Evolution From the Big Tree

At nightfall, a towering Willow Tree was gently swaying deep within the North Canyon.

“Spirit Stone Mine…” After hearing the information He Qing Er had obtained from Humans, Yu Zi Yu could not help but mutter to himself. News that the Spirit Stones could block off Spiritual Energy detectors was extremely important to him.

If true, it meant that he could break through to Tier-2 without being detected by the Humans, just like the Silver Centipede. After all, he was different from other Mutant Beasts.

Even if Mutant Beasts released strong Spiritual Energy fluctuations, they could slip away before the Humans arrived. Whereas what awaited him after the Humans discovered him was death, and only death.

Therefore, Yu Zi Yu had to come up with an appropriate solution.

And now, the Spirit Stone Mine, or more precisely, the Spirit Stone’s ability to block off Spiritual Energy detection, seemed to meet his needs.

Lost in thought, Yu Zi Yu pondered where to find a Spirit Stone Mine.

At this moment, Qing Er, apparently having seen through Yu Zi Yu’s thoughts, kindly suggested, “Master, how about waiting for a while? I will have a batch of Spirit Stones allocated to me soon, at that time…”

Before Qing Er could finish suggesting, Yu Zi Yu interrupted her, “No, your resources should not be used for me.“

He continued, “As a being standing at the peak of Tier-1 in all aspects, the Spiritual Energy fluctuations caused by my breakthrough would cover several kilometers. It cannot be blocked by a few Spirit Stones.“

“Haaa!” Qing Er heaved a sigh, falling silent.

[That’s true, given Master’s immense strength, once he breaks through, it would definitely cause a huge commotion. At that time, a few Spirit Stones would be unable to block off the fluctuations, leaving Master exposed, which is a risk we can’t take.]

Right then, Yu Zi Yu suddenly smiled, as if he had thought of something, and reassured, “Qing Er, don’t worry, I believe that finding a Spirit Stone Mine won’t be difficult for us.“

“Uh…why?“

“Silly girl, think about it. We, as anomalies, have the most acute perception for Spiritual Energy. Moreover, deep within this land, there is an underground Spirit River flowing.“

At this point, Yu Zi Yu suddenly paused for a moment. Then, his body started fiercely shaking, as if he had realised something.

“Underground…Spirit…River…” As he repeated each word, Yu Zi Yu was unable to contain his excitement.

The underground Spirit River contained a vast amount of Spiritual Energy. Although its Spiritual Energy was not extremely  pure, it was an undeniable fact that it was indispensable in Yu Zi Yu’s quick rise to the peak of Tier-1. Furthermore, because of the underground Spirit River, Yu Zi Yu’s roots had extended far beyond imagination.

Their terror could not be described in words alone.

When he asked Qing Er a while ago, ‘What are my chances of defeating the Silver Centipede?’, it was not some wild boast but a confident display of Yu Zi Yu’s strength.

And now, when the underground Spirit River was mentioned, Yu Zi Yu could not help but think of a perceptive question.

[Where does the underground Spirit River come from? Could its source be…] With these thoughts in his mind, Yu Zi Yu took a deep breath and focused his will on the roots buried deep within the earth.

“Spread for me.“ As Yu Zi Yu muttured, the ground started lightly trembling as his rootlets spread in all directions under Yu Zi Yu’s deliberate control.

Deep within the earth, the roots weaved a net as they spread out like a web.

The source of the underground Spirit River had not been discovered. As such, Yu Zi Yu could only use an indigenous method, treating the rootlets as tentacles and searching bit by bit.

At this moment, Yu Zi Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if sensing something.

Looking up, he gazed at a tree cage woven by his roots, within which a bald creature with silver hair and white cloak was diligently digging.

“Hasn’t this guy gotten tired of it yet?“ Yu Zi Yu muttered to himself, but suddenly he was taken aback.

Taking another look, he saw the beast grab a handful of soil and put it in its mouth, which left him in surprise. Furthermore, an expression of enjoyment also appeared on its face when it did that.

“My god, this guy is actually pulling teeth from the Tiger’s mouth…” Yu Zi Yu’s eyes widened as he finally realized why the Honey Badger had continued digging for several months, hundreds of meters deep, so persistently.

Apparently, it was seeking soil soaked in Spirit River, absorbing the Spiritual Energy in it.

Yu Zi Yu’s heart raced like ten thousand galloping horses in the wild. He could not help but admit that he had misunderstood the Honey Badger. He thought that it was stubbornly opposing him by fighting against the tree cave woven by him, but he had never expected for it to ‘cheating’ behind his back.

But the next moment, Yu Zi Yu suddenly smiled as if he had thought of something.

Originally, he did not have much hope of finding the source of the underground Spirit River. After all, even if his roots were long, they could only spread to two or three kilometers, which was far from satisfying Yu Zi Yu’s current needs.

However, things were different now.

The appearance of the Honey Badger completely satisfied Yu Zi Yu’s requirements.

Mischievously smiling, Yu Zi Yu stretched one of his roots to the Honey Badger.

*Rumble…* Spreading out from the rocks, the black root slowly poured into the tree cage like a black Python.

*Squeak, Squeak, Squeak…* squeaking like a mouse, but with a ghastly tone, the Honey Badger looked at the surging black roots and bared its teeth as a glimmer of vigilance flashed in its eyes.

“Little guy, how about we make a deal?“ Saying so, Yu Zi Yu slowly and gently stretched the black root toward it.

However, seeing the deep vigilance in Honey Badger’s eyes, Yu Zi Yu’s face stiffened. 

[Is this guy still holding a grudge even after so many months has passed?] Muttering in his mind, Yu Zi Yu resolutely resorted to the foolproof method of temptation.

The next moment, an excited look appeared on the Honey Badger’s face as Yu Zi Yu tossed a drop of shining essence secreted from a branch straight to it.

“Can you help me find the source of the underground Spirit River?“ Saying that, Yu Zi Yu further added, “If you can find the source of the underground Spirit River, I promise you that you can have as much Life Essence as you want.“

Having said that, Yu Zi Yu slowly released the tree cage that imprisoned Honey Badger.

*Squeak, Squeak…* the Honey Badger instantly let out sharp and eerie squeaks in excitement. Immediately afterward, it found a direction and flipped its claws as it dived into the ground.

Watching Honey Badger promptly leave, Yu Zi Yu could not help but smile.

It was already quite intelligent, and now that it had reached Tier-0 Level 6, its intelligence had greatly improved. And naturally, it understood Yu Zi Yu’s intention.

As for the Life Essence Yu Zi Yu had just promised, although it was important, it was relatively insignificant compared to the source of the underground Spirit River.

In contrast, for the Honey Badger, the importance of Life Essence far outweighs that of the source of the underground Spirit River.

In this regard, Yu Zi Yu had some level of confidence in his Life Essence.

Spiritual Energy was inherently violent when absorbing. Since the Mutant Beasts that had tasted the Life Essence, they could not get enough of its gentle cleansing.

Not to mention, his Life Essence could also accelerate the evolution of the species, serving as an essential driving force.

Therefore, it was a fair trade.

Yu Zi Yu could get what he wanted, and so could the Honey Badger.

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