C1 I Became a Toad Spirit!!

In the heart of a dense, overcast forest, raindrops plummeted from the expansive leaves above, transforming the land into a quagmire of muddy puddles.

Nestled in a low-lying area of the jungle, a ten-foot expanse of mud concealed a massive, oval-shaped bulge, barely discernible beneath the stout branches.

With a sudden swoosh, two enormous eyes, as large as copper bells, snapped open within the murky pond, gleaming with a grim, deathly light.

The water churned with a splash, revealing a toad as large as a grindstone, its skin a mottled gray-black. Its back was studded with lumps the size of fists, oozing with pale red pus that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who dared to look.

"Twenty days have passed!" Lin Xuan mused.

"At last, another prey has come my way!"

His gaze fixed on the forest shrouded in a faint white mist, Lin Xuan could sense a faint blood aura meandering toward him from the woods some distance away.

This toad in the mire was none other than Lin Xuan himself, once an average office worker whose life took a bizarre turn following a car accident. Awakening from the crash, he found himself transformed into a colossal toad.

By his own reckoning, a toad of such stature had an 80% likelihood of being a mystical creature. Deep within his memories lingered a method of breath cultivation, allowing him to absorb the moon's essence filtering through the tree canopy at night.

Each successful cultivation session brought a prompt: Spiritual Energy +1!

After days of trials, he discovered that devouring other giant insects increased his blood qi—sometimes more, sometimes less. Nearly a month had passed, and his blood qi had nearly reached its zenith, just shy of the critical value of 100.

Concentrating deeply, he could see his current stats: Spiritual Energy 74, Blood Qi 99.1.

Lin Xuan couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous would occur once his blood qi hit 100.

Then, abruptly, a rustling noise erupted from the dense underbrush beside him.

A massive spider, nearly two feet across, emerged into his view. Its body was pitch-black, marred by several deep, bleeding gashes on its back.

Upon spotting the massive toad in the mud, the injured giant spider sensed danger and instinctively backed away. But Lin Xuan was not about to let it escape so easily.

Its gaping maw opened wide.

A long tongue, studded with red bumps, shot out, leaving a faint red streak as it ensnared the black spider. In a flash, the spider was engulfed.

Within the corrosive acid of its body,

the spider's form disintegrated in mere moments, its essence completely absorbed by Lin Xuan.

"Blood Qi +1.8!"

"Blood Qi total: 100!"

"Initiate Bloodline Evolution!"

With those words,

a hum filled the air,

and an Evolution Tree materialized in Lin Xuan's mind.

At its base was his current form, the Mud Frog. Ascending the tree were millions of Spirit Frogs, each with unique abilities, vividly presented before him, their powers detailed alongside.

His attention was drawn to a steaming, blood-red Spirit Frog.

Nickname: Magma Fire Spirit Frog

Bloodline Rank: Low-Grade Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: High affinity for fire, capable of wielding flames and spewing lava.

Next to it,

stood a pristine, white Ice Toad.

Its back was adorned with small shards of ice, and its blue eyes radiated a piercing chill.

Nickname: Polar Ice Toad

Bloodline Rank: Low-Grade Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: High affinity for ice, able to manipulate frost and unleash ice blades.

The Spirit Frogs of the five elements each bore striking, vibrant colors!

Among them were the menacing, multicolored Poison Frogs, their backs sporting large, crimson bumps that sent shivers down the spine.

Nickname: Rainbow Venom Frog

Bloodline Rank: Low-Grade Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: Naturally harbors potent toxins, capable of exhaling noxious miasma and venom.

...

"Would you like to select the Rainbow Venom Frog?"

"No, no, no!"

A prompt echoed in Lin Xuan's ears after he lingered on the choice for a few seconds, and he hastily declined.

This accumulation of Blood Qi was the key to elevating his bloodline rank.

He then turned his gaze to his current form.

Nickname: Forest Swamp Mud Frog

Bloodline Rank: Pseudo Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: Strong Acidic Gastric Juice.

The gap was indeed significant.

After a brief moment of thought,

Lin Xuan swiftly skimmed through thousands of Spirit Frog species.

Following a rapid selection process,

Lin Xuan settled on two types of Spirit Frogs that were most suited to him at the moment.

One was a black frog enshrouded in a faint mist, its body gleaming with a metallic sheen. Its deep blue eyes sparkled like stars, exuding an air of mystery.

Nickname: Dream Cloud Spirit Swallowing Frog

Bloodline Level: Low-Grade Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: Casting Illusions, Exceptionally Strong Armor.

The other was the Thunder Spirit Frog, its body crackling with electricity, radiating an intensely fearsome aura of destruction. Its purple stripes resembled writhing bolts of lightning.

Nickname: Thunder Spirit Frog

Bloodline Level: Low-Grade Spirit Beast

Innate Ability: Manipulating Lightning.

...

"The Thunder Spirit Frog boasts powerful attacks, but its defenses are far too frail!"

Lin Xuan paused, considering his options.

Ultimately, he chose the Dream Cloud Spirit Swallowing Frog!

Capable of illusionary attacks and armored defense, it offered both offense and protection, with the illusionary attacks doubling as a defensive mechanism.

Being still weak, he knew that focusing on stealthy growth was the correct path for cultivation.

"Do you wish to choose the Dream Cloud Spirit Swallowing Frog?"

"Yes!"

"Selection confirmed!"

"Bloodline evolving..."

As the voice in his mind faded,

Lin Xuan experienced an intense pain in his limbs, as if his skin was being ripped apart.

To the outside observer,

Lin Xuan, prone in the mire, his body once riddled with parasites and caked in grime, began to exude a thick, blood-red aura.

His once millstone-sized body slowly expanded to nearly two meters in length.

The pus-filled swellings on his back rapidly receded, leaving only a few pale scars on his darkened skin.

After fifteen minutes,

the dense blood aura enveloping him had fully integrated into his body.

A complete Dream Cloud Spirit Swallowing Frog now lay before their eyes.

Its glossy, dark blue eyes seemed to hold swirling galaxies within, twinkling with a fantastical hue. It was a creature of both formidable ability and striking appearance, ranking at the pinnacle of its kind.