one who broke my chains and offered me a wider sky?'

'My... master?'

"We have a long way to go, partner." Rong Taotao reached out a finger, stroking the soft down on its head as he murmured.

'A Potential Value of 5 stars means Palace-level aptitude. Not enough. That's clearly not enough!'

'You have to be on par with Rong Ling's aptitude at the very least!'

'You're both Elite Level, so your starting points are about the same. You can have some healthy competition and grow together! With Rong Ling's personality, it would never want to be left behind. This will definitely spur Rong Ling's growth!'

As he thought, Rong Taotao tossed in another Potential Point.

'Potential Value: 6 stars. This is Legendary-level potential!'

'Even Xu Taiping only had a 6-star Potential Value in his youth! And that little Xingyu's initial aptitude was only 5 stars...'

And Rong Taotao was comparing it to peerless geniuses!

If those Soul Martial Artists with only one or two Soul Slots knew that Rong Taotao had brute-forced a Soul Beast's aptitude all the way to 6 stars, they would probably cry their eyes out...

In less than a minute, Rong Taotao had single-handedly created a Legendary-level Potential Value Snow Realm Soul Beast!

"Coo~ Coo~" The Nightmare Snow Owl savored the wondrous feeling inside its body.

It wasn't human, so it couldn't say things like "The vast sea lets the fish leap, the high sky lets the birds fly," but that was the truest expression of what it felt in its heart right now!

It gently nuzzled its round head against Rong Taotao's palm. The gloom from being manhandled and beaten down earlier was swept away, and it felt as if the sky itself had cleared up...

In fact, what the Nightmare Snow Owl was more grateful for was that Rong Taotao had rescued it from the hands of a demon. It was just that it couldn't quite adapt to suddenly going from a wild Soul Beast to someone's domesticated Soul Pet.

All of this was understandable. After all, any two living beings need a process to get along; it's just that the process can be long or short.

Now, seeing how much Rong Taotao cared for it and how well he treated it, the Nightmare Snow Owl naturally gave the most genuine reaction.

A smile also appeared on Rong Taotao's face. He affectionately patted the Nightmare Snow Owl's head. "After this mission is over, I'll introduce you to some good friends. I'm sure Rong Ling will like you."

"Coo~"

Inevitably, Rong Taotao's mind was already picturing the heroic image of a mighty and domineering Rong Ling, over two and a half meters tall, with a snow-white bird of prey perched on its shoulder!

'Or maybe, Rong Ling's body will shatter into mist, and I'll take its place, wearing the magnificent armor of the Snow General Candle, wielding the Heaven-piercing Halberd, with the Nightmare Snow Owl on my shoulder...'

'I'll slay enemies with my Long Halberd while you stand on my shoulder, hypnotizing all creation. Wherever your golden eyes look, countless foes will fall into a deep slumber and collapse to the ground!'

'That scene... beautiful~!'

"Hehe." This beautiful daydream made Rong Taotao chuckle out loud. He pressed his forehead against the Nightmare Snow Owl's head and nuzzled it gently. "From now on, your name is Mengmeng Xiao."

Gao Lingwei: "..."

'That name... Hmm... It's really hard to describe.'

Although she was speechless at the name Rong Taotao had chosen, she heard all the sounds he was making behind her, especially his heartfelt laughter from a moment ago.

She could tell he really liked this Soul Beast.

Gao Lingwei looked down at the map in her hands and sighed softly in her heart. 'Alright then. No matter how this ends, and regardless of whether he can actually improve the Soul Pet's aptitude, at least he's truly happy right now...'

How could Gao Lingwei have known that the Elite-Level Nightmare Snow Owl she was thinking of had already become a powerful Soul Beast with a 6-star Potential Value and Legendary aptitude!

Putting aside the fact that it was a Soul Beast with Legendary aptitude, the key was the Nightmare Snow Owl's two Spiritual Soul Techniques!

'Palace-level Owl Eyes and Legendary-level Nightmare. Just thinking about it is terrifying...'

"Soul Beast Promoted!

Nightmare Snow Owl (Master Level, Potential Value: 6 stars)

Soul Skills:

1, Owl Eyes: ... (Elite Level, Potential Value: 5 stars)

2, Nightmare: ... (Master Level, Potential Value: 6 stars)"

Rong Taotao: ???

'Holy crap. I was just thinking about having you compete with Rong Ling so you could both improve, and you go and get promoted right away.'

'The race is over before it even began?'

'You little rascal, was your experience bar already full? Were you just stuck at this level cap, suffocating in the Elite Level...'

"COO~!" The Nightmare Snow Owl suddenly spread its broad wings, flapping them gently. It let out a cry to the sky as waves of Soul Power radiated outward.

It was even mixed with some Spiritual Soul Power, drawing everyone's attention.

Fu Tiance: "What's going on? Why is the Soul Power fluctuation so strong?"

Rong Taotao: "It got promoted."

Fu Tiance: ???

Rong Taotao pushed Mengmeng Xiao toward his right knee, making it return to its Soul Slot to recuperate. He also tried to mobilize the Huilian located in his Dantian, sending it to his right knee to test if the Lotus Petals could heal the Soul Beast within him.

Fu Tiance: "It... It just got promoted?"

Rong Taotao leaned forward, resting his forehead on her back. Concentrating on controlling the Huilian, he let out a soft "Mm."

Gao Lingwei, however, smiled knowingly. She knew he was using this intimate gesture to thank her for her trust.

"Sit up straight! And put your damn mask on!" Fu Tiance suddenly roared, startling Rong Taotao.

'Jeez, why do I detect a hint of jealousy?'

'For a second there, I thought Xia Fangran had shown up...'