Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 70

“Huh? Has my body’s affinity with fire spiritual power increased?” Feeling the more active wood-fire spiritual energy within him and the fire-attributed spiritual energy in the air, Qi Ping was utterly surprised.

He had originally thought that the Li Fire Crow would need to consume the Fire Spirit Honey brewed from the hundred-year Fire Spirit Grass and other herbs to achieve a bloodline upgrade. Yet, here it was, having just restored its strength to the late first stage, and its bloodline had already improved.

“Probably just the final push was needed,” Qi Ping guessed. The Li Fire Crow had been accumulating solar energy day by day, and it had mentioned before that its bloodline seemed to be strengthening. Now, with the help of the Fire Spirit Honey and the timing of restoring its late first-stage strength, it made sense that it achieved some bloodline improvement. It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The breakthrough didn’t take long. In just fifteen minutes, the crow had fully refined the Fire Spirit Honey and restored its strength to the late first stage. Once its power was regained, a golden-red Li Fire Flame blazed fiercely across its body, emitting an intensely scorching and dangerous aura.

Qi Ping had no doubt that this flame could reduce him to ashes in an instant. After all, the Li Fire Crow had previously been at the peak of the first stage, stronger than most ordinary Qi Refining cultivators at the peak. Now, having restored its late first-stage strength, the power it could unleash was far beyond that of a newly advanced Li Fire Crow at the same stage, let alone one with a significantly enhanced bloodline.

“Still, it feels like the crow’s innate spirit flame and aura are somewhat unstable. It seems that until it fully recovers, it won’t be able to unleash the true power of the Li Fire Flame.”

After waiting a short while, the Li Fire Crow retracted the golden-red flames, flapped its wings, and flew back to Qi Ping’s shoulder. “Caw caw! (Boss! I’ve successfully restored my strength to the late first stage!)” it exclaimed excitedly, its eyes shining with joy. It had been waiting for this day for a long time. Wasn’t absorbing solar energy daily all about recovering its bloodline and strength as quickly as possible? Now, it had finally made some progress!

Looking at the excited crow and the more mystical flame mark on its forehead, Qi Ping said, “Well done! Has your bloodline improved as well?”

Hearing this, the crow’s eyes widened in surprise. “Caw caw? (How did you know, Boss? It has gotten a bit stronger, but not by much. A true transformation will probably have to wait until my bloodline is fully restored.)”

“That’s still progress. In about seven days, the hundred-year Fire Spirit Grass will be brewed into Fire Spirit Honey. Keep cultivating and prepare yourself!” “Caw caw! (Yes, Boss!)” After replying, the crow quickly returned to its spot under the sunlight to continue absorbing solar energy.

With the Li Fire Crow successfully breaking through to the late first stage, Qi Ping felt somewhat relieved. Once it consumed the Fire Spirit Honey brewed from the hundred-year Fire Spirit Grass, it should be able to return to its peak state. A fully restored Li Fire Crow with an enhanced bloodline would undoubtedly unleash formidable combat power.

“There’s still a week left. That should be enough time for the crow to stabilize its realm and adjust to its best condition.” By then, with the combined strength of the Li Fire Crow and the bee colony, Qi Ping estimated that few Qi Refining cultivators would stand a chance against them.

Returning to the blood ginseng growth site and tending to the Fire Spirit Grass, Qi Ping began taking stock of his current resources. In a week, once the Li Fire Crow completed its breakthrough, it would be time to excavate the secrets beneath the blood ginseng growth site. Before that, everything needed to be carefully planned.

Preparations for battle, inventorying and packing valuable items, planning escape routes and strategies in case of danger, and securing the spiritual stones needed to rent Zone B—all these matters required attention. Qi Ping had no intention of leaving his life and possessions to luck.

“Only by proceeding with caution can one achieve longevity!”

“The bee colony has now reached its planned size,” he mused. “One thousand High-Speed Circular Cutters, five hundred each of Ink Armor Bees, Venomous Bees, Balanced Bees, and Brewer Big-Bellied Bees, along with one thousand ordinary Golden Marrow Bees.”

Among these, the High-Speed Circular Cutters, with their speed and offensive advantages, served as the main force for scouting and attacking, making them the largest group and Qi Ping’s absolute core combat unit.

The Ink Armor Bees and Venomous Bees played supporting roles. The Ink Armor Bees, with their superior defense, were tasked with drawing enemy attacks, creating opportunities for the High-Speed Circular Cutters and Venomous Bees to strike. The Venomous Bees, lacking significant speed or defense, excelled only in the ultra-sharp piercing power and potent venom of their stingers. Thus, Qi Ping planned to deploy them for lethal strikes when enemies were distracted by the Ink Armor Bees and High-Speed Circular Cutters, especially against larger foes where their attacks would be more effective than those of the High-Speed Circular Cutters.

Each of these three combat bee breeds had its own strengths and weaknesses. When combined, their combat effectiveness far exceeded that of any single breed, allowing for tailored strategies based on the enemy’s characteristics. Qi Ping had dedicated time to studying and training them in combat formations, making their combat effectiveness far superior to that of disorganized troops.

The five hundred Brewer Big-Bellied Bees were specifically reserved for brewing high-grade honey, such as Fire Spirit Honey, Fire Ginseng Honey, or other advanced spiritual herbs. As for the Balanced Bees and ordinary Golden Marrow Bees, their current main tasks were pollen and spiritual herb collection, as well as brewing the ordinary food needed for the colony’s daily sustenance. As long as they could maintain survival and basic combat readiness, that was sufficient.

Life was somewhat austere for the bee colony, but there was no other choice. The current number of bees had reached the carrying capacity limit of Peak #7’s ecological land—in fact, it had slightly exceeded it. If Qi Ping didn’t use plant growth to cultivate food for the colony, the ecology of Peak #7 would gradually collapse within three months.

Therefore, relocating to a larger area with more spiritual land was urgent. Only then could the bee colony become a valuable asset rather than a liability, generating substantial profits for Qi Ping.

“Before excavating the secrets underground, the Black Little Bees and spiritual herbs must all be stored in the spirit beast bag.” The Black Little Bees had been passed down from Old Man Zhou and had been with Qi Ping for several years. He naturally had no intention of abandoning them. Taking them to a new place would incur no loss and would even allow him to periodically harvest some ordinary honey.

“Once these preparations are made, it’ll all depend on whether we can find something good beneath the blood ginseng growth site. If we encounter an unstoppable danger, we’ll retreat immediately.”

With these plans in place, Qi Ping settled down to cultivate the Wood-Fire Art and tend to the Fire Spirit Grass, steadily improving his cultivation, the potency of the Fire Spirit Grass, and his Druid level experience.

If the Li Fire Crow hadn’t fully recovered in a week, he could still offer higher-potency Fire Spirit Grass for it to consume directly.

To Qi Ping’s delight, the slight improvement in the Li Fire Crow’s bloodline had already given him a significant experience boost. 【Druid Level Experience +16】! This minor transformation alone yielded 16 points of experience. When the crow truly completed its transformation, he could expect a substantial reward.

It had been over half a month since he contracted the Li Fire Crow, and Qi Ping’s Druid level experience had increased by 79 points. 【Level: lv3 (33/400)】 → 【Level: lv3 (112/400)】. Qi Ping estimated that if the experience from the crow’s bloodline transformation was generous, he could reach Druid Level 4 in as little as two months.

At Level 4, there was a skill Qi Ping was eagerly anticipating…