Chapter 22: The New Power of Spiritual Energy

Half of his spiritual energy was instantly drained, leaving Ji Chang with a faint sense of emptiness. It happened in the blink of an eye.

To be precise, Ji Chang's reaction was instinctive, occurring in a critical moment. With the augmentation of his spiritual energy, the wasp rapidly soared out of the rooster's attacking range.

The furious rooster was left in vain frustration. It stared at the retreating wasp for a moment before turning its attention to another small cabbage, running off with an air of indifference.

Ji Chang, riding on the back of the wasp, couldn't tell how high they had flown until he looked down to see the rooster, now resembling a mosaic, after which he commanded the wasp to linger mid-air.

Having narrowly escaped, Ji Chang panted heavily, beads of cold sweat soaking his clothes. But he had no time to think about that; his mind was replaying the scene that had just occurred. Especially the moment when his spiritual energy was drained in an instant. It was an instinctive move on his part, but ultimately, he had intentionally channeled his spiritual energy to the wasp.

He had never experienced anything like this before. Now, contemplating the situation, Ji Chang pondered: the spiritual energy could be directly applied to spirit beasts, enhancing their abilities…

Following this, Ji Chang closed his eyes slightly, trying to sense the spiritual energy within him. After a few minutes, he suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile on his face. Immediately after, he directed an invisible surge of energy through his hands, transmitting it into the wasp's body beneath him.

In response, the wasp's wing flapping frequency instantly doubled. The ensuing buzz grew louder, making Ji Chang's heart tremble with its resonance. Although this attempt consumed less spiritual energy than dodging the rooster, the effect achieved was no less impressive.

Before long, as the boosted spiritual energy dissipated and the wasp returned to its normal flight state, Ji Chang once again guided his energy into the wasp's body through his hands. Once, twice…

After numerous trials, Ji Chang continued to perceive the changes in the wasp's behavior under the influence of his spiritual energy. At this point, he had become proficient in this practice.

Just as Ji Chang's excitement swelled due to unlocking the new potential of his spiritual energy, a sharp cry suddenly pierced his ears, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead.

The shrill sound came from an unidentified bird. Instinctively scanning his surroundings, though he didn't spot any birds, Ji Chang knew that absence didn't indicate distance; it was due to his restricted vision caused by his shrunken size, just like the mosaic-like rooster on the ground.

Reacting swiftly, Ji Chang directed the wasp to land in the small courtyard. Of course, to prevent further attacks from the rooster, he steered the wasp quickly around the garden, finally settling on the wall of the farmhouse.

Positioning himself on the wall, slightly below its top, Ji Chang chose this spot to guard against bird ambushes. The wasp's legs gripped the wall firmly, and Ji Chang, standing atop the wasp, kept a vigilant eye on the rooster's movements.

He remembered that there were no chickens in this farmhouse courtyard.

However, with the rooster's appearance, Ji Chang couldn't help but glance in the direction of the small courtyard's entrance.

Upon a quick look, as Ji Chang had anticipated, the entrance gate of the small courtyard was wide open.

Although the gate still cast deceptive shadows, Ji Chang could still distinguish whether it was open or closed. He remembered that after they arrived at this farmhouse, they had secured the gate with a latch.

Now, it was open, and Ji Chang guessed that the two classmates who had gone to get takeout before they shrank had likely opened it.

Despite wanting to close the courtyard gate to prevent more poultry or livestock from entering, Ji Chang knew he was limited. He didn't yet possess the ability to close it. Moreover, in his estimation, even if Huang Mang's transformation into a metallic form had drastically enhanced his strength, shutting the gate would still be nearly impossible.

However, Ji Chang's gaze soon returned to the mosaic-like rooster pecking at the small cabbage, and a bold idea popped into his mind.

"What if, after my spiritual power grows stronger, I can command a chicken as my spirit beast? Or a dog? Or even a larger animal?"

As he contemplated this, Ji Chang's excitement grew.

While Ji Chang was indulging in wild imagination, the rooster, resembling a mosaic, seemed to have finished a few cabbage leaves. Yet, it showed no intention of leaving, leisurely pacing through the garden in search of more edible food.

At the same time, Ji Chang was worried about Huang Mang and the others. If the rooster got thirsty and found the location of the water tap, they would be in danger. A single rooster attempting to annihilate Huang Mang's group was a very real threat.

As minutes turned into seconds, Ji Chang remained vigilant about the rooster's movements. Eventually, the rooster seemed to consider leaving, and it ran towards the courtyard gate.

After waiting for a few more minutes to confirm the rooster had truly departed, Ji Chang immediately mounted the wasp and flew towards the small cabbage.

Within a few breaths, under Ji Chang's control, the wasp landed precisely on the small cabbage. Dismounting, Ji Chang struggled to lift a cabbage leaf thicker than his leg and placed it on top of the wasp.

One leaf, two leaves, three or four leaves. After lifting ten cabbage leaves and seeing the wasp struggling slightly, Ji Chang stopped. If he hadn't discovered his newfound ability to enhance spirit beasts with his spiritual power, he would never have dared to attempt this.

Under this weight, there was no other option but to ride the wasp back. But now, after unlocking the new power of his spiritual energy, Ji Chang knew that by expending his spiritual power, he could completely command the wasp to fly back despite the load.

In no time, Ji Chang mounted the wasp again. With both palms channeling spiritual energy into the wasp's body, the wasp flapped its wings and headed towards the entrance of the farmhouse.

More than ten minutes later, as Ji Chang passed by the location of the water tap, he spotted Huang Mang and the others in a determined procession, carrying two leaves filled with water, ready to set off under the guidance of Huang Mang and the ants.