Chapter 203: Ch 203- Belated Birthday Celebration

Mo Yuan watched as the crimson streak of saber light shot toward the distant horizon.

Since the second layer of the Shadow Realm had no atmosphere, the saber light traveled forward without creating any sonic boom. It continued across the barren land until it finally struck the ground.

A low rumble echoed across the wasteland. The ground trembled slightly and a cloud of dust rose from the impact site.

Mo Yuan immediately used his Origin Sense to inspect the damage.

The moment he saw what had happened, he froze.

Not because the destruction was too great but because there was almost no destruction at all!

The place where his saber light had struck contained nothing more than a small crater and that was it.

Mo Yuan stared at the scene in disbelief.

’Wait a minute. My strength is 874.8 billion jin and this is all I managed to do?’

He almost wondered if he had made a mistake in his calculations but the most unbelievable thing happened next.

The small crater began to recover.

At first, the changes were barely noticeable. Then, the damaged ground slowly returned to its original shape. The dust settled, the cracks disappeared and within a short time, the barren wasteland looked exactly as it had before.

It was as if his attack had never happened.

Mo Yuan fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"What a strange place."

The second layer of the Shadow Realm had already surprised him several times but this was something else entirely.

Not only could he move through it without being detected by ordinary means but the very land itself seemed capable of recovering from damage.

He had no idea what kind of power maintained this place.

However, after thinking about it for a while, a smile appeared on his featureless face.

"But this is perfect! At least now I have a place where I can test my strength without worrying about destroying everything around me."

He nodded in satisfaction.

In the outside world, even a casual experiment with his full power could cause massive destruction. He would have to be extremely careful whenever he fought seriously.

Here, however, he could unleash his strength without worrying about the consequences.

After admiring the strange phenomenon for a little longer, Mo Yuan decided to leave.

"I’ve checked my strength and my Blood Saber Intent is under control again. It’s time to go back."

Just as he was about to activate Shadow Walk, he suddenly stopped.

"Wait a minute. How do I change back into a human?"

He lowered his head and looked at his pitch-black body.

Although the Shadowspawn form was useful, walking around the human world looking like a faceless black creature would certainly attract some unwanted attention.

Mo Yuan immediately summoned his talent panel and focused on the racial transformation option.

He imagined himself returning to his original human appearance.

A few seconds later, his body began to change. His height increased, his limbs returned to their normal proportions and his facial features reappeared.

His pitch-black skin gradually returned to its usual color and his blonde hair returned as well.

Soon, Mo Yuan was back to his original human form.

He examined his hands and touched his face to make sure everything was normal.

"Good. At least I don’t have to worry about walking around like that all the time."

With that settled, he activated Shadow Walk and left the Shadow Realm.

Meanwhile, deep within the Shadow Realm, the mysterious pitch-black being had already returned to its original location near the core.

It had paid little attention to Mo Yuan after giving him the gift. If it had witnessed Mo Yuan freely switching between his human and Shadowspawn forms, even its usually calm eyes might have widened in surprise.

After all, possessing two bloodlines simultaneously was already extremely rare.

Cultivators might merge or mutate their bloodlines to create something new but freely switching between two distinct races was unheard of throughout the entire Firmament and even beyond.

Yet Mo Yuan had somehow achieved exactly that.

Unfortunately, the mysterious being had no idea what had just happened and Mo Yuan himself was still far too busy trying to understand his new abilities to realize how extraordinary his transformation was.

Back in his cultivation chamber, Mo Yuan looked around and released his Origin Sense.

It immediately covered the entire house.

’Hmm? It’s already April 6 and it’s only six in the evening?’

He had expected to spend much longer in the Shadow Realm but apparently, only a few hours had passed in the outside world.

His Origin Sense soon found Mo Ran at home. Goldy was sleeping on one sofa, while Kitty had curled up comfortably on the other side of sofa.

Mo Yuan couldn’t help but smile at the peaceful scene.

’Come to think of it, I’m seventeen now. My birthday was supposed to be on March 24 but I completely missed it.’

He had been so busy cultivating and improving his strength that he had forgotten about something as ordinary as his own birthday.

Still, he did not feel particularly bothered.

’Well, who cares? It’s just a birthday.’

With that thought, he opened the door and walked out of the cultivation chamber.

The sight that greeted him made him shake his head.

Goldy was sleeping with his belly exposed, while Kitty had curled herself into a fluffy white ball. Neither of them seemed to have any intention of moving.

’These two really know how to enjoy life.’

Just then, the door to Mo Ran’s room opened.

"Brother! You’re finally out!"

Mo Ran walked toward him with a happy smile.

Mo Yuan nodded. "Yes. I had a breakthrough, so I needed to stay in seclusion for a while."

Mo Ran did not understand cultivation very well but she knew that every breakthrough made her brother stronger. Hearing that he had succeeded, she naturally felt happy for him.

However, her expression soon changed and she puffed out her cheeks.

"But brother, you missed your birthday! I was waiting for you to come out so we could celebrate together."

Mo Yuan paused.

He had almost forgotten that his sister had always made an effort to celebrate his birthday, even back when they were struggling to survive in Dong Hai Base.

Although they had barely had enough money for their daily needs back then, Mo Ran would still find a way to prepare a decent meal for him.

Remembering this, Mo Yuan felt a warmth spread through his heart.

He scratched the back of his head and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Ranran. How about this? We’ll go out to eat today. I’ll treat everyone to a proper feast!"

The moment he said the word feast, two pairs of eyes snapped open.

Goldy jumped off the sofa, while Kitty immediately stood up and stretched her body.

Mo Yuan stared at them.

"Weren’t you two sleeping just now?"

Goldy quickly climbed onto the armrest and looked at him with bright eyes, pretending he had been awake all along.

Kitty simply meowed.

Seeing their reactions, Mo Yuan burst into laughter.

Mo Ran pouted. "Hmph! You two get excited whenever Brother mentions food!"

She then turned toward Mo Yuan.

"Wait a moment, Brother. Let me change into something nicer!"

After saying that, she hurried back into her room.

Mo Yuan watched her leave with a helpless smile.

"This girl..."

A few minutes later, Mo Ran returned wearing a neat outfit, her face bright with excitement.

"Okay! Let’s go!"

Mo Yuan nodded and the group left the house. Kitty jumped onto his right shoulder, while Goldy settled comfortably on his left.

Soon, they arrived at the best restaurant in Cang Lan Base, the one operated by the Mu Family that Mo Yuan had visited recently.

Once they were seated, Mo Yuan ordered a table full of delicious dishes. Golden-Crested Beast ribs, roasted Ironback Boar, Jade Mushroom Soup, Spirit Rice and several other delicacies soon filled the table.

At first, Mo Ran tried to maintain a proper appearance, carefully eating her food while chatting with her brother but as Mo Yuan continued placing food in her bowl, she gradually forgot about being reserved.

"Brother, you should eat more too!"

She picked up a piece of meat and placed it in his bowl.

Mo Yuan looked at the food, then at his sister’s cheerful face. A gentle smile appeared on his lips.

"All right. You should eat more as well."

Goldy, meanwhile, was busy stuffing himself with meat. Kitty sat beside Mo Ran, happily accepting the pieces she offered.

Every now and then, Goldy would glance at Kitty’s portion, only to receive a sharp look from the white cat.

Mo Ran laughed at their antics.

After they finished eating, Mo Yuan paid the bill and the group returned home.

Mo Ran was still talking happily about the dishes they had eaten when Mo Yuan finally returned to his cultivation chamber.

He closed the door, sat cross-legged and summoned his talent panel.

’Tomorrow, my Copy and Paste cooldown will be over.’

His expression became thoughtful.

’Which talent should I copy next?’