CHAPTER 44: FIRST NODE ABILITIES

She looked back at him, clearly frustrated, and asked, "So? Are you really not going to tell me what you gained from this?"

She was dying to know—how on earth had he consumed a beast soul so easily? What kind of monstrous body did he have? What terrifying powers came with it? What kind of ancient bloodline or forgotten inheritance made something so impossible... actually possible?

But she didn’t ask those things.

No... something deep inside told her not to. Maybe it was her instincts as a cultivator, or maybe the quiet warning echoing in her soul. It felt like some truths weren’t meant to be pried open—not yet. So instead, she chose to ask the one thing that felt safe.

"What abilities did you get from absorbing the beast?"

Her voice sounded calm, almost indifferent. But her eyes betrayed her. They were sparkling with barely restrained curiosity, held back only by her strict discipline. It seemed like a simple question—but both of them knew it carried much more weight than it appeared to.

Tian Lei gave her a small smile. He stretched his arms behind his head lazily, like someone who had just woken up from a nap, not someone who had just dominated the soul of a divine Ice Dragon.

"Nothing special," he said lightly, as if he wasn’t about to drop a spiritual bomb on her.

"I’m now completely immune to any cold-type attacks that are below Divine King level," he began, his voice still maddeningly casual. "I gained a domain called Absolute Frost Abyss, full control over all forms of ice... oh, and I can also turn into the Ice Dragon itself."

He had barely finished speaking when his body started changing.

Frost spread beneath his feet as his figure began to shimmer. His skin took on an icy blue tint, bones stretched and cracked, muscles shifted with a strange elegance and power. In just a few seconds, the young man Mu Qinxue had known was gone—and in his place stood a dragon.

At glance, it wasn’t massive—just a few meters long, like a newborn. But its presence was overwhelming. The air grew heavy. Every breath it exhaled turned the moisture into tiny snowflakes. His shimmering, icy-white scales looked like crystal kissed by starlight.

Mu Qinxue stood frozen.

This wasn’t just a transformation.

This wasn’t some fake dragon technique that other cultivators used.

This... this was real.

If she hadn’t seen the whole thing herself, she wouldn’t have believed that her disciple had just turned into this being of majesty. The soul of the Divine Ice Dragon hadn’t just merged with him—it had remade him. Not into the massive 100-meter beast it once was, but into something new: a baby dragon. Still, even in this small form, its aura was genuine.

It wasn’t a dragon.

It was The Dragon.

There was no illusion, no borrowed power, no fake techniques. This was the real deal—the kind of pressure that made lesser beasts bow in fear. The kind of power that felt born, not borrowed.

As if Tian Lei had never been human in the first place.

As if he had always been a dragon... just hiding in human skin.

"...Heavens," Mu Qinxue whispered softly, barely catching her breath.

Just as suddenly as it came, the transformation faded. The dragon shimmered and collapsed inward like a star folding in on itself, vanishing in a swirl of frost.

And standing where it had been... was Tian Lei.

Naked.

Completely, gloriously, and unapologetically naked.

Mu Qinxue blinked once. Then again.

Tian Lei, still unaware, cracked his neck and let out a deep sigh. "That felt... weirdly natural. Like I was going back to my real body—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

He looked down.

Then looked up—very slowly—to see his Master’s blank, deadpan stare.

Silence stretched.

"...Right. Clothes," he mumbled.

Mu Qinxue calmly sipped from a cup of tea she had conjured during the awkward moment. "So your ’Dragon form’ doesn’t come with robes, I see."

Tian Lei blushed a deep crimson, the color of a Fire Spirit Peach at peak ripeness. "Give me ten seconds."

"No rush," she said dryly, turning her back with the energy of a manager dealing with a very enthusiastic new employee. "I’ve already seen more dragon than I’ll ever need."

With a quick burst of Qi, Tian Lei pulled fresh robes from his Spatial Ring. They were beautifully made—golden black, embroidered with phoenix patterns that glowed faintly like runes. He dressed quickly, adjusted his belt, and cleared his throat.

"...Master."

She still didn’t look at him.

"I’m clothed now."

She finally turned, face unreadable. "And here I thought watching my disciple eat a Divine Beast soul and turn into a dragon was the most surprising thing I’d see today. I was wrong."

Tian Lei coughed, still looking a little red. "I guess I’ll need special clothes from now on. Ones that don’t vanish with my dignity."

Mu Qinxue nodded calmly. "There are garments made for that. Soul-anchored fabrics, divine beast silk... materials that adapt even when your body transforms. I’ll prepare something suitable by tomorrow."

Tian Lei bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Master."

Her eyes drifted toward the remaining black lotus petals on the table, and her voice softened a little. "If you want, I can preserve the other beasts. Especially the turtle—it’s stable, long-lived, and much easier to nurture."

But Tian Lei shook his head. "Keep the turtle. Let it grow naturally. Its shell would make the perfect base for growing spiritual herbs—it could become a living garden if raised right."

He glanced again at the other petals. "As for the rest... I won’t be absorbing another ice-type. I don’t need more. Use them however you want, Master."

Mu Qinxue gave him a long look. Not with disapproval, but with respect. He was firm. Confident. Final.

"Hm. Good," she said simply. "Next time, aim for a fire-type."

She turned slightly and added in a casual tone, "I know where one is. Just tell me when you’re ready to eat it."

Tian Lei nodded without hesitation. Then he bowed and walked out of the hall, his footsteps calm, his aura colder and sharper than ever.

Mu Qinxue remained behind, finally letting out a soft sigh. Her eyes rested on the remaining black lotus petals.

"Now... what to do with all of you?"

Her mind worked fast, already forming plans.

The turtle... she thought, that one can go to Alchemy Peak. With the right spirit herbs and nurturing, its shell could carry an entire medicinal garden.

As for the others... Spirit Beast Peak would be the best. Azure Feather Sect had many divisions, but Spirit Beast Peak specialized in rare and powerful beasts. They would know what to do with them.