C25 Full Harvest

This time, the swarm of Vine Demons outnumbered the Stone Demons they had encountered the day before by several folds.

Yet, Qiang Nantie's gains were equally substantial.

"Collected five One-star wood."

"Collected five One-star wood."

"Collected two Two-star wood."

Qiang Nantie spotted a vine lashing out at him, but it failed to make contact. Huamo was ever vigilant, guarding him, and with a swift strike of her sword, the vine was repelled.

"Thanks," Qiang Nantie expressed his gratitude.

"Look, it's that creature," Huamo pointed out, eyeing a vine resembling a sapling.

Monster: Vine Demon

Quality: Leader

Level: Level 8

Special: Resource Monster

Description: An exceedingly rare Resource Monster with a Crystal Core and formidable strength. Should a Lord vanquish it, they would reap a substantial reward.

Resource Monsters are scarce, offering an abundance of additional resources.

Moreover, as a Leader Level Vine Demon, its value is even greater.

"So it's a Level 8 Leader! No wonder it nearly got me."

Qiang Nantie turned to Huamo and instructed, "Huamo, handle the lesser monsters for me. The Leader is yours to take down."

"Consider it done!"

Huamo's true power was well beyond that of the Level 8 Vine Demon Leader, so fear was out of the question for her.

Her movements were lightning-fast, her swordplay, impeccable. She faced the encroaching vines with ease, her blade dancing through the air, slicing each one cleanly in two.

The monster stood no chance against Huamo; rather, it was Huamo who relentlessly cut through the vines.

Closing in on the Leader monster, Huamo found herself under a barrage of vines. Unfazed, she executed the Lotus Sword Technique, severing swathes of vines with grace and precision.

The ground was soon littered with countless severed vines. Huamo's strikes were as swift as her footwork.

After several precise thrusts, Huamo brought down the Leader monster. A plethora of materials, glinting with golden light, scattered across the ground, much to Qiang Nantie's delight.

His haul was significant.

"You have slain the Level 8 Leader Vine Demon. You have earned 240 Soul Coins, 240 spirit coins, and an extra reward of a Basic Architectural Treasure Chest."

Upon hearing this, Qiang Nantie was pleasantly astonished.

After defeating a Leader Level monster in the wild, he was surprised to receive an additional construction reward!

It was his first time encountering such a phenomenon. He wondered if it had ever happened before.

For newcomers, venturing into the wild was a daunting task, especially when it came to slaying a Leader Level monster.

This was essentially a secret reward.

The trials for newcomers brimmed with limitless possibilities. One's gains were entirely determined by their own efforts.

With the assistance of a superhero like Huamo, it was almost inevitable for Qiang Nantie to grow stronger.

"We'll open the treasure chest once we're back in our territory."

Qiang Nantie wasn't in a rush. His current priority was to eliminate all the Vine Demons in the vicinity.

After dispatching the minions surrounding the Leader, Qiang Nantie started collecting the materials that emerged from the fallen foe.

"Pick up 10 Three-star wood."

"Pick up 8 Vine Demon seeds."

"Pick up one One-star wood Crystal Core."

"Pick up 100 One-star wood."

"Pick up 50 Two-star wood."

"Acquired a Bronze Treasure Chest."

The bounty from the Leader was indeed plentiful.

Most of the loot was self-explanatory, but one item puzzled him.

"What's a Vine Demon Seed?" Qiang Nantie checked its properties.

Item: Vine Demon Seed

Quality: D

Description: Upon the death of a Vine Demon Leader, there's a slight chance it will transform into a seed. This seed can be planted within your territory to help fend off external invasions. It can grow up to Level 10.

Such an item existed!

Qiang Nantie was astounded. His good fortune must have played a part.

Had Huamo not slain it, the seed might never have materialized.

This was tantamount to adding eight guards to his territory.

However, the growth potential of the Vine Demon was limited, maxing out at Level 10.

While useful in the early stages, the Vine Demon would have limited utility later on.

But something was better than nothing.

Qiang Nantie wasn't overly concerned.

His Thorny Vine Fence needed a Wood Element Crystal Core for upgrades, but this One-star Wood Element Crystal Core wasn't particularly valuable.

Still, such items always had their uses.

They spent a considerable amount of time clearing out all the Vine Demons in the vicinity.

The loot this time far surpassed what they had found the day before.

Upon reaching their destination, they trekked a great distance further and came across only a few level 6 and level 7 Wailing Wild Boars.

After dispatching them, they decided to head back through the uncharted Fog Zone.

Their journey was uneventful, largely due to their formidable strength and the absence of any monsters above level 10, which made their travel quite leisurely.

They remained in the wilderness until dusk before making their way back to their territory.

"I'm really beat today," Qiang Nantie admitted, feeling a mix of satisfaction and exhaustion.

Once back at the Spirit Vein Bamboo House, he was invigorated by surges of potent spiritual energy that bolstered his physical condition.

He noticed a new message had come in. Aside from Tung Quanpan, no one else had reached out to him.

His day had been consumed by monster hunting, and he had nearly forgotten about her.

Opening the message, he saw dozens awaiting him.

He checked the most recent one.

"Are you there?" Tung Quanpan had written.

"Yes!" Qiang Nantie responded without delay.

"I was starting to worry something had happened to you since I couldn't reach you," Tung Quanpan wrote back.

"I can't afford distractions in battle, which is why I've been out of touch," Qiang Nantie explained hastily.

"That makes sense," Tung Quanpan conceded, realizing her impatience.

Qiang Nantie initiated a trade, and Tung Quanpan promptly accepted, unaware of the extent of his monster slaying.

As Qiang Nantie filled the trade window with a heap of monster carcasses, Tung Quanpan was astounded.

She had anticipated he would have a significant haul, but the reality of Qiang Nantie's success made her realize she had grossly underestimated him.

"How many monsters did he actually take down?" Tung Quanpan rubbed her eyes, confirming that she wasn't dreaming.

At this stage, for him to have defeated so many monsters was almost inconceivable.

Could this guy really be human?

These were Level 7 Wailing Wild Boars, no less!

He was incredibly strong, already capable of taking down such formidable creatures!

Tung Quanpan remained in a state of shock for quite some time. Qiang Nantie had to ask her several times before she snapped back to reality.

"Why didn't you tell me your real name?"

Tung Quanpan was naturally curious about Qiang Nantie, but since he hadn't shared his name, she planned to investigate him after the trial for newcomers was over.

With so many Lords throughout the nation, she had no clue how to track down this enigmatic one.

The world was full of individuals capable of awakening magic, and many from various groups and families didn't even require formal schooling for their training.

Finding this mysterious Lord seemed like an impossible task.

"Let's just concentrate on our business dealings. As for personal questions, it's best not to pry. Besides, even if I gave you a false name, it wouldn't serve any purpose."

Qiang Nantie certainly had no intention of revealing his true identity to Tung Quanpan.

In the Overlord Space, unless he voluntarily disclosed his personal information, Tung Quanpan would find it exceedingly difficult to locate him.