3: The purity has been greatly improved.

"Success!"

Bai Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

The criteria for being "injured" was much looser than he had imagined; simply dropping a single petal was enough to trigger it.

If he really had to beat his beast pet half to death, that would be truly troublesome.

Even Plant System beast pets take a while to recover after being severely injured.

Time was extremely important in the Secret Realm; only with enough time could he rely on his talent to grow rapidly.

Perhaps he could even clear this Secret Realm.

The power inherited from the Ghost Orchid could only be perceived as an extremely subtle increase if one felt for it carefully.

After all, the Ghost Orchid was not a strength-type beast pet; high-speed healing was its core value.

Bai Ye impatiently opened the illustrated compendium, where the information had already refreshed.

[Name]: Bai Ye

[Attribute]: Grass-type

[Aptitude]: Rare

[Rank]: Mortal Intermediate

[Skill]: Fragrant Pollen (Initial Stage) (Proficiency: Mastery)

[Talent]: Bond Nexus, Photosynthesis (White)

[Held beast pet]: Ghost Orchid

[Evolvable Paths]: Plant System, Mechanical System, Biochemical System, Martial System, Ghost System. (Click to view)

[Introduction]: Evolving from an ordinary human into a Plant System Yao Beast, you are now a qualified Human Plant. Hurry up and root yourself in the soil to replenish energy.

"Human Plant?"

Bai Ye's mouth twitched, but the description was quite accurate.

He felt that if he plunged headfirst into the dirt right now, he might actually grow roots and wouldn't even need to eat anymore.

The most crucial thing was that he had directly inherited the recovery Skill with "Mastery" proficiency from the Ghost Orchid.

With a thought, Bai Ye summoned the Ghost Orchid from the beast taming space again.

A corner was missing from the little guy's azure blue petals, and a few leaves looked somewhat wilted.

This injury was nothing to it, but recovery would ultimately consume energy.

Even so, the Ghost Orchid didn't show the slightest hint of distance toward Bai Ye; instead, it actively nudged his finger.

A feeling of closeness and dependence was transmitted through the Mental Link.

It could feel that its Beast Tamer had grown stronger.

It even vaguely transmitted the thought of "let's do it a few more times" to Bai Ye.

Bai Ye stretched out his index finger, aiming the tip at the Ghost Orchid.

The exact same Fragrant Pollen scattered forth.

The Ghost Orchid's dim petals were replenished with energy, glowing once more, looking even more vibrant than before.

Its leaves excitedly swayed toward Bai Ye, coupled with the homogeneous Qi emanating from Bai Ye.

The Ghost Orchid's low intelligence completely treated its Beast Tamer as an elder of its own species.

"Phew... I feel like my body has been hollowed out."

Bai Ye wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. With his current amount of Grass-type energy, he could use the Initial Stage Skill one more time at most before collapsing.

Using this stuff too much is harmful to the body.

"Continue! Let's try to level up the Skill a few more times!"

The Ghost Orchid lightly swayed twice, as if saying: As long as it's enough, I'll give you as many petals as you want!

"..."

Bai Ye was speechless. If you want your Beast Tamer dead, you can just say so, no need to beat around the bush.

The Ghost Orchid had petals, but he couldn't continuously release pollen.

He repeated the trick, plucked a petal, and sent the Ghost Orchid back into the space.

The illustrated compendium prompt arrived instantly.

[Your Ghost Orchid experienced an overwhelming battle and was defeated...]

[Talent triggered: Bond Nexus. beast pet attribute absorbed: Ghost Orchid.]

A warm current surged into his limbs once again!

Bai Ye's muscles visibly swelled, and his loose clothes instantly became taut.

"It's gone again! This feeling of becoming stronger is truly addictive!"

Bai Ye's grin widened maniacally as he squeezed his considerably firmer muscles.

Quantified by data, his current physical constitution was about 1.1 times stronger than before!

Don't underestimate that 0.1; if he trained himself, it would be impossible without six months to a year.

"The illustrated compendium rated my Aptitude as Rare. If I keep training like this, I could overthrow low-Rank Yao Beasts using pure physical strength."

Skill proficiency and the Photosynthesis Talent also received a massive boost.

He had a feeling that his use of Fragrant Pollen was far more skilled than Xiao Lan's current usage.

As his talent improved, the Grass-type energy within his body was also replenished.

"Does this... count as inventing an alternative perpetual motion machine?"

Bai Ye stared at his fair, slender hands as a crazy thought popped into his mind.

Use Fragrant Pollen to restore the Ghost Orchid's health, then defeat the Ghost Orchid to restore his own mana.

As long as he kept repeating it, his power would quickly reach the Extraordinary Level!

Time to act!

Bai Ye excitedly summoned the Ghost Orchid and mechanically repeated the same steps.

Ten minutes later.

Bai Ye touched the Ghost Orchid's visibly yellowing leaves, sighed, and recalled it to the beast taming space.

"Sure enough, I was thinking too optimistically."

The Low Stage Skill, Fragrant Pollen, had its limits; continuous high-intensity use led to a noticeable decline in effectiveness.

This Skill could only heal injuries; the Ghost Orchid's own Grass-type energy would not magically appear out of thin air.

Xiao Lan was able to hold out until now entirely thanks to the tenacious will forged in harsh environments.

"But it's enough."

Bai Ye swung his left arm; surging power rushed through his muscles, and a casual punch brought forth a distinct sound of rushing air.

This was the confidence that strength provided him!

[Rank]: Mortal Extreme

[Skill]: Fragrant Pollen (Initial Stage) (Proficiency: Perfected)

[Talent]: Bond Nexus, Photosynthesis (Green)

Skill proficiency reached "Perfected" during the eighth absorption.

Photosynthesis reached Green on the tenth time.

Blue pollen wrapped around his fingertips, condensing without scattering.

If he wished, this wisp of pollen could accurately fly toward any target at Mid-range, greatly enhancing his support capabilities.

Next, he needed to find a way to upgrade Xiao Lan."

Bai Ye gripped the wooden stick he had previously used for self-defense.

"Otherwise, relying only on these two fists against those guys with claws and venomous fangs is still too disadvantageous."

But he still didn't dare to be reckless.

Right now, he wasn't even at the Extraordinary Level.

If he encountered an Elite Rank Yao Beast, he would at most be considered a rather chewy piece of meat.

Bai Ye sat down against a thick ancient tree, deciding to set off only after the Ghost Orchid had fully recovered its Origin Qi and he had officially achieved the Breakthrough to the Extraordinary Level.

He could only make Xiao Lan suffer for a bit first; once they safely left this wretched place, he absolutely had to get some Advanced fertilizer for it to properly recuperate.

Swish swish... Just then, a sudden, rapid rustling sound of branches and leaves came from a thicket of bushes taller than a man, not far away.

It sounded as if something was moving through quickly, approaching his location.

Bai Ye's pupils contracted sharply, his muscles instantly tensed, and he quickly leaped up from the ground, staring intently at the constantly shaking bushes ahead.

A swift white figure suddenly shot out of the thicket, lunging straight toward him.