Chapter 725: Strike While It’s Hot

The Soulfruit Tree placed inside the spatial ring was still losing magic power, with no means to halt it.

The only options now were either to re-establish a magic channel for the Soulfruit Tree and use the Lightgreen Gem Dragon to cultivate the last Milon Mind Fruit, or to let it continue losing magic power, wasting the three unbloomed flower buds.

"Never mind!"

After a moment of hesitation, Liszt decisively put aside his inner conflict, took the Soulfruit Tree out of the spatial ring, and handed it to Acheronides: "Use it for research. While it hasn’t completely withered yet, study carefully what unique properties the Soulfruit Tree possesses."

"Understood!"

If they could uncover the secrets of the Soulfruit Tree, it would naturally be the best outcome—far more valuable than sacrificing the Lightgreen Gem Dragon for just one Milon Mind Fruit.

Acheronides began researching the Soulfruit Tree, while Liszt didn’t just stand around. He also used Magic Eye to continuously observe the tree’s magic power fluctuations, providing her with live updates. At the same time, he picked up the bone shovel and continued digging the small pit from earlier.

This pit had once held a tree that yielded three Milon Mind Fruits.

Now, another Soulfruit Tree had grown here—this plot of land surely hid secrets. The bone shovel kept biting into the earth, scoop by scoop, and Magic Eye kept observing. He meticulously examined almost every shovelful of soil, checking for any hidden "seed" capable of sprouting a Soulfruit Tree.

By now, he no longer believed the Soulfruit Tree was merely a special type of plant.

The fact that it could neutralize the Invisible Dragon’s gem proved just how extraordinary its properties were. He even had some bold speculations—perhaps the Soulfruit Tree was somehow connected to the sacred dragons. So far, he had encountered two sacred dragons: the invisible dragon’s spatial gem was uncannily potent, and the Smoke Dragon’s fate-wielding power was even more fearsome.

From a resource-yield perspective, gem dragons and metal dragons were undoubtedly crucial.

But in terms of the unique nature of their powers, elemental dragons, which could toggle between magical and physical forms, were undoubtedly more miraculous than gem and metal dragons. As for sacred dragons, their marvels spoke for themselves.

In other words, the tier of power possessed by sacred dragons clearly surpassed that of elemental dragons, which in turn surpassed that of metal and gem dragons.

"The fact that it can negate the stasis effect of the spatial gem proves that the Soulfruit Tree’s tier of power is at least on par with the Invisible Dragon’s. And since it feeds on dragons to produce fruits that can bind a dragon’s mental power… the Soulfruit Tree must be intrinsically tied to dragons."

His thoughts continued to wander.

Legends told of the Elven King who could transform into a forest where dragons made their home. Was the Soulfruit Tree connected to the Elven King?

Or was it tied to the dream power of the Emerald Dragon, or the time power of the Dusk Dragon? It probably had nothing to do with the life force of the Fairy Dragon—or perhaps it was simply its own unique, miraculous plant?

The bone shovel bit into the earth, scoop by scoop.

Dirt mounded around the excavation, but Liszt found nothing resembling a seed or anything imbued with magic power. After digging about two meters down, he hit the bedrock beneath the soil—this island was bedrock through and through.

As a dragon knight, Liszt possessed immense strength and stamina, letting him dig at an astonishing pace. Within an hour, he had excavated a circular pit one meter in diameter.

The bottom of the pit was smooth bedrock, the same type of rock as the cliffs surrounding the island.

"I couldn’t identify the rock type." Liszt didn’t know much about geology and couldn’t deduce how Mind Island had formed. But one thing was clear: no volcano had formed this island.

"So the question remains."

"If no 'seed' lurked beneath the bedrock, then how did the Soulfruit Tree grow here? I was certain I had dug up all the roots of the withered Soulfruit Tree before—it’s unlikely a fragment was left behind to regrow into a new tree."

There were many doubts, but with no seed to be found, he could only assume his earlier work had been sloppy, leaving behind a root fragment.

Proving this would be easy: "Now that I have two Soulfruit Trees, I have plenty of roots to spare. Does that mean I can artificially cultivate more?" He filled a pot with soil, buried a withered root fragment inside, and placed it in the spatial ring.

Then, he broke apart the bedrock, confirming that there was only more rock beneath, before refilling the pit with the surrounding soil.

If his speculation was correct—that the roots were the seeds—then dousing the potted soil with Lightgreen Gem Dragon blood would eventually nurture a new Soulfruit Tree. If the roots weren’t the seeds but were instead tied to the environment, then the refilled pit might still sprout a new tree.

All in all.

For a long time to come, Mind Island will remain a key subject of research.

...

Shifting his gaze from the pit back to the Soulfruit Tree, Liszt watched as the tree, now drained of its magic, visibly withered before their eyes. Acheronides carefully cut away several small sections, experimenting with different methods.

Liszt could do nothing but watch.

Instead, he turned his attention to the still-unconscious Lightgreen Gem Dragon. Emaciated to skin and bone, its wounds refusing to heal, it hovered between life and death, its breathing shallow. Yet its magic had stabilized—though faint, it was slowly recovering.

After all, it had been fed numerous potions earlier.

"I wonder when the Lightgreen Gem Dragon will awaken and how long it will take to recover from its injuries. A dragon's high-magic usually heals quickly, but this time, its ultra-magic has been shaken. Recovery won't be easy… Leo only grew this large thanks to volcanic ultra-magic and the residual ultra-magic left behind by the Fire Dragon."

Ultra-magic was dragon will—the extreme magical force that allowed Leo to switch between a purely magical form and a physical body, inherited from the previous Fire Dragon.

High-magic, on the other hand, was the ambient magic casually emitted by dragons, on par with the power of the Magic Web.

High-magic was easy to restore—by consuming restorative potions or nutrient-rich meat, it could quickly return. But ultra-magic had to be meticulously refined and concentrated. For the Lightgreen Gem Dragon to regain its former strength would likely take more than just a year or two.

"Still, this plays right into my hands. Its weakened state is the perfect opportunity to tame it!" Liszt stroked the faintly warm scales on the Lightgreen Gem Dragon’s neck, a smile curling his lips. "The process has been complicated, but in the end, this dragon has become mine to claim!"

He narrowed his eyes at the exposed Dragon Tooth Platform: "I definitely can’t bear to use the Milon Mind Fruit, but the First Dragon Knight’s imprint must still be dealt with."

A sudden thought struck him—should he mount it now, while the Lightgreen Gem Dragon remained unconscious and its mental strength weakened, and unleash a fierce psychic assault?

If he could erase the mental imprint, wouldn't the Lightgreen Gem Dragon become utterly subservient?

Licking his lips, his pulse raced. Within three seconds, he had already made up his mind to do it!