Chapter 12: The Qilin Bloodline, Transforming into an Auspicious Beast

"Congratulations, Host! You've completed the task and unlocked your identity as Zhu Zhiqing's fiancé. You've gained 100 skill points. These points can be used to upgrade the age of your Soul Rings, for the lottery, or saved up to enable this system to materialize," the system's melodious voice announced.

"Save up? No, absolutely not." Xu Ran shook his head. Earning these 100 skill points hadn't been easy. To allow the system to materialize required a staggering 100,000 skill points—something he wasn't foolish enough to pursue.

More importantly, these points depreciated in value like money. If they weren't used, they would become worthless over time.

"As my strength improves, I'll be able to complete subsequent tasks. By then, won't these skill points rapidly accumulate?" Xu Ran added, aiming to flatter the system. A few kind words wouldn't hurt; he didn't want the system to make things difficult for him. Women could be vengeful, and he suspected female-operated systems were no different.

"System, how many years can 100 skill points add to a Soul Ring?" Xu Ran asked, curious. Could he, theoretically, have Soul Rings that are hundreds of thousands of years old, or even more?

"A single skill point can extend a Soul Ring's age by ten years. Your current 100-year Soul Rings are at 300 and 500 years. Would you like to upgrade them?"

"Never mind, what about the lottery?" Xu Ran shifted his focus. He still wanted to test his luck.

"The lottery offers three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Diamond, which require 10, 100, and 1000 points respectively for a single draw. Since this is your first time, you can use 100 points for a Gold-tier tenfold draw," the system replied sweetly. To make the host happy, it decided to offer some perks.

After all, the system existed solely to assist its host. Until it materializes, however, its capabilities are limited.

"Alright, I'll go for the lottery," Xu Ran said, excitement bubbling within him. A Gold-tier tenfold draw should yield something good, he thought.

"Congratulations, you've won Auntie Wang's thermal underwear."

Xu Ran: "…"

Frustrated, Xu Ran held his forehead with both hands. Was the system implying that he was frail? He was perfectly healthy! Was this a joke? And what on Earth was "Auntie Wang's thermal underwear"? Was he supposed to have some strange reaction to clothes? Even if that were the case, couldn't it be something from Chang'e or Nuwa, instead of an 'Auntie'? This had to be a joke.

Feeling ripped off, Xu Ran had never felt so defeated. Spending 100 points on his Soul Rings would have upgraded them all to the thousand-year level, drastically increasing his strength. Wasn't this lottery a total loss? Regardless, he patiently awaited the rest of his lottery results. A tenfold draw should at least offer something decent.

"Ding, congratulations, Host. You've acquired the Supreme Bloodline: the Qilin Bloodline. With this, you can transform into the Auspicious Beast Qilin. Currently, the age limit is 100 years. Due to your first-time awakening, you are granted a one-time Experience Card to wield the power of a 10,000-year-old Qilin."

"The Qilin is an Auspicious Beast; when you're in Qilin form, all Soul Beasts within a 300-mile radius will benefit from your auspicious influence, doubling their growth rate. This also applies to Soul Beasts who have transformed into humans, increasing their cultivation speed. Additionally, the Qilin possesses both light and fire attributes, with secondary attributes of mental strength and divinity," the system's enchanting voice resonated, leaving Xu Ran utterly stunned.

After a long while, Xu Ran finally emerged from the shock of the astonishing news.

At this moment, all his previous complaints were completely forgotten.

Who would have thought that he would inherit the bloodline of a Qilin, granting him the ability to transform into one?

"My goodness, does this mean I can now shift between human and mythical beast forms at will?" Xu Ran thought, utterly amazed.

From now on, he would not just be a human, but also a mythical soul beast, and even more astonishingly, a Qilin—a creature considered auspicious and rare.

The thought of his newfound power thrilled him. If he ever ventured into the Far North or the Star Dou Great Forest, he would likely be revered as a deity. At that point, attracting the most beautiful soul beasts would be effortless.

T/N: This guy is all about women huh, I like!

Unable to contain his excitement, Xu Ran immediately shifted into his Qilin form. Under some mysterious energy, he transformed into a golden soul beast over a meter long. This mythical creature was adorned with a coat of gilded fur and featured an amalgamation of various animals—a lion's head, deer antlers, tiger eyes, an elk body, and dragon scales. Its tail resembled that of a dragon and was covered in golden fluff.

His entire body emitted a golden radiance, and even his paws seemed to be shrouded in an illusory golden cloud.

Upon transforming into a Qilin, Xu Ran felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through him. With a mere swipe of his claw, a large tree instantly toppled over. Although his cultivation as a Qilin was only a hundred years old, his newfound strength was comparable to that of an average four or five-thousand-year-old soul beast.

...

Just as Xu Ran shifted into his beast form, far away in the Great Star Dou Forest, another similar golden creature turned its gaze toward him.

This soul beast was slightly larger than Xu Ran's Qilin form and looked almost identical, except for a third eye on its enormous head. At that moment, it felt a slight tingling in its vertical crimson pupil.

"Roar~ Roar~" The golden creature joyfully pranced around a lush, green lakeside, its golden head held high, continuously emitting cries.

Its heart was filled with astonishment, but even more so, excitement. Each generation only allowed for one such auspicious creature, yet now it sensed the presence of another.

"What's wrong, Auspicious Beast?" A woman wearing palace-style long dresses, possessing a breathtakingly beautiful face, with teal-colored long hair flowing down to her shoulders, asked with a puzzled expression on her serene face.

"Princess Bi Ji, I sensed the presence of another of my kind. Although its aura is not strong, it emanates the same unique force of destiny as I do," said the golden creature, jumping excitedly beside the woman.

"What? Are you saying there's another auspicious beast?" Bi Ji's calm expression turned into one of sheer astonishment. The abilities of an auspicious beast were extraordinarily game-changing—they could double the growth rate of surrounding soul beasts. Most importantly, this effect could stack, which is why only one auspicious beast could exist in each era.

In the vast Star Dou Forest, an auspicious beast has appeared that can double the cultivation speed of all soul beasts. Just imagine, what would happen if another one were to appear? Doubling the cultivation rate once again, Star Dou would undoubtedly become the holy land for the entire soul beast realm. Doubling once makes two, doubling again makes four. Such exponential growth would be too enticing for any soul beast to resist.

"I must inform Emperor Tian about this immediately. The appearance of a second auspicious beast holds extraordinary significance for the soul beast race." With a gentle touch to her chest, Bi Ji transformed into a streak of flowing light, heading toward the center of the lake.

…

Unaware of the events unfolding in Star Dou Forest, Xu Ran had briefly experienced the power of the Qilin and quickly reverted back to his human form before returning to the Zhu family. There are many powerful individuals in the Star Luo Empire, and he fears that his abnormal abilities would be discovered and dissected for study.

At that moment, the System's voice echoed again.

[Ding! Main quest released. Host, please proceed to Nuoding City to sabotage the relationship between Tang San and Xiao Wu, turning them against each other.]

[Also, place this green hat on Tang San. This hat has the ability to absorb his good fortune, leading him to experience a series of misfortunes.]

[Ding! Considering that Xiao Wu and Tang San share a deep bond, accomplishing this task will be challenging. Therefore, if the host succeeds, you will be rewarded with 500 skill points.]

"Win over Xiao Wu? Easy." Xu Ran chuckled, confident in his abilities. After all, who was he? If he couldn't even do this, what kind of transmigrator would he be? He was well-versed in all kinds of tricks; Tang San could hardly be considered his rival.

"Host, you should be aware that Xiao Wu trusts Tang San deeply. Disrupting their relationship won't be easy," cautioned the System's female voice. Xiao Wu's feelings for Tang San were profound, unlike Zhu Zhuqing, who was relatively easier to woo.

Dai Mubai had already lost Zhu Zhuqing's favor, making her easier to pursue.

However, Xiao Wu and Tang San's emotional bond has been deeply cemented over six years, causing Xiao Wu to trust him implicitly.

"Even if it's difficult, I must still try. Otherwise, System, could you grant me some special privileges? A workaround perhaps?" Xu Ran's eyes lit up. His relationship with the System was excellent; surely some bending of the rules could be accommodated?

"Unprincipled host! I am a being of principles, even if my purpose is to serve the host. I won't grant favors haphazardly," the System's female voice responded, blushing and looking slightly disgusted. She worried internally, wondering what she would do if she ever took a physical form and the host made such demands. Her existence was solely to serve the host, after all.

"In that case, I'll just have to strategize on my own," Xu Ran conceded, heading towards Zhu Zhuqing's bedroom. He shrugged, wondering if the System had misinterpreted his intentions. Was he really that kind of person?

Still, if he ever accumulated enough skill points to grant the System a human form, that would be an excellent option. By then, who among the likes of Ning Cai Chen and Xu Xian would be able to rival him?