Winter gave way to spring, summer faded into autumn!
The flora around Jade Cliff turned from yellow to green, marking four swift cycles of seasons.
In the underground cave:
“Calculating by age, I’m now twenty-eight years old…”
Fang Xi gradually concluded his cultivation session, the verdant aura shimmering on his body slowly subsiding.
Remarkably, his cultivation base had reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement!
With the aid of the first-tier spiritual vein within his cultivation chamber, Fang Xi’s progress with the Everlasting Spring Art accelerated significantly, reaching its peak at the fifth level within just a few years.
He then attempted to break through the bottleneck, surprisingly succeeding without much difficulty.
“However, this is merely a minor breakthrough in the Mid Qi Refinement stage, not particularly noteworthy… The real challenge lies ahead, transitioning from the sixth to the seventh level, which is the greatest bottleneck in the Qi Refinement stage.”
Fang Xi’s expression grew solemn.Many Qi Refinement cultivators spend their entire lives unable to overcome this barrier and advance to the Late Stage Qi Refinement!
Especially those like him, with inferior spiritual root aptitudes!
In the Wan Island Lake region, cultivators who reach the Late Stage Qi Refinement can comfortably assume the position of Island Lord on smaller islands, such as Ruan Xingling!
“Fortunately, time is on my side; I’ll take it slow… Who knows, with persistence, maybe I’ll even cultivate a spiritual body along the way!”
Fang Xi stood up, maintaining a positive mindset.
Dressed in his azure robes, it seemed as if the four passing years had left no trace on him; instead, he appeared even more youthful.
Standing quietly, Fang Xi resembled a graceful orchid amidst jade trees, exuding tranquility and serenity…
“Wood-type techniques inherently have age-defying effects, coupled with my cultivation focus, allowing me to maintain this facade…”
Fang Xi glanced behind at the Demon Tree, now towering over six feet tall. Dark pneumatophores and vines hung from its canopy, which shimmered emerald green… already exhibiting some characteristics of the Ancestral Demon Tree.
“I didn’t expect such pleasant surprises along the way.”
Underneath the tree, Fang Xi commanded a vine to retrieve a dusty seed from within the canopy.
It was a Demon Tree Seed!
He inspected it briefly, then grabbed an ordinary wild rabbit from a nearby cage and placed the seed onto the rabbit’s body.
In the next moment!
The seed erupted with countless tendrils, penetrating deep into the rabbit’s flesh, even devouring its marrow, eliciting agonized cries from the creature…
Shortly after, the tree seed completely replaced the rabbit’s skeleton, causing it to eerily stand upright. Following Fang Xi’s mental command, the transformed rabbit performed various movements…
“The puppetry technique I’ve been seeking was actually right beside me all along…”
Demon Trees inherently possess the ability to control puppets and servants.
This parasitic method using tree seeds was gradually developed by Fang Xi over time.
As he could control the Demon Tree, it allowed him to indirectly manipulate its puppets, creating a unique ‘Wood Puppet Technique’!
“However… the seeds for these puppets are inherently one tier lower than the mother tree.”
Fang Xi took out another seed and sensed that compared to his own tier-2 Demon Tree, this seed was distinctly of a lesser grade - at most tier-1!
“The tree seeds I obtained were likely one level inferior to the Ancestral Demon Tree… but after bringing them to the cultivation world, they absorbed vast amounts of spiritual energy, leading to further mutations and breakthroughs?”
Fang Xi stroked his chin, becoming increasingly curious about the Ancestral Demon Tree.
At the same time, he felt relieved.
He no longer had to worry that if these seeds fell into others’ hands, identical Demon Trees would be cultivated just like his.
After all, they were all weakened versions of the original seed.
“Someday, my Demon Tree may very well devour the Ancestral Demon Tree!” Fang Xi harbored this ambitious aspiration within himself.
His Demon Tree being a weaker variant of the Ancestral Demon Tree, even with enhanced spiritual energy, might not achieve the Everlasting Verdant Physique! To truly attain immortality someday, he would inevitably have to confront the Ancestral Demon Tree!
After feeding Beefwood meat to his Demon Tree, Fang Xi proceeded to inspect each of his spirit beasts.
The large blue fish remained as lethargic as ever, showing little change even after several years.
In contrast, within the specially designated insect chamber, amidst the numerous black-striped golden beetles, occasional flecks of green had begun to appear.
Fang Xi’s face brightened at this sight. With a hand gesture forming a cultivation technique, he collected those few blue and white tortoise beetles for separate nurturing later.
Without scaling up these insect-type mythical beasts, their overall power would remain limited.
Currently, cultivating them was primarily for practice with the Beast Control Art, but they could also serve as an overt trump card.
Indeed, even the public persona of Fang Xi needed some hidden strengths!
“I can’t leave the vicinity of the Demon Tree; even going to Mirror Moon Lake is troublesome…”
“Having declined several invitations from the Island Lord over these years, I fear Ruan Xingling might be growing impatient…”
“There are also small items occasionally needed for unexpected purposes, which require someone to procure them.”
“I certainly can’t just bring a corpse here first and turn it into a wooden puppet, right?”
Fang Xi walked between the crop rows, occasionally unscrewing the cap of his waist-hung gourd to sip on spirit wine.
After living here for several years, he had become intimately familiar with every plant and tree at Jade Cliff.
In fact…
He had gained control over them!
With a step, one of the Demon Tree’s roots emerged briefly before swiftly retracting back underground.
“The roots of this Demon Tree grow remarkably fast. Before long, they’ll likely spread throughout the entire Jade Cliff, won’t they?”
Approaching the cliff edge, he gazed at the rippling lake surface, pondering silently. “Perhaps…I should grant it some more autonomy, like allowing its tendrils to reach into the lake daily for fishing?”
The more blood sustenance the Demon Tree received, the richer the life essence it would reciprocate. Currently, it only replenished half a day’s worth of longevity each day.
Fang Xi had been consciously restraining the Demon Tree’s craving for flesh, preventing it from transforming the entirety of Peach Blossom Island into a Demonic Domain. This restraint itself was a form of cultivation!
Later that afternoon, Fang Xi was brewing tea and leisurely savoring it.
In his courtyard, over a dozen peach trees had been planted, all gifts from Ruan Xingling. These were reportedly offshoots from a tier-2 spirit peach tree, barely qualifying as spirit plants themselves.
Using his expertise as a spirit planter, Fang Xi successfully transplanted and nurtured all these peach trees to life, much to Ruan Xingling’s surprise.
“Now that these spirit plants have adapted to the local conditions, we should be able to enjoy peaches next year…” He leaned against one of the trees, letting delicate peach blossoms gently fall on his shoulders. “Hmm… with these peach flowers, I can brew peach blossom wine… The ‘God of Wine Manual’ has a perfect recipe to enhance their floral aroma…”
The warm afternoon sun, ideal for a springtime nap, lulled Fang Xi into drowsiness. Just as he yawned, ready to catch some sleep, the Restriction Command Token began flashing light!
“Who’s this uninvited guest again?”
Fang Xi channeled magical energy into the token, activating the formation, and saw a figure approaching - wearing a jade crown, clad in splendid robes, exuding an extraordinary presence. This individual floated gracefully on a white feather magical artifact.
“So it’s him!” Fang Xi murmured to himself.
It was none other than Feng Manlou!
Having accepted his fate, this individual married and started a family on Peach Blossom Island, diligently working to mend relations with the three rogue cultivator clans, achieving considerable success.
Even Fang Xi, aiming to maintain open channels of communication, gradually warmed up to Feng Manlou. Over time, they became friends through their interactions.
In contrast, Mo Qingyu showed no restraint even after the death of the Mo Clan’s patriarch. A few years ago, Ruan Xingling exiled him from the island, and since then, his whereabouts remained unknown…
As Feng Manlou descended from his magical artifact, he noticed Fang Xi’s relaxed demeanor, appearing carefree and idle, which couldn’t help but evoke some envy. “Fang Xiong, I truly admire your lifestyle - tending fields, raising fish, unconcerned with outside affairs… it must feel like living as a celestial being… Hmm? Did you break through?”
Sensing that Fang Xi had reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement, Feng Manlou felt even more astonished. This cultivation base now matched his own, despite Late Stage Qi Refinement being a significant hurdle for any descendant of a Qi Refining clan.
Feng Manlou had already achieved the sixth level long before, yet he found himself stuck at a bottleneck while Fang Xi managed to catch up.
“It took me a full five years just to advance one level,” Fang Xi sighed, shaking his head in apparent disappointment with his aptitude.
Feng Manlou empathized and sighed similarly, “I’ve heard that within Foundation Establishment sects and aristocratic families, one must break through to Late Stage Qi Refinement before reaching thirty years old to be considered hopeful for Foundation Establishment… In our Qi Refining clans, even breaking through by forty is enough to garner significant attention and cultivation support. Don’t lose heart, Fang Xiong, there’s still hope…”
“I’ve just advanced, and accumulating magical energy takes time. Besides, there’s still a major bottleneck ahead.” Fang Xi smiled bitterly.
During his last visit to the Treasure Ship Market, he had been unable to find any medicinal pills specifically aiding breakthroughs to Late Stage Qi Refinement.
Such pills were not only precious but also incredibly rare. Whenever they appeared, they were snatched up immediately.
One could only hope to encounter them by patiently waiting at auctions. Otherwise, cultivators aiming to overcome bottlenecks relied either on gradual progress over time or sudden enlightenment during intense battles.
“Fang Xiong, your unwavering dedication to cultivation, staying secluded for five whole years, culminating in this advancement to the sixth level of Qi Refinement, truly commands my utmost admiration,” Feng Manlou said solemnly, bowing respectfully. Then, with a change in demeanor, he grinned, “May I request a cup of spirit wine to share in your joy?”
“Ha ha, always eyeing my best treasures!”
Smiling, Fang Xi fetched a bottle of Crimson Blood Wine and tossed it to Feng Manlou. “Last year was blessed with favorable weather, making this batch of wine truly exceptional, almost as if divinely enhanced.”
“Many thanks.”
Feng Manlou uncorked the bottle, sniffed its aroma, but instead of drinking it, he quickly tucked it into his robes.
As a married man with children, although his offspring were too young to test for spiritual roots yet, this spirit wine could enhance their blood qi. By having them consume it, their bodies would become robust and resistant to illnesses - which was highly beneficial.
Feng Manlou’s recent diligent efforts assisting Ruan Xingling stemmed from his desire to secure fruits from that tier-2 Spirit Peach Tree.
‘Ah… once a carefree youth, now transformed into a doting dad…’ Fang Xi couldn’t help but feel nostalgic witnessing this scene.
He continued sipping his spirit tea quietly. After some time, Feng Manlou, undeterred, shamelessly asked for more spirit tea.
Rolling his eyes, Fang Xi still poured another cup for Feng Manlou. “You never visit without a reason. Has something happened on the island lately?”
“Haha, you finally ask!” Feng Manlou tilted his head back, draining the spirit tea before continuing, “This year’s Spirit Evaluation Congress promises to be exceptionally lively… Of course, you’ve always preferred quietude, but this time is different. It brings both joy and surprise for the Island Lord!”
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