Before Su Ping could react, he was once again enjoying the sensation of being tackled onto the soft grass.
Then came the lapping of a moist tongue.
In his current state, Old Sha bore no resemblance to his earlier readiness to face death.
Disgustedly wiping the sticky saliva from his cheek where Old Sha had licked him, Su Ping finally used his Eye of Truth once more to look at the uncontrollably excited Old Sha:
[Current Level: Commander Second Rank]
[Racial Potential: Elite Tenth Rank]
[Skills: Sunlight Absorption (Perfection), Vine Strangling (Proficient), Self-Healing (Proficiency), Rapid Growth (Proficient), Wolf King (Beginner), Heart of Woods (Beginner)]
[Heart of Woods (Beginner): Enhances the power, effectiveness, and casting speed of Wood Element abilities to a certain degree and allows for the absorption of Wood Element power for rapid self-recovery.]
A thrill shot through Su Ping's eyes.
Not only did it get Heart of Woods, but its level also increased by another rank! Did the addition of Wolf Tobacco cause such a miraculous chemical reaction with the Heart of Woods Magic Potion?
Su Ping did not understand. The superficial knowledge of cultivation science he had learned at school clearly couldn't explain this.
But he knew one thing: the significance of what had just happened.
To put it bluntly, an ordinary Forest Wolf cub would, at most, fetch a price between 800,000 to 1,200,000 Gold.
However, a Forest Wolf that had awakened Heart of Woods could command a price at least three to five times higher!
If it had good aptitude, practiced its Skills diligently, and improved its Skill proficiency and level growth quickly, it could be worth even more.
It might even be comparable to some lower-tier Commander Level talent Pet Beast cubs.
The Heart of Woods Skill was incredibly powerful.
Such Skills that enhanced corresponding elemental power, though not so-called Super-Rank Skills, were often more practical than some Super-Rank Skills as passive abilities!
Even at the Beginner level, with the boost from Heart of Woods, Old Sha's strength had increased by thirty to fifty percent compared to before.
If they were to fight in places like jungles, mountain forests, or grasslands, it would be even more terrifying!
However, it was precisely because of how formidable it was that Skills like Heart of Woods were exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain.
But now, with the help of the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas, this original Heart of Woods Magic Potion had undergone such a metamorphosis simply by adding one ingredient.
Su Ping's eyes blazed with excitement. However, at that very moment, a new prompt appeared in the log records at the bottom of the solely illuminated Forest Wolf Catalog entry on the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas:
[Successfully enabled the associated Pet Beast to acquire the Skill: Heart of Woods, and its rank was improved. Catalog Experience +30 points!]
Su Ping was startled and took another look at the now-lit Forest Wolf Catalog:
[Catalog: Forest Wolf]
[A special Wolf Tribe adept in using Wood Attribute, with extremely strong life force. Typical adult Forest Wolves are Elite Level, and their proficient Skills include: Sunlight Absorption, Vine Strangling, Self-Healing, Rapid Growth, etc.]
[Current Catalog Level: 1 (152/500)]
The experience had reached 152 points.
If it weren't for the 285 points spent previously on perfecting the Heart of Woods Magic Potion formula, I'd only be a bit more than a hundred points shy of upgrading the Catalog to Level 2! Looking at it this way, it seems increasing the Catalog Level isn't so difficult!
Su Ping's gaze quickly moved past Old Sha, looking at the group of Forest Wolves that had become very docile.
Clearly, to quickly increase the Catalog Level, the more Forest Wolves, the better; and the more Forest Wolves with adequate intimacy with him, the better!
Old Sha had been like family to him for so many years. There was no need to say more.
Xiao Qing had formed a Soul Contract with him, binding them directly together, so naturally, the same applied.
But as for these more than twenty Forest Wolves, although he had brought Old Sha to feed them before and they were familiar, their intimacy was clearly still insufficient according to the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas's judgment!
Obviously, if he wanted to raise the Catalog Level quickly, the number of Forest Wolves with adequate intimacy was of paramount importance.
And how could he make their intimacy reach the standard?
Daily interactions, feeding, training.
All of these could work, but they obviously wouldn't meet the standard quickly.
Glancing at Old Sha, who was extremely excited and wagging its tail in a way Su Ping had never seen before, Su Ping instantly understood.
If I can help these little guys increase their strength and enhance their abilities—especially if they can do it effortlessly, as if lying down—then it will undoubtedly increase their intimacy with me by a lot!
Instantly, Su Ping solidified his decision. I'll continue concocting Magic Potions! But before that, I need to see Old Sha's changes!
"Old Sha, use Vine Strangling on that tree!"
Old Sha's green eyes suddenly lit up with spirit. It had never dreamed that Su Ping could achieve something that even Su Ping's own grandfather hadn't managed, something Su Anyong had completely given up on!
It knew that its young master, whom it had watched grow up, would never harm it!
Immediately, Old Sha's gaze fixed on one of the huge trees in the forest.
The next moment, numerous dark green branches and vines either burst from the soil or condensed out of thin air.
They instantly entwined the giant tree that was being used as a practice target.
The vines were as thick as a bowl and extremely tough, even gleaming with a metallic luster.
Moreover, as they continued to entwine and constrict, Su Ping soon discovered extremely sharp barbs appearing on the vines, elevating their lethality by another significant measure!
After only a short entanglement, deep gashes that looked as if they were made by a saw appeared on the trunk of the towering tree in his small forest.
The speed of the attack and the power of the vines were incomparable to before!
He thought that even a Commander Level opponent of the same rank, if caught in this web of vines, would have its blood drained in an instant. It would suffer wounds all over, as if subjected to death by a thousand cuts.
Even Su Ping couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
However, Xiao Qing, who had been quiet in his arms, suddenly became animated as well.
It stared intently at the entwining vines, as if it had suddenly understood something.
Xiao Qing formed a Soul Contract with me and advanced to Ordinary Second Rank in just a day. That speed isn't slow. But right now, it only has the basic Forest Wolf Skill, Sunlight Absorption. It could sunbathe to reduce its need for food and conserve energy, allowing it to grow rapidly. Yet, it has no combat abilities so far. I wasn't in a rush before, but now the situation seems a bit different, doesn't it?
Indeed, Xiao Qing lightly leaped from his embrace, landed in front of him, and then, opening its mouth slightly, let out an extremely tender cry:
The next moment, several delicate vines, only as thick as woolen yarn, burst forth from the soil!
The difference was, aside from their thinness, these vines had a slightly different color—they were tinged with purple.
Su Ping blinked, looking incredulously at his Pet Beast.
It learned it just like that?
It's true that Forest Wolves typically learn their Racial Skills as they grow.
Vine Strangling was one of the Forest Wolf's primary combat techniques, so this was natural.
However, a Pet Beast's talent is judged by the speed at which it learns and masters Skills.
For example, just yesterday in the student group chat, the class monitor, Zhou Shuchen, had proudly stated that his newly contracted Crimson Fang Tiger mastered one of its primary combat Skills, Flaming Pounce, in just half a month.
This was indeed quite impressive.
But how could my Xiao Qing learn Vine Strangling just by watching Old Sha use it once?
Using the Eye of Truth, Su Ping looked at his Pet Beast with a touch of disbelief:
[Mutated Forest Wolf (Contracted)]
[Attribute: Wood, Poison]
[Current Level: Ordinary Second Rank]
[Racial Potential: Elite Tenth Rank]
[Skills: Sunlight Absorption (Beginner), Poison Vine Strangulation (Beginner)]
Su Ping was taken aback. This wasn't the regular Vine Strangling that common Forest Wolves mastered.
It's this so-called Poison Vine Strangulation?
Su Ping looked at Xiao Qing with a strange expression. Could it be that Dad, who supposedly chose this Forest Wolf after meticulous selection—though it was probably just a stroke of luck—actually found a mutated Forest Wolf? Not only does it have the potential to master Poison Type abilities, but it's also exceptionally talented?