4: We recommend hanging streetlights, dear.

Bai Ye didn't hesitate in the slightest, pushing off with his feet and rapidly retreating.

He flashed behind a thick, sturdy tree.

Out of the corner of his eye, the white shadow had stopped exactly where he had just been.

Bai Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

The arrival was not a living creature, but a complete skeleton.

There was not a shred of flesh on it, and two clumps of deep blue Ghost Fire flickered in its eye sockets, sending a chill down one's spine.

An Undead Creature!

"Clack, clack..."

The skeleton discovered Bai Ye, and its upper and lower jaws began colliding violently, producing a grating sound.

Carrying a rusty machete, it rushed over on its skeletal legs.

[Name]: Skeleton Soldier

[Attribute]: Ghost System

[Gender]: None

[Aptitude]: Flawed

[Rank]: mortal grade Intermediate

[Skill]: None

[Talent]: None

[Possible Evolution Paths]: Undead Knight (Rare Advanced), Lich (Commander Intermediate), Shocking Evil Overlord (Commander Advanced)... The illustrated compendium information flashed by.

Its combat power was only slightly stronger than the Support-type Xiao Lan, and with its Flawed Aptitude, it would never Breakthrough to the Extraordinary Level if left in the wild.

This kind of trash is perfect for practice!

Boom! Boom!

His heart pounded like a drum, and the blood throughout his body surged and boiled!

Fear?

What a joke!

He was currently trembling with excitement.

Bang!

Bai Ye sidestepped the Skeleton Soldier's sluggish slash, took a step forward, and closed the distance.

His right fist, wrapped in a terrifying rush of wind, slammed squarely into its forehead.

Crack!

A terrifying force erupted, and the Skeleton Soldier's cracked skull exploded instantly, sending fragments of bone flying everywhere.

The two clumps of Ghost Fire in its eye sockets flickered intensely twice before going out completely.

A series of "crack, snap" sounds echoed.

The skeleton below the neck could no longer support itself and clattered apart into pieces on the ground.

Bai Ye let out a long breath and shook his somewhat numb arm; that punch had used all his strength, and his muscles were still trembling.

"There are Undead Creatures here? It seems this Secret Realm isn't just a simple jungle."

He clicked his tongue. Undead System creatures were notoriously difficult to deal with, and the difficulty of clearing the Secret Realm was likely much greater than he had anticipated.

"If the master of this Secret Realm is a Lich that can spam troops, then we'll really have our hands full."

The thought of being submerged by an endless sea of skeletons made Bai Ye's scalp tingle.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer of light near the scattered bones caught his eye.

If his five senses hadn't improved along with his physical fitness, this faint light would have been hard to notice.

He walked over, picked up the glowing crystal, and blew the dirt off it.

A powerful impulse surged in his heart.

Eat it! Eat it!

He actually wanted to swallow the entire thing in one gulp.

[Skeleton Soldier's Soul Crystal Fragment]

[Quality]: Flawed

[Type]: Soul Crystal

[Effect]: When fed to a Yao Beast of the Undead System or other attributes, it can accelerate its Cultivation speed or cause it to undergo beneficial/malignant Evolution toward the Undead System.

[Suggestion]: Can be fed to the Ghost Orchid, which matches the Undead Attribute, leading to beneficial Evolution in the future.

Feed it to Xiao Lan?

Bai Ye swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing the urge to eat it like candy.

He calmed his mind and looked at Xiao Lan, who was working hard to recover energy in the beast taming space.

No.

He shook his head and casually slipped the Soul Crystal Fragment into his pocket.

He already had the blueprint for Xiao Lan's perfect Evolution in his mind: "Spiritual Charm Monarch Orchid."

Life Attributes pushed to the extreme, endless vitality!

When that time comes, Xiao Lan could Sacrifice itself for him one second and be fully resurrected the next, essentially becoming a super Healer with perpetual endurance.

He himself could also become an unkillable Tank, regrowing severed limbs instantly!

Adding the Undead Attribute would just be gilding the lily.

What's the difference between this and adding the Poison Attribute to Blue Gold Grass?

"This fragment can be sold for money, and the bone fragments can also be repurposed."

Generally speaking, Soul Crystals are very difficult to produce.

But the Undead System is an exception.

Due to the attribute, even Low Rank Demonic Beasts of the Undead System can produce Soul Crystals.

[Skeleton Soldier's Bone Ash]

[Quality]: mortal grade Flawed

[Type]: Materials

[Effect]: When mixed into soil, it can enhance soil fertility and accelerate the growth of mortal grade Plant System Yao Beasts. (Note: Useless for Extraordinary Level)

Bai Ye decisively ground all the remaining bones into powder with his fist and buried them in the dirt beneath his feet.

He was surprised to find that the Bone Ash disappeared immediately upon entering the soil.

The color of the soil before him visibly deepened and emitted a peculiar fragrance.

He summoned the Ghost Orchid and planted it into this patch of "Advanced Fertilizer."

A feeling of pleasant surprise immediately transmitted from the Ghost Orchid.

Rooting here restored its energy much faster than recovering in the beast taming space.

The Ghost Orchid greedily absorbed the nutrients in the soil, and the patterns on its petals became increasingly vibrant.

This was a sign of a Breakthrough!

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a fourth clear pattern appeared on the Ghost Orchid's petals, and its stem thickened visibly.

[Name]: Ghost Orchid

[Rank]: mortal grade Intermediate

After absorbing enough energy, Xiao Lan finally upgraded from Low Rank to Intermediate.

Although not learning a new Skill disappointed him slightly, the increase in total Grass-type energy meant Xiao Lan's endurance had improved.

After the energy was completely absorbed, the ground beneath his feet instantly turned grayish-white and lifeless, and nothing would likely grow there for a while.

Bai Ye rubbed his hands together and once again cast his "evil" gaze upon the newly upgraded Xiao Lan.

After the Rank increase, the Ghost Orchid's petals were much tougher.

Unfortunately, Bai Ye's physical body had undergone a more thorough transformation than it had.

He easily plucked a petal, preparing to repeat the trick, but suddenly froze.

[Ghost Orchid Petal]

[Quality]: mortal grade Common

[Type]: Materials

[Effect]: Restores minor injuries.

[Suggestion]: Use a large quantity of Ghost Orchid Petals of the same Rank for extraction to obtain Ghost Fragrance Perfume (mortal grade Excellent).

"It drops Materials after upgrading? I've never heard of perfume made from Ghost Orchids being useful."

Curious, he put the petal in his mouth. After a moment of bitterness, a faint sweetness dissolved on his tongue.

And then... nothing happened.

Bai Ye estimated that his own Rank was two minor tiers higher than Xiao Lan's; unless he chewed the entire orchid, this single petal wouldn't have much effect.

[Your Ghost Orchid experienced an overwhelming battle, reluctantly conceded defeat, and has now returned to the beast taming space.]

[Ghost Orchid injury confirmed]

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

"Hmm, the energy provided is indeed a bit more than before. It looks like I'll be able to Breakthrough soon."

Bai Ye was in high spirits and once again began the monotonous yet joyful business of upgrading.

Unfortunately, Skeleton Soldiers were pitifully scarce in this area; besides that unlucky fellow just now, no other Undead Creatures wandered over.

He had nowhere to farm monsters for drops.

Twenty minutes later.

After ten more cycles, Bai Ye felt refreshed as he recalled the drained Xiao Lan back into the space, and he contentedly opened his brand-new Attribute Panel.

[Rank]: Extraordinary Level Low Rank

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

[Talent]: Bond Nexus, Photosynthesis (Green)

[Description]: A Special Human with moderate strength who grows stronger by exploiting his beast pet. See that lamppost over there? The top spot is reserved for you forever.

“...”

Bai Ye's mouth twitched.

"How can you call it exploitation when it's consensual? Xiao Lan itself still seems to want more."