Despite the reluctance he was currently feeling, Naib decided to leave the stream for now and return to the hollow tree, which he deemed his home for the past few days.
It could be said that, although he is restless inside and it is unknown if he would still encounter that beast after leaving it unchecked, Naib understands that he can't rush things; at least, his current abilities don't allow it.
Hence, under the soft twilight that bathes the encompassing land with its depressive glow, the thin and drenched figure of Naib can be seen moving disappointedly to the towering trees in the distance, slowly vanishing beyond the overgrown grasses that were wildly growing around.
...
Spat!
Growl~
"Dang it! The meat is already spoiled; if I could only dry them outside without any worries that a random beast would steal them, then they might last for a long time. Tsk, what a waste."
Hurriedly spitting out the gooey meat with a faint taste of pus in pure disgust before rinsing his mouth with the water he had collected earlier, Naib can't help but sigh helplessly, touching his aching stomach as he can only relieve his hunger by consuming a large amount of water.
Soon, feeling that his hunger had subsided a little, Naib then grabbed the congealed stone he had hidden earlier.
Then, without further ado, wanting to distract himself from the hunger, Naib immediately entered the deep state of meditation. Taking a deep breath, he then greedily absorbed the star force present around him into his body, as if doing so could fill his empty stomach.
***
Boom!
Soon, time passed unnoticed; in the blink of an eye, a week had passed by.
At a certain location within the depths of the seemingly endless forest that stretched beyond one's imagination, where towering grasses can be seen rustling unceasingly everywhere and where the silence is always deafening, as if hiding some terrifying existence inside them, a humongous tree — its posture erected as if challenging the heaven's rule — can be seen attracting the star force present within the 10-meter radius around it, causing its branches to sway irregularly.
Adding an ethereal touch to its insignificant existence.
Although the shifting of the star force was vague, it is undeniable that the star force was heading toward the direction of the towering tree in the distance!
No, to be exact, it was heading toward the large hole within the tree!
Swish~
At the same time, inside the hole, where darkness seems to be the norm, the thin figure of Naib can be seen breathing with a rhythmic beat. His brows were serene like the surface of the calm water as he wholly focused his attention within the depths of his consciousness, where the almost translucent pond can be seen almost filled, only lacking a couple of drops before overflowing.
If there's no accident, Naib believed that he would advance to the Mid-Stage of the Beast Apprentice realm today, bringing up his overall strength to the next level.
Rustle~
Soon, minutes passed by, followed by a quarter, and then an hour.
As the sun began rising from the east, Naib had already entered a critical conjuncture in his cultivation. A slight push, and he can finally advance from the early stage to the mid-stage of the beast apprentice realm!
In his consciousness, the illusionary pond filled with droplets of translucent water that were shimmering with starlight finally began to crack under the pressure, slowly enlarging as it could no longer bear the weight of the star force inside it.
Cra... crack!
Boom!
Then, like a porcelain vase that falls toward the concrete ground, the pond finally burst forth; the water it contained gushed uncontrollably and instantly flooded his consciousness with star force, causing his mind to momentarily go blank.
Having no time to regain his composure, the countless droplets of star force — filled with a minute amount of life energy — akin to a fish in the water, then swiftly began coursing through his physique, tempering his body slowly before dissipating through the unknown, elevating his existence by a substantial amount while giving Naib a surreal feeling of bliss that couldn't be explained or uttered.
At the same time, while the droplets of star force began dissolving upon tempering his physique, the broken illusionary pond within his mind also began glowing, releasing a faint light before returning to its previous self.
However, although its appearance remains the same, Naib can feel that its size and even its durability were noticeably boosted by 50%, signifying the difficulty he will face when breaking through the next stage.
Huff~
"I finally stepping through the mid-stage of the apprentice realm!'
Feeling the new profound strength coursing through his body, akin to a ticking bomb waiting to explode, Naib can't help but smile.
Even though he had no idea to what extent his physical abilities improved, he knew that he was at least 50% stronger than before!
Not to mention the small changes of the star force hidden within him that slightly become heavy upon advancing to the mid-stage — slightly increasing the strength of the skills that heavily rely on it — even the main routes of the star force in his body also become slightly unclogged, allowing the coursing of star force when he's about to use a skill or even when he's meditating to become smooth.
Moreover, still not done, Naib can also tell that the talent bestowed by the system was also elevated to a certain degree.
If in the past Naib could only discern the status of the beings 10 meters away from him, now he is confident that he can discern someone else's status even if they are 20 meters away from him, a small yet noticeable improvement.
"This is great; it will surely reduce the risk I have to take in the future."
Mumbling weakly under his breath, Naib then stretched his stiff body, only to cover his nose in the next second upon catching a whiff of an unpleasant scent emanating from his physique.
Looking down, Naib immediately understood where the disgusting scent was coming from. On the surface of his skin, a thin layer of black gooey substances unknowingly covered his skin; their scent, akin to a drainage that hadn't been cleaned for more than a year, assaulted his senses, making his face contort in disgust as he hurriedly went to the stream in the far distance to clean himself up.