Silver Dragon Evolution System Chapter 18 Chapter 17 - Maxing Traits

As they reached deeper into the cavernous den, Tara saw a shocking sight.

Inside the spacious cavern that glowed a beautiful light from the bioluminescent mushrooms, a large tree sat in the middle of the underwater cavern.

She supposed it was not surprising; the tree was even larger than the one she saw when she encountered the Earthray, and there were many more of the same beautiful glowing fruits.

Tara long ago knew the trees here were nothing like the ones found on Earth. After all, no trees or fruit could usually survive deep underwater, never mind a submerged cavern, without access to sunlight.

The tree seemed to have entirely different needs compared to its Earth counterparts, and judging by the notes of Qi that it was absorbing from the mushrooms, she assumed the tree gathered its essential resources to survive in an entirely different way.

Tara even noticed the carcasses of the fallen Pikeakes from the earlier battle present, thrown around the tree haphazardly.

Claw and Lady noticed her look of curiosity, with Claw deciding to take the initiative to explain, 'Spiritual plants like the Iron Dragon Fruit Tree absorb Qi to utilise as nutrition, to grow, allowing them to become stronger naturally with age and maturity, which in doing so means they provide more fruit. It is also helpful to leave carcasses packed full of Qi like these Pikeake, and the tree will naturally break these down as the bodies' nutrients get broken down and utilised by the tree.'

Tara thought it made sense, knowing that the Earthray likely also did this, judging by the discarded bones it left behind to support the tree's growth.

Either way, this tree was older and stronger than the previous one, so she hoped it would provide better benefits.

Staring at the fruits on the tree, Tara found they looked just as lush and appetising as the last, causing her to stare at them in ravenous hunger.

Looking over at the two elders, she noticed a complete disinterest in their gaze, one she could tell they were not faking either.

Tara must have shown her confusion in an obvious manner since Claw soon chuckled lightly in her mind as he said, 'We can tell you are surprised we do not desire them as you do. Youngling, we have been around for centuries. We have long ago extracted the maximum benefits a low-body refining treasure like this can provide, and our bodies have reached the maximum amount of saturation and tempering possible from the fruit. Usually, Iron Salamanders like us will reach our limit at a much later point in our lives from such treasures, as it takes a while to break down from each use until finally, we reach a limit where the fruit no longer has an effect. It was why we struggled to grasp your age, thinking your cultivation must have stunted for whatever reason since you have attained a high level of acclimation with the use of a body refining treasure, with the gleam of your flesh showing the initial metallic lustre present, usually we have such a skin tone once we are close to reaching the maximum attainment the fruit provides.'

Pausing for a period to let her take in the information, Claw continued, 'However, once you mentioned your true age, we realised there must be some truth in what you said. Your body shows it has completely acclimated to the medical effects of the fruit already. How it can break down the fruit as efficiently as that is usually a sign of a very powerful bloodline, yet we don't get a feeling you possess one, as it would be obvious from your aura alone, which is why we are puzzled about your explanation. Thus, though your explanation must be right from the adaptation your body has shown, please mind that we would like to see this for ourselves if we were to commit our hopes on survival to you whilst our herd is on the brink of extinction.'

Tara nodded in understanding and said, 'From what you said, I can understand why I must sound highly unusual, so I understand the need for a demonstration. And it's not like this doesn't benefit me either; how many fruits are you willing to provide?'

'As many as it takes until you reach your limit, much of our kin will now miss out and will have to wait for the next growth cycle, yet if you can do what you say you can, it gives us hope of not having to leave this region. We have been around the swamp many times in our lives, exploring much of the territory, and though the Pikeakes are dangerous, they are nothing compared to the rulers of the other sections of the swamp. And if you can remove the big one, it will give us a chance to attempt a takeover; doing so will provide territory for our kind to establish ourselves where we are finally not lorded over. Lady and I can even call in much of our kin to flock here; the Sphyrna Pikeake drove most of them away in fear, and with it gone, many Iron Salamanders will find themselves returning.' Claw said, indicating that much of the fruits growing on the tree were now hers.

Looking at the fruits on the tree, she found herself resisting the urge to drool; though she held back, turning towards Claw, Tara gave him one last look as she said, 'Are you sure it will be fine to eat all these fruits?'

Claw's large head looked back in amusement as he replied, 'If you can handle that many go ahead, a typical member of our kin of your size usually is filled to bursting from three of those. Just consume them till you reach your limit. These fruits will soon grow back with the amount of Qi the tree will gather from the Pikeake carcasses.'

Tara's eyes returned to the tree filled to the brim with tantalising fruit; the tree held over twenty times the amount of fruit the last one had, and she felt her instinct filled with sheer desire just by looking at it.

'Well, I don't need to be told more than twice.' Tara thought before finally deciding to stop holding herself back; she began to use her claws to rip off the fruits one by one before stuffing them into her eager maw.

Like the last section of fruits, consuming just one of them was not enough to bring about a change, yet she had an abundance of fruit available, with Claw and Lady saying to eat until she reached her absolute limit.

The energy of the fruit coursed through her as it grew more and more intense by the minute, with her devouring the fruits from the tree one by one.

Claw and Lady stared at with their mouths gaping wide, as they saw her gulp down the fruits rampantly. The amount of energy coursing in her body was enough to make a typical member of their kind explode many times over from the intensity.

Though Tara told them beforehand, allowing them to know what to expect, now seeing it was another thing entirely.

Tara did not notice their reaction, though. She was too lost in the sensation of her body rapidly growing more potent from ingesting so many fruits. Soon enough, a notification sounded.