Chapter 34: Blessing Himself

Unconsciously, Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Er chatted until evening. Outside the cabin, it had already become lively, with the aroma of meat wafting through the air from time to time.

“It looks like it’s dinner time. Let’s go, I’ll take you to enjoy some delicious food.”

Xiong Er called out to Zhai Guangyi and led him outside. A large number of Magical Beasts had already gathered there, mostly Storm Demon Wolves and Wind Demon Panthers, along with a few scattered Magical Beasts and Demon Humans.

Sitting among the Magical Beasts was the Leader of this place, Xiong Batian. She directed the Magical Beasts to gather the food hunted that day, preparing to share and eat it together.

Now that the group had grown larger, some Magical Beasts needed to patrol, naturally making it difficult to focus on hunting seriously. Others had to fend off the Goblins that occasionally came to harass them. In short, food now had to be distributed among everyone, and every evening, a gathering akin to a banquet was held.

When Zhai Guangyi was still just a tree, he often watched from above as they ate with great relish, feeling envious but unable to join. Now, he finally had the chance to indulge in a feast.

“Do you two prefer cooked food or raw?”

Xiong Batian, seeing Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Er approaching, naturally greeted the offspring of the Lord Divine Tree.

“Of course, cooked food!”

Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Er responded in unison. Cooked food had become popular among the Magical Beasts as well. Originally, everyone ate raw food, but after evolving into Demon Humans, their tastes became more discerning. Gradually, factions for cooked food and raw meat emerged.

Xiong Er led Zhai Guangyi to the bonfire, where she often stayed. Naturally, Xiong Batian had prepared large pieces of roasted meat and plenty of fruit for them. The roasted meat looked incredibly delicious, with fat continuously dripping into the bonfire, making the flames seem to cheer and proclaim its flavor.

Xiong Er pulled out a skewer of roasted meat stuck in the ground and handed it to Zhai Guangyi. The piece of meat was larger than Zhai Guangyi’s head, and he could barely hold it with both hands. The wooden skewer wasn’t too hot, which was acceptable.

Looking at the steaming roasted meat, Zhai Guangyi took a big bite, burying his face in the meat without a care for appearances. Tears of emotion welled up in his eyes.

“Is it really that good? How long has it been since you last ate? It doesn’t seem that delicious to me.”

Xiong Er, on the other hand, felt somewhat tired of the food. Moreover, there were no seasonings here, and the plain taste of meat had become rather dull. Lately, she hadn’t had much appetite and would rather ask the Lord Divine Tree for fruit.

“It’s mainly because I’ve been hanging up there for too long, watching you all eat meat every day. I was almost driven to tears with envy.”

“That’s true. If I were stuck in a small ball for a month, I’d probably go crazy.”

Zhai Guangyi had only eaten a little of the roasted meat in his hands when he felt full and couldn’t eat anymore. It seemed his child’s body still couldn’t handle eating meat to his heart’s content. If only he had some soda right now.

“By the way, don’t you want to leave the Forest? Staying in that small cabin reading comics every day—is that really okay?”

Truthfully, Zhai Guangyi also wanted to leave and explore the world. He had been rooted in this spot for too long and desperately wanted to leave.

“Now that you mention it, I remember there’s one more thing I haven’t told you. We have another Golden Finger here.”

“What? Another Golden Finger? Tell me about it.”

Zhai Guangyi had thought there might be some secret realm or treasure nearby, but Xiong Er’s words left him somewhat disappointed.

“See that tree? That’s the Divine Tree. It can protect us, heal us, and most importantly, it can grant blessings, understand?”

Zhai Guangyi shook his head in disappointment.

“I’ve heard the humans in this world talk about blessings—they’re incredibly powerful things. Only beings close to the level of a Deity have the ability to grant blessings. In the so-called religions of this world, only a Saintess or a Saint has a chance to receive a blessing, or perhaps members of the Royal Race.

This means this Divine Tree is our sanctuary. In games, this is called the fountain. With such a prime location, why would I run around recklessly instead of lying low and developing properly? Am I stupid?

I’ll quietly develop here first, then go out and have fun later. Isn’t that the classic plot of a hidden master emerging from seclusion? That’s the kind of invincible storyline I want.”

“You’re something else. I can’t call you Xiong Er anymore—I should call you Gou Sheng instead. You’re as sneaky as Shenli Linghua’s dog.”

Zhai Guangyi gave Xiong Er a thumbs-up.

“Listen to me, bro. Develop first, then go out and have fun. After we eat, I’ll help you ask Lord Divine Tree to grant you a blessing. Then you’ll know what a real Golden Finger is.

Blessings can make us evolve directly. We might even get that Skill called Spirit Magic—it’s very practical. Many kinds of Magic can be achieved through Spirit Magic.”

Xiong Er suddenly grinned mischievously at Zhai Guangyi, the corners of her mouth curling unnaturally upward.

She suddenly remembered Lord Divine Tree’s peculiar habit of giving names—they were always awful, with no talent for naming at all. He had pretended to be young when they first met and deliberately emphasized the syllables when calling her Xiong Er. She hadn’t expected the chance for revenge to come so soon.

“A blessing?”

Zhai Guangyi had asked the System about blessings. Although they were two different bodies, they belonged to the same Soul. He couldn’t grant himself a blessing, but he could use Blessing Power to name this body.

“Right, come on. I’ll help you talk to Lord Divine Tree.”

Xiong Er pulled Zhai Guangyi along. Reluctant to let go of the roasted meat in his hand, Zhai Guangyi bit into it as they walked toward the Divine Tree.

Xiong Er looked excitedly at the Divine Tree and told Zhai Guangyi to pray to it while she would explain things to Lord Divine Tree.

Having stayed here for so long, Xiong Er had gradually figured out Lord Divine Tree’s patterns. As long as enough newcomers joined, Lord Divine Tree would have her mother, Xiong Batian, find a certain number of talented Magical Beasts to grant blessings to. Someone like Zhai Guangyi, with such exaggerated Magic Power and being an Elf personally born by Lord Divine Tree, should easily receive a blessing.

Although Zhai Guangyi felt it was unnecessary, he still had to put on a show. It was necessary to conceal his identity as the Divine Tree, after all, since the Divine Tree was his True Body and housed the Unique Skill “World.”

He had the System try to awaken the part of his Soul connected to the Divine Tree. Although it was still somewhat difficult, as the Highest Rank of the Fantasy System, the “World” Skill could basically turn the impossible into possible—it just required spending a bit of System Currency.

Zhai Guangyi fell into a peculiar sensation, as if both sides were himself, yet neither truly was. His consciousness gradually began to synchronize, and indeed, as the System had warned, this state was dangerously prone to losing control.

The soul fragment belonging to the Elf sensed the Divine Tree emanating goodwill. Yet, as both were fundamentally one, Zhai Guangyi in his Divine Tree form had to cooperate with the frail Elf beneath the tree, responding to Xiong Er’s plea. He exchanged a Blessing from the System Shop—naming it for himself felt somewhat wasteful, but there was no choice. The act had to be convincingly performed.