Peregrine Falcon

The second talent, Super Absorption.

This talent needs no further explanation; its effects are immediately apparent. The life force and size, which hadn't shown any movement for half a day, began to exhibit faint signs of growth within just a few minutes after acquiring this talent.

While this growth rate was far from Gamia's, Su Heng found it acceptable.

The final talent, Root and Stem Activation, provided the Willow Tree template with a certain degree of self-preservation.

Su Heng's current plan was to cultivate the Willow Tree towards an auxiliary role, but this didn't mean its individual combat power didn't need strengthening.

The second template's strength didn't have to be as monstrous as Gamia's, but it still needed to reach a high level.

Moreover, to Su Heng's surprise, the power brought by Root and Stem Activation was not insignificant.

When he tried to concentrate his strength on the longest willow branch and then forcefully whipped it through the air.

Crack!

The air at the tip instantly exploded.

A sharp, crisp sound echoed through the empty valley.

Without any reference points, Su Heng couldn't accurately judge the exact power of this willow branch.

But judging from the sharp and piercing sound of the air being broken just now, the power of this branch when swung was definitely not small...

It was also strange.

Su Heng was currently a willow tree, yet he surprisingly possessed well-developed auditory organs.

He thought of the Red Moon that appeared in the sky, the various bizarre mutated creatures, and then recalled that some scientists had proven music could affect plant growth.

He suddenly felt that this matter seemed quite reasonable?

The current willow tree was only a little over three meters tall and far from mature.

Talents like Body Doubling and Super Growth had only just begun to take effect. It was conceivable that when the Willow Tree template grew to tens of meters tall.

With hundreds or thousands of willow branches swinging together, the resulting power would absolutely not be to be underestimated.

"In this regard, the Willow Tree's combat power is actually not weak. It's just that Gamia is too monstrous as a reference... and no matter how strong the attack power is, without the ability to move flexibly, it will ultimately just be a stationary target."

There was no other way.

As a tree that could barely move, even with immense combat power, certain flaws were still too fatal.

"Chirp chirp chirp..."

While Su Heng was planning the Willow Tree's future, a rapid bird cry came from the treetop.

There was a simple bird's nest, built on the Willow Tree before his consciousness descended. Inside were six plump little chicks whose feathers had not yet fully grown.

These birds had black heads, white plumage, yellow around their eyes, and a few brown streaks on their bodies.

Thanks to Su Heng's past fondness for watching nature documentaries.

He recognized that these birds should be Peregrine Falcons, a type of fierce, medium-sized carnivorous bird.

Compared to other raptors that were practically rulers of the sky, Peregrine Falcons, with a body length of less than half a meter when adult, could only be considered small.

But as creatures at the top of the food chain, Peregrine Falcons were more deadly to certain ground animals than other larger predators.

Peregrine Falcons were the fastest birds in the world.

During their dives, their maximum speed could exceed 300 kilometers per hour, with an acceleration of up to 25 Gs.

In comparison, even the most outstanding pilots in human society, operating the most advanced fighter jets, could only achieve an acceleration of 9 Gs.

It was imaginable how deadly these fierce birds would be after reaching adulthood.

The parents of these little ones had left last night and had not returned since.

For nearly a day, this nest of Peregrine Falcons hadn't eaten anything, no wonder they were crying out in hunger now.

"This is a good opportunity to try out the Life Enlightenment talent."

Seeing these little guys, Su Heng immediately thought of the Willow Tree's core talent, Life Enlightenment.

Life Enlightenment was not without its cost; each use required a certain amount of life force, and the larger the creature, the more life force it would consume during enlightenment.

The largest of the chicks in the treetop nest were only about the size of an adult's fist.

Furthermore, these chicks had lived beside the Willow Tree since before they were born, and they had a natural affinity for the second template.

They were perfect for testing the effectiveness of the Enlightenment talent.

Swish!

A slender, graceful willow branch, enveloped in a hazy, pale green spiritual light, gently landed on the forehead of one of the chicks.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

The largest of the six chicks began to flap its wings incessantly.

From its pale yellow beak came rapid, sharp cries.

Before long, its body began to grow, and its pale brown feathers started to fall off. New feathers grew in, this time gray, with white streaks on its chest, making it look quite beautiful.

After about ten minutes, the Peregrine Falcon's transformation was complete.

By this time, the peregrine falcon's body length had reached nearly thirty centimeters, only slightly smaller than a normal adult peregrine falcon.

This Life Enlightenment cost Su Heng approximately 0.05 Life Force.

This amount of Life Force was negligible for the Willow Tree, but for the peregrine falcon, which had an average weight of only six to seven hundred grams, it was enough to advance it directly from juvenile to near-adult.

After its Awakening, the peregrine falcon's appearance had also changed slightly compared to ordinary peregrine falcons.

The most striking feature was its beak, which shimmered with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight. The dark golden beak felt more like metal than the bone of an ordinary creature.

During the Enlightenment process, this peregrine falcon had been nourished by the Willow Tree's Life Force.

It was in excellent condition now, no longer chirping and screeching like its siblings.

The thirty-centimeter-long bird hopped out of the nest and landed on a branch of the Willow Tree, gently rubbing its head against a willow branch.

The affection was evident.

Furthermore, the status panel of this mutated peregrine falcon also appeared before Su Heng.

[Peregrine Falcon]

[Status: Healthy]

[Life Level: 1]

[Life Force: 0.12]

[Talent: Sturdy (Common Quality: Beak becomes harder and more difficult to destroy)]

Due to its small size, the peregrine falcon's Life Force was not particularly strong, and the talent it obtained was also quite ordinary, merely strengthening the hardness of its beak.

Even among Common Quality talents, a talent with such a singular effect was not considered strong.

However, when the Sturdy talent was combined with the peregrine falcon's innate terrifying speed, the resulting effect was not to be underestimated.

"Go!"

Su Heng thought for a moment, picked up a branch, and gently waved it towards a tall poplar tree not far away in the valley.

Swish!

The peregrine falcon's speed exploded, becoming almost invisible as it shot out like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

Almost simultaneously.

A dull thud echoed in the distance.

On the poplar tree, a hole that went straight through appeared out of nowhere. The peregrine falcon then returned, landing on Su Heng's finger and chirping.