Chapter 2598 Human Form
Chapter 2598 Human Form
Lin Mu gazed at the rather tall old man.
While there were many tall cultivators, it was still a bit unusual for them to exceed the height of two meters. Of course, while there were many means to achieve that, these usually involved techniques or pills. In other cases, there was often the involvement of a bloodline or physique. This was the case with the Steel Horned General Niu Juo, who had the bloodline of the Steel Horned Barbaric Ogre.
Lin Mu himself could increase his height with the Tyrant Bull Marrow Secrets, as his body grew with it. Even the Demonic form attained with the Burning Heart Sutra increased his height. But this was all during the activation of the skills. Normally, his height was still within the limits of humans.
As such, Lin Mu suspected the old man might have a physique or bloodline too.
"Master, he seems familiar to us as well. His scent is something I have felt before," Xiao Yin informed him through their link.
"Yeah, he said the same too and mentioned he was acquainted with you," Xiao Yang added.
"I see…" Lin Mu took a deeper look at the old man and noticed something peculiar about his head.
'Wait a second… are those horns?' Lin Mu spotted two horns hidden by the old man's long hair.
"Have you recognized me by now?" the old man asked. "If not, it's fine. This is the first time you're seeing me in this form, after all," he said.
"Not fully… but you're not a human," Lin Mu could now tell from the aura he released.
"Indeed." The old man confirmed. "I am the Flood Dragon, Qiulong Jiao." He finally revealed.
Lin Mu raised his brows upon hearing that.
"AH! You're that flood dragon grandpa," Xiao Yin said as she circled around him. "It does match now."
"Whoa! How did you become human?" Xiao Yang asked. "Can you teach us too?"
"Hahaha, it isn't something that can be taught," Qiulong Jiao laughed. "You will figure it out when you grow up."
"When we grow up?" the twins said, looking at each other.
"How did you do it?" Lin Mu asked. "You couldn't do it before."
"It's all thanks to you. Your 'help' provided me enough to deepen my bloodline, and now I've released another shackle on it. It wasn't enough to fully purify my bloodline, but with enough time, I can do that on my own. For now, though, I can at least take on a human form," Qiulong Jiao answered.
"I see…" Lin Mu had long since known that beasts could take on human form when they had cultivated to a certain extent.
This requirement was different for all beasts, depending on their bloodline, but most could do so by the time they reached the peak of the Immortal Realm. Some might even be able to do it early on. Of course, the preference of the beast also depended on this, and some might not want to take a human form even if they were capable of it.
"I have to say, being in a human form is certainly quite fun. I can do other things I couldn't before and experience human civilization. I had some food earlier, and it was marvelous," the old man laughed in joy.
It was quite clear that he had developed a taste for human cuisine.
"That's good. Food is indeed one of the best things humans have to offer," Lin Mu agreed.
"YES! YES! FOOD IS SO GOOD!" Xiao Yang said out loud.
"Master and Big Brother Shrubby make the best food!" Xiao Yin chipped in.
"Hoho, looks like I'll have to request to try some if you would permit," Qiulong Jiao asked.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Lin Mu didn't mind.
As the conversation between the four continued, the Blue Drake remained in his submissive position. However, he listened closely and learned of their connection to the Flood Dragon.
'To help a Flood Dragon unlock a shackle of bloodline is not possible for just anyone. Just how did he do it?' the Blue Drake wondered.
As someone with a Dragonic bloodline himself, the Blue Drake was very interested. After all, he too was shackled by the limits of his bloodline and wished to progress. But that was easier said than done.
The stronger the bloodline, the greater the requirements for it. One might need precious herbs, pills, or other resources to do it, and none of these were easy to get. Most Dragonic beasts could only take the long and hard route—cultivating diligently and hoping to loosen the shackles until they could break them.
Only those who had a True Dragon bloodline would be without these limits, as they already had a pure bloodline. For other Dragonic Bloodlines of a lower tier, they'd first have to reach the limits of their current bloodline and then purify it further to uncover the True Dragon bloodline or another higher-tier bloodline within them.
For example, a common Water Python would first become a Spirit Beast and turn into an Aqua Line Python. Upon reaching its limit and breaking through, it might become a Flood Dragon, a Blue Drake, or an Ice Wyvern. From there, it would need to reach the peak of the Immortal Realm and search for another bloodline hidden within it.
If they were lucky and had the Azure Dragon Bloodline or the Grand Oceanic Dragon Bloodline, they could progress again after lifting their shackles. This also depended on their initial bloodline purity and talent.
Even two beasts of the same species might not have the same progression, depending on the bloodline they could access upon breakthrough. Similarly, two sibling beasts born from the same mother could end up as entirely different species after lifting their shackles.
Beast Bloodlines were a highly studied field and many scholars had dedicated their entire lives in researching bloodlines. This was important to humans too as they assimilated bloodlines to gain their talent and further their cultivation.