"You…how did you know?" Li Changsheng's pupils contracted slightly. He had completely not expected Li Haoqiong to know about this matter.
For the time being, any thoughts about complaining had gone out of his head. His heart was full of anxiety. If Li Haoqiong knew, then would other people know as well?
This threw Li Changsheng's thoughts into confusion, and he was filled with worry about losing what he had gained.
"If you don't want people to find out, then you shouldn't have done it in the first place! Yesterday, you piqued my curiosity when you asked your servants to collect fertilizer, so when you left that night, I followed you secretly. Eh-hem, don't look at me like that. If you want to blame someone, you should blame yourself for being too weak. If I had truly hidden, how would your 'kitten' find me?"
When he saw Li Changsheng's look of disdain, Li Haoqiong pretended to cough again, then continued, "When I saw that withered bamboo forest, I was already beginning to suspect that there had been a gestation of a Nature Faerie. Once I finished observing everything you did, I was absolutely certain! Now that you've come looking for me, of course it isn't hard to guess your purpose! Alright, take it, remember to return it to me next time!"
After his explanation, Li Haoqiong extended his right hand and suddenly produced a small pouch, tossing it to Li Changsheng.
This was not conjuring something out of thin air, nor was it some sort of diversionary tactic; this was a storage-type treasure that Li Haoqiong possessed.
Li Changsheng caught the pouch flurriedly, then glanced at Li Haoqiong oddly and asked, "Second Uncle, are you not interested in the Nature Faerie?"
For most demon tamers, the Nature Faerie's powerful boosting abilities would be a great temptation.
"If anyone else finds out about this, you wouldn't be able to do anything if they decided to snatch it away! However, you're my only nephew—how could I take away your opportunity? Moreover, it's just a Nature Faerie; it's no big deal."
Li Haoqiong waved his hand, his expression seeming to suggest that a Nature Faerie was of no significance to him.
Li Haoqiong's behavior made Li Changsheng even more curious about him. His second uncle was very mysterious; even Li Changsheng was not very clear about the true extent of his powers. However, everyone had their secrets, and he did not pursue the matter any further. After thanking his uncle, he immediately left the courtyard.
'Don't blame your uncle for being too short-tempered. If you're too dependent on others, it won't benefit your growth now or even later on. How else will you be able to avenge your parents?' Li Haoqiong thought to himself as he watched Li Changsheng's departure.
On his way back to the bamboo forest, Li Changsheng opened the pouch. The sudden bright green glow blinded him.
The pouch was full of Wood demon cores—dozens of them in total. Compared to the low-tier demon cores, they were bigger, and the largest one was the size of a baby's fist.
"These…these are Elite Level demon cores!" Looking at the largest demon core, Li Changsheng could not tear his gaze away for a moment. He had seen mid-tier and high-tier demon cores before, but even if they were high-tier demon cores, their size and the energy they contained could not be compared to these!
Generally speaking, demons could be classified into low-level, mid-level, or high-level demons.
If they were subdivided further, low-level demons had Lower, Middle, and High Orders. Mid-level demons were classified into Elites, Leaders, and Rulers. As for high-level demons, they were on a level that Li Changsheng could not access for the time being.
The only way to obtain an Elite Level demon core was by slaying an Elite Level demon. This was a demonstration of Li Haoqiong's true power.
Those who could go toe-to-toe with Elite Level demons were Level 4 Demon Tamers. However, if the demon tamers were skilled at 'group attacks', even Level 3 Demon Tamers could have the opportunity to hunt an Elite Level demon.
Li Changsheng took a deep breath, trying his hardest to calm his excitement. If the Nature Faerie absorbed all of these Wood demon cores, its grade might even elevate.
On the other hand, Li Changsheng also felt considerably pressured. At his current strength, these demon cores were a huge loan; he did not know when he would be able to pay it back.
Not too long later, Li Changsheng entered the bamboo forest once more. Without any hesitation, he buried all the demon cores, letting the Nature Faerie absorb them.
"I've done everything I can. All there's left to do is wait!"
Li Changsheng muttered to himself; he also did not linger there aimlessly. Moreover, a full night's worth of labor had made him unusually tired, especially given the sour odor and faint scent of manure that emanated from his body. It smelled very unpleasant overall.
After a hard stretch, Li Changsheng returned to the courtyard. After taking care of his personal hygiene, he did not fall asleep immediately. Instead, he boosted his spirit and cultivated his omniscience.
Every time Ai Xi leveled up, it could bring Li Changsheng even more returns. This allowed his cultivation speed to increase again. By the time he finished his cultivation, Li Changsheng had cultivated 13 points of starlight.
Once he had cultivated 36 points of starlight and surrounded the soul light sphere three times, he would have a chance to elevate his demon tamer level.
However, the more points of starlight he cultivated, the more difficult it would be.
With his current progress, he would need less than a year to accumulate a sufficient number.
…
Time passed in a flash, and ten days went by very quickly.
During these ten days, Li Changsheng went to the bamboo forest on time every day. While he worked hard on training Ai Xi, he watched over the Nature Faerie during its gestation period to avoid having his efforts go to waste.
All through this time, Ai Xi seemed to grow visibly. Compared to ordinary demons, its improvement was extremely rapid, and it already possessed definite battle strength.
[Demon Name]: White-fronted Tiger (Newborn Stage)
[Demon Level]: Lower 6th Order
[Demon Class]: High-class Servant
[Demon Grade]: Superior Grade
[Demon Bloodline]: White Tiger Blood (Inferior Quality)
[Demon Type]: Wind
[Demon Condition]: Healthy
[Demon Weakness]: Lightning
[Learned Skills]: Bite, Claw Tear, Tail Slap, Shadow Clone, Whirlwind
Compared to ten days ago, Ai Xi's physique had undergone a drastic change. Even though it was still in its newborn stage, its size had already reached 1.5 meters, and it had a pair of piercing bright eyes, making it look very majestic.
Furthermore, Ai Xi had also learned to use Tail Slap and Whirlwind.
Other than that, it had perfected Claw Tear and fulfilled the requirements for Claw Crush. Perhaps not too long later, it would be able to learn Claw Crush.
At noon this very day, the green bamboo that was incubating the Nature Faerie started to change. It began to radiate a glistening luster, as if it had transformed into a bamboo carved out of jade, with a sheen just like that precious material.
"Oh no, I've got to hide these unusual changes!" As he watched the glow getting brighter and more dazzling, Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. From the looks of things, the Nature Faerie's birth might result in even greater anomalies.
For now, all he could do was try his best to conceal it.
Li Changsheng took action. First, he used wet mud to cover the green bamboo completely. However, this method only served to mask the symptoms of the problem rather than resolve the issue itself. The bamboo was still rather conspicuous.
Given the situation, Li Changsheng hurriedly transplanted a few green bamboos and completely surrounded the Nature Faerie's bamboo. If they did not look too closely, outsiders would find it very hard to spot the green bamboo that was incubating the Nature Faerie.
Li Changsheng's preparations were certainly not in any way inadequate. Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly for long. By the time evening approached, new changes had occurred in the green bamboo, and it began to emanate faint energy waves.
"D*mn it!"
Li Changsheng gripped his hair tightly, feeling extremely annoyed. It was merely a Nature Faerie in its gestation stage, and yet it was giving off such extraordinary phenomena.
If this continued, all his hard work over this period might very well end up being someone else's reward!
In desperation, Li Changsheng quickly released his omniscience and tried his hardest to conceal the energy waves.
It was still fine in the beginning; Li Changsheng could at least manage it. However, as time went by, his head started to ache. This was caused by the massive wear and tear on his omniscience.
Very soon, Li Changsheng could no longer keep it up. His face was pale, and he could only watch as the energy waves began to radiate outwards.
"I'm finished!"
Li Changsheng's heart was filled with bitterness. If he could not conceal this anymore, it would not be long before other clan members nearby noticed the anomaly taking place here.
When that happened, even if he had his second uncle's help, he was afraid that there was nothing he could do, given the value of the Nature Faerie.
"No, I still have a chance. I must notify Second Uncle at once!"
Li Changsheng felt frantic; right now, only Li Haoqiong could help him. He forced himself to endure his splitting headache and was just about to return to the courtyard.
What Li Changsheng did not know was that when the energy waves first began to spread, inexplicable fluctuations appeared in the void nearby, and a tiny rune flashed briefly.
At the same time, in the courtyard, Li Haoqiong—who had been sleeping against the willow tree—suddenly opened his eyes, immediately turning his gaze in the direction of the bamboo forest.
That rune was part of his set up!
"It's been born! Tsk tsk, fortunately, I took some precautions in advance. Otherwise, that little brat would have suffered a huge loss!"
Li Haoqiong stood up from the ground. He focused his mind and abruptly vanished from where he had been.
In the time it took for two breaths, Li Haoqiong had traversed several hundred meters, appearing without warning in front of Li Changsheng.
When another person suddenly appeared near him, Li Changsheng naturally had the fright of his life and quickly stopped in his tracks. When he realized it was his second uncle, he let out a subconscious sigh of relief.
"Second Uncle, it's urgent. Quick, help me cover up these energy waves, please!"
"Don't worry!"
Li Haoqiong waved his hand. Compared to before, his usual frivolousness had vanished, and he was a lot more solemn.
Without waiting for Li Changsheng to say anything more, Li Haoqiong focused his mind. A split second later, numerous strange runes appeared on the ground, finally condensing into a purple hexagram that shone with dazzling brilliance.
Hiss~
Alongside a heart-stopping shriek, powerful pressure began to engulf the area from all sides. Li Changsheng's expression changed slightly as if he were carrying a massive mountain on his back that was making it hard for him to breathe.