Chapter 54 - 50: Echolocation

Zhao Lin had originally been dismissive of the bat’s Essence Soul.

Ever since getting the Spirit Beast Scroll, all he cared about was how to increase his combat power—things like strength, speed, armor, or even an electric discharge ability like an electric eel’s.

He paid little attention to auxiliary abilities like hearing or smell.

But his experience a few days ago had made him realize the importance of reconnaissance.

If he’d had hearing as sensitive as a bat’s, he never would have been successfully ambushed!

’What is a bat’s specialty?’

’Its incredible hearing, of course.’

’In his past life, any elementary school student knew that bats relied on echolocation to determine a target’s position, distance, size, and other information.’

’Radar was invented based on the principle of echolocation.’

’Also, because bats have poor eyesight, their hearing can replace their vision most of the time.’

’If I obtained this ability, would I still need to worry about ambushes?’

At this thought, Zhao Lin could no longer hold back. He took a deep breath, inhaling the Horseshoe Bat’s Essence Soul as it floated to his lips.

A small ball of silver light diffused within his skull.

Unlike the old ox, the bear, and the Black-horned Antelope, which focused on transforming his physical body, the changes from the Horseshoe Bat were mainly concentrated in his head.

The Essence Soul split into three streams of silver light.

One stream entered his throat through his nasal cavity, while the other two entered his left and right ears, respectively.

TH-TH-TH-THROB...

Zhao Lin felt as if an electric motor had been installed in his throat, vibrating at an extremely high frequency. A buzzing sound rang in his ears as a torrent of chaotic noises followed.

It wasn’t physical pain, but mental torment.

He knew this was a necessary part of the Essence Soul’s transformation process, so he was neither surprised nor afraid. He simply closed his eyes and waited for it to pass.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Spirit Beast Scroll flashed with light, and a Horseshoe Bat appeared in the third slot.

’I can’t believe I actually chose a bat for the third slot of the Spirit Beast Scroll.’

Zhao Lin let out a soft sigh and listened intently, only to discover with surprise that his hearing hadn’t changed at all.

’Why isn’t there any effect?’

Zhao Lin frowned. The previous times he had absorbed an Essence Soul, the effects had been immediate, with strength and speed instantly enhancing his body.

’Right, a bat’s ultrasound is emitted from its mouth and nose, and the echoes are received by its ears after hitting an obstacle.’

’Which means I have to emit the ultrasound first!’

With a thought, Zhao Lin’s Adam’s apple began to vibrate rapidly, almost imperceptibly.

It was like dropping a pebble into a calm lake, sending ripples spreading out in all directions.

The ripples struck the reefs in the lake and bounced back...

Immediately after, countless sounds flooded into Zhao Lin’s ears.

These were different from sounds heard by the human ear. The refracted ultrasound waves returned, bringing all sorts of information with them.

Zhao Lin could quickly sketch out a mental image of an object’s precise location, size, and shape.

If the object was moving, the continuous ultrasound waves could even describe its direction of movement, right down to its detailed actions.

Though it was called hearing, it was in fact a dual experience, like a combination of hearing and sight!

Ten meters away in a patch of grass, a dung beetle was strenuously pushing a ball of dung.

A squirrel was dozing in a tree hollow by the cliff’s edge.

A grasshopper rested quietly on a foxtail plant, greedily chewing on a tender green leaf...

For a brief moment, Zhao Lin felt as if he had opened a third eye, looking down upon the world from high above.

Everything happening within a fifty-meter radius was laid bare before him!

He closed his eyes, fully immersing himself in this marvelous sensation, as if he had opened the door to a new world.

But soon enough, he became overwhelmed by the incessant flood of sounds.

There were simply too many sounds to receive, comparable to information overload, and he couldn’t process it all in such a short time.

Zhao Lin quickly stopped the vibrations in his throat, and his hearing immediately returned to normal.

But now, while it was no longer overwhelming, his excellent hearing was gone too.

’It’s either overwhelming or it’s useless.’

Zhao Lin pondered for a moment and came up with a solution.

He directed his Adam’s apple to vibrate rapidly three times with every breath. This way, he could still receive information about his surroundings without it being too disruptive.

After practicing for about half an hour, the action became as natural as breathing.

It was like a "standby" mode: he could monitor external sounds at all times, and the moment he sensed something unusual, he could fully activate his hearing.

If everything was normal, there would be no extra interference.

’Good, very good!’

Zhao Lin felt much more secure. With this ability, he basically didn’t have to worry about being ambushed anymore.

Combined with his speed, it was a true life-saving tool.

’Such an outstanding ability, how did I not think of it before?’

Zhao Lin began to re-evaluate his plans for the Spirit Beast Scroll.

It seemed he needed to think more and learn more about the beasts of this world.

He had already used three of the nine slots; he would have to use the remaining six more sparingly.

As his martial arts improved and he encountered more exotic beasts, there would be even more abilities awaiting him in the future.

Unlike other beasts, the Horseshoe Bat’s transformation of his body was relatively minor, so Zhao Lin didn’t feel extremely hungry. He casually ate a few pieces of dry rations and then crawled into his cave to sleep.

The next day, he returned to Qinghe County.

Zhao Lin didn’t go directly to the Liuhe Sect, but went to the morning market instead.

The place was crowded and noisy, a chaotic environment perfect for practicing his hearing.

Zhao Lin strolled through the morning market, his hearing still in standby mode—that is, emitting three pulses of ultrasound with every breath.

Although he couldn’t receive a continuous, complete stream of sound this way, he could still hear in all directions.

Several people were moving behind him—some approaching, some moving away. He knew it all without needing to turn his head!

’Time to try it at full power!’

Zhao Lin’s Adam’s apple vibrated at high speed, and a completely different scene unfolded in his ears.

"Seed cakes, seed cakes, fresh-baked seed cakes!"

"Lady Lin, look how beautiful this floral fabric is! Get a few feet of it to make a new set of clothes. It’ll surely look wonderful!"

"The plowshare is busted. I’ll have the town’s Zhang Mu’Er add a pound and a half of iron and reforge it..."

The footsteps from half a street away, the hawkers’ cries, the clatter of pots and pans—it all rushed towards him.

The sounds were too dense, and Zhao Lin once again felt a sense of discomfort.

He suppressed his irritation and listened patiently, trying to filter out the useless information and treat it as background white noise.

One had to admit, a person’s ability to adapt was truly strong. Zhao Lin went from feeling nauseous and uncomfortable to gradually adapting and then to complete acceptance, all in less than an hour.

’This is so incredibly useful!’

A smile appeared on Zhao Lin’s face. If the events of a few days ago were to happen again, he would absolutely be able to detect the assassin hiding behind the door from a great distance.

Although the ultrasound couldn’t penetrate solid objects, unless his opponent stopped breathing and remained perfectly still, they would not escape his "dharma ears."

Leaving the morning market, he arrived at the Liuhe Sect.

With his enhanced hearing, Zhao Lin discovered that the breathing rhythm and the cadence of each apprentice’s footsteps were actually quite distinct.

While he couldn’t directly judge a person’s cultivation level from this information, he could get a rough estimate of their state and realm.

’I never thought hearing could have such a wonderful use.’

Zhao Lin took off his outer jacket, walked over to the iron wok, and picked up a shovel. He filled a burlap sack with the heated iron sand, then swung it to strike his body.

"Brother Feilong, the Big Boss has given the order. He wants you to make your move as soon as possible."

As noon approached, Zhao Lin’s ears suddenly picked up a voice coming from a great distance.