Accepting Tan Qiyue's invitation, Li Ban decided to stay for half a day to see the vines cultivated by the master of Mist Valley herself.
He and Cat Girl were temporarily led to a scenic courtyard filled with magnolia trees.
Noticing that Li Ban disliked having outsiders hover around him, Tan Qiyue's subordinates brought them into the courtyard and respectfully withdrew.
Li Ban stood in the courtyard, looking at the blooming vines on the wall, and thought of the superior element vine he had seen underground at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
It was just a pity that the element had not been extracted intact.
Then again, perhaps it was because the Blood Demon Vine was an artificial modification that had yet to be perfected, and so it was ultimately destroyed upon its master's death.
Valley Master Tan's vine element was also artificially cultivated... A modification? The Blood Demon Vine? Xiao Suo?
Xiao Suo was not the only person in the world who could modify vines, but having encountered him before, Li Ban could not help but make the connection.
Li Ban had already decided. Regardless of whether they accepted Tan Qiyue's thank-you gift, he had to see the new type of vine she had cultivated.
Back when they were in the Death Prison, Li Ban had seemed quite fond of spacing out as well.
Cat Girl tilted her head, observing Li Ban's unfamiliar profile, and found a sense of familiarity in his face.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
Li Ban snapped out of his daze. "I was just thinking that both the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and Mist Valley seem to really enjoy cultivating vines."
Cat Girl had no idea why he had suddenly thought of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
"Maybe because... vines are easier to keep alive?"
She knew absolutely nothing about cultivation.
Li Ban turned to look at her. "Tell me about you. Why did you fuse with the Chaotic Green Silk Algae?"
Ah, here it comes!
Cat Girl had known this day would come.
But actually hearing him ask still made her a bit nervous.
Cat Girl gently rubbed the pads of her fingers. "I... I actually had this idea a long time ago. The beast blood in my body limits my normalcy. Advancing to the 5th Tier was basically my limit. If I wanted to advance to the 6th Tier like Yan Jiu, I either had to find a superior element perfectly suited to me, or I had to alter my physique to increase my chances."
Cat Girl peeked up at Li Ban. Seeing his gentle expression and lack of intent to scold her, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Beast blood is violent. When I asked for the Art of Awakening Life, I wanted to use the tranquility of plants to neutralize the brutality in my blood, raising my adaptability to elements. After improving my physique with the art, the best thing for me to fuse with was a high-grade plant element. When the Chaotic Green Silk Algae stabilized, I felt it was my best chance, so I requested Priest Hunyou let me fuse with it. In exchange, I work for Priest Hunyou as payment."
Li Ban listened quietly.
Little Cat had breezed through the explanation, deliberately glossing over the risks involved.
If the Chaotic Green Silk Algae had truly stabilized, wouldn't Priest Hunyou have kept it for himself?
Or given it to another new Priest to fuse with?
Why hand it over to Little Cat, who had already reached the upper limits of her strength?
Was it not because they were unsure if the Cyan Silk Algae had truly stabilized, and did not know if it would violently erupt and harm its host in the future?
Even if the Priests sought superior elements, there was no need for them to risk fusing with the Chaotic Green Silk Algae.
By volunteering to fuse with it, Little Cat was effectively turning herself into a test subject, allowing the Priests to observe what happened when someone fused with a formerly chaotic element.
She was gambling with her own life in exchange for a chance to advance.
Little Cat was not the type to throw her life away lightly.
What had driven her to make such a decision?
Li Ban already knew the answer.
"Let me examine your body," he said.
Cat Girl scratched her cheek with her fingertip. "I'm perfectly healthy—alright, fine."
Meeting Li Ban's gentle but uncompromising gaze, she knew she was not getting out of this.
She hung her head and followed him into the bedroom.
Looking at Little Cat's expression, Li Ban could tell she was not confident either.
Or perhaps she had already noticed some abnormalities in her body.
However, he would not let himself grow anxious before confirming her actual condition.
Armed with the Flesh on White Bones element and having learned the Divine Control Needle Technique, Li Ban was confident in his current healing abilities.
If it really came down to it, he could consult the other Priests, or simply leave the Wizard World for the Shattered Realm and ask the sealed Shaman Ming.
The two of them entered the bedroom, and Li Ban patted the bed.
"Little Cat, take off your coat and lie face-down on the bed."
Cat Girl's face suddenly flushed.
Even though she had just held hands with Li Ban the whole way here, that had been in a wide open public space with people constantly around.
She was not shy about displaying her special relationship with Li Ban to others, so she had not thought much of it.
But now, they had entered a narrow, private bedroom.
Li Ban had even closed the doors and windows to examine her.
The atmosphere had suddenly turned intimate.
Cat Girl lowered her eyes, sneaking glances at the tips of Li Ban's shoes. She hesitated for a moment before finally raising her hands to undress.
It was the dead of winter. Although she was not afraid of the cold, she was still wearing a thick armored coat.
She took off the coat, then unbuttoned the padded inner lining. Beneath that was an off-white tunic, and beneath that was a sapphire-blue—
"Ahem—keeping the tunic on is fine."
Li Ban, who had only been concerned about Little Cat's health, hurriedly stopped her when he saw she was about to untie the tunic and reveal her undergarments.
Cat Girl quickly retied the strings she had just loosened and lay face-down on the spacious canopy bed, blushing deeply.
Li Ban first used the power of Flesh on White Bones to check if there were any injuries on Cat Girl's body that needed repairing.
He found that aside from some minor bruising Cat Girl had sustained during her fight with Du Xiucai just moments ago, she was perfectly healthy, without the slightest trace of illness.
But Flesh on White Bones could only treat physical trauma; it could not detect the potential hidden dangers an element might pose to the body.
Just as Li Ban was about to withdraw his elemental power, a flat, monotonous system voice suddenly rang out in his head.
[The Flesh on White Bones element has acquired a second ability: Flesh Puppet.]
Li Ban ignored the system's voice, closing his eyes to sense the changes in the element inside his body.
Previously, because of the system prompts, he had relied heavily on it to acquire or track his element upgrades.
But other Spirit Practitioners, and even the Priests, could only discover the existence and sublimation of elements through their own application of spiritual rhinoceros and their understanding of the elements.
This time, Li Ban also began learning to rely on his own perception.
His spiritual rhinoceros surged, and behind his closed eyelids, starlight seemed to flow.
He channeled his spiritual rhinoceros into the Flesh on White Bones element within him.
The sublimated element was far more complex than before.
The original Flesh on White Bones element had been like microscopic nutrients. Upon receiving a command, they would consume large amounts of spiritual rhinoceros to directly replicate themselves and fill in the damaged flesh.
But now, not only could these tiny particles mend injured flesh, they could also lie dormant inside a body. Then, whenever Li Ban needed, they could directly compel that body to move according to his demands.
If it was a minor injury, it would not matter much. But if he repaired an entire arm or another major limb, Li Ban would be able to directly control the healed individual.
It was equivalent to leaving a backdoor for himself in a computer program.