Xiao Zhuang found the System’s reasoning quite sound—why not just take a bite to see if something tasted good or not!
As long as he avoided Demonic plants, none of them were poisonous. At worst, they’d just taste bad, with no real harm done. So he decided to pick based on past experience.
That cabbage that had just beaten him up was definitely edible, but unfortunately, he couldn’t defeat it now.
Maybe he should start by looking for ordinary plants. Those that could run and jump could wait until his combat power improved before he tried them.
For now, either he couldn’t win against them or he couldn’t catch up. When encountering powerful ones, it was uncertain who would end up eating whom!
In terms of biting power, he was truly no match!
This Small mystic realm seemed to have never been entered by humans or the Demon race, with pristine wilderness everywhere.
It’s just that the plants didn’t grow very logically, which left Xiao Zhuang somewhat puzzled.
A plant that resembled a watermelon vine bore several red, apple-like fruits, while a large tree nearby grew a few giant sweet potatoes.
There were also plants that looked like wheat, but the grains inside were multicolored and didn’t seem very friendly.
He didn’t even know which one to try first!
The System was gleefully urging him on, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once you leave this place, you won’t find these delicacies anywhere else.
As a cultivator aspiring to become the ultimate overlord, if you lack even this little courage, how can you talk about conquering the world?
Don’t just stand there, young man—take a bite!”
Well, the System did have a point.
To be safe, Xiao Zhuang finally chose the most normal-looking apple and took a bite.
Instantly, a disgustingly fishy and foul taste shot straight to his brain, feeling like he’d taken a gulp of sewer water.
Xiao Zhuang quickly took out his water pouch to rinse his mouth. Damn, he almost ascended to heaven on the spot.
It seemed the prettier things looked, the less commendable their taste. So he decided to try the sweet potatoes growing on the tree.
If they had high starch content, he could roast them—they’d count as staple food.
The tree was tall and large, so Xiao Zhuang used a Light-body talisman on himself to pick one.
It was quite big, about the size of his head.
This time, he didn’t dare bite directly. Instead, he cut it in half with a dagger and found clean, white flesh inside. Only then did he cautiously lick it.
It had a faint sweetness—this should be edible, right?
Just as he was about to take a big bite, the System suddenly burst into laughter.
Before Xiao Zhuang could ask why, he felt a numb, stinging sensation on his mouth. Using his dagger as a mirror, he checked.
Damn, his lips had swollen into two giant sausages.
Even his tongue felt numb, making it hard to speak clearly.
This must be something like chili peppers—sweet in taste but highly irritating to the skin.
Another inedible thing!
With his mouth swollen, Xiao Zhuang didn’t dare try anything else. He decided to call it a day, spending 10 Wrath Points to exchange for a meat bun to manage a meal.
His water pouch was also running low. While eating the bun, Xiao Zhuang wandered around aimlessly, wondering if he could find a stream to replenish his water supply.
He could last a couple of days without food, but without water, it was impossible. He needed to learn the survival rules of primitive people.
Xiao Zhuang had some wilderness survival experience. In his previous life, he’d made it his mission to squander wealth, dabbling in any activity that burned money.
Wild camping had been quite fun too, from forest parks to remote mountains. If he hadn’t gotten his little brother swollen from leech bites while bathing in a wild river, he would have gathered some wealthy camping buddies to conquer the Amazon.
Although Xiao Zhuang’s ambition to become the Chinese version of Bear Grylls was cut short by a leech, he did learn quite a few useful survival skills.
Finding water sources by following plant root systems was one of his wilderness techniques, and indeed, he managed to locate a small stream before nightfall.
While he found water, Xiao Zhuang didn’t dare approach it. Dusk was prime hunting time for carnivores, especially near water sources where danger lurked.
He needed to quickly find a tall, safe tree to take shelter in for the night.
Even bones need sleep – otherwise they might suffer calcium loss.
In the vast forest, Demonic plants and Demon plants were relatively rare. Most vegetation remained stationary.
Unfortunately, Xiao Zhuang was the protagonist, and his storyline followed the progression trope.
Thus, this night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Whether animal or plant, those standing tall in nature had evolved over millennia.
Even the plants in this Small mystic realm that couldn’t curse had their own secret weapons.
There were plenty of tall trees near the stream. After scouting around, Xiao Zhuang finally selected one that appeared most normal.
He had no better choice – the other trees either had thorny trunks, were fiery red in color, or emitted creepy laughter when he approached.
These days, finding a tree that didn’t bite was surprisingly difficult.
The tree Xiao Zhuang chose had leaves resembling poplar trees. From the ground up to about ten meters, there weren’t any branches – just a smooth trunk that looked difficult to climb. This feature effectively prevented mammals from eating its leaves.
For Xiao Zhuang, this physical defense mechanism was perfect. Once he reached the top, he could sleep soundly.
The Light-body talisman only reduced body weight, allowing the user to jump higher, but it couldn’t instantly propel him to the treetop. Xiao Zhuang stretched his limbs and resigned himself to climbing.
But the higher he climbed, the more something felt off. It was only about ten meters, so why hadn’t he reached the top after climbing for so long?
Looking up, the leaves appeared to be just three or four meters away.
Yet when he looked down, he saw only darkness like an abyss – clearly he had already climbed over thirty meters.
Strange, was he encountering some supernatural obstacle on this tree?
Xiao Zhuang decided to stop climbing and began slowly sliding back down.
But after sliding for what felt like ages, he still hadn’t reached the bottom.
How interesting. This tree was probably a Demonic plant or Demon plant that could elongate itself while maintaining the same thickness – a skill he quite admired.
He wondered if it had medicinal value. If processed into medicine that could give men this particular ability, he’d make a fortune.
“Cultivation version of I Love a Stick” would surely fetch a good price.
Seeing that he wouldn’t reach the bottom anytime soon, Xiao Zhuang stopped sliding and pulled out his dagger, stabbing the trunk twice.
Strangely, there were no Wrath Points. Being stabbed without generating Wrath Points – could this just be an ordinary plant?
If it had consciousness, he could confront it directly. Winning would earn him massive Wrath Points, while losing would mean getting beaten half to death but boosting his Spiritual Power – either way, he’d benefit.
So now the question was: no Wrath Points meant no consciousness. This was just a tree – one that seemed to have no top or bottom.
Should he continue sliding down or climbing up?
In such situations, radicals usually chose to climb upward while conservatives opted to slide down.
But Xiao Zhuang had a Rebellious bone, so he decided to take a nap!
When you fall, just lie down for a while. After all, he’d climbed the tree specifically to find a safe place to sleep.
Since this tree was so miraculous, probably no animal could climb up to bite him. What was he waiting for if not to sleep?
The guy acted immediately, pulling two rolls of rope from his Cosmos pouch to firmly tie himself to the tree. With a tilt of his head, he fell directly asleep.
The eyes secretly observing him gritted in fury—in such a dangerous and bizarre place, all he could think about was sleeping! A hopeless case indeed!