It was late afternoon.
As evening approached, colorful stars began to climb into the night sky, making it look dreamlike and beautiful.
The Mana Gathering Circle on the ground emitted a faint blue glow. At the center of the circle, Zhang Ye stood still.
The surface of his upper body shimmered with mana. Simultaneously, dozens of slender Mana Threads extended from the thin layer of mana, drifting gently in the air.
Leona watched Zhang Ye with her arms crossed, unable to help but marvel in her heart.
How could such a monster exist in this world?
In less than two Golden Hourglass units—four hours—his Mana Skin already covered half his body, and he could condense dozens of Mana Threads simultaneously. This far exceeded the standard Leona had set for him. Such a rate of improvement was something Leona could never hope to match.
At this rate, Zhang Ye’s mana control would likely be comparable to hers within a month.
Zhang Ye opened his eyes and exhaled.
Training mana control required extreme focus and consumed both mental and mana reserves.
With the Mana Gathering Circle active, the mana in Zhang Ye’s body recovered quickly, so he wasn't afraid of the consumption. However, there was no way to recover mental energy so easily.
After four hours, his mental energy was nearly depleted, leaving him incredibly drowsy.
But the improvement was significant.
At this rate, he estimated he would be able to condense a complete Mana Skin and over a hundred Mana Threads by tomorrow.
“That’s enough for today,” Leona said with a nod. “From now on, you’ll have combat training every morning and mana control training every afternoon.”
“Alright.” Zhang Ye nodded, then gave a mischievous grin. “Leona, look, it’s getting late. Shouldn't we go to bed now?”
Leona looked at him, somewhat speechless.
This kid was actually quite handsome when he was serious, and he had the willpower to endure mana control training for so long. But the moment he started acting up, why did he become so annoying?
Seeing Zhang Ye’s expectant little face, Leona flicked her finger. Zhang Ye was immediately enveloped by mana, sent into the cave, and forcibly pinned down by her mana.
“Bed? Cultivate!” Leona commanded.
Zhang Ye pouted but didn't say anything. He tossed the Tier Six magic core into his mouth, picked up the Tier Seven core from the Water Magic Pig, and entered a state of cultivation.
Sleeping with Leona and all that...
He was just joking; he didn't actually have any illusions about it.
Watching Zhang Ye enter his cultivation state, Leona shook her head with a smile. She then sat down cross-legged at the cave entrance and closed her eyes to rest.
The night was silent.
A sense of oppression permeated the entire Myriad Beasts Forest.
Leona slowly opened her beautiful eyes. Her mana rippled slightly as she created a barrier around Zhang Ye, isolating him from everything outside.
Then, a fierce glint flashed in her fiery red eyes as she looked out into the forest.
In the pitch-black woods, something seemed to be approaching.
Finally, a massive figure emerged from the forest. With every step it took, the ground trembled.
It stopped a hundred meters from the cave and stood motionless, its emerald-green eyes staring at Leona.
It was a giant deer.
Leona looked at it and said coolly, “Leave, or I don't mind letting the Myriad Beasts Forest have a new king.”
The giant deer’s eyes flashed with a hint of indignation upon hearing this.
“You killed the offspring of the Berserk Bear King,” it spoke, its voice a gentle, feminine tone. “As the King of the Myriad Beasts Forest, it is necessary for this King to seek justice for my subjects.”
“Heh, seeking justice is all you dare to do.” Leona smiled coldly. Then, a terrifying pressure erupted from her, covering a radius of dozens of li!
“Either let that bear come here himself—I’ve been craving bear paws anyway—or get lost!”
The terrifying pressure rippled out, forcing the towering trees to bend.
The giant deer looked at Leona, her eyes filled with turbulence. Finally, she let out a sigh. “This King is not your match.”
“The aura leaking from the World Crack has made the beasts restless. Furthermore, you killed the direct subordinates of the Berserk Bear King. It is already enraged and wishes to incite a beast tide.”
At this point, the giant deer slowly lowered her head, her jade-like, crown-shaped antlers touching the ground. “Therefore, please leave. Otherwise, even this King will be unable to suppress the wrath of the myriad beasts.”
Leona nodded inwardly upon hearing this.
This was already the final concession from the King of the Myriad Beasts Forest. The aura leaking from the World Crack had indeed affected the magical beasts in the forest, making them somewhat irritable. Fortunately, the crack had been handled in time, so the impact wasn't too great.
In fact, if Leona hadn't resolved the issue with the crack and saved the Myriad Beasts Forest, the giant deer would never have lowered herself like this, even if she couldn't defeat Leona.
However, Zhang Ye had killed two Berserk Bears that were direct subordinates of the Berserk Bear King. This had infuriated the king. Under the influence of the Demon Realm aura, the Berserk Bear King’s rage was magnified, and it even wanted to incite a beast tide, though the King of the Myriad Beasts Forest had suppressed it.
If a beast tide were incited, hundreds of thousands or even millions of magical beasts would stampede out of the forest, causing devastating effects on the surrounding kingdoms. To quell the tide, those kingdoms would send powerful experts to suppress it, which would be detrimental to both magical beasts and humans.
Currently, humanity was strong, so the Myriad Beasts Forest would ultimately be the one to pay a heavy price.
The Demon Realm aura made the Berserk Bear King prone to violence and rage, but the King of the Myriad Beasts Forest remained unaffected. For the sake of peace and to avoid a bloodbath, the King of the Myriad Beasts Forest had no choice but to bow her head to Leona.
“We will leave naturally in one month,” Leona said.
The giant deer nodded, then turned and slowly walked away.
Only when the giant deer’s aura had completely vanished did Leona slowly breathe a sigh of relief.
The King of the Myriad Beasts Forest—the Giant Forest Deer!
She was a powerful magical beast who had reached the Late Stage Five-star Saint-tier, two full sub-ranks higher than Leona’s Late Stage Three-star Saint-tier!
Although Leona didn't fear the Giant Forest Deer due to her powerful Magic-Martial Dual Cultivation combat strength and elemental advantage, she wouldn't gain much if they actually fought. This outcome was naturally for the best.
Leona sighed softly.
The relationship between humans and magical beasts was becoming increasingly tense. She wondered when this situation would finally reach its breaking point...
...
When he woke up the next morning, the first thing Zhang Ye did was run out to take a leak.
Leona had forced him into cultivation the previous night before he could go, and now his bladder was about to burst.
“Gujiu~”
“Be good, Gujiu. Don't look, or you’ll get a stye.”
After a quick shiver, Zhang Ye walked out of the bushes with a determined look.
He had to cultivate to the Saint-tier! That way, he wouldn't be woken up by the urge to pee in the morning!
Sigh, my reasons for becoming stronger are just that simple and pure~
“Eh? Where’s Leona?” Zhang Ye looked around, puzzled.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Leona’s figure descended from the sky.
“What are you looking for me for?” Leona asked.
Zhang Ye looked behind her. As expected, a massive flaming lion paw was gripping another magical beast.
Zhang Ye asked in confusion, “Wasn't there half a roasted pig left from yesterday?”
Leona blinked. “I got a little hungry last night and ate it.”
Zhang Ye blinked back. “A midnight snack? Aren't you afraid of getting fat?”
Leona snorted with a smile. “I have the kind of constitution that doesn't gain weight!”
Zhang Ye countered, “Bullshit. When I carried you last time, you weighed over three hundred jin... Gwah!”
Before he could finish, Zhang Ye was punched into the dirt by Leona.
“You can just eat dirt then!” With that, Leona flicked her magic cloak and flew off to roast the meat somewhere else.
Zhang Ye pulled himself out of the ground, rubbing his aching shoulder. He bared his teeth at Gujiu and said, “She’s so fierce. I love it!”
Gujiu: “...”
Zhang Ye stretched his limbs. After one night, he had reached the Mid Stage Tier Five!
If he had only relied on meditation, it would have taken him over ten days to go from Newly Advanced Tier Five to the Mid Stage. But he had also consumed a Tier Six magic core and spent the night absorbing the Tier Seven core of the Water Magic Pig using the system, which caused his cultivation to skyrocket.
He had absorbed two-thirds of the Water Magic Pig’s core. He tossed the remaining third into his mouth and ate it as breakfast.
After eating the core, his cultivation was pushed to the Late Stage Tier Five, nearly reaching the peak.
He then cast a few spells to feed Gujiu and prepared to start his practical combat.
However, a moment later, Leona descended from the sky, holding a massive roasted pig leg.
She tossed the leg directly to Zhang Ye and said, “Hurry up and eat. Once you’re done, it’s time for combat!”
Zhang Ye caught the leg, stunned for a moment, then broke into a brilliant smile. “I knew you still loved me!”
Leona rolled her eyes at him and said, “Today, there’s only one requirement: kill the Forest Magic Ape and the Dread-claw Bear.”
The two Tier Six magical beasts from yesterday were still alive, making them perfect for Zhang Ye to practice on today.
“I’ll get the job done!” Zhang Ye said, his voice muffled as he chewed on the meat.
After devouring both the meat and the bone, Zhang Ye turned toward the two magical beasts still locked in the mana cages and gave a confident smile.
He had been able to kill the Blade-tail Tiger when he was only at the Early Stage Tier Four. Now that he had reached the Late Stage Tier Five, his strength had increased several times over. He could definitely kill the Forest Magic Ape and the Dread-claw Bear!
“Since you’re so confident, let’s add some difficulty,” Leona suddenly said, lightly snapping her fingers.
Instantly, the mana cages for both magical beasts dissolved simultaneously.
Zhang Ye’s eyes widened, and he looked at Leona with a look of despair.
“You can’t be serious...”
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