C3 Flying Sword!

Wow, it's actually a bird egg!

Su Bai bit a hole in the egg and wriggled inside.

In just a few bites, he had drained the egg completely.

Host: Tusk Tadpole. Innate Skill: None. Energy Points: 9-10.

The egg was indeed nourishing. He hadn't expected that eating just one would actually increase his energy points.

Su Bai's eyes gleamed as he eagerly squirmed into the second egg.

The pained water bird, with eyes full of rage, scanned its surroundings until it spotted Su Bai.

Upon seeing Su Bai devouring the egg it had laid with such effort, the water bird charged at him with a fury.

Having consumed the second egg, Su Bai emerged from the shell just in time to see the water bird diving towards him, enraged. Startled, Su Bai lost his balance and tumbled into the water.

To be exact, he fell right into the water.

Su Bai was back in the aquatic realm he longed for!

But before he could rejoice, he felt the water churn violently around him.

The water bird, driven by desperation, plunged into the water, relentlessly pursuing Su Bai.

Oh no! I need to escape!

Su Bai realized that another peck from the water bird would leave him in tatters!

Luckily, the water bird couldn't stay submerged for long. Su Bai quickly dove to the bottom and narrowly avoided disaster.

"Beep!"

A prompt sounded in Su Bai's mind.

"Host: Tusk Tadpole. Innate Skill: None. Energy: 10-10. Would you like to evolve?"

At last, it was time to evolve!

Su Bai surveyed his surroundings but didn't rush to evolve. He was unsure how long the process would take or if it posed any risks.

First, he needed to find a safe spot.

Nearby, a loach caught Su Bai's eye.

After a quick glance around, he swiftly devoured the loach and crawled into its empty shell.

Having fed once more, Su Bai could no longer hold back and began to evolve.

Overwhelmed by a wave of sleepiness, he yawned, found a cozy position, and lay down belly-up to rest.

Su Bai jolted awake, unsure of how much time had passed. Upon awakening, he felt an all-encompassing discomfort, as if he were being squeezed by a door. It turned out that his body had grown significantly after his successful evolution, and now he was jammed inside a snail shell.

"Oh no, am I stuck here? Will I have to carry this shell around forever? Or have I turned into a snail?" Su Bai startled himself with these thoughts!

He quickly began to wriggle, trying to escape from the snail shell. In his struggle, he made a surprising discovery.

Wow, I've actually grown two claws and two feet!

Using his newly sprouted limbs, Su Bai managed to squeeze his way out of the shell. Indeed, he had grown four limbs, but his species remained unchanged; he was still a tadpole, albeit a tadpole with limbs!

"Do I even qualify as a tadpole anymore?" Su Bai shook his head and chuckled ruefully. With his sharp teeth and new limbs, he theoretically shouldn't be a tadpole. Yet, outwardly, he still looked like one!

"Host: Fanged Tadpole. Level: 2. Talent: None. Energy: 0-20!"

After reading the description, Su Bai felt much more reassured. At last, he had leveled up.

"Boom, boom!"

Before he could bask in his accomplishment, the sound of distant thunder echoed from the sky once more. Was it about to rain again? Su Bai let his body rise slowly, trying to get a clear view of what was happening.

"Crack!"

A thunderous noise ripped through the sky, shaking the earth itself.

"Whoosh!"

The pond was struck by something, creating massive waves. Su Bai, unfortunately, was caught in the surge and sent soaring into the air.

As he steadied his nerves, Su Bai glimpsed an old Daoist priest in a Daoist robe, speeding by on a flying sword through the column of water.

"Sword flight!"

Su Bai was taken aback. This was the first human he had encountered since arriving in this world, and it was an old Daoist priest. But the priest seemed to be on the brink of death. He was missing an arm, his body was smeared with blood, and although he was perched on a flying sword, he was wobbling as if he could fall at any moment.

So it turns out this is a world of cultivation. It looks like that old Taoist priest must have been in a duel with someone, leaving him in such a disheveled state!

Su Bai reached the apex of the water spout only to begin his descent. Just as he steadied himself, the sky above turned ominously dark.

Instinctively, Su Bai looked up.

"Oh my God, what is that?"

A massive creature, blocking out the sun, flew right over Su Bai.

"Could that be a crocodile?"

Su Bai could just make out the silhouette of the enormous beast.

"You vile creature, you've already devoured one of my arms. What more do you want?"

The old Taoist priest was smeared with blood, his appearance fierce and wild.

The giant crocodile remained silent, answering the old Taoist priest with a sweep of its colossal tail.

The crocodile, having swiftly caught up, struck the old Taoist priest with its tail.

Already gravely injured, the old Taoist priest was sent hurtling down like a cannonball, crashing into the mire below.

"You damned beast, if you're set on my demise, don't think you'll survive either!"

The old Taoist priest, though plunged into the swamp, was not dead. A gaping wound split his waist open, revealing the organs within.

Meanwhile, Su Bai was concealed underwater, his heart racing with fear of becoming collateral damage in the clash of these formidable beings.

Yet, Su Bai's keen eyes spotted something; the old Taoist priest's remaining hand was adorned with a gleaming ring.

"Could that be a storage ring?"

Su Bai couldn't help but salivate at the thought.

Standing in the swamp, the old Taoist priest gripped his flying sword with his sole hand.

As the large alligator charged at him, tail thrashing, a look of solemn resignation crossed the old Taoist priest's face.

"Decades of cultivation, and it all ends here today. My wife, I have failed you!"

With a fierce look in his eyes, the old Taoist priest hammered his chest in defiance.

His chest, already caved in, burst open with blood at the impact of his fist, revealing the bone beneath.

With a final act of defiance, the old Taoist priest coughed up a mouthful of blood onto his sword.

The once dim and lightless sword began to radiate an intense red glow when the old Taoist priest infused it with his blood essence.

Realizing the tide had turned, the large alligator swiftly pivoted to flee.

"You think to escape now? It's far too late. I offer my life as a sacrifice to ensure our mutual destruction!"

Like a bolt of red lightning, the flying sword pursued the desperate alligator with incredible speed, piercing through its tail and exiting through the skull.