Slime Immortal.

Chapter 158 Hishu Ryu Part 1
As for what this talent is... Chen Yu vaguely sensed that it seemed to have some profound connection with the "land".

So his gelatinous body undulated gently, bouncing away from the tree hall, carefully searching along the outer perimeter of the fortress, sensing the scent of every inch of soil with his body, and finally stopping at the edge of a desolate place.

As a slime, his sense of the earth is far more acute than that of a human; he can sense that the land in front of him seems to be in bad condition.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed found that the land had a sickly gray-black color, with almost no trace of life, and even the most tenacious swamp weeds could not grow here.

"This is it." Chen Yu was very satisfied with the place he had chosen.

He calmed himself down, inhaled and bubbled, focusing his consciousness on the sapling suspended in the gel.

As the magic was slowly infused, the seedlings swayed gently, emitting a warm, spring-rain-like energy that silently seeped into the earth.

Then, a change occurred.

On a patch of barren land about one square meter in size, the faint, delicate silhouette of a tiny, verdant sapling appeared. It swayed and shimmered like a reflection in water, fleeting as if it were merely an illusion created by the sunlight. But once the silhouette disappeared, the land was transformed.

The originally hardened, grayish-black soil has become dark and fertile, shimmering with a spiritual glow. It possesses both the clear and vibrant spiritual energy of the Void Mystery Heaven and the active radiance of Zearella's magic. The two completely different energies are perfectly integrated, as if they have infused the soil with endless vitality.

Beneath the soil, countless tiny lives seemed to be rejoicing. The ground rose slightly and cracked, and the moss spores, weed seeds and shrub roots that were originally dormant seemed to be awakened, quickly sprouting, branching and growing.

Tender green buds sprout from the ground, unfurl into leaves, and sway gently in the breeze.

At this moment, a name naturally came to mind for Chen Yu—[Hishulong, Part 1: The Land of Abundance].

This is a magical talent that can create soil that purifies the land and accelerates plant growth.

Purifying the land and accelerating growth are not unusual; many spells can do that.

This talent gives him a feeling that it's useful, but not very useful.

No, it seems he overlooked something.

Chen Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration: what would happen if this talent were combined with "growth promotion"?
His thoughts moved slightly.

[Promotes growth]

A burst of emerald green light erupted!

The plants in the square field, which were already growing very fast, suddenly began to sway and grow rapidly upwards as if they were convulsing. The land was soon covered with a layer of vibrant green plants, lush and verdant, as if they had been growing naturally for more than ten days.

Huh? !

It really can be stacked.

It seems he's developed some incredible gameplay.

"If we don't count 'growth promotion,' this talent's effect would probably allow plants to grow at five times the speed," Chen Yu concluded.

However, as he continued to explore his talent, he soon discovered an even greater surprise regarding the existence of the "Fertile Land".

It seems to disregard the principle of equivalent exchange of materials, accelerating plant growth fivefold, but the soil's fertility consumption remains at a normal level.

This means that this talent does not consume additional fertilizer!
Compared to "promoting growth," "fertile soil" is more like a kind of growth that touches the essence of life.

What's even better is that these two talents can be used in combination.

Furthermore, unlike other monster talents that require continuous mana consumption to maintain, "Fertile Land" is more like a continuous buff effect that is "anchored" to a specific area.

As long as he doesn't actively take it back, that land can remain in this fertile state, hardly consuming his own magic power.

"Five times the growth rate, and without the need for extra fertilizer... wouldn't it really be possible to cultivate spiritual herbs?" Chen Yu thought, a surge of anticipation rising in his heart.

He strained, and gel wings sprouted from his sides. He couldn't wait to fly to the experimental field inside the northern fortress.

Experimental field.

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside the fortress, it was much quieter here. The fierce battle with the regiment did not affect the slime agronomists who were focused on farming here.

They are still busy in their respective experimental fields, carefully tending to those precious plants that have undergone multiple iterations of breeding.

Upon seeing Chen Yufei arrive, the agronomists immediately jumped and hopped over with delight, their bouncy bodies bumping into each other with cheerful "splat" sounds.

Their pheromones conveyed joy.

"king!"

"The king is coming!"

Chen Yu patted their round heads with his gel-like hands and asked, "How's the latest iteration of these herbs going?"

A seasoned agronomist slime jumped forward with a "plop plop" sound and reported in broken Common Tongue.

"It has been iterated to the sixth generation. They... they seem to have become somewhat different from before. They have already developed the characteristics of a miraculous medicine."

The characteristic of the elixir it refers to is an introverted quality possessed by the elixir.

Unlike magical potions with various magical effects, once a magical potion begins to evolve into a "spiritual elixir," it will gradually lose its outward extraordinary abilities and instead concentrate inward, producing a unique "spiritual light."

For example, the giant frog fungus that could increase jumping distance when eaten has completely lost its jumping-increasing effect after iterations, and instead emits a faint glow.

This aura is most noticeable at night and is a manifestation of the pure energy accumulated in the elixir. The brighter the aura, the older the elixir is, making it an important standard for judging the quality of the elixir.

If it were in the Void Profound Heaven, those spiritual herbs that were old enough would even exhibit the strange phenomenon of their spiritual light condensing into a ring, like a crown surrounding the herbs.

Chen Yu looked at the experimental field and saw that many of the carefully cultivated giant frog fungus, moonlight moss and other magical medicines already possessed some characteristics of spiritual medicines.

A faint, soft halo of light flowed across the leaves or caps, which, though very faint, confirmed that Zearella could also grow medicinal herbs.

Since he could grow medicinal herbs, he wouldn't hold back.

[Hishu Ryu, Part 1]

Chen Yu concentrated his mind and carefully tried to anchor the "fertile soil" in the experimental field. Then, a wave full of vitality enveloped the experimental field, and the surface of the land once again shone with that strange radiance that blended spiritual light and magic.

[Promotes growth]

The dual benefit effects stack instantly.

Amidst the exclamations of amazed slime agronomists around them, the giant frog fungus and moonshine moss in the experimental field grew at an astonishing rate.

They mature quickly, release spores, and then wither. New strains and mosses emerge from the fertile soil, drawing sustenance from the "fertile soil" and the spiritual energy of the stones buried within, and grow wildly once again.

This cycle repeated itself, and in the blink of an eye, three generations had been replaced.

Just then, Chen Yu felt that the spiritual energy of the spirit stones buried in the soil had finally been exhausted, and the soil's own fertility had also been drained under this extreme stimulation. He had no choice but to stop "promoting growth".

But at this moment, in the experimental field area anchored by "Fertile Soil", two real medicinal herbs have already emerged.

The cap of a giant frog mushroom became thick and round, and its whole body was a warm, jade-white color. The surface was covered with a thin veil of pure white light, which swayed slightly.

Another moss, which was originally just a creeping moss, has now clumped together, its leaves becoming crystal clear, like miniature moonlight crystals, emitting a cool and bright halo.

A veil of light!

This is the standard for the lowest quality elixir.

The first and second truly magical herbs in the history of Zearella were born in this nameless swamp's slime testing ground.

"Smack! Smack smack!"

"It worked! It worked!"

The slime agronomists cheered with immense joy, their squishy bodies trembling slightly with excitement as they bumped into each other. Chen Yu was also filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

But he also knew that cultivating the elixir was only the first step.

To fully utilize their value and unleash the effects of elixirs far exceeding those of ordinary magical potions, one needs the corresponding cultivation technique—alchemy.

He remembered that the Sanyuan Sect seemed to have some basic elixirs for ordinary martial artists to strengthen their bones and muscles and cultivate internal and external skills.

These pills are priceless treasures in the mortal world, but in the cultivation sects, they are merely practice tools for alchemy apprentices.

"Perhaps I can start by finding a few of the most basic pill formulas to try out," Chen Yu secretly planned.

……

In the shadowy land, at Grey Mountain Stone Fortress.

This mountain fortress is located in the northwest of the Underdark. It was originally a home built by dwarves, but it was abandoned many years ago after being swallowed up and enveloped by the expanding Underdark.

Areas like Grey Mountain Fortress, which were swallowed by the Underdark and became part of it, are not uncommon in Zearella.

"Darkness" is not a geographical term; it is more like a phenomenon, a perpetually looming shadow that hangs over this vast region.

It fluctuates with the changing seasons and magical tides, and even expands slowly.

No one truly knows the nature of "Darkness," only that it connects to the deeper, more ancient and dangerous Shadow Mountains through a treacherous path known as the "Dark Corridor."

Some scholars speculate that this darkness may be a manifestation of the authority left behind by a fallen god, while others say it is a reflection of the abyss's continuous erosion of the material plane.

They are like ink stains on a map, and not only here, but also in some kingdoms in the south, there are small patches of dark land.

These places, due to their seclusion, often become the best hiding places for desperate criminals.

Now, this gray mountain fortress has become one of the places where the Black Fang Mercenary Group and the Goblin Legion conduct shady transactions and make meetings, with a large number of desperate outlaws coming and going because of the high bounties offered by the Goblin Legion.

At this moment, the noisiest hall inside Gray Mountain Castle was filled with the sharp screams of goblins and the rude shouts of mercenaries.

The torches on the stone wall crackled and cast flickering shadows, illuminating the various figures sitting around the large wooden table.

The crisp sound of dice hitting the wooden bowl, the clatter of playing cards hitting the table, and the constant mingling of laughter from winners and curses from losers.

In the center of the mercenaries, surrounded by several goblins wearing tattered leather armor and gold rings on their noses, they screamed and shouted.

"Place your bets now, will the campaign succeed or fail?"

"I'm betting! I'm going to bet on the high odds. I'm choosing failure to subdue him, and I curse that stinky-faced knight to fail!" a burly mercenary roared, slamming a handful of silver coins on the table.

"Hey, Tok, keep your pitiful silver coins safe and save them to buy yourself a new suit of armor, hahaha!" his opponent mocked, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Although I hate Calvin, I have to admire him. He's a knight from a regular legion, born for this job. He's absolutely sure he can take down an unknown A-rank target without fail."

"Idiot, the odds are high, but you still have to actually win them," another mercenary laughed and cursed.

"That guy Tok is always thinking about making big profits with small investments. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"That's right, it's just a gamble for fun. These cunning goblins can't possibly lose money," the mercenaries murmured among themselves.

Hearing their mockery, Tok waved his hand irritably, "You don't know anything! High risk, high reward!"

"What's the point of making that little bit of money all day? You can't even afford a glass of beer."

Just as the other mercenaries were about to speak again, amidst the commotion, a mercenary whose face was flushed from drinking slammed his hand on the table and shouted at a mage across the table who was fiddling with spell materials:

"Hey, Black Crow, stop fiddling with your feathers and check if any news has come back. The regiment went to clear out A-level targets, how long have they been gone?"

The mage, whom he called "Black Crow," impatiently gulped down a mouthful of ale and cursed, "What's the rush? Are you in such a hurry to lose all your money? Sending a message back here from that godforsaken place by pigeon would take quite a while, even if it didn't stop."

Despite saying that, he still subconsciously cast a spell to sense it.

Suddenly, he paused, a look of surprise flashing across his face: "Huh? Wait...it seems like he's really back?"

He quickly put down the bottle, took out a small pinch of shimmering feather powder from his pouch, and chanted a few obscure incantations to cast a communication spell.

Then a white dove phantom made of magic flapped its wings and landed on the top of his staff.

The pigeon's eyes gleamed with an eerie blue light, and its beak opened and closed slightly, but it made no sound.

The noisy mercenaries and goblins around them subconsciously quieted down and looked over curiously.

The black crow listened intently to the message conveyed by the white dove, its expression quickly shifting from curiosity to astonishment.

With a clang, his staff slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"What's wrong?" The mercenary next to him sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked.

Black Crow's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling. He suddenly raised his head, his voice trembling:

“My deposit… is gone… Black Fang’s entire regiment was wiped out, and even their leader, Calvin, was captured.”

"Wha...what?!"

The entire table fell into a deathly silence. All the mercenaries stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Black Raven's voice trembled with tears as he continued to shout, "Damn it! The message said there were wyverns in that godforsaken place, and an undead knight who was ridiculously powerful! We... we were all fucking fooled by those damned goblins!"

After a brief silence, the entire hall erupted into a frenzy, as if a pot had been boiled over.

"Oh! Damn it!" A mercenary suddenly stood up and knocked over his wine glass.

"Elite professionals captured? How is that possible!" another muttered in disbelief.

"Damn it, I knew there wasn't a single easy A-level bounty!" A more experienced mercenary slammed his fist on the table and cursed.

While everyone else was cursing, only one person was swept away by immense ecstasy.

"Give me the money! Give me the money! I knew that A-level target wasn't a coward!" Tok shouted gleefully, slamming his hands on the table.

"Don't even think about reneging on your debt. I finally won this once."

No one paid him any attention. Then a mercenary suddenly realized what was happening and pointed at the goblins who were also dumbfounded.

"Liars, you damn green-skinned liars."

"That's not some bullshit A-level target, that's an S-level target! My bet! Hand over the money!"

The crowd instantly turned their angry gazes toward the goblins, a dangerous atmosphere filling the air, and several hot-tempered mercenaries had already gripped their weapon handles.

The goblins screamed in terror, realizing that things had gone terribly wrong. The intelligence had been seriously flawed, and this was no longer a matter of risk; they were likely to be torn to pieces by these enraged humans.

"It's none of our business; the information came from the Lieshi Pass!"

"Hurry, go back and report!"

They no longer cared about anything else, scrambling out of the crowd, screaming as they fled the hall, leaping onto the giant lizard mounts waiting nearby, and galloping wildly toward the Rift Pass.

"Stop right there! Don't even think about running away! I finally won this time! Give me the money now!" Tok was furious. He had won his first bet, and these goblins were trying to renege on their debt.

How could he possibly allow that?

So he mounted his horse and chased after them, cursing those untrustworthy goblins eight hundred times in his heart.

(End of this chapter)