The pet "Violet Illusionary Spirit Scent" has successfully upgraded to Tier Four, granting two additional inventory slots! It comprehended the Tier Four Symbiotic Combat Skill "Drifting Flower Overlapping Shadow"! It comprehended the Tier Four Symbiotic Combat Skill "Violet Illusion"! It comprehended the Tier Four Symbiotic Combat Skill "Shifting Flower Evasion"! It comprehended the Tier Four Symbiotic Combat Skill "Medicine Spirit Armor Break"! It comprehended the Tier Four Auxiliary Skill "Elixir of Heavenly Return"! It comprehended the Tier Four Auxiliary Skill! "Medicine Cauldron Phantom Body" has advanced to Tier Four! "Scent Recognition for Medicine" has advanced!

Following a crisp chime, waves of intent echoed through his mind. Nie Kong was struck by an overwhelming surge of joy. The little fellow had been dormant for nearly ten days, and it had finally awakened. When he wasn't cultivating, the absence of the little guy's "Ah-ya-ya!" cries felt strangely unsettling.

Moments later, the tender sprout had completely unfurled.

After advancing, the little one had grown slightly taller, and the small flower bud at the tip of its stem was fuller.

The three leaves had increased to four, and most remarkably, the leaf blades had nearly doubled in width. As for the roots at the base, they had become much denser, looking far more appealing than before.

Only now could Xiang Xiang truly be considered the nascent form of a "Violet Illusionary Spirit Scent."

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one cried out quite proudly. The two middle leaves curled downward to support the stem, dangling a cluster of delicate roots that swayed back and forth in the dark green blood. It occasionally bounced up, nudging Nie Kong's Spiritual Apertures with its small flower bud to capture his attention. It resembled a child, clad in new clothes, awaiting parental praise. Sensing the little fellow's showy movements, Nie Kong couldn't help but chuckle, his focus gradually shifting to the skills it had just comprehended.

"Drifting Flower Overlapping Shadow"—this was the Tier Four manifestation of the "Violet Illusionary Spirit Scent's" Tier Nine skill, "Flower Mountain Blood Sea," and the advancement of "Cloud Flower Quadruple Layer."

From the initial "Flower Burst," to "Cloud Layer Flower Burst," then to "Cloud Flower Quadruple Layer," and now to "Drifting Flower Overlapping Shadow"—this skill progressed layer by layer, and its power underwent a qualitative change after the little one advanced to Tier Four.

When unleashing "Drifting Flower Overlapping Shadow," it could incite sequential explosions of spiritual energy elements in the void, and the number of spiritual energy explosion points reached sixteen, with an estimated range of one meter. If this were a game, it would certainly qualify as a small-scale group attack.

"Violet Illusion"—this skill indeed confirmed Nie Kong's initial conjecture; it was the advanced form of "Violet Spirit Illusionary Heart," with greatly enhanced power. Although it still worked by confusing the opponent's mind through sight, this "Violet Illusion" could trap the target in a brief hallucination. "Shifting Flower Evasion"—its appearance was somewhat surprising to Nie Kong, as this skill turned out to be the advanced form of "Flying Flower Flowing Shadow." Both its movement speed and the subtlety of its footwork were far superior to the "Flying Flower Flowing Shadow" Xiang Xiang comprehended at Tier Two.

"Medicine Spirit Armor Break"—this was the only Tier Four offensive skill available to Apothecaries in the game "Fiend and Demon." Its attack power wasn't as high as "Mountain Splitting Strike," but it could ignore most of the monster's defense, and the attack was executed by detonating medicinal herbs.

In the game, as long as one carried medicinal herbs, this defense-breaking skill could be used at any time.

However, the Tian Ling Continent was not the game; here, the attack was launched by detonating the little fellow's vital medicinal power. As for how effective it would be, that remained uncertain for now.

"Elixir of Heavenly Return"—this was an Apothecary skill that could aid teammates and oneself in recovery. Each cast could restore fifty percent of health, but its cooldown was relatively long. When combined with the other Tier Four skill that only recovered the self, as long as the execution wasn't too sloppy and the opponent wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, it was generally very difficult for an Apothecary to die.

Now, on the Tian Ling Continent, it was unknown what effect this skill would possess, and it also consumed the little fellow's vital medicinal power. "Elixir of Heavenly Return" shared some similarities with "Spring Breeze Turning Rain," but it should be more potent, after all, one was Tier Four and the other Tier Three.

Still, even if it was effective, Nie Kong would refrain from using it unless absolutely critical, and he certainly wouldn't use it on others, because, like "Medicine Spirit Armor Break," it required Xiang Xiang's vital medicinal power, which was exceedingly precious and could not be wasted casually. As he pondered, another Tier Four auxiliary skill, "Subtle Scent," flashed through Nie Kong's mind.

A hint of confusion crossed Nie Kong's eyes.

"Subtle Scent"—this Tier Four skill was entirely new. It was neither an Apothecary skill from "Fiend and Demon" nor listed in the official information for "Violet Illusionary Spirit Scent" released by Fiend and Demon. The strangest part was that he couldn't find any instructions on how to use it.

Nie Kong projected a questioning intent towards the little fellow: Just because the skill name has the character 'Scent' doesn't mean you should erase the skill's information too!

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one let out a delicate cry. A small fissure suddenly split open in the flower bud at its tip, and a faint wisp of purple energy seemed to drift out. Immediately, a massive surge of green engulfed that tiny speck of purple and rushed out of the Yaochi Aperture.

"No, there isn't! Just a little more," Nie Kong urged, quickly sniffing the air after realizing the little one had sent the wisp of purple energy in front of him, yet he smelled nothing.

"Ah-ya-ya?"

The little one seemed a bit vexed. The flower bud cracked open slightly again, and then it used its vital medicinal power to push the emerging purple energy towards Nie Kong. After performing this action, the two leaves above the little creature clapped against the flower bud with a distinct sound, looking extremely pained.

"Still no smell! More, please!"

Nie Kong was utterly speechless. Even though the little one had clearly sent the substance out, there was no trace of purple or any fragrance before him. "Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one grew even more dejected. As soon as it received Nie Kong's intent, it immediately curled up, its delicate roots and leaves tightly enveloping the flower bud, refusing to acknowledge Nie Kong any further.

Evidently, to this little creature, that purple energy seemed more precious than its own life force.

"This little thing!"

Nie Kong felt a mix of amusement and frustration. But if he couldn't figure out this skill's function, he felt an itch he couldn't scratch. His eyes darted around, and Nie Kong called out with a warm smile:

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one grumbled contentedly, clearly enjoying Nie Kong's affectionate call. Its plump body rolled twice on the dark green blood.

"Ah-ya-ya..."

"...After repeated attempts, the curled-up sprout had completely stretched out, floating lazily on the dark green blood, humming contentedly.

"Xiang Xiang, do 'Subtle Scent' one more time," Nie Kong seized the opportunity.

"Ah-ya-ya?"

The little one hummed for a long moment, finally twisting its stem slowly to sit up like a person. The small flower bud cracked open a tiny slit once more. However, this time, the little creature's vital medicinal power enveloped the oozing purple energy but did not send it outside Nie Kong's body; instead, it was transferred to the pet inventory.

The jade-green vital medicinal power arrived next to the "Fire Tree Silver Flower," releasing that barely perceptible speck of purple energy.

"Whoosh!"

The previously quiescent "Fire Tree Silver Flower" began to shake violently, rapidly absorbing the strand of purple energy. Afterward, it seemed as if it had been injected with a stimulant; its spirit soared, and its crimson leaves burst forth with a magnificent glow like the colors of twilight, resembling a small sun.

The sudden movement in the pet inventory startled Nie Kong.

The transformation of the "Fire Tree Silver Flower" allowed Nie Kong to vaguely grasp that the purple energy seeping from the little creature's flower bud had a magical effect on this plant. Nie Kong noticed that in that brief moment, the "Fire Tree Silver Flower" had grown slightly taller.

This change was hard to discern with the eye, but since the "Fire Tree Silver Flower" was inside his pet inventory, Nie Kong could sense it.

"I didn't expect this unfamiliar new skill to have such an effect!" Nie Kong secretly marveled. If the medicinal power of that poisonous grass was the necessary nutrient for the "Fire Tree Silver Flower's" growth, then this purple energy was its catalyst.

If it worked this way on the "Fire Tree Silver Flower," it should have the same effect on other medicinal herbs. Perhaps, its utility extended even further.

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one proudly retracted its vital medicinal power back into the Yaochi Aperture.

"Xiang Xiang..."

However, as soon as Nie Kong called its name, the little creature quickly coiled back into a round ball, as if afraid Nie Kong would ask it to use the skill again. Seeing this reaction, Nie Kong chuckled, his attention returning to the "Fire Tree Silver Flower" in the pet inventory.

A moment later, four roots emerged from the round sprout in the Yaochi Aperture, each gently scratching one of Nie Kong's four exposed Apertures. Seeing that he showed no reaction, the curled-up body relaxed slightly. The small flower bud poked out halfway from beneath the cover of the leaves, swaying left and right. "Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one leaped up contentedly, scooting around the dark green blood a few times, then suddenly smacked its roots against the wall of Nie Kong's Apertures, clearly acting spoiled.

Sensing the information the little creature was transmitting, Nie Kong paused, then realized that besides a vibrant "Fire Tree Silver Flower," the "Crimson-Backed Sky Net," the "Coiled Serpent Blood Lotus," and a small amount of "Eight-Star Sea Conch" in the pet inventory, there were no other herbs available for the little one to absorb.

Nie Kong immediately became worried. Only the Apothecary Hall in the Inner City sold herbs, but given the rate at which the little fellow consumed them, even if he worked himself to death, he couldn't earn enough points to exchange for the necessary herbs. He had to find a way to get some herbs from the Outer City first.

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little one bounced a few times and cried out crisply again, with three words strongly conveyed in its voice: "I'm hungry!"

Seeing the little one's unapologetic look, Nie Kong helplessly patted his forehead, then fiddled with his token and hurried out the door. Fortunately, he still had over twenty thousand points left, just enough for an emergency. Otherwise, he didn't know how he would quiet the little fellow down today.

P: This skill is very, very, very important, ah. ~...