The chaos outside had little real impact on Li Ye.
As someone who had anticipated the emergence of the lava palace five years ago, he had already made thorough preparations long in advance.
Though he outwardly appeared to be reacting hastily, everything that had happened so far remained well within his expectations.
Li Ye had already modified the fire vein beneath Pingyang Mountain. With layers of formations and mechanical constructs, the area had been reinforced unless a catastrophic eruption occurred, the usual level of array activation would be well within tolerable limits.
He wasn't about to let other people's reckless actions blow up his home base.
Of course, if the main body of the lava palace were to fully activate and burst through the earth to reemerge…
Well, no need to worry Li Ye had already set up an emergency evacuation formation. At the press of a button, he could scoop up the Voidrealm Tree and all his spiritual plants and flee immediately!
He had also experimented with the fire vein and barely managed to open up a narrow long-distance tunnel.
It wasn't wide enough for a person to pass through, but it was perfect for deploying and retrieving specialized surveillance puppets described in the Heavenly Craft Scripture. These could roll their way directly into a cave with a view of the lava palace.
As long as they weren't activated, these puppets would be indistinguishable from dead rock. Even if they were damaged, there would be little to suggest anything unusual.
Even a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense would have difficulty detecting them without close inspection.
He didn't plan to do anything sneaky with them he simply wanted to keep an eye on what was happening below.
And if these Heavenly Art puppets suddenly got wiped out en masse, that would be his cue to pack up and run!
So, while the numerous Foundation Establishment and even Qi Refining cultivators busied themselves with exploration underground, Li Ye remained holed up in the mountains, tending his fields.
One day, while using the great formation to trigger a widespread spiritual rain and promote the growth and seeding of Qingluo Grass across the mountain, a sudden development caught him off guard.
As the usual progress notifications blinked across his interface, the panel suddenly trembled, and several entries unlike any he'd ever seen leaped into view:
[...] [Your "Tongtian (Level 1)" trait has been triggered…]
[The Tier-2 spiritual plant "Qingluo Grass" you sowed has evolved in essence and advanced to Tier-3!]
[...] [Your "Wood Spirit (Level 2)" trait has activated…]
[The Tier-3 spiritual plant "Qingluo Grass" has given birth to a Wood Spirit and formed a contract with you!]
[...]
Holy crap!
Those two traits finally decided to activate?!
Li Ye's eyes widened slightly, both excitement and the urge to shout pouring in at once.
First, it was the Tongtian trait that upgraded a Qingluo Grass plant to Tier-3, and then Wood Spirit immediately followed, allowing that very plant to give birth to a Wood Spirit!
Considering that Qingluo Grass was by far the spiritual plant he'd sown the most so much so that he'd long lost count of how many covered the mountain this was big.
Li Ye couldn't quite tell whether this was simply the inevitable result of numbers finally hitting the odds after sowing enough seeds or if the Qingluo Grass had triggered the [Wood Spirit] trait because it had first been elevated in rank.
But he didn't dwell on it for long. His attention was soon drawn to a sudden, faint sense of connection that had emerged in his soul.
The sensation felt as though it were linked to a newborn, pure little life!
Activating his formation, a surge of void power descended. In the blink of an eye, Li Ye vanished and reappeared on a freshly grown patch of grass atop the mountain.
There, a single plant stood out starkly from the rest of the Qingluo Grass it had crystal-clear, blue-green leaves veined with faint silver, unfolding like a blooming flower.
Within the plant, a vague, formless phantom flickered into view, casting a gaze toward Li Ye. It was like a newborn life reaching out to its creator, yearning for an embrace and nourishment.
"A living spirit born of grass and wood... So this is a Wood Spirit, huh…"
Murmuring, Li Ye reached out and carefully tended to the Tier-3 Qingluo Grass. Almost immediately, a wisp of his Wood God Art's power was gently absorbed by the plant.
As the energy was taken in, the spiritual plant's aura grew slightly stronger, emitting flickers of blue-green light. The surrounding Qingluo Grass, as if in the presence of a monarch, all bent gently toward it.
It was quite the spectacle.
"It even has its divine ability… Can command other ordinary Tier-2 Qingluo Grass…"
Li Ye was still muttering this half-formed judgment when he saw some nearby Qingluo Grass get touched by the emitted blue-green light. Each one's aura strengthened just a bit in response.
Vaguely, it seemed as though they were being nudged toward a transformation toward catching up to the Tier-3 Qingluo Grass.
"Its spiritual energy dispersal can even enhance other Qingluo Grass… Given enough time, this could lead to more Tier-3 plants sprouting from the rest?"
"Hiss…"
Li Ye sucked in a sharp breath. This was the first time since discovering the Voidrealm Tree that a spiritual plant had genuinely shocked him.
If this held true, then any spiritual plant species so long as he could nurture just one to this level could eventually elevate its entire kind!
And thanks to the soul link formed between them, he could even influence and command all others of its type with ease!
At that moment, Li Ye began to understand why the [Tongtian] and [Wood Spirit] traits were so ridiculously difficult to trigger…
If something this overpowered could be activated casually, even he would start to question what the point of bitter cultivation was anymore.
Might as well just turn himself into a tree and plant himself in the ground!
"Though now I'm wondering... is this insane effect from Tongtian or Wood Spirit?"
He pondered silently.
He leaned toward believing that it was the [Tongtian] trait that elevated the plant's rank first, which in turn allowed the [Wood Spirit] trait to activate resulting in a wood spirit that possessed such race-defining power.
"Its ability to regulate spiritual energy is already present... just enhanced now. This little thing alone is as effective as a hundred Tier-2 counterparts. And thanks to its self-regulation, even a Tier-2 spirit vein can still support it."
Li Ye's expression grew increasingly serious.
The birth of this Qingluo Grass wood spirit had, in one stroke, solved a long-standing problem that had been limiting the power of his formations!
No matter how he arranged to gather spiritual energy, any Tier-3 grand formation he built could only run for short durations. And because of the Voidrealm Tree's current rank, the void energy it channeled was weaker than ideal.
Against a Golden Core cultivator, such a formation wouldn't hold for long at all.
But now, if he could cultivate enough Tier-3 Qingluo Grass, and use the wood spirit's command to embed them across his formation as living spirit nodes to regulate spiritual energy, then the entire formation could run far longer and more stably!
Even a Golden Core expert would have to work hard to break through no longer just buying time, but offering real defense!
And this wood spirit was only just born. Who knew what its true growth potential could be? It might gain even more powers in time.
Filled with joy, Li Ye decisively transplanted the Tier-3 Qingluo Grass with the wood spirit to the core node of the Voidrealm Tree's formation.
That way, not only could it receive the resources it needed to grow, but it could also harness the void energy from the formation to radiate its aura across the mountain and enhance other Qingluo Grass.
With everything in place, and feeling the joy transmitted from the wood spirit, Li Ye smiled as well.
"But with all that said, continuing to call this plant Qingluo Grass just doesn't feel right anymore…"
"Its leaves are crystal-clear, blue-green like water, laced with silver veins... Maybe I should give it a new name Blue-Silver, perhaps."
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 345+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader