...
Two very different buttons appeared in front of Azmodeus, making it clear that he was expected to click one of them.
"I am looking for direct strength right now, and I doubt that a turtle could give me much in terms of abilities, so I choose this one..."
His voice echoed out while his finger had already found its target, namely, the first button that read, 'Choose to Assimilate Stats'.
BLING!
After his finger made contact with the button, a bright light flashed, and his body was enveloped in a low shining blue light!
A second passed by as he could quite literally feel his strength increasing!
Not only that, but he could also feel that his speed, defense, and Qi were improving accordingly.
And after a few milliseconds for the boons to finish processing, he felt that his physical strength had increased from 100 kg to 200 kg as easily as that!
"This is actually happening..." He mumbled with a slight tone of disbelief.
Even though he had already decided that he wasn't merely hallucinating, it was still such a surreal thing to experience a thing like this actually coming to pass...
Even so, he snapped out of his stupor when he felt newfound strength coursing through his veins and figured that he ought to test it out on something.
He began his approach toward a ten meter tall tree on the other side of the stream, as he stepped through the knee high water of the creek, making his way toward the base of the tree.
And just as his body was going to get into a fighting stance, using the only technique that he knew, a few more system notifications appeared in front of his vision.
[Ding!]
[All of your stats have increased by 0.1 (Including your cultivation talent.)]
[Ding!]
[Your cultivation and overall combat power have moderately improved!]
[Your overall combat power has increased from the 'Early Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm' to the 'Middle Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm'.]
Following these system notifications, Azmodeus opened up his system interface while getting into a punching form, about to unleash his comprehensions over his 'Tiger Barrage Fists'.
BLING!
—------------
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: Human]
[Lifespan: 12/64]
[Cultivation: Middle Stages of the Flesh Refining Minor Realm (Body Refinement Realm.)]
[Overall Combat Power: Middle Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm]
[Level: 2]
[Evolution Essence needed for the next level: 0.05]
{[Stats:]}
[Strength: 0.3]
[Speed: 0.3]
[Defense: 0.3]
[Qi: 0.3]
[Cultivation Talent: 0.3]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Inherited Traits and Active Species Alterations: None]
—------------
"My strength has improved by so much! Now it's time to test it out!" Azmodeus exclaimed before using his knowledge of Tiger Barrage Fists to strike forth with all his newfound strength.
WIZ! WIZ!
Multiple illusory fists were seen flying from his thin figure, as five nearly identical four inch dents were made in the shed bark of the tree!
"This is beyond amazing!" He shouted with his fists stretched to the skies above.
He had expected to do a significant amount of damage to the tree, but he never would've anticipated that his strength had already surpassed what he possessed in his past life!
...
After a few seconds of venting his excitement, he calmed his nerves and returned to his stoic countenance.
"I am already stronger than I was when I assume, was two years into the future, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to call it quits with just this."
He had already come to the conclusion that he was somehow sent back two years in the past, somewhere after the time he was admitted as an official Trial Disciple of the sect.
This was a time when he had shed his past as a secret Trial Disciple nurtured by the sect and became a genuine Trial Disciple with the awakening of his Trash Spiritual Roots.
It was a period in time when he was at his lowest...
But now things were different! He was different!
And as long as this 'system' didn't decide to up and leave him all alone, then he was confident that he could make up for all the time he wasted cultivating for minimal returns in his past life!
He would be different! He would be stronger!
That much he promised himself the moment he saw that the system was a real thing and not just a hallucination!
Azmodeus walked away from the bruised up tree as he turned his head in an arbitrary direction and shouted, "I thank you for this chance, Mr or Mrs System! I promise you that I won't squander this opportunity to live a better life! This I swear on my martial heart!"
Bzzzt!
A light buzzing sound resonated in the surroundings as swearing upon one's Martial Heart was the same as swearing upon your entire future as a Cultivator, and in more severe cases, it meant that you were betting your life!
But if he didn't have at least this much determination, then was he truly worthy of this gift that was bestowed upon him??
[...] The system seemed to go silent at this declaration of his.
"You don't need to respond. I just wish to let you know that I will pay back this debt in the future, no matter what it is that you want to ask of me!"
Azmodues had barely any power of his own, but that didn't mean his words meant any less.
[Host does not need to pay the system back. The system is just an extension of the host's existence.]
The System's robotic female voice rang out inside his head, as he lifted up his bowing face and looked at the blue translucent screen floating in front of him.
His eyes emitted overwhelming amounts of gratitude as he announced, "I will pay you back!"
[There is no need-]
"I will pay you back, no matter the cost!"
[...]
The system went silent as it was trying to understand how it had ended up with such an unusual host.
Nonetheless, Azmodeus bowed at a deep angle for a few moments before he looked up and said, "But until I am capable of paying you back, I will use you to obtain more power. I apologize in advance!"
After getting out those heartfelt words, he began his approach toward the nearest animal.
The closest thing he could find in his proximity was a river eel that was laying low in a shallow part of the creek, awaiting its next prey to swing by.
However, today would be the day that its entire world would get rocked, as a rock quite literally came flying down on top of its head!
BLING!
[Ding!]
[You have killed a Mortal Level creature!]
[Ding!]
[You have obtained 0.01 Evolution Essence!]
......