Chapter 11: A Complete Transformation

“Because from the very first moment, I saw the kindness in your heart—something I have never encountered in any other human. Among all the humans I have met, I could smell the stench of greed emanating from them even from afar.”

“I hope you will always preserve that kindness. Enough said. Remember, never, ever anger the Mountain God. Even with the power I have given you, you will not be able to withstand his wrath.”

A flicker of caution passed through the White Snake’s eyes as she continued, “Come, press your forehead against mine. Your heart must be free of any distractions, or the process will be unbearably painful.”

“Alright,” Su He said, casting all distractions aside, focusing intently. Then, a flash of white light appeared on their foreheads, and Su He felt an intense pain surge through their body.

“Ahh, it hurts so much, it feels like my skin is being peeled off!”

Blood continuously oozed from Su He’s mouth, nostrils, and ears, while their skin seeped with fresh blood, as though something was about to emerge from beneath it.

In Su He’s mind, the White Snake observed, “Ha, luckily this kid heeded my words and kept his heart pure. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have been a simple shedding of skin with some bleeding—it would have led to limbs melting away and a gruesome death.”

“I was born of spiritual energy: pure, clear, and undefiled. My successor must embody kindness and sincerity.”

Su He lost track of time. Each moment felt like an eternity, as if a single second stretched into a century.

At last, the pain subsided, replaced by a warm, comforting sensation. Their skin itched as if something was about to grow. After an indefinite time, Su He awoke and noticed a thin membrane resembling snake skin covering their body. Without hesitation, they tore it off.

“What... what is this?” They hurried to a nearby pool and gazed at their reflection.

The face looking back was still smooth and fair, sharply handsome, with deep black eyes, a high nose, and perfectly shaped lips.

Yet, the jet-black short hair had transformed into long, snow-white locks. Their complexion was even fairer, and white scales covered their chest, arms, neck, and face, lending an air of mystery and allure.

Only one thought filled Su He’s mind: “This is fucking beautiful. Wait, why did I just say beautiful?”

Previously, Su He would have described themselves as handsome or dashing, but now, after this transformation, beautiful and exquisite seemed far more fitting.

“Kid, I have bestowed my power upon you. You must fulfill the promise you made to me. Do you understand?”

A spectral figure appeared before Su He.

“Lord White Snake, what’s happening to you?”

The White Snake no longer possessed her majestic, immense form; only a fading apparition remained.

“I have transferred all my power to you and no longer have the strength to maintain my physical form. I will soon dissipate.”

Seeing the White Snake before him, Su He was filled with guilt.

“Enough dawdling. Hurry back and fulfill the promises you made. Even without what has happened today, I will not last much longer,” she urged, sensing Su He’s remorse.

“Yes, Lord White Snake. I will complete your wishes,” Su He replied, wiping tears from the corner of their eye as they prepared to leave.

The White Snake spoke with a hint of sorrow, “Born from heaven and earth, returning to heaven and earth... Hey, why are you back already?”

Confused, Su He scratched their head awkwardly. “Uh, haha, I seem to have forgotten the way out?”

The White Snake, initially prepared for a somber farewell, suddenly erupted in anger.

“You idiot! The power I just gave you—did you go and mess it all up?”

With the last bit of spiritual energy she had, the White Snake lashed out with her tail, flinging Su He away.

“Hmph, this brat,” she muttered, realizing Su He had come back not out of defiance, but to lighten her spirits with a joke. Gradually, her form began to fade.

Picking themselves up, Su He bowed respectfully to the tree stump where she had vanished.

“Thank you, Lord White Snake.”

They then attempted to use their ability to revert their appearance but found that, aside from the scales retracting, everything else remained unchanged.

“Damn. This look is great, but what if some greasy old lady takes a fancy to me? That would be a nightmare.” After several attempts, it seemed impossible to reverse the transformation besides the scales.

“Ah well, I guess I’ll just have to live with it.”

The five powers the White Snake had bestowed upon Su He were:

Blizzard Storm: Place both hands over the chest, extend the right hand forward with the palm facing up, then pull it downward while rotating the palm to face down, thereby creating a swirling blizzard.

Extreme Cold Freeze: Release an intense cold energy that freezes everything within a limited radius of 50 meters.

Ice Arrow: Create sharp, icy arrowheads that can freeze enemies upon impact.

White Scale Protection: Summon a hard barrier of snake scales around the body to block attacks.

Spirit Snake’s Breath: Manifest a colossal spirit snake behind, whose breath can freeze anything at great range—arguably the most powerful of all abilities.

However, each skill drains spiritual energy. With their current spiritual reserves, Su He could barely cast two Ice Arrows before being completely exhausted.

There were only two ways to replenish spiritual energy: consume objects rich in spiritual energy or absorb it from a place saturated with it—such as the cave where the White Snake had dwelled. Yet, that cave’s spiritual energy had been depleted, or the White Snake would not have dissipated.

Su He pondered the best place to recover—Mount White Bear. In movies they had seen, the fish that healed Tuanzi seemed to be formed from spiritual energy.

But why hadn’t the White Snake gone to Mount White Bear, where spiritual energy was abundant, instead of hiding in this tree hollow?

Well, that was a mystery for another time—perhaps to be answered when meeting Tuanzi.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Bear Big finally caught up with Bear Two.

“Bear Two, don’t be upset. How about we enjoy some delicious honey together?”

“I’m not lying! Everything I said is true. When I was little, I really did encounter that big white bear, but no one believes me!” Bear Two turned his head away in frustration.

“Alright, alright, I believe you,” Bear Big said, though his perfunctory expression betrayed his words. He then tugged Bear Two back toward the gathering.

“Oh, Bear Two found your big white bear, huh?” Jiji taunted as Bear Two returned.

“Jiji, you—” Bear Two started to argue but was stopped by Bear Big.

“Enough, Jiji, cut it out.”

“I’m not wrong. He’s always daydreaming about that big white bear,” Jiji scoffed.

“That’s not just a dream. One day, I’ll bring him back and prove it to all of you.”

Seeing Bear Two’s resolute expression, Bear Big sighed.

“Sigh, Bear Two really has lost it.”