Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Shi Yu stood on the open ground, patiently guiding Jiang Nannan through the movements, breaking down the kicking techniques from the Pokémon world into simple and easy-to-understand moves.

"Sister Nan, first try to feel the technique of generating power from your waist and abdomen. Like this, concentrate your power in your toes and generate power by circulating your soul power throughout your body." Shi Yu raised his leg and demonstrated a precise roundhouse kick. The wind swept across the ground, stirring up a few fallen leaves. "These kicking techniques emphasize speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. When combined with your waist bow soul technique, the power can be doubled."

Jiang Nannan carefully imitated his movements, each leg lift and landing showing a tenacious spirit.

She was already agile, so learning these kicking techniques wasn't too difficult for her, and she quickly got the hang of it.

"You practice these basic moves on your own first. Qiu'er and I will go out to find some ingredients." Shi Yu patted the dust off his hands and looked towards the dense forest outside the camp. "Auntie's body needs nourishment. I'll go find some nutritious ingredients. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me when I get back."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Shi Yu." Jiang Nannan stopped what she was doing and nodded gratefully to him.

Shi Yu not only cured her mother's illness, but also wholeheartedly guided her in cultivation. She remembered this kindness in her heart.

Shi Yu smiled and turned to walk towards the shade of the tree. Shi Qiu'er was still curled up there, fast asleep with her belly up, her tail swaying gently with her breath, completely unaware of the impending calamity.

Shi Yu tiptoed to her side, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

He brought his mouth close to Shi Qiu'er's ear, and his first spirit ring suddenly lit up.

"Scream out loud—!"

A deafening roar exploded in Shi Qiu'er's ears, like a thunderclap.

The effect is outstanding!

Shi Qiu'er was instantly jolted up, then crashed heavily back to the ground. Her eyes widened, but quickly became distorted, and drool dripped from the corner of her mouth. The whole beast exuded an aura of dullness.

The brain, which was not particularly bright to begin with and relied on eating certain foods to barely keep it afloat, seemed to have turned into a complete mess under the impact of this soul-stirring roar.

Shi Yu's heart skipped a beat when he saw her like this: No way? Did I really make her stupid?

He quickly reached out and waved his hand in front of Shi Qiu'er's eyes, repeatedly calling her name: "Qiu'er! Shi Qiu'er! Wake up!"

Just as Shi Qiu'er's eyes gradually regained their clarity and she was about to wake up, Shi Yu thought to himself, "Oh no!"

This imperial mythical beast is small-minded and petty. If she finds out that I was the one who woke her up, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause. Shi Yu doesn't want to be bothered by her.

In a flash, Shi Yu made a decisive move, raising his hand and gently patting the back of Shi Qiu'er's head.

With a soft "snap," Shi Qiu'er, who was just about to regain consciousness, rolled her eyes again and fainted.

Yes, that's right, he knocked Shi Qiu'er unconscious without hesitation.

After a while, Shi Qiu'er slowly woke up. She covered her buzzing eardrums, rubbed the back of her head which was throbbing slightly, and shook her head blankly.

Her memories were fragmented. It was as if something had roared in her ear, making her head throb. Then, a sharp pain shot through the back of her head, and she knew nothing more.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Shi Yu standing in front of her with a harmless smile on his face.

Shi Qiu'er immediately scrambled up, tugging at his sleeve as she asked, "Shi Yu, Shi Yu, did something just happen? My ears and the back of my head hurt so much!"

"Nothing happened." Shi Yu blinked innocently, her tone calm. "I just got here and saw you were awake."

"Really?" Shi Qiu'er frowned, looking doubtful. "Then why do my eardrums and the back of my head hurt so much?"

"Maybe it's because of your ungraceful sleeping posture that you're pressing on your ears and head," Shi Yu said with a straight face, making up nonsense. "You always like to sleep sprawled out and tossing and turning. You might have bumped into something. It would be strange if it didn't hurt."

"But..." Shi Qiu'er tilted her head, trying hard to recall, "I seem to remember something yelling at me to wake me up, and then knocking me unconscious?"

"You must have had a nightmare!" Shi Yu said decisively, reaching out to rub her head.

Shi Qiu'er looked at him with disbelief, her golden-red vertical pupils filled with confusion: "Is this really a dream?"

"Absolutely true!" Shi Yu patted his chest to assure him, "You just woke up, nothing happened."

Shi Qiu'er tilted her head and thought for a long time, but she really couldn't figure it out.

Being carefree, she simply flicked her tail and forgot about it.

"Oh, right!" Shi Qiu'er's eyes suddenly lit up. She leaned close to Shi Yu and asked eagerly, "Then why did you call me? Is dinner ready?"

Shi Yu couldn't help but chuckle at her greedy look: "It's not about eating, it's about going out with me to find some ingredients to nourish Jiang Nannan's mother."

"Can we eat as soon as we find the ingredients?" Shi Qiu'er's focus was always on food.

"Yes, I'll cook you something delicious after I find it."

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go!" Shi Qiu'er instantly perked up, grabbed Shi Yu's arm, and rushed into the dense forest.

A human and a beast strolled leisurely through the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the forest was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees. Occasionally, the cries of soul beasts could be heard, making it seem exceptionally quiet.

Just then, a flustered figure

A shadow darted out from within the tree, its branches and leaves trembling wildly—it was none other than the King of Ten Thousand Demons.

On its main branch, a black beetle the size of a human head was perched, its mandibles sharp as pincers, snipping at its withered branches.

Upon seeing Shi Yu, the Demon King rushed forward as if he had found a savior, his voice tinged with panic: "Xiao Shi Yu! Quickly, look at what's on me! When I woke up this morning, many trees in my territory were covered in these beetles!"

Shi Yu squatted down and carefully examined the beetle.

Its shell is as hard as iron, and with the opening and closing of its jaws, it can easily cut off the withered branches of the Demon King. However, its movements are very measured, cutting only the withered parts and not harming the tender branches and leaves.

"Are these beetles harmful to you?" Shi Yu asked.

"It seems... not?" the Demon King said hesitantly. "Their pincers can cut my branches, but upon closer inspection, it seems they are pruning my branches and leaves, cutting off the withered branches, making me look much cleaner."

"Are there any other changes?"

"And another thing..." The Demon King sensed the fluctuations in his own soul power, his tone surprised, "Since these beetles arrived, my cultivation speed seems to have increased considerably! The flow of my soul power is much smoother!"

"Isn't this all good?" Shi Yu raised an eyebrow, finding these beetles quite interesting.

"But they seem to suck some sap from my body!" the Demon King said somewhat aggrievedly. "This beetle's abdomen is swollen, as if it has sucked a lot of my tree sap, but it doesn't seem to affect me."

"They helped you prune your branches and accelerate your cultivation, so they should at least charge you for your meal, right?" Shi Yu couldn't help but laugh. "That's perfectly reasonable."

The Demon King was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that this was indeed the case.

"Oh, right!" The Demon King added, remembering something else, "I also discovered that the beetles on each tree are different, but these beetles actively eliminate any creatures parasitizing the trees. Moreover, I can sense that their aura grows stronger as we grow, and they become more like us, as if... they've become symbiotic with us?"

"Symbiosis?" Shi Yu's eyes lit up as he looked at the busy beetles, seemingly lost in thought. "It sounds like these beetles are a group of 'gardeners' who can grow."

He stared at the beetle's sharp mandibles, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind—

What would happen if I sent one of these beetles to the Golden Tree on Poseidon Island?

The Golden Tree is the number one tree in Douluo Continent. If a gardener beetle were to coexist with the Golden Tree, how powerful would the beetle become? Would it be able to get rid of Ah Yin, who is parasitizing the Golden Tree?

Once this idea came to mind, it was like a seed that quickly took root and sprouted in Shi Yu's heart.