Finally, after discovering another source for obtaining Source Points, Ryan was in a good mood.
He put away the booklet of the basic Primal Energy cultivation technique and began thinking deeply about his talent—Mutation.
As he pondered over it, a sudden realization struck him, and his breathing became rapid.
"It should be possible… right?" He muttered, his voice filled with a hint of disbelief, but even more so with excitement.
He once again looked at his status window, his gaze falling onto his Aspect.
---) Aspect: Infernal War Ape (Bloodline Aspect)
Taking a deep breath, he attempted to use his talent on his Aspect once again, and the next instant—
(Your talent is currently on cooldown and can't be used.)
"Fu*k…" Even though he had already expected it, seeing that it was actually possible to mutate his Aspect again still gave Ryan a shock far greater than the one he had received after awakening his talent.
"According to my talent's description, every time I mutate something, it will evolve in a direction beneficial to me. That means it will definitely become better than before…" Ryan's lips curled upward slightly, and he nearly burst out laughing.
"Doesn't this mean I can continuously strengthen my Aspect using my talent? Even if it only undergoes the lowest-level Mutation, Common Mutation, each time, it will still keep improving and eventually turn into something far stronger than other people's Aspects."
Even among top-level Aspects, there were differences between them.
The true difference between top-level Aspects could only be realized after one began cultivating.
The variation in people's cultivation speed was one of the easiest ways to determine whose Aspect was more powerful.
However, cultivation speed was just one aspect of it.
There were also the abilities that an Aspect granted to its holder.
Each time a person ranked up, their Aspect would undergo a qualitative change and provide new skills along with many other benefits.
In short, to truly determine the power of a top-level Aspect, it was necessary to begin cultivating.
As for low-level Aspects such as the Rage Ape that Ryan had initially awakened, their cultivation speed and other attributes were quite similar.
Some low-level Aspects did not even provide a skill, even after leveling up.
"The Source Points required to mutate something depend on the level of the target. Previously, Rage Ape was just a low-level Aspect, so I only needed fifteen points to mutate it. But now that it has undergone an Ancient Mutation and become a Bloodline Aspect, the number of Source Points I would need to mutate it again would definitely be quite high."
Ryan sighed inwardly and immediately realized that he needed to find a way to obtain more Source Points.
Currently, he only knew of two ways to acquire them.
First, he could obtain one Source Point every year.
Second, he could gain them through Life Crystals.
He couldn't do anything about the first option, so he could only rely on the second.
"Life Crystals, huh…" Ryan muttered in a low voice, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Since he had already used his talent today, he would need to wait thirty days before he could use it again.
Before the cooldown period ended, he needed to gather enough Source Points to mutate the basic cultivation technique.
"Even if I don't aim too high, I still need to collect at least five Source Points within these thirty days…" Ryan muttered to himself. "If I include the Life Crystal I just obtained, I currently have two Source Points. That means I need to acquire three more."
Ryan thought about his meager savings, and his lips couldn't help but twitch.
"If I buy Life Crystals using the money I have, I will become penniless instantly, and it will affect my plan of leaving the slums."
Ryan thought for a long time before finally making a decision.
"Before mutating the cultivation technique, I can't start cultivating or fully utilize the power of my Bloodline Aspect, so I need to be careful."
Ryan finished the remaining food and quickly cleaned everything up.
After everything was done, he slumped down onto the broken bed and stretched.
"I will leave the slums tomorrow…" He said, his eyes filled with determination as he slowly closed them.
While Ryan slept, his body was undergoing a transformation.
Because of the Infernal War Ape Bloodline Aspect, his body had already become far stronger than that of an ordinary person.
However, it had not yet reached its limit and could still be strengthened further.
His Bloodline Aspect slowly converted the food he had eaten earlier into energy and continued to nourish his body, gradually making up for the stunted physical growth he had suffered over the years.
The next morning, when Ryan woke up, his stomach rumbled loudly as if he hadn't eating anything for two days.
At the same time, he noticed that his body felt slightly stronger than it had the previous night.
Even his height seemed to have increased slightly.
"It seems my body is still transforming. It's a gradual process, not an instant transformation where you turn into a hunk in just a few seconds..." Ryan muttered in a soft voice before quickly preparing breakfast for himself using some of the remaining chicken, as he was planning to leave the slums that very day.
After eating breakfast, he packed his clothes and some important belongings into a bag and slung it over his back.
Stepping out of the house, he locked the door and looked at the small home with a dazed expression for a moment.
He did not have many fond memories of living in the slums. The only time he truly cherished was the time he had spent with his mother.
"Ma, you wanted to see the vast world outside of the slums, right?" Ryan spoke softly, his eyes turning slightly misty. "You used to say that my eyes are very similar to yours. So I will go out and see this world, with eyes like yours, for you."