Dragon Sightings

"It's okay if you can't Advance right now, I'll leave you more Spore Powder, you can eat it slowly. I'm also really looking forward to seeing what you'll be like after you Advance to Leader-class and what new Magic you'll learn."

Leader-class Flower Spirits undergo a secondary Advance.

The first Advance involved shedding their pistils, the second involved shedding their petals. If there were a third Advance, no one knew what would be shed – perhaps the calyx, perhaps the receptacle. For the Sea of Flowers Tribe's Flower Spirits, only Xise Xise, who was already twelve years old, had witnessed an old Leader-class undergo a secondary Advance. Therefore, a third Advance was merely Du Ke's theoretical deduction, and its actual existence was uncertain.

"Thank you, Du Ke."

"You're welcome." Du Ke reached out and patted Shawa Shawa's head. She didn't object to the affectionate gesture. "Oh, right, Shawa Shawa, I don't know if I'll be staying here tomorrow night, so could you put away this Spore Powder yourself?"

"I can put it under the tree roots." Flower Spirits had a special knack for hiding things. Being highly attuned to plants, they could twist the plants' structures and use them as their homes.

"I'll give you a bit more Spore Powder, you can share it with the other Flower Spirits." Du Ke generously took out a full half pound of Spore Powder to give to the Flower Spirits. In his mind, this was payment for "rent." After all, staying there overnight and enjoying the Flower Spirits' security vigilance, not offering something would make him seem too stingy.

He kept one and a half pounds of Spore Powder for himself.

This stuff was potent and kept hunger at bay, but he couldn't eat too much, or he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Another night of good dreams until dawn. After greeting Shawa Shawa, who was guarding the window, and who was so sleepy her eyes could barely stay open, she flew into her blue reed flower.

"Cute little thing, it would be perfect if you had a bit more chest," Du Ke mused from an aesthetic perspective, without any ill intentions.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he took out the Spore Powder and began to enjoy his delicious breakfast. Perhaps he was too happy eating, and he unknowingly ate too much. As expected, after eating, his whole body became hot, and he felt an inexhaustible surge of energy, making him jump and skip. After doing push-ups, he then swung his Great Sword, exercising for a full half hour. He worked up a sweat, and after cleaning up, felt refreshed.

"Good stuff!"

"Before, I used to be a bit lazy when exercising, but now with the boost from the Spore Powder, I can willingly do high-intensity aerobic exercise for half an hour. It's great."

Not only that, but Du Ke had a feeling that if he continued to consume Spore Powder long-term, his body might become healthier and healthier. Especially after learning from Shawa Shawa that Spore Powder promoted Advancement in Flower Spirits, this feeling grew even stronger. "Maybe if I eat too much Spore Powder, I'll suddenly Advance one day and learn Magic!"

However.

On second thought, when Flower Spirits Advance, their bodies grow larger.

If he were to Advance, would his body also grow larger?

His height was about 1.73 meters, and with shoes on, he was a solid 1.75 meters. While not very tall, he wasn't short either, definitely above the average height for Chinese people. But who wouldn't want to be tall with long legs? Du Ke certainly hoped he could grow taller. "But I can't grow too tall. If I Advance, ten centimeters in height and another five centimeters below would be enough."

He materialized his Mountain Motorcycle and rode it along the shore of South Lake, continuing south. Soon, he arrived at the forest from yesterday. He glanced at the Devil Explosion Flowers he had cultivated; they were still tiny, seemingly not having grown much.

Du Ke didn't pay it much mind. Such "extremely valuable supplements," even if they were fungi, certainly wouldn't mature in just a day or two.

He passed through the forest without encountering any trouble. Minor Magic Beasts could no longer harm him, and he was immune to the strange and exotic flowers, plants, birds, beasts, insects, and mushrooms. If he were a biologist, he would probably be lost in this Great Blue Forest, but he wasn't. He just wanted to get rich by trading back and forth between the two worlds.

"We've reached the southernmost part of South Lake. The East River and West River converge into South Lake, and then it flows out from here... so this river shall be called South River," he casually named the downstream river of South Lake.

The East River and West River were both less than two meters wide, but the South River was at least four meters wide, though its current was relatively gentle.

Du Ke prepared to cross the river using stilts.

However, a dark shadow at the river mouth made him stop. Soon, half of the shadow revealed itself – it was the South Lake Plesiosaur he had seen yesterday. The aquatic overlord poked its head out, glanced at Du Ke on the shore, and ignored him. It simply floated on the water, as if drifting downstream, slowly moving down the South River.

"Hmm?"

Yesterday, Du Ke had wondered how such a modest lake as South Lake could sustain such a colossal creature. Today, he discovered that the South Lake Plesiosaur didn't seem to live permanently in South Lake. It appeared to swim up the South River, have a good meal, and then swim back. With this thought, he immediately followed the South Lake Plesiosaur along the riverbank. However, after walking less than a kilometer, he was blocked by the terrain.

The South River entered the depths of the forest, much like the Amazon River in a tropical rainforest. The banks gradually gave way to mangrove trees—blue mangrove trees.

He couldn't tell where the solid ground was underfoot, so he didn't dare to proceed rashly. He had to deploy his drone to track it. The drone ascended, capturing the winding South River flowing south, but the South Lake Plesiosaur was nowhere to be seen. He continuously raised the drone's altitude, capturing a wider view, and discovered that the South River was gradually obscured by the forest. After crossing a valley, it could no longer be seen.

The drone's altitude was insufficient to capture what was beyond the mountains.

"What could be beyond the mountains? The sea?" Du Ke tried to guess. Judging by the South Lake Plesiosaur's size, it was likely a marine creature, but could marine creatures live in freshwater lakes?

Du Ke shook his head, recalled the drone, and stopped worrying about such trivial matters.

He returned the way he came, needing to continue exploring the other side of South Lake. Just then, a majestic roar echoed from above. It was impossible to tell what kind of animal it was, but upon hearing it, Du Ke's skin crawled, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a pair of large hands, and his breathing became rapid, as if he were suffocating.

"Ah!"

He let out a low gasp, and with difficulty, looked up at the sky.

Then, a massive shadow, heading towards the two suns, appeared. Its broad wings, its majestic body, and an intangible yet ever-present aura that seemed to bind him, made Du Ke tremble from the depths of his soul. "This... this is... a Dragon!"