Communication with an uncontracted Soul Beast could only be done through actions and gestures.

"CHITTER~" The Ant Queen let out a few calls, looking at Yin Yi in Han Ning’s arms and the three surrounding Silver Lotus Wood. It then chittered softly to the tall Soldier Ant standing guard nearby.

The Soldier Ant glanced at the group, then turned and crawled into a smaller cave beneath the rock wall behind it.

A moment later, the Soldier Ant emerged carrying a two-meter-diameter mushroom cap, its underside covered in white mycelium.

It placed the cap on the ground upside down, like a bowl, then raised its sharp mandibles and quickly gnawed at the mycelium a few times.

The mycelium tore open, revealing a clear liquid pooled inside.

Under the glow of the red stones, the liquid’s surface rippled and sparkled.

Han Ning took a deep breath. A misty vapor carrying a fresh scent washed over him, and his weary body and mind instantly relaxed.

"CHITTER-CHITTER!" The Soldier Ant used its antennae to point at Yin Yi and the Silver Lotus Wood, then at the clear liquid.

"Oh... It wants Yin Yi and the Silver Lotus Wood to get in," Han Ning realized.

"Could it be... a thank-you gift from the ant colony?" Lü Xiuning surmised, beginning to understand the ants’ intentions.

For an Ant Queen this powerful, killing them would be effortless. There was no need to go through all this trouble just to trick them.

’Besides... while the Ant Queen is powerful, it’s probably not intelligent enough for complex schemes...’

"Ling~" Yin Yi gently brushed Han Ning’s shoulder with its leaves, conveying a sense of longing.

"Let’s give it a try. I can feel an aura of life from it. This liquid should help them grow." Sensing Yin Yi stirring restlessly in his arms, Han Ning placed it into the liquid.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

The moment Yin Yi entered the water, the calm surface began to ripple, the liquid swirling slowly with it at the center.

Green particles, visible to the naked eye, materialized from the water’s surface and flowed into its body. The wounds inflicted by the Mushroom Heads began to heal at a rapid pace.

"It’s working! Quick, get the Silver Lotus Wood in there. This is a great opportunity for them to get stronger," Han Ning urged the others.

Lü Xiuning and the other two didn’t hesitate, quickly commanding their Silver Lotus Wood to jump in as well.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~ WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Suddenly, a gentle breeze stirred within the quiet, windless, scorching cave.

As the one Cuiwei Wood Demon and three Silver Lotus Wood absorbed it, the level of the clear liquid began to slowly fall.

Meanwhile, on the panel in front of Han Ning, Yin Yi’s Wood Element Affinity was rapidly increasing!

[Wood Element Affinity +0.1]

[Wood Element Affinity +0.12]

[Wood Element Affinity +0.15]

Elemental Affinity (Wood): 44 → 44.1 → 44.26 → ... → 44.89 → 45.

Just as Yin Yi’s Wood Element Affinity reached 45, its completely healed body erupted in a brilliant green light.

The liquid level in the mushroom cap dropped precipitously.

[

Race: Cuiwei Wood Demon

Gender: Female

Talent: E+

Level: Awakening Level III (0/1000)

Talent: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Healing III (124/700), Emerald Flower Thorns III (101/800), Frost Shield III (12/300)

Power: 17.76

Body: 16.58

Agility: 16.34

Spiritual Energy: 55.26

Elemental Affinity (Wood): 45.12

Ice: 9

]

Yin Yi... had a breakthrough!

A look of joy spread across Han Ning’s face. Seizing the opportunity of the breakthrough, he began converting Energy into Attribute Points and started pumping them into Yin Yi’s stats.

Before setting out, he had accumulated 210 Energy by killing black leeches and a few scattered Soul Beasts.

He had spent 30 Energy to max out Yin Yi’s stats, which had included adding 5 points to Spiritual Energy.

He had also gained nearly 50 Energy from killing the Brain-Eating Spider Swarm and scavenging the Mushroom Head Crystal Stone.

As a result, his total accumulated Energy had actually increased rather than decreased.

Han Ning first focused on the Spiritual Energy attribute and began dumping points into it.

Spiritual Energy: 55.26 → 56.35 → ... → 75 (Maxed Out)

Seeing that he couldn’t add any more to Spiritual Energy, he moved on to the Body Attribute Points and maxed them all out!

In the real world, as Han Ning continued to add points, the light enveloping Yin Yi grew increasingly dazzling, almost turning it into a giant green lightbulb.

Seemingly influenced by it, the three adjacent Silver Lotus Wood were also enveloped in green light to varying degrees.

The four globes of green light—one large and three small—pulsed rhythmically, as if they were breathing.

Ten seconds later, the light from the three Silver Lotus Wood was the first to fade.

A few seconds after that, the green light enveloping Yin Yi also gradually vanished.

Now, its stats on the panel had once again been pushed to their limit!

[

Race: Cuiwei Wood Demon

Gender: Female

Talent: E+

Level: Awakening Level III (950/1000)

Talent: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Healing III (124/700), Emerald Flower Thorns III (101/800), Frost Shield III (12/300)

Power: 21 (Maxed Out)

Body: 20 (Maxed Out)

Agility: 21 (Maxed Out)

Spiritual Energy: 75 (Maxed Out)

Elemental Affinity (Wood): 55

Ice: 15

]

[Elemental Affinity is too low. To break through to Awakening Level IV, Wood Type Affinity must be raised above 60.]

This round of upgrades consumed a total of 140 Energy, leaving him with 90.

Han Ning looked down and saw that the liquid inside the mushroom cap had already been completely absorbed.

"Ling~"

Yin Yi joyfully pounced into Han Ning’s arms, a happy, tinkling ’linglingling’ sound coming from within its body.

This small breakthrough had increased Yin Yi’s height by about five centimeters. The peculiar patterns on the surface of its glossy, emerald body had become much more distinct.

Its Soul Techniques’ Skill Levels had also increased slightly.

Other than that, there were no other obvious changes.

The changes in the other three Silver Lotus Wood, however, were even more significant than Yin Yi’s.

Lin Tianhe’s Silver Lotus Wood, perhaps due to a more varied diet, had yet to show a clear second Attribute. However, it was obviously following a constitution-focused path, shooting up from just over 1.5 meters to a full 2 meters tall, towering over everyone.

Luo Chen’s Silver Lotus Wood also leaned toward a physical build. Its second Attribute was Metal, and its pale green body was overlaid with bronze-colored metallic patterns. It was slightly shorter than Lin Tianhe’s, but its body and side-vines were much thicker—a true brawler among its kind.

Teacher Xiuning’s Silver Lotus Wood leaned toward Spiritual Energy. Its size hadn’t changed much, but its aura was more contained. It looked like a smaller, more agile version of Yin Yi from before—compact and nimble.

Everyone hugged their Silver Lotus Wood, their faces alight with joy. Lin Tianhe even pressed his face against his Xiaoyu and planted several big kisses on it before looking its new form up and down and asking doubtfully,

"Han Ning, they absorbed so much of that liquid. Why haven’t they evolved yet?"

"I think their Elemental Affinity is high enough now. The only thing they’re missing is an accumulation of Energy. They just need a certain amount more, and as soon as they have it, they can evolve at any time!"

Han Ning made his judgment after observing the state of the three Silver Lotus Wood and comparing them to how Yin Yi had been before her own evolution.

He hadn’t expected that the requirement for Elemental Affinity, which was usually the hardest to accumulate, would be met first.

This was all thanks to the Ant Queen who had gifted them the giant mushroom cap.

Han Ning looked toward the Ant Queen with a grateful expression.

But he suddenly realized that, at some point, the area had become filled with towering, imposing Soldier Ants.

They were all prostrated in unison before the Ant Queen, the Flames in their eyes burning quietly, like generals awaiting their Monarch’s command.