The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The last human corpse was dragged down into the soil by the gnarled tree roots, and the churning earth slowly calmed down.

The trees and vines that had been dancing wildly and strangling everything fell silent in the same instant.

The outstretched branches returned to their original positions, the taut vines drooped and stretched out, and the vegetation covering the mountains and fields returned to its former tranquility. The evening breeze blew by, leaving only the rustling of the leaves, as if the battle that had just swept across the entire scene was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Qi Ji stood in the mud, looking down at the still-dry dark red bloodstains, as well as the broken swords, shattered bows, and a host of cold weapons scattered around. A complex emotion flashed across his deer-like eyes.

I'm really strong now.

Compared to before his dormant evolution, Qi Ji's current strength has already crossed an immeasurable gap.

If it were before his evolution, he would have had little chance of winning against these hundreds of well-prepared humans armed with weapons.

Even if you use the skill [Agile Burst], you can only kill a few dozen people at most before you will reveal a weakness and be surrounded by enemies from all sides.

If they're lucky, they might be able to escape, but they'll definitely be seriously injured.

Deer are naturally physiologically structured in this way: antler-butting, charging, and hoof-striking. Their attack methods are simple and limited, making them unsuitable for melee combat where they can fight against hundreds of enemies. Once surrounded, they are doomed.

But it's different now.

With the power of "All Trees Pay Homage to the Source" bestowed upon him, all the vegetation in this mountain forest is an extension of him.

The tree roots are his fist.

The vines were his hands.

Even the weeds on the ground are his loyal soldiers.

It integrates offense and defense, and is ubiquitous.

When dealing with hordes of enemies, this ability is an innate weapon; no matter how many people rush in, they will only be strangled halfway by the layers of vegetation.

The only drawbacks are two: one is that it is limited by the geographical environment, requiring a lot of vegetation around it, with mountains and forests being the most suitable.

Secondly, the consumption is quite significant.

During the battle, he was so excited that he didn't feel anything. But now that his mind had completely calmed down, Qi Ji clearly realized that a large part of his strength had been drained, his limbs felt slightly sore, and he felt a distinct hunger in his stomach.

"Tsk, I've finally evolved, but I still haven't escaped the limitations of ordinary beasts that need to eat. I get hungry when I expend too much energy," Qi Ji couldn't help but complain in his mind.

No matter how strong you are or how good your skills are, you can't fill your stomach.

Qi Ji looked around; he had no intention of eating on the spot.

He didn't know how these humans had found his sleeping cave, but there was no doubt that his whereabouts had been exposed.

This place is not safe to stay for long; no one knows if a second or third group of people will follow the trail here.

With that thought, Qi Ji exerted force with all four hooves, his figure darting into the depths of the dense forest like a white lightning bolt.

As he ran, Qi Ji could clearly feel the changes in his body.

The limbs are stronger, the landing is lighter, the wind passes by the ears faster than before, and the same running distance consumes far less energy than before the evolution.

A thought flickered in his mind. He spotted a wide ravine ahead, gathered his strength, and leaped into the air.

call--

The wind whistled in my ears, and my body felt so light that I felt as if I were not bound by gravity.

When Qi Ji landed steadily and looked back, he realized that he had leaped across the mountain stream, which was more than fifty meters wide.

This amazing jumping ability made Qi Ji himself feel overjoyed.

The improvement in his base attributes brought about by this evolution was even better than he had expected.

Before long, Qi Ji left the mountain range completely and found a secluded valley with sheltered winds and abundant water and grass. After confirming that there were no traces of humans around, he lowered his head and began to nibble on the tender green grass on the ground.

Evolution brings not only strength, but also an ever-growing appetite.

What used to be a meal that would fill him up in ten minutes now took several times longer. It took Qi Ji more than half an hour to finish eating before his hunger gradually subsided and he felt full.

[Spirit Points +1]

The familiar system notification sounded in my mind, and without stopping, another system notification sounded immediately afterward.

[Host has completed life leap; Spirit Pearl System upgrades accordingly]

[Activate host template...]

A pale green, semi-transparent light screen slowly popped up in front of Qi Ji's eyes. The words on the screen were clear, listing his various information in categories.

Name: Qi Ji

Race: White Jade Spirit Deer

Remaining lifespan: 86 years

Skills: [Agile Burst], [Swift Footwork], [All Trees Pay Homage]

Spiritual Points: 32

Legendary Spirit Points: 19/30

[Evaluation: You have transcended the limits of ordinary beasts and possess considerable wood elemental power. Ordinary martial artists and human armies would find it difficult to capture you. As long as you don't do anything reckless, you can live to the end of your lifespan.]

Qi Ji looked at the green light screen in front of him, and his gaze immediately fell on the "Lifespan" column.

"An 86-year lifespan, isn't that a bit low?"

Qi Ji frowned slightly.

The normal lifespan of a sika deer is 20 to 25 years. This one exceeds the racial value and has a lifespan of 86 years. It seems reasonable, but since its species includes the word "spirit beast," an 86-year lifespan is similar to that of an average human.

Qi Ji felt that this lifespan was a disgrace to the word "spirit beast" and a great loss of its value.

Without hesitation, Qi Ji directly gave the order to the system in his mind.

"System, I want to consume 1 Legendary Spirit Point to increase my lifespan by 100 years."

Spiritual Points can be exchanged for lifespan, whether they are ordinary or legendary.

Qi Ji didn't have this need before, but now he feels it's time to treat himself better.

[Host consumes 1 Legendary Spirit Point, lifespan increased by 100 years]

Soon, the lifespan column on the light screen changed from 86 years to 186 years, and Qi Ji instantly felt a surge of vitality surging through his body.

Not much, very slight, but Qi Ji instinctively felt that his physical fitness should have improved.

"186 years, that's what makes it worthy of the title of spirit beast," Qi Ji nodded in satisfaction.

He then looked at the "Evaluation" section on the screen, which stated that as long as he didn't do anything reckless, he could live to the limit of his lifespan.

Qi Ji chuckled and indicated that he possessed spiritual energy, and the limit of his lifespan was uncertain.

"Maybe I'll live for hundreds or thousands of years, or even longer."

Qi Ji smiled. He was very satisfied with the changes after this evolution. It wasn't just the physical changes; even the system level was more straightforward and convenient.

With a thought, Qi Ji turned off the system screen, then slowly walked to the nearby riverbank and drank a few mouthfuls of the cool river water.

After drinking, Qi Ji used [Spiritual Foot] to walk on the river.

The moonlight, as silvery as silver, spilled onto the water, reflecting Qi Ji's current appearance.

Its white fur was even more lustrous than before, each hair delicate and soft, as if covered with a layer of fine white jade velvet, gleaming with a warm glow under the moonlight.

The four deer hooves were as smooth as jade, without the slightest blemish.

The overall outline is not much different from the previous 10% evolution stage, but upon closer inspection, differences can still be found.

Qi Ji's gaze fell on his own antlers.

He always felt that the two corners seemed different from before.

With a slight thought, a trace of the power of all trees paying homage to their source was activated.

In an instant, golden-green light slowly illuminated the patterns on the antlers. The patterns, which were previously only on the surface, now seemed to come alive. Between the forked antlers, several clusters of translucent spiritual leaves, the size of rice grains, slowly emerged, stretching out with the infusion of power, swirling with a faint spiritual light, looking extremely mysterious.

"This image is not bad."

Qi Ji withdrew his power, and the spiritual leaves between the antler patterns closed up again.

Qi Ji was quite satisfied with his current appearance. Although he was not human, but a deer, he was definitely a handsome white deer.

Qi Ji looked up at the full moon hanging in the night sky, disoriented, and randomly chose a spot with lush vegetation, slowly strolling forward...