C4 Ugly!

His pace slowed to a crawl. The once formidable crocodile, which had been in relentless pursuit, met its end at the hands of the old Taoist priest's mighty sword strike. It was finished!

After slaying the crocodile, the flying sword reversed its course, heading back towards the old Taoist priest. But mid-flight, it inexplicably plummeted to the ground.

The old Taoist priest's body, too, toppled over rigidly. It appeared he had met his demise.

Su Bai, concealed beneath the water, eyed the flying sword embedded before him, his heart pounding fiercely.

Submerged, he couldn't ascertain whether the old Taoist priest was truly dead.

His eyes gleamed with desire to claim the flying sword, yet he feared the old Taoist priest might still be alive and come searching for it.

Silently, he surfaced.

"Gulp!"

Two large eyes peeked above the waterline.

Feeling safe from harm, Su Bai sprang lightly from the pond.

He approached the nearest crocodile carcass and, following the gash left by the flying sword, slipped quietly inside the creature's body.

"Wahaha, I've struck it rich! This crocodile could hold its own against the old Taoist priest, which means it must be a formidable demon beast. If I consume this crocodile, I might just evolve into a frog!"

Su Bai sank his teeth into the crocodile's tender flesh, savoring its succulence.

"This is crocodile meat, a delicacy I couldn't afford in my past life!"

Regrettably, Su Bai had no time to relish the flavor; his focus was on devouring the crocodile as quickly as possible to hasten his evolution.

Hold on.

The old Taoist priest seemed to have perished as well, and there appeared to be a storage ring on his finger.

With this realization, Su Bai hopped out from the carcass and scampered over to the old Taoist priest.

Upon arrival, he confirmed the old Taoist priest was indeed deceased.

The ring remained on the priest's finger. Su Bai promptly removed it and cleaned it off.

Recalling tales from novels about rings that bond with their owner's blood, Su Bai steeled himself and made a small cut on his own body.

After dripping blood onto the ring and seeing no response, Su Bai mused, "Well, I guess I overthought it. Looks like it's just a wedding ring."

Not quite ready to give up, Su Bai decided to give it another go. This time, he focused his consciousness, attempting to delve into the ring. A wave of dizziness hit him, and his consciousness was transported to a dark space.

He quickly surveyed the area, estimating it to be about a hundred cubic meters in size. Despite the darkness, Su Bai could make out every nook and cranny clearly. The space contained nothing but a cushion and a pile of glittering stones.

"So, this is the storage space of the ring. That old Taoist priest sure lived austerely," he thought.

After a brief moment of excitement, Su Bai withdrew his consciousness from the storage space. He pondered for a moment before trying the ring on his front paw, but it was too loose. It fit snugly on his back claw, though.

Elated, Su Bai nearly broke into an impromptu dance right there and then. He remembered the flying sword at the bottom of the water. With a hop and a skip, he dove down, retrieved the sword, and secured it inside his storage ring.

Now it was time to consume the crocodile. Su Bai felt like the luckiest tadpole on earth, and possibly the fastest evolving one too.

The crocodile meat was more than just tender and tasty; it was packed with energy.

"Beep!"

"Host: Tusk Tadpole. Level: 2. Innate Skill: None. Energy: 20-20!"

"Would you like to evolve?"

Without a second thought, Su Bai declined. He feared that evolving and falling back into slumber would cost him the chance for continuous breakthroughs.

Energy 30-20.

Energy 40-20.

Energy 50-20.

With each increase in stored energy, Su Bai's belly swelled more and more.

"This is too much. If I keep eating, I'm going to burst!"

His white belly was now almost completely obscuring his body. He decided to throw caution to the wind and evolve inside the crocodile's body. Yawning, Su Bai succumbed to sleep.

After an indeterminate time, Su Bai's body began to shake violently. He awoke abruptly from his dreams.

When Su Bai awoke again, his body had grown to the size of a pot lid. His tail had vanished, replaced by stronger, more muscular limbs. There was no time to assess his new state; he hurriedly crawled out from the crocodile carcass.

Outside, a swarm of fist-sized ants was dragging the crocodile toward the forest. Su Bai's temper flared. "You thieves dare to steal my evolutionary resources!" He leaped from the crocodile and bellowed.

"Scoundrels, you little thieves!" That's what Su Bai intended to say, but as the words reached his lips, they transformed into croaks. "Caw! Caw! Caw!" He was at a loss for words.

But this was not the moment for such concerns. After his outburst, Su Bai immediately regretted it. The ground beneath him was teeming with ants, a vast, unending blanket.

The ants, busy transporting their bounty, were drawn to the commotion. An unsightly toad perched atop the crocodile, looking ready to challenge them for their prize. The ants glared menacingly, baring their sharp teeth as they surged toward Su Bai.

Surrounded by the swarm, Su Bai feared the worst. "This is it, I'm going to be bitten to death!" The leading ant bit into Su Bai's thigh without reservation.

"Ah!" He screamed, then looked down and chuckled. "Haha, my skin is too thick for them to bite through!" Realizing the ants couldn't hurt him, Su Bai casually flicked his claws, flinging the persistent ants away.

The ants soon recognized their inability to overpower the unsightly toad and their antennae began to quiver rapidly, likely signaling each other. Su Bai took note of their actions. Though he doubted the ants' prowess, caution was still prudent.

"Enough of this!" Su Bai stretched out his hind leg, tapped the crocodile carcass, and stashed it in his storage ring. With his task complete, he bolted.

Ten seconds later, Su Bai was grateful for his swift decision.

As he leaped into the river, Su Bai caught sight of a swarm of ants, each the size of a piglet, charging at him like a stampede of wild horses gone rogue.

Once he was in the river, Su Bai's nerves settled.

He dove to the riverbed and squeezed into an underwater cavern.

Now, he finally had a moment to examine himself.

"Host: Venom Toad. Level: 2. Innate Skills: Venom Spray, Iron Teeth, and Bronze Teeth. Energy: 200-1000."

Su Bai was at a loss for words. He had expected to transform into a frog, only to find himself turned into a toad—an exceptionally unsightly one at that.