-- Chapter 6:

Hui sat atop the corpse of the unjustly wronged beast. He extended his branches, attempting to pierce its hide and begin harvesting his ill-gotten gains.

As the branch contacted the coarse skin, it was unexpectedly hindered.

‘Hm? This boar’s skin is harder than stone!’

Mildly shocked, Hui moved several meters backwards and prepared to break through with a charged strike. Though he knew there were cavities that allowed easier access to the innards, Hui’s sense of curiosity was piqued.

‘Hah!’

With a mental exclamation, Hui propelled forwards while entwining several of his branches together to form a crude lance. The previously tranquil essence within his body surged wildly along with Hui’s determination.

A sound of a collision on rock could be heard as Hui’s makeshift spear slammed against the wall of flesh.

The skin held for a split second then gave way before the spearpoint driven by essence.

Hui sharply intook breath. Even with the pleasantly surprising surge of energy, his charge was barely able to prick the beast’s skin.

Accomplishing penetration, Hui quickly went to work draining what he could from the corpse. The process of exhausting the beast to death took a fair amount of time, and was sure to attract any predators like the one that had fatally wounded it.

‘What strength would it take to tear a meter long gash?’

Hui was not confident in competing with whatever would come. He branched out the strands of his roots towards the boar’s orifices, and violently clawed into its body, attempting to derive its essence from multiple spots.

Though Hui prepared for a larger current of energy, he discovered he had sorely underestimated the beast. He felt the channels within his branches aching from overcapacity as the boar’s energy rushed into his body, circulating wildly throughout before dissipating into the individual cells.

Hui clenched his branches, forcefully suppressing the aching. Though he had not yet come to understand the world he had reincarnated into, he was vaguely aware that this was far different than where he had come from. The creatures of this world possessed essences, reservoirs of energy that allowed the molding of the physical body, granted unrestricted strength, and possibly irrational abilities. Thus far he had usurped the essences of many small animals, but none came remotely close to this massive boar.

Boundless avarice dulled his pain as the energy continually coursed into Hui’s almost insignificant body. Miraculously, though every moment felt like a torturous eternity, the sapling’s body was able to hold. Hui truly felt the mystery of this second body. He doubted that an average plant could possibly contain the volume of energy he’s absorbed so far, but he still hasn’t felt his limit.

Hui shamelessly attributed the uniqueness of his second life to Meng Po's lustful attraction to him.

The sapling’s cells endlessly derived the energy flowing in for storage.

When Hui felt his willpower collapsing, the flow faded out.

Feeling the onset of an unconscious stupor, Hui ignored the protests of his body and darted off in a random direction. After finding shelter beneath a nondescript tree, he fell into a comatose state.

--

Several kilometers away, a figure appeared over the boar’s dead body.

“Peculiar, I sense its essence has been extracted yet the evil spirit beast crystal remains. Perhaps there is a creature or spiritual art I’ve not read of?”

After a moment of ponder, the shadow shook its head and disappeared in a flash.