[You have nurtured the Green Moon Fruit tree. Druid Experience +1]
[Druid Level: Lv6 (1/1,600)] → [Druid Level: Lv7 (1/6,400)]
"My Druid level has finally increased!"
"It hasn't been easy!"
Qi Ping felt like he might actually shed a tear. He couldn't even remember how many years had passed. He only knew that because he had focused most of his energy on arrays, spell insights, and his occasional excursions, his Druid progression had slowed down for the first time.
But he didn't regret it. The ultimate goal of increasing his Druid level was to support his cultivation—to strive for immortal longevity. He couldn't simply bury his head in Druid levels if they didn't bring him closer to that goal.
In the beginning, he had ground Druid skills and experience because his cultivation foundation was too weak. But recently, researching spells and arrays had become his most urgent task. It was only natural that the level-up would take longer.
However, Qi Ping felt that his current foundation in arrays and spells was solid. Moving forward, he would only need to dedicate a portion of his time to research, rather than the frantic pace of the last few years. He expected the climb to Level 8 wouldn't be much slower than Level 7.
But this particular level-up had brought a surprise that caught Qi Ping completely off guard.
'Life-Bound Pact?'
'Where did this talent come from?' Qi Ping was utterly stunned.
He remembered that rolling a talent from a different advanced class usually required meeting very specific, difficult conditions. In his past life, only a handful of people...
[Druid Level 7 Skills generating...]
[Please choose a class skill...]
[Shepherd of Trees class has granted a special option: Life-Bound Pact talent. Do you accept?]
[Life-Bound Pact: You may choose a tree to form a life-bond. A portion of your spirit and physical power will be integrated into the tree. The bonded tree can be changed.]
Effect 1: If the tree lives, life endures. As long as the bonded tree does not die, the practitioner can be resurrected from the tree upon death. After resurrection, attributes will be slightly reduced. (The resurrection tier cannot exceed half the tree's tier, otherwise, attributes will be significantly reduced.)
Effect 2: You can summon a Treant Clone from the tree. The clone possesses half of the practitioner's basic attributes and a portion of their special attributes. If the clone sustains excessive damage, it will dissipate and can be re-summoned. (Summoning the clone consumes a massive amount of the tree's energy. The clone's attributes cannot exceed half of the tree's.)
'If the tree lives, life endures!'
'A Treant Clone!'
As Qi Ping read the description, a wave of intense joy surged through him!
Incredible! This was absolutely incredible!
He never would have imagined that reaching Level 7 would grant him such a specialized talent from the Shepherd of Trees path! This talent's power was simply absurd. For Qi Ping, it was like a dream come true.
First, Effect 1: If the tree lives, life endures! This meant that as long as he bonded with a tree in his territory, he could be resurrected even if he was killed outside!
The only drawback was the slight reduction in attributes.
'But how exactly will they be reduced? By how much? And will it affect my immortal foundation?'
Qi Ping wasn't sure how this resurrection effect would interact with his body as a cultivator. But regardless, a reduction in attributes was infinitely better than death. With this skill, his worries about leaving the territory would be greatly diminished.
Furthermore, his Sun-Blaze Wood was currently at the late-stage of the second grade, which was higher than his own level. Resurrection wouldn't trigger the "significant reduction" penalty.
'With this, I can act with much more freedom. I won't have to worry about a sudden, accidental death every time I step out, especially when executing Black Market tasks...'
Of course, caution was still necessary. If he died too many times, it might permanently damage his foundation and hinder future breakthroughs.
'It has its flaws, but it doesn't change the fact that this talent is godly!'
However, he had more questions about the second effect, the Treant Clone. According to the description, the clone would possess half his basic and some special attributes, but he wasn't sure what "basic" and "special" meant in this context.
'I suppose I'll only know once I try...'
Once the clone was condensed, its specific stats would become clear. He had high expectations for its combat power. If the clone was strong enough to control the arrays, his safety while searching for resources or completing tasks would be even more guaranteed.
Beyond that, there were other questions:
Would the relationship between his main body and the clone be like controlling two hands?
How far away could his main body be while still controlling the clone?
When applying the Treant Clone's effects to the world of cultivation, many things would need to be tested. But Qi Ping was full of anticipation; this was an ability he had always wanted!
Spells like "Out-of-Body Incarnation" or "Cloning" were extremely rare in the cultivation world. He hadn't expected to have one delivered to his doorstep like this!
"Yes! I choose the Life-Bound Pact talent!"
He would be a fool not to.
After he made his choice, the Beastmaster Druid's skill selection gave him another surprise!
[Life-Bound Pact talent selected.]
[Beastmaster Druid skill generating...]
[Beastmaster Druid Skills (Choose One): Beastmaster Impact, Potential Ignition.]
Lv1: Beastmaster Impact: An explosion of power that unleashes a powerful energy strike forward, dealing massive impact damage. The attack carries spiritual damage and can stun enemies. (Upgradeable)
Lv1: Potential Ignition: When an animal companion reaches its limit, you can actively ignite its potential. (Combat, eating, and training all accumulate potential for the companion. Using the skill consumes all potential; it must be re-accumulated for another use.) (Non-upgradeable)
'Beastmaster Impact... Potential Ignition...'
"I choose Potential Ignition!"
Faced with these two choices, Qi Ping didn't hesitate for a second. For his current situation, there was no contest. Beastmaster Impact might be a strong active skill in a game, but its utility in the cultivation world was easily replaced by other spells.
But Potential Ignition was different. This was essentially a manual trigger for a "state of epiphany" for his pets!