Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 4

“Congealing the Spirit Ginkgo Fruit comes at the cost of depleting my own body?” Su Mu muttered to himself in frustration.

If that were the case, this ability would be quite useless, sacrificing himself to benefit others.

Fortunately, the leaf merely withered and lost its spirit-infused power; it didn’t disappear entirely. Otherwise, Su Mu would have been even more distressed.

Though the leaf lost its spirit-infused power, it could still be revived using his lifespan.

In the end, it all came down to lifespan.

“I hope this Spirit Ginkgo Fruit proves useful,” Su Mu thought. If it turned out to be useless, he would feel even more cheated.

The Spirit Ginkgo Fruit had no benefit for Su Mu himself, so it would have to be used on other plants or animals.

He had kept the snow mink for this very purpose—to experiment with the fruit’s effects.

“I wonder if my hypothesis is correct,” Su Mu mused, though he wasn’t entirely sure.

It was possible that the Spirit Ginkgo Fruit would not only be useless to the snow mink but might even harm it.

If that happened, Su Mu could only offer his apologies.

At that moment, the snow mink seemed to sense something. It suddenly looked up at the Spirit Ginkgo Fruit hanging in the air, its dark, shiny eyes filled with a strong desire.

Ordinary ginkgo fruits are toxic and emit an unpleasant odor, but Su Mu’s Spirit Ginkgo Fruit was fragrant and brimming with vitality.

Without much hesitation, Su Mu willed the Spirit Ginkgo Fruit to float down in front of the snow mink.

The snow mink eagerly devoured it.

Immediately afterward, the snow mink seemed to feel discomfort, letting out low growls.

A moment later, it began thrashing about in pain, its furry body crashing wildly against its surroundings.

When it slammed into Su Mu, he quickly used his leaves or fibrous roots to cushion the impact.

After all, Su Mu’s trunk had not yet been strengthened and couldn’t withstand such force.

The snow mink also collided with the nearby trees.

The trees it hit either snapped or suffered severe damage, demonstrating the tremendous power behind the snow mink’s blows.

Meanwhile, the snow mink’s body was rapidly growing.

Initially, it was just over two feet long.

Half a moment later, it had grown to three feet.

At the same time, its dark, shiny eyes seemed to flash with a mysterious black light, giving it a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic quality.

To Su Mu, it seemed as though the snow mink had been remarkable before, but it had not yet crossed a critical threshold.

Now, with the help of Su Mu’s Spirit Ginkgo Fruit, it had fully crossed that threshold, becoming a new kind of life form.

“A spirit-infused beast?” Su Mu pondered. He still didn’t know what this world called such creatures.

The snow mink, now fully spirit-infused, became even more affectionate toward Su Mu, often rubbing its soft fur against his trunk.

Despite its intelligence, the snow mink’s mind wasn’t as complex as a human’s. Overall, it was still rather pure.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Su Mu’s consciousness stirred.

In his perception, a floating, translucent panel appeared above the snow mink’s head.

[Species: Snow Spirit Mink]
[Length: 3 feet]
[Lifespan: 30 years]
[Rank: First-Tier, Lower Grade]
[Ability: Phantom Snow Eyes]

“Rank?” Su Mu was taken aback.

Clearly, this world was more extraordinary than he had imagined.

Moreover, the typical lifespan of a snow mink is only about 15 years.

This snow mink now had a lifespan of 30 years, indicating that it had truly advanced to a higher life level.

Su Mu then had a sudden insight and quickly checked his own panel.

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo]
[Height: 60 feet]
[Lifespan: 5 years]
[Rank: First-Tier, Upper Grade]
[Abilities: 500 Spirit-Infused Leaves, 100 Spirit-Infused Fibrous Roots, One Spirit-Infused Main Root, Congeal Spirit Ginkgo Fruit]

“I’ve also been given a rank evaluation?” Su Mu’s thoughts raced as he pondered.

His rank was First-Tier, Upper Grade, and it was evident that this rank hadn’t just appeared.

It seemed to have been determined because he had come into contact with a ranked life form.

“So the panel gathers information from the outside world and adjusts accordingly,” Su Mu concluded.

Knowing his rank gave Su Mu a sense of security.

At the very least, he now had an idea of what beings he could provoke and which ones he should avoid.

If he encountered a being ranked higher than himself, he would know to play dead.

Time passed quickly.

The snow mink’s presence disrupted the tranquility of the area.

At first, the ten crows were frightened of the Snow Spirit Mink.

But as they spent more time together, they realized the Snow Spirit Mink meant them no harm and gradually began to play with it.

Su Mu was pleasantly surprised to discover the benefits of having the Snow Spirit Mink around.

The Snow Spirit Mink was very clever.

Watching Su Mu continually hunt the insects and birds in the area, it seemed to understand something.

Soon after, it began bringing small animals to Su Mu.

Previously, Su Mu’s daily maximum lifespan gain was 15 years.

Often, he didn’t even reach 15 years; sometimes, he gained only a few years.

But with the Snow Spirit Mink’s help, this number increased dramatically, reaching a daily maximum of 20 years.

This quickly made Su Mu realize that his investment had paid off.

“Through the snow mink, I’ve confirmed that my Spirit Ginkgo Fruit is beneficial to animals,” Su Mu thought.

He didn’t hesitate any longer and congealed ten more Spirit Ginkgo Fruits.

The Snow Spirit Mink immediately became excited.

Su Mu ignored it and directed the ten fruits toward the ten crows.

Seeing this, the Snow Spirit Mink hung its head dejectedly.

The ten crows, however, seemed to sense something and began cawing excitedly.

This scene made Su Mu’s mind race.

“The Spirit Ginkgo Fruit is too enticing for these creatures,” Su Mu thought, alarmed. “I must never let this secret get out, especially not to humans.”

Su Mu knew all too well how malicious humans could be.

If humans discovered his ability, they would undoubtedly exploit it to the fullest.

At that point, he might never have the chance to grow and would be forced to produce Spirit Ginkgo Fruits daily.

For Su Mu, each time he congealed a Spirit Ginkgo Fruit, it weakened him.

He could produce Spirit Ginkgo Fruits, but he had to limit the number.

“This world has humans, so it will be difficult to avoid being discovered by them forever,” Su Mu realized, feeling a sense of urgency. “I need to accelerate my growth and gain enough strength to protect myself before I’m discovered.”

As Su Mu pondered, the ten crows let out shrill cries.

Half a moment later, they completed their spirit infusion.

The ten crows, originally one and a half feet long, had grown to two and a half feet, resembling giant eagles.

Their feathers and claws had also become incredibly sharp, like weapons.

[Species: Spirit Crow]
[Length: 2.5 feet]
[Lifespan: 30 years]
[Rank: First-Tier, Lower Grade]
[Ability: Gale Force]

As Su Mu observed their panels, the ten crows moved.

Rip!

As they moved, a storm was unleashed.

They shot out like arrows from a bowstring.

“This speed…” Su Mu was astonished.

Previously, the ten crows often flew around him, but their speed was nothing like this.

Now, their speed had increased by at least threefold.

Before their spirit infusion, their maximum speed was 100 feet per breath.

Now it was 300 feet per breath.

This was undeniably terrifying.

“So this is the effect of Gale Force?” Su Mu thought, considering their newfound ability.

In the forest, the ten crows flew freely.

Seeing them so joyful, Su Mu’s mood lightened as well.

He had spent a long time in this vast, endless forest, and the isolation had made him somewhat lonely.

Now, the ten crows and the Snow Spirit Mink provided some much-needed companionship, easing his loneliness.

“Squawk…”

A sharp cry echoed from the sky.

Su Mu’s consciousness immediately detected a large eagle.

“It’s here!”

Su Mu’s mind tensed.

The eagle that had appeared in his awareness was the same thirty-foot-long eagle he had seen before.

A creature of such size was undoubtedly intimidating.

This time, Su Mu could see the eagle’s panel information.