With their consciousness connected, Su Wen quickly understood what had happened.
The ancient tree they were perched on was called a Dragon-Whisker Tree.
A fully grown Dragon-Whisker Tree could reach a height of nearly a thousand zhang.
Among every hundred mature Dragon-Whisker Trees, only one would bear Dragon-Whisker Fruit.....and they had happened to land on that very tree.
Normally, this Dragon-Whisker Fruit was guarded by a Soul Beast.....a Nether Python with over twenty thousand years of cultivation.
However, due to Xuan Zi's presence, the Nether Python had been forced to temporarily withdraw, retreating to a nearby Dragon-Whisker Tree.
It watched anxiously from afar, terrified yet unwilling to abandon the treasure it had guarded for months.
Gale had seized that brief window and plucked the Dragon-Whisker Fruit.
"Hissss—"
The Nether Python coiled around the roots below, constantly flicking its tongue.
It was both frightened and resentful...
fully aware of Xuan Zi's terrifying strength, yet unable to accept that its hard-earned treasure had been stolen right before its eyes.
"Heh…"
Xuan Zi lounged nearby with an air of leisure, his gaze resting on Su Wen with interest.
He wanted to see what kind of character this boy truly had.
If Su Wen spouted a bunch of righteous-sounding nonsense and then kept the Dragon-Whisker Fruit anyway, that would be hypocrisy.
But if he returned the fruit outright, that would simply be foolish.
Su Wen calmly brushed off his sleeves and stood up. He glanced at Gale, whose eyes were filled with eager anticipation, then at the Nether Python, whose gaze burned with resentment.
The numbers were… quite impressive.
[Nether Python]
[Cultivation: 31,723 years]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Potential: 4]
[Evaluation: A mutated Azure Spirit Python. Though its potential has reached its limit, within a species whose average cultivation is only around a thousand years, it can be considered a defiance of fate…]
"Did you say thank you?"
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The Nether Python stared at Su Wen blankly, its head practically filled with question marks.
Xuan Zi nearly fell out of the tree.
"I said.....did you say thank you?"
Su Wen stared calmly at the Nether Python.
When it failed to respond, he turned his head toward Xuan Zi.
"Alright, Elder Xuan. Help me beat it up...beat it until it says thank you."
Nether Python: "..."
"Hahahaha! Good, good, good! That suits my temperament perfectly!"
Xuan Zi burst into laughter.
"When did a mere ten-thousand-year Soul Beast start acting so arrogant in front of me? If it were one of those hundred-thousand-year beasts, it would've long since hidden itself.
What....does it think I'm some sickly old cat?"
He grinned broadly.
With a casual clench of his hand, the Nether Python's nearly thirty-meter-long body stiffened instantly.
Its cold pupils shrank in terror as it struggled desperately, trying to flee....but it was firmly locked in Xuan Zi's grasp.
In a flash, both man and snake vanished from the Dragon-Whisker Tree.
Su Wen knew Xuan Zi was avoiding excessive commotion that might alert the Shrek group.
That was why he'd taken the fight elsewhere.
Unbothered, Su Wen turned his attention back to Gale.
The little fellow's eyes sparkled.
"You want to become the overlord of this forest someday? Beat up whoever you want?"
Su Wen raised an eyebrow.
"Wait a few decades. With that tiny body of yours, you'd be a one-bite snack for them right now."
"Roar…"
Gale looked dejected.
However—
Su Wen opened Gale's status panel again.
A flash of joy crossed his eyes.
The base stats had already risen to 0.22. In other words, he had effectively gained a level instantly.
This was much faster than cultivation.
"Roar—"
But Gale immediately shattered his fantasy.
"So the effect diminishes after the second one? And you need time to digest it—
otherwise you'll explode from overeating?"
Su Wen nodded slowly.
Even so, this meant that a bonded Soul Beast's growth.....whether through eating or cultivation....could feed back into its master.
Even with limits, combined with his own cultivation, it was essentially the equivalent of two entities cultivating at once.
He glanced at the red juice smeared around Gale's mouth, then at the Dragon-Whisker Fruit being offered to him.
The crimson fruit was plump and lustrous, releasing a rich fragrance that instantly whetted the appetite.
[Dragon-Whisker Fruit]
[A treasure exclusive to Soul Beasts.
Contains concentrated natural essence. After consumption, there is a chance of bloodline mutation. Shelf life after picking:
three days. After three days, it rapidly decays.
[ Note: Humans must not consume it.....doing so may result in bodily explosion.]
Gale licked its lips, staring longingly at the fruit.
Clearly, it had already eaten at least one.
It had even grabbed another.
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