Chapter 31: Inherited Talent

Just as Mu Yuanshan, Tang Qiluo, and Mu Yuanfei thought Mu Xian had successfully broken through the bottleneck and were about to congratulate him, the room suddenly darkened. Then, with a crisp “crack” sound, as if something had shattered, the room lit up brilliantly. A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, fiercely striking the Mu Family courtyard.

Immediately after, a loud rumbling sound followed. The roar of thunder mixed with the noise of collapsing buildings clearly reached the ears of the Mu family members.

While everyone was shocked, the lightning tore through the roof of the East Courtyard, ripped through layer after layer of obstacles, and landed squarely on Mu Xian’s head.

Mu Xian’s face quickly turned flushed. His hair stood on end, and his body trembled and shook uncontrollably. Finally, his mouth opened, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out uncontrollably, splashing directly onto the face of Tang Qiluo, who stood opposite him.

“Xian’er!” The people in the room clearly hadn’t expected this situation. They instinctively cried out in unison. Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo couldn’t help but rush towards Mu Xian, wanting to check his condition.

However, the two quickly stopped in their tracks because they saw the Divine Blood Jade Marrow fly up and directly sink into the top of Mu Xian’s head. Meanwhile, the color quickly returned to Mu Xian’s face, and his expression returned to normal.

At the same time, a mysterious and obscure power slowly began to spread throughout the room. This power grew stronger and stronger, rapidly transforming from a trickling stream into raging waves that filled the entire room.

This power arrived so strangely and was so powerful that the three people in the room could only stare at each other, unable to comprehend what was happening for a long while.

“De… Demonic Yuan Power… How does Xian’er have Demonic Yuan Power?” Tang Qiluo tightly clutched Mu Yuanshan’s sleeve and spoke as if in a dream.

Mu Yuanshan, meanwhile, nervously watched Mu Xian, who was enveloped in white mist. Through the layers of mist, Mu Yuanshan could clearly see Mu Xian’s body undergoing rapid changes. Not only did his height increase by a dozen centimeters, catching up to his own, but his build also expanded by two sizes, completely different from his formerly frail appearance.

What drew Mu Yuanshan’s attention even more was that Mu Xian’s facial structure had undergone a slight change. Although it was just a minor alteration, the change in Mu Xian’s aura was earth-shattering.

Previously, Mu Xian had appeared somewhat youthful, with a deathly gray hue occasionally showing in his eyes. But now, a radiant glow flowed across Mu Xian’s face. A faint, elusive smile hung on his lips, setting off his originally handsome features to appear bewitchingly beautiful, giving off a strongly sinister feel.

Most bizarre of all, two large, snow-white, furry tails now extended from behind Mu Xian’s naked body.

These two large tails did not make Mu Xian look strange; instead, they added a touch of demonic allure and sinister charm to him, giving off an extremely dangerous feeling.

“Wasn’t it said that the offspring of human-demon unions couldn’t cultivate? How come Xian’er not only cultivated True Essence Power but also Demonic Yuan Power?” Only after being shaken by Tang Qiluo a few times did Mu Yuanshan murmur to himself.

As for Mu Yuanfei, he had long been stunned by the strange changes happening to Mu Xian. Glancing at Mu Xian’s impossibly beautiful face, then at the pristine, flawless large tails behind him, Mu Yuanfei’s heart actually fluttered with a strange feeling.

“Good heavens, Xian’er is way too pretty. Even I, a grown man, almost developed a liking for him. What girl could possibly resist his charm? It seems Xian’er’s romantic luck in the future definitely won’t be bad.” After pinching himself hard, Mu Yuanfei snapped out of it. He clicked his tongue and made his remarks.

While Mu Yuanshan, Tang Qiluo, and Mu Yuanfei were staring dumbfounded at Mu Xian, another bolt of lightning fiercely struck Mu Xian.

Seeing this, Mu Yuanshan was greatly alarmed. He immediately leaped into mid-air, wanting to block this lightning bolt for Mu Xian.

But just as he began to move, Mu Xian’s eyes suddenly opened. A flash of brilliant light shot forth from his eyes, directly striking Mu Yuanshan, causing him to immediately fall into a momentary state of stupor.

By the time Mu Yuanshan regained his senses, that lightning bolt had already struck Mu Xian.

There was only a sizzling sound. Waves of sky-blue light rolled and danced across Mu Xian’s surface. As these lights rolled and jumped, Mu Xian’s body shuddered continuously, and the smell of scorched, fragrant meat spread through the room.

Mu Yuanshan shook his head vigorously to clear his mind. His gaze towards Mu Xian was full of terror.

The moment Mu Xian’s gaze swept over him, he felt as if he were facing a bottomless cliff. His mind was completely overwhelmed by the endless abyss below, making him want only to flee, unable to muster any other thought.

As a True Essence Realm expert, being frightened by a mere glance from a Condensed Essence Realm cultivator, even if only for a split second, was enough to make Mu Yuanshan break out in a cold sweat.

While Mu Yuanshan was in a daze, several more consecutive lightning bolts struck Mu Xian. Dark clouds churned above the Mu Manor, with the rumble of thunder and the sound of collapsing buildings rising and falling one after another.

Each lightning bolt caused Mu Xian’s skin and flesh to churn, his face to contort, and his body to tremble. Yet, Mu Xian clenched his teeth tightly, his face filled with determination. His eyes even emitted a strange, soul-stealing brilliance.

“Yuanshan, it seems a mutation has occurred in Xian’er. The inherited talent ‘Illusion Pupil’ of our Snow Fox Clan, which has been missing for over five hundred years, seems to have awakened within him. Any Snow Fox possessing an inherited talent will encounter lightning tribulations when advancing in power. The stronger their power, the greater the lightning tribulation they face.” After hesitating briefly, Tang Qiluo spoke of what was happening to Mu Xian.

“For a Snow Fox to awaken an inherited talent within, their bloodline must be pure. You are not from the Snow Fox royal line, and Xian’er even possesses Human Race blood within him. How could he possibly awaken an inherited talent?” Seeing that the lightning didn’t seem to cause Mu Xian fatal harm, but instead made the life force within him grow increasingly vigorous, Mu Yuanshan stopped trying to interfere with the lightning. Instead, he stood quietly to the side, acting as a Dharma Protector.

“This phenomenon can only be explained by mutation. In our Snow Fox Clan’s history, such things have happened before. Occasionally, among some Snow Fox lineages with very mixed blood, one or two prodigies with inherited talents might appear. However, such cases are extremely rare.” Tang Qiluo patiently explained.

“Sister-in-law, how is the offensive power of the Illusion Pupil talent? Is it formidable?” After listening for a while, Mu Yuanfei couldn’t help but interject and ask.

Tang Qiluo frowned in thought for a moment. Just as she was about to explain the specific characteristics of the Illusion Pupil talent to Mu Yuanfei, Mu Xian abruptly opened his eyes.

In the next moment, Mu Xian’s crescent-moon-like eyebrows twitched. Then, with a “whoosh,” he shot out of the room, leaving Mu Yuanshan, Tang Qiluo, and Mu Yuanfei staring at each other in surprise.

“Did… did I see correctly just now? Xian’er’s speed is faster than mine?” Only after a long while did Mu Yuanshan finally stare in the direction of the doorway and ask uncertainly.

“The Demonic Race is naturally known for their agility. Now Xian’er has also awakened an inherited talent. It would be strange if his speed were slower than yours. But what puzzles me is why the True Essence Power fluctuations on him are so intense. Even an average mid-level Condensed Essence Realm cultivator’s Yuan Power fluctuations likely aren’t as strong as Xian’er’s, right?” Tang Qiluo also wore a face full of confusion as she murmured.

“Sister-in-law, are you talking about me? If you want to say Xian’er’s current strength surpasses mine, just say it straight. My ability to take a blow is pretty good.” Mu Yuanfei said with a bitter face.

Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo were originally in a state of extreme shock. Seeing Mu Yuanfei looking quite hurt and hearing his resentful tone, they were immediately amused. However, both also understood one thing: Mu Xian was no longer the same; his strength had greatly increased.

But after the joy, the three of them fell silent simultaneously.

While Mu Xian’s increased strength was undoubtedly a good thing, the fact that he had activated his Demonic Race bloodline and even cultivated Demonic Yuan Power was a potentially fatal matter.

After all, the Human Race and the Demonic Race were currently in a state of hostility. Especially the Human Race and the Snow Fox Clan were in a life-and-death, sworn enemy relationship. If Mu Xian’s identity as a member of the Demonic Race were exposed, he would be in great danger within Human Clan Territory.

“Qiluo, perhaps we should find a way to send Xian’er to the North Ice Palace. With Xian’er’s current abilities, the North Ice Palace likely wouldn’t give him trouble.” After a long silence, Mu Yuanshan said solemnly.

Seeing her husband’s conflicted expression, Tang Qiluo felt her heart twist. She knew her husband must be reluctant to send their son to Demonic Clan Territory. After all, once their son entered Demonic Clan Territory, it would be extremely difficult for her husband to see him again. But Tang Qiluo also knew that sending their son to Demonic Clan Territory was the wisest choice. At least there, their son wouldn’t be in mortal danger, and he would have greater opportunities for development there.

If they kept their son within Human Clan Territory, sooner or later, his talent would attract the attention of powerful humans, plunging him into danger.

“Big brother, how can you be so heartless? Xian’er is still a child. You’d send him to a place where he knows no one, and the people there are all cunning and deceitful…” Before Tang Qiluo could speak, Mu Yuanfei loudly began to protest. But as he spoke, his gaze unintentionally fell upon Tang Qiluo. Instantly, his face turned beet red, and his voice immediately died down.

Tang Qiluo gave Mu Yuanfei a look that was both amused and exasperated before saying, “Xian’er is grown up now. We don’t have the right to make decisions for him. Later, we’ll explain the pros and cons to him and let him choose for himself whether to stay or go.”

Hearing Tang Qiluo’s words, both Mu Yuanshan and Mu Yuanfei were momentarily stunned before falling silent.

In the bathhouse, Mu Xian stared at his suddenly robust body and the two furry tails behind him in the bronze mirror. He stood there dumbfounded, not moving for a long time.

“Things seem to have gotten complicated?” Mu Xian naturally knew about the current life-and-death enmity between the Human Race and the Snow Fox Clan. He never expected that Snow Fox Clan bloodline lay hidden within him and had actually been activated.

After standing there stunned for a while, Mu Xian finally began to examine the state within his body.

It was fine until he checked. But when Mu Xian suddenly saw the unusual state of his Dantian, it was as if someone had stepped on his tail. He abruptly jumped up, almost crying out in surprise.