Just as Xia Yan was feeling frustrated and worried about not being able to become stronger, Manling's vines poked him in the back again. When he turned around, he found a leaf with a green glow wrapped in the vine of Manling.

The leaf was fresh and tender, as if it had just been picked. The soft green glow surrounding the leaf emitted a strong vitality.

"What is this?"

"For you, eat it... It can increase your vitality and strengthen the function of the tree core within your body."

"...Is this the leaf from your body? No, no, it's too precious! I have already benefited greatly from taking the tree core from you, I dare not ask for anything else."

"I give it to you willingly. Besides, you have helped me a lot during this time. Just accept it with peace of mind."

After speaking, Manling forcibly stuffed the vibrant green leaf into Xia Yan's hand. It should be noted that the leaves of the World Tree are treasures that are difficult to find even with endless wealth in the outside world, but here, Manling simply gives it away.

This is enough to prove how much the World Tree values this feeble human before it.

Holding the leaf in his hand, emitting a gentle green light, Xia Yan felt grateful to Manling because even a fool could imagine how precious the leaves of the World Tree were.

He silently vowed in his heart: from now on, he will work harder to attract monsters as bait, with the goal of helping Manling restore its strength as soon as possible!

"Now what should I do? Should I eat it?"

Manling nodded in agreement.

Immediately, Xia Yan glanced at the leaf in his hand, and without hesitation, closed his eyes and swallowed it in one gulp.

...

At first, there were no adverse reactions. But a few seconds after he swallowed the leaf, a torrent of heat emanated from within his body, turning his entire face red.

Xia Yan felt his internal organs churning, and the intense pain was indescribable. It felt as if his blood had been boiled into hot water and was flowing through his veins.

Suddenly, Manling's ethereal voice sounded in Xia Yan's mind, "I forgot to tell you, the leaves of the World Tree have certain side effects. They will bring great pain to the body... some people cannot withstand such pain and are tortured to death. As for whether you can endure, it depends on your fate."

However, because the intense pain had numbed his senses, he couldn't hear any sound at all now, and of course, he didn't hear what Manling said to him.

At this moment, Manling's vines were waving up and down in the air. There was no sympathy for Xia Yan, who was rolling on the ground in pain, nor any intention to help him.

Because taking the leaf of the World Tree was his own choice. If he couldn't withstand the pain and died, it would only prove that Manling had misjudged him.

But if he could persist, then maybe in the future, he would entrust that matter to him.

No, only he could accomplish this!

...

In the end, Xia Yan was overwhelmed by the pain and passed out. A trace of blood spilled from his mouth, which he had bitten due to the pain.

But the wound in his mouth quickly healed, thanks to the effect of the tree core within his body.

In this way, the violent energy of the World Tree leaf circulated continuously in Xia Yan's body, constantly destroying his internal organs, while the tree core continuously provided healing power to each damaged organ.

In this process of repeated destruction and repair, his body gradually developed resistance, and the furrowed brows caused by the pain also eased.

It's unclear how many days and nights had passed like this. As time went by, Xia Yan finally opened his eyes again, still in a daze.

He had slept for a long time, and he had also had a very long dream.

In the dream, he was surrounded by a sea of fire, unable to move as the raging flames engulfed him. At the moment when he was about to be consumed by the fire... something invisible was protecting him from being devoured by the flames, and that something had been protecting him all along.Until the fire dissipated and the scene changed, he found himself standing in front of an endless ocean.

The sky was gloomy without the sun, and the sea was not as tumultuous as he had imagined, but rather very calm. He stood alone by the sea, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the shore.

"Splash, splash--"

For some reason, this sound brought tranquility to his soul, as if his entire being had been purified.

Then he woke up from this dream.

...

"You finally woke up. How do you feel?" a ethereal and melodious voice echoed in his head. Xia Yan knew who it was.

He clenched his fist, sat up, and flexed his muscles, feeling full of energy.

"I feel great! I suddenly feel much lighter, and it seems like even my strength has increased!"

"Is that so... But I suggest you find a place to take a bath now. Look at yourself," said the voice.

Xia Yan frowned after hearing this. If it weren't for Manling's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed. His body was covered in a kind of black mud, not only greasy but also giving off a disgusting smell.

"What the hell is this? It's so disgusting," Xia Yan grimaced, holding his nose and looking at the black mud on his body. Could it be that because he had been asleep for too long, his body had turned into this?

But Manling explained the doubt for him.

"These are impurities expelled from your body. Because my leaves not only enhance your vitality and the function of the Tree Heart, but also improve your physique... I think your physical body now should be several times stronger than before."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yan suddenly understood. It was like what was portrayed in those fantasy novels, his body had been strengthened through the cleansing of the marrow and the strengthening of the bones...

He stood up and tried to run. He found that he was indeed much faster than before, and his strength had greatly increased. The stones that he couldn't move before, which were the size of his head, could now be easily lifted.

Putting down the heavy stone, Xia Yan exclaimed excitedly, "Fantastic, I'm flying with this!"

However, Manling completely didn't understand the meaning of his words. When did he learn the skill of flying?

"Thank you so much, Manling! This great favor can only be repaid in the future! I'm going to take a bath in the nearby creek first and then I'll be back."

"Go ahead, but remember to be safe and not run around. My vines cannot reach that far."

But Xia Yan didn't wait for Manling to finish speaking before he disappeared without a trace. He wasn't worried about encountering dangerous monsters now. Even if he did encounter them, he was confident that he could escape from their hands and return to Manling's territory in time.

But what if the opponent was a human?