Chapter 138: Hasting the Treasure Tree to Ripen

Lu Zhigui and his two companions had been stationed here searching for half a month, yet not a trace of Chen Mu could be found. The trio’s expressions were grim; it was certain the insignificant ant had long since fled this place. After venting their frustration with a barrage of indiscriminate bombardment, the three friends of Ghost Mountain finally departed in desolation.

During these two weeks, Chen Mu had been immersed in cultivation. He opened the storage ring taken from the disciple of the Nu Tao Sect before entering the Cave Abode of the Dust Daoist. Though there were no precious heavenly materials or earthly treasures, the stash contained far more spirit stones than he had imagined—around ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones in total.

For Chen Mu, who was essentially penniless, this modest haul was a cause for quiet satisfaction. Every spirit stone spent meant one less in hand, and without a steady income, he could only acquire more by raiding.

Initially, Chen Mu planned to use some of the spirit stones to cultivate and attempt to break through to the Nascent Core Realm. After all, with guidance from Xue Tian, he had reinterpreted and corrected his previous errors in cultivating the Ancient Sun Sutra, finally returning to the right path.

However, his plan to break through to the Nascent Core Realm was halted by Rou’er, who advised, “Mu, didn’t you obtain that Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree? You should first awaken the potential of your Sun Bloodline power inherited from your ancient clan. Doing so will make breaking through to the Nascent Core Realm far more effective, and the Nascent Core you form will be of higher quality.”

Chen Mu listened, somewhat puzzled. The quality of the Nascent Core? He recalled hearing of this on the Yuan Yao Continent, where Nascent Cores were ranked in three grades: White Core, Blue Core, and Gold Core.

Most cultivators on Yuan Yao Continent formed White Cores; only a few elites could form Blue Cores, while the Gold Core was considered legendary.

He asked vaguely, “Are you saying you want me to form the highest grade Gold Core among the three?”

Rou’er interjected, “What nonsense! There are actually five grades of Nascent Core in the Immortal Domain: White Core, Blue Core, Gold Core, Purple Gold Core, and Nine-colored Core. With your aptitude, you can definitely form a Gold Core, but that’s quite common here in the Immortal Domain. To go further, I hope you aim for the Purple Gold Core. Your cultivation has been rushed and although your strength is passable, your foundation isn’t as solid as you think. To form a Purple Gold Core, you must activate most of your bloodline power. Only then can you truly be considered a genius in the Immortal Domain. As for the Nine-colored Core, forget about it. It’s a rarity even here, and with your current condition, it’s impossible.”

Chen Mu was stunned. So there were two more levels beyond what he knew. Clearly, the cultivation system of Yuan Yao Continent was like a castrated version compared to the greater Immortal Domain—always missing something fundamental.

“So there are five grades of Nascent Core... Sigh... I’m truly a frog at the bottom of the well, thinking my current level was the pinnacle of talent. Turns out my aptitude can only form the third grade Gold Core. To form the second grade Purple Gold Core, I must activate my bloodline power,” Chen Mu muttered with a hint of melancholy.

Rou’er patted his hand gently, offering comfort. “Don’t be discouraged. Forming a Purple Gold Core already places you among the elite disciples in the Immortal Domain. Considering you came from such a backwater, your fortune is quite remarkable. And as for the Nine-colored Core, though it seems invincible, there’s actually a rumored higher grade. It’s theoretical and no one has ever truly formed it.”

Chen Mu’s curiosity was piqued. “What grade is that?”

Rou’er smiled mysteriously. “It was deduced by a great sage who had immersed himself in various cultivation systems. This grade surpasses the first-tier Nine-colored Core and is called the Immortal Core. Unlike the fixed colors of the other five grades, the Immortal Core’s hues vary. It breaks the limits of Nascent Cores and is the perfect Nascent Core. But since perfection is unattainable, no one has ever formed this Immortal Core.”

Chen Mu frowned. “So that’s basically meaningless. If no one can form it, what good is it? Even if it exists, I can’t even form the Nine-colored Core. The Immortal Core must be the realm of unprecedented geniuses. For now, the Nine-colored Core remains the ultimate goal.”

Rou’er smiled awkwardly but quickly turned serious. “Even if you can’t form the Nine-colored Core, so what? Not all great powers guarding the Immortal Domain were prodigies from the start. Some only formed ordinary Gold Cores in the Nascent Core Realm yet rose to prominence. So take it easy—do your best, and that’s all you can ask of yourself.”

Chen Mu nodded, no longer fixating on the Nascent Core grades. Still, he resolved to improve the quality of his Nascent Core before forming it. To do that, he had to activate more of his bloodline power.

But then he pondered, “The Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree isn’t mature yet. When will it bear fruit?”

Rou’er rolled her eyes. “You can force it to mature yourself, can’t you? Don’t you have that divine treasure from the God Clan that emits life energy? With such a treasure, what’s there to fear about quickly accelerating the growth of a spiritual plant? How come you suddenly can’t think straight now?”

Chen Mu was enlightened. He remembered when he was half-cleaved by Liu Zhongdao, head of the Bright Moon Sword Sect on Yuan Yao Continent, during his time nurturing his God Clan body. His life energy had accelerated the growth and cultivation of plants and beasts in the area.

Moreover, the Wild Life Tree badly wounded in the Star Ridge Mountains had recovered and grown thanks to his life energy. It was certain that life energy could rapidly promote plant growth.

Therefore, if he possessed medicinal materials, even those of low age could be forced to mature into treasures with millennia of potency—perhaps even without any materials, seeds could instantly mature into fully grown heavenly herbs.

This thought thrilled Chen Mu. Using this method to produce medicinal herbs and then exchange them for spirit stones would be a lucrative path. Yet, he quickly dismissed the idea.

The higher his cultivation, the more cultivators who could sense life energy. Herbs forced to mature this way would inevitably retain traces of life energy. If discovered, it would bring ruin upon him, repeating the calamity of the Bilu Sect on Yuan Yao Continent.

Though he had destroyed the Bilu Sect, no one could guarantee there wouldn’t be a second, third, or fourth Bilu Sect arising in the future.

Human greed was terrifying. If he leaked the secret of life energy, he would be hunted down by the entire Bixiao Continent the very next day.

Hence, aside from healing himself, accelerating herb growth, and alchemy, he would never reveal this life energy secret to the outside world.

Only when he ruled supreme over this world, beyond fear of any strong cultivator, could he reveal his secrets without restraint.

Putting these thoughts aside, Chen Mu immediately went to the herb garden inside Wo Xian Residence, where the Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree was quietly planted.

He examined the tree. Though still young, its main trunk and branches emitted a vast and scorching solar energy, filling Chen Mu with a refreshing sense of clarity.

Resolute, he rolled up his sleeves, placed his hands on the ground, and released his life energy, hoping the roots of the tree would absorb it and grow quickly.

A surge of life energy poured forth, filling the herb garden with vibrant vitality. Other medicinal herbs Chen Mu had gathered also began to grow wildly, while the Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree’s trunk thickened and its foliage grew dense, though its growth was slower than the others.

Presumably, the tree required more nutrients and had a slower growth rate than ordinary herbs. This was fine; no matter how much life energy it consumed, it was worth it. Once he could activate his bloodline power more deeply, he could form the second-tier Purple Gold Core.

While accelerating the tree’s growth, Chen Mu noticed some of the vital energy medicines he had gathered also began advancing to higher stages. Alarmed, he realized this was problematic.

He could barely handle fourth-tier vital energy medicines; if they advanced again, he would be unable to use them for some time until his cultivation improved.

He immediately instructed Rou’er to store all these medicines away, isolating them from his life energy to prevent further growth.

At the same time, Chen Mu gradually learned to control the flow and scope of his life energy, shrinking it from filling the entire room to a radius of half a meter centered on the Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree.

Though not perfect, controlling it within half a meter was quite an achievement.

Days passed, and the tree continued its slow transformation. Its main trunk now as thick as three men embracing, its branches lush, but it had yet to bloom, let alone bear fruit.

Chen Mu grew impatient. He had been pouring life energy into it for over ten days without eating or drinking, yet the tree still hadn’t matured.

Still, thinking of the fruit’s potential to deeply awaken his solar bloodline, he endured silently, continuing to nourish the precious tree.

Another week passed. As Chen Mu numbly continued releasing life energy, the tree finally underwent a remarkable change: a flower bud quietly sprouted. Soon, not just one but eight flower buds appeared, gently swaying on the Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree.

Chen Mu stared at the buds in bewilderment, then suddenly realized what was happening. Excitement and joy surged within him—at last, the Golden Sun Red Paulownia Tree was about to bloom.