Phantom Beast Palu

The sun rose and set, the moon rose and set, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

After helping Diyi train his racial skills to the proficient level, Xu Bai did not remain idle; instead, he planned his daily life with even greater precision.

He woke up at six o'clock sharp every morning to wake Diyi for breakfast.

After breakfast, he continued Diyi's training.

Since Diyi's mastery of Metal Spirit Power had reached the proficient level, there was no longer a need to go into the wilderness for training, which saved quite a bit of trouble.

Training lasted until noon. After lunch, Xu Bai would head straight to the Spirit Hall branch to read. Although he had already finished all the books on tiger-type Soul Beasts, there were still plenty regarding other species.

At his current reading pace, he estimated that the books on Soul Beasts here would only last him another year.

By then, he would have to find other places that held books on Soul Beasts.

Over the past few days, aside from these monotonous tasks, there was one thing that made Xu Bai happy.

That was the effectiveness of the Hundred Herb Liquid.

The growth of the Blue Silver Grass was difficult to discern; after using the Hundred Herb Liquid, all Xu Bai could see was the Blue Silver Grass growing rapidly, but he was unsure exactly how many years of age it gained in a month.

Now that he had planted the Clear Heart Orange Trees, he finally understood.

One portion of Hundred Herb Liquid could increase the age of a plant-type Soul Beast under one hundred years by five years per month.

Since these ten-year fruit tree Soul Beasts generally blossomed once every six months and bore fruit once every six months.

After using the Hundred Herb Liquid, these five Clear Heart Orange trees blossomed in about three days and bore fruit in about three days, and the quality of the fruit was no different from those that blossomed and fruited normally.

The only thing that worried Xu Bai was that while the Hundred Herb Liquid accelerated the fruiting speed of the Clear Heart Orange trees, it also accelerated their growth rate.

The height of his courtyard wall was decent, and it had been easy to hide the newly planted Clear Heart Orange trees, but now it was becoming a bit of a struggle; the tree crowns were already faintly visible from outside the small courtyard.

At this rate of growth, he feared it wouldn't be long before the crowns exceeded the height of the wall. By then, let alone some people, any normal person would be able to discover the anomaly in his small courtyard.

"This won't do. I must renovate the Beast Taming Space in the next two days, at least to clear out a plot of land to plant the Clear Heart Oranges, otherwise, I'll have to painfully chop these trees down."

Xu Bai patted the trunk, which had grown noticeably thicker, and calculated silently in his heart:

"This harvest yielded exactly one hundred fruits from the five trees. If the purchase price of the fruit can exceed one Gold Soul Coin, I'll break even; six days from now, it will be pure profit."

"However, I definitely can't go to the Seven Treasures Trading House to sell the Clear Heart Oranges. For safety's sake, it's best to go to another city."

"But going to other cities takes time for travel, and I still need to spend a lot of time preparing materials to renovate the Beast Taming Space. By the time I return, the height of these five trees will definitely exceed the wall..."

"So, I choose you! Come out, my Palworld... ah, ptooey, I mean my Beast, Diyi!"

With a thought, Xu Bai opened his Beast Taming Space and summoned Diyi.

"Awoo—"

With a tiger's roar, Diyi stepped out majestically, then tilted his head to look at Xu Bai.

Beast Tamer, what did that 'Palworld' mean when you called me? Were you talking about me?

Xu Bai paused. Looking at Diyi's innocent eyes, he coughed dryly and said with a straight face, "Ah, 'Palworld' certainly refers to you. In our world of Beast Tamers, only beasts that have made outstanding contributions to their Beast Tamer are called Palworld."

Is that so?

Diyi was puzzled: But I don't feel like I've made any outstanding contributions to you yet.

"That's why I changed my phrasing." Xu Bai didn't blush or skip a beat: "That is my expectation for you; I just let it slip out by accident."

So the Beast Tamer values me that much?

Diyi was deeply moved upon hearing this, then wore a resolute expression.

Don't worry, Beast Tamer! I will definitely work hard to become your Palworld!

[White Tiger touched.jpg]

Xu Bai coughed lightly, feeling that it was somewhat unethical to deceive Diyi like this. However, he thought again: the Beast Taming world of the Douluo Continent?

He was the only Beast Tamer on the entire continent. As the founding patriarch of Beast Tamers, wasn't whatever he said the truth?

Yes, that's settled for the future: Palworld is an honorary title for beasts that have made outstanding contributions to their Beast Tamer.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai instantly felt justified, so he spoke solemnly: "Effort isn't something you say; it's something you do."

"Awoo~"

Diyi nodded in deep agreement.

"Then, go dig up those five fruit trees now. Be careful not to damage the root systems." Xu Bai pointed and smiled.

Diyi: ????

Those five fruit trees... didn't we just plant them?

"Since I asked you to do it, there is a profound meaning behind it."

Xu Bai said with a straight face:

"You are still young and don't understand many things, so what you need to do now is talk less, do more, and study hard, understand? Only then can you become a qualified Palworld in the future."

Uh, alright...

Although he was confused, in order to become a qualified Palworld, Diyi decided to obey his Beast Tamer's command.

Diyi was digging the soil with all his might, while Xu Bai turned his gaze toward the still-slumbering Little Blue Silver Grass.

After weighing his options repeatedly in his mind, he finally joined the digging effort.

He might be gone for four or five days on this trip, and he couldn't risk something happening to the Little Blue Silver Grass while he was away.

The Manual had clearly stated that the probability of its appearance was one in ten million; if this one were lost, finding another identical one would be incredibly difficult.

Besides, that wasn't the main point. The point was that if the Little Blue Silver Grass were gone, wouldn't his mental energy consumption have been for nothing?

After all, the Manual's recording function treated Blue Silver Grass and Mutated Blue Silver Grass separately. He had experimented before and found that the evolution route for Mutated Blue Silver Grass was incompatible with ordinary Blue Silver Grass; the function that detected attribute compatibility simply couldn't analyze the ordinary variety.

Perhaps because it had been absorbing the Hundred Herb Liquid, the Little Blue Silver Grass's roots hadn't grown deep into the ground, which saved Xu Bai quite a bit of effort.

After tucking the Little Blue Silver Grass into his Beast Taming Space, Xu Bai packed some soil, then sank his consciousness into the space to create a simple, suitable environment for the plant.

Once that was finished, Diyi was just about done as well.

As for the five fruit trees, Xu Bai was much more straightforward; he didn't bother modifying the environment and simply moved them directly into his Beast Taming Space.

Looking at the somewhat dirt-streaked Diyi, Xu Bai spoke with a smile:

"Diyi, we're going on a long trip, so I won't be training you for the next few days. Consider it a vacation—how about that, is it thoughtful?"

However, Diyi just frowned tightly, looking miserable.

"Are you unhappy because we can't train?" Xu Bai wondered, his mind inexplicably drifting to a panda named Eleven.

That guy—even when its Beast Tamer used cheats to boost its skill proficiency, it would feel uneasy because the proficiency wasn't earned through its own hard work, and it would proceed to train itself frantically.

He used to view that as a joke, but after becoming a Beast Tamer himself, Xu Bai truly envied Shi Yu for having such a self-disciplined beast.

"Could it be that my Diyi has also awakened a self-discipline attribute like Eleven's?"

Xu Bai looked at Diyi with anticipation in his eyes.

But he had clearly overthought it; Diyi let out a low whine and explained the reason for its frown.

'That... if we go on a long trip, does that mean we won't be able to eat hot meals anymore...'

Xu Bai: ...

As expected of you, Diyi. I should have named you Gong Baiwan from the start.

Speechless, Xu Bai simply raised his hand and recalled Diyi back into the Beast Taming Space.

Qinghe City, Located seventy kilometers south of Huangshan City, it was also a medium-sized city.

This was the destination of Xu Bai's trip.

Inside the carriage, he looked at the map in his hands, hoping to find a place near Qinghe City that was sparsely populated and had fertile soil.

As he searched, Xu Bai suddenly spotted a familiar name on the map: Nuoding City.

It wasn't far from Qinghe City, either; he could reach it by heading west for about thirty miles.

"Nuoding City, what a distant name that is..."

Xu Bai muttered. In the two years since his memories had awakened, he seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to this life without mobile phones, computers, or the internet.

It wasn't until he saw this name that he suddenly snapped back to reality.

"So, I really am a transmigrator after all..."

Xu Bai felt dazed for a moment, then slowly shook his head, suppressing the strange sensation.

"Speaking of which, how old is the Child of Destiny for this generation? Has he grown into a little boy yet?"

His thoughts suddenly became active. The news of the new Pope, Bibi Dong, ascending to the throne had arrived when he was five years old.

He estimated that Tang San would have been only one or two years old back then; now that three years had passed, that would make him four or five.

"The main plot is about to begin..."

Xu Bai clicked his tongue and pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

Although he had a rough idea of the timeline he was in, it didn't mean much in the world of Douluo Dalu.

If he had transmigrated into other novels, he might have been able to gain a foresight advantage by mapping out the timeline and snatching the protagonist's opportunities.

But in Douluo Dalu, there really wasn't much worth snatching.

Looking at Tang San's entire life, how many opportunities did the poor kid actually get?

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was one, Slaughter City was another, and finally, there was Sea God Island—that was about it.

Moreover, these three opportunities were each incredibly difficult to obtain; if he tried to force it, he might just end up losing his own life.

Therefore, it was better not to play any clever tricks or think about taking shortcuts; sticking honestly to the Manual—his cheat—and cultivating was the true path forward.

Time passed, and by the time Xu Bai saw the gates of Qinghe City, the sun was already slanting westward, and the sky was beginning to darken.

After paying the fare and entering the city, Xu Bai found a decent enough inn, fed Diyi some food, and spent the night in a simple, hurried fashion.

The next morning, Xu Bai rose early. He took out the Clear Heart Oranges he had packed, informed the innkeeper, and headed toward the city center.

As a medium-sized city, Qinghe City had no shortage of trading houses.

After wandering around, Xu Bai was surprised to find that Qinghe City actually had a Seven Treasures Trading House.

He could only say that it lived up to its reputation as the wealthiest sect on the continent, with its businesses spread everywhere.

When will I ever have such a massive enterprise...

Xu Bai's eyes were filled with envy. He didn't even need a scale as large as the Seven Treasures Trading House; if he had just one small business, he wouldn't have to travel over a hundred miles for a mere hundred Gold Soul Coins.

No, that wasn't right. He was supposed to have had a significant enterprise, along with a very substantial family fortune.

It was just that his dear second uncle had snatched it all away...

Thinking of this, Xu Bai instantly gritted his teeth. In two years of peaceful living, he had almost forgotten that he used to be wealthy too.

My dear second uncle, just you wait. When I make it big, the first thing I'll do is crack your skull open. No, I'll make you play the role of Zhu Gaoxu and show you what it's like to lose my precious money!

After secretly venting his rage, Xu Bai sighed. Future matters could wait; he had to focus on the present.

Looking at the various trading houses, Xu Bai pondered for a while. Recalling the service attitude of the young man in blue, he ultimately decided to go with the Seven Treasures Trading House.

How did the saying go? Big brands guarantee quality service.

Upon entering, Xu Bai heard a gentle voice: "Little brother, welcome to the Seven Treasures Trading House. Is there anything we can help you with?"

"Do you purchase Clear Heart Oranges here?"

Looking at the young lady in blue walking slowly toward him, Xu Bai got straight to the point.

"Of course we do, but the price will have to be discussed after we inspect the goods. I wonder if you can accept that, little brother?"

Xu Bai nodded and said, "Ten-year-old Clear Heart Oranges. I only brought one hundred this time. I left the goods at the inn; I wonder if it would be convenient for you to send someone to take a look?"

"One hundred?" The young lady tapped her chin with her finger and said, "I can make that decision. Why don't I go with you to take a look?"

Xu Bai didn't mind, so he led the young lady and two porters back to the inn.

The sale of the Clear Heart Oranges went smoothly. The quality of those ripened with Hundred Herb Liquid was about the same as ordinary ones, just fewer in quantity.

Therefore, the young lady offered a purchase price of 1.2 Gold Soul Coins per piece, totaling 120 Gold Soul Coins for the hundred.

Having happily completed the transaction, Xu Bai's little treasury became full once again.

Now, the next order of business was to spend.

After wandering around the vast Qinghe City, Xu Bai bought five more portions of Hundred Herb Liquid raw materials before deciding to leave.

Once out of the city and in an uninhabited area, Xu Bai moved his mind and summoned First.

Are we home yet!

As soon as First emerged, it asked excitedly. Although it had only been away from home for a single day, it never wanted to leave again.

The main reason was that the food prepared by Yisi was simply too terrible; only the meal it had last night was barely acceptable.

However, when it looked around and realized it was in an unfamiliar environment, its mood instantly plummeted.

Beast Tamer, why did you call me out?

Looking at the listless First, Xu Bai rolled his eyes at it, then vaulted onto the tiger's back and pointed forward: "First, start running. See that small valley? That is our destination."

He paused, then added, "Work hard today, and when we get back, I'll treat you to something good."

Upon hearing this, First, who had been about to complain about being used as a mount, instantly shut its mouth and fell into a struggle.

"I'll add a serving of braised pork made from Century Rice-Fragrant Pig," Xu Bai added.

First: ...

I am only willing to be the Beast Tamer's mount to repay his kindness; it has nothing to do with that braised pork made from Century Rice-Fragrant Pig.

First comforted itself with this thought while its feet kept moving toward the direction Xu Bai had pointed.