A thin green mist permeated the swamp in the early morning. The putrid stench of rot churned up from the mud, creeping up the wildly growing vines.
In this soft earth, scavenger monsters could dig up decaying leaves and stones from the old sediment, and also find the corpses of various monsters. Sometimes, a Slime would even peek its head out, surveying the world of mud and giant trees.
Twisted Oak Trees grew throughout the swamp, too numerous to count at a glance. Deep within the mist, it wasn't uncommon in the Swamp Forest for Poisonous Sting Bees and Beetles to fight over these oaks; they simply grew taller here.
And in the swamp beneath an oak tree, a pitch-black carapace surfaced. Chen Yu was patrolling the Poisonous Sting Bees' territory, just like always.
His gaze swept the surroundings, finally landing on clear footprints on the fallen leaves.
Two sets of tracks. Canine-like paw prints.
'Is it that group of Sub-humans again?'
'What are they trying to do so deep in the Swamp Forest?'
The question popped into Chen Yu's gelatinous mind.
Don't be fooled by the small size of the monsters in the Swamp Forest. They might look harmless, but they absolutely have ways to kill.
Never mind the stings of the Poisonous Sting Bees; even the acid splattered by a Moss Monster was hard for ordinary creatures to defend against.
And that was to say nothing of the even more terrifying monsters in the depths of the Swamp Forest.
'Are the Sub-humans just bored, strolling through the Swamp Forest for fun?'
'They can't be that stupid, can they?'
Chen Yu guessed that either the Sub-humans were short on food after winter and had come out to hunt now that spring had arrived, or they were searching for something in the forest.
Moreover, they often appeared in the early morning, so they might have "dark vision." Their schedule was the complete opposite of his, which was why he had yet to see the true faces of the Sub-humans entering the forest.
'Whatever.'
'Since I've confirmed they show up at dawn, if I lie in wait in the swamp, I should get a chance to see them.'
'As for now, I plan to test the power of the entry-level Little Arrow Skill.'
——
Race: Acidic Slime
Level: Black Iron Lv.2 [EXP: 13/20]
Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.3 [Spiritual Power: 5/30]
Health Status: Healthy [HP: 80/80]
Racial Talent: Devouring and Digesting Lv.2
Other Talents: Acid Secretion Lv.2
Skill List: Kaiyuan Treasure Scroll Lv.4, Artifact Manipulation Skill Lv.3, Little Arrow Skill Lv.1, Sound Transmission Skill Lv.1
Reputation Title: Slime Warrior (Fledgling Slime)
——
He wasn't sure if it was because he was a quick learner or if the Little Arrow Skill was just easy, but he'd managed to master the basics in only four days. He'd even picked up the gist of the complimentary Sound Transmission Skill along the way.
His attribute panel probably helped too.
It was just that the further he went, the harder it would be to level up his skills and talents.
Although leveling from Black Iron Lv. 2 to Lv. 3 only required 20 EXP—just double the amount needed to get from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2—the difficulty of earning that experience was on a whole other level.
The same went for skills and talents, which required more eating and practice.
Overall, however, his progress was still faster than that of an ordinary Cultivator or monster.
For a lazy dog like Chen Yu, this was both a blessing and a curse.
He wanted to slack off, but the clear progress he made when practicing Daoist Skills was too addictive to stop.
He would often sit in front of the thatched cottage for a whole day. When Shao Qingsong came, he'd have to get close to call out and wake him.
His gaze searched the shore for a target, and he soon locked onto a Moss Monster leisurely munching on moss.
'I choose you.'
Chen Yu focused his mind, silently reciting the incantation and seeking the right catalyst.
There are many ways to cast Daoist Skills, the most typical being Edicts, Hand Seals, and True Words.
Among them, "Edicts" are the fastest and most convenient, but also the easiest casting method to see through. Simply put, it involves directly shouting the name of the Daoist Skill.
If a great and righteous Cultivator of the proper path casts a spell with an Edict, it often has the added effect of intimidating lesser evils.
However, the younger generation of Cultivators in Void Profound Heaven, often called "the lost generation," unanimously agreed that casting with Edicts was cringey, not to mention extremely embarrassing, and unsuitable for thin-skinned Cultivators.
Chen Yu, on the other hand, rather wanted to coolly shout "Little Arrow Skill!" and take the head of a Poisonous Sting Bee within ten paces. It wasn't like any Cultivators from Void Profound Heaven were here to see it anyway.
Unfortunately, a Slime has no vocal organs. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he just didn't come with that factory setting.
Another casting method, "Hand Seals," requires hands to form various esoteric Dharma Seals.
'Does a Slime have hands?'
'Sort of.'
He could probably spend half a day forcing his Gel body into the shape of hands, but expecting him to form seals with them was asking way too much.
So, for him, that left only the slowest casting method: "True Words."
"True Words" required the Spellcaster to silently recite the incantation and seek a catalyst for the Daoist Skill. No matter how proficient one became, it still took at least three or four seconds.
It was also a casting method rarely used by Cultivators.
The casting time for a Level 1 Little Arrow Skill was about six to eight seconds; only at Level 2 could he hope to reduce it to four seconds.
The Cultivators of Void Profound Heaven divided Daoist Skill proficiency into five realms: Initial Glimpse, Ascending the Hall, Perfected Mastery, Subtle Application, and Manifestation at Will.
It was quite troublesome to remember, but they actually corresponded to Lv. 1 through Level 5 on the skill list.
Once a Daoist Skill reached Perfected Mastery, which was Lv. 3, a Cultivator could attempt to use a higher level of casting method—"Heart's Movement."
In other words, as the heart moves, so the skill manifests.
A Lv. 3 Daoist Skill could shorten the casting time to two to three seconds, a Lv. 4 to one to two seconds, and only at Level 5, Manifestation at Will, could one achieve true instant casting.
Of course, the myriad Daoist Skills were all different, and didn't strictly follow this rule. Different levels also often meant differences in casting range and power.
All in all, the higher the level of a Daoist Skill, the better.
It was Chen Yu's first time using the Little Arrow Skill in his Slime body, and he wasn't very proficient. Before he could finish reciting the incantation, the swamp next to him went GLOOP and bubbled up. The moment of distraction caused the water sphere condensing in front of him to burst along with the bubble.
It fizzled out with a pop.
Er…
'An accident. Just an accident.'
'Again.'
Chen Yu aimed at the Moss Monster on the shore, about three meters away, and recited the incantation to cast the spell.
A mass of clear water the size of a baby's fist gradually condensed and elongated in front of him, forming the shape of an arrow.
The moment he finished the recitation, the water arrow shot out, reaching the Moss Monster in an instant.
BOOM… Moss and dirt splattered. The Moss Monster, three meters away, was blasted into the air. When it landed, there was nothing left but its skin.
'Such terrifying power,' Chen Yu thought in surprise.
'If the Little Arrow Skill is this powerful, I can't imagine what the stronger, harder-to-learn Water Arrow Skill would be like.'
"BZZZ…"
The buzzing of a Poisonous Sting Bee's wings caught Chen Yu's attention. He saw that the commotion from his water arrow had alarmed the Poisonous Sting Bees and Beetles near the tree. The two sides locked eyes, each assuming the other was responsible, and so they started fighting again first thing in the morning.
A rain of Poisonous Stings immediately fell around the oak tree. A dark Beetle that had just lazily crawled up the tree was knocked down by the stings. It righted itself and started climbing again, even more determined.
Chen Yu hid in the swamp, secretly watching the show. He thought about fishing in troubled waters, circling around to attack the Beetles from behind.
The mere thought of that delicious bug meat made the acid in his Gel bubble and gurgle.
He had to admit, he was craving it.
But no foodie could refuse such a delicacy. No exceptions.
'It's also a good chance to test the power of the Little Arrow Skill.'
He was swimming toward the edge, but before he could get close to the group of Beetles, he seemed to hear some noisy clamor from deep within the forest.
The frantic, disorderly sound of footsteps, the swoosh of clubs being swung, and some shouting he couldn't understand…
'Is it those Sub-humans?'
'They've turned back, and they're chasing something.'
'Is it prey?'
Chen Yu abandoned his idea of sneak-attacking the Beetles. He stopped behind a rock and peeked his head out furtively to observe the distant commotion.
He saw several blurry, dark silhouettes silently appear in the thick morning fog. They were followed by the hoarse, urgent snarls of a pursuing beast, which suddenly ripped through the silence!