Book of Nature

The first book had a cover as rough as bark, marked with traces of all kinds of plants. Its pages, formed from countless leaves, shifted constantly.

A verdant glow pulsed across it like breathing.

Every plant Ling Qing had seen or never seen could be glimpsed within it, sprouting, growing, withering, and cycling through endless rebirth.

Deep within, he could vaguely make out a great tree that encompassed countless worlds.

The second was a scroll made of various animal hides. Though bound by unknown sinews, it kept trembling incessantly.

A savage, restless aura of wildness rushed toward him.

Faintly, he could hear roars from within—some brutal, some majestic, some sacred.

The third was composed of four crystal plates in different colors.

At a glance, torrential floods, towering peaks, raging flames, and howling gales churned and revolved within it.

The last resembled an illustrated book. Its cover depicted a sphere teeming with creatures of every kind, surrounded by densely packed stars.

Both the creatures and the stars seemed eager to move, as though they wanted to break free from the book and appear before Ling Qing.

Seeing this, Ling Qing recalled last night's dream and understood the path represented by each Spellbook.

The entire Druid inheritance had been divided into four categories based on different paths.

The Way of Nature controlled plants; the Path of the Wild transformed one's form; the Path of Elements governed earth, water, wind, and fire; and finally, the Path of Summoning called forth helpers.

For a moment, Ling Qing fell into thought.

Choosing one now did not mean he would be unable to choose the other three Spellbooks in the future.

But it would determine his class inclination until he found the relevant conditions.

He needed to consider it carefully. Without a mentor, any choice would lead him down a different path in life.

The first to be ruled out was the Book of Summoning. Judging from both the dream and the Spellbook's display, it could summon all kinds of creatures and awakened plants, even Star Spirits powerful enough to occupy stars.

Setting aside whether he had the time to care for another creature, the greatest issue was the uncertainty surrounding summoned beings.

Ling Qing was unwilling to believe he would be lucky enough to summon a powerful Star Spirit.

Next was the Book of Wilds. According to the Druid inheritance, he would gain the Wild Shape ability upon reaching Level 2.

Though it would certainly not be as powerful as the Path of the Wild, it would still be sufficient for use.

Besides, in a city filled with surveillance cameras, a wild ability like transforming into an animal would be difficult to make full use of.

After eliminating those two options, only the support-oriented Book of Nature and the attack-oriented Book of Elements remained.

Of course, calling them oriented did not mean they were absolute.

The Book of Nature also contained offensive methods, while the Book of Elements likewise possessed supportive abilities.

Ling Qing considered it, then moved his mind and directly selected one of the books.

"Selection successful. Character has obtained the Spellbook: Book of Nature."

"Book of Nature:

Type: Spellbook

Effects:

1. For spells related to natural elements, materials, spellcasting implements, and other required consumables may be replaced by the Spellbook.

2. For spells related to natural elements, spell effects are enhanced and mana consumption is reduced.

3. Comprehension and development of spells related to natural elements receive an inspiration bonus."

"Note: The Spellbook's effects can only be activated after the character creates a physical copy."

As lines of text flashed before Ling Qing's eyes, the Book of Nature, with its bark cover and leaf pages, appeared before him.

The remaining three books slowly faded into the void.

When he tentatively reached out to touch it, his hand passed straight through.

The Book of Nature before him was merely a projection, much like his character panel.

Only then did he understand the meaning of the final note.

When Ling Qing tried to open it, he discovered that he could only access the first two pages, which recorded Level 0 cantrips and Level 1 spells respectively.

However, he had to study the methods recorded in the Spellbook himself and become proficient before he could cast them successfully.

"So this really is just an inheritance!"

Ling Qing was somewhat surprised, but also relieved.

He had always hoped to obtain a cheat, but one that could create things from nothing or conjure objects out of thin air felt far too unreal.

A cheat based purely on knowledge and data was more reassuring—knowledge and skills earned through his own effort.

But when Ling Qing checked the requirements for crafting the Spellbook, he began hoping the system would simply give him one directly.

"Book of Nature

Crafting materials: World Tree bark, branches, and leaves; Essence of Myriad Woods...

Crafting method: Bind the bark and leaves together with branches, then refine them with Essence of Myriad Woods...

Required spell: Resurrection of All Things (Level 9)..."

"??? What the hell is this?!

Not to mention whether a World Tree even exists in this world, even if it does, how am I supposed to get one?

And even if I do get one, how long will it take before I learn a Level 9 spell? Until the year of the monkey?"

Ling Qing stared at the crafting materials and method in speechless disbelief.

Fortunately, unwilling to give up, he kept searching and found an alternative method: use a century-old tree as a substitute.

The various essences and such could also be ignored for the time being.

The spell could likewise be replaced with the Level 1 spell Entangle, after which he could gradually seek higher-grade substitute materials.

"That's more like it."

Seeing that, Ling Qing calmed himself.

Century-old trees were not everywhere, but they could still be found.

Ling Qing put aside the matter of crafting the Spellbook for now and eagerly began studying the spells recorded within it.

According to the Spellbook's introduction, the two most important foundations for successful spellcasting were energy and spell templates.

Other components, such as language, gestures, materials, mental focus, and equipment, merely served as aids to increase the spell's success rate.

These components could gradually be omitted as one's spellcasting ability improved.

Of course, after becoming proficient enough to cast a spell instantly, performing the standard supporting components could not only enhance the spell's effect but also provide a chance of producing special effects.

Of the components used to assist spellcasting, language and gestures were the most commonly used, while the rest depended on the requirements of the relevant spell.

After Ling Qing learned that Druidic could be used in place of the language requirement, and that he only needed to master basic spellcasting hand signs for the time being, he turned his attention to the spells he could learn.