Its body was pitch black, hairless, and its eyes were a striking sapphire blue—beautiful at first glance. However, the hostility in its gaze marred its beauty.
The Shadow Water Leopard sensed a faint threat from Gu Ning, but it wasn't enough to deter it from guarding its treasure.
Suddenly, Huohuo, who had been perched on Gu Ning's shoulder, made a move. It cast Flame Bind, but the Shadow Water Leopard swiftly dodged it. Huohuo's agility was only 41, far lower than the leopard's.
Agility didn't just affect movement speed—it also influenced casting speed.
After missing the first strike, Huohuo began casting Fireball. One after another, the fireballs formed at the tip of its small staff and flew toward the Shadow Water Leopard.
But only a few fireballs actually landed, and even when they hit, they didn't cause significant damage.
What they did succeed in was making the beast furious.
Its speed surged as it lunged at Gu Ning—this was its Rapid Strike skill.
Seeing the Shadow Water Leopard charge in, Gu Ning instantly cast Light Shield to protect herself and stepped back.
But the beast was too fast. In the blink of an eye, it reached her. Its massive claw, gleaming with a cold light, came slashing down.
Savage Strike!
The Light Shield shattered on impact, though it had given Gu Ning just enough time to retreat.
The Shadow Water Leopard landed on the boat.
Its body crouched low, back arched, a low growl rumbling from its throat. Its fierce eyes locked onto Gu Ning.
Gu Ning fired Light Arrows, while Huohuo continued casting Fireballs. The Shadow Water Leopard dodged while occasionally counterattacking with its Dark Beam, a black ray that shot from its mouth.However, Gu Ning's Light Shield blocked most of the damage, while the leopard had to endure the attacks head-on.
Soon, wounds covered its body—some areas scorched black where Huohuo's fireballs had hit.
The lack of results made the Shadow Water Leopard even more agitated. Its brilliant blue eyes began to redden as it lost control.
Activating Rapid Strike again, it charged Gu Ning, intent on ending things in close quarters.
But at that moment, it suddenly felt mentally sluggish—momentarily dazed.
In that instant, two Light Ropes and one Fire Rope wrapped around it, binding it in place.
In fact, Gu Ning's plan from the beginning had been to provoke the beast, throw it off balance, and use Confuse to slow it down and control it.
The leopard's speed was too great, and it wasn't until her third attempt that the confuse effect finally succeeded.
Seeing the bound creature, Gu Ning and Huohuo didn't hesitate. Light Arrows and Fireballs rained down, finishing it off.
Only when the battle ended and silence returned did Gu Ning step out of the room. Windsor approached and handed her a blue stone.
Gu Ning's eyes lit up, but instead of taking it immediately, she looked at Windsor with concern. "Are you hurt?"
Windsor was a key member of her team—any injuries could have a major impact on their strength.
"No injuries, my lady. And even if I were, don't worry. I've got Healing Magic," Windsor replied happily, touched by Gu Ning's concern.
"That's good." Gu Ning knew Windsor could heal herself, but casting Healing Magic still consumed mana—and mana was extremely precious in the ocean.
Finally, Gu Ning took the skill stone.
Shadow Meld (Blue): After activation, the user merges with shadows, concealing their presence. Attacks from within shadows gain a 30% damage bonus.
Requirements: Dark Element Envoy
It was a dark-element skill, so she couldn't use it right now. She'd store it for now—its value was high, too high to sell or convert using her talent tree. It would be perfect for a future hero with the right attributes.
After storiHowever, Gu Ning's Light Shield blocked most of the damage, while the leopard had to endure the attacks head-on.
Soon, wounds covered its body—some areas scorched black where Huohuo's fireballs had hit.
The lack of results made the Shadow Water Leopard even more agitated. Its brilliant blue eyes began to redden as it lost control.
Activating Rapid Strike again, it charged Gu Ning, intent on ending things in close quarters.
But at that moment, it suddenly felt mentally sluggish—momentarily dazed.
In that instant, two Light Ropes and one Fire Rope wrapped around it, binding it in place.
In fact, Gu Ning's plan from the beginning had been to provoke the beast, throw it off balance, and use Confuse to slow it down and control it.
The leopard's speed was too great, and it wasn't until her third attempt that the confuse effect finally succeeded.
Seeing the bound creature, Gu Ning and Huohuo didn't hesitate. Light Arrows and Fireballs rained down, finishing it off.
Only when the battle ended and silence returned did Gu Ning step out of the room. Windsor approached and handed her a blue stone.
Gu Ning's eyes lit up, but instead of taking it immediately, she looked at Windsor with concern. "Are you hurt?"
Windsor was a key member of her team—any injuries could have a major impact on their strength.
"No injuries, my lady. And even if I were, don't worry. I've got Healing Magic," Windsor replied happily, touched by Gu Ning's concern.
"That's good." Gu Ning knew Windsor could heal herself, but casting Healing Magic still consumed mana—and mana was extremely precious in the ocean.
Finally, Gu Ning took the skill stone.Shadow Meld (Blue): After activation, the user merges with shadows, concealing their presence. Attacks from within shadows gain a 30% damage bonus.
Requirements: Dark Element Envoy
It was a dark-element skill, so she couldn't use it right now. She'd store it for now—its value was high, too high to sell or convert using her talent tree. It would be perfect for a future hero with the right attributes.
After storing the skill stone, Gu Ning steered the wooden boat toward the fruit tree. She finally had a moment to examine it.
Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit Tree: A rare treasure of heaven and earth. Bears Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit, which increases base attributes upon consumption.
Gu Ning smiled. As expected—it increased attributes. Her efforts had paid off.
She counted 13 fruits on the tree and picked one at random.
Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit (Green): Randomly increases 3–4 base attribute points when consumed.
She ate it immediately.
Lucky! It gave +4 points—2 in Agility, 2 in Intelligence.
She reached for another one, ready to keep going.
[Notice: Consuming multiple of the same heavenly treasure in a short period will not grant additional attributes.]
[This fruit requires a 4-year cooldown before taking effect again.]
Sigh—a limitation. So, no attribute gain from this fruit for the next four years.
No wonder the Shadow Water Leopard didn't eat the fruit—just guarded the tree.
Gu Ning harvested all the fruits, then turned her attention to the tree itself. It was only about two meters tall—not very impressive. Calling it a "tree" might even be generous.
She couldn't transplant it now, and keeping it until she reached an island wasn't feasible either—who knew how long that would take?
But she wasn't ready to just leave it behind either.
After some thought, Gu Ning's eyes lit up with an idea.
She tied the tree with rope and had Little Blue bite and pull it up by the roots.
Then, she opened her Personal Marketplace and selected Sell. Yes—she was going to sell the tree directly.
[Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit Tree — Sell Price: 2 Gold StoShadow Meld (Blue): After activation, the user merges with shadows, concealing their presence. Attacks from within shadows gain a 30% damage bonus.
Requirements: Dark Element Envoy
It was a dark-element skill, so she couldn't use it right now. She'd store it for now—its value was high, too high to sell or convert using her talent tree. It would be perfect for a future hero with the right attributes.
After storing the skill stone, Gu Ning steered the wooden boat toward the fruit tree. She finally had a moment to examine it.
Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit Tree: A rare treasure of heaven and earth. Bears Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit, which increases base attributes upon consumption.
Gu Ning smiled. As expected—it increased attributes. Her efforts had paid off.
She counted 13 fruits on the tree and picked one at random.
Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit (Green): Randomly increases 3–4 base attribute points when consumed.
She ate it immediately.
Lucky! It gave +4 points—2 in Agility, 2 in Intelligence.
She reached for another one, ready to keep going.
[Notice: Consuming multiple of the same heavenly treasure in a short period will not grant additional attributes.][This fruit requires a 4-year cooldown before taking effect again.]
Sigh—a limitation. So, no attribute gain from this fruit for the next four years.
No wonder the Shadow Water Leopard didn't eat the fruit—just guarded the tree.
Gu Ning harvested all the fruits, then turned her attention to the tree itself. It was only about two meters tall—not very impressive. Calling it a "tree" might even be generous.
She couldn't transplant it now, and keeping it until she reached an island wasn't feasible either—who knew how long that would take?
But she wasn't ready to just leave it behind either.
After some thought, Gu Ning's eyes lit up with an idea.
She tied the tree with rope and had Little Blue bite and pull it up by the roots.
Then, she opened her Personal Marketplace and selected Sell. Yes—she was going to sell the tree directly.
[Spirit-Yuan Goldenfruit Tree — Sell Price: 2 Gold Stones. Confirm sale?]
Gu Ning's eyes widened. She had expected it to be valuable—but this valuable?
Two Gold Stones! Since arriving on the Lord Continent, all the money she'd earned combined barely added up to that—maybe not even close.
She confirmed the sale immediately. Her assets now included two Gold Stones—an amount that could be converted into a massive number of White Stones.
She'd struck it rich!
With all that White Stone, she could start another major round of upgrades.
First up: upgrade Underwater Tech to extend her ocean exploration time. One hour just wasn't enough.
After cleaning up, Gu Ning began her return trip.
Time was tight—if she didn't leave soon, she'd sink. No way she was dying over greed.
But just as she was about to head back, chaos erupted across the mountain. Every creature started moving frantically.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed across the land—deep, majestic, and commanding.
In an instant, all movement ceased. Every creature dropped to the ground in submission, even plant life bowed their branches.
At first, Gu Ning was confused why everything had gone into a frenzy, but once she heard that dragon's roar, sheunderstood.
Her heart trembled—this was an incredibly powerful being. Without a doubt, stronger than the Abyssal Sea Demon Dragon she had encountered before.