Chapter 202 - Arc 13: Wild Beast Plains | Chapter 202: Recovery

Translator: Lynn

In an instant, Xu Ziqing’s body was suspended in the air, carried on Yun Lie’s arm. He hastily placed his hands on Yun Lie’s shoulders, feeling a mix of embarra.s.sment and vulnerability.

Being carried like a child left him feeling uncertain and out of sorts. Xu Ziqing was at a loss, and so he was transported into the cave by his senior brother in this rather undignified manner. He felt a chill as he landed on a stone couch.

The abrupt coldness brought Xu Ziqing back to his senses, and he took a deep breath before expressing his grat.i.tude, “…Thank you, Shixiong.”

Although he was feeling a bit uncomfortable in the current situation, he couldn’t help but radiate enthusiasm when he recalled the closeness he shared with his senior brother in the past. It was hard to suppress his smile.

Yun Lie, on the other hand, had no ulterior motives, and he was oblivious to Xu Ziqing’s thoughts. He placed Xu Ziqing on the stone couch and a.s.sisted him in sitting cross-legged, enabling him to meditate and practice.

This gesture of being fussed over by Yun Lie made Xu Ziqing feel much more at ease. However, the thought of his senior brother swallowing the divine tree seeds kept coming back to him, and he couldn’t help but inquire, “Shixiong, are you sure everything’s fine?”

Yun Lie a.s.sured him, “Everything is fine,” and then sat down cross-legged, facing Xu Ziqing.

Xu Ziqing gazed at Yun Lie intently.

Yun Lie extended his palm and struck the giant tree within the cave.

At the sight of the energy in his palm, Xu Ziqing’s heart skipped a beat. The palm strike contained remarkably potent First Wood Qi, even more intense than the power within the Sacred Seed, giving off a burning sensation.

Yet, when the palm landed on the giant tree, the tree shook violently. However, it quickly absorbed the force, as if it had been instantly invigorated. The tree’s wood energy surged, and its branches and leaves flourished. Greenery rapidly spread to cover most of the cave and extended to the nearby stone walls, enhancing the cave’s cool and tranquil ambiance.

Xu Ziqing pondered for a moment and inquired, “Brother, did you just release the wood energy from the divine tree seeds?”

Yun Lie nodded slightly, explaining, “Conquering the First Wood Qi with the Golden Metal Qi is not a serious issue for me, and it also doesn’t harm me.”

Understanding that Yun Lie had tried the seed on his behalf, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but feel grateful for his senior brother. He seemed moved, and there was a hint of moisture in his eyes, which he quickly blinked away. Then, he retrieved another Sacred seed and said with a smile, “My meridians and internal organs are damaged. Absorbing the First Wood Qi should be beneficial. I’ll consume one now. Please protect me, Shixiong.”

Yun Lie nodded in agreement, “You focus on healing.”

With a smile, Xu Ziqing placed the Sacred seed in his mouth and closed his eyes.

The divine tree seed wasn’t a tough, hard-to-chew object. With a single bite, its skin was pierced, and sweet nectar flowed into his mouth, then smoothly down his throat. This liquid carried a burst of vitality, which quickly permeated his body, creating an immensely comfortable and invigorating sensation.

In a mere instant, his damaged meridians began to mend rapidly. Xu Ziqing could almost “see” the threads of wood energy swiftly weaving a web throughout his veins, bridging the gaps. Within his five viscera, countless threads of green essence resembling silken threads flowed, infiltrating them and invigorating his vitality. Various muscular wounds healed rapidly under the nourishing influence of this essence.

Soon, that vital energy was nearly spent, but within a few short breaths, Xu Ziqing’s injuries had healed by a remarkable 30 to 40 percent.

After savoring the final trace of First Wood Qi, he opened his eyes, and a faint blue light shimmered briefly before fading away.

Without any hesitation, Xu Ziqing retrieved two more Sacred seeds from his storage ring.

He had noticed that after biting into the divine tree seed, the nectar inside flowed into his body like clean water revitalizing parched soil, leaving nothing wasted. Although this nectar lacked the Yin of Ethereal Wood’s essence, it possessed a serene nature, unlikely to cause any trouble. Therefore, to expedite his recovery, Xu Ziqing aimed to consume more seeds at once.

As expected, the two divine wood seeds entered his mouth, and the clear flow down his throat grew stronger and more intense. The wood energy within his body surged like a river, continuously washing through him, wave after wave, echoing endlessly.

Xu Ziqing’s inner world was almost entirely immersed in this potent vitality. It felt as though his whole body was soaking in a hot spring, with every acupuncture point and pore emitting a pleasant warmth. Savoring this experience, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes, revealing a somewhat lazy expression.

The “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique” in his dantian continued to revolve, absorbing the power of the First Wood with each rotation. The true essence, tempered by the essence of Ethereal Wood, began to fluctuate gradually.

This was the attraction of yin and yang.

When First Wood Qi first entered his body, it primarily served to nourish and heal. Once the injuries were almost healed, any excess energy could be used to enhance his cultivation.

This time, Xu Ziqing didn’t open his eyes. He raised his hand and retrieved three more Sacred seeds, bit them open, and swallowed them all.

The surging force of yang wood filled his abdomen, turning a stream into a river, surging through his meridians.

The meridians, previously greatly damaged due to the intense pressure from Ruyi Xianzhuang, were now beneficial. Xu Ziqing took advantage of this and, while circulating the power of First Wood, slightly widened the meridians to heal their wounds. As a result, his meridians could now hold more true energy than before. When the power of First Wood coursed through them, its momentum became even greater.

Recalling his senior brother’s guidance, Xu Ziqing acted decisively. Leveraging the fact that his dantian hadn’t completely healed, he harnessed all the power of Yang in the First Wood and delivered a powerful strike!

The true energy in his dantian inherited the power of yang wood, instantly blending with the power of yin wood. This union of yin and yang caused the two types of wood energy to blend into a more vigorous force.

This enhanced power gave his true essence a deeper and more profound meaning, as though it had been incomplete before, and now, a missing piece had been added, completing the whole.

Xu Ziqing didn’t have time to ponder this but felt that he had gained a deeper understanding of the way of wood while meditating.

In the world, there were five elemental auras, each with its own unique color, entering the human body.

Green represented wood Qi. In places with abundant Second Wood, this Qi was plentiful.

Once First Wood and Ethereal Wood combined, they became Primordial Wood Qi.

Primordial Wood Qi’s purity depended on the quality of the vegetation, and the world’s wood essence, whether of the first or second order, was the purest form.

Xu Ziqing, born with the body of a Single Wood attribute and having absorbed the essence of Ethereal Wood, possessed a particularly potent bloodthirsty demon vine, among the Yin woods, which was extremely powerful. Therefore, he was especially adept at the Wood element compared to others.

However, he was still a man, and after releasing the First Yang, his Yang Qi was in decline. If this continues, it might be detrimental. Fortunately, he now had the Sacred seeds. While they weren’t as potent as the essence of pure First Wood and couldn’t match the essence of Ethereal Wood, they still provided valuable Yang energy, neutralizing the imbalance.

The “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique” accelerated its operation, continually merging the power of Yang wood with the power of Yin wood, tempering the true essence and improving its quality.

He consumed a total of ninety-nine and eighty-one Sacred seeds continuously over three days and three nights. Only then did he manage to completely restore his true essence, resulting in a purer body.

When Xu Ziqing finally opened his eyes, his cultivation reached the peak of the early Golden Core Formation stage. His realm was not only highly stable, but all his severe injuries had fully healed. He exhaled a breath of stagnant air, feeling revitalized and elated.

Simultaneously, Yun Lie also opened his eyes. He sensed that Xu Ziqing’s aura was now more tranquil than before, with a newfound sense of harmony with the world. When standing on the ground, he exuded an extraordinarily grounded presence.

It appeared that Xu Ziqing had grasped the essence of trees deeply rooted in the earth for eons.

Furthermore, the previous air of frailty due to his severe injuries had vanished entirely. His body was now br.i.m.m.i.n.g with vitality, almost overflowing.

After a brief spiritual sense exchange, Xu Ziqing understood, and his eyes softened.

Xu Ziqing smiled gently. “Shixiong, thank you for being here.”

Yun Lie nodded in agreement. “You’ve made a remarkable recovery; that’s excellent.”

A faint smile played on Xu Ziqing’s lips. “It’s also thanks to the divine tree seeds you provided, Shixiong. They were incredibly effective.”

For a while, the two exchanged a few words in a harmonious atmosphere.

But then, Yun Lie added, “I’ll be leaving the mountain in a few days, and I need to discuss something with you.”

Xu Ziqing was taken aback. “Where are you going, Shixiong?”

Yun Lie replied, “The Wild Beast Plain.”

Translator’s Notes:

I think I will have a new schedule; the small break to organize the glossary isn’t that efficient to implement since I was busy with midterms and other things in real life. And not having a schedule messes up my consistency.

While I will try my best to bring you an enjoyable read, please take note that what I do is editing MTLs, not every part of it is perfect.

I will set a new schedule from Mon to Fri, with weekends to organize the glossary. I’ll inform you guys when the glossary is ready to be published!

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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