Since Mira now understood more about this floating island, she charged through the place, beating up anyone that got in her way. Primal Energy was a scarce resource, and since anyone could obtain it, she needed to find them first. Who knows if she'd be able to obtain any more after this island?
However, the same went for the rest of the people on the island. Now wasn't the time to hold back!
Since the elephant statue, a few days passed by.
Throughout this time, people have obtained all kinds of legacies or powers. For some, the statues didn't just contain Primal Energy, they contained knowledge that resonated with them.
Some were similar to what Mira received from the Fox Statue, visions, but others were more obscure depending on who acquired them. Beasts might've been shown how to improve their human forms. While humans might've been told ways to 'upgrade' their own mortal bloodlines.
Those were just two examples, but the theme of it all was creating a bridge between their two species. Or rather, it was about creating and/or unlocking another part of themselves before bridging the gap between them to create something new.
Most people didn't quite understand what the point of all this was. Sure, having a stronger human form or adopting a similar cultivation system to beasts could make them more powerful, but they weren't sure what the point of it all was. Rank 8 beasts and those who already integrated with Beast Bloodlines found this information the most helpful, but it still left them curious.
However, Mira, who was already a blend of the two species, was like a fish in water. The more Primal energy she obtained, the more in tune with herself she got.
Throughout the last few days, she had 'stolen' many people's opportunities, absorbing as much Primal Energy as she could. She had accumulated it in many places throughout her body, or what she decided to call Nexus Points.
All the Nexus Points she found were:
1. Tail Root
2. Core
3. Heart
4. Blood Essence
5. Spine
6. Feet
7. Lungs
8. Skin (Nexus Point at the nape of the neck)
9. Eyes
10. Vocal Chords
11. Brain
12. Soul
From what she understood, these places were where the essences of both species converged. It was primarily because of these aspects that a beast was able to transform itself into a human form.
To Mira, it was similar to her Body Refinement Stages. Only, instead of unlocking her latent potential and strength through torturous trials, she was opening up new pathways and unblocking the flow of energy she didn't even know was blocked. She was becoming more 'whole' every time she pumped Primal Energy into her body.
Of course, to completely fill all of these Nexus Points, she had to absorb a massive amount of energy.
Although the island was big and there were many statues, she still had to take at least 25% of all the Primal Energy here for herself to accomplish this.
At the same time, Elenei had also followed Mira's lead. However, her path was a bit different than other beasts. Primal Energy was just a more potent form of Qi that would make her future easier.
Because of them, along with the thousands of other people on the island, the statues were rendered useless extremely quickly.
Right now, most of the fog on the island had cleared up. All that was left was a section at the opposite end of the direction they entered.
Standing in front of the last bit of fog, which presumably blocked them from the next island, was a massive Dragon. Although it was smaller than an actual Dragon, it was still taller than a 5 story building.
It looked down at the remaining few thousand people as if it were alive.
In front of the colossal dragon statue, the ground was a smooth, polished stone, reflecting the figure's majestic form and the vast crowd in front of it. The atmosphere was dense with expectation and anticipation, a stark contrast to the competitive rush from the past few days.
The dragon's scales shimmered, reflecting a myriad of colors depending on the angle of the light. Its eyes, however, were what drew the most attention. Deep and ancient, they radiated a mesmerizing glow, seemingly pulsing with every heartbeat of the island itself.
Mira stepped forward, the residual Primal Energy from the Nexus Points in her body resonating with the energy emanating from the dragon statue. As she approached, the statue's eyes seemed to focus directly on her.
A voice, deep and ancient, echoed throughout the island. It felt like it was coming from the core of the earth and the vastness of the heavens simultaneously. "Heaven and Hell, two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. Yet, they do not exist as one. Why is that?"
"..."
Silence blanketed the area.
'What the fuck does that mean?' They all thought, wondering how this related to absorbing energy.
"To establish balance." The Dragon statue answered its own question. "However, life breaks that balance."
"A person can be evil but do good deeds. Does that make them good or evil? A person can selflessly raise abandoned children but kill people for fun. What does that make them? Does more good deeds mean someone is less evil? Or does doing more evil mean their good deeds don't matter? Who draws the line between the two?" The Dragon continued to ask its philosophical questions while everyone remained silent, listening to its words closely.
"What if…" The Dragon paused. "There was no line?"
"What if Heaven and Hell converged into one?"
Both beasts and humans alike glanced at each other, confusion written all over their faces. They had no idea what this had to do with anything. A few thought that he was referencing their two species and couldn't help but feel conflicted as that meant one of them was Heaven and the other, Hell.
But who was who?
Unfortunately, they missed the entire point of his monologue.
"Power works the same." The Dragon continued, "Just because a path isn't yours doesn't mean it's wrong. There is something to be learned in everything. Once you fully embrace that, you will achieve strength not known to this world."
While everyone was pondering about what it meant, the Dragon's eyes lit up, and the ground beneath them rumbled. Eventually, the island quaked so much that it almost seemed like it was about to explode into a million pieces.
"Now, let's see if you've learned anything ever since you arrived!" It roared, releasing a tremendous amount of Primal Energy, which crashed into them like a celestial body!
"UGH!"
Everyone, regardless of their strength, fell to the ground face-first, including Mira and Elenei. Then, as if someone had taken control of them, all the strength from their bodies was sapped dry, and they were transformed into their opposites.
Humans were transformed into beasts, and beasts into humans.
"Make it past me, and you will return to your original form and strength!"
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
Beasts and humans alike roared at the statue with bloodshot eyes. How dare this bastard do this to us?! What were we supposed to learn? Why did I turn into a fucking beast/human?!
Those kinds of thoughts flashed through everyone's minds, which reflected clearly in the Dragon's eyes. If it wasn't a statue, a memory of its former self left behind, it would've shaken its head in disappointment.
Not only had 99% of the people here missed the learning opportunities provided by their ancestors, but they clearly didn't take its lecture seriously.
There were only a few out of tens of thousands of beings that had listened and began walking forward.
Mira and Elenei, being two of them, just glanced at one another and began walking.
Mira, now in the form of a baby fox with a single tail, red eyes, icy blue fur, and profound aura, stumbled her way forward as she adjusted to this new form.
Elenei, in the form of a 5-year-old child, had an easier time as she had unlocked her human form when she was still just a Phoenix. Still, walking in the body of a child was definitely a new experience.
The two didn't bother arguing with the Dragon, just taking this as an opportunity. Questions like, 'How did it do it?' and, 'Why change their species?' never crossed their mind.
Mira, who had already filled up her Nexus Points with Primal Energy, had a much easier time than she thought she would. In fact, her physical body right now, without any Qi in it, was incredibly strong.
'So, this is what it's like to be a fox.' Mira thought, finding the experience novel. Although she had lived as a fox in one of the FLDIL trials, this felt different. It felt more real.
'I wonder if this is how beasts feel when they transform into a human for the first time?' She wondered.
With steady strides, the two of them walked past the Dragon statue without much issue.
Elenei had a harder time since she had lost most of her strength, but she was a unique existence, similar to what the Dragon described in its monologue.
If she couldn't make it past the statue, then nobody could.
Others seemed to catch on and stopped making noise, choosing to try and finish this trial before complaining.
Around a minute later, Mira and Elenei were the first to make it past the statue. Once they did, they immediately returned to their original forms before being baptized by Primal Energy.
Much, much more Primal Energy than everything they absorbed before now combined.
"It seems you two have understood the ways your ancestors cultivated. Incorporate their teachings into your own, and you'll be able to create something great. I wish you two great travels. May we meet again." The Dragon spoke into their minds before they were wrapped in Qi and teleported to the other side of the fog in front of another bridge.
However, they didn't notice that and sat down with their eyes closed, wanting to fully digest all this Primal Energy.
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