After reflecting, Ye Die Die decided to try flapping her wings.
Her transparent wings attempted to move, and after several attempts, she managed to fly slowly, not too far from the flower. She was afraid of falling.
After practicing for a while, Ye Die Die finally dared to fly higher. With the influence of the wind, she adjusted her posture.
During the practice flights, she always used her Disguise soul skill, making herself invisible to weaker or less powerful soul beasts.
Ye Die Die didn't dare to fly too high, fearing that she would attract the attention of stronger beings.
Finally, she mastered flying quite well, but she didn't leave the flower. After completing her practice flight, she returned to the flower.
For her, the most important thing now was to stay alive. She could survive here by feeding on pollen when hungry and drinking dew when thirsty.
When using Disguise, Ye Die Die could only feel her soul power being consumed while in flight. When she was stationary, she didn't need to spend soul power.
Here, she had a natural environment for survival. There was no need to expose her true form just to leave this place.
Ye Die Die planned to leave only when the soul power here was not enough for her to absorb. By then, she believed she would have gained sufficient survival skills.
With a determined mindset, Ye Die Die began her first cultivation. Of course, even during cultivation, she didn't dare to relax, continuing to utilize her Disguise soul skill.
From her inherited memories, Ye Die Die learned her cultivation method. She attempted to absorb soul power from the air.
Before long, she could feel a stream of energy entering her body from the air. However, this energy dissipated and vanished in an instant, presumably her soul power.
She continued practicing until nightfall, consumed some nectar, drank some dew, and continued her cultivation.
During nighttime cultivation, she clearly felt that the flow of soul power into her body was faster. If during the day she could absorb one stream of soul power, at night she could absorb two streams in the same amount of time.
Days turned into years as she continued this routine.
---
Seventy-Five Years Later
Today was the day she would enter the Hundred-Year Soul Beast stage. Since she began her cultivation that day, she had been practicing every day without rest.
Now, she was finally about to break through and become a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. In the world of the Douluo Continent, Ye Die Die discovered that a soul beast's cultivation age did not necessarily correspond to its lifespan.
Otherwise, according to logic, she would need a hundred years to become a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. However, through her daily efforts and years of hard work, she was on the verge of becoming one after seventy-five years.
During these years, she had been hiding within flowers, although not the same flower. She had moved two hundred and twelve times.
After living for all these years, Ye Die Die gradually adapted to this world. She often saw the presence of soul masters.
Fortunately, thanks to her Disguise soul skill, she managed to evade most difficulties. From the conversations of the soul masters, Ye Die Die learned that she was in the Star Dou Forest.
But luckily, she was only in the peripheral area of the Star Dou Forest. Most of the soul beasts here had a cultivation age of ten years, with a small number of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
So, the strongest people she had encountered here were soul masters with two soul rings. She hadn't seen anyone more powerful than that.
This allowed her to cultivate peacefully for seventy-five years.
During these years, she discovered a special ability, not a system, but rather her own soul skill.
However, she had only used it once, and that one time almost led her into danger, so she never used it again.
This special ability allowed her to enhance and strengthen an inanimate object using her consciousness. However, she couldn't use it on living things.
The last time she used it was fifty years ago when she dared to venture a little further. While flying around, she came across a patch of ordinary grass that could be used for cultivation, but it was useless for soul beasts with a cultivation age above ten years.
Therefore, this grass grew wildly in that area, only attracting some herbivorous animals.
Ye Die Die picked a strand of that grass and enhanced it with her consciousness. After three seconds, the grass became greener and greener.
The fragrance of the grass spread and gradually became stronger. Under her enhancement, the grass grew stronger and more fragrant.
After completing the enhancement of the grass, Ye Die Die couldn't resist. She bit into the grass and swallowed it.
At the moment she bit into it, her mouth was filled with a refreshing fragrance. The taste made her unable to stop, and before she knew it,
A series of sounds came from all directions, Ye Die Die's face revealed a panicked expression.
"What's happening?" she wondered.
Alertly scanning her surroundings, Ye Die Die hid behind a large tree, tightly shrinking her body and using her Disguise soul skill to reduce her presence.
While Ye Die Die vigilantly surveyed her surroundings, she caught sight of the first figure—a wild boar. However, this wild boar was exceptionally large. From its aura alone, she could sense its strength, at least that of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast.
This was the first soul beast to arrive here, but it wouldn't be the last. Within half a minute of the wild boar's arrival, another soul beast appeared.
One after another, soul beasts arrived, congregating around the patch of enhanced grass.
Even the weakest of these soul beasts made Ye Die Die feel their immense power. The strongest among them was a tiger enveloped in flames. From its aura, she could sense that it was the most powerful creature in the vicinity, likely possessing a cultivation age of at least three hundred years.
When the tiger arrived, the other soul beasts showed signs of fear and quickly scattered in all directions.
Three soul beasts remained in the area: the initial wild boar, a wolf, and the powerful tiger.
The wolf glanced warily at the flaming tiger, sniffed the air, and ultimately chose to retreat.
The tiger locked its gaze onto the wild boar, which also displayed fear. Gradually, the wild boar left the place as well. However, before departing, it took a deep breath of the surroundings, seemingly wanting to remember a particular scent.
With only the tiger left on the scene, it paced around, circling its surroundings, and gradually approached Ye Die Die's location.
Ye Die Die's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She exerted all her soul power to activate her soul skill and dared not make a single move. She wasn't sure if her disguise would work against a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, but she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
The tiger came close to her and then circled around, but it didn't discover anything and eventually left.
Ye Die Die watched as the danger disappeared, but she still didn't dare to move even the slightest bit. In novels, it was often said that enemies would return once or even several times. This might not be a novel, but she wasn't willing to take any risks.
After about a moment, just as Ye Die Die thought the tiger had left and was ready to come out, to her surprise, the tiger reappeared and circled around once again.
As Ye Die Die's slightly relaxed state of mind immediately tensed up, the tiger once again failed to discover anything and left.
However, even at this point, Ye Die Die still didn't dare to move. Four hours had passed, and she had exhausted all her soul power while using her soul skill. She couldn't believe that a wild beast could squat there for four hours.
If the tiger hadn't left yet and her soul power was running low, the moment she relaxed her soul skill, she would be discovered.
With her soul power nearly depleted, Ye Die Die made a decision and cautiously returned to her small cottage. This time, she had strengthened her conviction.
"It's still too dangerous outside. I won't venture out until I reach the level of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast."
"I can't use this 'golden finger' without sufficient strength. Its allure is too great, attracting so many soul beasts."
"＼(`Δ')／"
(End of this chapter)