First, Gu Chen took two books out of his Space Soul Tool. Both were copies of the Basic Meditation Method, but one was the Spirit Hall edition and the other was the Nuoding Academy edition. He placed the Spirit Hall edition of the Basic Meditation Method in the middle, then set the Nuoding Academy edition beside it. He took the remains of a ten-year Blue Silver Grass from his bamboo basket and placed them beside the books as well.
"Upgrade conditions met. Upgrade?"
"Upgrade!"
After Gu Chen gave his affirmative answer in his mind, the remains of the Ten-Year Soul Beast and the Nuoding Academy edition of the Basic Meditation Method, which were lying beside it, turned into golden specks of light at a speed visible to the naked eye. The golden light clung to the Spirit Hall edition of the Basic Meditation Method in the center, enveloping it.
A moment later.
The golden light faded, and the Spirit Hall edition of the Basic Meditation Method in the middle had changed.
"What... level and what kind of meditation method is this? It hasn't really changed!"
Although the miraculous sight had startled Xiao Wu, she picked up the book and looked at it, then said something that nearly made Gu Chen collapse.
"It's the Intermediate Life Meditation Method!"
Gu Chen was utterly exasperated.
Illiterate!
What a hopeless illiterate!
But he couldn't blame Xiao Wu. She was old, but she was a Soul Beast, and Soul Beasts weren't required to learn to read. For someone who had just started school, recognizing a few characters was already pretty good. At least her level had caught up with some of the little brats in the village.
As for this,
Gu Chen had no choice but to try another way to make Xiao Wu understand.
"This time, I'll use the Divine Power of Evolution in a way you can understand."
As he spoke, Gu Chen put away the upgraded Intermediate Life Meditation Method. Then he found a living Blue Silver Grass in the bamboo basket and placed it in the middle, before arranging the remains of ten ten-year Blue Silver Grass plants around it.
"Upgrade conditions met. Upgrade?"
"Upgrade!"
Gu Chen gave his answer again.
Golden light flashed, and in the blink of an eye, the ten-year Blue Silver Grass had evolved into a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass. Its condition had also been refreshed after evolution: it had been at death's door with barely any health left, but was instantly restored to full health.
Its pale blue leaves waved like seaweed.
As for its attack power,
it was practically nonexistent.
That was also why all the major factions let Blue Silver Grass grow unchecked. This? Even the kids in my family who haven't awakened their Soul Power could fight you to a draw. Why the hell would we bother clearing you out?
Meanwhile,
Xiao Wu had gone slack-jawed.
"I, I... I must be dreaming!"
Smack!
With that, she slapped herself, grimacing from the pain.
"N-no, I'm not dreaming? B-but this... this isn't Soul Beast at all!"
After confirming that she wasn't dreaming, Xiao Wu found the sight before her even harder to comprehend. Just ten Soul Beast corpses had let a ten-year Blue Silver Grass evolve into a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass. This wasn't Soul Beast, and it was damn well unscientific.
If you can play like that, what do my hundred thousand years of cultivation count for?
Tough luck!
If Gu Chen had known what Xiao Wu was thinking, those would have been the only words he'd have given her.
"Now do you understand?"
Gu Chen asked.
"U-understand what?"
But Xiao Wu was still in shock, her intelligence dragged down to rock bottom, leaving her like an idiot.
"Xiao Wu, get a grip!"
Gu Chen was speechless. No wonder Tang San could toy with her in the palm of his hand; she was so naïve she was no different from a fool.
"Oh, right, right, right! This is the Divine Power of Evolution you were talking about? Then... can you evolve me too?"
Xiao Wu snapped out of her daze and stared at Gu Chen, her eyes shining.
She wanted so badly to make progress-no, to evolve!
She dreamed of it!
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast sounded impressive, but in reality, among Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, she was only fit to sit at the kids' table. Nothing else was meant by it; they simply looked down on her.
"You..."
Gu Chen glanced at Xiao Wu. It wasn't as if he couldn't do it. Or rather, if he helped Xiao Wu evolve her Martial Soul and made her realize how important he was, he could easily hold the upper hand when he negotiated a partnership with Da Ming and Er Ming in the future.
Having read the original story, he knew full well that both Da Ming and Er Ming liked Xiao Wu. If he helped her, the debt of gratitude would extend straight to them.
I'm going to make you swallow this debt of gratitude.
"Is it not possible?"
Xiao Wu looked dejected.
"No, of course it is, but first you need to show me your Martial Soul."
Gu Chen hurriedly replied.
How could his cheat be so inconvenient?
Hearing that,
Xiao Wu immediately released her Martial Soul, and an upgrade panel appeared above it.
[Item: Soft Bone Rabbit] [Effect: low-grade Martial Soul, proficient in flexible techniques] [Upgrade result: Void Rabbit] [Effect: intermediate Martial Soul, spatial-type Martial Soul with some spatial attributes] [Upgrade conditions: one corpse of a hundred-year spatial-type Soul Beast, one hundred-year spatial-type Soul Ring]
Xiao Wu rarely had occasion to fight, and he didn't keep his upgrade cheat active all the time. After all, if he left it on, an upgrade panel would pop up over every object that entered his sight, and he probably wouldn't even be able to see the road.
Nor had he paid special attention to the upgrade panel for Xiao Wu's Martial Soul, so he hadn't known.
But looking at it today,
Good grief!
Jealousy twisted his face beyond recognition.
After more than three months of using it, Gu Chen had long since understood that the upgrade panel that appeared when he activated his cheat showed the most suitable evolutionary path.
And now that he was following the life path, he could only play around with Blue Silver Grass.
But Xiao Wu
could actually play with the exalted spatial attribute right off the bat. How could he not be jealous?
But on closer thought, it made sense. After all, Xiao Wu had the skill Teleportation, and it was an innate ability. Yet Xiao Wu was only a Soft Bone Rabbit, and her mother was most likely one too, with no connection to space whatsoever. So he strongly suspected that her father was very likely a spatial-type Soul Beast; otherwise, a Soft Bone Rabbit couldn't possibly have an innate spatial ability.
"No problem, but the evolution requires a hundred-year spatial-type Soul Beast as a sacrifice."
Gu Chen spoke slowly.
"No problem, I'll have Er Ming go right... Damn it! I'm in Nuoding City now, not the Star Dou Great Forest!"
The words tumbled out of Xiao Wu's mouth, but she broke off halfway through. She suddenly remembered that she had already taken human form and had even come all the way to Nuoding City, which was incredibly far from the Star Dou Great Forest. For a moment, she was terribly upset.
An opportunity to evolve lay right in front of her, yet her hands were empty, and she couldn't evolve.
Was there anything sadder in the world than this?
"Xiao Wu, don't be upset. You're my friend. Tomorrow, I'll go to the Seven Treasure Pavilion and place an order for you, so I can help you evolve!"
Gu Chen immediately stepped forward, offering to pay for a hundred-year spatial-type Soul Beast for her.
A mere handful of Gold Soul Coins was nothing to him, but if it could bring Xiao Wu to tears of gratitude, the money would be more than well spent.
Go on, swallow this debt of gratitude in great big gulps!
"Brother Gu Chen!"
The silly rabbit was so moved that she burst into tears.
"I'll take you to my home next time. When we get there, just tell me whatever Soul Beast materials you need for your evolutions. I'll have Da Ming and Er Ming catch them for you. The Star Dou Great Forest might not have much else, but it has a whole lot of Soul Beasts!"
Clearly, she had already put Gu Chen's mass harvesting of Soul Beasts out of her mind and become his guide.
Master Gu, this way, please! Plenty of Soul Beasts in here!!!