Unable to Cultivate, I Can Only Raise Soul Pets Chapter 498

498 Time, Strange Fifth Soul Pet

Crack crack crack...

A crisp sound constantly echoed from the icy chasm.

Wang Che's first observation was a hand.

Upon seeing this hand, Wang Che's heart skipped a beat. He had a rough idea of what it was.

This was due to the segmented nature of the small palm, lacking flesh and appearing as if made from ice crystal white bones.

A skeleton.

“...”

A moment later, a small ice skeleton emerged from the ice pit.

Its body was the color of ice crystals, devoid of flesh, humanoid in shape, and stood about 50 centimeters tall.

“A skeleton?”

Wang Che was genuinely astonished for quite some time. “A skeleton hatched from this soul pet egg? Isn't this hatching method a bit peculiar... Wait, that egg actually had a special energy structure.”

This little skeleton appeared quite ordinary. Beyond its ice-crystal coloration, its most striking feature was a dark shadow emanating from its eye sockets. Within these dark depths, a laser-like scarlet hue glowed, exuding a cold, ancient aura.

“Is this a Transcendent soul pet?”

Wang Che mused, stroking his chin.

It seemed the Glazed Heavenly King was indeed withholding information.

The little skeleton crawled out of the ice pit, yet it didn't seek out its Contract Soul Master like a newly hatched young soul pet.

Instead, it placed its hands behind its back and gazed up at the distant iceberg. Its eyes held nothing but bewilderment and confusion.

Its entire form was ice-crystal colored, and the very structure of its body appeared extraordinary.

However, in other respects...

“Oh right, the life contract...”

Wang Che felt a slight frown surface. He sensed something different.

It was unlike the connection he felt with the Firefly Dream Spirit, where he could perceive a majestic life force. Now...

It felt like nothing at all.

It was even stranger than the little caterpillar.

“Could it be that it isn't bound by the life contract?”

Wang Che pondered for a moment, then looked at the little skeleton. “Judging by its form, could this entity have been human in life? With ice crystals for bones, I can't discern if it was male or female. And its birth from an egg is peculiar...”

“As for the abilities it possesses...”

Wang Che attempted to sense it via the life contract but discovered he couldn't perceive any information about this small skeleton.

This was a stark contrast to the Firefly Dream Spirit's birth, where Wang Che, after a brief sensation, had a general understanding of its information.

Even its soul skill sequence was quite clear.

But...

“Furthermore, my divine sense cannot ascertain its strength...”

Wang Che was perplexed.

In fact, after its birth, there wasn't even a trace of life force emanating from it.

It resembled an inanimate object.

Before its emergence, he could still sense life force from the egg.

Astonishingly, after being born, he couldn't sense any life force from it whatsoever.

This was undoubtedly the most peculiar soul pet Wang Che had encountered.

In reality, skeleton-type soul pets did exist within the martial soul world.

They were associated with ghost-type soul pets but differed from their unique physiques. Skeleton soul pets were generally considered weak in the martial soul world.

They typically appeared in various tombs and possessed extremely low intelligence. Their origin lay in the mutated corpses of soul beasts after death. However, due to extreme age, these corpses would develop a certain level of intelligence. Moreover, their growth potential was exceedingly low and bore no relation to the soul beasts they once were.

In addition, a very long time had passed, causing the bones of these soul beasts to gradually decay, rendering them quite frail.

The Fallen Ancient Era witnessed the highest mortality rate of both soul beasts and humans in history.

“According to historical records, approximately two thousand years ago, various skeleton soul pets emerged. They were all mutated creatures, the remnants of deceased soul beasts and humans. In a sense, they represented the conclusion of that era.”

“Two thousand years. This is because these soul pets were still quite popular then... Unfortunately, as time wore on, the growth and upper limits of these skeleton soul pets diminished, causing many Contract Soul Masters to abandon their cultivation.”

Wang Che's mind raced with the history of such soul pets.

The underlying reason in reality was quite simple. If one desired to nurture a fleshless, emotionless skeleton, why not opt for a flesh-and-blood soul pet instead?

Consequently, such soul pets were exceedingly rare in the modern world.

As Wang Che was lost in thought, the little skeleton twisted its body and ambled towards him somewhat dazed. It then looked up at Wang Che, its eyes still clouded with confusion.

Crack!

Its body seemed unstable as it sat down on the ice.

Wang Che crouched down and extended a finger.

The little skeleton lifted its hand and grasped Wang Che's finger. It struggled to stand. Turning, it looked back at the ice pit. It opened its mouth, emitting cracking sounds.

It couldn't even speak.

“Is there something inside?” Wang Che inquired.

The little skeleton turned its head, seemingly not hearing Wang Che. As it turned, its head made a cracking sound and detached, rolling like a ball to Wang Che's feet.

"..."

Wang Che picked up the detached head and reattached it to the neck, twisting it a few times until a crisp sound was heard before letting go.

Regardless of anything else, this was a soul pet he had been waiting for over a year.

Wang Che walked over and dug into the ice pit. By the time he was done, the ice egg had already shattered.

"Huh, what is this..."

Wang Che was slightly surprised.

The ice egg had indeed shattered, but within it was a soft cloth, like a membrane. Upon closer inspection, he noticed peculiar patterns on it.

It seemed to have been born with it, or perhaps it was contained within the ice egg.

Furthermore, the ice egg fragments appeared to be like prism crystals that could combine into something.

Wang Che's eyes lit up slightly. The ice egg fragments immediately floated up and swiftly merged in the air.

In a moment, a distinct crown was formed.

It was a round, bone-like structure resembling a ring.

It truly looked like a crown.

"Aah!"

The little skeleton scurried over, pointing at the two items and emitting a muffled sound.

"You want these?" Wang Che inquired.

The little skeleton cried out a few times, its confused eyes filled with longing.

It didn't seem to possess much consciousness, only an instinctive desire, much like a hungry child instinctively wanting milk.

"It was born with its own equipment?"

Wang Che sensed these two items but detected nothing unusual.

Then, Wang Che's heart skipped a beat. These two items seemed to be concealing something, sealed by a special power.

"Could 'Transcendent' refer to the eggshell of the ice egg and the cloth inside? Are the Transcendent life forms that Glazed Heavenly King and the others sensed these two?"

Wang Che narrowed his eyes and handed the two items to the little skeleton.

The little skeleton took them quickly but appeared confused, as if unsure how to use them.

Wang Che pondered for a moment, first placing the bone ring on the little skeleton's head, then arranging the cloth upon it.

Suddenly, its body began to emit a glow.

A unique life force emanated from its form.

Almost instantly, Wang Che felt a communication from the little skeleton.

From the information he sensed through the life contract, it was as if the skeleton had truly come alive at that moment.

However, the information provided was very brief, even shorter than that of the little caterpillar.

Aside from its name and race, there was nothing else.

Perhaps there was more, but it was likely all question marks.

There was no mention of any soul skill sequence.

"Aah!"

The little skeleton suddenly lifted its head, puffed out its chest, and let out a high-pitched cry. Though its eyes remained blank, it felt an aura capable of overshadowing the sky.

Yet, there was nothing in the Northern Frost Region to oppose it.

Only the howling cold wind...

Especially when the wind howled, ice rocks were swept up and hurled like stones.

They struck the little skeleton's head.

Duang~!

The little skeleton's head fell off with a thud.

The sound ceased.

The crown on the skeleton's head disappeared.

The black cloth on the little skeleton also vanished.

"..."

It didn't seem to have changed much.

"No..."

Wang Che suddenly glanced around, his pupils constricting.

He picked up the little skeleton's head and reattached it.

He returned to the ice pit. The previously dug pit had already reformed to its original state.

Wang Che calmly resumed digging. Soon, he uncovered the shattered crystals and the black cloth once more.

Witnessing this, Wang Che whispered, "Time."

Fascinating.

Time had been altered, and even space seemed to have been affected.

How did this little skeleton utilize it?

"Could it be that crown?"

Wang Che frowned slightly, reassembled the ice egg's crystals, placed them on the little skeleton, and draped the black cloth over it.

The little skeleton still didn't appear significantly different. This time, it didn't cry out but merely shuffled to Wang Che's feet and made a sound.

"You wish to cultivate?" Wang Che seemed to understand.

This time, the little skeleton comprehended. Previously, it had not understood Wang Che's words or perceived his intent.

It nodded, confused.

"Alright, I shall teach you how to cultivate," Wang Che said slowly.

The little skeleton waved the black cloth like a flag, exuding an imposing presence.

Wang Che observed it and gained a rough understanding.

The skeleton itself might not be very powerful.

However, the black cloth and the crown contained immense power.

When not worn, those two items were inert.

Only when donned did they become effective, as if its soul was intrinsically linked to them.

Nevertheless, it could not yet unleash the full might of these two treasures.

This little skeleton was quite intriguing.

“This little thing’s background isn’t simple... Once I return to the war zone, I must visit the Ice Palace in the Northern Ice Plain.”

With that thought, Wang Che began contemplating how to enable the little skeleton to cultivate.

It was, after all, a skeleton, not a conventional life form.

In a way, soul pets bore a resemblance to demonic beasts.

Their bodily structures and other aspects shared commonalities. Therefore, by adapting demonic beast cultivation techniques, soul pets could also practice them.

Take, for instance, the little caterpillar’s ‘Five Elements Profound Clarity Era Record.’ Although not specifically a demonic beast cultivation technique, such methods weren't restricted to humans.

As a cultivation technique guiding towards the Great Dao, its racial restrictions were minimal.

However, any cultivation technique, regardless of its origin, had one prerequisite: a physical body.

Without a body, one could only become a ghost cultivator in the Netherworld.

Yet, even ghost cultivators required a soul.

The little skeleton lacked the flesh of typical life forms, rendering most cultivation techniques unsuitable.

Ghost cultivator techniques were even less appropriate.

In truth, ghost cultivator techniques were quite fitting for ghost-type soul pets.

Wang Che possessed numerous potent ghost cultivation techniques.

Ghost-type soul pets, being spirit bodies, were inherently compatible with ghost cultivation techniques.

But Wang Che did not own a ghost-type soul pet.

Devil-type soul pets had unique bodies, inherently stronger and more aligned with devil cultivation techniques.

Similarly, the most compatible with demon cultivation techniques was, in fact, a demon spirit-type soul pet.

“A skeletal frame, and a soul of light...”

Wang Che mused, “The Heavenly Bone Emperor of the Nether Capital World once wielded a formidable cultivation technique. That individual was merely a skeleton back then, making it somewhat compatible with you.”

“However, to practice that technique, you must first forge an indestructible spirit skeleton body.”

“Your crown possesses the ability to manipulate time. This black cloth likely harbors ice power. Furthermore, it's not merely ice, but also the power of decay.”

“It bears a resemblance to the unique power of reincarnation...”

Wang Che narrowed his eyes, studying the black cloth.

Actually, the power of reincarnation wasn't an inherently mysterious or awe-inspiring force.

Rather, it was a power that facilitated rebirth.

Across the universe, numerous beings possessed this innate capability to be reborn continuously in different worlds.

When applied effectively, it proved immensely potent.

When misapplied, they could become eternally lost, fundamentally depending on how it was wielded.

“To achieve your current state, you likely have a significant connection to this world.”

“Ah?” The little skeleton tilted its head, casting a glance at Wang Che.

Its head nearly detached once more.

Its body was incredibly fragile, its bones seemingly loose from birth.

“However, you possess a life force and a distinct soul light within your skull. Even if your body were to shatter, this life force soul light would allow you to continually reconstruct it. That is your characteristic.”

Wang Che pondered, “Moreover, a significant advantage is your inability to feel pain.”

He surveyed their surroundings, “For cultivation, a robust body is essential. You should be able to locate an exceptionally fine Profound Ice Mine in this vicinity. If you can nurture the ten-thousand-year Profound Ice, your ice bones can undergo transformation.”

“Hmm... Speaking of which, compared to the Magnetic Sword, you possess greater potential to become a Mechanical Overlord.”

“After all, few soul pets are impervious to pain and capable of altering their bodies at will.”

The little skeleton regarded Wang Che with bewilderment.

“Let’s go. I won’t focus on cultivation for now; instead, I’ll prioritize altering your body.”

“Your ice bones are currently too ordinary.”

Wang Che led the little skeleton further into the Northern Frost Region.

An ice mine was likely situated underground.

The little skeleton wore the black cloth like a cloak, trailing behind Wang Che. However, after only a couple of steps, its body began to falter.

Observing this, Wang Che scooped it up and continued towards the Northern Frost Region.

The Firefly Dream Spirit had already identified over thirty mines within the Northern Frost Region.

Yet, the majority of these mines contained soul crystals, which, while rare, were not what Wang Che required.

Only two specialized ice crystal mines had been discovered.

Wang Che was aware of their locations and, shortly thereafter, located the ice mine.

“There are currently two methods to modify your bones.”

Wang Che inquired, “One is for me to refine a body for you and alter it directly. This approach will grant you immense strength temporarily.”

As he spoke, Wang Che delivered a punch to the ice, causing it to shatter instantly, expanding like a vast spiderweb.

“However, it will require a significant amount of time for you to adjust.”

“The alternative is to directly absorb the energy contained within these ice crystals to temper your physique.”

“In the immediate future, you might not feel exceptionally powerful, but due to the gradual nature of this method, your body will adapt exceedingly well.”

Wang Che sketched out two distinct cultivation paths upon the ice, illustrating them with specific symbols.

Finally, its entire form began to emit a radiant glow, signifying the immense strength its body had attained.

“Which path will you select?” Wang Che inquired.

The little skeleton gestured towards the second option.