As the feedback from their connection suddenly intensified, a strange sensation stirred within Li Ye, and right then, a system notification popped up.
[…]
[You have used a blood refinement method to care for the Tier-4 spirit plant, Jianmu Subspecies: Voidrealm Tree Sapling, raising its power to Tier-2. Gained 1000 EXP...]
[…]
[The Tier-4 spirit plant, Jianmu Subspecies: Voidrealm Tree Sapling, has accumulated further power. You have obtained: Voidrealm Essence ×2...]
[…]
[Your bond with the Tier-4 spirit plant Jianmu Subspecies: Voidrealm Tree Sapling has deepened. Fixed Essence increased by +0.1%...]
Two units of Voidrealm Essence in one go?!
And the "Fixed Essence" prompt appeared again!
Li Ye's eyes widened slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably into a grin. The joy on his face was obvious and unrestrained.
These changes once again confirmed what he had previously suspected:
With the tree's advancement to Tier 2, not only had its mysterious abilities grown more potent, but the various forms of feedback it provided had improved as well.
"If this continues… could it be that for each tier it reaches, I can upgrade my spiritual root aptitude once?"
"Wait doesn't that mean I could go from Low-Grade to Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root?!"
"And the amount of Voidrealm Essence I receive would increase by one each year for every tier it rises… Not only can I prevent my lifespan from decreasing, but I could gain extra years?!"
Li Ye's expression became complex somewhere between deeply moved and wildly exhilarated. His confidence in pursuing the Dao was now stronger than ever.
And right after the Voidrealm Tree finished giving its feedback...
Though it had just advanced to Tier-2, its power began to quickly withdraw, and the domain it had formed weakened significantly.
Soon, it seemed only slightly stronger than it had been at Tier 1. The earlier state when it fused with the formation and almost created its independent void was completely gone.
"Hm? What's going on…"
Seeing this strange change, Li Ye frowned and focused his senses on their connection. After a moment, his expression cleared.
"So that's it… After breaking through to Tier 2, the ambient spiritual energy here is no longer enough to sustain its full power. It's instinctively conserving energy not malfunctioning."
Realizing this, Li Ye couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
Originally, he'd hoped that if the tree could continuously evolve by absorbing flesh and blood, he'd have a workaround even without a suitable spiritual vein.
But now it was clear: while that method did work, once the tree advanced, it still required adequate spiritual energy to maintain its new strength.
"Sigh… Still, now that it has reached Tier-2 and its vitality is even stronger, transplanting it should be much less problematic…"
"This matter of spiritual land is, for now, more or less resolved…"
Not dwelling on it further, Li Ye sat cross-legged beneath the tree and began refining the two units of Voidrealm Essence.
Even though reaching Foundation Establishment had already extended his lifespan by a century granting him 200 years in total the rich, full sensation that came with refining the Voidrealm Essence still left him feeling deeply soothed, as though he were melting into a warm spring breeze.
Gradually returning to his senses, he wiped a trace of moisture from the corner of his eye. His entire being now radiated with vitality.
With the circulation of his blood and qi, his body began subtly strengthening itself even without any active effort driven purely by its own instinctive optimization.
"Feels like I've got a time-reversing electric meter," he muttered with amusement, "Only thing missing now is a Foundation or higher-level body cultivation technique to fully put this to use…"
Murmuring to himself, Li Ye opened up his system panel:
[Name: Li Ye]
[Spiritual Root: Mid-Grade Earth-Wood Dual Root]
[Age: 30]
[Lifespan: 184 years]
[Skills:]
Planting: Tier-2 (High) (3351 / 40,000)
Alchemy: Tier-2 (Mid) (2166 / 40,000)
Artifact Crafting: Tier-1 (Mid) (472 / 5000)
Talismans: Tier-2 (Mid) (2893 / 20,000)
Gu Techniques: Tier-2 (Low) (1937 / 15,000)
Formations: Tier-2 (Low) (36,749 / 60,000)
[Herbal Essences Essences:]
Blood Grain Rice Essence ×500
Evergreen Essence ×300
[Essence Traits:]
Vitality Lv.1
Absorption Lv.1
Wood-Spirit Lv.1
Tongtian Lv.1
[Experience: 1000]
....
Over the past year or so, Li Ye had poured all the 30,000-plus experience he'd accumulated into the Dao of Formations, solely to strengthen his foundation as much as possible. He wanted to guard against any unforeseen method Pingyang Mountain might use to break through his array, potentially disrupting his cultivation plans.
In the end, however, even until Xu Pingyang died within the formation, he never displayed any abilities beyond Li Ye's expectations.
Compared to before, the most significant change on his status panel was undoubtedly the Lifespan section.
Where it had long remained fixed at 82 years, it had now skyrocketed so much so that Li Ye felt an unexpected sense of abundance.
"Though Foundation Establishment cultivation is incredibly difficult, at least time is now on my side. As long as the Voidrealm Tree and my life are intact, I can steadily grind my way to higher realms, even if it's slow going…"
Li Ye couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
As a result, the Lava Palace Secret Realm which once had some appeal to him now failed to stir even the slightest sense of urgency.
"Hmm... I could try cultivating the paths of beast taming and puppetry, then gradually send them into the underground lava to scout. I'll cross-reference the information left behind by Xu Pingyang and Ma Ying... Step by step, I'll uncover what's down there before making any bold moves."
With his thoughts growing clearer, Li Ye began formulating even more ideas:
"If someone from the Ma Clan does show up, I wouldn't mind playing along and letting them go down to explore… Even if they do gain some fortune from it, so what?"
"As long as it doesn't hinder my cultivation or survival, using them to eliminate potential threats is a win for me."
Standing up, Li Ye slowly paced in front of the Voidrealm Tree. As his thoughts wandered, an idea suddenly struck him:
"Now that I think about it… I could even consider trying some secret arts that trade lifespan for power!"
"If I gain an extra year of life every year… then over time, the combat strength I could convert from that surplus would be terrifying…"
He mentally filed the idea away for later consideration. With the Voidrealm Tree now stabilized, Li Ye didn't linger. He followed a small slope down the mountain.
After a short walk, the terrain suddenly leveled out, revealing a modest residence nestled on the hillside.
This was a place Li Ye would occasionally use for rest when he wasn't cultivating. He had also arranged for Lan Xinyi to stay here.
Deactivating the barrier, he stepped into the courtyard and immediately spotted Lan Xinyi sitting blankly under the eaves, looking fragile and worn, like a piece of delicate, pale paper.
She looked toward the gate as she heard the sound, instinctively glancing over.
When she saw Li Ye, she froze at first. Then, hatred flared in her eyes but it was quickly replaced by helplessness, pain, and remorse.
She had seen firsthand everything the Lan Clan had done. Even she now felt that their downfall was a result of their schemes and greed.
But her younger brother had still been killed by Li Ye's hand. That was something she could never forget for the rest of her life.
Seeing the complicated emotion on her face, Li Ye's expression also held a trace of helplessness. He didn't bring up the past he simply said:
"From this day forward, Changcui Mountain is yours again. You may recruit spiritual seedlings from among the mortals and reestablish your clan…"
"As long as I remain in the Chidi Mountains, I will ensure your protection."
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