The figure that emerged from the cocoon was actually humanoid!
It was about one-fifth the height of a human, looking exceptionally small, and possessed a pair of light purple wings. Aside from its hands, feet, and head, its entire body was covered in a unique, light purple robe. The robe was adorned with patterns resembling demon-eyes, seemingly formed from the petals of the original flower.
A mane of light purple curly hair fell naturally down its back, and its face was as adorable as a flower sprite.
What drew the most attention, however, was its pair of purple, heterochromatic eyes. They carried a strange, eerie vibe that invoked a sense of fear—it perfectly captured the essence of the Hundred-Eyed Flower.
"This is... the juvenile humanoid form of the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon?"
Qi Ping stared at the eerie yet cute figure, dumbfounded.
"But normally, don't plant-type spirit beasts only transform into humanoids once they reach maturity?"
Qi Ping had read many books, though few focused on plant-type spirit beasts. The general description was that because plant-types lacked mobility, some would transform into humanoids to continue their cultivation after reaching maturity or achieving high strength.
Yet, the little Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon before him was clearly only at the early Rank One level. It hadn't even reached Rank Two.
This surpassed the limits of his knowledge, so he couldn't judge exactly what was happening.
After breaking out of the cocoon, the Flower Demon began to curiously inspect its surroundings. Since it had spent its critical awakening period here, it was very familiar with the local aura, but the feeling now was entirely different.
Now that it possessed complete visual organs, its world was transformed. Like a toddler, it observed everything with wonder.
Soon, it spotted a creature that looked somewhat like itself but was larger, wingless, and two-legged.
It tilted its nose and sniffed carefully. Its eyes suddenly lit up, and it flew toward Qi Ping, grabbing his arm and cooing.
"Gulu... gulu..."
"Gulu... gulu..."
"Can't speak yet?"
Qi Ping was momentarily stunned. It was likely just a blank slate because its intelligence had only recently awakened.
However, he understood its meaning; it was expressing affection.
"In that case, let's proceed with the contract. Perhaps the ritual will boost its intelligence further."
Qi Ping remembered that the Golden Marrow Bees hadn't been very smart or articulate before their contract, but their intelligence had improved significantly afterward.
Without delay, after playing with the Flower Demon for a short while, he summoned the contract array.
Soon, the mysterious, deep green formation rose once more!
As the array began to merge into the Flower Demon's body, the creature did not resist. Instead, it accepted the power joyfully.
Qi Ping wasn't surprised by this.
Soon, the ceremony officially began! He entered that unique state where insights and energy began to fuse.
Two hours later...
When Qi Ping woke again, he felt different. A strange purple light flashed within his eyes.
The Flower Demon, much like the little fox, had long since finished its part. Realizing Qi Ping was still in a trance, it hadn't disturbed him. It had taken a quick lap around the area before returning to the spot where it had been planted and burying its feet in the soil.
Thin, specialized roots grew from its feet, continuously absorbing spiritual energy from the land. The demon then stood there quietly. It was unclear if it was awake or asleep, but its behavior was very much like a plant.
Its personality was truly that of a plant!
When it saw Qi Ping wake, it flew over to play for a bit before returning to its spiritual plot.
'Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm...'
[Shared Talent: Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm]
[Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm: You possess a unique rule-seal within your spirit-soul. By leveraging this seal, you can create an illusory realm infused with the power of heart-demons and evil spirits. In battle, you can pull an enemy's consciousness into this realm to collapse and destroy their mind.]
This time, Qi Ping's luck wasn't as explosive as it had been with the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
Among the three talents—Demon-Eye Aspiration, Demon-Eye Soul, and Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm—he had favored Demon-Eye Aspiration for its ability to resist heart-demons during future cultivation. Alternatively, Demon-Eye Soul would have boosted his soul strength, potentially stacking with the Fairy-Trance Divine Seal for a great effect.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm felt slightly less impressive than those two passive buffs.
'I'm a little disappointed, but it's still not bad. It's just slightly less desirable than the others.'
'In any case, having the Flower Demon by my side will still help me resist heart-demons.'
'I don't know what kind of effect the combination of the Divine Seal and Demon-Eye Soul would have had anyway.'
'Practicing the Demon Realm frequently will not only train my soul but also help me understand the nature of heart-demons and evil energy.'
'Plus, I can cast the realm alongside the Flower Demon in battle. It might produce unexpected results and make my combat style more flexible...'
Thinking this, his disappointment faded. His combat methods were a bit one-dimensional; adding a specialized technique like the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm was quite good. It would be especially useful for protecting the swarm or mitigating soul attacks from enemies.
'With this, the contracts for the third and fourth spirit beasts are successfully completed. Next, I must focus on my cultivation, grasp Flame Intent, and clarify my Dao-heart to prepare for Foundation Establishment!'
It would be another six months before Qi Ping gained another animal companion slot. At that time, he would undergo his first professional advancement.
'Check attribute panel.'
[Name: Qi Ping]
[Level: Lv4 (289/800)]
[Class: Beast King Druid (Main), Jungle Druid (Sub)]
[Talents: Animal Companion, Nature Affinity]
[Animal Companions: (4/4) Golden Marrow Bee, Sun-Fire Crow, Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox (One-Seal), Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon]
[Wild Shape: (1/1) Golden Marrow Bee (Includes: Golden Marrow, High-Speed Ring-Cutter, Pot-bellied, Balanced, Poison, Ink-Armor variants)]
[Shared Talents: Grand Brewer, Sun-Fire Physique, Fairy-Trance Divine Seal, Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm]
[Special Talent: Heaven and Earth Blessing]
[Skills: Lv3 Plant Growth (165/400), Lv1 Beast King's Grace (37/100), Lv4 Barkskin (588/800), Lv2 Healing Touch (32/200), Lv2 Beast King's Flame (179/200)]
[Constant Skills: Animal Speech, Charm Animal, Wild Heart, Nature Sense]
(Druid EXP +286, Plant Growth EXP +123, Grace EXP +8, Barkskin EXP +337, Healing EXP +61, Flame EXP +122)
'It's been about three months since I reached Level 4. The progress is decent!'
'Healing Touch has reached Level 2. Once Barkskin reaches Level 5, I can awaken its first trait.'
Every Druid skill granted a trait upon reaching Level 5. This was why Qi Ping had been grinding Barkskin so hard; it was the one progressing the fastest.
'Beast King's Flame should also see a massive jump once I grasp Flame Intent. Reaching Level 3 will be a certainty...'
'But to reach Level 5 as a Druid, I still need to grind experience day by day.'
Looking at his increasingly impressive attribute panel, Qi Ping was full of motivation! Compared to when he first awakened as a Druid, he was countless times stronger.
Between his active and passive skills, he could be considered a powerhouse among Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators. And that was just his Druid skills, not counting his increasingly powerful Explosive Flame spells.
After calming his excitement, he took out the heavy hammer that contained the Intent Residue of Flame Intent.
'I've delayed long enough. It's time to grasp Flame Intent.'