[You have successfully taken the Origin-Tracing Snow Woman as your shikigami!]
[Current Exorcism Slots: 1/5. Owned shikigami: Origin-Tracing Snow Woman.]
Lin Xun quickly opened the Palace Masterâs panel. Under it, a new shikigami panel had appeared.
[Shikigami: Origin-Tracing Snow Woman]
[Shikigami Level: 50 (+)]
[Shikigami Quality: Epic-grade]
[Shikigami Equipment: White Furisode Kimono (Fine-grade equipment): A rather elegant kimono, dyed using tie-dyeing techniques and adorned with gold foil and embroidery. The style is quite beautiful.]
[Shikigami Skill: Yokai Art â Dancing Grace Upon Snow (Epic-grade): Using this skill transforms the user into ice and snow, granting a certain chance to evade enemy attacks.]
[Shikigami Skill: Yokai Art â Domain of Extreme Frost (Epic-grade): Using this skill creates a domain of bitter cold, slowing and hindering all enemies within range.]
[Shikigami Skill: Yokai Art â Frostfall of Glacial Blossoms (Epic-grade): Using this skill summons a freezing blizzard, heavily damaging enemies in the area.]
âThe skills are decent, but the level is pretty subpar.â
Lin Xun noticed the plus sign next to the shikigamiâs level and tried clicking it.
[Do you want to inject 10,000 Spirit Essence to level up the Snow Woman?]
[Please note, a shikigamiâs level cannot exceed the level of the Fire-Worshipping Palace Master of Iya Palace shell!]
The good news was that the shikigami could be leveled up. The bad news was it would burn through his money.
Ever since he obtained the legendary-grade Palace Master shell, Lin Xun had appointed it as his leader shell at level 65.
Now, all the shells in the shell slots were level 65.
If he wanted to raise the Snow Woman to the max level of 65, he would have to spend 150,000 Spirit Essence.
âLetâs hope the Onmyoji profession really can sell talismans for profit⊠Otherwise, if I recruit a few more shikigami, I wonât even be able to afford to feed themâŠâ
Lin Xun gritted his teeth and began injecting Spirit Essence in succession.
âInject, give it to her hard!â
In one go, he raised the Snow Woman to level 60, spending a full 100,000 Spirit Essence.
But just as he was about to continue upgrading to level 61, the damned game suddenly raised the price!
[Do you want to inject 50,000 Spirit Essence to level up the Snow Woman?]
???
Lin Xun was left with a blank stare.
So it got more expensive every ten levels, huh?
Which meant that if he wanted to max out the Snow Woman, he would have to click five more times, another 250,000 Spirit Essence.
âAlright, alright, I give up. Level 60 and level 65 arenât that different anyway. Iâll wait until I have more money before upgrading again.â
Lin Xun decisively chickened out. He still owed that large loan to his lady superior, he couldnât afford for the Snow Woman to drain him dry.
He began summoning the Snow Woman to see what kind of power a shikigami worth 100,000 Spirit Essence could display.
[You formed seals and chanted, summoning the Origin-Tracing Snow Woman!]
[The woman in her snow-white kimono looked at you with icy hatred in her eyes. You could practically feel the temperature of the air around you plummeting.]
[The nearby ground and trees gradually became covered in a thick layer of frost and snow. In an instant, the early autumn wilderness had turned into a winter scene.]
[You formed seals and chanted, ordering the Snow Woman to use her yokai artsâŠ]
[But the Snow Woman just crossed her arms in front of her chest and ignored you, coldly watching with a trace of scorn curling her lips.]
Lin Xun rubbed his chin. âLooks like I really will have to discipline her a bit. Otherwise, with her dawdling like this, by the time the enemy knocks me flat, sheâll be standing off to the side clapping.â
[You possessed the shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Primordial Hermit.]
[In your dragon-headed human body, you bellowed, âLittle yokai! In the presence of the Dragon Godâs Descendant, you dare not kneel?!â]
[The Snow Woman curled her lip and said, âI donât know how you learned the Art of Transformation, but just the fact that youâve studied the humansâ vile arts to enslave yokai proves youâre a disgrace among yokai!â]
[And the Dragon Godâs Descendant? If you dare slander the Dragon God again, even if heâs become a prisoner now, heâll make you pay dearly!]
Lin Xun was so furious he laughed. All those top-tier great yokai had recognized the little dragonkin as a true dragon descendant, yet this petty Snow Woman dared to spout such nonsense, she really didnât know her place.
He understood that if he didnât show some true evidence, the Snow Woman before him would never submit obediently.
Standing alone in the wilderness with no one around, Lin Xun did not hesitate. He clicked the transformation skill in his skill bar, Descent of the Hermit!
[Under the Snow Womanâs astonished gaze, you spread your jaws lined with fangs and let out a roar that shook the heavens!]
[Your body suddenly expanded, growing enormous. Your limbs thickened, your claws and fangs lengthened, and a massive dragon tail extended from your lower back.]
[Bulging humps rose behind your shoulder blades, and a pair of colossal dragon wings burst through your scales, blotting out the sky!]
[You flapped your wings, unleashing a terrifying gale that churned the ice and snow in every direction.]
[Your dragon eyes looked down at the dazed Snow Woman at your feet, releasing an overwhelming dragonâs might that shook the trees until they shed their snow.]
[The Snow Womanâs expression shifted from shock to puzzlement. She craned her head to examine you closely. Only after a long moment did she say with certainty, The Dragon Godâs Descendant doesnât look like that. Youâre clearly an ugly creature birthed by lizard yokai, serpent yokai, and bat yokai trying to trick me!]
âDamn it! Is this Snow Woman a complete idiot?â
Lin Xun suddenly felt a bit of regret over his earlier decision. If he had erased the Snow Womanâs consciousness and let the Palace Master control her, wouldnât she have been stronger than acting on her own?
âForget it. Iâve chosen to preserve it, so whatâs the point of thinking about this nonsense now?â
At this point, the only option was to bring the Snow Woman to Dragon Marsh Temple. Only by proving the little dragonkinâs identity in front of all the yokai would she obediently serve him.
Lin Xun let out a long sigh and was about to cancel the transformation when he suddenly noticed a neglected skill in the skill bar.
[Dragon Godâs Blessing (Special Skill): âŠUsing this skill will dispel evil thoughts entangling you, based on the strength of your own dragon bloodline. The stronger your dragon bloodline, the higher the chance of success.]
Dragon Godâs Blessing had once been enormously useful when he was under the gaze of the Extreme Delusion Fruit.
But Lin Xun hadnât courted death in a long while, so the skill had had no purpose.
He still remembered that using Dragon Godâs Blessing would create a brilliantly dazzling visual effect. If he wanted to prove his identity, releasing this skill would definitely work.
âIsnât this a bit of overkill?â
He said this, but his hand was already pressing the skill.
[Special Skill Dragon Godâs Blessing activated!]
[A weak dragonâs roar echoed from the distant void. An illusory small five-clawed golden dragon appeared out of nowhere and began circling around you.]
[In the unseen depths, you sensed that your father god, the Chaotic Origin Dragon, was even weaker than last time. The dragonâs cry sounded like the deathbed whisper of an elderly man beyond saving.]
[The little golden dragonâs scales were dull and dim. It circled you once and then vanished without a traceâŠ]
[The Snow Woman saw the golden little dragon, her eyes widening in disbelief. A moment later, she snapped back to her senses, hurriedly fell to her knees, and called out in a delicate voice, âDragonborn Lord, please forgive me!â]
But Lin Xunâs attention was completely elsewhere.
He stared at the text that appeared after using Dragon Godâs Blessing, and an inexplicable sense of dread rose in his heart.
âHiss⊠Old Dragon looks like heâs about to give outâŠâ