005 Circle of Life

This druid power was really cool. Phytokinesis was normally just a passive ability that boosted my nature-based spells back in the game. However, in this world, the ‘flavor text’ that described the ability had become far more literal. The ability to animate plant life felt incredibly fun and intuitive, like the forest itself was an extension of my will.

I gestured with my staff and a sturdy ladder made of thick, interwoven roots smoothly descended from the tree house entrance. “Xing Ning, can you prepare a fire down here while I fix things up inside?”

“Yes, Senior!” he answered positively, already moving toward the clearing with enthusiasm.

I climbed up the ladder into the tree house and began using phytokinesis again. With focused intent, I widened the interior space, coaxing the living wood to expand and reshape until the single room felt comfortably spacious. Thick branches wove together to form a pair of simple but sturdy beds, one for me and one for Xing Ning, complete with soft moss mattresses and leafy pillows. I didn’t know if I even needed to sleep anymore with this new body, but I was going to try it anyway. After I felt satisfied with the decorations with a few glowing flowers for gentle lighting and some vines for natural curtains, I tested one of the beds.

I flopped down and let out a long, contented sigh. “Ahhh… this feels so good.”

The living wood cradled my body perfectly, cool and supportive at the same time. A deep sense of peace washed over me. For the first time since arriving in this world, I truly relaxed. It was like sinking into the world’s coziest hammock while the gentle hum of nature surrounded me. I could get used to this.

After a few minutes of just lying there enjoying the moment, I stepped back down the root ladder. Xing Ning had already set up a neat circle of stones, gathered plenty of dry firewood, and arranged everything for a proper campfire. He reached toward the simple metal ring on his finger, channeled a bit of qi into it, and summoned a small piece of yellow paper into his palm.

“What’s that?” I asked, curious.

“It’s a fire talisman, Senior,” he answered patiently.

He threw the talisman into the center of the wood pile. It ignited with a bright flash and a controlled burst of flame, instantly lighting the firewood into a steady, crackling campfire. It was dusk by this point, the sky turning a beautiful shade of orange and purple above the treetops.

“Nice work,” I said. Then, pointing at the ring on his finger, I asked, “By the way, what’s with that ring? It seems pretty handy.”

Xing Ning smiled and explained without hesitation, “It is my storage ring, Senior. It can hold many items in a separate spatial pocket. Most cultivators above Qi Condensation have one.”

Cool. I made a mental note to figure out how to make or acquire something like that later.

“Are you hungry?” I asked him.

He nodded shyly. “A little, Senior.”

We still had a bit of daylight left, so we went deeper into the forest together. How hard could it be to find something to eat, right? With my connection to nature, dinner should be easy enough to handle.

Xing Ning suddenly tensed beside me and whispered, “Senior, I can sense movement ahead with my spiritual senses. Something relatively strong is hiding in the vegetation.”

That sounded like a cool power. I imagined all cultivators at his realm possessed this kind of sensing ability. I’d grill him more about this cultivation stuff later, but first, dinner.

I told him casually, “I’ll leave it to you then.”

Xing Ning shook his head quickly, looking a bit nervous. “I’m not confident, Senior. Whatever it is, it’s at least Qi Condensation like me, probably a few stages above. I can feel its qi is quite vigorous.”

Curious, I asked, “How many stages are there in Qi Condensation anyway?”

Xing Ning explained patiently while we crept forward through the underbrush. “There are a total of thirteen stages in Qi Condensation, Senior. If my reading is correct, this one feels like at least the ninth stage. Its qi is dense and aggressive.”

I led the way, staff held loosely in one hand. “How exactly do you use these spiritual senses?” I asked. “Can you teach me?”

Xing Ning nodded and instructed me step by step. “It’s like expanding your qi outward from your dantian in a gentle wave. Imagine your qi as an invisible mist spreading through the air and ground. Focus on feeling the living presences around you rather than seeing with your eyes.”

I expanded my mana from my being… or I guessed I should start calling it qi. I’m never going to get used to calling this energy qi. I always thought qi was honestly just mana, but in particle form instead of a wavelength. Yet there seemed to be more nuance to it here.

As I pushed my senses outward, I picked up a vaguely humanoid shape crouched low under the thick vegetation. Was it a monkey? I didn’t want to eat monkey.

Suddenly, a brown blur rushed straight at me with surprising speed, delivering a powerful kick. I held my stance firmly. The creature bounced off me harmlessly and landed gracefully a few paces in front of me, striking a dramatic fighting pose with its muscular arms raised.

I uttered in sheer shock, “What in the world is a kangaroo doing here?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The kangaroo had a loud, masculine voice full of bravado and struck a stance that perfectly matched its impressively muscled biceps. “KANGA-WHAT!? YOU WEIRDO, THIS BEAST IS THE BEST! WATCH OUT FOR MEEE~! I’M GONNA BE THE STRONGEST-EST MARTIAL ARTIST IN THE REALMS!”

Okay, two things hit me at once. First, I definitely didn’t have any appetite for kangaroo meat. Second, I had almost forgotten about the Voice of the World ability that let me understand and speak to basically all manners of sentient life, regardless of any language barrier.

“You are a martial artist kangaroo?” I asked, still stunned. “Please tell me this is not Australia…”

The kangaroo continued bouncing on its powerful tail with boundless energy. “YO YO YO~! YOU CAN HEAR ME, YOW! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL, PRICK! IF I WIN, GIMME YOUR COOL STICK!”

Unaware of the full conversation going on between the kangaroo and me, Xing Ning spoke up excitedly from behind me. “Senior, I’ve never seen a creature like this before. It looks delicious. Look at those muscles!”

I was just speechless.

“…”

The kangaroo kept bouncing on its powerful tail, flexing its biceps with dramatic flair. “I am Roo, the unrivaled practitioner of the self-styled martial art, Way of the Bound Sky Strider! Now tell me your name, you weird silver-haired stick guy, so we can have a heart-pounding, blood-boiling duel that will shake the heavens!”

Xing Ning, who clearly couldn’t understand a word of the kangaroo’s loud declarations, asked worriedly, “Senior, is there a problem?”

I sighed and remarked, “I just lost my appetite for any kind of meat.”

And here I was looking forward to a nice campfire dinner. Nature really had a way of throwing curveballs.

I looked at the energetic kangaroo and said calmly, “Roo, I reject your challenge. Just go on your way, alright? I’m not in the mood for a fight.”