Slime and Flying Sword

In the spring of Zeyarila, all things quietly awaken in the warmth.

As the first ray of dawn cast its light upon the Swamp Forest, the Moss Monster awoke from its slumber. It lazily sprawled on a tree root, beginning its new day.

Actually, it hadn't slept well last night.

The Swamp Forest in early spring was always filled with restlessness. Even at night, the suppressed roars of monsters echoed incessantly, always startling it awake from its sleep.

And then there was the ever-present, unbearable hunger, which also troubled it greatly.

So, it continued to focus on the seemingly endless rotten wood before it, solely intent on filling its hungry belly.

It moved slowly, its mossy hide scraping against the wet surface of the tree roots, its glands secreting acid that corroded the wood chips.

It had lost count of how many days and nights it had repeated this humble and arduous labor.

But as a resident of the Swamp Forest's lowest stratum, this was one of its few means of survival.

However, what brought the Moss Monster solace was that in this cruel yet abundant forest and marsh, even it had beings it could feel superior to.

--Slimes.

A weak monster that even the Moss Monster dared to try and capture.

It seemed that in the Moss Monster's bloodline memory, they had a unique title – "Disgrace of Monsters."

These small, greenish, semi-transparent creatures would quietly lie on the swamp and mossy tree roots every day, absorbing moisture and light to grow.

They had no hard shells, no sharp claws, and moved so slowly they were like solidified morning dew. They posed almost no threat, so weak that predators could devour them one by one as a snack.

They were also its favorite food.

Bar none.

Just thinking that it could easily hunt slimes and consume their sweet, viscous liquid made even the low-stratum Moss Monster unable to resist puffing up its chest with pride, its movements of gnawing on rotten wood becoming more vigorous.

Now, the sunlight brought a bit of warmth, slightly distracting it. Suddenly, it felt something intrude upon its vision.

The faint light-sensitive eye spots on the Moss Monster's forehead struggled to capture a blurry, slowly wriggling green shadow in the dim light.

That familiar, enticing silhouette...

It was a slime!

Prey had foolishly delivered itself to its doorstep!

An intense craving instantly seized it. Its plump body tensed imperceptibly for a moment, and a large amount of acid reflexively surged from the depths of its mouthparts.

"Hiss hiss!"

The fantasy of a full meal made its simple nerve center tremble with excitement.

Facing a weak slime, it was too impatient to even bother with defenses, eagerly opening its grotesque mouthparts, about to spray acid.

Whoosh!

A faint whistling sound of air being pierced echoed.

"Hiss—!"

However, what splashed out first was not the Moss Monster's acid, but a small wooden arrow shot from the slime's direction, piercing its body.

Confusion flashed through the Moss Monster's mind. It couldn't comprehend what the wooden arrow was before its light-sensitive eye spots dimmed.

It was dead.

Killed by its prey.

This was the most unexpected end for it.

Splat, splat...

On the other side, a seemingly harmless ball of transparent jelly bounced over.

Chen Yu swallowed the Moss Monster's corpse and his homemade "Flying Sword" into his gelatinous body. Then, with a "plop," he sank into the muddy swamp to hide, leaving only a pair of eyes blinking in the darkness.

His jelly-like brain recalled correctly, today was the fifteenth day since his birth in the Swamp Forest.

This unlucky Moss Monster had the honor of becoming the eighth monster he had devoured.

These creatures, resembling terrestrial sea cucumbers, were rich in collagen and protein. They were crunchy, tasted like chicken, and had a more springy texture than sea cucumbers, though they did have a bit of... muddy smell?

In this culinary desert, they were a rare delicacy, enough to provide a slime with a day's worth of nutrition and bring satisfaction.

Of course, if only he could improve the dining conditions here, set up a cozy little tent in the Swamp Forest, have a steaming hot pot... then scald the Moss Monster until it curled up, dip it in sauce, and eat it...

Unrealistic fantasies filled Chen Yu's mind. Gradually, a warm sensation bubbled up and enveloped him, making the slime feel so comfortable it wanted to sleep.

His consciousness grew hazy. Just then, a light screen quietly appeared.

[Devour and Digest Lv.1 triggered—Moss Monster characteristics recorded, talent nurturing in progress (8/10)]

--

Species: Slime Level: Black Iron Lv.1 [EXP: 9/10] Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.2 [Spiritual Power: 18/20]

[Life Status: Healthy]
[HP: 50/50]

[Racial Talent: Devour and Digest Lv.1]

[Other Talents: None (Acquired by Devouring Monsters)]

[Skill List: Kaiyuan Scroll Lv.4, Object Manipulation Technique Lv.2]

[Prestige Title: None (An Unknown Slime)]

--

"..."

Chen Yu stared at the panel with practiced indifference.

At first glance, it looked like some bizarre, stitched-together interface he'd only see if he accidentally ate some colorful swamp mushrooms and got poisoned.

But it wasn't a hallucination. The conspicuous [Cultivation] on it was real.

It's a long story.

He had a more bizarre experience than most transmigration protagonists—it was like a farce. When he transmigrated, his soul was carelessly torn in half by some careless entity.

Splat! One half landed in this fantasy world called Zeyarila.

The other half... well...

Got stuck in a cultivation world called Xuxuantian.

Three Origins Sect.

The morning mist hadn't yet dispersed, and the damp, cold air, carrying the fresh scent of mountain grasses and trees, seeped into a most ordinary thatched hut for an outer disciple.

Chen Yu woke up in bed.

The change in his senses didn't make him uncomfortable; it seemed he was long accustomed to living with two different bodies. Compared to that, the burning sensation in his stomach was more concerning.

"Grumble..."

He was so hungry.

Time to eat.

Thinking of the deliciousness of Moss Monsters, Chen Yu nimbly got up, took rice from the rice bin, washed it, put it in a clay pot with water, lit a fire, and began to simmer...

Then he took out a scroll and placed it on his lap to read.

The scroll was written vertically: "Object Manipulation Technique Cultivation Guide." Opening it, he found it filled with text, enough to make anyone dizzy after a few glances.

But whether it was because he was used to it, or for some other reason, the more he read, the more energetic he became.

As his fingers moved according to the scroll's content, he inexplicably recalled the Moss Monster from earlier, whose body had been pierced by a Flying Sword driven by the Object Manipulation Technique.

It died pitifully, but it was truly delicious.

The effective range of the Object Manipulation Technique was basically equivalent to stretching your arm out as far as you could reach, and it had to be something you had personally touched.

It could only bully Moss Monsters; it was powerless against more terrifying predators.

Its advantage was its down-to-earth nature and low barrier to entry. He had practiced it for half a month to reach Lv.2.

After the rice soup was ready, Chen Yu finally snapped back from the scroll in his hands.

He brought the rice soup to the table and let it cool slightly. He then wolfed down the soup and rice, and the burning sensation in his stomach finally eased a little.

Chen Yu himself found it magical—the Slime and this body shared the same panel.

It was already wondrous enough that the Slime could cultivate and use the Object Manipulation Technique, but this body actually possessed the Slime's Monster Talent.

This "Devour and Digest" talent was truly effective in the Slime's homeland. Devour a monster, crunch, analyze its innate source, and nurture a talent.

However, in Xuxuantian, it seemed to have no effect on local monsters. It could only help him cultivate by absorbing the essence from grains and meat.

But this also allowed him to faintly touch the third level of Qi Cultivation within just half a month.

"The price..."

The price was that his stomach had become a bottomless pit, literally draining his money pouch.

If he didn't go out and find work soon, he'd be drinking the northwest wind tomorrow.

"Go out for training to make a living, or continue hunting Moss Monsters?"

If you asked him, controlling two bodies at once was like playing a game. Even training and hunting simultaneously was feasible.

However, the Slime's reactions were always a bit slower than usual. When dealing with the treacherous Swamp Forest, it was easy to be eaten by predators as a snack in one bite.

Moreover, if he could meet the trigger conditions for Devour and Digest Lv.1, he might have a chance to nurture a new talent today.

Of course, he absolutely wasn't craving the sea cucumber-like crisp, tender, and chewy texture of the Moss Monster, nor its sweet and juicy chicken-like flavor, akin to steamed chicken...

The more he thought about it, the more he craved it.

Chen Yu subtly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

He made a hasty decision.

He would continue dealing with Moss Monsters today.

Chen Yu rubbed his warm belly and found a comfortable position on the creaking wooden bed, his consciousness fully immersed in the slime's body.

Chen Yu patted his warm belly and found a comfortable position on the creaking wooden bed, his consciousness fully immersed in the slime's body.

Under the mud of the Swamp Forest, he blinked his two round eyes.

These small eyes had a nearly 360-degree field of vision, allowing him to see the slowly wriggling, murky mud ahead, as well as the interior of his own transparent, gelatinous body.

Inside the gel, the Moss Monster had been completely digested, leaving only the Flying Sword lying quietly within.

After confirming there was no movement above, he was about to crawl out of the mud when the mud pit below unexpectedly began to churn abnormally. A large Slime pushed aside the mud and swallowed him.

Chen Yu watched himself being enveloped by fluorescent gel and slowly sinking, without struggling.

He just let out bubbles, as if sighing.