With a “pop!”, the first water bubble—driven forward by immense force—burst open.
The bubble inside shot toward the Thorned Willows even faster, like discarded components falling off a rocket during lift-off.
Once the first bubble was gone, the second bubble—carrying the innermost, still-compressing water sphere—accelerated again!
With a “bang!”, the second bubble shattered.
This time, the explosion was clearly much louder than the first!
And it didn’t burst from air friction, but because it collided with the branch of the first Thorned Willow!
Now! Slow motion—activate!
Bai Qiu triggered the slow-motion skill he had prepared long ago, waiting only for the effect of the third bubble’s detonation!
With a stretched-out “bzzz—!”, the third water sphere exploded.
A powerful shockwave erupted with the first Thorned Willow at its center.
Yet the water sphere didn’t disperse into droplets or mist—instead, it spread outward as a strange form of “light.”
But despite being at the blast center, the surrounding Thorned Willows weren’t blown away by the shockwave.
Instead, they were pulled inward, collapsing toward the center as if some force were dragging them in.
In an instant—an instant seen clearly through Bai Qiu’s slow-motion perspective—the Thorned Willows were dragged into the center and crushed together, squeezed, cracked apart, shattered, and reduced to powder!
One tree, two trees, three trees… before the slow-motion skill even ended, more than a dozen Thorned Willows had already been ground into dust.
What was even stranger was that the entire process didn’t make a single sound.
As the expanding light ring neared, Bai Qiu sensed the terrifying force approaching.
He didn’t hesitate—he immediately leaped off the rock wall and pushed down A-Yuan’s head, which was still curiously poking out!
A violent ringing filled his ears.
Bai Qiu could hear nothing else, but he could clearly feel that the rock wall he painstakingly built was being crushed by the spreading energy!
A-Yuan’s huge serpent head was pressed to the ground.
It blinked its big eyes innocently at Bai Qiu, but Bai Qiu didn’t respond.
Instead, he pulled out the Stone Staff and pressed it against the rock wall, pouring magic into it!
He was repairing the wall at full power.
The shockwave persisted for over ten seconds; the group felt only a burst of ear-ringing followed by a gust of strong wind.
“Whew!” Seeing the shockwave finally end, Bai Qiu stopped reinforcing the wall and fell back, plopping down onto A-Yuan’s head.
Only he knew the power of that Water Cannon—compressed into a football-sized mini-tsunami—its destructive force was beyond outrageous!
Even if Bai Qiu himself had stood at the center of the blast, he would have been erased by its immense power.
This Water Cannon’s might had already reached the level of a C-rank Noble Phantasm.
His expression shifted—solemn, then excited, then gentle.
Bai Qiu reached out and scratched A-Yuan’s head softly.
“A-Yuan, you really are my lucky star.”
A-Yuan closed its eyes in comfort.
It seemed calm, but the wagging tail gave it away—it was thrilled after being praised again!
Bai Qiu’s praise wasn’t because those Thorned Willow kills were credited to A-Yuan, but because watching the entire process flooded his mind with inspiration like a rising tide.
He now understood how to properly use the Tidal Staff!
The others hid behind the rock wall and didn’t see what happened.
But the system notification sounds for gained experience rang non-stop.
When they checked—good heavens—this single shot wiped out 34 Thorned Willows, all instantly killed!
Ning Xingxue, Huang Qi, and Zhao Daqiang all leveled up at the same time.
Even just receiving 20% of the experience allowed them to directly rise a full level!
Even Zhang Shiyao looked at her experience bar—more than half had surged upward.
She would reach level 16 very soon!
She curiously walked out beyond the stone wall and looked toward the center of the explosion.
Her eyes widened in shock—completely unable to believe that the massive semicircular crater ahead was created by that snake called A-Yuan!
The semicircular crater had a radius of more than ten meters.
Its shape was perfectly smooth without a single flaw.
At the bottom of the five-meter-deep pit, water was already beginning to seep upward.
“Plip! Plip… rustle—!”
A moment later, a few raindrops fell from the sky, hitting the water surface with soft sounds.
Then, the heavy rain began pouring down once again.
That attack had clearly taken a considerable toll on A-Yuan.
It now lay sprawled on the ground, listless, with its tail wagging slower and slower.
Fortunately, this place was rich in rainwater, making it a good spot for it to rest.
“A-Yuan, do you eat raw meat?” Bai Qiu asked.
He took out a chunk of Swamp Giant Catfish meat and held it toward A-Yuan.
In theory, although A-Yuan could maintain its life signs and grow by absorbing water-attribute magic, eating meat should also benefit it—and since Swamp Giant Catfish was a water-attribute creature, feeding on it should serve as another method of replenishing water-attribute energy.
“I’ve never eaten it before… Master, is this for me?” A-Yuan’s voice sounded in his mind.
It opened its eyes and flicked its forked tongue over the catfish meat.
Seeing that it was interested, Bai Qiu nodded. “Yes. Go ahead—if you like it, I have more.”
Hearing that, A-Yuan gently bit the 5kg portion of catfish meat.
After Bai Qiu released his hand, it lifted its head and swallowed the meat in one gulp.
“Master, I want more…”
A-Yuan gazed at Bai Qiu with eager, innocent eyes, filled with longing.
It seemed that after tasting meat for the first time, something inside it had awakened.
“Here!”
Bai Qiu took out two more chunks of catfish meat.
A-Yuan immediately opened its mouth wide, waiting to be fed.
Seeing this, Bai Qiu couldn’t help but laugh.
A-Yuan was the first creature he had ever personally hand-fed like this!
After several repetitions, A-Yuan ate a total of 100kg of catfish meat before finally feeling full.
It stretched its body out and lay lazily on the ground to rest.
Witnessing this scene, the others clicked their tongues in amazement.
“Brother Bai, is your pet’s affection really high? It listens to you so well!” Huang Qi asked.
“It really is! It’s so obedient!” Ning Xingxue agreed.
At this moment, she even found A-Yuan somewhat cute.
It wagged its tail, acted coyly, was extremely obedient—and most importantly, it was incredibly powerful!
Zhao Daqiang was filled with envy.
He sighed.
He regretted lacking both Bai Qiu’s strength and his charm—how else could a freshly subdued monster be this obedient?
Normally, these powerful creatures should be violent and rebellious right after being captured.
Hearing them, Bai Qiu carefully checked the Contract Space Card, trying to find sections for loyalty and affection.
He originally just wanted to look casually—but unexpectedly, he really did find them!
A-Yuan — Level 20 (Growth Stage)
Strength: C-
Magic: C
Endurance: C-
Agility: D
Skill 1: Devour – Can maintain its life functions by devouring any water-attribute energy.
Skill 2: Lurk – Can alter its body color through magic, blending seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
Skill 3: Water Cannon – Consumes magic power to launch a spiraling water-element cannon, its power comparable to a miniature tsunami!
Status: Exhausted, Full, Digesting.
Personality: Gentle
Loyalty: 100 (MAX)
Explanation: It trusts you unconditionally, is willing to do anything for you, and believes you will treat it well.
Affection: 100 (MAX)
Explanation: It really likes you, admires you, and simply being around you makes it happy!
— The end of the Chapter–
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