Mortrexo

Chapter 1351. Snatching the [Star Torso Tulip]. Jump in difficulty.

The process of transmuting the [Star Mind Pill] was relatively short. Being careful and meticulous, Yasenia took around six weeks to transform the pill into a higher-quality one. Once she finished, the purity reached around 65% with four tribulation rings.  

Presenting the pill, the second door unlocked, leaving Yasenia with three doors left to open. 

“Thankfully, it works.” Yasenia sighed softly. To be honest, she was a bit nervous. After all, what if the trial needed you to do the concoction each time you wanted to analyze a pill? If that were the case, then the Transmutation would not work, and she would be left with no other option but to practice and complete the pill recipes.

“I spent, taking into account the time for transmutation, almost ten months. With the four months I used previously, I have around five years left of Secret Realm for the last three pills.” 

Soluna hugged her arm and smiled widely. “You can do it, Yasenia! I believe in you!” 

The dragoness laughed lightly. Then, she turned to look at the third house and approached it. On the empty door, a new pill recipe appeared. “First it was the limbs, then the mind, now the body…” 

As Yasenia read the recipe of the [Star Body Pill], she knew that she needed to make haste. “Thankfully, the oldest herbs for this pill continue to be 500,000 years old.” 

Checking the map, Yasenia donned her mantle and quickly left the central area, making sure to keep her presence as hidden as possible. “I need to collect a few more [Star Arm Rose], [Star Leg Orchids], and [Star Brain Daisies]... With the transmutation process, the number I will need has more than doubled.” 

Thankfully, the plants in the 500,000-year-old area were remarkably powerful, forming a natural barrier that deterred most average cultivator groups from entering. Even after almost two years had passed since the garden opened, the number of people near the central area remained barely unchanged. 

Yasenia quickly collected the Rose, Orchid, and Daisy. “Alright… Now I have to find the [Star Torso Tulip]... Really, a strange name again. Who named these plants? I mean, I agree that they all look twisted and quite creepy, but…” 

While she pondered about them, she found a group of people near the [Star Torso Tulip] area. “Hm… They are fighting it. Should I go collect another one? No…” Yasenia feared that the limited number of flowers would become detrimental to her alchemy process. So, she couldn’t let go of a single one of them she came across. 

Looking at the group’s attire, she failed to recognize them. ‘This is good. I have memorized the sect groups with the most influence. If I can’t identify their symbol and robes, they must not be a powerful sect.’ 

Compared to her current enemies, these people were not something she needed to worry about. So, with a deep breath, Yasenia erased her presence as much as she could and approached slowly, like a predator stalking her prey. 

“Hold the front! The vines in this area are starting to become less numerous!”  

The leader, a tall man with a frank expression and muscular body, guided his group slowly through the wild barrage of vines. Looking at the battlefield, he couldn’t help but lament. ‘Half a million-year-old plants sure are tough. We’ve been advancing through its domain for almost two months, yet the figure of the plant continues to elude us. Can the plant move? Which plant is it even?’

His group was one of the newest to arrive at this location. They had been roaming the 100,000-year-old zone. However, after being chased down by an enemy sect, they ended up here. Reluctant to leave the garden with nothing, he decided to hunt down the plants here. “Who would’ve known that they were this strong? Wild plants of the same age are not that strong… right?” 

He didn’t really know; after all, he had never owned such valuable spiritual herbs.

Looking deeper into the garden, he was somewhat skeptical. “Who can even get the plants deeper in this domain? We are all restricted to the same strengths…” 

By his side, a slightly short but pretty woman spoke to him. “Brother, I felt an energy fluctuation. I am unsure of what it was, since the aura of the flora is too thick to pinpoint it.” 

A deep frown appeared on his face. “Is it an enemy?”

The woman shook her head. “I am unsure. I was lucky to feel it because the plant seemed to have attacked the figure while following us. The second it defended, I spotted it. However, right when I was going to investigate further, the presence blended with the surroundings and disappeared once again.” 

“Sigh…” The man looked around at the group of almost 20 cultivators. “It must be a local beast, right? After all, there is no way a single individual can traverse these dangerous forests alone. They would become plant food in a heartbeat.” 

The woman nodded. “I also think the same. Still, if there are predators from this region onwards, we might want to be more attentive. We can’t lose our sisters and brothers just because we were dismissive.”

“Agreed.”

With those words, the man changed the strategy and moved even more cautiously. 

It took a day to arrive near the vicinity of the plant, attacking them. “Leader! I can see it! From the looks of it, it is a [Star Torso Tulip]!”

The man blinked. “A what?” 

The man who spoke aloud chuckled. “It is part of a family of Star Plants. Their effects are varied and, by themselves, are quite powerful. Still, when you combine all of them, there is a chance of a breakthrough even for Transcendence Cultivators. They are as precious as they are dangerous and complicated to work with.”

“Hoh~? That’s quite great. How do we harvest it?”

While they spoke, a powerful and profound aura burst forth from the side. Everyone in the man’s group opened their eyes as they saw a person wearing a dark mantle appear out of nowhere. 

“What is she… Huh?” Noticing the direction of the female figure shrouded in the dark mantle, his eyes widened. “You dare!?”

A shout full of rage burst from his mouth. However, that person didn’t even flinch and accelerated towards the plant. 

The pretty woman snorted. “Suicidal flea. Your greed will be your tomb. Do you really think that a [Star Torso Tulip] is something you can easily deal with?”   

The man, however, felt a sense of foreboding that he didn’t want to ignore. “Charge forward! Don’t let that woman get our spoils!” 

Everyone was surprised at the tone of urgency. Sadly for them, the woman’s body was like a slippery eel, advancing in between the barrage of vine attacks at ridiculous speeds as her blurred giant sword sliced everything in its path. 

While the group of twenty advanced quickly, a lot of their pressure now lifted, Yasenia arrived right before the plant. She muttered to herself. ‘Usually, I would be careful not to hurt your roots. Sadly, I can only be a bit brutish this time around.’ 

Her golden slit eyes glanced at the side once before Draheart flashed before her. Sharp cutting energy coated the giant sword as she carved deep lines on the ground below. 

Slash! Slash! Slash! 

Circling around the plant, Yasenia continued to carve the ground as the group of twenty approached rapidly. ‘I have two more seconds.’ 

Yasenia concentrated, and she quickly barreled down onto the ground. Once her feet touched the dirt, she raised her foot and stomped down with ridiculous strength.

BOOM!

The entire [Star Torso Tulip] jumped from the ground, and Yasenia quickly waved her hand as Draheart swung horizontally.

In the distance, the group of twenty saw the plant soar up several tens of meters, followed by a blinding sword light. After the sword divided the tulip from the roots that latched onto the ground, a wave of energy enveloped it, sucking it into Yasenia’s Spatial Ring.

The group of twenty looked with ridiculous expressions as the hidden dark figure sped into the forest, quickly disappearing from their sight. 

“...” 

Everyone was silent until someone couldn’t help but speak up. “Who was that?”

The leader frowned for a second before sighing. “It’s none of our business. Someone with that ridiculous strength is not a person we can deal with. Ignore them and focus on finding another plant. There must be plenty in this garden, and we still have a few years to collect treasures.” 

Yasenia had left a trace of spiritual sense behind to hear their words. Once she heard the man speak, she sighed softly. ‘Sorry, but this is quite urgent.’ 

During the following three months, Yasenia gathered twelve of each plant. Together with the previous amount, she now had 19 [Star Arm Roses] and [Star Leg Orchids], 14 [Star Brain Daisies], and 13 [Star Torso Tulips].

She even tried finding the next tier of plants as she traveled. However, she encountered nothing with a similar name. 

“Alright, back to the central area. Let’s hope I don’t need to stay outside for too long after this time.” 

First, Yasenia used her [Celestial Intent Domain], just in case she was being tracked. Now that she was familiar with the overall structure of the garden, getting lost was very difficult even when traversing through the Intent Domain.

Once outside, she looked around and nodded. “Alright, I can arrive at the central area in twenty hours if I am careful. 

And careful she was. 

Twenty hours later, Yasenia saw the fountain and five wooden houses. “Finally here!” 

With a wave of her hand, the mantle disappeared, revealing her seductive body wrapped in her usual seductive blue dress.

“Alright, time to craft the [Star Body Pill].” 

Using her focus and experiences, Yasenia took 7 months to craft this pill. Since the difficulty was even higher than the [Star Mind Pill], her increased proficiency could only ensure similar results. 

If she were to concoct the [Star Limb Pill] again, Yasenia was quite confident in getting around 70% of purity. Sadly, that was not the case with this one. 

“Ugh… 58% and three Tribulation Rings… Just a little bit more, and I wouldn’t need to use Transmutation.”

So, after a session of Transmutation and using three extra herbs of each, Yasenia managed to increase the purity to 66% and five Tribulation Rings. 

“I still can’t control the amount of herbs I need properly. Two would’ve sufficed to be a success, so I wasted one set of each. Sigh.”

Her gaze turned toward the fourth door. “[Star Soul Pill]... Huh?” Looking at the recipe, her eyes widened. “One-million-year-old [Star Soul Chrysanthemum]...”   

Yasenia wanted to cry a little bit. 

Chapter 562. Discovery and Action. [AotSC]

Flor gathered with the leaders of the Azure Rose City, Verdant Skyflower City, and Celestial Lotus City. These three people, all Level 99 powerhouses of the A+ Tier, had spread their influence within the Golden Sap Arborarchy laws and adapted swiftly to the change. 

These three people were the following. First, there was Valkan Bluerose, the leader of the Azure Rose City. He changed his name after becoming the capital’s leader and used his strength and influence to help Azure Rose with most internal troubles even before Azure Rose needed to intervene herself. He was a confident and intelligent person, valuing trust and efficiency above all else. 

Second, there was Hana. She is a winged beastkin with blonde hair, white feathers, and average height. Rising above the vast majority of Sylvans dominating the high ranks of the Celestial Lotus Empire, her intelligence, talent, and methods were known worldwide to be matchless. As a perfectionist, she always managed everything without a single mistake, making Celestial Lotus almost a hands-free World Tree within her territory. 

Lastly, but no less importantly, there was Galen. This human man was relatively young, having arrived during his childhood from the main force of the Verdant Sanctity Covenant. Even then, his work ethic primarily consisted of merits towards taking care of the World Trees and other flora. With an almost fanatical thought process, Galen adored and protected all World Trees, considering each and every single one of them as sacred beings whose divinity shouldn’t be sullied.

All three people never resisted nor took a step forward during Liu Shu’s invasion, leaving every single decision to their World Trees. Therefore, instead of appearing active, they shifted to a low-profile work method and cleaned each of their powers. They made sure that something similar to the infamous <True World Resistance> would never happen. 

After all, the fact that the group that had infiltrated and attacked Liu Shu’s capital city during the <Flower Day Festival> was made up of <Fourth Energy Cycles> from their powers was a shame they had yet to live down.

Flor looked at the three people who sat in front of her in her office and smiled. “This is unusual. Thank you for coming from so far away. Is there any urgent news you need to tell me?”

Hana spoke first, her lips arched gently as she spoke softly. “Lady Flor, we wouldn’t dare bother you if it weren’t as such. The reason all three of us came together is because we’ve all sensed the same thing from our respective observatories and wanted to inform you.” 

Flor blinked and tilted her head. “Observatories? What are those?”

This time, it was Galen who spoke. His dark eyes and hair, coupled with his naturally cold facial features, made him look mysterious and gloomy. Of course, his personality was quite opposite to his looks when it came to anything related to World Trees.

“Lady Flor, Observatories were structures that didn’t really matter until recently. However, now that Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow is about to interact with the outside world, we’ve opened them to ensure no accidents happen.” 

Then, he explained their function. “These observatories are structures that can capture unusual energy-dense spots in the night sky. The range is not far, since it can barely cover the distance beyond the last planet of our solar system. Moreover, the ability to spot something in such a vast sky is minute. Only those who purposely leak their energy and have great strength would be spotted in the distance.”

Flor heard the somewhat convoluted explanation and blinked. “So, to summarize… Is it a detection structure of outer-world threats?” 

Hana and the other two nodded. This time, Valkan spoke, his deep voice pleasant to listen to. “Previously, Galen told us, Lady Flor, that a group would arrive in a minimum of 20 years.” 

Flor nodded. It was because of this that Liu Shu became impatient and started her conquest ahead of schedule. Now that they had explained these things, it was easy to guess why they were here.

“Are they already approaching?”

There was a trace of surprise in her voice, and Galan confirmed her doubts. “Indeed. They are thankfully not hiding themselves. So we could spot them right as they entered the Feltera World’s orbit.” 

“Feltera…” 

There were seven planets in their solar system. In order of proximity to the Sun, they were the following: Solkara, Vorathen, Ceperet, Nualis, Feltera, Tiravel, and Erynthea. 

Therefore, the distance between the group and themselves was nothing more than two planetary orbits. Flor’s eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, utterly lost in space matters. “How long will they take to arrive? Even though I’ve been studying, I am still lost in matters related to spatial distances. They feel too foreign and vague with such large distances.” 

Hana chuckled. “Don’t worry, it is the same for everyone. Only when you reach a level where you can travel between the stars will the strangeness disappear.” Then, she commented lightly. “If we were in the stretch between the stars, their <Astraelis>, otherwise known as <Star Travelling Beast>, would arrive at Ceperet in just a few minutes.”

Flor almost jumped from her seat, her eyes widening. Valkan spoke up, his tone calming. “Due to Star Winds, the <Astraelis> can’t use their peak speed when approaching Ceperet from the outside. According to our calculations, they should arrive in five days.” 

Hearing the answer made the Flower Fairy’s eyebrows twitch. “That’s not too reassuring… It has been almost ten years since Liu Shu went to sleep, so we don’t know when she will wake up. Their arrival now, over three years earlier compared to our lowest estimation, is an unpleasant surprise.” 

Flor sighed lightly after she spoke, her eyes complicated. Galen spoke with a serious tone. “Lady Flor, while this may be presumptuous, I would like you to give one chance and trust the Lord and Lady envoys. I’ve barely ever heard of our envoys acting forcefully with newly unshackled worlds. On the contrary, their reason for arrival is usually to protect and guard the recently opened world until the newly ascended True World Tree can protect itself.” 

His words were reassuring, but they didn’t calm the unease in Flor’s heart. After sighing, she asked them. “Do any of you know how strong they are? They should be <Fifth Energy Cycles>, right?” 

Galan nodded. “Yes, the standard party sent to new open worlds is around 50 <Fifth Energy Cycles>. We can’t detect anything definitive through our observatories, so we do not know if there will be a standard delegation or something more. Still, taking into account that Her Beatitude Lady Skyflower praised Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow dearly, there is a chance that the delegation has slightly stronger individuals. I calculate around 75 <Fifth Energy Cycle> powerhouses.” 

Flor rubbed her forehead, her head aching. “If Liu Shu completed her cycle, all of us who are stuck could instantly Level Up. Moreover, the city would follow Liu Shu’s Level Up, giving us a strong fortress that they would barely be able to pierce through…”

Hana heard those words and asked, curious. “... Is that true, Lady Flor?”

Flor blinked and smiled. “Yes. She has a title that makes all <Lignified> trees she builds and assimilates grow to her own level. Of course, their strength is far from Liu Shu’s, but they are powerful defensive structures…” She added lightly. “They are considered Liu Shu’s children, so abusing them for war is out of question. They will only step up when someone breaches our defenses.” 

The three leaders got thoughtful and nodded lightly. “That’s powerful. The number of <Lignified> species is, after all, in the hundreds of thousands, isn't it?” 

After a moment's thought, Flor nodded. “If you count all the trees Liu Shu planted in all the cities around the world, then yes. The number should be around 200,000. Around 30,000 in our city and around 15,000 in each of the other main continental cities.” 

These numbers were readily available to someone at their level of influence. So, hiding them or being secretive was not something she could do, nor did she want to do. These three were capable, talented, and able to help Flor and the others carry a lot of the world government’s pressure. 

After they got silent for a moment, thoughts swirling in their minds, Galen spoke up. “Lady Flor, if you don’t mind, would you like to make a world gathering of all city leaders so that we can sort things out before they arrive? As long as you are willing, gathering within three days is more than possible.”

“Is it?” Flor tilted her head, unsure as to how to gather everyone so quickly. 

Valkan smiled. “Since Lady Liu Shu’s <Summoning Blessing> enveloped the world, all summoners are able to summon two free creatures all the time. Many summoners have taken a liking to working in transportation. There are special aerial services among the most talented.”

“Aha.” Flor smiled. “Using those flying creatures, we will be able to gather everyone swiftly, right?”

The three nodded at once, amusing Flor. “Did you three speak together before? You are so in sync.”

Hana chuckled gently, her white wings fluttering lightly. “Not at all, Lady Flor. Still, we have known each other for several decades already. Therefore, we more or less know what the other parties are thinking. Now that we are firm allies, it is quite pleasant to interact with these two.”

Valkan smiled wryly. “I feel the same. Previously, I was always on my toes when communicating with you. The times you’ve managed to trick me into doing your bidding are not few.”

Galen muttered softly. “It is the will of Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow, so all shall come under the same canopy.”  

After conversing a while longer with these three peculiar individuals, Flor decided to gather some of her close people: Verena, Melody, the four Sylvans, and Ignatia, among others. While they weren’t city leaders, their influence was no less than theirs. All had special positions that everyone in the world respected. 

Faster than estimated, everyone gathered two days later in a large room created inside a <Town Hall> tree. Flor looked at everyone and couldn’t help but feel awed inside. ‘When did the leaders grow so much? Almost all people gathered from major cities are <Fourth Energy Cycles>.’ 

This showed the growth of Liu Shu’s influence. Her titles, coupled with her <Temple> blessings, allowed many to resurface from obscurity and take arms where previously they unwillingly retreated.  

“Welcome to the first <World Gathering>. Today, we will talk about the envoys from the <Verdant Sanctity Covenant>. We will create countermeasures in case they are hostile, and we will also make sure not to offend them and pre-prepare a location where they can rest.”  

Inside, Flor was sighing endlessly. ‘Let’s hope they aren’t too strong.’ 

Chapter 1350. Relearning Transmutation. The Influence of Spiritual Cooking.

“Sui Xing, guide me, please. I’ve only used the Earth Refining Cauldron on raw materials and Heaven-ranked treasures before. So, anything above that is a first. I don’t really want to mess up the pill I’ve got after half a year of effort.” 

With her words, Sui Xing created a projection, and he appeared in front of Yasenia. His tall body, handsome features, and masculine allure were those of a former God who reached impressive heights. Yasenia didn’t even flinch, though. She felt only appreciation, as if looking at a beautiful piece of art.

“Let’s see. Transmutation is a profession that gains importance as the rank of the treasures increases. After all, to enhance a material of the same realm, you need many more than those you would need to create it from scratch.”

Sui Xing's calm words made the dragoness blink in thought. “So, I will need to invest some powerful herbs to enhance the pill slightly, right?” 

“Yes.” Sui Xing approached the [Earth Refining Cauldron] and pointed at it. “While this cauldron looks exactly the same as an Alchemy Cauldron, its inner workings are utterly different. An Alchemy Cauldron’s inside is perfectly insulative, accepting only energy and keeping everything else out of it. Moreover, their effects are always related to flame resistance, heat control, and residue control.” 

As he sat cross-legged by Yasenia’s side, he continued the explanation. “On the other hand, a Transmutation Cauldron has properties to manipulate the matter inside of it. So, when you work with it, you will be trying to understand and rearrange the inner composition of the items through the materials you used for the transmutation.” 

“Oh…” Yasenia muttered, her arms crossing below her weighty soft bundles. “Previously, I went a bit on pure instinct. Mirrory and Valeria were also somewhat unsure about how to use it because their previous masters never really dabbled with it. So, their guidance was more like pointing in a general direction and hoping that my steps were steady as I walked.”

Sui Xing laughed, his large hand patting Yasenia’s head. “Well, Transmutation is one of, if not the rarest profession anyone can choose. After all, you can’t create through Transmutation, only change existing items. The cost-effectiveness is also atrocious. So, you won’t get as rich as Alchemists, Blacksmiths, Talisman Masters, and all those general professions.” 

“No wonder there are almost no people who practice it… I am impressed that it didn’t go extinct in the first place.”

Yasenia’s words made Sui Xing’s lips arch. “If it weren’t because a few families kept it as a tradition, it would’ve gone extinct. I guess that Body Cultivation disappeared in the lower heavens because of that exact reason. Practicing it is slow and painful, and the advantages are not as palpable as with the alternatives, Soul and Spiritual Cultivation.” 

The dragoness agreed. By itself, a body cultivator was really strong. However, they lacked the practicality that Soul and Spiritual cultivators had. For a body cultivator, their only choice is to charge forward and land a hit. Of course, if they landed it, the other side would suffer tremendously. 

Sui Xing smiled faintly. “Now that you have basic knowledge of the background and uses of the craft, let’s go into practice. Place that pill aside for now and take out other Transcendence Realm pills in your ring.”

Yasenia nodded. First, she stored the wooden box with the [Star Mind Pill], and then she took out a mid-ranked Transcendence-ranked healing pill.

When Sui Xing saw it, his eyes flashed with appreciation. “I have yet to see this fox girl of yours, but if this pill was crafted by her, your praise might not be exaggerated at all.”

Yasenia’s chest puffed with pride. “Of course! My Honey is a super genius of the alchemy and parasite paths!” 

“...Parasites.” Sui Xing smiled awkwardly. “Try not to let others learn about this. Even Demonic Cultivators hate parasite cultivators.” Changing subjects, he spoke. “Either way, take out a new pill.”

“Eh?” Yaenia blinked, confused.

Sui Xing gently tapped Yasenia’s forehead, his tone amused. “Aren’t we here trying to learn how to purify pills? Why did you take out one with 100% purity and nine tribulation rings?” 

“Oh. Right. I wanted to boast about Kali’s skills so much that I ended up taking a perfectly concocted pill.”

With that in mind, Yasenia retrieved another healing pill. This one was far from being as pure, with around 72% purity and five tribulation rings. 

“Great. Is this hers as well? It feels different.”

“No. This one is a pill I concocted with Kali’s help. That’s why it is so good and pretty!”

Even though it was she who made it, Yasenia made sure to highlight her dear's contributions!

Seeing Yasenia’s proudly wagging tail, Sui Xing laughed lightly. “Alright, throw it into the cauldron.”

“Huh?” The dragoness tilted her head. “Throw it in as is? I don’t need to first purify the herbs?” 

“No. That’s only done by those who don’t have talent or skill.” 

“...” Yasenia spoke carefully. “Sui Xing… I don’t have either of those.”

“Who says that?” Sui Xing raised his sword-like eyebrow. “Just follow my words. If you are good at Spiritual Cooking, your talent for Transmutation won’t be bad.”

While Yasenia wanted to ask what those two had in common, she chose to first focus and receive Sui Xing’s guidance. 

“Great. Your energy must envelop the cauldron like a flame. Don’t summon alchemy flames, though. The process is done entirely with spiritual manipulation.”

“Well done. Now that you’ve enveloped and sunk your energy into the cauldron, hold the pill tightly with the formations inside of it. Imagine that you want to tie up the pill, making it unable to budge or use a single trace of energy.”

Yasenia’s spiritual energy surged, her mind quickly manipulating the formations of the cauldron and tying up the pill right in the center with invisible chains that went through it. ‘This scene… Isn’t it similar to what Mirrory and Saint Fu Jing Jing did during Angel’s inheritance ritual?’  

At that time, Angel was pierced with chains as well, tied down so that Mirrory could be transferred into her. But now that she saw this, perhaps Mirrory and Fu Jing Jing were trying to use the principles of transmutation to mix the powerful Ancient Mirror’s essence into the body of a weak mortal cultivator.

After chaining the pill, Yasenia used her spiritual sense like a flame to heat up and charge the cauldron, illuminating the drawings of mighty mountain chains and dirt until they felt alive. 

“Perfect. With that, you should now be able to control and manipulate the internal structure of the Alchemy Pill. Don’t do it yet, though. Otherwise, you might destroy the internal balance of the treasure and make it go to waste. For now, use a week to slowly sweep the pill’s structure with your spiritual sense and memorize it down to the last detail.” 

Yasenia focused, and for a week straight, she focused on looking at the pill’s internal structure. With the Earth Refining Cauldron’s formations, her gaze could deeply sink into the treasure, her mind swimming through it as she took in what this pill represented. 

As she focused, Sui Xing’s voice reached her once again. “Now… Make sure to pour out the supplements you’ve prepared slowly. Once they enter the cauldron, you will have to use your energy to squeeze out the essence from them that you’ll need to substitute the impure parts.” 

Yasenia did so, her powerful mind and soul working together in a dance of delicate balance and intense focus. As her energy swept the spiritual herbs, she could see the essence coming from them that would fit where the impurities remained. 

‘Ah… So this is the reason why Sui Xing said that cooking has something to do with this.’

When Yasenia created Transcendence-ranked dishes, she didn’t just combine the ingredients. She needed to slowly extract the flavor from them and infuse it into the main plate. There were dishes with tens or even hundreds of ingredients that slowly mixed to create a singular fragrant meal. These hundreds of ingredients didn’t contribute different flavors but the same flavors from various sources, giving it richness and an incredibly profound taste.  

With that in mind, the previously complicated process eased. Applying the principles of Spiritual Cooking, Yasenia quite literally cooked out the impurities and substituted them with new properties from the other “ingredients.” 

Sui Xing didn’t speak, focusing on Yasenia’s movements inside the cauldron. At first, he thought that he would need to at least guide her so that she didn’t mess up. But it seemed that his worries were superfluous. 

‘As expected, she has a talent for it. Not as talented as her combat one, but high enough to call her a genius among geniuses on the Transmutation Path. I should tell her to focus on it a bit more in the future. If she managed to raise her proficiency with her cultivation, she would be able to gain several advantages in the future.’

Soluna, hearing Sui Xing’s thoughts, asked back. “Wouldn’t it be better for Yasenia to practice cultivation during the time she would learn Transmutation?”

“I believe that the time she will use won’t shorten her cultivation time enough to be a problem. Perhaps not during Transcendence, but during her Demigoddess realm and beyond, its worth will shine intensely. 

Soluna was doubtful, but she didn’t want to doubt him too much. After all, cooking has become an integral part of Yasenia’s cultivation. Her current dishes could do much more than satiate a person. With proper materials, creating a dish that hastened cultivation speed, one that permanently increased strength in a small amount, or even a dish that purified energy, was not out of reach. 

“Done.” Yasenia’s soft voice interrupted their conversation, and then, they saw her gently tap the cauldron with her tail.

Gong~. 

A lingering metallic gong echoed, and the pill shot up with the lid. From high above the clouds, two lightning bolts struck the pill before it fell down into Yasenia’s box. 

Sui Xing and Soluna looked at the pill curiously, and both of them were surprised. “Wow! Great job, Yasenia. It is now a pill with 77% purity and seven tribulation rings instead of five!”

Sui Xing smiled. “It is indeed a successful Transmutation. Congratulations, Yasenia.”

Yasenia frowned lightly at this discovery. “Five percent purity and two rings? I used enough materials to create this pill twice over for this small advancement.” 

Soluna was speechless, while Sui Xing didn’t find it out of place at all. “You must understand the value of pills also goes up exponentially the closer they are to 100% purity. In this particular one, you’ve probably lost money, as long as those two sets of pills would’ve been successful pills of the same quality.”

Yasenia nodded, her brows still furrowed. Sui Xing added, smiling. “However, can you guarantee it?”

Yasenia’s face froze for a second, lightning coursing through her gaze. “Oh… Oh!” 

How could she not understand after those words? Transmutation had value because it enabled individuals to surpass their usual limits. Moreover, once perfected, it could even change a 99% purity pill to a 100% purity pill. The jump between those two was not a meager two times the price. People would pay a minimum of 10 times more for a perfect purity pill than a quasi-perfect one!

“Moreover,” Sui Xing added. “Transmutation doesn’t need knowledge of the other paths to transmute their specialty treasures. What you learn during Transmutation is a treasure’s internal structure. You are learning their inner workings, perfecting them without fully understanding their general function by eliminating mistakes. In short, you don’t add functions; you perfect those existing ones.”

Yasenia nodded twice, finally seeing the value of this profession. She looked at Sui Xing with a smile. “Even if you say that, knowing about the professions is an advantage.”

“Naturally.” Sui Xing chuckled. “Looking around blindly is much more tedious and difficult than knowing where to look for the mistake.” 

Feeling motivated, the dragoness began practicing and used Transmutation for the next two months. Some of the pills she transmuted became duds, completely losing their effects. However, she learned a lot from those failures. 

After those failures, she finally decided to tackle the [Star Mind Pill]. 

Chapter 561. Golden Sap Arborarchy Advances! Space Travel? [AotSC]

Ceperet’s development during the last eight years had been impressively quick. With the entire world unified under one banner and the leaders focused on honest and sincere work to strengthen everyone, there was no delay or deep corruption. Naturally, the hearts of many got greedy over time, but those bad apples didn’t manage to rot the entire batch. 

Once a person with crooked feelings was discovered, they were dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly. Almost all the organizations that thought they could rise during the Heavenly Willow’s hibernation failed miserably. 

Flor, sitting on her desk in her main office, looked at her secretary with a calm face. “Another small group?” 

The secretary spoke lightly, not even flustered. “Yes. They have one talented <Fourth Energy Cycle> as a leader. Therefore, they have some confidence to at least take over partly.”

Flor’s ruby eyes showed tiredness. “Why are there so many stupid people? Are they not fearful even after the harsh punishments?”

The secretary chuckled. “Lady Flor, there is no perfect society. There will always be people trying to reach up with whatever methods due to their greed and lust for power. Now that all Lady World Trees at Level 99 are hibernating to Level Up, it is their best chance.” The secretary giggled. “Although even if they managed to get ahold of some underground society, when the second Lady Heavenly Willow wakes up, they would all be done for.”  

Flor sighed again. She herself had reached Level 99, and she also had enough experience points to Level Up. The Experience she accumulated came from both the berries and her deep dives into the dungeons.  

After she took a more hands-free approach to her ruling, she only had to spend a few hours daily working, leaving her free to do as she pleased for most of the day. 

“I guess you are right. They are doing almost no damage, so there are no problems at all.”

Looking out of her large office window, her gaze turned up. The previous giant World Tree was now so large that a layer of clouds obscured a significant portion of its canopy. “...What height has she already reached?”

The secretary looked up, her eyes filled with awe and reverence. “Lady Heavenly Willow has surpassed 8,000 meters in height, according to the Berry Harvesters.” 

“Eight thousand…” Flor muttered, her tone filled with strangeness. She couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. “To think that the little tree that measured a little over two meters is now… this large. She has truly grown up.”

The secretary’s eyes flashed. ‘Right… Lady Flor has known Lady Heavenly Willow since she was a sapling…’ Looking at the colossal being that reached beyond the clouds, the woman blinked with disbelief. ‘Still, a little over two meters? Did Lady Heavenly Willow really start so small?’

In her mind, it felt as if World Trees popped up into existence already measuring a hundred meters tall. She just couldn’t imagine them smaller than that. 

Flor shook her head and asked. “Any other news besides those insignificant ones?” 

The secretary snapped out of her daze and smiled. “None, Lady Flor. The rest is working exactly as Lady Heavenly Willow planned out. The expansion of the city, as well as the planting of Lignified Species in other cities, is proceeding smoothly. According to Lady Liu Shu, each continent will have two major cities, each with <Lignified Trees> as the only structural building. Besides these two main cities, which would be giant metropolises for over 50 million inhabitants, the rest of the world is being developed independently by lower powers.” 

Flor smiled, satisfied. “Great. How is the progress on the city construction?”

The secretary looked at a few documents she had in a leafy binder and hummed. “Lady Fortuna’s city is mostly done, having substituted the grand majority of the normal buildings for <Lignified Buildings>. The other four main World Trees are at a progress of 70%; infrastructure is the only thing left. Sadly, the other nine cities that didn’t have an already built foundation are still below the thirty percent progress bar.” 

“Hm~?” Flor blinked. “Why the slow work? With the ants, things should’ve progressed quite quickly, right? Next year, it will be Liu Shu’s 70th birthday, and according to initial plans, it should be mostly finished by that time.” 

The secretary nodded, showing a troubled look. “The main problem is that, with Lady Heavenly Willow’s effect in the world, the number of monsters that managed to reach the Fourth Cycle is plenty. The <Lignified> species, being Lady Heavenly Willow’s direct descendants, are plenty nutritious and attract problems. The number of beast tides those cities have experienced has slowed down the progress several times over.”

Flor was surprised by this information. “Are they that powerful? Not even our armies can deal with them?” 

The secretary sighed. “The problem is that they are too spaced out. One day, the beast tide might appear on the <Azure Rose Continent>, and the next day, it will appear on the other side in the <Celestial Lotus Continent>. Our mobility can’t keep up with the environmental changes. The last Beast Tide had over 3,000 <Fourth Energy Cycle> monsters. If it weren’t because of the timely intervention of nearby World Trees, we could’ve suffered thousands of casualties.”  

“Wow.”

Hearing the number truly placed it into perspective. Then, she came to a realization. “No wonder there are reports of so many dead <Fourth Energy Cycles> lately, but even more reports of new ones. We are currently at a small-scale war with the world’s evolving environment…” As she thought that, a worry popped in her mind. “Speaking of which, there wouldn’t be naturally occurring <Fifth Energy Cycles> soon, right?” 

The secretary smiled awkwardly. “The number of Level 99 monsters has been increasing quite a lot lately. So, we can’t really discard such options. The ants are also tied down trying to manage the underground, while the seas are also plenty dangerous. If it weren’t for Lady Lakeborn and a few other aquatic World Trees relocated around the continents, sea invasions would’ve been possible as well.”

“... I didn’t expect that the world was going through such a crazy transformation. I guess that, as we grow, Ceperet also grows with us.” Worried, she asked. “Are there even low-level hunting zones left? And I mean below Level 25 hunting zones.” 

The secretary nodded. “There are always places where energy concentrations are really low. So, locations with average Level 10 creatures are plenty, and the monsters there have incredibly short reproductive cycles. So, there is no reason for our low-level population to have their initial advancement locked.” 

She added. “Moreover, Lady Skyflower has a Level 1 to 10 <Dungeon> under her domain. It seems that it is a dungeon she had protected dearly for a long time. Now, it is under Lady Heavenly Willow’s administration, though.”

“Aha.” 

After hearing everything, her tense feelings began to relax. “So… If we were to summarize. The higher-level cap of the world is increasing, but the lowest-level cap remains the same.” 

The secretary smiled. “That’s an accurate summary, Lady Flor.” 

“Now, for the most important matter.” Flor looked at her secretary seriously and asked. “How is the progress of our crafter group in developing interplanetary travel? Have we even managed to create a craft that can pierce Ceperet’s atmosphere safely?” 

The secretary flipped through a few documents as she stood by Flor’s desk. After a bit, she started explaining what was recorded. “Lady Flor, the progress is steady. While the spatial-travel crafter section was only set up sixteen years ago, its progress is plenty fast due to its abundance of resources and governmental support. Around five years ago, they managed to create a wooden rune and an array craft that could fly to space.” 

“Oh?” Flor blinked, not expecting such fast progress. “Was it successful?”

“No.” The secretary answered plainly. “The re-entry was too harsh. Ternary Essences became too violent as it crossed the atmosphere, and it ended up crumbling down. Thankfully, the testers abroad were all <Fourth Energy Cycles> and they could survive with a few superficial wounds.”

Flor nodded, thoughtful. “Even then, that’s a step in the right direction. Keep funneling funds towards them…” She added, her eyes sharp. “Of course, if they start getting indulgent because they feel untouchable, we must teach them a lesson and create two extra competing groups.”  

The secretary frowned. “Lady Flor, wouldn’t that slow down our progress?”

“In the short term, it would,” Flor admitted. “However, once the three groups are established and compete with each other for resources, their ingenuity and passion will increase. A stale environment is bound to halt progress. Only fierce competition can truly fuel the cogs of progress.”  

The secretary nodded, her mindset changing slightly. Flor smiled. “Moreover, with Liu Shu’s buffs, aren’t we all relatively long-lived? Even the Rose Fairies have lived for almost a century. What is a few decades compared with before?” 

“I understand. Things will progress as Lady Flor pleases.” 

The Flower Fairy stretched her body. “Anything else?”

“No. That’s all for now.” The secretary smiled. “Thank you for your hard work, Lady Flor.” 

The Flower Fairy waved her hand and flapped her wings, flying out of the window. Her destination was Ignatia’s room. Even though it had only been a few hours, she was missing the soft body of her seductive wife. 

With faint blushes on her cheeks, Flor muttered to herself. ‘I hope I don’t ever grow bigger… Even being a bit smaller wouldn’t be too bad. That way, I can become a real little carved doll in Ignatia’s arms.’ 

As she flew over the city, which was constantly expanding as Liu Shu grew in size, she couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “Golden Sap City remains self-sufficient with the progress in farming and cattle management. We can’t become reliant on others and lose our autonomy just because we rely on resources from other locations or people.”

While Flor understood that with Liu Shu, any world resource was at the tip of her root, she wanted her darling to intervene as little as possible with politics and such. She had already created the mainframe to follow, and that was enough. 

Her reasoning focused on a few things, mainly because she didn’t want Liu Shu’s presence to dictate every single thing. If the Golden Sap Arborarchy took that path, as Liu Shu took over other worlds, the piles of work that would fall on her beautiful daughter would increase exponentially. ‘I just want her to only need to take part in the initial assimilation process and then be relatively hands-free.’ 

What she still didn’t know was the method World Trees used to extend their roots into the cosmos. “A tree’s roots go down so… How will she go up?” 

Looking at her gigantic and gorgeous daughter, curiosity flared in her eyes. “Will she create pillars that go to space with roots? That would be quite funny, since the world would eventually look like a ball with spines.” 

Chapter 1349. Concoction Process! Small Misstep.

‘It’s really difficult.’ 

Yasenia’s entire focus was on the alchemy process in front of her. Her spiritual sense clearly revealed the internal workings of the cauldron, and she utilized that to ensure that all the herbs were properly burned and vaporized, keeping all impurities at bay. 

‘But… Ugh.’ As she was trying hard to avoid mixing the volatile impurities, Yasenia failed for a second, and some of them got mixed in with the other process. ‘How can Honey do all of this so easily?’ 

The number of times she helped Kali during alchemy was plenty. She had acted as her assistant many times and saw Kali manipulate the energy clouds inside the cloud as if she were their ruler. In comparison, Yasenia felt like a child trying to manage a complex army. 

‘Go slowly; don’t be hasty. Otherwise, you’ll make the ingredients go to waste.’   

Taking a deep breath, Yasenia moved her hands fluidly and manipulated the fire and energy down to the decimal degrees. 

‘Alright… It is starting to accelerate. Now, only the two main herbs are left.’ 

With swift motions, Yasenia opened the cauldron and threw the two spiritual herbs into it, closing it right away. The rose and orchid instantly mixed with some impurities, making Yasenia grunt in annoyance. Nevertheless, she didn’t let that distract her. 

‘Slowly, burn them and soften them. Separate the gases between the impure and the essence, mixing everything into large clouds you can then manipulate.’

Inside the cauldron, the essence of the several hundred herbs mixed and moved as one, following Yasenia’s will and slowly spinning faster and faster. The process was slow and tedious, but thankfully, Yasenia didn’t lack concentration. 

After who knows how long, the cloud of essence was spinning close to the center, while Yasenia’s spiritual sense was keeping the dark impurities at bay on the outer edge of the cauldron. 

“Faster.”

Yasenia muttered, her hands circling in front of her as if she were caressing a miniature of the cauldron. 

“Tighter.”

Squeezing her hands, the clouds in the middle got compressed further. Sadly, at this point, a little bit of impurity was affected by her command and mixed again in the pure essence. Yasenia tightly pressed her lips, but her concentration didn’t diminish; it only strengthened. 

“Again. Compress further.” 

As the radius of the cloud of essence became smaller, its rotational speed increased multiplicatively. All the momentum it had gathered during the entire process was now bearing fruit, helping Yasenia squeeze out all the essence. 

“And… Fuse.” 

When she said that, Yasenia could feel a terrifying mental pressure. Clearly, the essence didn’t want to get together, so it was trying to expand. At the same time, like a caged beast, the impurities tried to escape her control and merge with the rich energy in the middle. 

Her body perspired, but after a bit of effort, Yasenia slapped the cauldron and shouted lightly. “Completion!”  

The lid instantly shot to the sky, and right after, an explosion occurred inside the cauldron. The shockwave gathered the impurities and pushed them up in a cloud of grey gases, while behind those gases, a single circular pellet shot to the sky.

Rumble!

Above Yasenia, a small tribulation cloud manifested, its color light grey. Yasenia was not surprised. After all, to create a pill beyond Heaven-ranked was an act of going against the Heavens. Therefore, pill tribulations were a standard when creating pills at this level. 

Looking at the number of lightning bolts in the cloud, Yasenia’s eyes were complicated. ‘Only three bolts? That’s barely acceptable. Now, I need to protect the pill and guide the small tribulation energy into it for a successful completion.’ 

Her eyes easily caught the tribulation lightning descending and moved her own energy to cover the pill. 

BANG!

The first lightning bolt struck strongly, but Yasenia’s barrier was unharmed and sturdy. The dragoness didn’t even feel a trace of tension. 

BANG!

The second bolt fell, creating a very light ripple on the defense around the pill. The dragoness looked calmly as the third bolt prepared and fell down with might.

BANG!

The pill survived, Yasenia’s shield practically unscathed. 

“Absorb.”

With a light move of her hands, the tribulation energy swirled into the pill and nourished it, completing the low-level Transcendence Ranked pill. 

As the pill fell, Yasenia floated up and caught it inside a wooden box with red padding. Her pill quality was not high enough to give the pill a semi-consciousness. But just in case, she caught it quickly. The last thing she wanted was for her pill to go flying into the void.

Looking behind her, she noticed Soluna, Draheart, and Dramel looking at her with big smiles… Well, in the case of Draheart, it was a very faint one, but full of feelings.

Soluna trotted to her side. “Well done! You did it, Yasenia!”  

The dragoness laughed and landed on the ground, extending her arms to hug her pretty spirit. “So, how long did I take? Did you all wait too long?” 

Dramel approached, hugging her arm with a smile. “Not too long! You took four months to create that pill!”

“Four months…” Yasenia hummed, her gaze a bit worried. “There were around seven years left when I arrived at the garden, right? If that’s the case, I need to complete four challenges at a rate of at least one per year, and I have one year free.” 

She had to return to the entrance, so leaving a few months free was necessary. 

With a time frame in mind, Yasenia took the pill and went in front of the door. “Here it is. A [Star Limb Pill] with 62% purity and three tribulation marks.” 

A pill at this level was considered low-quality in standard shops. Still, it was not so bad that it couldn’t be sold. If someone were in a tight place, they would probably buy something at this level. Moreover, this was Yasenia’s first concoction of this pill.

The fact that she was successful was a great deal. Even then, Yasenia didn’t think so; after all, her reference was Kali, a super genius in the alchemy path.

After presenting the pill, the door glowed for a second, light enveloping the pill. And then… Nothing happened.

Yasenia blinked twice, looking between the door and the pill enveloped in white starlight with a few black dots on the surface. “Is it… not enough?” 

A troubled expression appeared on her face. Still, to make sure of it, she took a step forward and tried to open the door. 

Click.

“Oh?” Yasenia’s eyebrows jumped, and when she was about to push the door open, a voice reached her. “Do you want to take 10% control of the garden by opening the First Door?” 

The dragoness instantly stopped her motions, her forehead covered in cold sweat. “No, I don’t. I want to take over more of the garden.”

When she said that, the recorded message activated. “Then, let go of the Trial Door number one.”

After she did so, the door forcefully closed in front of her face.

BANG!

Yasenia blinked a few times. “Thankfully, my chest was separated enough for the door not to slam back on them. It would’ve hurt so much…”

Gently caressing her bosom, Yasenia turned around and spoke aloud, annoyed. “Sui Xing! I almost lost the opportunity because I was hasty! Can’t you warn me beforehand the next time?”

Sui Xing spoke awkwardly. “That… Would you believe me if I told you that I didn’t know about that?”

Yasenia frowned and harrumphed. “I would believe you… But I am still annoyed!” 

Seeing the childish annoyance in such a seductive face almost provoked Sui Xing into laughter. “Alright, this was my mistake. I should’ve known beforehand.”

The dragoness's expression relaxed, and she nodded twice. “That’s right. You should’ve.” Then, she sighed and looked at the second smallest house. “Anyway… Let’s read the second pill recipe, shall we?”

Draheart spoke lightly. “Now you have a standard of acceptance. If you manage to create a pill 62% pure and with three bolts, you are guaranteed a pass. Perhaps something less is even acceptable. Although I doubt that below 60% purity will pass as a success.”  

Yasenia agreed with her words. She probably barely scraped the acceptable level to be considered a “Successful” alchemy pill by the trial standards.

‘If the trial was not about success but quality, I would’ve needed to give up on the garden.’

Relieved that she had a chance, Yasenia read the second pill recipe. “Let’s see… The second pill is a [Star Mind Pill]. Hm.” Yasenia blinked and instantly found a pattern. ‘Star Limb, now Star Mind… I guess these five pills are part of a single set, which, when eaten together, increases strength by quite a lot.’

With that in mind, Yasenia checked the recipe for the second pill. “As expected… I am lacking one 500,000-year-old herb.” Still, she was glad that her previous consideration to gather extra herbs wasn’t for nothing. 

“This pill also needs the [Star Arm Rose] and [Star Leg Orchid] spiritual herbs. The one I lack is the [Star Brain Daisy]... Such a strange name.”

With a weird face, she checked the map of the garden and quickly memorized it. “Alright, let’s go get it.”

Yasenia put on the dark mantle again and quickly traversed the stone path. She had taken it off during her pill concoctions so that it wouldn’t bother her. While it didn’t restrict her movements, not having it was preferable to having it on. 

As she traversed the second closest layer to the central area, Yasenia noticed quite a few more groups gathering herbs in the garden. ‘Hm… Thankfully, this place is large and has many herbs. The chances that one of the materials I will need is harvested entirely are quite slim.’

Taking no longer than a week, Yasenia found, collected, and returned to the central area. Since there were no obstacles this time around, Yasenia was able to go unnoticed.

“Alright, time to create the [Star Mind Pill].” 

The process was more complex compared to the [Star Limb Pill]. Nevertheless, it wasn’t outside of Yasenia’s skill level. Moreover, after concocting the [Star Limb Pill], Yasenia’s proficiency in the process had increased. They were, after all, somewhat similar.

‘It’s rather lucky that the pills are part of a set. If they were random pills with escalating difficulties, the trial might’ve been too difficult.’ 

Using six months, Yasenia managed to concoct the [Star Mind Pill] once. Sadly, the quality of the pill was 54% due to a mistake during the last phases. She had not expected the energy inside the [Star Brain Daisy] to attack her soul at the last second. 

“Hmph…” Yasenia frowned and looked at the [Earth Refining Cauldron]. “Let’s hope that you can cleanse the pill to an acceptable level…”  

Chapter 560. Envoys Of The Stars. [AotSC]

Riding on a giant manta-ray-like being, a group of nearly 200 people traversed the emptiness of space. The auras of the 200 people were profound and delicate, rippling through the layers of reality around them. Below the manta ray, there was a path of pollen that appeared and disappeared as the giant beast swam through space itself. 

This being was <Star Soaring Pollen Ray>, and it was used as the Verdant Sanctity Covenant’s primary vessel of transportation between worlds. The beast, though it didn’t possess offensive capabilities, was incredibly sturdy and naturally attuned to space and dimensions. Just reaching maturity would make them reach Level 100 and learn all their basic interstellar traveling skills. 

The pollen-like starlight below it was one such skill, which allowed the beast to pierce through space itself and protect their bodies from the effects of traveling near light speeds. 

Since traveling beyond light-speed was difficult for First Ascension beings, the ray was the best cost-effective option for moving across relatively shorter distances, such as from one star to another. For greater spans, worlds separated by hundreds of light-years, the Covenant relied on the roots of World Trees or ancient dimensional arrays.

The 250 people riding on top of the ray were separated into five groups by their clothing, with each group consisting of 50 people. 

“Alas, the young world named Ceperet has fallen under the rule of a World Tree. No more meaningless slaughter will occur in that place.”

The speaker's voice was soft and gentle, emanating from a human woman with a compassionate aura surrounding her. From her attitude and position, she was clearly one of the five leaders who gathered to form this delegation. 

By her side, a tall, battle-scarred half-wolf, half-plant being spoke in a low and calm tone. “While I do not mind taking on this job, I am still unsure as to why they need five <Sixth Energy Cycles> like us to go see a World Tree that has yet to reach the <First Ascension>. Wouldn’t we be best slotted in another region, fighting those from the Nexus?”  

“Elyne, Cael, those who live in the branches of our World Tree have told us to come and meet this being. She who has managed to end a conflict that lasted before our births is worthy of respect and support.”

The firm voice of the woman left no room for discussion. Cael sighed, his wolf ear, made out of soft and small leaves, twitching. “I understand, Lysara.”

After he answered, a woman’s smiling and somewhat thoughtful voice reached them. “I feel that there will be surprises during this trip. The reports that Skyflower sent are truly ridiculous. If they are truthful… Heh. Things might welcome change through her.” 

Among the five, one of them was skeptical. “Veyra, your intelligence is something that I do admire. But this time around, you are probably overstating our opponent. How could you even think that a World Tree that has yet to spread her branches through space is worthy of our attention? Sending a few <Fifth Energy Cycles> would’ve sufficed to show our strength.”

Veyra sighed, looking at the being that was made out of branches and thorns. “Orwen, any World Tree that has managed to conquer a World is good enough for us to lower our heads and show respect. This part of the galaxy is basically ownerless to a large degree in that regard. So, as long as we can help her develop, our advantage against the Nexus will only increase. I hope, dearly at that, you won’t act as emotionally as you always do.” 

Lysara looked at Veyra and squinted for a second. The green veins pulsing on her white skin while creating an ethereal aura around her made her sternness even more evocative. “Veyra, as you’ve warned Orwen, I’ll warn you. Don’t try to manipulate the child. We are here to recruit her, not to use her as a tool for your schemes. If that child becomes uncomfortable because of your words, I will not hold back.” 

Elyne intervened, her soft-spoken tone enveloping everyone. “Don’t be so harsh, Lysara. Veyra’s heart is not as dark as you make it out to be. She always has the best intentions in her considerations.”

“Lady Elyne…” Lysara looked at her and sighed. “I understand. If Lady Priestess speaks as such, I will follow your words. However, please don’t intervene if I ever deem someone or something as dangerous. I am here mainly to protect Lady Elyne.” 

Elyne’s green eyes softly glowed as she smiled. “I understand. Yet, a compassionate heart is what we should search for. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves and be forgiven.”  

Cael looked at her for a second before looking forward again. As his eyes looked around the vast expanse of nothingness, he spoke lightly. “What if she is hostile, Sister Elyne?” 

“She won’t be,” Elyne spoke lightly, as if there was no doubt in her mind. “That child, Skyflower, always sent her report praising Lady Heavenly Willow. The fact that she, who was supposed to perish after a new World Tree Ascended, sent that letter is enough to know that who we are meeting is a compassionate child.” 

Orwen snorted. “Didn’t she exterminate an entire continent? That scale of massacre is on par with Nexus operations.”  

This time, Veyra answered, her tone containing traces of disdain. “You are clearer than we are about what happens when remnants of the Nexus are left behind unattended. Your world was a victim of that, wasn’t it?” 

“Shut up.” Orwen glowered at her. “Wasn’t it your teachers who allowed for that tragedy? Tens of billions died during that war!”

“Enough.” 

Lysara raised her voice, a ripple of pure Aether Mana stopping everyone in place. Her translucent eyes filled with green veins pinned Orwen down strongly. “You are talented, but you are reckless and too brutal. The reason you were chosen to travel with us in the first place is that this easy mission will allow you to develop not in battle but through conversation. I will remind you that Lady Elyne is the leader of our expedition. Veyra and I are here to aid her, while Cael is our protector. You, on the other hand, are here as an apprentice.”

“I am not weaker than any of you.”

“You aren’t,” Cael answered lightly at his growl, his eyes showing no signs of contempt or emotion. “However, you are immature and emotional. How many missions have you failed when, if you stopped and thought about the enemy’s intentions, you would’ve been successful? Brute strength is not the answer to all conflicts.”

Orwen wanted to continue to retort, but his claw-like hand was taken by a soft and tender one. Looking sideways, he saw Elyne smiling at him. “Don’t be agitated. We are not your enemies. Know that we are trying to give you advice and help you grow so that your mind matches the pure strength of your body. Reaching Level 157 was not an easy journey, was it?”

While he could argue with the others, Elyne was someone whom he didn’t dare to and didn’t want to antagonize. Not because he feared her, but because she was an extremely pure and gentle being.

“... It naturally wasn’t.” His rude tone received a sharp gaze from the other three, so he added with a grumble. “... Lady Elyne.”

“Good!” The woman smiled and clapped her hands once. While they were in the middle of space, the layer of energy that the Ray created around it allowed even non-Ascended to traverse, breathe, and speak. “Only ten years are left until we arrive, so take this time to meditate and reread the information that little Skyflower sent us.” 

Veyra smirked. “Lady Elyne is a bit more emotional than usual. Are you that happy?” 

“Of course!” Lady Elyne smiled brightly like the Sun. “I personally planted that little sapling, Skyflower, all those years back. While I couldn’t visit her during all these millennia, I now have a good excuse to come and see the pretty flower~.”

“Oh?” Veyra raised her sharp eyebrow with interest. “That’s something I didn’t know. Were you stationed in this area prior to your Ascension, Lady Elyne?

“I was.” Elyne nodded, smiling. “But, I was stationed on the neighboring world of Cepert. Sadly, that World never developed worldwide powers. From what I know, the highest Levels in that World are at around 80, with no one having reached the limit.” 

Veyra’s eyes spun for a moment. “If that’s the case, it is a perfectly good world to guide Lady Heavenly Willow for her first outer-world conquest, right?”

Elyne was a bit worried. “I just hope that she is not too ruthless when invading other territories. While Skyflower, that sapling, told through her messages that she is a gentle being, her unhesitant approach to extirpating the Nexus makes me a bit uncomfortable.” 

Cael spoke at this time, his tone light. “It was a good approach. I don’t think Lady Elyne needs to be worried. On the contrary, someone with the determination to do what they need to do during hard times is properly fitted to become a leader. On my part, I do admire her way of doing things.”

Orwen spoke with a confused tone. “You all don’t really believe that she can subordinate other World Trees, right? That’s nothing more than a legend.”

Elyne’s willow brows creased lightly. “Are you saying that Skyflower lied, even when that would mean her death? I think that if Skyflower was truly dying from that World Tree’s conquest, she wouldn’t have sent such a light-hearted report.” 

What they read in the report was one of the many reasons for the Covenant’s hasty deployment of relatively powerful envoys. A World Tree that could accept others was not unheard of, but the origins of that knowledge were treated as myths or legends. 

Veyra spoke. “If it were really something impossible, they wouldn’t have allowed Lady Elyne to leave the main world. She is, after all, still a priestess in training.” 

Elyne puffed her cheeks. “I am almost done! Once I reach Level 175, I will officially become a priest. So, it won’t be too long for that to happen.” 

As they were speaking, a pulse of pure energy swept them. That pulse of pure concentrated energy was extremely faint, but it carried a strange sensation that made them all tense. Those behind the five leaders quickly moved, surrounding the leaders and taking out their weapons. Even the ray below them reduced its speed. 

“What was that?” Orwen frowned and asked. 

Veyra’s eyes were also showing puzzlement. “It was an energy wave traveling several times the speed of light. Such auras only occur when a World Tree takes over a world… However, the aura trace is… new? I couldn’t tell the affinity of the World Tree through it.”

Veyra looked at Lysara, but the woman was frozen stiff, looking in one direction with confused eyes. “That… It’s an element I don’t know.”

Everyone on the ray was shocked. While Veyra was intelligent, Lysara was very wise and the oldest of them all by a lot. For her not to understand a type of energy meant that even the records at the center of the Covenant may fail to identify it.

Elyne spoke solemnly. “Little Ray, please speed up. We need to arrive quicker and make sure nothing happens to that sapling.”     

Chapter 1348. First Steps of the Alchemy Trial.

While traveling toward the outside, Yasenia’s face was full of complaints. “Who even does that?” 

The treasures laughed awkwardly at Yasenia’s grumbles. 

“Was your previous owner eager to make people do extra work needlessly? It doesn’t even make sense!” 

Sui Xing had no excuses, so he coughed lightly before speaking. “That… It might have a purpose.”

“Yeah, it must.” Yasenia smiled sarcastically. “He probably liked making people walk a lot back and forth.”

The reason for Yasenia’s anger was that once she read the formula for the pill, the other formulas etched on the rest of the houses were hidden away. So, following that method, Yasenia would need to go back and forth several times to get all the herbs she was lacking. 

Soluna chuckled. “Well, since you are going out, it would be nice to get a stock of herbs you encounter on the way, right? That way, you have a chance of luckily collecting the herbs for the next one.”

Yasenia sighed and shook her head. “Sui Xing said that there are over a hundred of them just in the 500,000 area. Randomly picking some of them up has a one percent chance of being part of the next formula. What I can do is take extra of the types that this pill is made out of. Probably, the five pills have things in common. So, stocking the same materials will reduce my journey time between them.” 

Dramel chuckled when she heard Yasenia’s voice. While she was talking calmly, there was still some annoyance in her voice. She spoke lightly. “Well, at least you have a map that you didn’t have before. Otherwise, searching blindly for them would be a nightmare!” 

Yasenia nodded at that comment. After she read the pill formula, Yasenia noticed a map appearing on the plain wooden door. That map was a circular map of the entire garden. In this garden, Yasenia could see countless light spots, pointing at where each plant was located.

So, after memorizing the map and locating herself and the directions, Yasenia was able to travel straight to the plants that she needed to craft the [Star Limb Pill]. The two spiritual herbs Yasenia needed were called [Star Arm Rose] and [Star Leg Orchid]. They were the core of the pill’s formula, and plants that, eaten by themselves, could strengthen the arms or legs of those who ate them. 

They were true treasures that many would covet.

Even then, Yasenia didn’t really find them attractive enough to risk her life. Of course, it was different now that she needed them to complete the pill formula to get the garden.

“Hm…” Looking around, Yasenia jumped out of the stone path and traveled in a straight line toward the distance. As she moved quickly, her dark mantle covering her body, Yasenia encountered some attacks from the half-million-year-old plants. Thankfully, her strength was well above theirs, so she just needed to swing Draheart as she traversed the garden lightly.  

Roots were cut everywhere she passed, but Yasenia didn’t flinch. ‘Hm… An hour at this speed should do the trick.’ 

Her current speed was near her limits, so she couldn’t accelerate much more without getting too tired.  

An hour later, Yasenia arrived at the place where the flowers were. Thankfully, while these two were different spiritual herbs, they grew nearby. The reason was that, since their effects were complementary, their plants were as well. So, growing them together would result in better quality herbs than growing them separately. 

In the distance, Yasenia observed two tall white flowers. The white rose had a large number of stalks, each connected to one petal of the rose. Similarly, the orchid’s many stalks are also connected with the petals instead of the central area. 

Yasenia looked at the two flowers and blinked her eyes. “They look so odd…”

When she spoke, the two flowers noticed her, and a barrage of attacks went her way. Yasenia lightly swung Draheart at ridiculous speeds, cutting all the branches that approached ten meters in her vicinity. “Hm… Their strength is not bad at all. An average Level 1 Transcendent person with an Intent Domain would probably die during this barrage of attacks.”

Still, it was far from enough for Yasenia, who had the ability to fight cultivators far beyond her cultivation realm. With light steps, Yasenia approached the rose first. As she approached, the one getting nervous was not the rose but the orchid. It felt like a partner trying to protect their close one with their all. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll pluck you later as well, so calmly come into my spatial ring.”

Yasenia said something villain-like calmly and then got to work. With movements guided by the manual on how to pluck the rose, Yasenia slowly cut it from the ground.

“It’s annoying that the orchid is still attacking me. Well, without the rose’s support, the strength and energy of its attacks are quite lacking; my tail is more than enough to defend myself.”

So, systematically, Yasenia took off the flowers from their roots and placed them into her spatial ring. “Great.” 

A smile appeared on her lips, satisfied with her work. “Thankfully, there is no one who came to bother me!”

“Hey! Who goes there?”

Yasenia started sweating. “[Celestial Intent Domain]!”

Her body merged with the space around her, disappearing from sight. Right after, a bunch of people arrived, attracted by Yasenia and the herb’s battle.

“They escaped?” 

“Yeah, it was only one person with a dark mantle.”

“...Hm? Isn’t that the mysterious woman who opened the garden?” 

“Was it? From what I know, there are quite a few people with mantles, right?” 

“Yeah, but I can easily distinguish her because her mantle is of much higher quality than the others. The craftsmanship on it is sublime.” 

Yasenia, who listened to their conversation, smiled wryly. ‘Evelyn, dear, your craftsmanship has made my mantle recognizable. Would you be proud or sad that a mantle to hide my presence is recognized?’

Thinking of her mischievous dear, Yasenia could already see her boast while puffing her chest and grinning at her. As she recalled Evelyn’s lively expressions, Yasenia’s eyes softened and her lips arched. “... I really miss her silliness.” 

How much she wanted to hug her mischievous dear and shower her face with kisses? Sadly, she couldn’t. 

“Sigh.”

After listening for a little while longer and not earning any new information, Yasenia stepped away and exited the Celestial Intent Domain. “While I can hide perfectly there, it’s still very complicated to gauge distance while traveling within it. Speaking of which… Where am I?”

Looking around her, Yasenia tried to recall the map she saw and find a resemblance. “Hm… Ah. Isn’t that a [Burning Skydaisy]? Then… Right, this way there should be more [Star Arm Roses] and [Star Leg Orchids].” 

While traveling and gathering a few sets of plants, Sui Xing asked Yasenia curiously. “By the way, Yasenia. Will you eat the pill? While it might strengthen your limbs, your current body is in such perfect balance and harmony that you might become destabilized and weaker despite gaining strength.” 

Yasenia chuckled. “There is no need to worry. My constitution, [Yin and Yang Celestial Body], spreads all localized effects all around my body evenly. So, even if I eat a pill to strengthen my pinky to insane levels, my body will deconstruct and share that strength throughout my entire body evenly.” 

“Wow.” Sui Xing was genuinely impressed. “That’s a really powerful effect. You are truly someone with many hidden cards and worthy of being called a genius.”

“It has its drawbacks,” Yasenia admitted. “Before I reached Transcendence, my lust was always out of control. How much I would’ve suffered if I didn’t have my family members to quench my thirst constantly is not something I can overstate enough.” 

Sui Xing hummed. “Right. Since that balances everything, your accumulated Yin and Yang essences would grow laterally. The quantity, searching to transform into higher quality, would need an outside source to push it over a certain age. Until then, your body would accumulate the same-level Yin and Yang energies, making you hopelessly aroused as if in heat.”

“Yes.” Yasenia smiled. “Now I don’t have that problem because I can control my body to the degree of telling it to focus on one for a little while and create the imbalance I previously needed outside sources for.”

Yasenia returned to the central area while talking, always trying to hide her presence as much as possible. Since the path was serpentine and far from straight, the dragoness couldn’t really use her Celestial Intent Domain. “If I had better control over it, I wouldn’t need to be worried, sigh.” 

Soluna cheered her up. “You are already plenty strong! Don’t put yourself down!”

“No.” Yasenia shook her head. “I am far from being strong. I can’t relax until…” The dragoness paused and sighed. “I just can’t relax. No conditions attached.” 

Soluna pouted. “You can relax! And if you can’t…” Soluna giggled. “I will drag you to bed and relax you!”

Yasenia chuckled and walked in front of the house that needed to evaluate her pill. “Alright, let’s start. To craft a Transcendence-ranked pill, I need to use all my focus. So… Soluna, Draheart, Dramel. Come out and guard me.” 

All three of them materialized in their humanoid forms. Dramel and Draheart couldn’t really fight in that state, yet outside of Yasenia’s soul. Still, if it was for appearances, it was not difficult. If someone came to bother Yasenia, Draheart and Dramel could always revert to their weapon forms and fight on their own.

After summoning a wide wooden table, Yasenia took out some basic alchemy tools like a herb-essence extractor and others, and then started to work. Her hand movements were fluid, and her energy flowed through her agile fingers as she manipulated the herbs. 

The key to creating a pill was, first and obviously, to follow the steps for it. Beyond that, the quality of essence extraction and control of fire were the most important. To create the [Star Limb Pill], Yasenia first threw a few auxiliary herbs into the cauldron and ignited an Alchemy Fire below it. 

The herbs began burning, dripping with essence that touched the bottom of the cauldron. Yasenia lightly manipulated the essence to coat the lower part of the cauldron. 

As the flow of energy changed the temperature all around the cauldron, Yasenia’s hands slowly extracted the pure essence of the hardest pills and separated them into different glass containers that could retain their pure energy. 

After she was done with half, Yasenia threw them into the cauldron and placed the lid on it. Right after, the alchemy fire roared to life, enveloping over half of the cauldron. Inside, the auxiliary herbs that had yet to melt were slowly evaporating, impure and pure gases appearing at the same time. 

Using her spiritual sense, she separated them and slowly transformed the materials, mixing them to form the pill. Yasenia’s eyes were focused, but inside, she was slightly worried. ‘This will take a while… I hope I don’t get too entangled and end up lost.’

Chapter 1347. Garden's Central Area.

Fearing the foreshadowing Dramel created, Yasenia trod the path extremely carefully. One-million-year-old plants were ridiculously strong. Some of them had enough battle power to defeat high-level Transcendents. Regardless of how much their power was sealed within this Secret Realm, Yasenia was not confident in beating them on their home turf.  

As she walked through the stone paths, she could sense roots from different plants slithering under the ground. Even when her nose was picking up the scent of treasures, she was not even the slightest bit tempted to step out. 

Noticing Yasenia’s lack of attention, some roots surged upward, flowers sprouting on them and releasing pollen onto the path. The dragoness frowned and protected her body with a layer of energy. Even if it was pollen, it could have properties that activated upon touch, rather than when inhaled.  

“What is that? Why are they doing that?”

Sui Xing asked, curious. “Are you okay?”

Confused about the sudden question, Yasenia nodded once. She asked, perplexed. “What’s wrong? Does the pollen around me have any strange properties? I can fend it off with my energy.” 

“Ho?” Sui Xing hummed, pleasantly surprised. “The pollen around you is called [Temptation Source Pollen]. It comes from a powerful plant called [Endless Temptation Flower]. It’s a treasure that, when ingested raw, can increase a person’s beauty permanently. Usually, it is part of the ingredients to create the [Beauty Pill].”

“Ho?” Yasenia’s eyebrows raised, and Sui Xing explained further. “The [Beauty Pill] is not only famous but also incredibly precious. It can permanently enhance the appearance of a creature, and it also increases the quality of their Yin Energy. It is a dream pill for female Dual Cultivators and those rare males with innate yin energy.” 

Yasenia rubbed her chin. “That’s a pill I ate in the past. Although I am unsure if its effects remain after my rebirths.” 

Sui Xing heard about Yasenia’s entire journey from Draheart. However, the [Beauty Pill] was something Yasenia ate before she got Draheart. Therefore, Sui Xing was unaware of this fact. 

“They should remain. After all, unless you completely get rid of your body and replace your soul, the [Beauty Pill]’s effects will remain.”

Yasenia blinked. “So… If I hadn’t eaten that pill, would my current beauty be less than it is now?” 

Sui Xing laughed. “Are you worried about that? Don’t. Your innate appearance is ridiculously good, so the pill’s effects are more ethereal than anything else. Even without it, your beauty would remain as impressive as it is now.”

Yasenia pouted. “It’s a valid worry, alright? I don’t want strange changes to my appearance that don’t come from my naturally developing beauty! My dears would…” She wanted to see that they might not like it, but her lovers loved her all the same. So, she snorted and spoke unreasonably. “Anyway, I don’t like to modify my appearance with external tools!”

“Alright, alright.” Sui Xing laughed. “Either way, since you’ve eaten the [Beauty Pill], the effects of this plant’s pollen won’t affect you. It is honestly a really good chance to test if pollen can affect those walking on the stone path.”

Placing her trust in him, Yasenia lowered her barrier for a fraction of a second and allowed some of the pollen to enter her nose. Her eyebrows twitching a bit at the ticklish feeling, and after a few seconds, the urge in her couldn’t be stopped.

Sui Xing frowned. “Are you affec—”

“Hishoo!”

Yasenia sneezed adorably, the high-pitched tone reaching all the treasures in her Dantian. 

“...”

“...”

“...”

Soluna spoke, her voice shy. “That sneeze was so cute! Ahhh!” 

Yasenia blinked twice and spoke, surprised. “It has been… I don’t even know how many years it has been since I last sneezed.”

Dramel spoke seriously. “You should sneeze more.”

“Huh?” The dragoness blinked. “Why?”

“It’s adorable!”

Yasenia laughed and shook her head. “Anyway, the pollen is not affecting me. Not because I was resistant to it, but because it lost its effect once it crossed the stone path’s edge.

“That’s great to hear.” Sui Xing smiled and spoke. “Since that’s done, there are no more methods for the plants to harm you. You can streak ahead without any hesitation.”

The dragoness didn’t rush. Instead, she asked. “Sui Xing… Do you think I can get this plant?” 

“Hm…” Sui Xing thought seriously about it. After a few moments, he commented. “I wouldn’t recommend it. If it were you against that plant, it’s more than possible. You have high resistance to all its tricks. So, it would come down to a physical showdown. With the Secret Realm’s restrictions, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.” 

“Then, you don’t recommend it because of the chance of me encountering other million-year-old plants in its territory, right?”

“Yes.” The man nodded easily. “Million-year-old plants have great intelligence, so they can create cooperative bonds with others to protect themselves. If I were in your position, with your same strength, I would ignore it.”

“Alright.” Yasenia sighed. Then, she smiled. “Well, if I manage to get this garden, I will get it either way. How many million-year-old plants are in this garden?”

“From what I know, there are 10 species of million-year-old plants, 100 of half-million-year-old plants, and over 1000 of one-hundred-thousand-year-old plant species.” 

With that in mind, Yasenia picked up her pace and quickly trod the path to reach the center of the garden. Thankfully, there were no interferences in the way, and she arrived without a hitch.

The place she arrived at was a neatly arranged town. There were five wooden houses surrounding a modest plaza with a fountain at its center. The five houses were all different, but Yasenia didn’t know what each of them was for. 

As she walked toward the center, her nose twitched and caught the scent coming from the fountain. “Water Natural Treasure? So this garden uses a Heaven-born Water Natural Treasure to water the plants.” 

Now that she had become familiar with its aura, Yasenia’s senses could trace the complex paths below the ground that spread this fountain’s water outward. “No wonder… This garden is truly worth being a coveted treasure. Even without the plants, sects would fight each other to get it.”

The effort needed to arrange such a treasure to feed a continental-sized garden neatly was not small.   

“Sui Xing, what do I do now?”

Not hearing an answer, she asked again, confused. “Sui Xing? Are you okay?”

“Ah.” The man exclaimed for a second and then smiled. “Sorry, I spaced out. I was recalling memories I had forgotten about the creation of this garden. So, I became dazed.”

“Oh!” Yasenia’s eyes lit up. “What are they? Will they help me get it?”

Sui Xing laughed. “Yes. They will. As I said before, the way to get this garden is to use alchemy, right? I had forgotten completely about the five houses, only remembering the fountain…. Either way, if you want to get the garden, your task is rather easy. Open all five houses and then get the key to open the middle fountain and find the core of the garden. Once there, you can imprint your aura on it with your Blood Essence and become its owner.”

Yasenia frowned deeply. 

“Why? Isn’t that quite easy?”

Yasenia grumbled at Sui Xing’s confused tone. “The easier something looks, the more problems and difficulty it will have during the trials.” Sighing, Yasenia shook her head and approached the shortest wooden house. The tallest house was a three-floor house, with two lateral cottages; the following one only had one cottage, and the next one had none. The last two had fewer floors, two and one, respectively.  

Yasenia, believing that this house would be the easiest of them all, approached it. Once before it, she looked at the text engraved on the door. 

“Craft the [Star Limb Pill] at a level that an alchemy master would recognize as a success.” 

The dragoness almost puked blood. “Can there be a more subjective assessment in the world!? What do you mean by that!?” 

Sui Xing chuckled. “That’s why I told you that your Transmutation Cauldron would come in handy.”

Yasenia’s rotten expression lightened, and her eyes shone. “Right! Transmutation is the process of using external materials to enhance the properties of something else. So, if I fail to reach those standards, instead of creating it again, I can fiddle with the Transmutation Cauldron and enhance the pill.” 

Satisfied, Sui Xing nodded. “That’s it. As long as you can at least make it, you shouldn’t have a problem increasing its value to an acceptable level.” 

Motivated, Yasenia took out both her [Spring Tree Pill Cauldron] and [Earth Refining Cauldron]. The [Spring Tree Pill Cauldron] was the alchemy cauldron Tatyana gave Yasenia before she entered the first secret realm. That cauldron was a Transcendence-ranked cauldron hidden as a Heaven-ranked treasure. To bring out its true level, Yasenia needed to reach the Sixth Realm as well.

On the other side, the [Earth Refining Cauldron] was in Kali's hands in the past. The foxgirl used it to enhance the herbs she used in alchemy and such. Still, before coming to the higher heaven, Kali gave it back to Yasenia, just in case it came in handy for her, who was in a much more dangerous location.

“Hehe, my pretty fox sure has some foresight~.” 

Reminding herself of how much she loved her dears, Yasenia looked at the pill recipe on the wall of the wooden house. “Let’s see… The pill recipe has 452 different herb types. Of those, 412 are auxiliary herbs, so I have all of them. Now, do I have the 40 main herbs?”

She went through them and checked inside her spatial ring one after another. “Hm… I lack two of them.”

Soluna commented, surprised. “Are you sure? You collected a lot of plants on your way here, so you should have them, right?”

Yasenia smiled wryly. “The problem is that these two are 500,000-year-old herbs. My ring doesn’t have herbs of that quality yet.”   

Sui Xing sighed a bit. “That’s unfortunate. You should go back and forth to get the herbs from this garden. This is probably part of the trial.”

Yasenia accepted it. “To begin with, the trial would usually involve those attempting it to collect all the herbs within this garden’s bounds. I am lucky that my ring can hold powerful spiritual herbs.” 

The treasures and Yasenia sighed simultaneously. Then, the dragoness patted her cheeks. “Alright, let’s do this then.” 

Chapter 559. Peaceful Conversation Admist Turbulent Evolution. [AotSC]

Meanwhile, outside the city, a controlled chaos was sweeping the entire world. The energy Liu Shu was using and absorbing as she fused with Ceperet and evolved into the new Universal Tree variant was high enough to destabilize the world's balance.

Thankfully, even when Liu Shu was completely unconscious while evolving, Wisdom was able to manage Liu Shu’s subconscious thoughts and body, redirecting all the powerful aftershocks deep underground or high into the sky.

This created a torrential effect above Liu Shu’s gargantuan body, manifesting a storm of Ternary Essences in the form of a vortex. 

Flor and the others looked up past Liu Shu’s canopy, their hearts turbulent. 

“Is this the usual reaction of a World Tree reaching Level 100?” 

No one answered Verdantia’s question, as everyone was unaware of what normal meant for the breakthrough of Level 100 World Trees. Amongst all of them, only Ignatia had otherworldly knowledge coming from her inheritance. 

The Ant Queen looked at Liu Shu and sighed softly. “I am sure that this is not the case. I have some lingering sensation from the visions I usually have, and I’ve seen other Level 100 World Trees there.”

Even if she didn’t say anything, her tone and expression made it clear that they were probably much weaker compared to Liu Shu. 

Cinderielle looked at her system and sighed. “Just this buff is proof that her breakthrough is not normal.”

[You are under the effects of <Ternary Essence Density>. Your recovery is increased by 50%.] 

Gathering so much Ternary Essence created a buff on all creatures near her. It wasn’t a buff that spread throughout the entire world, but around 200 kilometers around Liu Shu. 

Flor spoke, her eyes also looking at that buff. “From the reports of those on the other side of the world, it seems that they have gained a debuff similar to this one over there.” 

There was tiredness and frustration in her voice. She gently traced her trusty teacup’s rim with her finger and sighed. “Really, this girl only makes me worry. Just imagining her gains after ending her Level Up is making my stomach twist. Ugh.”

Her mind was already imagining powerful auras that would sweep the entire world and how she would need to administrate everything. Everyone was slightly sympathetic; after all, those gathered here were both family and government workers. 

After Flor took a sip, she smiled and nodded. “Yep. It’s time for me to step down.”

Everyone sitting at the park table around Flor spluttered, the tea spraying out of their mouths and staining the wooden table.

The one who complained first was not the Sylvans, but Melody. “F-Flor, my friend. You can’t step down! You are the cornerstone that is keeping everything going smoothly. Even if you slack and do nothing, you should never step down!” 

Hearing Melody’s nervous reply, Flor sighed. “... So tiring.” As she lamented, her petite body was picked up by her Ant Queen wife. Then, under her stupefied expression, Ignatia pulled her dress forward and stuffed Flor between her soft mountains. 

Being around 60 centimeters tall, Ignatia could only cover Flor’s body in between. Even then, it was plenty of a surprise reaction for everyone involved. “Y-You…” Flor looked up with a furiously blushing face. “What are you doing!?”

Ignatia’s compound black eyes gained a comfortable glint as her seductive lips arched. “I am calming down my girl. Don’t you love to sleep between them? You’ve even slipped into other—”

“AHH!” Flor’s face gained such a deep red color that it was barely distinguishable from her hair. Thankfully, before Ignatia spoke more, her hands flew up and tightly held Ignatia’s plump lips together. Her eyes burning like torches, Flor growled. “I-If you dare say a single extra word, I will send you to sleep alone until Liu Shu wakes up!” 

The Ant Queen stiffened and instantly behaved. How could she bear the many years it would take without Flor’s love!? That was unacceptable!  

Of course, even if she stopped, linking the words and imagination was rather easy. So, when Flor turned around, she noticed everyone looking at her with subtle expressions. At that instant, Flor dearly wanted to slap her horny self for accepting Ignatia’s weird requests. 

“Ahem.” Melody cleared her throat and looked toward her daughter. “Little Harmony, what…” Strangely, when she looked over, she saw Harmonixia raising her head and looking at a particular place of the World Tree with a blushing expression. 

“...Should I go cave diving?”

Melody almost slapped the back of her daughter’s head. 

“How much do you think Liu Shu’s stats will grow?”

At that moment, when everyone was thinking strange things, Eila quickly came to the rescue. 

Today’s event brought together Liu Shu’s influential family members and their friends. So, people like Delia, Taro, Eila, Mariane, Alba, Edharen, Thalgryn, and others gathered together in a picnic location at Tree’s and Aurelise’s park with Verena, Melody, Amareal, Branthis, and, of course, the Sylvans, and even some of the children. 

This lake, which was previously very far away from Liu Shu, was now rather close to her in comparison. Above them, Liu Shu’s canopy extended widely, covering most of the sky. If it weren’t for their exceptional strength and level, looking at the vortex of energy above Liu Shu would be impossible with such a gargantuan canopy in the middle. 

Thalgryn answered Eila’s question, her muscular arms crossed in thought. “She will probably reach 100,000 cores in reserves, right? Perhaps her raw stats reach 300,000 or something like that.”

Ignatia spoke, her hands trying to placate her ashamed lover with gentle pats. “It will be close, probably. Not many Level 100 people can reach 100,000 Cores as reserves even at the A Tier…” 

At this moment, Mariane finally spoke up. She had been slurping some delicious honey tea for a little while. Not because she was shocked, but because she really liked it and was reluctant to stop. “You are all overestimating Level 100’s.” 

“Huh?”

Mariane, the guardian of the Endless Library, had ridiculous amounts of knowledge. The main reason was that Liu Shu was constantly printing books about the information she had absorbed after raiding the cities of the Abyssal Void Nexus and those who opposed her. 

With the many buffs Mariane developed towards the reader and learning for becoming the Endless Library guardian, she could absorb knowledge at a speed that only Liu Shu could put to shame. The distance between Mariane and Liu Shu was basically the same as the distance between normal people and Mariane.   

Tempestria asked, curious. “Do you know the average stats of a Level 100 human at the A Tier?”

“I do.” Mariane smiled. “The average raw stats of a human that has an average 80% completion rate in his cycles are as follows: In terms of ternary essences, they are at around 50,000 cores. And in terms of <Stats>, they hover between 300 and 400 thousand.” 

“...” Everyone was silent. After all, those numbers were ridiculous for them, who hovered at around 10,000 Cores and 100 to 150 thousand raw stats. 

Verdantia muttered, surprised. “Now that I think about it… Weren’t Liu Shu’s raw stats already close to a <Fifth Energy Cycle> even before her ascension?”

Mariane chuckled, her moth wings gently moving behind her. “Why do you think Liu Shu could steamroll Ceperet without any competition? The <Five Origin Branches> add ridiculous stats to her, almost doubling her overall numbers. There is no equal equipment among those living in this world… At least not in the possession of a single individual.”

“Sigh…” Cinderielle leaned on the wooden table, muttering. “I am strong, but I am always a step behind her.” 

By her side, a tall blonde Sylvan smiled and filled her teacup. “Please, Mother. Have a sip.”

Cinderielle blinked and smiled, reaching for the cup. “Thank you, Lumina. It’s really a blessing that my stubborn mommy’s girl found someone like you.”

At the side, Pyara’s expression flushed as her flaming hair burned upward. “M-Mom! Don’t say embarrassing things!” Her arms linked around Lumina’s body as she snorted. “I love Lumina, so don’t speak of things like that anymore!”

Lumina chuckled gently as the Sanguine Blaze attached to her body like a tightly wrapped vine. ‘It took a while and a lot of effort, but Pyara is finally looking at me~. Hehehe, once a Sanguine Blaze decides on a partner, they are ridiculously loyal, so I am thankful that I could get into her eyes before anyone managed to pierce through her love for her mother.’ 

Knowing a Sanguine Blaze’s first love was as easy as looking at the woman who gave birth to them. It was neither a secret nor taboo knowledge, so Lumina was aware of it. Naturally, that didn’t mean there was no chance with them. After all, anyone who could imprint themselves on a Sanguine Blaze’s mind and replace their love for their mother would become unshakable in their heart.

‘I would need to do something foolish to lose this beautiful girl. Well, there is no chance to do that.’ 

“...Lumina, stop caressing my hair. It’s ticklish.”

Looking at her daughter’s shy expression, even when her body was curvy enough to give vertigo, satisfied Cinderielle. “Take good care of this silly girl, Lumina.”

“Of course. Leave that to me, Mother.”

Harmonixia chuckled at them and asked. “So… When will I be seeing a granddaughter from you two?” 

Since the options were a Sanguine Blaze or a Sylvan, there was zero chance for a male to be born. Pyara’s face turned redder than the fire that lit up her hair. “T-That… We are trying… No need to rush.”

Hearing from the side, Thalgryn asked with a curious expression. “Speaking of which… Who will be having the children?”

Lumina, noticing that her adorable girl was so embarrassed that she was silent, answered for her. “It will be Pyara… Or more precisely, it can only be Pyara, at least for now.”

Thalgryn blinked, her bear ears twitching. “Oh? How so? Can’t you get pregnant with her seeds?”

Lumina laughed. “I can, of course. I don’t have any problem with fertility. The problem is the child.” She smiled wryly. “If a Sylvan is born, there will be no problems. However, if I give birth to a Sanguine Blaze, I will be mind-controlled by my child.” 

She then reminded those listening. “Pyara is, after all, a Sanguine Blaze born from a World Tree. Her innate ability is exceptional, and the children she will give birth to will also have powerful innate abilities that subdue their own mothers.” 

Pyara rubbed her face on Lumina’s shoulder, her vines swinging around happily from being in Lumina’s arms. Looking at that, Lumina smiled gently, and her fingers gently swept through her flaming hair and caressed her scalp. Pyara almost melted with comfort. “On the other hand, Pyara has natural immunity to the child’s abilities. So, there will be no problems.” 

Thalgryn hummed and nodded, her interest satisfied. “No wonder, even when all the Sanguine Blazes are so beautiful, I see almost no one daring to approach them.”

Cinderielle laughed awkwardly. “Well, at least their lifespan is several times longer thanks to their mother’s genes. So, they have time to find a partner eventually.” Looking at her adorable daughter acting coy and cute, she giggled. “Pyara was lucky in that sense, but it is well-deserved luck. After all, that baby was affected by her genes the worst since she was the first.” 

Tempestria spoke up, looking at the side. “By the way, Edharen. How did the fight against the Boss of the <Rumbling Earth Domain Dungeon> go?”

Edharen’s lips flattened, his lion-like facial features showing seriousness and a trace of fear. “It’s… Impossible. The dragon is too strong to be defeated. To begin with, its defense is basically impenetrable. Then, even if you are able to injure it, it can absorb energy from the ground to heal its wounds. We thought of attacking it with flight, but it can disturb the ternary essences with its aura and block our flying ability. If it weren’t for its strange mercy, our 200 group would’ve been annihilated. Instead, around 114 survived, including me.” 

Everyone was surprised; they didn’t know that the Boss monster of the dungeon was so powerful. Delia muttered, incredulous. “...Half of you dying is merciful? That’s over eighty <Fourth Energy Cycles> that died!”

Edharen shook his head, recalling the fight. “That being is probably as strong as Lady Liu Shu. In a one-on-one, that being might be stronger.” He paused, looking at the growing World Tree. “...Well, that statement was true at least in the past. Now, after Lady Liu Shu has reached Level 100, she can probably exterminate it easily.” 

Everyone continued conversing, discussing various subjects, and exchanging information. Those gathered were all close enough to Liu Shu’s family that there wouldn’t be problems sharing such private information. 

Chapter 1346. Arriving at the Central Area.

Yasenia moved forward, and she quickly arrived at the 500,000-year-old zone. The second she did so, she was forced to stop in her tracks. Soluna, not knowing why Yasenia stopped, asked aloud. 

“Yasenia, what’s wrong?” 

The dragoness didn’t answer straight away. Instead, she was carefully examining her surroundings, her Spiritual Sense expanding and reaching its limits. As her eyes and presence enveloped the surroundings, a very faint trace of energy entered her detection range. 

When she looked over, there was an immediate reaction. Thousands of purple-colored thorny vines burst from the ground, trees, and canopies around her. Their speed was lightning fast, leaving Yasenia with almost no chance to dodge.

Thankfully, she had been on guard. The second the vines appeared, Yasenia stomped the ground and jumped backward. With her speed, which was quicker than the vines, she was able to escape the attack range. 

“Tsk.”

Yasenia clicked her tongue in annoyance, not because of the attacks at the front, but those at her back. “I’m already in the attack range of some herb.”

Sui Xing spoke with a serious tone. “Be careful. The poison in its thorns is not something you can lightly ignore.”

The dragoness chuckled, Draheart flying and severing hundreds of vines each second. “It has been a while since I’ve encountered a poison strong enough to threaten me.”  

“Is that a laughing matter!?” 

Soluna exclaimed with a harrumph. The dragoness smirked. “It is. If I capture it, then I will profit. I wonder if it is possible; it looks quite powerful.” 

She had not been in the same place as she defended against the barrage of attacks. Moving around, Yasenia covered a distance of over 100 kilometers. Even then, the plant continued to attack her with the same intensity. 

The dragoness couldn’t help but grumble. “These things take too much space. What were the people who planted it thinking?” 

Sui Xing chuckled. “If you want a plant to reach 500,000 years, you need nutritious soil and very specific conditions… At least in this Heaven, that is the truth. On the Divine Heaven, you can encounter plants like these aplenty.” 

“The trash of one man is the treasure of a dragon!” 

Soluna blinked. “Was the saying like that? Why do I feel that something’s wrong with it?”

While she bantered lightly, Yasenia was not idle. Her nose and sight were working constantly, tracing the origin of the countless vines attacking her. ‘Hm… East? But there is also a scent toward the northern area… Should I go northeast and see if I get closer to either of them?’

As her thoughts spun, a very faint fragrance caressed her sharp olfactory sense. Her eyes and head turned, and then, a massive root with the same color scheme rose to the sky. “Wow!” 

Yasenia lightly stepped onto the air, activating Pegasus Gallop, and her body approached the giant root quickly. With a swing of her sword, the massive root was bisected. Then, Yasenia stomped on the ground and shot in one specific direction.

“Oh?” Sui Xing asked, curious. “Did you find it?”

“Yes.” Yasenia smiled. “That giant root is not a secondary body part but part of its main body. The plant should be in the direction of that root.”

Dramel muttered with a laugh. “Its tail has been exposed in its eagerness to catch the dragon.” 

Soluna blinked twice. “I think that saying was also different…” 

Shooting across the dense jungle, Yasenia noticed the intensity of the attacks from the plant creature increasing exponentially. It felt as if the plant was desperately trying to stop her. “It’s strong, but it clearly lacks intelligence. Its urgency is a clear tell that I am going in the correct direction.”

The others agreed, so they continued to observe how Yasenia jumped, slashed, and accelerated through the jungle. Her agile and gorgeous figure, not losing its grace even with her frantic movements, was beautiful enough to daze others.

It didn’t take longer than a minute to follow and find the origin of these plants. The place she arrived at was a clearing, with countless vine-like roots squirming in the ground. At the center of the sea of thorny vines, a bloody red and purple flower bloomed beautifully. This flower was currently looking at her with extreme hostility.

Yasenia’s eyebrow rose lightly. “If the 500,000-year-old ones are this strong already, won’t the groups who dare approach the center be annihilated?” 

The dragoness swung Draheart a few times when the flower attacked her, and she waited patiently. Sui Xing answered lightly, his pleasant and clear voice without any ripples. “You are right. That’s why I told you to follow this path. I do not remember much. However, I do know that there is a path towards the center where no plants can attack you. The path is very easy to miss, though. So, we need to be careful after you get this thing.”

Yasenia nodded and didn’t attack actively. Instead, she calmly parried all of the vine attacks directed at her while looking at the flower. Since she was focusing on defense, it was rather easy to survive within the barrage of attacks from the flower.

Dramel, utterly lost about how to harvest plants, asked aloud. “Why are you not charging forward?”

The dragoness answered easily. “Naturally, it is because I can’t pluck it otherwise. If I want to get this plant to live within my Spatial Ring’s garden without bothering others, I must show that I can kill it easily.”

“Does it matter?” Dramel asked, curious. “Isn’t the flower going to enter your ring either way if you chop it? After all, the vines are not worth anything, right?”

The dragoness nodded. “The poison inside the vines is only effective when that flower controls it. Even their sturdiness is nothing exceptional. Only the number it can control makes it difficult. This flower, named [Endless Thorn Death Flower], is something I was not expecting to find here.”

Soluna asked, curious. “What can it be used for?”

“In my case, not for much. However, Mom will be delighted if I get this. From what I know, it is able to nurture undead beings just from existing. Her low-level undead could benefit quite a lot if she gets it.” 

Dramel commented. “Won’t she have it already?”

“... Probably not?” Yasenia showed a perplexed expression. “This is a 500,000-year-old flower. Even Mom doesn’t have many of these. After all, she has lived in the Sky Continent, not roaming around the world and gathering countless treasures.”

Draheart spoke lightly. “Yasenia, it has given up.”

“Oh? Already?” Looking at the thorn vines that stopped attacking her body, Yasenia smiled happily and approached. “Little flower, come with mama dragon~.”

The flower looked at the approaching dragon with uncomfortable feelings. Instinctively, it wanted to resist. Nevertheless, the sense of defeat was too big to continue resisting. Her opponent was barely paying attention to her as they fought, and still, the flower could barely move Yasenia from her standing position.  

So, Yasenia happily communicated with the flower and transplanted a large part of it into her spatial ring. The number of venomous herbs in her ring was plenty, but she had a big area free of precious flora where she could plant the Death Flower and allow it to rule like a little overlord. 

Once the Death Flower appeared in the spatial right, it paused and looked around with its vines. Feeling the high-quality Death Energy Soil below, it dug its roots happily and expanded out. The flower began bouncing in happiness, very satisfied with its new home.

After all, the soil in Yasenia’s ring was enhanced by a Natural Treasure, so it was of a higher quality than the soil it had lived in for half a million years.

Yasenia observed the happy plant and laughed. “Alright, the little one is settling properly.”

With that sorted out, she took a deep breath and relaxed. Since this was the Death Flower’s turf, and now, it was in her hands, it meant that her current location was entirely free of threats. “Relaxing~.”

Sui Xing advised. “You should search for the path in the Death Flower’s territory. If you don’t find it, we can go to another location and continue our search.” 

So, with an objective in mind, Yasenia flew low and continued her search. Most of the plants she encountered in the Death Flower’s territory were 10 to 50 thousand years old. Still, each time she encountered one that she didn’t have, she transplanted it. ‘Since these species can survive inside the Death Flower’s domain, I can get them without consuming extra space.’ 

“Treasures here, treasures there, hehe. I am getting richer by the second! Such a great feeling.” 

The treasures chuckled. Yasenia’s wagging tail was just too cute.

After a day of searching, Sui Xing spoke to Yasenia. “Over there. Check on that rocky path.”

“Hm?” She looked over where Sui Xing pointed with his consciousness. Tilting her head, Yasenia asked. “Isn’t that a common stone path?”

Curious, she descended and placed her foot on top of the path. 

Dramel chuckled. “... Nothing happened.”

She didn’t expect a big discovery, but at least she wanted a profound energy fluctuation or something that could help her traverse the center of the garden.

The dragoness smiled and asked Dramel. “Dramel, what do you think of this path?”

“It’s very ordinary,” Dramel answered honestly, confused as to why Yasenia would question that. The stone path was made of uneven, one-meter-square stone slabs. As it extended forward, you could even see curves and wavy paths. Even by mortal standards, it was an ordinary rock path in the middle of the forest. 

The dragoness looked around her and asked Dramel again. “Do you think an ordinary path can survive for who-knows-how-long in this place?” 

Dramel paused. “Oh.” 

“Exactly.” Yasenia chuckled. “Unless the garden automatically takes care of the paths, the chances that this path is the secure path Sui Xing spoke about are very high.”

Soluna praised. “Brother Xing has helped again! Hurray!” 

If she were in her human form, her arms would’ve probably pointed to the sky during her exclamation. 

Yasenia, trusting her new family member, began treading the stone path with a leisurely pace. While she wanted to arrive in the middle, being on guard was not excessive.

The journey took just a few hours before Yasenia arrived in front of the central area’s limits. The reason she could tell was the concentration of energy in the ambience. Each layer had a much denser energy atmosphere. And the one in front of her felt like a viscous liquid instead of the airy feeling in the other sections.  

Noticing her surprise, Sui Xing gave a short explanation. “For a Spiritual Herb to reach the 1 million year mark, it needs ridiculous amounts of both energy and time. If we talk about percentages, over 85% of all energy is concentrated in the central area to grow these plants.”

Yasenia hummed. “Let’s step forward then.”

Dramel muttered. “I hope the 1-million-year-old plants did not destroy the path.”

Yasenia blinked. “... Let’s hope you didn’t jinx it, love. Otherwise, I will spank you later.” 

Chapter 558. New Essence Type! Level 100! [AotSC]

Author Note: Double Length Chapter! Hahaha

***

To be successful during the <Fifth Energy Cycle>, the creature needed to transform their <Cores> into the next tier of energy. What started as <Shards> and became a <Core> now needed to ignite with power. 

Liu Shu, guided by her subconsciousness and titles, was able to understand what she needed to do quickly. “The <Ternary Cores> are spheres of passive energy. Alone, they act as storage within my soul and give me the strength to manipulate the world around me through the Ternary Essences.” 

<Aether Mana>, <Phoer>, and <Anima Energy> all specialized in one aspect of life. “However… Now that I will evolve into a new species, I must acclimatize those essences to support my new <Eternal> attribute.”

From the depths of her soul, Liu Shu manifested the new energy. A gleam of ethereal silver-white energy sparkled in the center of her existence. This essence, which was hidden by the title due to its incredibly powerful functions, was now within her sight and power to manipulate. 

“Come forth, <Eternal> essence.” 

The spark of ethereal white light bloomed and enveloped her existence, and the second she did so, Liu Shu’s gaze seemed to expand beyond the world. 

“This…”

Liu Shu looked at what appeared in front of her, and she couldn’t help but exclaim at the view. “Isn’t this Ceperet?”

As she looked at it and the surroundings, another very important thing was noticed. 

“...Why is it paused?” 

The world before Liu Shu was not spinning like usual. There was not a single trace of movement. Confused about this phenomenon, her mind zoomed into the planet’s surface. Right then, she understood why the planet looked motionless.

“Time has stopped.” 

When she noticed, a message appeared in her eyes.

[Congratulations! You’ve received <Title: Being Of Eternity>]

Surprised, Liu Shu checked the effects and hummed. “... Isn’t this a little too strong?” 

A wry smile appeared on her lips, but quickly, Liu Shu sighed and moved on. Of course, even if she wanted to move on, the System wouldn’t. When Liu Shu’s body was enveloped by the <Eternal> essence, another two notifications popped in front of her. 

[Congratulations! You’ve received <Title: Immortal>.]

[Congratulations! You’ve received <Passive Skill: Time Source>]

Once again, Liu Shu checked and felt her worldview collapsing. Of course, the chain reaction from awakening the eternal energy was not done yet. 

[You are the first being who has awakened <Time Source>. <Title: Source Of Time> will be given to you.] 

“...Right. What’s next?”

[<Eternal Core> resonates with your <World Tree Heart> and merges. You’ve earned <Passive Skill: Eternal Heart>.] 

Liu Shu knew what was coming next, and she sighed to herself.

[<Eternal> attribute awakens <Talent: Eternal Strand>.]

[Upon touching on the <Source Of Time>, you’ve gained basic understanding of <Time>. You gain <Accelerate>, <Slow>, <Stop>.] 

“Aha. Now it’s finished.” Liu Shu chuckled and slowly checked each and every one of the new skills. She took a few minutes to read and reread them. “Phiuu…”

Liu Shu sighed for a moment, and then started crying. “Why are they so strong? Aren’t I now semi-unkillable!?” 

To be fair, with these skills at hand, Liu Shu felt that anyone at the same level wouldn’t even become an inconvenience. She was at the point that she could sweep tens of <Ceperet> worlds and remain unscathed.

Beyond bewilderment, Liu Shu’s heart was pumping with excitement. Even as time had stopped, she could feel her body trembling, not knowing what to do with the overwhelming emotions washing over her.

“...If I tell Flor and the others, I might shorten their lifespan for real this time. Should I keep them hidden and reveal them slowly?” She felt that it was a great idea. “Right, I should do that. You know, to mimic something similar to exposure therapy.” 

After calming down, Liu Shu returned to the <Energy Cycle> creation process. “Alright, now that I have assimilated the new <Eternal> attribute, I can proceed to create the next tier beyond <Ternary Cores>.”

With her thoughts, Liu Shu moved the nearly 30,000 <Cores> under her power and manipulated them. The cores began spinning around a core, and then, Liu Shu forcefully absorbed them towards the center. “I must approach them slowly, avoiding collisions between them.” 

The three hurricanes of <Ternary Cores>, each representing one of the basic essences, all began to shrink under Liu Shu’s control. 

“More… Closer…” 

Her processing ability, multiplied by her titles, and her energy efficiency all took part in guiding her actions with marginal errors. These errors, quickly corrected once Liu Shu noticed the wrong trajectory, never really affected her. Therefore, the 100% <Completion Rate> was well within her sight.

“Faster. Faster. Faster.” 

Liu Shu’s mind’s eye opened wider, taking everything in as her energy spiraled inward with ridiculous strength. If anyone would look at this, a fear of blowing up her own ternary essences in a violent collision would wash over them. 

Yet, Liu Shu’s confidence was unmatched. She was not even relying on her title, as the process until now was all done by her own strength. 

Looking from behind, Wisdom was faintly surprised. ‘At this rate, it wouldn't have mattered whether she had the <Title> or not.’ 

With Liu Shu’s increase in strength, Wisdom’s abilities were also brought out. Of course, what Liu Shu could use was now a bucket’s worth from a lake of riches. Yet, this bucket was something that almost anyone would kill to have. 

Liu Shu didn’t care about any of this, as her focus had reached transcendental heights. Inside her powerful mind, the movement, path, and speed of each rotating core was clearly traced, and when she noticed an eventual collision, she would make quick adjustments. 

This accelerating process lasted a long time. Moreover, since time flowed strangely during <Energy Cycle> breakthroughs, Liu Shu didn’t know that she had spent almost 3 years accelerating her cores to the maximum speed. By this point, instead of spheres rotating around three different points, it looked like circular beams. Tens of thousands of circular beams that were ready to collide into an irresistible chain reaction. 

When that happened, Liu Shu’s focus peaked, and she nudged one of the cores in each hurricane of cores. The little nudge, something that previously she used to correct paths, was now done so that two cores would collide. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three simultaneous explosions echoed when two <Ternary Cores> collided in each <Ternary Essence> hurricane. 

Then, subjected to the shockwave, the surrounding cores seemed to be about to fly out. However, that was not Liu Shu’s intention. The second two Cores collided, and an extremely heated energy appeared in the middle. 

And then, Liu Shu’s monstrous will and aura pushed all cores towards the middle without any subtlety. It was just raw strength pushing everything towards the middle. 

[Level Up!] 

[Aether +17, Physique +17, Anima +17, Willpower +17, Destiny +100]

As she leveled up, her existence was reborn, and all her accumulations until that point bloomed fantastically. Her stats soared, and with it, tens of millions of new <Ternary Essence Shards> manifested like clouds of pure energy. 

These clouds, as soon as they manifested, were swallowed into the explosion occurring to the <Cores>. And so, the new form of essence manifested. 

[<First/Second/Third Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Receiving stats!]

[Total: Aether +5250, Physique +5250, Anima +5250, Willpower +5250]

[<First/Second/Third Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Unlocking Potential!]

[Total: Aether Resonance +192%, Physique Refinement +192%, Anima Affinity +192%]

[<Fifth Energy Cycle> Completed! Unlocking Potential!]

[Aether Resonance +285%, Physique Refinement +285%, Anima Affinity +285%]

[<Fifth Energy Cycle> Completed! Receiving stats!]

[Aether +7500, Physique +7500, Anima +7500, Willpower +7500]

A ridiculous amount of <Stats> poured onto Liu Shu, her body creating <Shards> in large nebula clouds without stopping for a second. Moreover, as she evolved, her <Five Origin Branches> and new <Eternal Core> also evolved. 

At Level 100, the shackles on all equipment were naturally released, as they also went through something similar to an <Ascension>. A Level 100 and a Level 99 equipment were two very different items. 

For instance, the <Sylvanium Branch> gave around 10,000 of each <Stat>, around 10 million shards, and 27% for <Refinement>. Now, evolved at Level 100, the new <Sylvanium Branch>’s stats were just ridiculous. 

***

[Level 100 Sylvanium Branch (Flawless Level World Rank)]

+72,866,760 Aether Mana Shards

+72,866,760 Phoer Body Shards

+72,866,760 Anima Energy Shards

Aether (+35,719), Physique (+35,719), Anima (+35,719), Willpower (+35,719)

Aether Resonance (+42), Physique Refinement (+42), Anima Affinity (+42), Mental Palace (+42)

Skills: (Click To Expand)

***

With the <Eternal Core> overcoming the <Sylvanium Branch> in quality, the extra new equipment gave Liu Shu another large boost in stats. 

***

[Level 100 Eternal Core (Flawed Level Core Rank)]

+122,503,104 Aether Mana Shards

+122,503,104 Phoer Body Shards

+122,503,104 Anima Energy Shards

Aether (+47,262), Physique (+47,262), Anima (+47,262), Willpower (+47,262)

Aether Resonance (+51), Physique Refinement (+51), Anima Affinity (+51), Mental Palace (+51)

Skills: (Click To Expand)

***

Inside Liu Shu, the new form of <Ternary Essence> glowed brilliantly. The surface of the latest source of energy was plasma-like, as it rotated slowly and powerfully inside Liu Shu. 

Its figure was something that Liu Shu was not aware of, due to her lack of Astronomy knowledge. However, the name revealed what it truly looked like.

[Congratulations! You’ve unlocked the new <Ternary Essence> form: <Ternary Essence Stars>.] 

Liu Shu exclaimed. “Whoa! Stars!?” She then asked eagerly. “System! Tell me what Ternary Essence Stars are.”

[You can merge 100,000 <Ternary Essence Cores> to create a <Ternary Essence Star>. <Ternary Essence Stars> radiate powerful and pure energies, which will increase the effectiveness and power of your <Talents> and <Passive Skill> in a qualitative manner.] 

Liu Shu understood this. It happened as well when she unlocked <Cores> back then. Making the conversion, Liu Shu came to quite a terrifying conclusion. “For each <Star> I need 10 billion <Shards>... And I made two of them!”

“Hm?” While she was happily looking at the results, she noticed that she had missed one message.

“What is this?”

[<First Ascension Path> Completed! Receiving stats!]

[Total: Aether +9000, Physique +9000, Anima +9000, Willpower +9000]

[<First Ascension Path> Completed! Unlocking Potential!]

[Total: Aether Resonance +300%, Physique Refinement +300%, Anima Affinity +300%]

“...”

Liu Shu looked at the messages for a few seconds before blurting, incredulous. “Ascension paths also give stats!? Do they work like Cycles, repeating each time you gain enough levels…?” 

[Wisdom: They do.]

“...”

Liu Shu, scared about how her <System Page> had ended up, shouted with a heavy heart. “System! Give me a heart attack and show me my new system page!” 

(Author Note: Alright, dears, the chapter is finished here. However, from here on, the <System Page> will appear in a new format. Instead of using descriptive text, I’ll neatly reorganize everything into bullet points. I don’t know how the formatting will work on each page, but I don’t have much control over it. Let’s hope that all pages have bullet format affinity… Haha.) 

 ***

Name: Tianlian Liu Shu 

Titles:

<True Ruler World Tree>

• You are the absolute ruler of all creatures in your <Origin Planet>.

• Natural information-processing ability ×50.

• All lifeforms defending <Origin Planet>: +50% Stats.

• All crafters: +50% multiplicative success chance.

• All residents: +10% comprehension rate.

<Miracle Tree Architect>:

• All created or assimilated buildings: +1 Major Tier.

• Buildings auto-level 1 Level per week until matching World Tree’s Level.

• Buildings cannot fall more than 2 Major Tiers below the World Tree (current minimum Tier: C+).

• Buildings below this rank improve automatically (1 Sub-Tier / 6 months).

<Apprentice World Builder>:

• You will receive insights on how to become a <World Builder> depending on your <Destiny> value.

• +300% building speed.

• +25% Material Cost Reduction.

• -10% Material Rank Requirement.

<Energy Cycle Harmony>:

• All new <Energy Cycles> inherit at least the average completion rate of previous ones.

• Current Average: 100%.

<Fledgling Dimensional World Tree>:

• You are interwoven with sub-dimensions.

• Can interact with other dimensions physically and spiritually.

• Can swallow other dimensions into your domain.

• Space Efficiency and Affinity +1000%.

• Stats +10%.

<One With The Stars>:

• You are a seedling of a <Universal Tree>.

• Can assimilate all lifeforms.

• Followers who adore you can pour <Faith> into you for random buffs.

<Galactic Overlord>:

• Unlocks hidden and unique paths of Evolution. 

• Stats +20%. 

• Title can be improved. 

<Tempest Of Chaos>:

• Wind damage received: -36%.

• Gain <Wind Aether Affinity>.

• Wind-attributed followers: +200% Wind Affinity.

• All beings under the domain: +40% Movement Speed, +20% Damage Rate, +8% Stats.

• Wind Skills ≤ S-Tier: -20% upgrade cost.

<Songs Of Chaos>:

• Gain <Sound Aether Affinity>.

• Aether & Anima regeneration +400%.

• Elemental and Soul energies around you stabilize, easing spellcasting ≤ S-Tier.

• All beings under the domain: +20% Aether and Anima comprehension rate, +20% maximum Aether Mana and Anima Energy, -20% Spell Cost, +8% Basic Stats.

<Sprouts of Chaos>:

• Gain <Life Aether Affinity>.

• Phoer regeneration +400% for all plant life.

• Can summon plant lifeforms up to S- Tier.

• All beings under domain: Age -20%, +20% Phoer, +8% Basic Stats.

• Plant life under domain: XP Gain ×2 (until reaching World Tree’s Level).

• World Tree gains +0.20% of plant XP earned (max: Level ×3 daily).

<Embers of Chaos>:

• Fire Damage received: -36%.

• Gain <Fire Aether Affinity>.

• Fire-attributed followers: +200% Fire Affinity.

• All beings under the domain: +20% Damage Reduction, +8% Basic Stats.

• Fire Skills ≤ S-Tier: -20% upgrade cost.

<Universal Tree>:

• You’ve gained the <Eternal Core>.

• Each Chaos Shard paired with it unlocks a portion of your heritage.

• Blessings increase in power with each paired shard.

• Shards paired with: Thermis, Phoer, Aether, Anima.

• Thermis Blessing: Manipulate temperature-related elements, +200% Thermal Resistance, infuse attacks with Hot/Cold elements using Aether Mana, +20% Base Damage, +40% Burn/Freeze DoT.

• Phoer Blessing: Phoer Regeneration +400%, emit wound-mending aura, +10% breakthrough chance in <Physique> Skills, +10% <Physique>.

• Anima Blessing: Anima Energy Regeneration +400%, emits soul-healing aura, +10% breakthrough chance in <Anima> Skills, +10% <Anima> and <Willpower>.

• Aether Blessing: Aether Mana Regeneration +400%, emits elemental calming aura, +10% breakthrough chance in <Aether> Skills, +10% <Aether>.

<Being of Eternity>: You have become an eternal existence. Your actions are outside of causality, rendering your presence unreadable and inevitable. (Effects scale with Ascension Ranks).

• Enemies cannot perceive your future actions with prediction, foresight, or divination.

• The effects of decay and entropy are nullified.

• All buffs and debuffs applied to you last indefinitely unless actively dispelled. Maintaining them costs <Eternal> energy depending on effects.

• Those who eat your byproducts have a chance to be temporarily affected by extra <Eternal> attribute-related effects.

<Source of Time>: You are the root from which time itself flows, a sapling that touches every moment at once. (Effects scale with Ascension Ranks).

• Time-based skills cost 10% less to activate and upgrade.

• Domain effect: You can speed or slow the passage of time within your territory by up to 100%.

• Allies’ cooldowns are reduced by 10%. Enemy cooldowns within your domain are increased by 10%.

<Immortal>: Death cannot approach you unless you are forced into it. (Effects scale with Ascension Ranks).

• Natural lifespan: None.

• You cannot be slain by age, rot, or conceptual death effects.

• If your <World Tree Heart> is destroyed, you can reconstruct it once every 100 years.

Hidden titles: [4]

Race: Sapling Eternal Universal Tree (Mythical)

Energy Method: Eternal Energy Gathering (Level x <Complete Energy Cycle +1> x <Ascension Levels +1> = 1200)

Level: 100 [0/3,821,170]

[Stars (Cores) (Shards)]

Aether Mana Stars: 2.62/2.62 (261,523) (26,152,218,826) (+9,415 Cores/Hour)

Phoer Body Stars: 2.64/2.64 (263,674) (26,367,347,562) (+9,493 Cores/Hour)  

Anima Energy Stars: 2.61/2.61 (260,450) (26,044,959,707) (+9,377 Cores/Hour)  

Attributes: Aether 967,426 (231,570+735,856) / Physique 971,496 (231,570+739,926) / Anima 965,391 (231,570+733,821) / Willpower 373,865 (230,601+143,264) / Destiny 10,000 (10,000)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (1808), Physique Refinement (1818), Anima Affinity (1803), Mental Palace (352) 

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (90), Physique Resistance (90), Spiritual Resistance (90), Mental Resistance (89)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-89%), Summon Enhancement (+50%), Summoning Invoking Time (-89%), Summon Upkeep (-89%)

Tier Stars:

Aether Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Phoer Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Anima Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Willpower Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Overall Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Talents:

<Recolocation (S- Rank Level 2 [1,200,000/6,718,500])>:

• Can relocate followers and flora anywhere within the domain.

• Can move World Trees and Life Trees if affinity conditions are met.

• No distance limit.

• Cooldown: 9.5 years.

<Soulseed Projection (A Rank Level 2 [125,580/4,718,600])>:

• Produce 1 <Soulseed> every 9.5 years, via <Sylvan Quest>, or by assimilating <World Trees>.

• Plant Soulseeds as waypoints to project body (70% stats).

• Current Soulseeds: 95.

<Temple Seed (A Rank Level 2 [845,000/4,718,600])>:

• Create <Temple Seeds> (3 per Temple / 5 years).

• Can plant outside the domain to spread Temple buffs.

• Grows into <Temple Tree> equal to Temple Level & Tier.

• Current: 116 Summon, 109 Destiny, 103 Craft, 78 Life Temple Seeds.

<Curse Cleansing Aurora (A- Rank Level 4 [1,378,000/31,104,000])>:

• Aura purges corruption/curses ≤ Tier.

• Chance to reverse curse into blessing.

• Deal damage related to your <Anima> and <Willpower>.

• Area = Height x 6.5.

<Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire (A Rank Level 4 [0/37,748,800])>:

• The World Tree is recognized as the absolute ruler of her ecosystem.

• Basic flora (trees, bushes, flowers, etc.) can evolve into the unique species prefix <Lignified>.

[Buffs for the World Tree]

• Can cultivate an expansive variety of berries and fruits.

• Can expend 10% of a berry’s cost to accelerate 1,008 Gestation Days.

• Rune Field & Woodcrafting comprehension rate: +325%.

• Rune Field & Woodcrafting success rate (≤ 1 Tier below yours): 100% guaranteed.

• Material-usage efficiency when creating <Lignified> species: +650%.

• Can grow a <Lignified Rune Workshop>, granting an additional +130% bonus to all Rune and Woodcrafting activities performed within.

[Buffs For Plant Species]

• Growth speed: +650%.

• Lifespan: +26%, sustained if they remain within your domain for at least 10 years.

• Minimum birth Tier: C- Tier (lower tiers possible only if biological limits prevent advancement).

• Excludes semi-intelligent or intelligent flora species (Sylvans, Alraunes, Dryads, Rose Fairies, etc.).

[Bonuses for <Lignified> species]

• Experience gain from non-combat actions: +325% until matching the World Tree’s Level.

• Can develop <Building> skills and evolve into habitable structures for intelligent or monstrous life.

• Permanently linked to the World Tree’s essence, all evolution aligns with her interests.

• Born with <Living Rune Fields> etched into their bodies—these evolve alongside the host.

• Can produce 1–2 random fruit varieties already known to the World Tree.

<Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe (A Rank Level 3 [3,740,000/15,925,300])>:

• Branches & roots unleash devastating elemental attacks.

• Range for basic attacks up to 6× body length.

• Area Catastrophe Attack: up to 18× height; consumes heavy resources.

• Reachable anywhere within vision, up to 3.6× domain size.

<World Tree Calling (A- Rank Level 1 [0/486,000])>:

• Summons Arboreal Winged Serpents.

• Max Tier: A-.

• Max Level: Your Level.

• Maximum Summons: 100

• You can use extra energy to summon a special summon. It takes 25 slots. (Your Level +25, Your Tier +1)

<Eternity Strand (S– Rank)>: Your essence forms an eternal thread interwoven into the threads of time. You can create one <Eternity Strand> using 10,000 Aether, Phoer, and Anima Cores.

• You can create one <Eternity Strand> with 10,000 Aether, Phoer, and Anima Cores.

• You can anchor yourself or allies to a past "state" (HP, stats, or energy) and return to it once within 24 hours.

• You can permanently maintain one effect until the <Eternity Strand> duration runs out.

• Those affected with an <Eternity Strand> can avoid fatal damage by consuming it and forcefully returning to a past state.

• Duration: Up to 24 hours.

<Accelerate (A+ Rank Level MAX)> You can hasten the flow of time around chosen targets.

• Increases growth, recovery, and action speed up to 15%.

• Time acceleration reduces skill cooldowns proportionally.

• Overuse can destabilize the target’s time balance, creating permanent, damaging effects.

• Duration: Up to 15 seconds.

<Slow (A+ Rank Level MAX)>: You can slow the flow of time around chosen targets.

• Reduces enemy speed, recovery, and regeneration up to 15%.

• Skills, tick rates, and cooldowns can stretch under its effect.

• Duration: Up to 15 seconds.

<Stop (A+ Rank Level MAX)> You can halt the flow of time around chosen targets.

• You can freeze a single target or an area (Height^2).

• Cannot be resisted by beings of a lower realm.

• During <Stop>, accumulate 15% of damage/healing.

• After effect, all halted targets suffer <Temporal Fracture>, exploding all accumulated damage/healing while reducing all resistances by 15% for 1 minute.

• Duration: Up to 1.5 seconds.

Passive Skills:

<World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank Level MAX)>:

• Understand all complex languages.

• Access to System-helper.

• Passive knowledge absorption.

• Can peer into foreign System Pages.

<Eternity Heart (S- Rank Level 1 [0/839,900])>

• You are a unique existence.

• Your Core Generates <Eternal> energy.

• <Eternal> attribute affinity +100%

• Every 10 years, when mortally wounded, you can trigger <Eternal Revival>.

• <Eternal Revival>: Temporarily restore to 100% of your peak and annihilate all harmful temporal effects within your domain.

<Time Source (S- Rank Level 1 [0/839,900])>

• Generates temporal flow within the domain, making time manipulation easier.

• Allies: +20% comprehension, +20% training efficiency.

• Roots generate <Temporal> Energy.

<World Embracing Dimensional Roots (S- Rank Level 1 [678,500/839,900])>: 

• Roots reach both material and immaterial realms.

• Immune to extreme natural environments.

• Can feed on all essence without destabilizing balance.

• Potential reach: limitless.

<World Tree Heart (A Rank Level 4 [1,380,540/15,925,300])>:

• The core sustains the body; if undamaged, full recovery is possible.

• Innate Regeneration, Resistances, and Affinities naturally increased.

<Soul Enthralling World Tree (A Rank Level 3 [4,150,000/15,925,300])>:

• Aura inspires awe across all beings.

• Natural Charm Increases.

• Voice can affect/damage souls.

• Souls dying in the domain are purified and reborn through you.

<World Tree Eye (A- Rank level 3 [6,355,000/13,122,000])>:

• Vision extended through roots; clarity equals natural sight.

• Can perceive ternary essences of opponents.

<Cerulean Bloodsap (A- Rank Level 2 [960,300/3,888,000])>:

• Sap completely cures poisons/ailments ≤ Tier.

• Acts as a panacea and alchemy catalyst (+20% success).

• Nearby flora receive growth boosts and naturally purifying qualities.

Accumulated Experience: 10,156,069

Inventory: 95 <Soulseeds>, 116 <Summon Temple Seeds>, 109 <Destiny Temple Seeds>, 103 <Craft Temple Seeds>, 78 <Life Temple Seeds>, 9 <Super Rare Ticket>, 4 <Ultra Rare Ticket>, 1 <Legendary Ticket>…

***

Dewna, Sylvia, Eluan, and Pyara Playing In The House. (Colored Sketch)

Here are the babies! Sylvia is a bit more monstruous than what I imagined, but I liked it and told the artist to continue with it as is. I hope you like it too!

Chapter 1345. Feng Shaotian's Struggle.

It has been around 3 days since Lady Hua took the lead. During that time, Yasenia and the others encountered a few 100,000-year-old plants and harvested them. To divide the spoils, Yasenia was at a disadvantage. 

Firstly, everyone in her current group followed Feng Shaotian, and they were all part of the same sect. Secondly, Yasenia’s previous rudeness was not something the majority of them appreciated, so when discussing options, they actively antagonized Yasenia. Naturally, they wouldn’t do so openly, but it was clear that they had ulterior motives. 

Yasenia saw what they were doing with indifference. Her initial goodwill towards them was because she didn’t want to explore the garden alone and encounter trouble. In a way, she was leeching off of Feng Shaotian’s influence, not to be thrown around by other powers. ‘To be honest, I don’t even know if being bothered by others is better than this.’ 

Yasenia approached a plant she had spotted, intending to harvest it, but someone from the group called out to her from the side. “Hey! Lady Katherine, please don’t try to sneakily harvest plants. As we’ve already discussed, you will get fifteen percent of the spoils while we take the rest.” 

The voice made her heart squeeze with annoyance, but Yasenia knew better than to act irrationally. She looked back at Lady Hua, the woman who raised her voice to stop her. “You’ve already picked eight plants, so this one should be for me.”

Lady Hua shook her head. “Clearly, that plant is more valuable than the others. Therefore, that far surpasses your share. Instead, you should choose one from the eight I’ve harvested.” 

Her body, hidden under the mantle, gave off a cold feeling. The previously smiling lips were now flattened to a line. Even when they couldn’t see her eyes, the intensity of her gaze was something that prickled their skin like small needles. Yasenia turned her head and looked at Feng Shaotian. 

“Are you really not going to say anything? If you want to separate from me, you can just throw me or tell me to go.” 

Feng Shaotian was hesitant for two reasons. The first one is that she genuinely wanted to become acquainted with the woman under the mantle. Not only was she clearly someone beautiful, but her beast features were very much to her liking. The second reason was that, clearly, the woman named Katherine had sharp senses for treasures.

While the woman under the mantle had tried to hide it, Feng Shaotian had noticed her nose twitching from time to time before she found incredible treasures. ‘I have to decide whether it is worth making my followers antagonistic just to earn Lady Katherine’s friendship.’

Clearly, this woman, named Katherine, was someone whom she would meet just in passing unless they became close. Even if they became close, Katherine could remain reluctant and leave without revealing her identity. At that point, she would’ve become friends with someone whom she wouldn’t see and offended her underlings for no reason. 

So, thinking rationally, Feng Shaotian knew what to do. Looking at her subordinates with frustration, Feng Shaotian tried to smile and mediate between them. “That… Lady Katherine, how about giving this one up? We can find another with similar effects later if you want…”

Lady Hua’s lips arched mockingly as she looked at Yasenia. She was clearly gloating that Feng Shaotian took her side. 

Seeing their intentions, Yasenia sighed to herself. ‘I gave them a bit of leadership, and they immediately decided to cast me out. It's really not worth staying with them. If I stay longer, it would be no different than participating in a self-humiliation ritual.’  

With that in mind, she turned around without looking back, intending to leave. Feng Shaotian, not expecting such a decisive move, opened her eyes. “W-Wait! Lady Katherine!” 

However, Yasenia ignored her calls and stepped forward, activating her movement technique and disappearing into the thick forest in front of them. 

Lady Hua snorted. “Finally, the parasite is gone. Truly an annoying woman.” 

Feng Shaotian’s face darkened, and she glared at her. “You useless woman! Has your brain been damaged after living in secluded cultivation for the last millennium?!” 

Lady Hua was startled, staring at Feng Shaotian with wide eyes. 

“That woman was the one who opened the formation in the first place! Isn’t it normal for her to know some secrets of this place!? Yet, to protect your useless pride, we’ve ended up losing our connection!” 

Unconvinced, Lady Hua spoke tightly. “She just used brute strength. Someone like that wouldn’t be able to show any extra proficiency besides beating up monsters.” 

Feng Shaotian looked at Lady Hua as if she were stupid and then turned around. “... Did your arrogance blind you to this point? How could a single punch crack a formation of that level!? Clearly, she was being performative! Whatever method she used, it wasn’t brute strength. Otherwise, wouldn’t Uncle Feng dismiss her!? Instead, Uncle Feng clearly showed embarrassment! You… UGH! If you weren’t my allies, I would’ve sliced your heads off, because clearly, you don’t need them!”

With a huff, Feng Shaotian turned around and began walking toward the center of the garden. The rest followed silently, recalling their previous actions.

Meanwhile, Yasenia traversed a few hundred kilometers in a few seconds and stopped. “Hm… The surrounding ambient here is so thick that the Spiritual Sense gets stuck. I can barely look beyond my eyesight with my Spiritual Sense…”

Sui Xing commented. “That’s normal. Remember that the herbs were all spread with thick energy. For someone to pierce through them, they would need a relatively high cultivation level or to become the owner of this place.”

Soluna asked, curious. “Brother Xing, do you think Yasenia’s garden in her spatial ring is lacking with this one?”

Sui Xing chuckled. “There is no comparison. While I do admire that a single cultivator, especially one as young as Yasenia, managed to create a garden of that quality, this one is part of an inheritance. For a spiritual garden to become an inheritance, it means that it can support a relatively high-level sect by itself. Can Yasenia do something like that? I don’t think she could supply a single high-level alchemist for longer than fifty years with her current reserves.” 

Yasenia agreed with him. “Sui Xing is right. That’s why I am quite eager to get this. If I get this, I can forget about spiritual herbs for a very long time. Honestly, if I wanted to create some of the more advanced pills, my herb garden would struggle a bit. Not because of quality, but because I lack plenty of herbs.” 

Soluna hummed. “I see. Then, how do we get this garden, Brother Xing?”

The man hesitated for a second. While he was knowledgeable about many things, he didn’t really know the methods of acquiring the treasures. Still, taking into account the personality of his previous master, he had an idea. “If that person wanted to choose who gets this garden, he would probably create a test as well. Still, this test wouldn’t be a fighting one. So, Yasenia will struggle.” 

Yasenia commented. “I do have some alchemy knowledge, though. Creating low and mid-level Transcendence Realm pills is not that big of a problem. Anything above that, I would struggle quite a lot, but it’s not impossible.”

“Oh?” Sui Xing asked Soluna, confused. “Didn’t you say that Yasenia was not that talented with Spiritual Professions?”

Soluna answered innocently. “Compared with her fighting talent, she is really not that talented.”

“...” Sui Xing sighed once and then asked Yasenia. “What paths have you practiced and to what level?”

The dragoness pondered and answered confidently. “As Soluna said, I am quite untalented in that regard. Still, I have reached the Peak Transcendence Rank in Spiritual Cooking, and I am low to mid-ranked in Alchemy, Blacksmithing, and Formations. Tailoring… I do dabble in it, but I doubt I can make Transcendence Realm clothes. I am even worse with talismans.” 

Sui Xing became silent, while inside, he was feeling defeated. ‘That kind of talent is genius-level for average cultivators. Of course, she is not monstrous, but she is only over a century old and with that proficiency.’ 

Yasnia blinked and exclaimed, “Ah! I almost forgot. I also dabbed a bit on Transmutation arts. Never too deeply, though.”

Sui Xing exclaimed. “Transmutation?”

Yasenia nodded and waved her hand, summoning a cauldron that had been collecting dust inside her spatial ring. “Yeah, I got this [Earth Refining Cauldron] a while ago, but I never really used it beyond experimenting with Heaven-ranked items.”

Sui Xing looked at the cauldron with a baffled expression. “This… You have quite a few treasures with you, don’t you?”

Yasenia puffed her abundant chest proudly. “I am a dragon, after all. I like collecting things!”  

Sui Xing laughed faintly. “I guess you are right. Still, if you have this cauldron, you might be able to overcome the alchemy trials.” 

“Ho?” Yasenia looked at the beautiful red and yellow cauldron with interest. “How?”

Sui Xing answered. “First, let’s find the trials. They are not time-limited, so we can talk after we encounter them. The problem is… Those are probably at the center of this place. So, you will have to tread the place with the one-million-year-old plants. Are you willing to take that risk?” 

Honestly, Yasenia was not that willing. This garden was incredibly precious. And Yasenia was sure that she would be able to find herbs like the Star River Rose inside, which would greatly enhance her cultivation speed. Yet, the chances of encountering near-fatal risks were just as high. 

Hesitating for a moment, Yasenia decided to rely on her recently gained senior. “What do you think, Sui Xing? I am hesitant, so I would rather you tell me if it is worth it. I have many life-saving treasures, so I am confident in my ability to escape in the worst-case scenario. Only, is it worth it to use those treasures here?” 

Sui Xing smiled faintly. “Are you sure about trusting me in this?”

The dragoness tilted her head and answered honestly. “You are now part of my family. Of course, I will trust you.” 

Hearing those words, Sui Xing smiled to himself and chuckled. “Then, let’s go. I also want you to get this garden so that you get stronger quickly. Moreover, there won’t be anyone who will know it is you who got the garden since you’ve been hiding your identity.”

Yasenia nodded and stepped towards the center without hesitation. 

While Yasenia soared towards the middle, many other groups were also approaching. 

Chapter 557. Choosing First Ascension Path! Overwhelming Options. [AotSC]

When the System presented the options, Liu Shu almost instantly knew that some of them had to be disqualified just from looking at their names. “You give me five options, but I only see three of them here.” 

The first two options, [Young Elemental Heart Universal Tree (Legendary)] and [Juvenile Essence Purifying Universal Tree (Legendary)], were of legendary rarity. Therefore, their potential was inherently worse than that of the other three. Choosing any of those would only occur in a highly specific situation. ‘I will read all their descriptions, though. Who knows if there are some surprises?’

“System, show me the description of the first two options.”

***

Race: Young Elemental Heart Universal Tree (Legendary)

Titles: <Master of Elements>

Talents: <Elemental Aether World Blossom (A Rank)>, <Element Restricting Domain (A Rank)>

Passive Skills: <Heart of Myriad Elements (A+ Rank)>

Description: A Universal Tree that treads this path will eventually become the lord of Aether and manipulate all elements as easily as breathing, stealing control from others, and thus becoming the master, creator, and controller of all elements. They have tremendous growth potential and immediate strength to counter threats. 

***

Liu Shu took a slight interest in this species. It didn’t really show too much potential name-wise, but the final state that the Ascension Path promised was complete control over Aether Mana. Such a thing was really powerful in Liu Shu’s mind. 

“Interesting, show me the next one.”

***

Race: Juvenile Essence Purifying Universal Tree (Legendary)

Titles: <Purity>, <Bane of Corruption>, <Light Aether Master>

Talents: <Endless Pure Sea (A- Rank)>, <Absolute Soul Cleansing (A- Rank)>, <Purification Ritual (A- Rank)>

Passive Skills: <Saintly Heart (A- Rank)>, <World Cleansing (A- Rank)>.

Description: A Universal Tree born to fight corruption. Even in its juvenile stages, it can influence its surroundings and bring the light of purification to all beings equally. The final form of this being is one that will erase all unnatural phenomena from the cosmos.

***

“This path has many more skills, but they are of lesser quality. Still, it is a good option if I am going to fight the Abyssal Void Nexus for a while… Nevertheless, I doubt they will be comparable to the last three.” Liu Shu was pleasantly surprised by these two paths, but she was still skeptical. Therefore, she requested that the system display the rest. 

*** 

Race: Sapling Dimensional Fracture Universal Tree (Mythical)

Titles: <Multidimensional Being>, <Source of Space>, <Ethereal>

Talents: <Dimensional Fracture (S- Rank)>, <Dimension Creation (S- Rank)>, <Dimension Shrink Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Dimension Expansion Level MAX (A+ Rank)>

Passive Skills: <Dimensional Heart Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Subdimension Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Space Source (S- Rank)>

Description: A newly born Universal Tree that has merged with dimensional energy through mastery of spatial manipulation. This being exists in both the material and immaterial realms, an ethereal creature of myth that can manipulate reality with a thought. If a Universal Tree manages to reach maturity following this path, it will be able to rule all dimensions like branches of its very existence. 

***

“...Wow.” Liu Shu read the description and smiled wryly. “As expected, the other two can’t even be considered options with this one existing. Choosing the other two, even if those evolutions would counter my enemies, would be short-sighted as long as this one exists.”

For now, Liu Shu kept this option as a sure option. Still, she knew that she would start struggling right away after reading the next two. “Alright, System, shoot the next one.”

***

Race: Sapling Eternal Universal Tree (Mythical)

Titles: <Being of Eternity>, <Source of Time>, <Immortal>

Talents: <Eternity Strand (S- Rank)>, <Accelerate Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Slow Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Stop Level MAX (A+ Rank)>

Passive Skills: <Eternity Heart (S- Rank)>, <Time Source (S- Rank)>

Description: Born from eternity itself, this Universal Tree is a timeless being. They are part of time itself, and their existence can only be forcibly ended, as they have no lifespan. A Universal Tree that accepts this path can eventually become a being who governs through time itself. If they reach maturity without losing themselves, their influence will be able to extend throughout all time. 

***

Liu Shu’s mind short-circuited when she read this Ascension Path. “...What? What is this?” She knew that this path would be strong the moment she read the description of her <Universal Tree> title. After all, it said that she had awakened something called <Eternal Core>. 

Therefore, since the very beginning, Liu Shu had intended to choose this path regardless of its specialness. However… “System, didn’t you say that anything related to time was strictly prohibited? What am I reading here, then?” 

[Tianlian Liu Shu has achieved the ability to gain an Ascension Path without system limitations. Therefore, many of the prohibitions can’t be applied. Since Tianlian Liu Shu originally had the <Eternal> attribute sealed within her, it is impossible not to offer this option.]

Liu Shu heard the usually cold and emotionless tones, but she could swear that there was some sourness in them. “...You sound resentful for some reason, even when the tone hasn’t changed.” 

[... The System doesn’t have emotions.] 

“You are definitely resentful.” 

[...]

“Pfft, hahaha.” Liu Shu laughed when she saw the usual three dots. “Well, my option is this one for sure. Still, since we are here, should we see what the third Mythical race is about?” 

***

Race: Juvenile Reincarnation Universal Tree (Mythical)

Titles: <Being Beyond Death and Life>, <Source of Rebirth>, <First Life (Evolving Hidden Title)>

Talents: <Life Essence Manipulation (S- Rank)>, <Death Essence Manipulation (S- Rank)>, <Resurrection (S- Rank)>, <Absolute Recovery Level MAX (A+ Rank)>, <Death Plague Level MAX (A+ Rank)>

Passive Skills: <Reincarnation Heart (S- Rank)>, <Source of Rebirth (S- Rank)>

Description: A Universal Tree that has grown beyond the limits of life and death. As long as the Universal Tree is not fully exterminated, it is impossible to kill it. Being a creature beyond the concept of life and death, they are able to manipulate both energies from the outside. If this Universal Tree managed to reach maturity, it would become the river of reincarnation itself, and all life across the cosmos would flow through it. 

***

“Whoa!” Liu Shu almost jumped in fright. “To think that there would be an option that could tempt me after reading the <Eternal> species… This path is also incredibly strong. Especially the <Resurrection> skill… It’s extremely tempting.” 

What Liu Shu feared beyond her own strength was her family dying. So, this species was something that she would love to acquire. With it, she would become semi-immortal, and she would be able to grant such semi-immortality to those around her. 

The more she thought about it, the more tempted she became. “But…” Looking at the <Eternal> option, it was clearly a special path that couldn’t appear during other Ascensions because only during this one was she able to ignore System restrictions. 

“Ugh…” As she mulled deeply, she noticed something unusual. “...Wisdom, why are you so silent? Wouldn’t you usually have recommended me a path to take?”

[Wisdom: Tianlian Liu Shu must choose her own Ascension Path without outside interference. It is not a place for a <Skill> to dictate or suggest anything. Please, trust yourself and choose.] 

Liu Shu listened to Wisdom and smiled faintly. Clearly, Wisdom had a path in mind that it wanted to recommend quite badly. However, they were holding back and leaving Liu Shu to make her own choice. “I see.” Liu Shu smiled. “Thank you, Wisdom.” 

The skill didn’t answer and left Liu Shu to ruminate by herself. After thinking for a while, she made a summary. 

“Dimensional Universal Tree is a path that focuses on ruling space itself. It is a path that will help me expand the quickest.”

“Eternal Universal Tree is clearly a path that focuses on oneself. The individual strength this path provides is probably the highest, and it also gives me access to the prohibited element that, according to the system, I have sealed within me.” 

Liu Shu thought back to all those years when she revealed her affinities. ‘At that time, the System broke down and hid one element. Clearly, it was trying to reveal the Eternal Attribute, but it forcefully sealed it because it went against balance.’  

“Finally, the Reincarnation Universal Tree is one that focuses on developing life. With it, I will influence living beings the most and become part of them the best. It will most likely help me when things go wrong, allowing me to revive those dear to me. In a way, it is the most group-oriented path.”

Liu Shu hesitated. “Expansion, control, or life. I must choose one.” 

In her mind, the voice of the unknown being echoed. The being that told her never to forget those around her. ‘But… can I really give up the ability to manipulate time for that?’

Time, which Liu Shu always lacked, was within the reach of her branch tips. Just a simple word from her, and she would accept it. 

“... But the problem is… what if everyone gets killed?” Liu Shu feared that, in the future, she could face someone so strong that her life would be forfeit. If that was the case, what was the meaning of reincarnation? “If my family gets killed, won’t reincarnation be a curse rather than a blessing? I can see myself falling into an endless cycle of revenge, destroying all my enemies time and time again until all are defeated.”

With a sigh and complicated feelings, Liu Shu decided. “Sorry, gentle voice. This time, I want to be slightly selfish. I can protect them better the stronger I am. There is no need to avoid strengthening myself just to follow your words. My canopy is their eternal sanctuary, and I will become their guardian. System, I choose [Sapling Eternal Universal Tree]!”

[Are you sure?] 

Liu Shu, who hardened her heart, instantly hesitated when those three words popped in front of her. “... Yes.” Inside her eyes, strength recovered, and she shouted. “Unlock my innate attribute and give me power to wield it!!” 

[<Sapling Eternal Universal Tree (Mythical)> has been chosen! Your <Ascension> will begin when you complete your <Fifth Energy Cycle> transformation.]

[Unlocking Hidden Attribute Affinity: <Eternal>.] 

[<Eternal>: The attribute that embodies paradox itself. It is the stillness of permanence, yet also the fleeting nature of a moment lost forever. It is the first spark and the final silence. To wield it is to transcend causality; to embody it is to become a being whose very existence slips beyond chronology. Such creatures are unaging, incorruptible, and forever unbound by the cycles that rule mortals.]

[To use the <Eternal> attribute, you must consume <Aether Mana>, <Phoer>, and <Anima Energy>. It is not considered an elemental affinity.]

Liu Shu took a deep breath and prepared to tackle the <Fifth Energy Cycle> and reach Level 100. 

***

AUTHOR NOTE: I will share all the new skills and titles Liu Shu learned together with the Level 100 System Page. Don’t worry, because the chapter I share will be the normal chapter length, and only then will I add the System page. Take the second half of that chapter as the “Glossary” for Liu Shu’s Level 100 page.

Also, a few details about Leveling up for A- ~ A+ Tier skills. Any value increases by around 10% per level. For example, if at Level 1, an A Tier skill has a 100-meter reach, at Level 2 it will have a 110-meter reach, and at Level 3, it will have a 120-meter reach, and so on. 

For higher tiers, I will explain in the novel, as levels in skills will become increasingly challenging to raise. The Level 1 B Rank skill and a Level MAX B Rank skill are not that different, but in A Rank and above, things will change. 

Finally, for those fearful that there will be “returning to the past” shenanigans that create 10,000 plot holes, don’t worry, I also hate it when that happens. Time manipulation will be kept reasonable and limited, not absolutely OP. Liu Shu’s primary attribute, in the first place, will focus more on the “Eternal” concept than the “Time” concept. Haha.

Things are shaping up~, I hope you are having fun with the novel!

Much Love and Hugs!

Mortrexo. 

Chapter 1344. A Vast Garden.

Yasenia sighed softly to herself. ‘I didn’t expect the formation to actually take two [Formation Shattering Stone] hits. No wonder these people couldn’t unravel it.’ 

When she arrived at the garden location and saw so many people, her heart dropped for a second. Thankfully, the person in charge of the garden entrance seemed to have taken a liking to her. So, using that, she managed to convince them to try tackling the formation. 

Naturally, a formation that could resist the attacks of hundreds of cultivators would not even flinch if Yasenia punched it with all her strength. Still, she kept a [Formation Shattering Stone] hidden within her fist and acted as if she were punching with a lot of strength.

Since her strength was far above the norm, she was able to perfectly hide the fact that she used items. ‘Now, they won’t bother me. After all, who would want to mess with the person who broke through the powerful formation with brute strength?’

She didn’t doubt that there would be people who doubted her feat. After all, once you understand formations, even believable deception couldn’t pass through them. It didn’t matter how much you tried to appeal that you could change stone to spiritual crystals when that conversion was impossible in the first place. Anyone who wasn’t gullible would understand that there was some kind of trick involved. 

‘Thankfully, Feng Shaotian didn’t seem to be part of that group… Outwardly, at least.’

“Um… Lady Katherine. Do you know where to explore within the garden?”

Yasenia didn’t answer straight away. Inside her mind, Sui Xing spoke to her.

“Yasenia, the garden is divided into layers, each layer hiding exponentially older herbs. You are currently in the outer region, where 1,000-year-old herbs grow and die cyclically. Beyond this outer layer, there are five more. The next one, approaching the center of the garden, is for 10,000-year-old herbs, then for 50,000-year-old herbs, followed by those of 100,000, next 500,000, and at the very heart, the million-year-old herbs.”

Yasenia paused for a second when she heard that. ‘One million? This garden cultivates herbs of that age?’ 

Sui Xing chuckled. “Naturally. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be considered an inheritance-worthy terrain.” He warned. “However, don’t think of going there with your current strength. As you may know, herbs that are over 100,000 years old possess intelligence and strength. If there are any million-year-old ones, you will get killed.”

Hearing his words, Yasenia couldn’t help but speak against it. “But… They are limited by the Secret Realm as well, right? Aren’t you looking down on me a bit too much?”

Sui Xing scolded gently, his voice pleasant and deep. “Would I look down on you after becoming your particular training space? I know your ins and outs quite clearly, so trust me when I say this.” 

Yasenia felt a bit guilty for doubting. Still, she was not that stubborn. So, she nodded. “Alright. I’ll trust you.”

After conversing with Sui Xing and getting his permission to get guided, Yasenia spoke to Feng Shaotian. “While I don’t know the exact direction, I am aware that the deeper you go, the better quality herbs you will find. So, I am going to move in that direction.” 

“Great!” Feng Shaotian clapped happily, looking at her with excited eyes. “Then, Lady Katherine, please guide us, and we will make sure that you get your own fair share.” 

Yasenia was not in a position to explore alone. Therefore, she nodded faintly with a smile. “Alright, let’s go ahead and try to get enough treasures. We don’t know if the garden’s formation can repair itself after a while, so we have to avoid being greedy.” 

Feng Shaotian and her group nodded, accepting Yasenia’s words.

As their group traveled, they covered a lot of distance in a short amount of time. Yet, it was at this time that Yasenia and the others came to a realization. “...There are spatial modifications within the glass structure.” 

Initially, the glass structure holding the garden was already enormous. It covered almost half of the continent. Nevertheless, Yasenia was sure that she could cross that distance in a few minutes at their current speed. 

Feng Shaotian’s eyes shone with curiosity. “It is true. We’ve been flying for almost five hours, but we can barely see the end of the 1,000-year-old herb zone.” 

Another person on Lady Feng’s side spoke, his voice full of wonder. “How is it possible to keep a garden of this size so pristine even when there are no administrators? If it were left truly unattended, wouldn’t this have become a jungle?”

Everyone could agree with his words. Some followed his reasoning. “If that’s the case… Isn’t that a sign that there are some people alive here maintaining the garden? We need to be careful in case they are hostile.”

Yasenia looked at them once and then ignored them. ‘They are not giving the crystal structure enough credit.’ Stealthily looking up, Yasenia could discern complex energy moving through the massive crystal panels that seemed to cover the sky. ‘Those panels are probably dangerous; I have to keep an eye on them.’

While flying, Yasenia’s nose suddenly twitched, and she stopped. Everyone else stopped with her, looking at the woman covered in the dark mantle with curiosity.  

Ignoring their eyes, she flew down and approached a large pinkish-yellow flower. “[10,000-year-old Golden Allure Carnation].” 

“Oh?” Feng Shaotian’s eyebrow rose gently. “We’ve arrived at another layer. Should we continue forward, Lady Katherine?”

Yasenia looked at them and asked lightly. “Does anyone here struggle when fighting these levels of plants?” 

Someone who was a bit ignorant got offended and retorted sharply. “Lady Katherine, there is no need for insults when we are asking things politely.” 

Yasenia internally sighed. ‘Always so prickly. I am really getting a bit tired of these people.’ 

Feng Shaotian looked over with a glare when she saw Yasenia sigh. “Lady Katherine must’ve had her reasons to ask. Is it your turn to jump to conclusions? Or do you want to get humiliated like Uncle Feng?” 

Speaking of the middle-aged man, once Yasenia burst open the formation, he became so embarrassed that he was forced to leave on his own, accompanied by the other formation masters who supported him. Therefore, the group Feng Shaotian usually carried with her was reduced by almost half. 

Hearing her words, the man was somewhat embarrassed before asking. “Sister Feng, why are you so protective of that woman? Isn’t she just a rogue cultivator?”

“You still…” Feng Shaotian sighed, her eyes flashing with disappointment. “Whatever. Just stay silent.”

Yasenia observed their interaction silently. It was not her place to interact or get involved. Instead, she focused on her surroundings and searched for plants that she didn’t have in her garden. ‘Oh… There are a few new species. Should I take them with me? You don’t know when you will need them as an auxiliary herb during alchemy.’ 

Flying over, her hands deftly harvested the plants that caught her eye. It wasn’t until Feng Shaotian and that man stopped bickering that they noticed Yasenia’s actions.

“So… Lady Katherine, would you like to stop here?”

“Hm? No.” Yasenia shook her head lightly. “I was waiting for both of you to stop fighting before we could move onward.”

The two cultivators became a bit embarrassed again, but soon, everyone recovered their mood and decided to continue ahead. 

With Yasenia at the lead, they didn’t take that long to pass the 50,000-year-old terrain and reach the 100,000-year-old one. ‘While this place is large, it is not so enormous that it takes several days to fly around. Only, from here on, there will be hostile spiritual plants. I need to be careful and not be trapped.’

One woman from Feng’s group stepped forward and spoke to Yasenia. “Lady Katherine, would you mind if I take the lead from here on? Plants of this age can be a bit aggressive, and I specialize in alchemy. Therefore, I am familiar with them.” 

Yasenia didn’t spare her a glance and answered lightly. “No, I will move on my own. You can accompany me if you want. If you want to lead, we can separate and each go our own ways.”

Inside, she was thinking. ‘Either way, if I want to gain control of this garden, I need to be alone and explore according to Sui Xing’s direction. There is no haste, but getting over the complicated matters as fast as possible is not something I dislike.’ 

The woman who approached politely was somewhat embarrassed when Yasenia flatly refused her help. This time, even Feng Shaotian felt a bit uncomfortable. “Um… Lady Katherine, I understand that you are strong. However, wouldn’t it be better to have help from a specialist? Sister Hua is someone with thousands of years of experience.” 

Yasenia spoke lightly again. “I understand. However, I have my own ideas. Naturally, I won’t be rude enough to call myself knowledgeable. Still, I am quite confident in my ability to navigate dangers. As I said, if you are not confident, you can always separate.” 

Feng Shaotian chewed her lips a bit. “You are really a difficult person, Lady Katherine. If I weren’t quite fond of you, I would’ve been quite embarrassed and angry by now.” 

Yasenia chuckled. “Yes. You are right. Thankfully, that’s not the case.” She paused for a second and sighed softly. “Still, I can let Lady Hua lead the way until I feel like going in a different direction. How about it? That way, there won’t be anyone who is dissatisfied.”

The woman surnamed Hua still felt like she was being looked down upon. Nevertheless, the Beast Human named Katherine was someone whom their leader took a fancy to. So, she could only swallow the insult. At the end of the day, she had thousands of years behind her back, so acting impulsively was not something she liked.  

In the end, the Hua woman decided to guide them. Their current terrain was full of tall plants. Even when this was the zone of 100,000-year-old herbs, that didn’t mean that all herbs were of that age. For plants to grow for so long, they needed very specific surroundings and environments. These environments were made out of forests, snowy mountains, and much more.

So, from this location forward, the garden had become somewhat wild. Tall trees were common to see, and environmental effects like lighting, rain, strong winds, and many other effects could be discerned separately within very close distances. There was an unnaturalness that showed how most of the effects were man-made.

Yasenia marveled at the rich environment within the crystal structure, following Lady Hua’s guidance from behind. Feng Shaotian approached and kept her company, making small conversation.    

Chapter 556. True World Tree Quest Rewards. (2/2) [AotSC]

[Sapling born to reach the stars, you’ve grown greatly. I will now give you guidance. Please, accept it.]

A voice as vast as the cosmos and as gentle as that of a loving mother enveloped Liu Shu’s existence. The presence behind the voice felt endless, like a giant ocean surrounding a tiny fish. 

When this voice reached Liu Shu, her mind was immediately shaken as feelings bloomed in her heart. Attachment, longing, melancholy, calmness, and affection mixed together, making Liu Shu’s entire being soften and nestle into the embrace of the being who manifested. 

“Who… are you?”

If Flor, Tree, and Ignatia gave Liu Shu a feeling of loving reassurance and calm, this voice made her entire existence lean into it. It felt as if she was part of it, as if her self belonged within it. 

[I don’t have much time, sapling. I just hope that you become someone worth the name I gave you, but, above all, that you don’t commit the same mistakes I did.]

A trace of melancholy appeared in the boundless voice of the cosmic being, affecting Liu Shu to the degree that she wanted to start crying. As her heart soured and her soul ached, Liu Shu answered in a tearful tone. “D-Don’t be sad. I don’t like it when you are sad.”

The aura of the boundless being softened for a second before it spoke again. 

[Tianlian Liu Shu, you’ve only met four shards, so I wasn’t expecting to unlock it yet, but well, it is of no consequence. Since you seem to have fulfilled the conditions in an unknown manner, I will now impart to you the one and only source of my power. Accept it.]

From the depths of the cosmos, something surged and enveloped not Liu Shu, but her <Soul Tree> inside her <Shadow>. The self that Liu Shu discovered a long time ago and developed in a hidden dimension flickered. Over the years, together with Liu Shu, her <Shadow> had grown and developed, transforming from a sapling to a small, young tree.

This tree had five multicolored branches with sparse leaves, each of which represented one of Liu Shu’s <Five Origin Branches>. Meanwhile, the trunk and roots had developed similarly to Liu Shu herself, but with a simple change. In the center of the female figure of the tree, a single shining core stood out.

This core, layered in shining sapphire and purple undertones, had a faint glow and ethereal beauty that captured the eyes. This was the representation of Liu Shu’s core, which, in her physical body, she hid deeply within her. 

Liu Shu, unaware as to why her vision had shifted to this <Shadow> dimension, noticed that the energy surging from the outside was rushing into the core. ‘Ugh…’

A feeling of suffocation that was always there slowly unraveled, as if a clogged passage suddenly opened. A sense of liberation and fresh air forced out a sigh-like moan of relief from Liu Shu. “Ha~.”

As soon as she did so, her gaze flashed white, and then, she found herself in another place. 

“Huh? Where am I?” 

Curious, Liu Shu expanded her vision, and the second she did so, her heart thumped. What she captured was not a world, but the universe. Countless galaxies interlocked across her roots, and her body melded with reality as the laws of the cosmos flowed within her very veins.  

Her canopy, so vast that it could cover existence itself, flowed with the movement of cosmic energies and constantly created new stars, worlds, and life. 

“W-What…?” 

As she looked around, confused, she felt a deep, pulsing presence in the center of her chest. That core shone with infinite radiance and endless colors. Instinctively, she knew that the core in her chest was a source of her current boundless powers. 

“...estia...” 

The voice of a woman reached her from a corner of the cosmos, and she curiously looked over. There, what she was was a multicolored blur. The glow of iridescent light hid the being’s figure, but instinctively, Liu Shu knew that she was facing a being close to her heart. 

However, even when she wanted to speak, she couldn’t. Not because she wasn’t able to, nor because she didn’t want to. The second Liu Shu thought of speaking, she noticed that she was about to use the energies of the cosmos around her, and it would cost several galaxies' worth of energy to just communicate.

So, with reluctance, Liu Shu turned away from that existence close to her. Instead, she looked out of the cosmos. It was an action made out of sheer curiosity, expecting to see nothing. However, when she did so, her mind froze for a second.

“...What is that?” 

From outside the nearly infinite cosmos that her canopy protected and guided, she felt other existences. Beings that felt threatening even for her current self. 

The second she tried to look deeper, countless eyes seemed to snap wide open all across the starry sky, shattering her mind and the vision with it.

Returning to reality, a string of messages appeared in her mind’s eye. 

[Congratulations, you’ve received part of the <Universal Tree>’s inheritance. Your <World Tree Core> will evolve and become an <Eternal Core>.] 

[<Eternal Core> notices that you’ve linked with four <Chaos Shards> and will be enhanced accordingly…. <Hidden Title: Universal Tree> is partially unlocked through <Eternal Core> and <Chaos Shard> resonance.] 

(Author note: <Universal Tree> title description will be written after the chapter due to its lengthy effects.)

[Limits of <Title: One With The World> will be raised until the next threshold and transform into <One With The Stars>.] 

<One With The Stars>: You are a unique being, the seedling of a <Universal Tree>. Your inheritance is one that shall either wither in silence or bloom to illuminate all creation with your presence. Effect: You can assimilate all life forms and celestial objects, including planets and stars. Any lifeform that falls under your domain will keep its individuality, but if it adores you from the bottom of its heart, it will receive random buffs by pouring its <Faith> onto you. 

[<Faith> attribute detected. The System considers Tianlian Liu Shu’s strength too weak to wield such energy and will seal it until Tianlian Liu Shu can wield it.] 

Liu Shu read everything with a disturbed mind, as the memories of what she had just experienced became increasingly blurry. “W-Wait… Why am I forgetting?” 

As she tried her best to keep what she had just experienced, Liu Shu couldn’t stop the memories from slipping away. It felt like trying to clutch loose sand with your bare hands.

[T#@%l#%n L#u Sh#, g#@w st#%ng. Y#u m#st a#h#%ve wh#t I f%#l#d t# d%. E#se, #ur $#sm#s i# $#%m#d.]

The voice of the cosmic being spoke softly one last time, but to Liu Shu, the voice was blurred and barely discernible, making it difficult to detect its meaning. “T-That… Repeat it, please. I don’t understand.” 

Liu Shu, fighting through her terrible headache, asked the voice once again. Sadly, there was no one who answered her. Instead, the System sent her a completion message.

[Congratulations! All <Sylvan Quest Rewards> have been imparted. Now, due to the excessive amount of Ternary Essence swirling within Tianlian Liu Shu, you will be forced to Level Up.]

“W-What!? Wait! Wait, please, I want to talk with that being… I, I don’t want it to leave.” 

Her voice sounded slightly desperate, but who stopped her was not the System. 

[Wisdom: Liu Shu. Focus, for the <Fifth Energy Cycle>, you need to do delicate work. Now that you have the <Energy Cycle Harmony>, I will be able to guide you step by step. Nevertheless, you must understand the guidance to wield your power efficiently as you’ve done until now.] 

Liu Shu was extremely reluctant; it felt as if something was forcefully ripped from her being, and they didn’t want to return it. At that time, Wisdom’s indifferent voice gains a touch of softness.

[Wisdom: Tianlian Liu Shu… Your family is waiting. You don’t want to be late, do you?] 

Those words startled Liu Shu’s foggy consciousness awake. “Right… My family.” Her convoluted emotions straightened, and then her gaze became determined. “I need to complete the Ascension and Energy Cycle to return to their side as quickly as possible.”

[Wisdom: Exactly. Now, during your First to Fourth Energy Cycles, you changed your internal workings to interact with the ternary essences around you. The First Cycle created your energy paths within your root net. The Second Cycle connected your soul with your body. During the Third Cycle, your affinity and control increased exponentially. And when you completed your Fourth Cycle, you were able to interact with and manipulate the energy around yourself actively.]

Liu Shu nodded and listened attentively. “So… what do I do now? It feels as if it is completed.”

[Wisdom: Far from it. To craft your <Fifth Energy Cycle>, you must be able to control higher energy tiers. Until now, the Ternary essence you used was a distilled version of the real deal. Therefore, the <Fifth Energy Cycle> consists of developing your senses so that you can manipulate and absorb the purer <Ternary Essence>.] 

She understood it instantly. “I see. The Fourth Cycle was developed so that the Fifth could go smoothly. First, learn to interact with the energy around you, and then, develop senses to tap into a more complex version of that essence… I wonder what the Sixth Cycle will be about?” 

[Wisdom: To create a 100% completion rate Energy Cycle, what you need to do is transform your <Ternary Essence Cores>. Of course, this step is usually impossible because creatures don’t have enough cores for this transformation.]

“Wait a minute.” Liu Shu paused, her mind swirling with confusion. “To transform <Shards> into a <Core>, I need 100,000 of them. That process has now become subconscious, and each time I gain new shards, I can easily convert them into Cores when it is right. So, following that logic, I would need 100,000 <Cores>, right? But I only have around 25,000 <Cores>!” 

[Wisdom: That is the truth while you are Level 99. And most beings won’t be able to form 100,000 Cores during their Level 100 Level Up. Therefore, a 100% Completion Rate is impossible for the grand majority. Still, they are not you.] 

“... You are saying that, after reaching Level 100, I will have over 100,000 <Cores> in my three <Ternary Essence> reserves?” 

[Wisdom: From my rough calculations of bonuses and guaranteed 100% Cycle, that is the case. Naturally, before that, you must decide on something more important.]

Liu Shu was shocked that her reserves would become so vast, but she didn’t interject anymore. Instead, she asked about the more important part Wisdom alluded to.

[Wisdom: It is time for you to choose your <First Ascension> Path.]

A System message popped up.

[Tianlian Liu Shu is breaching the 100th Level. <First Ascension> has become available. Please choose one of the following <Ascension Paths>… <Ascension Paths> are evolving according to bonuses gathered in the past.]

Ascension Paths (Rarities): 

1. [Young Elemental Heart Universal Tree (Legendary)]

2. [Juvenile Essence Purifying Universal Tree (Legendary)]

3. [Sapling Dimensional Fracture Universal Tree (Mythical)]

4. [Sapling Eternal Universal Tree (Mythical)]

5. [Juvenile Reincarnation Universal Tree (Mythical)]

Rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Legendary, Mythical, World, Core, Star, Galactic, and Universal. 

Ages: Sapling, Juvenile, Young, Blooming, Primeval, Mature, Elder, Ancient. 

***

Author Note: From here on is the description of the <Universal Tree> title. 

<Universal Tree>: You’ve gained the <Eternal Core>. For each Chaos Shard you pair with, you will partially unlock the true strength of your heritage. Each blessing increases in effect with each chaos shard unlocked. Shards paired with: Thermis, Phoer, Aether, Anima. 

o    Thermis Blessing: You are able to manipulate temperature-related elements. You gain an increased thermal resistance of 200%. You can add the hot/cold element to your attacks by using Aether Mana and gain 20% extra damage, plus 40% additional burning/freezing damage as a damage-over-time effect.

o    Phoer Blessing: Your vitality is increased dramatically. Your Phoer regeneration is enhanced by 400% while releasing a wound-mending aura. You naturally increase the chances of having a breakthrough in <Physique> related skills by 10%, without needing to invest points. +10% <Physique>.

o    Anima Blessing: Your soul is enhanced dramatically. Anima Energy regeneration is enhanced by 400% while releasing a soul-healing aura. You naturally increase the chances of having a breakthrough in <Anima> related skills by 10%, without needing to invest points. +10% <Anima> and <Willpower>.

o    Aether Blessing: Your elemental affinity is enhanced dramatically. Aether Mana regeneration is enhanced by 400% while releasing an elemental calming effect that makes elemental manipulation easier. You naturally increase the chances of having a breakthrough in <Aether> related skills by 10%, without needing to invest points. +10% <Aether>.

Chapter 1343. Garden Entrance.

A large number of cultivators gathered before a large transparent wall. Some were meditating and sitting cross-legged, while others flew around with frowns on their faces, and the majority stood at a distance with their arms crossed. The large transparent wall was the only entrance found to a gargantuan crystal structure in the middle of the continental-sized island. 

Beyond the crystal structure, it was easy to spot an endless garden that stretched far beyond their sight. Moreover, the crystal and transparent walls had properties to block the spiritual sense. So, the ability for cultivators to look far was limited. 

“Any progress in deciphering the formation?” 

A human woman who stood at a distance crossed her arms and asked the people roaming around the transparent wall. 

One of the people flying around frowned and glared back. “If we keep getting interrupted, we will naturally be unable to decipher anything. Please stay silent.”

The woman snorted, her lips arched disdainfully. “You speak too confidently for someone who has failed to open the garden for several thousand years. I don’t even know why our sect keeps sending you when we will end up in failure either way.” 

The middle-aged man showed anger for a second before waving his sleeve and focusing again on the complex formation protecting the garden.

While everyone was waiting and sighing, they noticed a new arrival. The person who arrived was enveloped in a dark mantle, showing her perfectly smooth and beautiful chin. Above it, her seductive, moist, and soft reddish lips were arched in a faint curve, while her white, glossy skin appeared so tender that water would come out if you squeezed it strongly.

Just the jaw, lips, and nose of the woman were enough to accelerate the hearts of all the people present. The human woman who spoke previously frowned and asked, confused. “Who are you?”

The woman hiding below the dark mantle looked over for a second before glancing towards the large crowd standing at a distance. “Did you ask the same of each of those people?”

The human woman’s eyebrows gently rose. “It seems that you are a rogue cultivator.”

The woman below the mantle didn’t show any emotions. Instead of answering, she moved silently towards the crowd. When she turned, everyone could see that the mantle behind her extended far beyond usual standards. Clearly, the woman had some sort of tail, even if it was hidden.

The human woman smiled faintly, her gaze full of interest. “Aren’t you curious as to why I was able to guess when you were hiding your appearance?” 

The woman with the mantle answered faintly. “You probably are someone influential and my ignorance about your identity revealed it.”

“Ho~?” The human woman flew and landed right in front of the new arrival. It was only then that she noticed one fact. ‘She is tall.’ 

Standing in front of her, the human woman needed to raise her head to look into the dark void that hid most of her facial features. “Is there anything wrong?”

The pleasant and mellow voice carried a hint of distortion. Yet, that distortion didn’t make it unpleasant; it only gave it a layer of mysteriousness that piqued the human woman’s interest. “I am Feng Shaotian, part of the Azure Cloud Pavilion. My sect specializes in Formations, and I am the leader of the expedition tasked to break the formation.” 

Feng Shaotian finally saw the tall woman lower her chin to look at her, and a strange satisfaction spread in her heart. ‘Hm… Her scent is truly delightful, like the aroma of a sweet flower bed. I am getting intoxicated just being near her.’ 

“Sorry for the offense, but I don’t have a name to share. Still, if Lady Feng isn’t disdainful of this little one, you can call me Katherine.” 

“Katherine…” Feng Shaotian muttered, as if tasting how the name rolled on her tongue. “That’s a peculiar name. But I like it. Tell me, Katherine, why are you hiding your identity?”

Katherine’s lips arched faintly, tempting the viewer to kiss them. “If I could answer that question, I wouldn’t be hiding in the first place, don’t you think?” 

Feng Shaotian chuckled. “That’s true, I guess. Would you like to sit over there and share a cup of tea?”

Katherine hummed, her head tilting as if confused at Feng Shaotian’s approachable attitude. Noticing it, the woman smiled. “You don’t need to be on guard. I was just curious and feel some kind of attraction toward you, Katherine. So, take it as me taking a fancy to you at first glance.”

Katherine seemed thoughtful for a second, and then her beautiful red lips parted, causing an itchy thirst in those looking at them. “I understand. I’ll be rude and accept Lady Feng’s hospitality.” 

Feng Shaotian’s gaze moved from Katherine’s lips, and she smiled. “Over here, follow me.”

The tall woman and the shorter one moved together to the side, arriving at an open table with refreshments prepared. Using a wave of her hand, the woman wearing the dark mantle sat comfortably and moved the tail that was hidden below so that it didn’t bother her. 

Feng Shaotian, looking at her actions, felt a strange itch in her heart. ‘I want to touch her hidden tail. I wonder, is it a furry one or a scaly one? Perhaps it is smooth and slick.’ 

She was someone who liked human beasts a lot; many of her friends were of other races, and most of them had tails, ears, and other beast parts that were pleasant to the eyes. Of course, the type she liked were those who mostly resembled humans but had those extra beast details.

‘I wonder if she will let me touch it if I ask…’ Feng Shaotian shook her head. ‘We’ve known each other for a short time, and some human beasts take touching their tails as something very personal.’ 

As she was thinking, she heard Katherine speaking lightly. “If I may ask, how long will your experts take to open the garden’s entrance?”

Feng Shaotian chuckled twice. “Direct to the point, are we?”

The woman took a teacup and gently brought it to her lips. After a gentle sip that moistened her already glossy lips, she chuckled. “I don’t know Lady Feng, so I decided to start the conversation with something easy to answer. Excuse me if I was rude.” 

“Not at all, I like direct people.” Feng Shaotian answered generously. Then, she sighed. “My answer will probably upset you, Katherine.”

“Oh? May I ask why?”

“Of course.” The woman nodded. “It seems that you are rather new to this Secret Realm, but the Garden has never been opened before this year. The formation that is protecting the entrance is too complex and strong for our limited strength. If it were outside, opening it wouldn’t take longer than a few years, but here, it is too difficult.”

The woman paused and looked toward the entrance. Feng Shaotian didn’t follow her gaze and continued to look at the exceptionally attractive neck, chin, and lips that the mantle revealed. ‘Just a glance and I can tell that she is an incredible beauty. I hope she shows me her face later if we ever become friends.’

As she spoke, Katherine asked her. “If that’s the case… May I give it a try?” 

Feng Shaotian and many others, eavesdropping on their conversation, all looked at her simultaneously. 

“Hahaha!” The middle-aged man from before laughed and turned around, his eyes disdainful. “You are truly an egregious person. With me here, you still dare to say that you want to give it a try? Do you even know who I am?”

Katherine, who was looking at Feng Shaotian for permission, turned her head. The middle-aged man smiled. “If you know, then…”

“I don’t.” 

Feng Shaotian blinked and looked at Katherine. 

The middle-aged man made a strange sound. “Huh?”

The woman repeated. “I don’t know who you are, Lord. So, I am unaware as to why I received such disrespect. Could you please speak more comfortably and explain instead of pointing your nose to the sky? It is unbecoming.”

“Pft.” Feng Shaotian had to take the tea and place it on her lips; she almost burst into laughter.

The middle-aged man frowned and looked at Katherine with a hostile gaze. “Were you never taught how to respect your seniors?”

Katherine sighed, placing the cup on the table with a clink. “I have not spoken to you before, and I do not know who you are; therefore, I am unable to know if you are a senior or a junior. May I ask, senior, why are you acting so antagonistically? I just asked a question. And, if asking a question is enough to hurt your pride, you might want to check your Heart Demons.” 

All the people who had initially taken the woman’s comment as a matter of disrespect became thoughtful and nodded. “That lady is right. She was just asking questions.”

“To be fair, Lord Feng was the rude one on this occasion.” 

“I admire Lord Feng, but this time, he reacted too egregiously.” 

Feng Shaotian spoke gently before the middle-aged man reached. “Uncle Feng, control your temper.” The woman’s sharp gaze turned to the side. “Let Lady Katherine at least try once. After she fails, you can lecture her as much as you want. However, judging people from their appearance is a big taboo. You, as my elder, should know this better than I do.” 

After hearing the surrounding comments and Feng Shaotian’s words, the middle-aged man’s face turned red from embarrassment. However, he just waved his hand in a huff and spoke to Yasenia. “Since you are so great, go ahead. But, when you are ashamed and fail, you'd better kowtow and apologize for your disrespect!” 

Feng Shaotian saw Katherine sigh and slowly stand. “I am still unsure of what disrespect I committed. So, I will humbly decline. Still, not to leave a bad feeling between us, I will admit that I was wrong in challenging a senior’s authority.”

Those words surprised Feng Shaotian. Even if they only exchanged a few words, she could sense that the woman she spoke to had a strong pride. For someone like that to apologize, it was not something they would do easily. ‘Is she intimidated by our background?’

While she pondered, she saw the woman approach the tall transparent wall and look at it thoughtfully. Then, while everyone was observing either curiously or disdainfully, the woman took a step back and punched. 

BOOM!!

The shockwave from the punch startled everyone, causing most people to be pushed back by the aftershock. Feng Shaotian’s eyes widened as well. ‘Impossible! What is that strength!? A single punch can create an effect like that at our level!?’ 

The middle-aged man was also stunned, but soon, he was angry. “You! How dare you attack the formation and use such brutish methods!? Don’t you understand—”

Crack…

The very faint sound felt as loud as the thunderclap of a Heavenly Tribulation. Everyone froze in place, looking at the location where the woman punched. 

“Hm… I guess I can do it.”

After her words, energy gathered, and then, they saw the woman punch again. The momentum of her punch this time was several times stronger. 

BOOM!!!

CRRRAAACK!

A spiderweb spread upward, and soon after, the transparent barrier was shattered like fragile glass. 

Feng Shaotian and the others were petrified. They only reacted after the woman started walking ahead and tried to enter the garden.

“W-Wait! Lady Katherine! Let me go with you!”

Feng Shaotian called out, and the woman stopped and looked back. Her seductive lips arched faintly. “Alright.”

Chapter 555. True World Tree Quest Rewards. (1/2) [AotSC]

Liu Shu saw the number and was shocked. ’21,250% completion rate?’ She knew that the number would be big. After all, she had noticed that it was increasing constantly during her root spreading. However, now that the final number appeared, she finally registered the number in her head.

“What will happen now…?”

Liu Shu was honestly a bit scared of what would happen when the rewards were so high.

“Um… System, is everything alright?”  

[Calculating rewards…]

“Oh… I see.” Liu Shu hummed and waited silently.

One hour passed, making Liu Shu feel somewhat anxious. However, she persevered and didn’t rush anything. ‘Patience… patience…’

Another three hours passed, and Liu Shu muttered lightly. “Um… Hello?”

[Calculation rewards… The System is asking for patience. Achievements are too out of the ordinary, so the System is unable to calculate a fair reward straight away.]

“O-Oh. I see.” Liu Shu laughed awkwardly. Then, she muttered wistfully. “I hope there are big numbers in the reward… Big numbers are the best.”

And so, Liu Shu waited for a week straight and finally received an answer.

[Rewards have been calculated. Do you want to receive them?]

“Finally! Tell me what the rewards are! Also, start from the rewards for the second objective since they will probably be the easiest to digest.”

[Understood.]

[Reward 2: From now on, your temples will gain the ability to evolve at will. These evolutions will be related to what <Temples> Tianlian Liu Shu develops. Merging and evolving <Temples> doesn’t consume <Temple Slots>. An example will be given as part of the reward.]

[Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Temple Of Life> can now evolve in two directions. The first direction is merging with all <Temples> with equal effects to amplify the already existing effects. <Temple Of Phoer>, <Temple Of Fertility>, <Temple Of Healing>, and many more are the temples taken into account for such effects.]

[For the second type of evolution, Tianlian Liu Shu can develop her <Temples> in a complementary direction. To do so, temples with opposite effects and positive effects must be merged simultaneously. For <Temple Of Life>: <Temple Of Death> can be merged straight away. To add <Temple of Fertility>, you would need to add <Temple of Chastity>, etc.]

Liu Shu read the effects slowly and was fearful. ‘T-This is the weak reward? Oh my branches in the sky… I might have a heart attack for what’s to come.’

Focusing on the reward, Liu Shu was quite satisfied. “So, the reward that Wisdom and the System spoke about before was here. After I Level Up, I will be able to mix Temples in two different directions. I must be careful in the direction I decide for each one. Also, I must carefully choose the following base temples.”            

“Hm… I don’t think this affects my temple selection from the past a lot… Well, I will think carefully later. My to-do list after I Level Up has grown again!”

Liu Shu took a deep breath, stimulating her leaves and roots, and then spoke. “Alright, System. Hit me with the rewards of the first mission!”

[Reward 1: Multiple rewards have been awarded for the extraordinary achievement of conquering a world in its entirety before Level 100. Using 100% of the completion rewards, Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Title: Perfect Cycle> will be upgraded to <Energy Cycle Harmony>.]

<Energy Cycle Harmony>: Your new <Energy Cycles> will have at a minimum the average of your previous Energy Cycle completion rates. (Current average: 100%)

Liu Shu almost screamed. ‘W-What! Doesn’t this mean that I’ll have a 100% chance of getting a flawless Energy Cycle completion rate from now on!? Wow… Absurd!’

[Using 150% of the completion rate, Tianlian Liu Shu’s <World Tree>, <Defender>, and <Awakened> titles will combine into <True World Tree>.]

<True World Tree>: As a World Tree that has engulfed your <Origin World>, you are the overlord of your own native world, and no one can go against you without a proper cause. Additionally, you and all native residents who fight to defend your <Origin World> will have a 50% stats increase when fighting outside threats. Finally, your <Origin World> will evolve together with you, becoming sturdier and more abundant in life as you gain strength.

[Using 500% completion rate, Tianlian Liu Shu’s <True World Tree>, <World Ruling World Tree>, <Continental World Tree>, and <One With The World> will comb-b-b-ERROR. <One With The World> is an incomplete <Title> that will evolve by itself… Using a 350% completion rate to combine the others into <True Ruler World Tree>.]

<True Ruler World Tree>: You’ve become the absolute ruler above all creatures in your <Origin Planet>. Your natural ability to process information is increased by a factor of 50. All lifeforms defending <Origin Planet> will gain 50% stats. All crafters will have a multiplicative 50% extra chance of success in their endeavors. The comprehension rate of all residents increased by 10%.

Liu Shu was stunned for a second when she read that. “So… I lost three titles to gain a super combination of titles. Wow! Still… System, it still has a 20,650% Completion rate left to use. I am scared… QAQ!”

[Using a 5,650% Completion Rate, Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Ascension> options will be enhanced and not limited by the <System>.]

“Huh?” Liu Shu figuratively tilted her head. “What does that mean? And why did the system spend so much <Completion Rate> on a single thing? Also… what exactly is an <Ascension>?”

[Wisdom: <Ascension> refers to what Verdant Skyflower mistakenly called <First Evolution>. At milestones such as Level 100, 200, and beyond, a creature undergoes a profound metamorphosis. In low-level worlds, this is often referred to as <Evolution>, as it symbolizes growth, transformation, and shedding of one’s previous self. However, an <Ascension> is far more significant: the being’s previous achievements and strengths are evaluated and presented as options for rebirth, even allowing changes in race.]

“Wow… I didn’t know! So, is the <First Ascension> the same as the <Fifth Energy Cycle>? Or are they different things?”

[Wisdom: They are different systems. <Energy Cycles> increase your affinity with the universe’s <Ternary Essences>, granting steadily growing raw strength. <Ascensions>, however, are far more profound, touching the very realm of one’s existence itself.]

Liu Shu hummed. “So, if I didn’t have so much <Completion Rate>, the System would’ve limited my options? That doesn’t sound right. Why would it do something like that?”

[Wisdom: The <System> accurately gives out options, but it makes sure that the growth of each creature remains gradual for a much smoother ascension. Even if the <System> might hold back in the initial <Ascensions>, it will gradually give back what it held back and make sure each creature can evolve smoothly and without problems. The reason the <System> chose not to hold your hand is that your achievements already show that you don’t need that kind of hand-holding.]

“I understand.” Liu Shu also noticed the changes before and after the 100% resonance rates. “That must be a limit the System purposely created so that creatures didn’t hurt themselves. I guess that there are some people with too much potential who need to be held back so that they don’t go out of control.”

Liu Shu looked at her stats and was excited about how they would change. “I have around 26,000 Cores of each Ternary Essence… Will I double them after reaching Level 100? Hehehehe, I can’t wait! But, well, the System has 15,000% Completion left to use. Will you use it at once as well? System, continue with the rewards!”

[Understood. Using a 5,000% Completion Rate, the <System> will enhance Tianlian Liu Shu’s evolution speed. The previous time required for ascension and energy cycle creation—while integrating all new changes—was estimated at nearly five centuries. With a 5,000% Completion Rate, this process will be accelerated fiftyfold, reducing the duration to a little over ten years.]

“F-Five—No! That must be incorrect! How could it take so long!?”

[The <System> has analyzed Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Ascension> paths and determined that even the weakest option would require half a millennium. To counter this, the <System> will allocate additional energy, reducing the time for all <Ascension> paths—including energy cycle creation—to approximately ten years. For such efforts, 5,000% Completion Rate energy is adequate.]

“…” Liu Shu wanted to protest, but since Wisdom had not come out to rebuke the <System>, that meant it was correct. A mix of fear and relief welled up inside her. “T-Thankfully, I didn’t lower my guard and did my absolute best. Just the thought of half a millennium of sleep is too much.”

What would have happened if she had truly slept for so long? Liu Shu’s heart turned cold at the thought, and she quickly shook her head. “Don’t dwell on it. Just remember this lesson so that I am prepared when the next <Ascension> arrives.”

After breathing out to calm her nerves, Liu Shu looked at the system and asked. “What about the last 10,000%? Is it divided or a single reward?”

[Using a 10,000% completion rate, the system will allow Tianlian Liu Shu to touch on the inheritance hidden within. Do you want to accept this reward or use it for other rewards?]  

“Oh? I have an option?”

Before Liu Shu spoke further, Wisdom spoke hastily.

[Wisdom: You must not let go of this opportunity. The inheritance within you is far more valuable than any reward the System can give you.]

Liu Shu frowned a bit and commented. “Regardless, my inheritance is something that I will accept either way, right? How does using a whole 10,000% Completion Rate make sense just to accelerate receiving what I will eventually receive?”

[Wisdom: According to my current calculations, Tianlian Liu Shu will receive the first part of the inheritance at Level 300. Accelerating it to Level 100 will allow you to build upon the inheritance sooner and even have your first three <Ascension> affected by it. It is a chance that you must grab.]

“Hm…” Liu Shu could feel a slight urging in Wisdom’s usually indifferent voice. Liu Shu trusted Wisdom; if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have followed her words in the past during precious moments. Not to mention, Liu Shu couldn’t think of a single reason for Wisdom to act against her own benefits.

“Alright then. I will accept it. I still feel it is a bit of a shame to use so much Completion Rate for this, but well. Let’s do it!”

[Understood. <Universal Tree> inheritance has been unlocked.]

Suddenly, the System's voice disappeared, and a new voice reached Liu Shu.

[Sapling born to reach the stars, you’ve grown greatly. I will now give you guidance. Please, accept it.]

A voice as vast as the cosmos and as gentle as that of a loving mother enveloped Liu Shu’s existence. The sensations made Liu Shu’s body soften instantly as she nestled against this existence. “You… Who are you?” 

Chapter 1342. Getting To Know Each Other.

When Yasenia fell asleep, Soluna, Dramel, and Draheart slowly moved the dragoness’s body. Sui Xing looked at them curiously, wondering what they were planning. Surprisingly, Soluna touched Yasenia’s ring for a second and spoke softly. “Spatial Ring, take out a bed for Yasenia to rest, please.”

Sui Xing blinked and looked at the ring. Then, a beautiful white bed with soft cloud designs appeared in the middle of the cave. “... Is that spatial ring a treasure with a consciousness as well?”

Dramel chuckled. “It is! However, compared to us, it has basic intelligence. The only reason Soluna can speak to it is because of Soluna’s relationship with Yasenia. You and I probably can communicate with it as well, but I doubt it would listen to us.”

Curiosity appeared in Sui Xing’s eyes, but after thinking about it, he recalled something. “Right… Yasenia and Soluna have a romantic relationship.”

“Oh?” Soluna blinked and asked, confused. “When did Yasenia tell you about it?” 

Sui Xing smiled faintly. “Didn’t you and Yasenia spend an intimate time during the trial?”

“Ah…” Soluna’s eyes widened, recalling that they did it. A healthy blush spread on her cheeks and up to her ears. “T-That! Why would you eavesdrop on that!? Pervert!” 

Sui Xing chuckled and asked, smiling. “Aren’t you fearful that you will wake her up with those shouts?”

But to Sui Xing’s surprise, Soluna snorted. “Yasenia doesn’t wake up because of that. My voice is soothing for her, so she will be quite comfortable sleeping while I talk.” 

“Oh? That’s interesting. What about mine?” 

Soluna blinked. “Aren’t you part of our family already? Naturally, your voice won’t bother her rest.” 

Those words made the ancient cultivator pause, his eyes shifting toward the calmly sleeping dragon woman. “... Does she let her guard down that much around her family?” 

Soluna chuckled. “Letting her guard down? No, Yasenia, to begin with, doesn’t put up any guard whatsoever around her family. I’ve seen Yasenia opening her soul and dantian to her lovers in the past.” 

Sui Xing almost couldn’t keep his facial expression. “... That’s extreme.”

Dramel joined the conversation while happily resting on Yasenia’s side. “Elder Brother Xing, what are your first impressions after becoming Yasenia’s treasure?” 

The man didn’t mind being called as such, so he spoke lightly. “I feel that I am in for a wild adventure. As long as she continues to live, she will probably become someone great. I am unsure what will happen if Yasenia ever reaches the 1000th stair, though.”

Draheart spoke for the first time, her tone flat like before. “Don’t worry about such matters and focus on helping her. That’s our duty as her treasures.” 

Looking at the girl caressing Yasenia’s hair slowly, Sui Xing smiled. “I know. I was just thinking aloud.” He added, curious. “Still, I can sense that you truly like Yasenia. Are your feelings romantic, Draheart?” 

Draheart’s hand stopped for a second before she continued combing through Yasenia’s black hair. “Don’t ask such questions. I am her weapon, nothing else… Not to mention…” Draheart paused and shook her head once. “Forget about it.”

Sui Xing hummed and looked at Dramel. “What about you, Dramel?” 

Dramel looked up curiously at Yasenia’s sleeping profile. “I don’t know. I have never really known what romantic feelings are like. Also, I am a Pipa, so there is not really a way for me to have a relationship like Soluna, right? So, I never really thought about it. I like Yasenia, and I like it when her fingers play my chords to create melodies. That’s all.”

“I see.” Sui Xing smiled faintly, his dark eyes calm and composed. “Understood.”

Soluna asked at this time. “By the way, since you’ve become Yasenia’s treasure, you should be able to evaluate her ability to climb stairs, right? What level do you think she can reach?”

“I can’t.”

“Huh?”

Soluna tilted her head, confused. Sui Xing smiled and explained. “If I could accurately assess that, the test would be redundant. You need to look at me as an administrator. Someone who makes the rules. Even if I know the rules, I can’t know how the people doing the task will do, right? That’s up to them, using the resources available.”

Soluna hummed and asked again. “Can I fight there by myself without Yasenia?”

Sui Xing nodded. “Of course. If you and Yasenia had a different relationship, it would be much more difficult. Nevertheless, since you are her lover, the copy will probably allow you to practice. Only the limit of your practice will always be the level you both reached. You can’t advance without Yasenia advancing as well.”

Soluna nodded in understanding. Then, she asked another question. “What if I defeat both Yasenia and my copies?”

“Then, you can advance the level.” Sui Xing answered lightly. Then, he smiled. “However, would you do something like that, regardless of the feasibility of it?”

Soluna shook her head. “Of course not. My strength is important, but Yasenia’s strength is the most important!”

Hearing her sincere words, Sui Xing was satisfied. “The [Star Breaker Realm Bead] is a powerful treasure, and its effects make others covetous. So, be careful not to fall into this greed yourself.”

“I won’t,” Soluna said, her Sun and Moon pupils shining with infinite confidence. “I would rather something bad happen to me than hurt Yasenia!”  

Dazzled, Sui Xing couldn’t answer for a moment. “That’s great.” With a simple smile and comment, he spoke lightly.

For the rest of the week, Sui Xing got to know the other talkative treasures while silently communicating with the others. While the cultivation techniques and other treasures didn’t really speak aloud, it was possible to exchange sensations and thoughts through energy.

During this week, Sui Xing learned a lot from them. He was also told about Yasenia’s life and her experiences, getting to admire and simultaneously pity his new master.

“She has suffered.”

Yasenia was remarkably young compared to most cultivators, given her strength. The challenges she needed to overcome to reach her current heights were naturally abnormal. Sui Xing couldn’t help but feel fatherly feelings for the young dragon girl.

“Sigh… Poor girl. I didn’t know those two would actually do something like this.”

Soluna blinked, surprised. “Oh! Did you know them?”

“Of course. They were one of the primary gods controlling the territories of the Sun and Moon. Back then, at least, the Divine Heaven was divided by attribute affinities. The Spiritual Path has always been the most popular path for cultivators due to its ease of advancement compared to the others. For Soul and Body, you need talent and compatibility. For spiritual cultivation, you need understanding and attribute affinity for the most part.”

Soluna hummed. “I see. Was there someone like Yasenia in the past? A beast that mastered all three cultivation paths?”

The man thought carefully, but no one came to mind. “I don’t recall anyone with such specialness. While I only have a fraction of my real self’s memories, I am sure that someone like Yasenia would’ve stuck with my real self enough to be remembered by me.”

Dramel chuckled. “I don’t know what your real self was thinking when he created this bead. Did he really not expect so much chaos to come from such a precious treasure?”

Sui Xing explained. “It’s easy to know. I… or, well, he wanted to create a treasure to help his son. That’s all.”

The three girls looked at Sui Xing with a surprised expression, and then they smiled. Dramel chuckled. “I see. It is a valid reason.”

After getting to know each other, they became closer. Still, Sui Xing knew to keep boundaries and acted formally with them.

Yasenia woke up six days later, her body stirring from her slumber as she felt other cultivators roaming near her concealing array. “Hm…? Is there any trouble?”

Her voice was low and scratchy from just waking up, making Soluna and Dramel blush. Dramel spoke softly, her hands gently pushing Yasenia’s head onto her soft thighs. “Don’t worry. They are just inspecting this place because of some treasures nearby.”

Feeling the bouncy flesh below her face, Yasenia almost fell asleep again. Still, she was careful and decided to wake up early. Looking up at Dramel’s gentle expression, Yasenia closed her eyes for a second before opening them. “Let’s wake up. I feel rested enough either way.”

Dramel sighed gently and nodded. “Alright.”

So, with little effort, Yasenia used her hands and tail to get down from the bed. “Whoa… Sleeping is so nice.”

Stretching her curvy body, Yasenia groaned a few times and even stiffened her tail. After relaxing her body, she sighed softly and waved her hand to change her dress into her innate dress.

The blue cloth was tightly wrapped around her upper body, revealing over two-thirds of her breasts but covering the important parts. With a skirt that trailed on the floor behind her yet showed her plump thighs from the front, her beauty shone like the stars in the night sky.

Sui Xing couldn’t help but admire. “You are really beautiful.”

Yasenia blinked and smiled sincerely. “Thank you, Sui Xing.”

With their connection, Yasenia could sense his honest admiration, so she was pretty satisfied to be praised. Honestly, Yasenia liked to boast about her own appearance. It was a vain feeling, but it made her happy when others admired her. If she didn’t run into trouble each time she did so, Yasenia would rarely wear veils and those long, stuffy dresses.

“Let’s go out. We can’t really wait until the cultivators leave this island.” After saying so, she looked at the man and smiled. “Please guide me to that garden. It will be quite nice to obtain it.”

“Sure.” Sui Xing chuckled.

With that answer, everyone but Yasenia transformed into a ray of light and dove into her dantian. After closing her eyes for a moment to check on everyone, Yasenia stored the bed in her spatial ring and stepped outside. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Her body accelerated, streaking forward and taking flight. As she flew, her two dragon wings sprouted outward, and then her speed increased further. The reason for her hasty retreat was that she didn’t want trouble with whoever was on the island. After all, she was a wanted person. 

“Sui Xing, directions.” 

“On it.”

Yasenia could feel a strange pulse within her soul, and then, an urge to go to her right appeared within her. “Oh? You can use this method to tell directions?”

Sui Xing chuckled. “Isn’t it more practical than speaking? When we are closer, I can give more detailed instructions.”

“Got it.”

Yasenia’s dragon wings flapped, carrying her body speedily in the direction that Sui Xing pointed at. Eventually, she could spot an enormous island in the distance. “...More than an island. It feels like a whole continent. Is the garden there?”

Sui Xing nodded. “It should be right.” 

“Alright. Let’s go then.” 

Chapter 554. The World Tree. [AotSC]

When Liu Shu first arrived at Ceperet’s core, she was surprised. Not because the core was difficult to pierce, but due to the overwhelming amount of power and energy gathered at the core. 

A world with life needed to have an active core—a core strong enough to create a magnetosphere that would defend it from stellar winds. This electromagnetic aura was mainly formed due to the constant motion of the molten metals swirling inside and the solid central core. 

When Liu Shu approached the center of the world, she could feel with her roots how unstoppable that motion was for her current self. Yes, she was able to flip mountains and change the landscape, but compared to the entire planet, it was like scratching the bark of a healthy tree. 

‘For me to manipulate the world, I’d need to gain much greater strength. For now, I can only ensure that my roots are well-anchored and become part of the world’s movement, flowing back and forth without disrupting the rotation.’

With that in mind, Liu Shu decided to change her initial strategy. At first, because the center of the world was a place with intense pressure and extreme temperatures, she had formed thick and long roots that wouldn’t be easily disrupted. Now, after analyzing everything in detail, the large roots began to split and scatter.

‘Like this, my comparatively thin branches will just move with the current, like a kelp forest moving with the ocean currents.’ 

The time she took to dominate the liquid part of Ceperet’s core was not that long: a short two years that would make other World Trees cry in shame. This was all thanks to her ability to exponentially grow and develop her roots through her skills. 

“Alright, now I need to pierce into the world’s core. How do I do that?”

Some of her roots were already touching the intensely hot solid core, giving her an idea of its durability. ‘If I didn’t have my passive skill that enhances my roots, I would’ve needed decades, or perhaps even centuries, to take over. Perhaps this is the reason why the approaching delegation will take a while; they can’t really imagine me taking over in just a few years.’

As she thought of that, she chuckled and then became determined. “I know what to do. Since the core is solid, piercing it might not be the greatest idea.”

Her S- Tier skill, <World Embracing Dimensional Roots>, allowed her to entangle with dimensions. Liu Shu never really understood exactly what this meant, but after some years of testing, she had an idea of how to use it. 

‘I should not take over physically, but through dimensions. They are like layers in our reality. For my roots to sink into those layers, I must entangle myself with space itself and deform it. Usually, something like that requires egregious amounts of both Ternary Essences and power. Nevertheless, I am different.’ 

Thanks to her passive skill, Liu Shu had become a being with dimensional qualities. Therefore, if she wanted to reach out beyond reality, what she needed was nothing more than to think about it. 

As her mind focused, her vision changed into complex forms. The spatial surroundings twisted, folding in front of her as paths ripped open in reality. These paths were not visible to the naked eye, as they were doors to other layers. ‘There are some that go through the core. Let’s use them.’ 

And so, Liu Shu sank her consciousness into the dimensional path that led her into Ceperet’s core. Looking from the outside, it looked as if Liu Shu’s roots suddenly sank into water and appeared inside the core. 

When they appeared inside the core, they were forcefully squeezed; the pressure would’ve crushed and exploded Liu Shu’s roots if it were a normal situation. But, before that occurred, Liu Shu’s Spatial Aether Mana mixed with her roots. In that instant, the two solids fighting for dominance over the tight space suddenly merged into each other, as if they were two gases being mixed into the same container.

‘Great, the first step is complete. Now, I must do the same all around the core.’ 

Liu Shu’s focus increased, and her energy surged around her main body. Everyone in the city and its surroundings could feel the air tightening as the World Tree manipulated the world’s energy. 

‘I dominate everything but the core.’

Spreading from Liu Shu as the core, her presence manifested and enveloped the entire planet. There wasn’t a single living creature that didn’t notice, and their gazes seemed to converge at the same point in the Golden Sap Continent.

‘Therefore…I will use everything to get the core.’ 

THUMP!

A muted pulse shook the air, causing the hearts of the billions of living beings to beat in unison. 

Dimensional holes appeared all around the core, and Liu Shu quickly dug into them with her roots. Once inside, she manipulated all her Ternary Energy Reserves and forcefully mixed her roots with it. 

Liu Shu didn’t know, but usually, World Trees avoided taking over the world’s core. After all, for a World Tree to become a <True World Tree>, taking over the crust of the planet was more than enough. 

For instance, the System had long accepted Liu Shu’s actions for completion in her quest. A crisp System notification appeared before her mind’s eye:

[Objective 1: Take over <Ceperet>. (19,560% Completed).]

[Objective 2: Build your Fourth <Temple>. (100% Completed).]

[Do you want to complete the quest?]

Even Liu Shu froze for a moment when the system suddenly called out. Looking at the number, she laughed lightly. The completion bar had not just reached full; our World Tree shattered it beyond recognition.

“No. Wait for a bit longer.”

Yet, it was not a matter of distraction. With a steady mind, she continued focusing on taking over the final stretch. 

Roots mixed and pierced into the scalding hot core. Once inside, she poured her energy into the roots, allowing them to grow and multiply. Unlike her carefulness when taking over the liquid core, Liu Shu now intended to merge with the world’s core fully. 

Her current actions took all of her concentration, so Liu Shu didn’t know what was happening on the outside. If she were to look, she would notice her own body increasing in size at a rapid pace as energies all around the world swirled toward her body. 

The worldwide phenomena following Liu Shu’s actions attracted not only the attention of common people but also those at the top. 

Ignatia stood below Liu Shu’s canopy, looking up with Flor sitting on her shoulder. As Flor’s tiny hands gently scratched Ignatia’s scalp, she spoke softly. “It is time.”

Ignatia smiled. “Yes. Our baby is finally taking her final step.” 

Behind them, Tree’s body swayed happily, and her ancient and gentle voice reached them. “Ignatia, Flor, thank you.”

Flor laughed and looked behind them, smiling at the gorgeous Willow Tree. “You already know there is no need to thank us. She is our daughter as well, after all.”

Tree’s voice was soft and serious. “I know… I just wanted to thank you for helping her when she was weak. Thanks to both your sacrifices, she is now finally going to become what she was born to do.”   

Ignatia spoke lightly. “Don’t relax, Tree. You know that our troubles are just starting.” 

“I know.” Tree laughed softly. “Please take care of Liu Shu, like always.”

Flor and Ignatia chuckled. “We will.” 

On another corner of the world, Skyflower and the others swayed with the gentle wind. All World Trees were finally assimilated, and they all received a single notification that shook them.

[World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu is Leveling Up. As her subordinate World Trees, you are able to Level Up beyond Level 99 at will.]

Azure Rose laughed, incredulous. “She really did it, didn’t she?”

Skyflower spoke smilingly. “I honestly didn’t expect her to take over in such a short time.”

Warlya joined them, her voice soft but firm. “I told you, Little Liu Shu will surprise us. She is someone who always grows beyond expectations.”

Celestial Lotus sighed, full of emotion. “To think that the sapling I ignored just a few decades ago is now becoming a <True World Tree>... Life is truly unpredictable.” 

Pelagia grumbled a bit. “The sea floor is vibrating a bit, and it is ticklish… I will Level Up and not bother with all of you for a while. Otherwise, I might become annoyed.” 

Warlya laughed. “Leveling up… I never thought that those two magical words would have anything to do with me.” 

Azure Rose hummed. “There is another planet with life in our Solar System, right? If Liu Shu reaches it, she will most likely transport some of us over with <Recolocation>. The first one to Level Up will have the right to ask Little Liu Shu personally!”

Celestial Lotus complained. “You old tree! Are you that eager to Level Up that you will hurt your foundation for it?”

Azure Rose slapped a few of Celestial Lotus’ roots. “This sapling… do you want me to spank you a few times? We are not at attack range, so don’t provoke me!”

After that interaction, both World Trees laughed. Skyflower spoke softly. “Take your time and remember to choose carefully. The <First Evolution> is very important and will set you on a path you can hardly change for the rest of your life.”

“Understood.”

Warlya looked at Liu Shu’s figure one last time and whispered softly. ‘Wait for me to wake up, Liu Shu. Once I become stronger, I’ll fight by your side and protect everything that you care about.’ 

Then, the dormant power hiding inside all Level 99 World Trees surged simultaneously and harmonized with Liu Shu. 

Together with them, the shackles surrounding Ceperet slowly began to come undone, pushing it into a new interstellar era. 

[You've completed <Sylvan Quest: Become a True World Tree>, calculating efficiency…]

[Objective 1: Take over <Ceperet>. Tianlian Liu Shu has taken over all powers and assimilated them with minimal war efforts. (+150%). The time efficiency is far faster than ordinary World Trees. (+50%). Additionally, Tianlian Liu Shu has managed to create a root network that links all the World Trees and Life Trees in the world, eliminating competition by making them her allies. (+1,000%). Beyond that, to become a World Tree, Tianlian Liu Shu needed to cover only the surface. Instead, she took over the entire world and became one with it. (+20,000%).]

[Objective 2: Build your Fourth <Temple>... <Temple Of Life> was crafted with exceptional materials. (+50%).]

[Total <Completion Rate> is 21,250%. Rewards will be given out accordingly.]

Chapter 553. Four Years of Progress. [AotSC]

During the last four years, Liu Shu met and interacted with all the World Trees. Using her influence and the strength of her combined country, the last remaining powers were nothing but an inconvenience in her way to world dominance. 

Liu Shu observed her root network and nodded to herself. “Alright, I’ve conquered most of the world. I need to be careful now and finish extending my roots through the hardest locations.”

As Liu Shu extended her roots towards the center of the world, the difficulty of advancement became exponentially higher. Still, Liu Shu was confident in finishing her conquest earlier than she expected. What she needed to check was the last few World Trees resting her efforts.  

“Have you finally thought about it? The time to think has run out.”

There were a total of five locations that still resisted her. The first location was easy to deal with. As Liu Shu approached with that question, the other side answered with a resigned voice. “Yes… We will surrender. Please allow trade to occur once more in our domain.”

This World Tree was influential due to the powerful trading firms within its domain. The connections and economic prowess allowed it to have enough influence to maintain its territory without giving up anything of value. However, did that matter to our World Tree? It really didn’t. 

Once she understood the reason for the resistance, Liu Shu took action to address it. During the first year, she threatened all trading firms that got in contact with them. If they dared to do any kind of deal, Liu Shu would prohibit them from trading within her own domain. So, the trading firms were pushed to choose between trading with either 99% of the population or the last 1%. 

The deep reserves of riches allowed them to bribe their way through four years and buy food and other goods. What they didn’t know is that these bribes were allowed by Liu Shu.

The reason? Liu Shu just wanted to squeeze out their money. All bribes went to her treasury, stripping the economic power the World Tree had grown through centuries in just four years. 

“Alright, since you surrender, it makes things easier. Accept my roots. Once you do, all bans will be lifted.”

Liu Shu moved straight away, leaving part of her consciousness there while she focused on the next World Tree. 

“Time has run out. Tell me if you want to accept me or perish.” 

This one was famous because they had a relatively strong and lucrative <Dungeon> nearby. This made her terrain a prime destination for Explorers between Levels 25 and 50, which were the most numerous in the entire world.

Regardless, Liu Shu’s ability to cut down resources made all the Explorers who were reluctant to leave the city raise their arms in surrender. In just a few years, the industries had dried up, and the <Dungeon> was on the verge of collapse from lack of ternary essence input. If the Dungeon collapsed, everything within the <Dungeon> would pour out outside and threaten the security of the World Tree.  

“I will accept you. Please allow people to return. I don’t want the <Dungeon> to collapse.” 

“Was it that hard?” Liu Shu sighed, frustrated. “I don’t know why these little advantages make all of you so arrogant when dealing with me. Everyone else is joining, so why resist until now?”

Liu Shu had killed 7 World Trees in her conquest. The large number of World Tree killings had hardened her temper, making her more prickly, less patient, and less understanding. 

The other World Tree didn’t answer, feeling awkward as Liu Shu’s roots invaded her domain. 

Ignoring this World Tree, she moved toward the last three. These three were the most problematic. The reason was that it wasn’t the World Trees who were against the merging, but the citizens. Unlike most World Tree Cities, the ones these World Trees developed managed to make the government become more influential than the World Trees. 

“Have you decided?”

Her curt tone spread across the three cities simultaneously. These cities were relatively close, with their domains in close proximity to each other. That’s why these three were linked with the same trouble. 

The representative of each city floated up, showing their <Fourth Energy Cycle> strength. “As we’ve said, our <Three World Tree Alliance> won’t surrender to your tyranny, Tianlian Liu Shu!”

Liu Shu looked at them for a second and sighed. “Alright, die then.”

Three beams of pure light scorched the air as they covered the distance between them in an instant. Before the three leaders were startled and wanted to defend, but they were just too weak. 

BOOM!

The three leaders died instantly, stunning all those who were proud and waiting for Liu Shu to retreat once more. Liu Shu’s voice reached them once again. “Now, will you stay quiet and let me assimilate the three World Trees, or will you choose another leader that I can kill quickly?”

The vice-leaders of each city stayed silent, their bodies stiff. Naturally, they had heard that Liu Shu was terrifyingly strong. But they never expected her strength to be in the swatting <Fourth Energy Cycles> category.  

Liu Shu didn’t hear any answers and nodded. “Alright, I’ll send the army then to deal with everything. I’ll start merging with your World Trees now, so let their consciousness free from its shackles now… Ah, and if you dare to do any tricks, I’ll make sure that you and your families suffer the same fate that the three World Trees have suffered: incarcerated and isolated from the world until you die.” 

For her to accomplish what she did, Liu Shu had to plan in advance and secure the lives and consciousness of the three shackled World Trees. For that, Liu Shu extended one root and gradually dismantled the most dangerous parts of the arrays and rune field covering the cities’ central area. 

There was nothing too complicated, and most of the work was just routine tasks she needed to complete in secret. 

‘Finally, done.’ With a sigh of relief, Liu Shu allowed her consciousness to continue the overtaking of the five remaining World Trees. As she did so, her consciousness shifted through the continents, and she spoke lightly into a room. “Flor, I am done. All World Trees will fall under my domain in just a few weeks.”

Flor blinked her red eyes twice and stopped playing with the Alraune baby in front of her. “Really? Hm… Can I delay the work a bit? I want to continue playing with my great-granddaughter a bit more.”

The little Alraune in front of Flor was Dewna’s child. The girl got pregnant happily with her mates and ended up giving birth to an Alraune. Moreover, after checking, Liu Shu and the others noticed that a few of the specialnesses from being Liu Shu’s descendant remained. Passive skills and innate titles that granted her increased intelligence and potential were basic ones, with some conferring the Alraune attribute specialties.

Overall, Dewna’s child was as beautiful as her mother, and everyone pampered her. Additionally, although she was the oldest, she wasn’t the only third-generation child. A few of the Alraune and Farlune had already mingled with their partners, fertilizing the fruits of life. 

Farlunes, being the male counterpart of Alraunes, had more peculiar partner selections. They all looked for fertile women of different species, and their children would be determined by gender. If it were a female, the children would be born as the species of the mother. Meanwhile, male children would always be born as Farlune—the same happened with the Alraune children. 

Liu Shu looked at her mother’s pouty appearance and laughed softly. “Of course you can wait. I already dealt with the most annoying parts. Therefore, the only thing left is sending the prepared governors and armies to take over and assimilate the cities.”

After so much conquering during the last few decades, the Golden Sap Arborarchy had become efficient and an expert in assimilation works. There were even dignitaries who trained people who would migrate and take core positions to impose the Golden Sap Arborarchy Law. 

Flor’s presence was now symbolic, since things could run hands-free. Still, the Flower Fairy and the other leaders attended to ensure that there were no problems.

Hearing her daughter’s words, Flor smiled happily and continued playing with the little child. “Hehe. We will be able to finish our little game, love!”

The little Alraune, having inherited her father’s brown hair and her mother’s pink eyes, smiled widely. “Alright! Let’s play, great-grandma!” 

Flor giggled happily and continued playing around.

Meanwhile, Liu Shu moved to do other things. “Hm… Was the first expedition that wanted to challenge the Earth Dragon departing today?” 

Sweeping her domain, she was quick to find a group of over 300 <Fourth Energy Cycles> led by Hua Edharen. These people were all from the military, and they had grown strong under strict discipline.

Speaking of <Fourth Energy Cycles>, the current number was incomparable to before Liu Shu took over. Using Liu Shu’s several buffs, the tens of thousands stuck at Level 74 slowly started breaking through. Nowadays, the number of <Fourth Energy Cycles> was well over 20,000 people. Among them, 15,000 were between Level 7579; 4,000 between Level 8089; and the rest were between Level 90~99. 

Liu Shu nodded happily at the progress of development. ‘While I still feel that it’s far from enough, at least it is far better than in the past. My buffs are truly coming through now. Especially the <Temple Of Life>; its effects are extraordinary.’

The number of people who failed to Level Up because their lifespans were nearing their end was many. However, as Liu Shu’s auras enveloped them, they regained youth and strength, helping them take that last step. Entering the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, their lifespan further increased, creating a new middle-aged population born from old people who managed to break through thanks to Liu Shu. 

This created several groups who became ridiculously loyal to Liu Shu. After all, the head of their families, businesses, and mercenary groups could live for longer thanks to her. 

‘Because of the older population regaining part of their youth and recovering from chronic illnesses just from my aura, I’ve managed to gather ridiculous influence. Essentially, all major brands and merchants now follow my advice, as their leaders are grateful for my buffs.’ 

Humming to herself, Liu Shu felt relief wash over her. ‘Alright, now I have around 15 years to complete my <Fifth Energy Cycle> breakthrough and also gain the <First Evolution>.’ 

She was unsure if it was enough. But at least, she didn’t expect that the delegation would attack her straight away. ‘They might wait for me if they arrive early… Sigh. Focus, focus. Let’s leave optimistic thoughts for later. For now, make sure to conquer the entire planet. Only the core and the five World Tree territories are left.’

Chapter 1341. Wanted. Searching for a Place to Rest.

Yasenia noticed the new multicolored orb orbiting her dantian right away and smiled faintly. “Have you settled down?” 

Sui Xing’s voice reached her. “Yes… But I might not be able to answer you for… ugh… a little while.”

“Hm?” Yasenia blinked, confused. “Is there something wrong?”

“...I don’t know where to start, but to summarize, your energy core is currently harmonizing me with your energy so that your body doesn’t reject me.” 

Yasenia could hear Sui Xing clenching his jaw in pain as he spoke, so she didn’t bother him anymore. “Alright, be careful and take your time. You are now part of me, so we can be considered family.”

Yasenia’s soft tone reassured Sui Xing. “Before I focus on this, do you want to be thrown right outside where you entered, or far away in a random direction?” 

The dragoness pondered for a few moments, and then she sighed. “Send me out in a random direction… By the way, do you know where the other treasures are?” 

“I am unaware of all of them, but I can feel one of them if we are nearby. Still, most of them are useless to you. The other six treasures are a [Battle Formation], a sword, a [Sect Defensive Formation], a [Natural Treasure] of the Star Element, a cultivation technique, and the one you might be interested in, a garden with powerful herbs.”

“Ho~?” 

Yasenia wanted to ask more, but Sui Xing was near his limits. 

“I’ll tell you after I deal with the assimilation process! My head feels like it is about to explode. Anyway, good luck not getting caught.” 

Yasenia’s vision flipped, and after a few seconds, she reappeared above the endless sea with islands floating around. “Hm…” Looking around, Yasenia scratched her cheek. “Where am I?” 

Because she was transported to an unknown location, her sense of direction was completely distorted. She didn’t even know the direction of the entrance to the Secret Realm. ‘Well… I have over seven years to relocate myself.’ 

Without further delay, Yasenia stepped forward and continued exploring. 

Meanwhile, at the location where the people had disappeared, hundreds of cultivators were waiting and looking at the middle of the island. 

Lataria looked around, her face nervous. ‘Will Yasenia be able to escape? I hope she doesn’t appear and hides inside the trial until the Secret Realm finishes.’

Astarea, at the side, crossed her arms and looked at Ao Jiuyao. “Tell me. Why did you surrender without fighting? Is the treasure she has so threatening that you needed to retreat?”

The dragon man nodded calmly. “I could see that she was willing to use that treasure. If I had been stubborn, I would’ve died under her hand.” He sighed, his face full of lamentation. “Honestly, it is a shame. I was quite fond of that girl.”

Lataria at the side grumbled. “Is this old frog developing a taste for swan meat? You'd better keep your claws away from her.”  

Ao Jiuyao’s lips twitched. “I was speaking strictly as a senior.” He then smiled charmingly. “Moreover, with Astarea here, how could I look at that girl? You are comparing a fully ripe fruit with one that has yet to mature!” 

Astarea’s face darkened, and she glared at the dragon. “Who are you calling old, eh? I have over ninety-eight percent of my lifespan remaining!” 

Ao Jiuyao broke into a cold sweat. Still, outwardly, he smiled and gently grabbed Astarea’s hand. “You perfectly know I don’t mean it like that. It is the truth that I like you much more than that dragon girl.” 

Astarea’s stern face softened for a second, but she quickly recovered her indifferent expression. “Go to my sister if you want to speak sweet nothings.”

Ao Jiuyao was shameless enough in that regard. “Your sister is herself, and you are you. Both of you have very different charms.” 

Lataria looked at them with a tired expression and sighed. “Anyway, should we leave? I don’t think that Yasenia will be careless enough to return to this location, right?” 

Astarea got thoughtful for a second and then nodded. “Either way, we can always intercept her at the Secret Realm entrance. Let’s go and see if we can find the Battle Formation or the Herb Garden.”

Lataria looked around one last time before leaving. ‘I can’t find that junior who molested Yasenia… Sigh. He will cause trouble later.’  

Searching for treasures was an enjoyable activity, so time passed quickly. As Yasenia flew across the sky, she noticed a few cultivators in the distance. ‘Oh, my first encounter in over six months.’

Since there wasn’t anything special in their direction, Yasenia flew past without giving them a second look. However, as she flew over, she heard them scream.

“Huh? That’s Yasenia Dravory! Catch her!” 

The dragoness was dumbfounded when she felt attacks flying in her direction. With a wave of her hand, [Celestial Aegis] materialized and blocked all of the attacks easily. She struggled when dealing with absolute monsters, but fighting average Transcendence Cultivators was more than effortless. 

As the group of six cultivators rushed at her and attacked, Yasenia defended herself with a look of confusion. “Why are you attacking me? I don’t know any of you.”

The leader of the group snorted. “If you don’t want to get attacked, give up your treasures!”

Yasenia’s mind spun for a moment, and then it clicked. ‘Someone actually spread that I am the owner of the Realm Bead?’ Bewilderment flashed in her eyes. ‘Who is stupid enough to do that?’ 

The [Star Breaker Realm Bead] was a treasure coveted by almost all sects participating. So, the ideal situation for them was to conceal the fact that Yasenia had the bead and then force her to surrender it secretly. That way, the secrecy of who has the Realm Bead could be maintained until they returned to their own sects.  

In short, capturing Yasenia secretly and obtaining the bead would ensure that the existence of the bead remained as secretive as possible, completely hiding the new owner from the eyes of others.

Annoyed at the attacks, Yasenia’s face turned cold, and she summoned Draheart and Dramel. “I don’t know who is stupid enough to speak about the treasure, but…” A cruel smile formed on her lips. “I should thank them for delivering treasures my way, I guess. [Celestial Intent Domain].”

Yasenia didn’t use the dimensional properties, instead summoning the domain into reality. That way, she was able to utilize the offensive qualities much more freely, rather than being restricted by keeping everyone on the other side. 

With the Intent Domain deployed, Yasenia used her strengthening techniques, and her body transformed into a blur. “[Soul Dividing Tyrannical Cleave].”

Her sword flashed as she moved and dodged among them. Compared to before, both her speed and strength had undergone a qualitative change. After all, what she learned during the trials was immediately applicable to her battle style.  

The Six Transcendence Realm cultivators with Level 2 and Level 1 Intent Domains were overwhelmed, their souls receiving terrifying damage.

“W-What!? Nobody told me that she was so strong!”

“Retreat! Retreat! Use your life-saving treasures!”

Yasenia snorted. “Too late. [Celestial Dragon Roar].”

ROAR!

A shockwave burst outward, transmitting the soul injuries to the physical body. The instant the shockwave hit them, their eyes widened, and blood exploded outward from their bodies as countless heavy injuries ripped open their skin, muscles, bones, and organs.

While their minds were stunned from the terrifying attack and pain, Yasenia’s body accelerated using [Fairy Moon Steps], and she finished all of them off. Seeing their corpses fall from the sky, Yasenia extended her hand and collected all six spatial rings. 

“Hm…” Looking around, annoyance bloomed in her heart again. “Do I have to travel while hiding now?”

She sighed deeply, her mind going over her options. Soluna spoke with a cheerful tone. “Yasenia, how about we rest for a bit~. We might find something on that island!”

Tilting her head towards the island, Yasenia asked, curious. “Have you detected anything over there?”

“No!” Soluna spoke shyly. “I just want to rest with you…” 

Laughter filled Yasenia’s eyes as she nodded. “Alright. We can rest for a week.”

After a single step, Yasenia arrived at the island and chose a cave to enter and seal herself. After placing the concealing formation around her, Yasenia summoned Draheart, Dramel, and Soluna.

The two short girls with curvy bodies blinked and smiled at Yasenia. 

“Master.”

“Yasenia! You fought super awesomely back then!” 

Yasenia giggled and opened her arms, hugging the twins. “Ah~... Holding both of you is always so relaxing.”

Dramel and Draheart’s faces were squeezed against the softness larger than their heads, and they instantly became limp.

Soluna pouted at the side. “I wanted to hug you as well…”

Yasenia grinned as she sat down on the floor with Dramel and Draheart in her arms. “Weren’t we here so that I can relax? Let me hug them for a while and heal my soul, hahah.”

Soluna harrumphed and jumped in between Yasenia’s legs, squeezing her face into the deep valley. “No! I want to hug you as well!”

Yasenia laughed happily, her tail wagging as she held her three precious girls in her arms. 

While she was resting, a man appeared by her side. His tall and handsome appearance was hard to ignore, while his long, brown hair gently fell in a low and loose ponytail. He wore a simple white robe, but the simple attire couldn’t hide the extraordinariness of his aura.

Yasenia looked up with a smile. “How are you feeling, Sui Xing?”

The man smiled faintly, his eyes deep and calm like an ancient lake. “Better than ever. I don’t think I felt this good even when I was created for the first time.” 

The dragoness smiled sincerely. “I am glad.” Then, she spoke mischievously. “We need to take care of our eldest resident, after all.”

The man blinked, confused, and then looked at Draheart. “She is far more ancient than I, though.”

Draheart’s happy expression froze, and then she glared at Sui Xing. “You were saying?”

Sui Xing blinked innocently. “You are far more ancient than I am.”

Dramel burst into laughter. “Hahaha!”

Draheart: “...”

Meanwhile, Yasenia looked curiously at the deep-blue-haired girl. “Really?”

Draheart’s face twitched, and she spoke slowly. “... It's a lie. I am actually quite a new and recently crafted treasure.” 

Everyone deadpanned, their eyes fixed on the girl with doubt. Yasenia poked Draheart’s soft sides. “Draheart…” 

The girl fidgeted because of the ticklishness, but her face remained stoic. “...Yes?”

Yasenia asked, her eyes full of curiosity. “Tell me, how old are you truly? Some of your memories must’ve come back after you recovered your Transcendence Ranked item strength, right?” 

Draheart looked sideways, unwilling to answer. “That… Yes.”

The dragoness smiled softly and lowered her head to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. “That’s enough. Please let me know when you're ready. You are my precious weapon, so don’t think you can leave my grasp easily.” 

Draheart blinked twice, and even if her facial gestures were stiff, the happiness in her eyes was unmistakable. “...I will.”

Sui Xing hummed lightly, a faint smile on his lips. Then, he looked at his new master and spoke. “Yasenia, I've detected the Herb Garden’s general direction. Do you want to go check?” 

The dragoness nodded, relaxing her body as she hugged the three soft bodies of her girls. “Speak about it later. Let me close my eyes for a week. It’s been years since I last fell asleep.”

Sui Xing nodded. “Don’t worry. Go ahead and sleep. We will take care of the surroundings and wake you up if there is a problem.”

Soluna smiled. “That’s right, that’s right!” 

Yasenia nodded and yawned widely once, showing her sharp fangs. “Hwaam… Goodnight.” Closing her eyes, the dragoness fell asleep right away. 

Chapter 552. Somewhere Far Away: Madness and Chaos. [AotSC]

In an unknown area of the universe, tens of thousands of humans floated in the middle of the void between the stars. Each of these people exuded a terrifyingly profound atmosphere and possessed the strength to shatter stars with their bare hands. 

However, at this time, they were all extremely tense and fearful. Each of these 10,000 people held their weapons with trembling hands, while the five leaders looked with ugly expressions at the space before them. 

“...When did the anomaly start? Why is the SS Tier <Galaxy Sealing Array> showing a crack!?” 

When the person at the lead shouted, everyone tensed but dared not make a single movement. The man was tall, with a handsome face, golden hair, and eyes shining with the radiance of the sun. This person was wearing a leafy green and golden toga of unknown quality while holding an elegant spear that swirled with the power of the stars.

The man, not hearing any answer, felt his temper flaring. He ground his teeth and asked, his voice similar to a growl. “Did I place 10,000 <Fifth Ascension> elites here so that they behave like recently born saplings!? Answer me!”

When his voice boomed out, the outer layer of a nearby star peeling off from his aura burst, effectively killing the star with his bellow. Finally, the woman at the lead spoke with a trembling voice. “L-Lord Emperor, the crack showed only around fifty years ago; it is impossible for the being inside to do anything during such a short amount of time with a crack as small as…”

“FOOL!”

The man shouted, his scream pushing the woman back for millions of kilometers, almost making her puke blood. When the man wanted to continue screaming at his people, his heart chilled, and he quickly looked back.

Behind him, an array that used stars as its nodes extended for hundreds of light-years. The amount of resources and effort placed to create this SS Tier array was so large that some galactic empires almost ended in bankruptcy. However, no one felt heartache. Inside this array, an existence that made galaxies tremble was sealed. The being inside the seal was so terrifying that enemies became allies just to deal with her single existence. 

The man's golden eyes stared fixedly at a white crack in the black void. This crack was just a palm long. Compared to a structure that spanned several hundred light-years, it was virtually nothing. Even the natural skin of humans had larger natural cracks in comparison. 

However, at this moment, that crack made all the hairs in the powerful man’s body stand straight. From the crack, a single white finger poked out. It was objectively a fair and slender finger, clearly from a gorgeous woman. Just that finger would, usually, make men want to throw away their lives and women surrender to her.

Yet, the second the finger appeared, everyone’s pupils dilated. From it, a multicolored aura spread and covered dozens of light-years. At that very instant, when the multicolored light touched everyone, madness descended on all the <Fifth Ascension> elites.

“AHHH!!!! IT BURNS! IT’S COLD! IT BURNS! AHHHH!!!”

“KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!!”

“HAHAHA! MY ARM IS ROTTING!! HAHAHAHA!!”

“THE WORLD DIES! THE WORLD DIES! AHHHHH!!!!”

The golden-haired man’s aura exploded outward, his light battling against the multi-colored aura from that single finger and suppressing it. “Don’t you dare escape, MONSTER! Suppress!”

The finger that poked out of the SS Tier sealing formation flinched lightly and then retreated. However, the little hole that the finger poked didn’t close. The Emperor looked around him and noticed that almost 300 out of the 10,000 elites were dead. Just a few seconds of exposure was enough to kill that many, injuring nearly half of them.

However, the Emperor didn’t feel anything wrong with that. To begin with, the people here weren’t stationed to fight the monster inside in case of breaching. They were here to notify him when any abnormality happened in the sealing formation. 

‘What happened? Why is she awake? Shouldn’t the array force her to sleep? What woke her up!?’

As his heart trembled, he heard a boundless and gentle voice reach him. The voice seemed to come from the cosmos itself, yet a refreshing feeling of nature was tightly bound to its existence. “Emperor, you should start acting soon. If you want me to become a Galaxy-wide World Tree so that I can fight that being, you can’t be soft.”

The Emperor nodded solemnly and looked at the poked hole for a while. As he was looking, he saw the white skin of the woman appearing and moving. The finger-sized hole showed the perfect lower jaw, cheek, and finally, an eye. 

The eye was mostly white, glowing with iridescent colors. That single eye stopped the Emperor right in his tracks, and then, a voice that twisted the fabric of reality engulfed him. “Why am I trapped? Can you free me?”

The voice was as beautiful as the cosmos itself, and carried such innocence within it that one would doubt the woman’s previous actions. Yet, when one heard it, a feeling of pure nausea and terror crept deeply into their beings. 

It was as if a hand was twisting, mixing, and trying to bend the dimensions. The Emperor was half-frozen, unable to answer. He was using all of his strength not to start inflicting self-harm from the effects of the voice. Thankfully, the creature with the voice that reverberated through the space around them answered softly. “Sorry. We can’t. Can you go back to sleep, please?”

“No.” The woman answered, her iridescent eye shifting very slightly, as if she were looking at the creature that talked to her. “I want to get out. Someone is calling me.”

“Your existence is too dangerous to be set free.” The cosmic being answered softly. “Go back to sleep.”

“No.” The woman answered again. “I will get out.”

The cosmic World Tree was surprised. “Y-You. Stop it. You shouldn’t get out!”

BOOM!

The SS Tier Array wobbled. The Emperor was stunned and then shouted, anxious. “W-Why is she so insistent!? Stop her!”

BOOM!

Another hit forced the palm-sized crack to spread out much faster than the speed of light. The white cracks expanding outward were like a signal: the being inside the egg was about to be set free. 

The Emperor became terrified and quickly took out a communication device. “She is escaping! Gather everyone! EVERYONE! <Chaos> is escaping!”

The voice of the woman spread out softly and innocently. “I will get out and meet who called me… I must meet her…”

The Emperor’s mind almost couldn’t block the effects of her voice, his face paling. Looking behind him, his face despaired. The 10,000 elites were in a state that would horrify even the most indifferent being. 

People eating each other, clawing their faces off, trying to pierce their ears. It was as if they just wanted to kill themselves so that they would be freed from hearing the woman’s voice. 

As he looked at them, his sight was stained with red. Confused, he looked at his hands and noticed large chunks of golden hair on them. ‘What happened?’

“HAHAHAHA!”

‘Who is laughing so hard?’

Looking back, he noticed that the black wall had shattered. The black pieces of crystal floated like broken glass in the void, and near him, a woman stood silently and curiously looking at him. 

The woman’s beauty was sharp and elegant. Her figure was tall and curvy, breasts dropping softly and barely covered by a hanging dress. Pale skin glowed faintly against the dark, and her face, sculpted with flawless symmetry, carried an allure that bent reason. Her long, iridescent hair flowed like liquid starlight, each strand shifting in colors that no mortal language could name. Her eyes, gleaming with multicolored brilliance, drew the soul into an abyss of madness.

Her body was covered in a black and teal gown that clung like a second skin. Its bodice, framed by crossing straps and a choker, crowned her with enthralling beauty. A long slit revealed her legs, pale and smooth beneath the unnatural glow of the fabric. Across its surface, faint streaks of cyan and violet pulsed like cracks in reality, while the hem drifted as if detached from the laws of weight. It was not a simple garment but an extension of her essence. 

Yet, when her beauty shone with infinite lights, those around her died tragically. The Emperor, gazing at such cosmic beauty, laughed madly and clawed at his face, brutally peeling off his skin and muscles until he gouged out his own eyes and laughed to the heavens.

The woman blinked slowly, curious as the ten thousand people around her killed themselves in gruesome deaths. “Hm… Strange people.” 

The voice of the cosmic World Tree trembled, the space around the woman bending as roots that could connect stars blended out of space itself. “Monstrous creature! Why did you come out!? Die!”

There was no gentleness and calmness like before, but hysterical madness and fear. Even as the roots that could dwarf stars fell towards the woman, she didn’t move and looked on with a puzzled expression. 

The roots reached the woman’s surroundings, and then, they collapsed. As if reality itself was suddenly twisted, the roots exploded, burned, froze, split open, and disintegrated. Some twisted among each other, while the cosmic World Tree screamed in pain and agony. 

“AHHHH!!!”

The woman saw messages appearing in front of her eyes, but she ignored them. Instead, she asked curiously. “Um… Do you know who called me?”

“DIE! LIVE! AHAHAH! I SHOULD EXPLODE AND BE ONE WITH THE STARS! HAHAHA!”

The cosmic World Tree shouted, and the space around it began to twist as countless roots detached from the dimensional gaps that surrounded it. The woman muttered, a bit sad. “So you don’t know… Then, I will search myself.” 

So, not giving the twisting roots another look, the personification of <Chaos> left calmly. As she stepped forward, sometimes she would advance one meter, and other times she would jump far between stars. As she calmly walked forward, any world or living being nearby would die, stars and planets would burn or freeze, and even reality itself would bend under her existence.

When the woman left the galaxy, she looked back curiously. The spiral galaxy she had left was now a mess, its arms twisting as stars collided, planets disintegrating in the explosions, and the cosmic World Tree that covered over a third of the galaxy collapsed and destroyed itself. 

“Hm…” The woman tilted her head, confused. “Why is everyone so strange? Is it fun to do that?”

The woman reached out towards her own face, but an energy stopped her hands, making her pout. “Whatever… I must find the person who called me.” And so, she walked in the void between galaxies.  

Chapter 1340. Sui Xing Falls Into Yasenia's Dantian: Shock.

The process of assimilation started shortly after their discussion. 

“Approach the stele on the right and place your hand against it. That way, you will inherit the individual functions of the treasure.” 

When she heard his orders, Yasenia nodded firmly and floated over until she stood in front of it. In terms of size, the stone structure was around 20 meters in height. High enough to force her neck to look up. 

‘Alright, let’s accept it.’ 

Closing her eyes, Yasenia stretched and placed both her palms against the smooth surface of the stele. When that happened, a prickly sensation appeared on her palms, making her flinch for a second. 

“Great. Maintain that position and do not resist. To create your perfect copy, the treasure needs to dig deeply into your body and soul and understand you.” 

Yasenia nodded and accepted it. If it were an unknown treasure, she would’ve been on alert. But with this one, there was a feeling of comfort. Therefore, Yasenia followed the senior’s words without resisting. 

‘Let’s trust my gut but never lower my guard.’

A red light spread from her palms and covered the smooth surface of the beautiful stone stele. As the lines spread, Yasenia could feel a sensation pierce through her palms into her body. 

Sui Xing spoke slowly. “The level of this treasure is high. Therefore, do not panic if it takes control of your Dantian’s atmosphere. At most, it will act like a new ruler of the place and dominate over your other blood-linked treasures.”

The dragoness’s eyebrows gently raised for a second before calming down. ‘Taking over…?’ A smile crept up her lips. ‘I am more worried that it might not get accepted by the others.’ 

Sui Xing saw Yasenia’s relaxed appearance as a sign of her acceptance. This surprised him quite a bit. ‘Does she think that it isn’t a problem? Or does she trust the treasure that much?’ 

Sui Xing, who was indistinguishable from the treasure, flew forward and merged his soul with the stele as well. ‘Let’s go in, then. I am curious as to how our new owner’s Dantian looks.’  

When he touched the stone stele, Sui Xing merged his senses with the treasure. At that moment, he was finally able to detect Yasenia’s drop of Blood Essence. 

THUMP!

His chest pulsed, as if his heart had been startled. ‘...Such a level of purity. I have not met anyone with a Blood Essence containing such dense energy since I left the Divine Realm.’ 

In front of Sui Xing, a jewel-like drop of blood floated calmly. The feelings that the drop forced upon his soul were ones of boundless potential and strength. ‘Wait… This aura…’ 

Sui Xing reached out and finally touched it with his index finger. “Show me your talent. Show your true nature. Will you become as large as a city? Perhaps a mountain? How do you compare with my previous owners?” 

When he touched it, the Blood Drop didn’t move and just trembled. ‘Hm? What’s wrong?’ 

As his eyebrows came together, the drop began to grow in size—at first, as large as a balloon, then a person, and then a house. The drop of blood expanded, increasing in size multiplicatively with each passing second.  

As it became larger, Sui Xing’s expression changed from curiosity to seriousness to surprise. His dark eyes widened, reflecting the blood-red sphere within them. ‘What is this? Who… is she?’ 

As his Soul Body was pressured, the gargantuan drop of blood engulfed the space around him, becoming so large that Sui Xing felt as if he were someone insignificant in front of it. “H-How large…?” As he looked at the wall of red in front of him, he came to a conclusion. “This… is as large as a star.”  

To accept the new master, he needed to accept the entirety of this star-sized blood essence drop. The sheer pressure it emitted was so intimidating that Sui Xing almost felt unworthy. 

Of course, he quickly shook off those feelings and showed an incomparably serious expression. “I must accept it at any cost.”

So, steeling his resolve, his hand pushed against the surface of the star-sized drop of blood, and he dove into it. The instant he did so, the entire world became his enemy. As if the drop was trying to test him, boundless pressure squeezed his remnant soul, trying to destroy it.

“Ugh…” 

His soul thread, accepting the boundless energy, felt as if it was about to explode. His outward figure didn’t change, but inside, it felt as if he was being filled with endless energy. “D-Digest it! If I can’t even accept a drop of Blood Essence, am I worthy of becoming her treasure?” 

His thinking changed here. He didn’t desire to reign over other treasures in Yasenia’s Dantian. Now, all he wanted was to become a worthy treasure. “Accept it!”

While Sui Xing struggled, Yasenia meditated in front of the stele for days, her mind calm and peaceful. ‘Sui Xing is taking a while… Keeping up with time in this space is a bit difficult, but he said that it would take a day or two at most. Has something gone wrong? It’s been around a month since we started this.’ 

Everything around her was working perfectly fine, so Yasenia was not worried. If there had been any problem, the space around her would’ve collapsed. 

Meanwhile, Sui Xing finished his initial process. After more than a month since he started, the Blood Essence drop was finally absorbed into his soul. ‘Done… Thankfully, my absorption rate is exponential, not linear. Otherwise, I would’ve been in trouble. We might’ve needed to stay here for years, not a month or two.’  

During that time, his remnant soul got some benefits. Sui Xing looked at his body with surprise. “I feel… stronger. As expected of a good-quality owner, even the treasure benefits from the exchange. Is this why my real self thought that treasures from famous people were more valuable than rogue items?” 

While he was a remnant soul, his memories were extremely limited in comparison. He only knew some superficial facts and everything he needed to understand about the Star Breaker Realm bead. 

After he absorbed the Blood Essence drop, the empty space around him suddenly changed. “Finally, time to enter her… Dantian…”

Once he arrived, Sui Xing almost turned around to flee. Several horrifying auras with boundless energy surrounded his person, as if they were gods looking down on a mortal. 

Hastily looking around, the sight before him almost left him breathless. “How is this… possible?” 

Naturally, he had knowledge of what an average Dantian in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth realms looked like. Yet, what he was seeing in front of him was so out of the norm that he thought his eyes were deceiving him.

Boundless space stretched around him, surrounded by a starry background with silhouettes of different constellations. Among those constellations, six shone brightly, while three remained dull and unconnected. “Those are… the constellations Yasenia uses?” 

But that was by far the most common sight in this space. What instantly caught his attention was not the largest celestial body, but the one right in the middle of everything. 

A celestial blue star gently rotated in the middle of the Dantian. Its presence was so boundless and perfect that just a sight placed his soul under risk of collapse. The gorgeous blue star had a dark accretion disk glowing with starlight around it, and space around it bent and deformed just from its existence.

Surrounding that entity, other planets and stars gently floated in orbits. The closest ones were four orbs:

The first orb was a black sphere that seemed to absorb the light around it; all energy that came from the outside flooded towards it before it was expelled outward. Sui Xing, now part of Yasenia’s dantian, knew what it was. “[Primordial Energy Core]? How did she even get something so precious…?”

His gaze then moved toward a pair of orbs dancing around each other. One of them was blood red and several times larger than the other one. Its draconic aura was boundless, pulsing each second like a beating heart. 

Conversely, the other one was much smaller. Its jade-green surface was adorned by gorgeous imagery, golden and pink figures swirling inside it. Its artistic beauty was reminiscent of a dance of mythical creatures. 

Yet, these twin orbs moved in harmony, the much larger red orb clearly taking care of the smaller one. Like a planet gently carrying its moon around itself. “[Draconic Heart] and [Dragon’s Melody of the Three Sacred Beasts]. Yasenia’s weapons.” 

Sui Xing looked at the third item, and his eyes shook for a second. The third orb swirled with three different colors: Silver, Gold, and White. The three colors interlocked perfectly, mixing different energies into one that was difficult to ignore. “[Celestial Pearl]... A Natural Treasure of the Celestial Attribute…”

Even as he said it, his lips trembled and his soul pulsed. Looking again at the star in the middle, Sui Xing gathered enough courage to analyze it for a second. “...Impossible. [Celestial Black Hole Star Energy Core].”

Sui Xing’s soul almost scattered from fright. “How is something like that even allowed to exist?”

His heart was already hurting, and yet, he had only looked at the inner treasures. Looking outward, Sui Xing noticed that the second layer had four new planets. Each of these planets gave a distinct energy aura. “[Convergence of the Celestial Bodies], [Celestial Cosmos Immortal Body Technique], [Celestial Firmament Tyrannical Soul Art], and [Celestial Maiden Ascends Through The Heavens]. Spirit, Body, Soul, and Dual Cultivation arts of the Immortal Rank.” 

Among all the things, these were the ones that surprised him the least. During his lifetime, he witnessed numerous Immortal-level Cultivation Arts. However, as he was about to move on, he noticed something strange. “...Did I feel a gaze from them?”

Looking over, he noticed that the four planets were truly gazing at him, not with eyes, but using their spiritual sense. “...Sentience? Doesn’t that mean that they have the ability to grow and evolve further?” Sui Xing gulped. “Four sentient techniques? How many gods would kill to have even one of them…?”

Like Natural Treasures, sentient techniques merged with the cultivator to grow, evolve, and perfect themselves. As long as the cultivator didn't give up on them and has sufficient resources, pushing them far and beyond would not be a problem.

As he felt a surge of jealousy for a second, his eyes paused on the Dual Cultivation technique. “For a moment… That one…” As he frowned deeply, a barely hidden memory resurfaced in his mind. His eyes widened. “W-Why is ‘Her’ Dual Cultivation Technique in this young dragon’s hands!?” 

As he felt nervousness, the Celestial Star sent a very light pressure wave. However, what was light for the Celestial Star became as heavy as a mountain for Sui Xing. “A-Alright, sorry for that.” 

Taking a deep breath, he looked outward and noticed a rogue planet with similar colors to the Celestial Pearl roaming around. Sui Xing knew who the free-spirited planet was. “Soluna… Yasenia’s contracted spirit. But… Why is the Celestial Star not saying anything? Isn’t the [Nascent Celestial Spirit] being too rude?”

Yet, as he looked at the treasures, he noticed a sense of pamperedness when looking at Soluna. Even as Soluna circled closely around the Celestial Star, the star would carefully throw a few strands of Celestial Energy to feed the spirit, making her happy. Clearly, she was very loved by all of Yasenia’s treasures. 

Then, the third and outer ring was dominated by two gargantuan stars. Their size was not comparable to the Celestial Star, but their presence was not something easy to ignore. “... Yasenia’s Intent Domains have manifested in the shape of Stars within her Dantian. [Celestial Intent Domain] at the first level and [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain] at the peak of the second level… Incredible.”

After checking on Yasenia’s main treasures, Sui Xing carefully looked into Yasenia’s soul. ‘Let’s see her Palace… Huh?’ Sui Xing almost broke down. ‘Why does she have a complete Soul Palace at the first level of the Transcendence Realm!? There are limits on how abnormal one creature can be! Is she the reincarnation of a powerhouse or something!?’ 

After checking everything, Sui Xing finally felt the Star’s coercion, asking him if he was done looking around. Sui Xing coughed and nodded. “Yes.”

When he said that, his soul was forcefully compressed and changed form into a rainbow-colored planet. Then, the gravitational pull of the Central Star moved him and placed him on the same level as the Immortal Level Techniques. Sui Xing didn’t dare complain and followed the Big Boss’s arrangements. 

Once located, he felt the [Primordial Energy Core] locking onto him. ‘Hm?’ 

The black sphere created a channel between itself and the Celestial Star, forcefully injecting pure Celestial Energy. Sui Xing barely held back from screaming. 

‘AGH!’ 

Pain electrocuted his soul as the Celestial Energy sank deeply into itself and cleansed impurities while transforming itself to be suitable for Yasenia’s use. He lamented. ‘Forget being a big boss… I am like a junior encountering all my senior brothers and sisters during the first day. Well, let’s get used to it slowly.’ 

And in that manner, the [Star Breaker Realm Bead] became another of Yasenia’s treasures. 

Chapter 551. World Tree Mar's Final Stubbornness: Reactions. [AotSC]

The entire world went into an uproar. While Skyflower and the other World Trees could’ve blocked the independent World Trees and Life Trees from communicating by cutting off the trade routes, Liu Shu told them not to. 

Liu Shu’s idea was simple. “Let them know that I’ve run out of patience. Will they rise when they know my strength? Will the people throw away their lives knowing that what they are facing is an unstoppable force of nature? Since it doesn’t matter if they keep resentment in their hearts, unlike previously, I can just forcefully take over and slowly assimilate them. In two or three generations, their children will be as much part of our power as any other citizens.”

She had 20 years, and she was not going to waste a single extra one dealing with the stubborn World Trees. She also left a few orders in the back of Golden Sap City. She asked them to first merge the world armies into one and to use the Dungeons as a way to separate, train, and classify different individuals. 

‘To get worldwide control, I must be careful and not divide the power too much. The most important thing in a world government is to avoid the resurfacing of individual national pride.’ 

Liu Shu planned and purposely manipulated many things, ensuring that the general population continued their normal lives and were never affected.  

The days after Liu Shu’s threat passed quickly. She observed how many people packed their things, leaving the city. Still, there were some who were stubborn and didn't want to leave their hometown.

Liu Shu expected it. ‘Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with them directly.’ 

“Time’s up.” Liu Shu spoke to the World Tree, her tone light and calm. “This is your last chance to surrender to me. Will you or not?”

“...I won’t.” The World Tree spoke, giving up on her life. “If you want to kill me, do it quickly.” 

“I will.” There was no hesitation. Her roots carefully dug below the city and approached the core of the World Tree. 

The number of people spectating from a distance was in the tens of thousands. Dignitaries, political figures, normal residents, mercenaries, and many more individuals from inside and outside the city looked from a safe distance.

“Do you think that Lady Heaveny Willow will topple Lady Mar even when there are still residents inside?”

Someone with realistic views answered with a snort. “Didn’t she warn them before? It’s not Lady Heavenly Willow’s fault.”

Another person with more empathetic views frowned. “But her methods are too brutal. Why is she being so hasty? There must be other methods that don’t create so many victims.”

However, neither of them needed to be worried about it. After all, Liu Shu refused to use the same methods she used back during her conquest of the <Origin Water Continent>. 

Instead, those looking from the safety of the perimeter marked by Liu Shu noticed something else. “Hm? There is something climbing up the Lady Mar…”

A person with better eyes spoke calmly. “They are Lady Heavenly Willow’s roots.” 

Confused as to what Liu Shu was planning, they looked attentively and used long-range vision artifacts to look. 

Liu Shu’s roots climbed up the World Tree, covering over 1000 meters of height in just a few hours. Her vine-like roots tightly coiled around her and only stopped when she reached the canopy. 

“Alright. Rest now, Mar.”

With her words, one of the roots pierced deeply through one of the World Tree’s breasts right into the heart’s location.  

BOOM!

A shockwave exploded outwards, as if the energy of the World Tree suddenly went berserk. However, even when it tried to struggle, Liu Shu kept it still with her roots. A second later, the trembling World Tree stiffened and its aura disappeared. 

Liu Shu had destroyed both the World Tree’s <Core Room> and <Tree Heart>. Without those two, the World Tree died instantly. 

Naturally, once the World Tree’s body died, the wood lost the powerful properties it had when alive, so it began giving in to its incredible weight. The wood ominously creaked, emitting loud, explosive sounds that expanded outward from the shattered material. 

Yet, even with the constant rumble, the World Tree didn’t topple down.

Someone with a quick mind understood it right away. “... The roots. They are holding up the World Tree and acting as extra support.”

“That’s ridiculous! A World Tree over 1000 meters tall weighs several million tons!”

“Millions?” Someone more knowledgeable snorted. “A World Tree around 1000 meters tall weighs over a billion tons. You’ve missed it by just three zeroes.”

Everyone became silent after hearing the slightly sarcastic remark. That expert added. “Naturally, Lady Heavenly Willow is not lifting that weight, but supporting it. This feat is remarkable in and of itself, but I've heard that Lady Heavenly Willow is a World Tree over 6,000 meters tall. So, compared to the usual weight her roots support, a few billion tons are probably not that much.” 

Someone asked, confused. “Then, why did Lady Heavenly Willow ask for us to evacuate? Did she want to move us because she will take over the city?” 

Another person sighed. “That’s short-sighted thinking. Most likely, Lady Heavenly Willow asked people to get out of the city because she was unsure if she could properly hold Lady Mar. From what I heard, Lady Heavenly Willow has never killed normal World Trees. She has only fought corrupted World Trees within enemy territory.”

Everyone frowned, complicated feelings swirling in them as they observed Liu Shu dismantle the World Tree. 

Liu Shu looked at the city and muttered to herself. ‘Alright… That zone has no life in it. I can place the branches there and ask Flor to send the army later and collect the wood. A World Tree’s material, even if it is low-level, is incredibly precious, after all.’

As her roots broke and threw branches down to a deserted place, Liu Shu gently supported the World Tree’s corpse. ‘... I don’t understand. Why did you remain so stubborn?’ 

While in the past, Liu Shu herself told Fortuna how stubbornly she would never give up on becoming stronger, she was innocent back then. ‘If Warlya, for example, were to attack me back when I was in the Second Energy Cycle, and then ask me to join her, I wouldn’t deny her.’ 

Her willingness to join the Celestial Lotus Empire spoke volumes about how Liu Shu worked. “As long as you respect my individuality, I can work with you. Then, when I become stronger, I will treat you well if you didn’t wrong me in the first place.”

That was how Liu Shu thought in a vacuum. Of course, depending on the situation, things would change a lot. Ultimately, each situation was unique. 

“But resisting so stubbornly when I clearly showed benefits and the ability to remain being themselves… I can’t understand.” 

Liu Shu’s dismantling took around 3 days and nights of constant work. During the first day, she broke off all the World Tree’s largest branches, being careful to avoid those breaking naturally, so as not to cause any loss of life.”

Of course, in the end, the canopy of a World Tree was an environment itself. So a few birds and other animals that nested there were bound to be injured, regardless of how careful Liu Shu was. 

Apart from those few accidental deaths, Liu Shu was able to dismantle the World Tree easily. The crowd that arrived on the first day didn’t disperse; instead, it grew as the days passed. 

Witnessing a World Tree being broken down piece by piece was such a unique experience that it left the population dazed. 

Moreover, from the second day onward, thousands of troops arrived by air and land, carrying containers and tools to dismantle and relocate the massive World Tree. While Liu Shu took three days for her work, the remaining work would take a few months of back-and-forth and transportation. 

Thankfully, the benefits from each piece of World Tree material would far outweigh the cost of manual labor. 

Skyflower and the other World Trees in the I.C.A.R.E. network felt quite… peculiar. Using Liu Shu’s roots as a medium, they were able to observe Liu Shu’s actions firsthand. 

Prarya commented, her tone a bit awkward. “I guess… Now we know what would’ve happened if we were stubborn and denied Little Liu Shu.”

Fortuna joked around. “I don’t think it would’ve been so meticulous. During that time, Little Liu Shu was quite impatient. You would’ve probably become dry wood and been used in stoves to heat the house during winter.”

“... Fortuna, you’ve gone too far!” Prarya shouted, terrified. 

A relatively young voice interrupted. “Big Sisters! Don’t slander Big Sister Liu Shu so much! She wouldn’t do something like using our wood as dry wood.”   

“Right! Right! Big Sister Liu Shu took care of us and even helped us cleanse ourselves from any remaining corruption.”

“Agreed. Big Sister Liu Shu is too gentle for that!”

Warlya chuckled. “Look at the young little ones~. So cute.”

Fortuna giggled. “You little girls… We are just joking around. If your Big Sister Liu Shu knew that you were so stiff with us, she would scold you.”

“AH! How is that possible!? Don’t speak nonsense, Big Sister Fortuna!” 

Liu Shu listened to the conversation with a smile. She didn’t interrupt them and just listened. The feeling of the World Trees and Life Trees speaking through her root network was very pleasant. After all, to speak, the trees needed to share their life force to a certain extent. So, their messages felt like cool currents.

‘I am glad everyone is doing alright.’ Liu Shu sighed in relief. ‘If they became nervous or fearful because of what I did, it would’ve hurt me quite a bit…’ 

After dealing with World Tree Mar, she noticed a shift in the attitudes of quite a few World Trees. 

Before, around eighty percent of them remained stubbornly against her. Yet, after she killed Mar, more than half of the resisting trees were scared and waved their branches in surrender. ‘That’s great. The reaction is better than I thought. How about on the Intelligent Race side?’ 

“Have you heard about Lady Heavenly Willow’s actions? She destroyed Lady Mar!”

“It’s quite impactful. Seeing Lady Heavenly Willow destroy a World Tree almost without any effort is something that really puts into perspective the differences between them.” 

“Isn’t that right? To think that Lady Mar remained stubborn even after Lady Heavenly Willow offered her protection. It’s a bit disrespectful, but I find it somewhat foolish.”

Another sighed. “I agree with you. Lady Heavenly Willow’s buffs are more than worthy of surrender. Any Lady World Tree who remains stubborn is… without any offense, short-sighted. Being removed by Lady Heavenly Willow can be called a method of cutting down the ill branches so that the whole tree can have a healthier life.”  

Hearing similar conversations all around, Liu Shu sighed in relief. ‘Thankfully… My methods worked. Alright, now that I am riding this wave, I must strike strongly. I’ll attack all World Trees I can defeat easily at once tomorrow and give the same warnings. Let’s leave the three Level 70+ World Trees for last. They are weak, but their influence is a bit broader than others.’ 

Chapter 1339. Secrets of the Star Breaker Realm Bead.

Yasenia felt her body get enveloped in light before she was transported straight to another new space. This time, Yasenia located herself in the middle of a large golden sphere. The sphere had a viscous nature, similar to liquid gold, and was swirling with formation patterns that changed at a consistent pace. There was order within the randomness and intent where chaos seemed to dominate it.

‘...That’s probably the most profound formation I’ve ever seen.’ 

Floating in the middle of the giant sphere, Yasenia noticed three more things. First, in the middle, two large stone steles, carved with unknown symbols, floated side by side. These grey-colored steles were even more mysterious compared to the giant golden sphere. 

The last thing Yasenia noticed was between the two floating steles. It was a small white platform with a door in the middle. The door was simple: brown in color, built within a stone arch, and with a golden circular doorknob in the middle. 

“Welcome.”

While Yasenia floated in front of the three structures, she heard the voice of a man behind her. A man entered her vision. He was neither tall nor short, with defined facial features and long brown hair. His dark eyes and calm disposition gave him a solemn aura, while his gaze carried time-worn weariness. Clearly, unlike his relatively youthful appearance, he was someone with an uncountable number of years behind him.

“Thank you, Senior. May I ask where we are?”

The man’s lips arched faintly. “You are rather impatient. Are you in a rush because of what that dragon told you?”  

Yasenia paused, surprised. After a few moments of silence, Yasenia spoke carefully. “Senior has consciousness… I was rude. I thought the senior was a remnant soul without sentience.” 

The man nodded. “It’s normal for you to think so. In a way, I am not a willing remnant soul. I am, in a way, a guide and a guardian, while also sharing consciousness with the [Star Breaker Realm Bead].” Looking around, he spoke slowly. “After so many years… I am unsure if I have become it, or if we are still two different existences.” 

Yasenia didn’t answer and let him speak. The man looked back at Yasenia and spoke. “Excuse me for the tardiness. This humble cultivator is the creator of this treasure, or part of him. My name is Sui Xing.”

The dragoness cupped her fist and bowed faintly. “This junior is Yasenia Dravory.” 

“Great.” The man spoke, a very faint curve on his lips. “I’ve been following you since you entered. So, I must apologize.”

The dragoness tilted her head, unsure as to why he apologized. He explained right away. “When you entered, I could sense boundless potential from you. So, I thought that you could become our owner.” He floated forward, landing on the white platform holding the door. “Sadly, I could sense your reluctance to get involved. Therefore, I actively manipulated the test a little bit.”

Yasenia frowned, her mind quickly reaching a conclusion. “The crippling condition… That was not supposed to be a thing.”

“You are right.” Sui Xing walked toward the door and then turned around. “So, if you are offended, I apologize.” 

If she said that it didn’t bother her, Yasenia would be lying. What she hated the most was being manipulated by others. She disliked it as much as she disliked lies. Nevertheless, her desire to get the treasure was too high. Giving it up just because it messed up with her was ignorant and stupid. 

Still, her face had become much colder than before. “Apologies received. Now that I’ve won the final tournament, what must I do to get this treasure?”

“Two things.” The man knew Yasenia was angry, so he didn’t procrastinate. “The first thing is to link this treasure to yourself through a drop of blood essence. That way, only by killing you will people be able to steal it.” 

Yasenia already expected something like this, so she wasn’t worried. High-level treasures had their own consciousness most of the time, and they all valued a trustworthy contract between both sides. With a drop of blood essence, the treasure became part of the cultivator through their connection.

“What is the second one?”

Sui Xing spoke faintly. “You must choose whether to make it your individual treasure or a sect treasure.”  

“Huh?” Puzzlement flashed in Yasenia’s expression. “I don’t understand. What is the difference?” 

“First of all, let me tell you the real purpose of this treasure. Although with what you’ve discovered, you got most of it right.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Sui Xing crossed his arms and spoke. “The [Star Breaker Realm Bead] is a treasure made to polish your skills. It was created several million years ago in the Divine Realm as a common training room for people in the Divine Realm.”

“...What?” 

Yasenia’s eyes widened, disbelief flashing in her eyes. “Wasn’t this one of the treasures that the Broken Star Sect used to dominate several continents of the Blue Pearl World?”

The man nodded calmly. “Yes. But the treasures weren’t created by them. To begin with, most of the things the Broken Star Sect used to rise to supremacy were treasures found in an ancient tomb of a fallen powerhouse. This powerhouse, my original self, was an Eighth Realm cultivator that fell during the Heavenly Cataclysm.” 

Yasenia stayed silent for a few moments and asked. “... How many people know of your origins?” 

“No one knows other than the previous Sect Master of the Broken Star Sect.” Sui Xing spoke lightly. “He was a rather mediocre talent who managed to rise to prominence thanks to a lucky encounter. So, lacking trust, he never shared it with others, even after his death. He created this Secret Realm and left his descendants to their luck. Hence, their decline over the years.”

Yasenia’s lips twitched. ‘That’s… sad. If Star Forge and the others hear it, they will be heartbroken. Their previous glory disappeared because the Sect Leader was greedy and never shared his treasures.’ 

“So…” Yasenia’s tail swished as she tilted her head. “What does all of this have to do with your previous question? Sect Treasure and Individual Treasure. What is the difference?”

The man explained. “While it is called [Star Breaker Realm Bead], the name comes from my previous title, not its functions. This bead can, as you’ve seen, divide your proficiency with skills, body, energy, soul usage, and many more into different levels of copies. The copies are separated into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet colors. Of course, there are a few more, but those colors are the basic steps.”

Yasenia’s lips trembled. “A-A few more?”

A chuckle escaped him. “There are 1000 steps, and you change colors every 50 steps up to the 500th level. Beyond that, things take a turn, but it is far too early for you to know about it.”

Doing quick counting, the colors Sui Xing named would elevate her to the 500th level once beaten. ‘...Crazy. And here I am, struggling with the bronze copies.’

After digesting the harsh punch to her pride, Yasenia took a deep breath and spoke. “I understand. You can continue.” 

“Impressive.” The man looked at Yasenia, his eyes showing a hint of praise. 

The dragoness frowned. “What’s impressive? Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all. I am sincere.” Sui Xing sighed. “Many young geniuses become offended and depressed once they understand how far they are from reaching the true level of a powerhouse.” 

Yasenia’s frowning eyebrows relaxed as she smiled faintly. “Someone has beaten me down since I was little. I know how far I am from becoming a truly strong person.” She added softly. “In the first place, I got this treasure, risking so much, because I want to catch up to that person.” 

“Then, you should accept the treasure as an individual treasure.” Sui Xing finally moved to the meat of the matter. “In the form of an individual treasure, the [Star Breaker Realm Bead] will become tailored for yourself. The copies will become even more precise, and the Bead will understand you down to a soul level and be able to imitate even your specialness.”

The dragoness guessed, her eyes thoughtful. “So… If I were to accept the treasure in its Sect Treasure form, the challenge would remain as it is, but others would be able to use it without any particular difficulties. Am I right?” 

“Yes.” Sui Xing nodded. 

Yasenia got thoughtful as the image of her family flashed in her mind. ‘...What should I do?’ 

After being alone for a few decades, Yasenia had noticed how different her advancement speed had been. She was already ready to enter the Second Level of the Transcendence Realm, and even her Intent Domains were reaching high levels at speeds that were conceived as impossible. It hasn’t even been half a century since she arrived here.  

Her heart clenched slightly. ‘I want to catch up… But behind me there are my dears.’ 

During her entire life, Yasenia had felt two chains pulling her body in opposite directions. Angel, Cecile, and the others were right behind her, and she used incredible efforts to pull them together with her. However, after coming here, that chain detached, and the only one pulling her was the chain attached to Tatyana’s back. 

As a result, her strengthening pace was ridiculous. But now, for the first time since she left them, the missing chain reappeared. The reason was that this treasure was even more ridiculous compared to the Battle Formation she learned.

“Why are you hesitating?”

Sui Xing’s voice reached Yasenia, snapping her out of her thoughts. Looking at the man glancing at her in confusion, Yasenia hesitated for a second before speaking. 

“I… have a family,” Yasenia spoke softly, her aura gaining a warm and tender feeling. “They are all similar in age to me. Until now, using different methods, I’ve managed to help them keep up with my cultivation speed.” 

Sui Xing listened silently. 

“But… if I get this treasure in its individual form…” Yasenia’s final puzzle piece for her cultivation speed to break common sense was in front of her, but she couldn’t confidently reach out to get it. 

Sui Xing sighed. “Is your trust in them so shallow?” 

“Huh?” Yasenia opened her eyes, bewildered. “What do you mean? I wouldn’t even be bothered if they grabbed my naked soul with their very hands.” 

Sui Xing was startled, not because of the tone, but because of the sincerity behind Yasenia’s eyes. ‘... She is not exaggerating. She would truly not feel uncomfortable doing as she said.’ 

That alone was unthinkable. Giving someone access to their naked soul was placing their lives in their hands. Relinquishing your hold on your naked soul meant that even a mortal cultivator would be able to kill you with a single thought.

Once he heard those words, Sui Xing finally understood why the dragon woman in front of him was hesitating. ‘Such deep and pure love… It’s not that she doesn’t trust her lovers, but that she doesn’t want her family to feel inadequate as she becomes increasingly stronger. Even the thought of the idea flashing in her lover’s head is uncomfortable for her.’ 

After thinking for a moment, he asked. “How many people are part of the group you would hate to leave behind in strength?”

Yasenia pondered deeply for a moment. “...Six people.” 

While she loved her maids and children, she didn’t mind becoming stronger than them. Even if she eventually becomes much stronger than they are, her maids will be able to work by her side on different problems. Their value as trustworthy subordinates won’t go down even if they lack strength. 

Her children as well. Yasenia would protect fiercely, even if a child of hers were a cripple. So, becoming much stronger than them was not a problem. 

The problem was Tatyana, Angel, Andrea, Cecile, Evelyn, and Kali. The thought of leaving them behind was hard for Yasenia. ‘If I hadn’t been forced in the first place, I would still be roaming the world with them…’ 

“Six… That’s a relief.” 

Yasenia blinked, confused. “Huh?” 

Sui Xing smiled. “As long as it is less than 10 people, I can register them at the same rate as you and allow them to use the treasure. More than ten, it would be too difficult, and we would need extra resources.” 

Yasenia’s eyes widened for a second before doubt flashed in them. “Are you lying to get me to accept the treasure first?”

Sui Xing blinked. “Would I do something so petty?”

Yasenia deadpanned. “You changed the rules to trick me into participating.”

Sui Xing: “...”

Yasenia: “...”

Sui Xing: “Ahem… You can trust me this time around.” 

“...Alright. If you lie to me, I won’t ever forgive you.” 

Fylia, Ten Eyes Moon Qilin. Cecile's companion. (Completed)

Gorgeous like the Moon, she looks down on the world from from the Moon high above, where she belongs, serving her master forevermore.

Chapter 550. 20 Years. Out Of Time. [AotSC]

Cinderielle looked at the girl returning from the date with a surprised expression. Usually, each time she returned, Pyara would go straight to take a shower and then come down to the general dinner area. 

Today, she arrived wearing a different dress than she had left with and sat down on a sofa built for them. Moreover, the silver dress she wore was revealing and seductive, fully showing her curves. Something Pyara usually avoided. 

“Um…” Cinderielle looked Pyara up and down, her eyebrow raised. “How was it?”

Pyara blinked and looked at Cinderielle. She put on a thoughtful expression, and then she muttered. “It was… fun?”

Cinderielle’s mouth almost dropped open. ‘Oh my branches above, was Liu Shu actually right? Does this girl prefer the stronger types instead of soft ones?’ 

Honestly, given how dominant Sanguine Blazes were in relationships, Cinderielle always thought that her daughter would prefer small and cute girls or handsome and gentle men. However, the first time she actually chose someone near her age and with a strong personality, Pyara returned with a dazed face, as if her thoughts were sucked away. 

‘Whoa… I should’ve asked Liu Shu before! Or… Perhaps it is that girl, Lumina, who is good?’

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually, she approached and sat on Pyara’s flower, hugging Pyara with a smile. “I am glad it was fun, love. If you want to contact Lumina again, do it yourself… Or you can wait. After all, I’ve given Lumina a way to communicate with you already.”

“W-What?” Pyara, who was comfortably resting in Cinderielle’s arm, jumped, startled. “What do you mean by that?” 

Cinderielle laughed, mischievous. “Lumina, that girl, works under me. So she knows where you work, and can probably contact you.”

“That…” Pyara showed flusteredness, her fingers twitching while her flaming hair blazed around. “I see… I’ll take it into account…”

Cinderielle almost squealed in delight. ‘Oh my, oh my, oh my! My baby is showing shyness? Aaaah!’ Taking a deep breath, Cinderielle calmed her body down. ‘Alright, don’t be overly enthusiastic. What if meddling with their relationship makes it go wrong? Leave them alone, and just hope. Still…’

“Love.” 

Pyara blinked and looked up at her mother’s face. “Yes, Mother?”

Cinderielle smiled and kissed her cheek. “Don’t fear asking me for advice. Alright? Take it easy, and don’t feel rushed. But… Don’t let opportunities that come rarely go easily.”

Pyara got thoughtful and nodded lightly. “Alright.”

After standing up, Cinderielle spoke with a smile. “Go and shower. Dinner is almost ready. You asked to try a common dish today, right?” 

Pyara recalled something like that. “Alright. Be right back, Mother.”

After she left, Cinderielle smiled. “She is still a bit of a block of wood, but… What do you think, Little Red?”

“Little Sister Pyara was distracted. This is a first~. It’s a really good signal!”

“Great, great. Just treat her as always; we only need to give her a small push when she needs it.”  

“Alright, Mommy!” 

Liu Shu observed everything and smiled, happy that things started to look better. ‘Now… The Sylphaiths are also having trouble. But their problem is not a lack of romantic interests. There is a lack of people who don’t get scared by them. Without their soul-enthralling abilities, they can’t really hunt properly.’ 

They were a very exotic Alraune species, far from usual beauty standards. So it was difficult for them to even find someone who didn’t look bothered by them.

‘Hm… I can’t do much about this, to be honest. If anything, I would love it if they could use their skills at will. Nevertheless… People would almost certainly complain about it.’

Tempestria was not without ideas, though. Sylvia and the other Sylphaiths had friends, even if only a few of them. So, Tempestria had been keeping an eye on them and making them interact. Thankfully, there was progress.

‘Even if their exterior is a bit monstrous, they are inherently a gentle and soft species. Very shy as well. So, as long as you get to know them, you can feel their charm. Unlike with Sanguine Blazes, what Sylvia and the others need is time and patience.’ 

With her family problems more or less attended to, Liu Shu decided to become idle once again. Her senses relaxed as she communed with nature. But, before she did that, she received the communication from Skyflower. 

“Liu Shu… I’ve received news from the outside. It seems that they want to talk with you.”

“Huh?” Liu Shu was stumped. “Didn’t you say that they wouldn’t bother with a small planet like Ceperet?”

Skyflower’s answer was full of apologetic feelings. “I did… But I miscalculated how much they value you defeating the Abyssal Void Nexus. While I have not shared every achievement of yours with them, what I’ve shared seems to be enough to make them feel curious.” 

Liu Shu felt troubled. “That… How long will they take to arrive?”

Skyflower answered calmly. “Not much… Around 20 years? Space travel is quite fast nowadays.” 

“...I see.” Liu Shu hummed, her tense roots softening. ‘Twenty years… I think I can take over and reach Level 100 during this time.’

Liu Shu remembered that the time she had utilized to enter the <Fourth Energy Cycle> was not longer than a few years. ‘At most, I’ll need 10 years to enter Level 100, right?’

As she thought, the same sense of rush started to take over her tranquil heart. ‘Again… time limits.’ 

If she didn’t want to lose her agency completely, she needed to show enough strength to discuss and negotiate with those who were coming. Otherwise, a discussion of equals couldn’t be carried out if one side was overwhelmingly stronger than the other.

Taking that into account, Liu Shu’s naturally flowing energy accelerated. “Sigh… Time to work again.” Her lips arched slightly, showing reluctance. “I guess that having a few years of peace is a luxury.” 

The eyes of the World Tree opened, and her energy surged around her. Then, her profound presence pulsed and descended, spreading outward and giving energy to all her roots. Closing her eyes, Liu Shu muttered. ‘At this pace, if I stop berry production, I will take over the entire world in four years.’

The problem was not the world, but the few World Trees that still stood outside of her influence. “I guess I can’t postpone dealing with them anymore…” Liu Shu sighed bitterly. 

Then, she approached the domains she kept a distance from. The first territory she approached was the place where she lost her calm. “Hello… Again. I’ve returned to ask you once more, will you come under my domain?” 

A blunt question that left not a single trace of confusion as to how it should be answered. 

Azure Rose heard Liu Shu’s approach and was surprised. “Liu Shu? I thought you were going to take more time.”

This time, Liu Shu was going to place her gentleness aside. Therefore, her tone sounded cold and curt. “I have 20 years before a delegation from the Verdant Sanctity Covenant arrives. There is not enough time.” 

Azure Rose instantly noticed the change in mood compared to a few years ago. ‘Back then, Liu Shu felt nervous and approached carefully. Now, I can feel it; there is no more hesitation in her voice.’

She didn’t care much. To begin with, Azure Rose was a World Tree with standard views. The fact that Liu Shu was even giving them a chance was something that Azure Rose marked as generous. 

So, when the other side answered, Azure Rose knew that things wouldn’t go the same as before.

“As I said before. Scram. If you want to lose your temper again, do it. But I won’t give away my domain.”

Azure Rose tensed, expecting Liu Shu’s anger. However, what she received was not an angered tone but a calm answer.

“Alright, I understand.” 

Both Azure Rose and the World Tree glanced at Liu Shu, confused. Then, as both of them pondered what those three words meant, Liu Shu’s roots moved forward and entered the World Tree’s domain.

“Since that’s the case. Please die and stop hindering me from securing the future of my family.” 

Liu Shu’s roots moved, and the world rumbled.

“Y-You!” The <Third Energy Cycle> World Tree was surprised when the piercing pain of her own roots being destroyed hit her mind. “What are you doing? Stop this!”

Liu Shu’s voice spread out, reaching the World Tree City. “People of this city. I am Tianlian Liu Shu. Your World Tree has refused once more to give up this terrain. So, I am here with both warning and advice. My advice is to evacuate the city within a week. I will give you all the time you need to move out with your belongings. Don’t worry, I don’t plan on killing innocents.”

Everyone in the World Tree city was stunned, and some began shouting. “What is she speaking about!?” 

“Even if she is the Heavenly Willow, does she think that she owns the world? Her strength doesn’t give her the right to take over our World Tree’s domain!”   

Liu Shu ignored the shouts and continued speaking. “My warning is as such: Once I destroy the World Tree, I won’t be able to control in which direction she collapses. If you are involved in the aftermath, you might lose your life. Therefore, please leave far enough not to be squashed when a 1,120-meter-tall World Tree falls on you.”

Hearing Liu Shu, everyone was stunned, even the World Tree. Naturally, the World Tree wouldn’t just accept her outcome. While World Trees didn’t desperately fight for their lives, that didn’t mean that they would stay still and accept death. 

“Don’t listen to the Heavenly Willow. If she dares to destroy me with you inside, everyone on the continent will condemn her. Unlike when she dealt with the Abyssal Void Nexus, we have done nothing wrong. You, my citizens, and I only want to survive. What is wrong with wanting to survive? Stand your ground, and the Heavenly Willow will only attack until she reaches the outskirts of the city.”

Liu Shu heard the World Tree’s words and sighed inwardly. She spoke to the people, answering them. “That’s why I am saying that you should surrender to me. I am not intending to bury or kill anyone. However, I don’t have time. In 20 years, people over Level 100 will arrive. Without a True World Tree, we are nothing but worms they can squish with their roots. I must become the True World Tree for us to survive.” 

“Lies!” The World Tree shouted, angered. “There is no way for a World Tree to assimilate others. At most, you will swallow my existence and make me a puppet of some sort. That’s not living, that’s not surviving. You are nothing but a parasitic World Tree that spreads fake harmony!”

Liu Shu had nothing else to say. Her roots dug brutally through the World Tree’s root net, taking over its terrain with ruthless efficiency. Not to mention a week, Liu Shu covered the distance the World Tree governed in less than a day.

“I am at the edge of your domain.” Her roots burst out from the ground, reaching for the sky. As those living within the World Tree City looked outside, they saw dozens of giant roots rising up to the sky, even taller than their own World Tree.

“These are my roots. I’ve raised them to mark the perimeter where you will not be affected at all by the World Tree’s death. You now have six days to evacuate.” 

Chapter 1338. Yasenia's Determination.

When Draco appeared, the sky fell under his control. Being a Dragon that formed from a constellation, he was an overlord of the sky and stars who could manifest Yasenia’s constellations at will. 

Astarea manipulated her energy right as Draco manifested, and thousands of pillars and lances shot to the sky, trying to bring him down. Draco looked down, the spiraling galaxies within his eyes absorbing the world around him. 

Energy pulsed as the countless stars that made up his body moved and reorganized into [Orion] constellations. In less than an instant, shields covered all of Astarea’s attacks, leaving Draco and Yasenia unscathed. 

Astarea’s jaw tightened. ‘This Dragon… Can it use all of the constellations at will?’ 

As if answering her, Draco moved his energy, and the constellations shifted all around her body. This time, countless [Pegasus] constellations formed under his control.

Astarea was confused. ‘Isn’t this the acceleration skill? Why is it forming so many of them?’ 

The answer came a second later. 

Around Draco, hundreds of Pegasus made out of pure starlight manifested. Then, the white-winged horses neighed and stomped the ground at the same time. The Divine’s eyes widened as countless winged beings charged at her, carrying enough momentum to make her feel a threat of death.

“Ridiculous creature!”

She utilized the mirrors and defensive skills to their maximum efficiency, placing her shield in front of her body. Then, the [Pegasus] constellations collided.

BOOM!!

Astarea’s body was flung back, her body covered in blood, while her wings looked broken. ‘Tsk! Too strong! I can’t lower my guard now.’ Astarea looked around her to avoid Yasenia’s sneak attack. ‘Huh? She is not around? This is quite a perfect chance to attack even if I know it is coming.’ 

With her perception, Astarea was quick to locate Yasenia. ‘She is not moving from her standing position… No. It’s not that she is not moving, but that she can’t move. Draco is a skill that requires her entire body to cast.’

Even if she discovered that, the giant Primordial Dragon was surrounding Yasenia’s location with his serpentine body while looking at her. ‘If I want to damage Yasenia, I need to get through that Dragon. But that seems impossible.’

A wry smile appeared on her lips. ‘It seems that I failed my bet.’ 

Floating at a distance, she looked at Yasenia and sighed. “Child, good luck. I surrender.’ 

Yasenia’s eyes widened with bewilderment. “Huh? What do you mean?” 

Astarea shook her head. “I can’t deal with that thing you’ve summoned. It is too strong.” 

She noticed that Draco was not only a summon but also something similar to a lingering consciousness. When it manifested, the colossal dragon used the manifested starry sky to summon its own Intent Domain. Such a thing was unthinkable, but Astarea could feel the mysterious power of the stars enveloping the entire place. 

“Good luck.”

Then, she took a step back and disappeared. 

Yasenia looked as Astarea disappeared and clenched her fist. “...” Her heart was beating uncomfortably, as if she had punched cotton after getting angered. There was this sensation at the back of her throat that made her want to drag Astarea down again and continue fighting. 

After trembling in place for a while, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Relax your nerves. You are too agitated, Yasenia.’ While muttering to herself, her mood quickly calmed down. ‘After being attacked in your stomach, you have lost your calmness. You can’t be like this.’ 

Looking up, she noticed Draco looking at her and lowering his head, as if trying to console her. A chuckle escaped her mouth, and she extended her hand to pat the giant dragon’s snout. “Thank you, Draco. I am better now. Scatter, and I’ll call you when I need you.”

Grr~.

A low rumbling sound escaped Draco as it closed its eyes and dispersed like morning mist. The second she undid the summoning, Yasenia’s body softened as exhaustion washed over her mind and body. Her meridians were slightly swollen, and her Dantian was working overtime to create and manage energy. “That was exhausting.”

She had not really practiced summoning Draco after reaching the Sixth Realm. Not to mention, she had met with failure a few times before. This time, she knew that her understanding and strength had increased a great deal. After all, she learned the Celestial Intent Domain and received many other benefits. 

So, when anger clouded her mind for a second, she found herself starting Draco’s summoning steps. ‘At that moment, I felt within me that I could do it.’ 

Looking down, Yasenia noticed that the endless ocean below her had disappeared. So, she landed back down on the pristine white ground and sat cross-legged. “Let’s meditate. I must calm down and think about how to deal with Ao Jiuyao.”

Astarea and her fight were the semi-finals of the eight-person tournament. Therefore, the next fight would be the final one. While she recovered from the injuries and energy consumption, she heard the voice of the bead realm. 

“The finals will begin in 12 hours.” 

‘So little time to recover.’ Yasenia frowned. ‘Natural recovery won’t cut it if I want to reach my peak state.’ 

The advantage was that the final opponent was most likely the Dragon she encountered. But that didn’t mean that there were no drawbacks. ‘That person is the strongest cultivator I’ve met within the Secret Realm.’

As a dragon, his strength in the same realm was far above that of others. Not to mention, this male dragon was quite an old existence. ‘His experience is dangerous. He will probably be able to fight even more proficiently than Astarea.’ 

If it were a battle without external items, Yasenia knew that she would need to use Soluna and Dramel. ‘While I am stronger because I practice four cultivation paths, I am just too young and lack experience compared to these old monsters.’

She was barely 130 years old. The people she was fighting with were two orders of magnitude older. ‘I guess, as I advance quicker and quicker, I will meet increasingly more ridiculous old monsters.’  

Opening her eyes, Yasenia looked up with a lost expression. “There will be a time when talent won’t help me. That’s why I need this bead. Fighting my copies daily will help increase my strength at a rate inconceivable without it…” With determination, Yasenia nodded. “I’ve decided. I am sorry for Ao Jiuyao, since, like me, he was probably expecting a good fight. But I just can’t risk it.”

Twelve hours passed quickly, and after the countdown, Yasenia appeared in a new arena. The terrain didn’t change at all. An infinite flat, white floor and dark surroundings. Looking at her enemy, Yasenia saw who she expected.

A tall, handsome man with wine-red-colored eyes and a faint smile. “I didn’t expect you to defeat that girl, Astarea.”

Yasenia looked at the dragon and sighed once. “Sorry. Surrender, please.”

“Hm?” Ao Jiuyao showed an honestly confused expression. “Don’t you want to fight? I could feel your fighting spirit before we entered the tournament.”

Yasenia nodded. “I want to, but…” Yasenia reached between her breasts and took out one of the two talismans she hid there. “I must win.”

Ao Jiuyao’s expression changed, and a frown appeared between his eyebrows. “Are you really going to use that?”

“If you don’t surrender, I will.” 

The talisman in Yasenia’s hand was bending space itself. It was as if the laws of the world were twisting around it and falling under its dominion. 

From the stands, the people looking at the talisman showed a confused expression. They could see the strangeness of the talisman, but the aura was not transmitted through the projection they were looking at.

“Lord Ao is showing a wary look. That thing is clearly something exceptional.”

“Is it perhaps a life-saving treasure of the middle or upper Transcendence Realm?”

“I think it is something stronger. Lord Ao wouldn’t be so cornered otherwise. Even if his strength is limited to the first level, he is not someone who would retreat in front of something like that.” 

Astarea at the side looked at the talisman with a puzzled expression. She approached Lataria and asked, curious. “What is that? You didn’t tell me about it.”

Lataria looked at Astarea with a complicated expression. Others might not have noticed, but Lataria could see the strangeness in their fight. Astarea, who usually aimed for weak points during fights, was clearly targeting Yasenia’s stomach constantly. 

‘Is Yasenia…’ 

Her mind could connect the dots rather quickly. After all, Yasenia’s beauty and the fact that she already had a mate made it quite possible. Who would not, having a partner like Yasenia, try their best to have a child with her? Moreover, she was over 5,000 years old. Even if she had not eaten pork, she had seen them run around. 

‘Did Grandma really target a pregnant woman’s stomach just to win?’

“Lataria?”

Lataria snapped out of her thoughts and smiled slightly. “That’s a defensive talisman. Granduncle Ao said that it was really powerful when she showed it before. So, if Yasenia has decided to use that, the battle is already over.” 

Astarea frowned deeply. “... That’s a problem. If Jiuyao got the bead, at least we could’ve discussed it with him. Conversely, that young dragon seems quite attached to it.” 

Lataria smiled awkwardly. “Yeah.”

Astarea muttered. “Well, it is not a treasure that she can hold with her strength. Once outside, she will have to give it up or face severe consequences.” 

“That… Isn’t that a bit unfair? She is just…”

“Lataria.” Astarea cut her off, her tone cold. “The world doesn’t work on pity and understanding, but on strength. She is weak, so she should know her place and vie only for treasures of her caliber. This time, she is trying to swallow something that even made your Granduncle Ao Jiuyao step forward.” 

Lataria didn’t speak and sighed. “I understand. Sorry for being momentarily muddled, Nainai.” 

Astarea smiled and patted Lataria’s head. “Good.”

Meanwhile, inside the arena, Jiuyao was trying to convince Yasenia. “Girl, you know that reward and danger come side-by-side. This is a treasure you’ve stolen from almost all factions interested in the Secret Realm.” He patiently explained. “That treasure is part of a series of inheritances of this Secret Realm. So, I recommend giving it to me. I’ll make sure to tell the elders about your contribution and compensate you accordingly. Nevertheless, you can’t get that treasure.” 

Yasenia understood that. “I know, but as you said, reward and danger come hand in hand. If I overcome it this time, won’t I reap bountiful rewards?”

Ao Jiuyao sighed and shook his head. “No. You won’t. That treasure is something our factions would go to war with one another to obtain. Do you understand? If you get out with that treasure, you will be hunted down and given no rest. You will need to live in hiding, even if you miraculously manage to escape.”  

Yasenia looked at him and glanced down at the talisman in her hand. ‘... Do you think I don’t understand that?’ Yasenia thought to herself. ‘But… If it isn’t with this treasure, I won’t be able to cross the distance fast enough. As fast as I am improving, Mom is taking similar steps. It’s not like Mom will stay in place and wait for me.’ 

This was one of those treasures that deserved fighting for. A treasure that deserved placing her life on the line for. “Sorry, Lord Ao. Surrender.” 

Ao Jiuyao looked at Yasenia with a complicated expression before sighing, resigned. “As you wish. Sorry, child, I don’t think I can support you as I told you before. I surrender.”

The voice of the bead realm spread to the remaining people. “You’ve lost the right to inherit the [Star Breaker Realm Bead]. You will be thrown out of the trial.”

Everyone but Yasenia disappeared, leaving her alone. Yasenia looked forward with a determined gaze. “Let’s get it, then.” 

What do you think?

I was thinking of creating a private discord/twitch private stream room where I stream my process of creating the AotSC book. Probably, it would be a Star and Celestial benefit.

I don't know if any of you would like to participate in such a thing or not. Or if you prefer to just wait for the release. It can work as an extra benefit for you dears as well. Although... the timezone can be a big problem, so I would need to check if that's even possible...

In short, I am a hesitant (especially so because my spoken English is not as proficient as my written one). Would you like to be part of something like that? I don't know how to stream and such, but I can learn, I guess.