Leyvi sat up with a grin and pushed himself to his feet. "Hahaha! Don't worry, you guys. I'm totally fine." He then walked out of the bamboo formation to the pandas.
Seeing that he was alright, the pandas cheered and charged him with joy, hugging him from all sides and climbing on him like clingy little children.
"Okay, okay—enough! No climbing! I just want to see the Legendary Bamboo Shoots." Leyvi laughed, dragging a few pandas along with him as he made his way toward the big glowing pile.
The pandas let go of him and scampered over to the glowing pile of Legendary Bamboo Shoots.
"Panda God, come!" "For you!" "Eat, eat all!" "Get smarter!"
Leyvi almost tripped over his own foot. What the heck? Did they just say I should eat these to get smarter? Are you guys calling me dumb!?
He chuckled despite himself. Of course, they didn't mean it that way—but it did sound hilarious.
He walked over and grabbed one of the shoots from the pile, lifting it to his nose. A rich, fragrant aroma wafted through the air.
"Mmm~ what a scent. My sea of consciousness isn't even injured, but it feels like it's being soothed anyway."
The pandas bounced excitedly around him, cheering and waving their arms. "Eat! Eat! Smart Panda God!"
"Alright, alright. I'll eat it, calm down," Leyvi laughed. He'd planned to try one from the start anyway.
He took a bite. "Umm! This tastes good! Usually, bamboo shoots have to be cooked properly to be edible, but this—this is divine! No wonder you guys call it legendary."
The crisp, juicy texture practically melted in his mouth. He finished the whole thing.
A few moments later, Leyvi paused. He felt a subtle clarity spread through his mind, a gentle surge that refined the edges of his thoughts. Curious, he expanded his spiritual sense to test the change.
"Eh? This bamboo shoot increased my spiritual sense range?" Leyvi blinked. "No wonder demonic beasts who eat these can develop spiritual sense."
He nodded thoughtfully. The boost was real, but with his already vast range, a little more distance wasn't particularly thrilling. What he truly needed was to expand his area of focus, not just reach farther.
"Alright, you guys, go ahead and eat them too," he said, turning to the pandas. "They're really delicious."
The pandas looked hesitant.
"Can we?" "But Panda God made these…" "Yes, yes. They're yours…"
"Hahaha!" Leyvi waved them off. "I only helped a bit. We've got tons here. Just enjoy them."
He picked out five shoots and carefully stored them away. "I'll keep these for Dastan, and for planting. Lilian's definitely going to want to grow a whole forest out of these."
With that, he left the rest to the pandas. After all, none of this would have happened if those innocent, overly enthusiastic fluffballs hadn't led him here in the first place.
---
Rewinding time slightly, at the northern edge of the bamboo forest, Crown Prince Dastan also received the blessing of Leyvi's Miracle Qi.
"What is this Qi? It's so pure… Is this one of the forest's miraculous effects too?" he muttered in amazement. His cultivation at the peak of the Core Formation Realm solidified rapidly, drawing closer to the breakthrough threshold with every breath.
"Daa hahaha! As expected of a cultivation genius like me. What should've taken years has now been shortened again. It won't be long before this prince enters the Nascent Soul Realm!"
He had previously rejected Leyvi's offer to share the nature-born formation, not because he didn't need it, but because he believed Leyvi should benefit from it alone. The stronger Leyvi became, the higher their chance of survival in this world.
Others might be in great trouble after breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm here. But who was he? The Crown Prince of the Howling Kingdom! As if the Royal Family hadn't already prepared for such complications.
In fact, they had. The Royal Alchemist had long refined a special elixir capable of temporarily reverting his cultivation back to the Core Formation Realm. Alongside it, the Royal Armory had crafted a spirit artifact with a similar effect. When used together, the two could circumvent the void tunnel restrictions entirely.
Of course, many people had died in similar types of void dimensions, sacrificed as test subjects during the creation of those artifacts and elixirs. It wasn't easy at all.
"Once this prince steps into the Nascent Soul Realm, no high-level demonic beast will be my match! Daa hahaha!" he bragged aloud.
But he knew, if Leyvi were here to hear that, he'd surely retort, "Then why don't you go fight a commander-level demonic beast right now?" …while giving him that condescending look.
"Heh, this prince plays it smart," Dastan said aloud to the imaginary Leyvi. "Why fight something stronger than you now, when you can just level up and beat them when they're weaker?"
Just then, something caught his attention.
"Huh? What's that?"
Three bamboo shoots near him began to glow softly, their radiant aura pulsing with energy.
"Wait… is this the rumored Legendary Bamboo Shoot?" Dastan's eyes lit up. "Daa hahaha! This Qi has blessed me again! This bamboo forest really is my lucky spot. When this prince returns home, this prince will erect a bamboo garden right behind the palace!"
He couldn't help but develop a fondness for this place. Compared to all the extreme and uncomfortable environments he'd been dragged through alongside Leyvi, this bamboo forest was practically paradise.
With a satisfied grin, he began harvesting the glowing bamboo shoots. But just as he reached for the third one, a blur zipped in and snatched it right in front of him, darting a short distance away.
"Dammit! Which retard dares to steal from this prince?" Dastan growled, flaring his Qi. A golden aura ignited around him, bathing the nearby forest in radiant light. His spiritual sense swept forward, locking onto the culprit.
Huh?
It was just a small, weak demonic squirrel, barely the size of his hand. Judging by the energy around it, it must've only just evolved into a demonic beast.
"Oi, squirrel! Give that back, or this prince will end you!" Dastan threatened, pointing an accusatory finger like a royal judge.
But the squirrel simply tilted its head, blinking at him with wide, innocent eyes. It seemed completely unfazed—clearly a product of this peaceful forest, unaccustomed to fear or danger.
A single sword with a regal, intricate design emerged from his space ring, floating behind him like a divine executioner. Its golden blade shimmered with the insignia of the Royal Family.
Dastan's aura surged to its peak, flooding the area with the might of a peak Core Formation Realm cultivator. The pressure was suffocating. The tiny demonic squirrel, which was already one of the weakest among the low-level beasts, collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The bamboo shoot it had stolen rolled from its tiny arms.
Dastan narrowed his eyes.
He willed the sword forward, directing it toward the squirrel's head like a guillotine guided by divine judgment. But just as the blade reached the midpoint of its descent…
It stopped.
He stared coldly at the pathetic, shivering creature beneath him. Seconds ticked by.
"Tch." He recalled the sword with a flick of his fingers, and the killing intent dispersed like mist.
"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky. This prince is in a generous mood today. Killing a creature this weak would only stain my blade." He turned with a flourish of his cloak and walked back to his previous spot.
He didn't bother picking up the third bamboo shoot. It lay untouched beside the dazed squirrel.
"I already have two. One for me, and one for my fiancée. That's enough," he muttered as he sat down cross-legged.
Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in cultivation once more, absorbing the last waves of Miracle Qi still drifting through the forest. The barrier to the Nascent Soul Realm was now within reach. It wouldn't be long.
---
Leyvi looked up at the seven giant pandas standing in front of him. They had become literally giant after finishing their evolution to the intermediate level. Unlike the rest of the forest, they hadn't evolved during the Miracle Qi event, but instead, after devouring the Legendary Bamboo Shoots. All seven of them, at the same time.
"Panda God! Look, look!" "We became stronger!" "And smarter!" "We can see far now!"
Leyvi blinked, staring at their eager, gleaming eyes.
Smarter, huh? He squinted. They sound exactly the same as before, so I'm not sure... but I guess they probably gained spiritual sense now.
"Alright, alright. You guys are way too big. Revert to your normal size again. If you all try to hug me like that, I'll get squashed like a meat bun."
The pandas immediately obeyed, shrinking down to their more manageable size with cheerful giggles.
Leyvi crossed his arms, curious. "So, how far can you guys see with your spiritual sense now?"
One of them pointed enthusiastically. "From here to that water stream!"
"Same, same!" the others echoed, nodding in agreement.
Leyvi turned to gauge the distance. "Hmm… that's about two hundred meters," he muttered.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if that's considered a good range for demonic beasts... but just having spiritual sense already puts them far ahead of the others. That's a major advantage."