'World-Shocking Wisdom!' Little Elf

A black shadow smashed through Vajra Temple's gates and sprinted into the residential district shrouded in night. After several nimble turns, it vanished stylishly into a pitch-black alley, leaving behind only a fading streak of dark golden afterglow.

The Tiger Demon was now sprinting wildly and excitedly. No matter how fierce the headwind, it could not blow out the joy and restless excitement in its heart.

"We struck it rich! We're rich! One haul and we're set! Boss, from now on, we're rich people too!" The snake tail hanging behind the tiger's butt went mad with excitement, its head swaying frantically.

Swept up and infected by Yuan Zhu's ecstatic mental state, she too was blinded by joy and began giggling foolishly along with him. Riding her master as he ran against the wind, she cheered and danced with delight.

A few minutes earlier, the Tiger Demon had successfully explored every corner of Vajra Temple.

Every Buddha statue inside and outside the temple had been smashed to pieces. The places where each Bodhisattva and Buddha had once been worshipped were now occupied by corpse ghouls and remade into their nests.

In the end, Yuan Zhu and the Little Elf discovered an abandoned pure-gold Bodhisattva statue in a remote corner. It stood a full fifty centimeters tall! It had not been smashed because it was too sturdy, though its head was crooked and its hands twisted. Even so, a trace of its former splendor remained. This Bodhisattva had two heads and eight arms. One face was blue-skinned, fanged, and wrathful, while the other head had been replaced by a palm. It was likely the origin of the "Buddha Tomato."

Its muscles were exceptionally developed, and veins bulged from every arm, each sculpted into the form of a different species. Yuan Zhu alone could identify tiger claws, dragon claws, ape palms, and mantis blade legs...

Unfortunately, its originally exquisite yet savage form had suffered an external impact. Its arms were bent backward as if broken, its eyes and mouth had been knocked crooked, and its cervical spine was twisted to the limit... Its artistic value had plummeted, but its gold content had not diminished in the slightest.

When he picked it up, the Bodhisattva statue proved astonishingly heavy—at least a hundred kilograms, definitely solid gold! Yuan Zhu was overjoyed on the spot, and the Tiger Demon burst forth with boundless enthusiasm and strength.

Its tail whipped out and curled back, winding tightly around the crooked-faced, wrathful eight-armed Bodhisattva. Then it took off running without a second thought, utterly unconcerned with whether the Shadow Pre-made Dishes could hatch successfully, whether they could compete with the Corpse Hand Plant for the power of Yellow Springs, or whether they could successfully pollute the Secluded Spring Pond. Only one thought remained in his mind: Leave the city! Leave the city! He had to spare no effort to rescue this precious Buddhist cultural relic. He absolutely could not let those foul corpse ghouls contaminate and destroy it!

He had to rush out of the city at light speed, meet up with the captain, return to MaoMao King's Happy Home, and take this Golden Bodhisattva back to Running at once. He would snap off its heads and limbs, sell the gold to a jewelry store, and become one of society's elite! Only by becoming one of society's elite, gaining social status and influence, could he push for legislation and better protect even more precious cultural relics!

After racing several thousand meters and gradually losing the sense of Yellow Springs Pollution from Vajra Temple behind him, the Tiger Demon lunged into the Shadow World. When it did not feel any contamination or spread from the Yellow Springs Buddha Rhythm, it finally let out a sigh of relief.

"We're fucking rich this time!"

The Tiger Demon raised a claw and rubbed it back and forth over the Golden Bodhisattva statue like Elder Jinchi caressing the Brocade Monk's Robe, polishing it with the fondness of a cat sharpening its claws. It left scratch after scratch across the statue's body, yet still could not get enough no matter how much it touched it.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the horizon, "Do you love your sister-in-law, or do you love gold?"

"Of course I love gold! Hm? What's wrong with that?"

Interrupted in his greed by the Little Elf's idiotic question, Yuan Zhu suddenly realized something was off and finally calmed down. "I was too excited. Greed actually clouded my reason. But getting rich overnight really does test one's mindset. My heart is still pounding wildly—I can't calm it down. This feels too good!"

The Little Elf said, "It really does feel amazing! I never imagined a tiny Foam World like this could earn us such a huge fortune. MaoMao King's Happy Home really has a bright future, Boss. You absolutely must not quit lightly."

"Hoo..."

Yuan Zhu let out a long breath and finally calmed down somewhat, beginning to think things through. "I need to find a way to hide this Golden Bodhisattva. We can't flaunt our wealth; that wouldn't be good for team unity. Tell me... can we hide it in the Universe Within the Belly?"

Yuan Zhu recalled the scene of the snake tail regurgitating the "Chang Ghost Pre-made Dishes." It could take things in and let them out—wasn't that a portable storage space? The Little Elf shook her head. "I don't think so. While the Universe Within the Belly is indeed a mysterious space, its essence is a space with digestive, corrosive, and decomposition functions. If we put this Bodhisattva in there, I'm afraid it'll dissolve before we can take it back out."

"The Universe Within the Belly is that powerful? I don't believe it. How come it can't even refine a Chang Ghost?"

"This Bodhisattva is an ordinary creation, while those Demonic Beasts are contaminated entities. They can't be lumped together. The Universe Within the Belly is still extremely powerful at breaking down food. It can let the Tiger Demon eat one meal and sleep for a month. One huge feast, then straight into hibernation."

"Tiger don't hibernate."

"But snakes do."

"Then what do we do? Carry it openly? Fine. We've made such a huge haul that giving a Bodhisattva arm to each teammate is nothing. With this Bodhisattva's body, I can live the rest of my life in style."

Now that he had sobered up, Yuan Zhu examined the Golden Bodhisattva in his hands again and realized that once gold weighed over a hundred kilograms, giving away a few kilograms did not seem nearly as painful. Instead, it gave him a feeling of showing off his holiness before others.

After all, he had not earned this thing through especially hard work. Since it had come so easily, naturally he could spend it with a lavish hand. No wonder the captain casually gave away gold to build connections.

The Little Elf asked, "Boss, are we leaving the city now? Or should we pull a few more jobs before we go?"

The Tiger Demon lovingly sharpened its claws against the Bodhisattva's back, scattering wisps of gold dust through the kingdom of shadows.

"No stopping. The longer the night, the more dreams it brings. We leave the city directly. I don't think Na Ye Buddhist Kingdom can produce any treasure more valuable than this. Besides, this Bodhisattva is heavy enough already. More would be hard to carry. Damn it, if only we had spatial equipment!"

The Little Elf suddenly wore an "Hey! I have an idea" expression. "Boss, I have a bold idea. I'm not sure whether I should say it."

"Say it."

"If we choose to leave the city, we'll have to cancel Tiger Demon Form. At that point, your human form's strength will drop drastically, and carrying the Golden Bodhisattva will be exhausting. So... why not feed MaoMao King's uniform? Feed it with Shadow Power! Not only could you become stronger through the uniform, but your human body could also indirectly gain control over Shadow Power."

"What?" Yuan Zhu was startled at first, then froze. After thinking seriously about it, he realized it really could work. "Fuck! You can actually do that? You really are one clever Little Elf!"

I can use "Shadow Pollution" to feed the uniform, condense a power seed, and then let my human form wield my own power again. Compared to coming into contact with other unknown and high-risk contamination abilities, the Shadow Uniform carries zero hidden danger, while further whitewashing the risks exposed by the Tiger Demon.

If I'm ever forced to use the Boss Template in future missions and leave traces behind, I can use the "Shadow Uniform" as a cover. "Yuan Zhu is willing to call you the strongest guide Little Elf. I underestimated you."

"Kehehehe..."

Having received praise, the Little Elf could no longer keep up her composure. She began twisting her tail arrogantly and laughing wildly at the sky. The feeling of being acknowledged brought an unprecedented satisfaction! It felt incredible—even better than the Boss finding gold.

Feeling that she had awakened "world-shocking wisdom," Little Tail offered another suggestion. "Boss, should we go a step further? Turn the contaminated uniform into a power seed? Completely whitewash it into a Strength System usable in human form? That way, with the Tiger Demon's endless investment, you can fully unleash your potential..."

"No! There's absolutely no need." Yuan Zhu shook his head and firmly rejected it. "Even if my human body inherits the 'Shadow System,' there's no need to let MaoMao King stick its hand into this. Do I lack safe, harmless Shadow-type power seeds? Not at all!"

"Besides, during that brief clash with the corpse ghouls in Vajra Temple, I realized the contamination intensity of shadows is somewhat low. It isn't particularly powerful Pollution Power. It often takes two, or even three portions to dissolve and break apart one portion of Yellow Springs Buddha Rhythm on an ordinary corpse ghoul. So my human body must choose a sufficiently powerful local system for comparative testing."

Hearing Yuan Zhu's doubts, the Little Elf naturally recorded detailed data on the various Pollution Energies of the Foam World and activated her intelligent analysis.

"Boss, I have a guess. Perhaps the Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture chose Shadow Pollution precisely because it was so weak, using it to whitewash itself. At the cost of only 17.6% contamination, it bit off the most core part of some Shadow Evil God and thoroughly refined it for its own use, giving your Boss Template Demon God traits as well. If it had been a super Pollution Source of extremely high quality, even if that old bastard sacrificed himself, he might not have been able to refine it completely and claim it as his own."

Yuan Zhu agreed with this.

At this moment, he was in Tiger Demon Form. Merely by standing within the shadows, without any action on his part, an endless stream of contaminated spiritual energy flowed backward into him, nourishing the "spiritual root" within his body as it grew and developed, constantly making him stronger.

This passive buff of obtaining spiritual energy from thin air was anything but ordinary. It already touched upon certain rules and concepts.

The reason he could slaughter so freely within Vajra Temple was precisely this passive effect. He could spend Shadow Power without restraint and combine several divine abilities at will.

Meanwhile, the corpse ghouls within their home ground of Vajra Temple rapidly lost the Pollution Power in their bodies during the fierce battle and found it difficult to replenish.

After Yuan Zhu and the Little Elf discussed matters and settled on a plan, the Tiger Demon simply lay down in the Shadow Dimension to rest, frantically drawing in the Shadow Power surging from all around. Meanwhile, the Little Elf swallowed the 'Mao Mao King Uniform' in one gulp, processing and refining it within the Universe Within the Belly while continuously infusing it with Shadow Pollution.

"Do you think Mao Mao King might use the uniform to analyze the Pollution Power and indirectly uncover the secret of the Boss Template?"

"Don't worry, she can't! The purity of this kind of uniform is inherently very low, just like those 'half-finished Chang Ghosts' you threw out. The 'Shadow Power' within them carries only the most basic pollution properties, with no real substance to it. Even if other demons devour and digest them, they still won't discover the slightest secret of the Immortal Scripture. Mao Mao King's uniform works on a similar principle. She wouldn't invest too much effort into it. I even think I can completely pollute and refine it with the Universe Within the Belly."

The Little Elf analyzed the matter with a grave expression. "I think Mao Mao King's move of showing her dagger at the end is to sign an Anti-Law with it. Once the Anti-Law is established, this uniform—which has gradually gone out of control and begun to grow wildly—will form a new connection with the Pollution Source, the Anti-Law, and then upload entirely new data."

Yuan Zhu nodded approvingly. "You really are quite a good Little Elf!"

"Right? Right? Then, Boss, can you give me a name? I don't want to be called Little Elf anymore! It's too vulgar, too ordinary—it simply doesn't suit someone as outstanding as me! Only if I become even more outstanding can I better set off your greatness, Boss."

The Tiger Demon raised his head, admiring his own savage snake-bone tail, its stark white bones gleaming with a jade-like texture. What a magnificent work of art!

"How about... Skeleton Little Spicy Strip?"

Before his transmigration, people back on Earth had already started calling snakes "spicy strips."

Upon hearing this, the Little Elf was overjoyed and fawned, "Thank you, Boss, for bestowing a name upon me! 'In days of old, An Qisheng rode a dragon and ascended to Jade Capital at court'—Boss, your literary brilliance truly soars, your knowledge spans ancient and modern times, and your heart is so earnest in seeking the Dao. From this day forward, my Daoist name shall be Jade Capital Child! I will absolutely not disappoint the expectations you have of me, Boss!"

"...Wait! Your name is Skeleton Little Spicy Strip!"

Hearing that, the Little Elf became even more deliriously delighted and nodded fiercely. "Ah! 'Snake Snake' is of course fine too! This is all part of Boss's loving care for me. From now on, my grand Daoist name will be Jade Capital Child, while my nickname will be Snake Snake."

"..." The Tiger Demon narrowed his eyes. Were you deliberately pretending not to hear? Jade Capital Child said, "Boss, your coat has finished refining. Would you like to leave the Shadow World and try it on? Oh, right, I also have a bold and radical idea. I wonder if..."

The Tiger Demon let out a sigh. "Sigh... go on."

"While I was using the Universe Within the Belly to infuse that uniform with Shadow Pollution, I suddenly realized that this uniform is a vessel. It can gather and contain all kinds of external 'pollution,' fuse them with itself, and forge strange clothing. So perhaps we don't need to be overly conservative and merely fill it with 100% controllable 'Shadow Pollution.' Doing that would max out the uniform's safety, but its potential would also be bound to shadows..."

Yuan Zhu understood what she meant. "So you think we can add some extra ingredients and upgrade the uniform? Reduce some of the controllable 'Shadow Pollution' and add more stimulating elements, allowing the uniform's potential to surpass the safe version of the 'Shadow Uniform.'"

"Exactly!"

"What do you want to add? This Foam World only has Foul Bone Demons, Buddha Eggplants of the Stars, Yellow Springs corpse ghosts, and Yellow Springs Kasaya Ghosts left... Even the somewhat legitimate 'pure Buddha Cocoons' have all been polluted."

Little Spicy Strip offered her counsel. "Then choose the Buddha Eggplants! Avoid the wrong option of Foul Bone Tainted Blood, then avoid Yellow Springs, which already has a connection with the Tiger Demon. That only leaves the completely unfamiliar Starlight Buddha Eggplants. To improve controllability and ensure shadows occupy the dominant position in the uniform's future, we can devour—kidnap—a few more wild civilian Buddha Eggplants, then try refining a batch of new half-finished Chang Ghosts. We can stuff one of them into the uniform."

"Feasible!"

Yuan Zhu understood Little Spicy Strip's meaning: capture civilian Buddha Eggplants, refine them into Chang Ghost ready-made meals, then feed them to the uniform as rations, nurturing a Shadow Uniform with 'Buddha Eggplant attributes.'

It sounded pretty interesting—worth a try. At worst, if the refinement failed, he could just ask Captain Guan for another new uniform.

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