Chapter 257 The Second Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel

Chapter 257: The Second Day After Transmigrating into a Fantasy Novel

Once he'd settled on the basic goal of "cultivating anew and regaining human form," An Yi didn't rush into action.

He stretched out on the grass, beginning to carefully examine this unfamiliar, furry body.

This small frame, though vastly different from the human shape he was used to, seemed to naturally hold a certain agility and strength.

His limbs were short, yet the muscles underneath were firm and packed tight—with just a little effort, he could feel his claws sink deep into the soil with a solid, grounded feel.

He didn't even need to tap into the mental strength he'd sharpened over countless worlds—this body's senses were way sharper than his human one had been.

He tilted his head, and the ears almost hidden under all that thick fur gave a little twitch.

From way off in the distance, the faint rustling of a small insect crawling across a rotting leaf came through as clear as if it were right next to his ear.

A breeze moved through the woods. It carried the smell of wet dirt, and from dozens of meters off, the sweet, tempting scent of ripe berries tucked deep in the bushes.

He could even faintly feel an energy flowing through everything around him—formless, but definitely there.

It soaked into the trees, hung over the ground, and had a feel that was both lively and ancient.

For now, he'd call it "spiritual energy."

An Yi thought.

This spiritual energy felt amazing—like dry ground craving rain, every cell in his body seemed to instinctively reach out for it.

And what's more...

The deeper he sensed, the wider An Yi's eyes—hidden under all that black fur—grew, without him even meaning to.

Soon, his furry, palm-sized body was shaking uncontrollably!

Not out of fear—out of excitement, the kind that felt like it might explode out of his chest!

He could feel it—the invisible chains that had always held him back were gone!!

Yes, chains!!

In every world he'd transmigrated to before, maybe because those worlds weren't high-tier enough, he'd always felt some kind of restraint pressing down on him.

Even though he'd never stopped training his powers in any of those worlds—whether it was controlling water, controlling ice, or his ever-sharper spatial ability—his powers had definitely grown, and his control had hit a master level.

But deep down, he'd always known that wasn't the real ceiling for his abilities!

He'd tried to break through countless times. But every time his power hit a certain point, the world's rules pushed back—soft but unbreakable—and kept him stuck under that limit, no matter what.

But now, in this strange world full of demons and monsters, that pressure was gone!

Gone without a trace!

He could feel the core of his power, which had been sitting quiet inside him, now trembling a little because of the change in the world around him, letting out a hum that almost sounded happy—like it had finally found wide-open space to stretch out in!

An Yi forced the excitement down.

Getting excited wouldn't help. What mattered was checking the situation and using it.

He took a deep breath of the spiritual-energy-filled air, and the cool, fresh rush seemed to calm his powers down a bit.

He needed a safe, quiet spot to try out this world's cultivation methods.

An Yi turned his head, his round body turning with it, and thought back to the almost empty memories of the body's original owner.

The original owner's den was in a valley not far off.

That'd work.

An Yi tried hopping in place a few times.

At first, his limbs felt clumsy—the round body made it hard to keep his balance, and he almost rolled over a few times from pushing too hard.

But he learned fast. Within moments, he was moving smoothly and running.

His furry little paws hit the soft leaves almost silently, and his big fluffy tail swayed behind him with each step, helping him keep his balance.

Once he felt ready, he took off running toward the valley from his memory.

He was surprisingly fast—like a black blur zipping through the forest shadows.

The valley entrance was quiet and hidden, with mossy rock walls on both sides.

An Yi had just reached the valley mouth when he slowed and stopped.

He sensed that inside the valley, besides some dumb animals and birds, there was a slightly different presence—but it was weak and no threat.

He sat back on his haunches, lifted his face—where you could barely make out any features—and stared straight at where the presence was coming from.

It was a tall pine. On one branch, a little squirrel with shiny, smooth fur was busy stuffing a nut bigger than its own paw into a crack in the trunk.

The squirrel seemed to feel the stare, froze, and whipped its head around.

There at the valley entrance sat a pitch-black, furry lump, staring right at it.

That thing was all black, and it gave off a vibe that made the squirrel's spine tingle.

The little squirrel let out a "squeak!"—every hair on its body standing up. It arched its back, hugged its nut, and stared back nervously, its tiny eyes full of tension and caution.

An Yi's furry face twitched, barely noticeable.

The way it puffed up... was kind of cute.

He didn't mean any harm; he was just watching.

Still, sorry for scaring you, little squirrel.

He thought casually, but his focus was more on the squirrel's quick, darting eyes.

That look wasn't just the natural caution of a wild animal—An Yi tilted his head. Was it thinking?

Thinking?

An Yi understood.

So this little squirrel wasn't an ordinary animal—it was a small demon that had already woken up its mind and started on the path of cultivation.

Its cultivation was still weak—maybe it had only just gained awareness.

He didn't stick around. Looking away, he pushed off with his limbs and kept running deeper into the valley, toward the cave from the original owner's memory.

The little squirrel saw that the dark, round blob paid it no mind and instead ran deeper into the valley. It hesitated for a few breaths, its tiny mind racing.

Something's off! Way off!

That dark blob living deep in the valley—it had come across it before. It used to just run around in a daze, foraging and drinking, no different from the other muddled beasts in the forest, its aura faint and weak.

But just now, the moment it looked at it, a trace of an extremely subtle yet spine-chilling dangerous aura seemed to emanate from it!

That aura was far more terrifying than the one from the great Mountain Lord, who could take human form and rule over a thousand li, whom it had glimpsed from afar years ago!

Though it didn't know exactly how big "a thousand li" was, every demon spoke of the Mountain Lord with awe—it must be an enormous territory, and the Mountain Lord must be an incredibly powerful great demon!

But this dark blob...