Happy Times Should Be Captured in Photos

~

In the latter half of the night, Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian stopped eating—they simply couldn't eat another bite. The sight of meat made them feel sick.

Besides, eating and pooping nonstop was starting to take its toll on their bodies.

"Chief, let's call it here for today. We really can't transform any more. Let us get some rest."

"Rustle, rustle~ (All right, all right. You two get some good rest. Hahaha! Heaven has blessed our Tree Demon clan! To think I'd meet trees as miraculous as you! Hahahaha!)"

Ji Ruo smiled. The qi and blood in his body were fuller than ever, and his Iron Sand Palm was on the verge of reaching the Pure Mastery level.

There were still two and a half days left. If nothing unexpected happened, it was as good as certain that he and Liang Shixian would become ninth-level Martial Apprentices.

He hadn't expected to gain so much from this Martial Exam.

As he thought about it, Ji Ruo stood up and said, "Class monitor, could you use my wristband to take a picture of me?"

"Take a picture?"

Liang Shixian was beginning to get a vague idea of how Ji Ruo's mind worked, so he didn't try to talk him out of anything.

"We don't run into a situation like this every day. Of course we should take a picture to remember it."

With his back to the huge group of Monster Beasts bound by the Tree Demons, Ji Ruo flashed a peace sign and beamed.

Liang Shixian shook his head slightly and took Ji Ruo's wristband. Aside from a few special functions, the wristband was a high-tech product, so of course it could take pictures, and its resolution wasn't bad, either.

Click.

Liang Shixian pressed the shutter. "Got it."

He handed the wristband back to Ji Ruo.

In the picture, Ji Ruo wore a radiant smile and flashed a peace sign, with a tiny black cat perched on his head like a little black felt hat.

The background showed a pack of fearsome Monster Beasts bound in branches and vines, along with a huge crowd of Tree Demons.

The background and Ji Ruo's smile should have clashed, yet the picture looked surprisingly harmonious.

[Congratulations, young host! You have successfully unlocked a functional achievement: Happy times should be captured in photos~]

[Obtained talent: Check-in Check-in!]

[Check-in Check-in!: You can gain an all-around attribute boost to a certain degree by taking photos to record happy moments. The boost depends on your "level of happiness" and the "background."

Current all-around multiplier: 0.01%

Can grow.]

[Note: I came, I saw, I recorded, I conquered!]

Ji Ruo was ecstatic.

This talent was awesome!

Rosie, perched on his head, curiously watched the image displayed on the wristband.

"Meow~ Meow~ (Oh, Master, there's a cat inside who looks just like me. And it looks like there's another master, too. How strange.)"

"Haha, this is called a photograph." In a great mood, Ji Ruo briefly explained what a photograph was to Rosie, then handed the wristband to Liang Shixian again.

"You're pretty good at taking pictures, class monitor!"

Ji Ruo said happily. Liang Shixian had taken a picture that gave him a functional achievement that could grow. How could he not be good?

"Take a few more. Take a few more."

"All right."

Liang Shixian took the wristband and was about to take another picture.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly turned around and pointed the camera at himself and Ji Ruo behind him. He smiled happily, too—Ji Ruo's excitement had rubbed off on him.

Suddenly—

A gale sprang up!

Little Rosie seemed to sense something. Her face changed drastically. "Meow~ (Mas—)"

A gigantic figure appeared beside Ji Ruo with the gale, as if it had teleported there. Its enormous shadow covered most of the forest.

Rosie's words continued: "—ter, watch out!"

Cold sweat poured down Ji Ruo's back, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Every Monster Beast held its breath in an instant, not daring to move.

Liang Shixian turned his head and took one look. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

The gale howled, but the Tree Demons stood utterly still, not daring to let even a leaf tremble.

Ji Ruo's body stiffened as he slowly turned his head.

Two enormous golden pillars had appeared beside him.

He swallowed with difficulty and slowly looked up.

Those weren't pillars at all! They were a pair of gigantic legs!

Judging by its talons, this was a Great Demon of the avian kind.

In the deep darkness of the night, the enormous bird demon glowed with a faint blue light. It must have stood dozens of meters tall!

Ji Ruo recognized the giant bird demon almost instantly—it was the Wind God Falcon, one of the Sky Sovereigns of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Secret Realm!

It flew at several times the speed of sound, and its feathers were so tough and sharp they could cleave metal and split stone as easily as cutting through melons and vegetables!

An Adult Stage Wind God Falcon was comparable to a peak expert of the Fourth Realm of the Martial Dao!

Not only that, Great Demons like this usually possessed the divine ability Law of Heaven and Earth. Its dozens-of-meters-tall form might not even be its largest size!

Ji Ruo's whole body was rigid. Rosie, perched on his head, was already limp with fear and didn't even dare think of resisting.

"G-greetings," Ji Ruo managed to say, his smile uglier than a grimace.

"Hu-man?"

The Wind God Falcon tilted its head slightly and spoke in human language. It seemed unfamiliar with the words; its speech was halting and its accent strange.

It sniffed lightly. Visible streams of air curled into two tornadoes and flowed into its nostrils.

"Smells, good." The Wind God Falcon fixed its sharp, cold eyes on Ji Ruo. "What, did you, just eat? Let, me try."

"Y-yes..."

Ji Ruo didn't dare resist, his nerves taut.

Perhaps because the gap between their strength was so immense, after just one exchange, his [Diplomatic Spokesperson] title upgraded on the spot, increasing his language-influence effect by ten percent!

He swiftly slaughtered a Monster Beast that looked like a water buffalo, skinned it and cut it up with practiced ease, then sprinkled on some seasoning. Given the Wind God Falcon's massive size, Ji Ruo couldn't roast enough meat for it to sample in a short time with his Iron Sand Palm alone. He could only start a fire.

Ji Ruo couldn't bring himself to torment the Tree Demons, so he still used his Iron Sand Palm to set an ordinary tree alight.

The Tree Demons stood beside the flames, yet they were so terrified that they didn't dare move even with a blazing fire right next to them!

Ji Ruo began roasting the Monster Beast, focusing all his attention on it.

To speed things up and make the roasted meat easier to eat, he kept slapping the beast with his Iron Sand Palm as he roasted it.

The hidden cooking bonus attached to this achievement Martial Technique quietly took effect. Even Ji Ruo was a little surprised that the whole Monster Beast cooked so quickly.

The Wind God Falcon watched Ji Ruo roast the beast. The meat gradually turned golden, and a rich aroma rose into the air.

A hint of interest appeared in its keen eyes.

Ji Ruo said cautiously, "H-hello, it's ready to eat."

"Haa..."

The Wind God Falcon opened its beak and sucked in the entire roasted ox demon.

Then it spread its wings, broad enough to blot out the sky and sun, as though cheering.

"Hu-man, you are, very good."

It praised him.

Ji Ruo froze. His progress in the staged achievement [Sincere Praise from an Elder] had actually increased by one point!

"Come, back, with me."

As it spoke, the Wind God Falcon reached down, grabbed Ji Ruo in its talons, and prepared to soar into the sky.

"Take my friend with us!" Ji Ruo hurriedly shouted.

Liang Shixian had fainted from fright. If he was left here alone, the consequences would probably be dire.

Going with Ji Ruo on the Wind God Falcon wasn't necessarily safe, either, but at least Ji Ruo was still conscious and could look out for him.

At the very least...if death really was unavoidable, dying in the Wind God Falcon's beak would be a lot more dignified than dying in the jaws of these low-level Monster Beasts.