Chapter 107: Eli

“Kid, you’re injured like this and still practicing martial arts? You really don’t value your own life,” the Cat Woman chided as she applied fresh herbs she had gathered early that morning to Ye Ran’s wounds. She then injected a vial of medicine and used her healing magic to mend his injuries.

True to her name, the Cat Woman was as graceful and noble as a Persian cat. She was the foremost healer in Torrent City, her innate ability being healing itself. Were it not for her noble birth and naturally indolent nature, the city’s doctors might have starved without her.

Usually, she reserved her healing magic for herself, but this time, because of the Hidden Dragon’s involvement, she made an exception for Ye Ran.

Ye Ran flipped through the yellowed pages of *Advanced Martial Arts* with casual indifference. “Movements at this level won’t affect the injury.”

The Cat Woman conjured a green leaf about the size of a palm, which floated above Ye Ran’s head, channeling her primal energy downward, bathing him in a soft, shimmering green glow.

“If only that guy Hidden Dragon put in half as much effort as you, he wouldn’t have been defeated even by the ‘Little Lion Dog’,” she remarked.

“I have no talent; I can only make up for it with diligence,” Ye Ran replied.

The Cat Woman pulled a vitality stone from her pocket and pursed her lips. “Here, this is for you. Hidden Dragon asked me to apologize on his behalf.”

“Apologize?”

“He said he shouldn’t have abandoned your girlfriend in the underground nest.”

“Hmph.”

Ye Ran snorted coldly, anger flaring at the memory. Back then, in the underground nest, Yun Meng had been chased by a flame rat, and the proud number one expert of Torrent City, Hidden Dragon, had been swayed by Zhang Mu of the Strongman Palace to stand by and do nothing.

The Cat Woman shook her head. “You really have a fiery temper; no wonder even Hidden Dragon fears you.”

She smiled softly. “He came to see me early this morning, hoping you wouldn’t hold a grudge. Keep this vitality stone; my primal energy is running low. I’ll come back tomorrow to check your wounds.”

Ye Ran nodded and expressed his thanks.

In a thatched hut to the south, the Minotaur chieftain Banner sighed deeply as he drank.

“Sigh, Brother Ye is truly brave and unstoppable. He must look down on me now. Yesterday, I stood there frozen for so long, too afraid to help him,” he lamented.

Meng Qi comforted him, “Brother Banner, don’t take it to heart. Minotaurs, dwarves, elves... all the forest tribes have an inherent fear of the demon and hunter gods. Brother Ye wouldn’t blame you.”

Sinclair added, “That’s right. Brother Banner, you’re overthinking it. Brother Ye doesn’t hold grudges. But to be honest, I was shocked yesterday too. You know how cold and taciturn he usually is, but when he loses his temper, he’s ten times scarier than that Ivan.”

Recalling Ye Ran’s frenzied state from the day before still sent chills down his spine.

Meng Qi chuckled dryly. “Sinclair, you don’t understand Brother Ye. Though he rarely loses his temper, he’s no soft-hearted fool, nor a reckless brute. I guarantee he’ll come to us tonight to discuss the next steps.”

As if on cue, by midday, Ye Ran eagerly sought out the three of them.

“Little Meng, I want to build a temple. What do you think? Is it feasible?” Ye Ran asked bluntly.

Sinclair and Banner exchanged glances, silently acknowledging Meng Qi’s prescience.

Meng Qi, however, was taken aback. He had guessed Ye Ran would consult them on strategy, but not that he intended to build a temple.

“Brother Ye... that’s not easy.”

Ye Ran nodded. “I know it’s not easy, but if I insist, will you help me?”

Eager to make amends, Minotaur chieftain Banner was the first to pound his chest. “Brother Ye, Banner can contribute both money and effort. I’ll support you to the end.”

Having declared his stance, Meng Qi and Sinclair naturally followed suit.

Ye Ran nodded again and asked, “Little Meng, if I want to wipe out all demon and hunter god tribes in the Ibo Wasteland, who will be my friends? Who will remain neutral? And who will be my enemies?”

The three were momentarily stunned; they all knew what “wipe out” meant.

He intended to exterminate the demons and hunter gods in Ibo Wasteland.

Meng Qi was astonished. “Brother Ye... are you serious?”

Ye Ran nodded, his expression cold and solemn.

Meng Qi swallowed hard. “Alright, Brother Ye, I don’t think anyone will be our friends. Many races in Ibo Wasteland despise the demons and hunter gods, but none dare help you fight them.”

At this, Minotaur chieftain Banner’s face flushed.

“At best, they’ll stay neutral. As for hunter traps and places like Grusburg, even though they’re strong, convincing them to help you against demons is still incredibly difficult,” he said cautiously.

Ye Ran understood he meant “impossible.”

He nodded. “Pretty much what I thought. But there’s a subtle difference—no one will come to my aid in my hour of need, though many will be eager to benefit from my success.”

“Hmph, I fear they won’t even have the chance,” Ye Ran muttered.

“Little Meng, please draw me a map. I want to know the distribution of all races in Ibo Wasteland besides humans, along with the names of their leaders. Detailed information would be even better.”

Meng Qi looked at him deeply, his impression of Ye Ran greatly improved.

“Brother Ye, I’ll prepare it for you right away. But you said one thing wrong.”

“What?”

“There are those in Ibo Wasteland who will come to your aid—I and Sinclair are among them.”

“Me too, Brother Ye. This time, I’ll give you my full support,” Banner declared, pounding his chest. As both friend and tribal leader, he could no longer afford to be timid.

Ye Ran thanked them and went to Freya’s room. She was already awake, sitting quietly at the bedside while Shari read to her. The divine envoy had begun guiding her.

Freya had grown noticeably calmer. When she looked at Ye Ran, something new seemed to gleam in her eyes.

“Freya, you look much better,” Ye Ran said, ruffling her hair and pulling out a chair to sit.

“Help me check my primal energy. I’ve long wanted to know the nature of the power within me.”

Shari replied, “Ye Ran, Freya doesn’t yet understand primal energy...”

“Then let’s start learning now. Freya, just draw what you see.”

Freya nodded and fixed her gaze on Ye Ran. Under her divine pupils, Ye Ran’s skill tree gradually took shape. She copied it onto the sketchpad. The “trunk,” connected by fine currents of energy, was unusually thick. When she finished shading with a pencil, she noticed the swirling energy on the trunk was black and white, mostly black with a little white.

But on the white side, Freya had noted “golden,” since her pencil couldn’t capture that color.

“Black and golden... The black is... very special.”

Ye Ran handed the sketchpad to Shari, who glanced at it expressionlessly at first. Then her brows relaxed, and a look of delight spread across her face.

“Ye Ran, that’s ‘Eli’—this black flowing energy must be Eli.”

These past few days of playing trash games have left me somewhat exhausted...