"Finally, I have leveled up!"
(Level: 1 (99/100) -> Level: 2 (0/200))
Qi Ping looked at his Level 2 status with irrepressible excitement. It had taken over a month of diligent bee-keeping, farming, and herb-nurturing to reach this point.
"It wasn't easy to grind all the way to Level 2!"
But the sweetness had finally arrived. With the level increase, the two Druid skills he had been anticipating were finally available for selection!
(Level 2 Druid skills are generating...)
(Please select your class skills...)
(Beast King Druid - Choose One: Dominate Beast, Heart of the Wild)
Level 1 Dominate Beast: Force an animal to fight alongside you. (High-intelligence animals have a chance to resist.)
Level 1 Heart of the Wild: As a Beast King Druid, you can awaken the resilient will and powerful fury within your animal companions, granting them a bonus to willpower, attack power, and attack speed. (Active, Non-upgradable.)
(Jungle Druid - Choose One: Barkskin, Grasping Vines)
Level 1 Barkskin: Consume energy to form a layer of tree-like skin with high defensive capabilities. (Active, Upgradable.)
Level 1 Grasping Vines: Consume energy to summon a massive vine to attack enemies. (Active, Upgradable.)
'Dominate Beast, Heart of the Wild, Barkskin, and Grasping Vines. Two choices from four...'
'For the Jungle Druid skill, I will take Barkskin. Grasping Vines can be excluded for now.'
Qi Ping already had the Golden Marrow Bees and would soon have a second animal companion, so he wasn't lacking in offense. His true weakness remained his low talent, which made it difficult to increase his own personal cultivation quickly—his recent encounter with the marauders had proven this. Survival was his top priority. The attack power of Grasping Vines couldn't compare to his bees, and while its binding effect was useful, it wasn't essential.
Barkskin was different. It could be layered with his Wood Shield Art. With double the protection, his survivability would be vastly improved.
'But how should I choose between Dominate Beast and Heart of the Wild?'
Faced with these two, Qi Ping hesitated.
Heart of the Wild was a versatile buff. It strengthened the mental defense of his companions and boosted their performance through a state of blood-boiling fury. This would be useful now and in the future, especially as the number of his companions grew. If he fell into a disadvantage or his pets were hit by an illusion or soul-based attack, a single cast of Heart of the Wild could turn the tide.
However, Dominate Beast was also excellent. It allowed him to force an animal to fight for him. If he encountered something like a Blood-Iniquity Insect, there was a high chance he could successfully dominate it. While its success rate dropped against intelligent creatures, recent events made Qi Ping suspect that a legacy involving insect or beast taming was about to resurface. If dangerous creatures like the Blood-Iniquity Insects began appearing in large numbers, Dominate Beast could be a game-changer.
He wanted both.
'Unfortunately, I can only pick one...'
After a long period of deliberation, he finally reached a decision.
'I will choose Heart of the Wild. Dominate Beast is too inconsistent with its success rates.'
Qi Ping disliked high-risk uncertainty. In a game, he could respawn and try all sorts of tricks with Dominate Beast, even controlling creatures far stronger than himself. If he failed, he could just try again. But here, he only had one life. He didn't want to gamble, even if the success rate was ninety-nine percent. It was better to nurture his own loyal companions properly.
Next, he would focus on aging the Streaming Light Grass to fifty years so he could attempt the Bloodline Mutation Potion. The Brewing Artisan talent he shared from the Golden Marrow Bees heightened his sensitivity toward herbs, giving him a much better chance of succeeding in the potion's concoction.
(Brewing Artisan: You have a keen talent for pollen and certain spirit herbs, allowing you to brew them into honey with extraordinary effects.)
Looking back, obtaining this talent had been a stroke of luck. Once the potion was ready, he could begin elevating his Golden Marrow Bees. According to the manual, a successful mutation could raise an insect's bloodline by at least one minor grade. If successful, his bees would possess a High-Rank First-Order bloodline, and if he were lucky, they might become elite specimens of that grade. With the buff from Heart of the Wild, they would be strong enough to handle most situations.
This was far more stable than gambling on Dominate Beast.
"I choose Heart of the Wild and Barkskin!"
Once his mind was made up, he didn't hesitate.
(Skill selection complete. Data panel generating...)
(Name: Qi Ping)
(Level: 2 (0/200))
(Class: Beast King Druid (Primary), Jungle Druid (Secondary))
(Talents: Animal Companion, Nature Affinity)
(Animal Companion: (1/2) Golden Marrow Bee)
(Shared Talent: Brewing Artisan)
(Skills: Level 1 Plant Growth (58/100), Level 1 Beast King's Grace (8/100), Level 1 Barkskin (0/100))
(Constant Skills: Animal Speech, Beast Friend, Heart of the Wild)
(You have obtained a new animal companion contract slot.)
"Excellent!"
Watching the numbers grow, Qi Ping felt an indescribable sense of joy and satisfaction. Every point of experience gained gave him a surge of motivation. This drive made him more diligent in practicing his skills and sensing nature, which in turn made gaining experience easier. He realized that experience didn't come from mechanical repetition, but from reaching a certain level of comprehension. He preferred this way; every gain felt earned and grounded.
With his Druid level at Level 2, Qi Ping didn't become complacent. Beyond his daily chores and herb-nurturing, he added Barkskin training to his schedule. He wanted to familiarize himself with its use in combat while raising its level to increase its defensive power.
A week later, through his relentless efforts, one of the Streaming Light Grass plants finally reached an age of fifty years!