[Note]: Begin deducing the Method of Rebirth for the second time? (Yes/No)
Lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, Xu Bai stared at the line on the Manual and pondered for a long while before tapping "Yes."
The Manual began its deduction. With nothing else to do, Xu Bai closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander.
Had he been able to begin the Method of Rebirth for the second time directly because he had already died once?
If so, then he would have to make at least seven more deductions to get the complete evolution method for the Nine Tribulations Blue Silver Grass.
As expected of an attribute with a compatibility of only 1 percent—it took a full eight deductions.
It looked like a hassle, but for Xu Bai, it was actually a good thing.
If the evolution method for the Nine Tribulations Blue Silver Grass were deduced all at once, he probably wouldn't be able to afford the required resources for a long time.
At that point, Little Blue Silver Grass would be nothing more than a Mutated Blue Silver Grass with a species age of only a thousand years. Setting aside its combat strength, contracting with it would be little different from wasting a contract slot.
After all, the Beast Taming Space's ability to feed back a beast's increased strength to its Beast Tamer was one of its most important features.
That made this kind of installment plan especially important to Xu Bai. Now he no longer had any reservations about contracting Little Blue Silver Grass.
But all of this depended on Little Blue Silver Grass proving itself.
A while ago, he had secretly made a bet with Little Blue Silver Grass without asking first: if it could break through to a hundred years before he reached level twenty, he would sign a contract with it and make it his second beast.
The Manual had no scanning function, so Xu Bai didn't know Little Blue Silver Grass's exact age. But he did know his own cultivation level.
Although he hadn't trained much over the past month, the feedback from contracting First and from First's subsequent increase in strength had already raised his cultivation level to fifteen.
Gaining five levels in a month without even training much—if word of that got out, who knew how many people's hearts would shatter?
Lost in such random thoughts, he opened his eyes again to find that dawn had broken.
The Manual's sleep aid worked very well, but...
Xu Bai raised his head slightly, slowly pulled out both hands, and held them before his eyes.
It probably wasn't his imagination. Both tender hands were swollen to nearly twice their size, and had turned slightly purple. As for feeling in them, he wasn't even going to hope for that.
He had spent the whole night with his head pressing down on them, cutting off their blood supply.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Xu Bai silently noted this little mistake, then focused his thoughts on the Manual in his mind:
[Conditions for Evolution]: Hundred-year age, perfect-level "Tenacious" proficiency.
[Required Materials]: Hundred-Year Bitter Tree Heart, Flower Spirit Dew, Soul Nourishing Stone...
[Method]: Ignite the tree heart during advancement, water it with Flower Spirit Dew, then bury the Soul Nourishing Stone near the roots...
"The materials for the second Method of Rebirth seem... not that precious." Surprise flashed in Xu Bai's eyes.
The most expensive material was the Soul Nourishing Stone. Lower-quality ones went for around five thousand Gold Soul Coins, while good ones cost between ten and twenty thousand.
As for all the other materials combined, they wouldn't cost more than six thousand at most.
The materials weren't a problem. He'd be able to afford them after some time.
That left the conditions for evolution...
"Too bad the Manual's information display only works on contracted beasts. I have no idea what Little Blue Silver Grass's exact age or skill proficiency is..."
Xu Bai shook his head and set the thought aside for now. He could only consider Little Blue Silver Grass's situation after signing a contract with it.
For now, the top priorities were increasing his knowledge and making money!
After getting out of bed and eating breakfast, Xu Bai trained First all morning as usual, then prepared to head to the branch hall.
This time, though, he had a sudden whim and took a different route. Halfway there, one of the Douluo Continent's iconic buildings came into view.
"The Huangshan Great Soul Arena..." Xu Bai's eyes flickered. He suddenly remembered that he might be able to earn Gold Soul Coins there, but as soon as the thought arose, he dismissed it.
Never mind whether the Great Soul Arena even held matches for One-Ring Soul Masters. Even if it did, he might not make much money. He'd be better off spending that time working harder to increase the orchard's yield.
If he challenged opponents above his level, the risks would be too great.
Not the risk to his strength. After these past few days of training, First could probably handle a Soul Grandmaster with ease.
The real risk came from his talent.
In the original story, the Shrek Seven Devils had the protection of Shrek Academy, which had two Soul Saints on its staff, and they still had to wear masks to hide their ages.
If a nobody like him, with no strength or connections, tried something like that, he'd probably finish a match one second and have someone dig up every last detail about him the next.
For one thing, the Great Soul Arena would definitely extend an offer.
Accept, and he'd be rewarded with a slave's life, with freedom all but out of reach.
Refuse, and even making it home alive would count as the Great Soul Arena's people having kind hearts.
"If only someone would inexplicably give me ten million Gold Soul Coins without asking for anything in return... Or, at the very least, a rich, gorgeous, fair-skinned woman, 165 centimeters tall, could suddenly show up and want to keep me."
Xu Bai indulged in his daydream, muttering to himself as he lowered his eyes to glance at his little brother, wondering what he thought.
Well, all right. His little brother objected.
He was far too small right now. The idea of living off a woman would have to be put on hold.
The days that followed seemed to return to normal, with Xu Bai's life once again revolving around the same three places.
During that time, he made some Hundred Herb Liquid, sending Little Blue Silver Grass, which had only just woken up, back into a deep sleep. The twenty Clear Heart Orange Trees in his Beast Taming Space also seamlessly resumed their rapid growth, bearing fruit every six days.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed.
One day, the sleeping Little Blue Silver Grass in the corner suddenly began to emit a faint blue glow. Then the entire plant visibly grew and matured.
As time passed, the blue of its leaves grew purer, and the silver patterns on them deepened. The aura of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast gradually spread out, bending the wildflowers and weeds around it.
"So it's broken through to a hundred years..."
Xu Bai, who had been cultivating in his room, sensed the fluctuations in Soul Power. He walked outside and watched the scene with a sigh.
By the third month, First's "Metal Spirit Power" proficiency had already reached the transcendent level. In other words, the skill had been trained as far as it could go.
It was worth mentioning that when First's "Metal Spirit Power" proficiency reached the transcendent level, the Beast Taming Space gave him another boost, raising his Soul Power by two levels outright.
With no more need to train First in the mornings, Xu Bai, unable to sit still, had chosen to cultivate his Soul Power instead.
After all this training, his Soul Power had reached level nineteen, just one step away from level twenty.
By the looks of it, Little Blue Silver Grass had proven itself after all. It hadn't let him down.
Though Little Blue Silver Grass had never known about the so-called "bet" he had made with it...