### Chapter 235: The Ghost Vine Tree Demon
With Body Tempering + Life Reinforcement + Wooden Armor Protection, Su Xiaoxiao was able to rival a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with just her raw physical strength. That surpassed her initial cultivation level in Foundation Establishment and bridged several minor realms.
In terms of defense, it reached a jaw-dropping level, probably even approaching the late-stage Foundation Establishment level.
Cloudy Crane stared at her ample chest, wondering if tapping it would sound like *Poni Poni* or *Dong Dong Dong*.
Oh no, what if Phoenix Aotian saw the heroine like this and stopped loving her!
But Su Xiaoxiao claimed her flexibility wasn’t an issue. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Still, she had to admit, Su Xiaoxiao managed all these achievements by just practicing a little, which was truly impressive.
It’s only fitting that she’s one of the heroines. Even if she goes off track, she can still achieve a great feat by jumping levels.
Or if you can’t jump levels, how can you stand out in the main cast group?
“Big Bro Cloud, I, I’ll try not to hold anyone back!”
Su Xiaoxiao clenched her pink, tender fists. She made a solemn promise to Cloudy Crane.
Upon hearing this, the corners of Cloudy Crane’s mouth curled into a warm smile. “No, Xiaoxiao, you’re already very reliable.”
He even wished she could take it easy and not turn into some buffed-up girl.
Cloudy Crane cleared his throat and continued, “Your growth rate exceeds my expectations. Meanwhile, I thought you still needed more care… I feel ashamed. I should apologize to you.”
“Oh… There’s no need for that. I know you’re looking out for me by pushing me like this. I don’t think you underestimate me…”
Su Xiaoxiao waved her hands hastily, telling Cloudy Crane to look up. She didn’t want him thinking about this constantly.
His apology felt too heavy for her.
Yet, she couldn’t help feeling slightly proud. From his words, she sensed his recognition of her strength. She was on the right path! She could keep pushing herself!
One day, she’ll be just as strong as Cloudy Crane, Mu Jixue, and Lin Zhongyu, fighting side by side with them.
Thinking of this, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered with complexity. If she had pulled herself together earlier, this wouldn’t have happened to Chenchen…
“Miss Xiaoxiao,” Cloudy Crane’s voice snapped Su Xiaoxiao back from her thoughts.
Cloudy Crane gave her an encouraging look, “Let’s not worry about other things for now, focus on training today.”
As he slowly drew the Snowcloud Sword, ready to join the battle and fight alongside Su Xiaoxiao.
Feeling his encouragement, Su Xiaoxiao perked up. “Okay! Big Bro Cloud, let’s go deeper then.”
The nearby Qi Refinement stage monster beasts were no longer much of a challenge for her. Su Xiaoxiao hoped Cloudy Crane would go further, and the deeper the better.
She wanted to challenge her limits.
Cloudy Crane shared the same sentiment. And the deeper they went, the closer they might get to someone.
…
Cloudy Crane and Su Xiaoxiao explored together.
At first, Su Xiaoxiao showed some hesitation in battle, but after many wins and challenges, she adapted gradually. Clearly, she wanted to improve.
As they moved farther away from where they initially split up, higher-tier monster beasts began showing up, especially those at the Foundation Establishment stage.
During battles, Su Xiaoxiao always stood in front of Cloudy Crane, protecting him. Her trained body and defensive skills were astounding. Combined with the additional layer provided by Wooden Armor, even Foundation Establishment monsters struggled to break through and hurt her seriously.
Attacks landing on her were mostly minor scrapes, which barely required a wood-based healing spell. Thanks to Su Xiaoxiao’s formidable vitality, they healed almost instantaneously without scarring.
Her sheer toughness even made Sword Cultivator Cloudy Crane feel envious, wanting to study her body.
After all, while Cloudy Crane had maxed out his offensive skills with Sword Techniques, his physical strength wasn’t too impressive; he was frail, like paper—easily crushed by even sword spirits.
Maybe he should try to train his physical body?
But the thought quickly flashed past his mind.
Cultivation paths like Sword-Cultivating, Spell-Casting, Physical Cultivation, Alchemy, Weapon Cultivation, and Beast-Riding are myriad. But each requires vast resources and energy. One needs to specialize to make progress, instead of spreading thinly across multiple paths and diluting one’s focus.
Moreover, Cloudy Crane needed to focus on improving his spiritual realm rather than just physical strength. Right now, raising his spiritual realm seemed impossible.
They maintained their formation, advancing steadily with synergy.
With Super Shield Su Xiaoxiao leading the charge, Cloudy Crane could fully unleash his Sword Techniques, dealing lethal strikes effortlessly without hesitation.
As they delved deeper, the scenery changed drastically.
Once verdant and full of life, the forest now turned ominously silent. Trees grew abnormally large, branches thick and twisted. Dark branches spread like the claws of a demonic dragon, blocking the sky and making the forest even more chilling.
The ground became muddy and slippery. Thick vines coiled like lurking dragons poking their heads out, obstructing the path.
Air reeked of damp and cold, making breathing heavy.
“Could this be the legendary Ghost Vine Forest?”
Cloudy Crane surveyed the area sharply, muttering to himself.
After joining the Xuantian Sect, new disciples learned basic cultivation knowledge and monster encyclopedias. The scene before him closely matched what was taught about the habitat of the Ghost Vine Tree Demon.
The Ghost Vine Tree Demon was an extremely vicious plant monster. It liked to strangle any creature near it and bury their bodies in its roots, feeding on their flesh and bl**d as nourishment.
Not only was it incredibly strong and durable, but its vine-like branches were also covered in sharp poison thorns, making it nearly impossible to guard against.
To make matters worse, numerous trees in the Ghost Vine Forest hadn’t turned into demons, making identification tricky. A momentary lapse could mean falling into the demon’s trap.
Though this was a specially designated monster forest within the Xuantian Sect, generally there was no risk of d*ath. Missing an opportunity to train here would be a shame.
Su Xiaoxiao looked nervous. On one hand, the difficulty increased significantly in the Ghost Vine Forest compared to previous places. On the other hand, the eerie atmosphere made her uneasy. Massive tree trunks seemed to have terrifying faces, making her shiver. Especially since she was naturally timid.
Cautiously, she leaned toward Cloudy Crane, bowing and clutching his arm, her body shaking.
Cloudy Crane chuckled reluctantly. “What if we took a detour?”
Even Cloudy Crane felt an icy chill at the back of his neck, as if walking through a haunted house.
“No worries… I can handle it…” Su Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth.
She didn’t want to miss this training opportunity.
She couldn’t run away. Her past tendency to avoid things led to regrets…
A while later, Su Xiaoxiao overcame her fear, mustering her courage. “Big Bro Cloud, let’s go in.”
With that, she stepped forward towards the depths of the dark forest.
Seeing this, a glimmer of relief appeared in Cloudy Crane’s eyes. He followed her, maintaining a steady distance. Close enough to support her but far enough to let her grow.
Like a silent guardian watching every step.
Together, they headed deeper into the forest. After ten minutes, they encountered no monsters.
Su Xiaoxiao gradually calmed down.
Suddenly, a strange noise broke the silence from the right.
Su Xiaoxiao’s leg shook involuntarily, but she stayed calm. She turned to Cloudy Crane, giving him a determined look. They cautiously approached the source of the noise.
Battling through dense bushes, they saw a murky wetland ahead. In the center stood a massive black tree entangled with black vines covered in sharp thorns. As the thorny vines moved, they resembled black serpents flying through the air.
This is a Ghost Vine Tree Demon!
Around the demon, two or three groups fought together. Spirit energies and sword beams crashed against the demon, making it fight back fiercely. Venomous thorny vines whipped at the attackers so hard it sent them crying in pain, causing a gruesome scene.
