Chapter Ninety-Two: Body Refinement Breakthrough, Entering the Vein Tempering Realm

Hearing that Rou'er wanted him to accept, Chen Mu thought to himself that Rou'er’s words could not be wrong, so he agreed to the request of the Wild Life Tree.

Receiving Chen Mu’s response, the Life Tree smiled kindly and said, “Then I must thank you, young friend Chen Mu. I have prepared three grand gifts as your reward. However, as I am still gravely injured, I cannot present them right now. Once you have healed me, I shall deliver these gifts to you.”

Chen Mu nodded, though he had little concept of what these gifts might be—he assumed they were merely treasures of the land and sky. At present, his mind was fixed solely on increasing his strength and annihilating enemies such as the Azure Dao Sect; any worldly treasures were but external things. Yet the gifts the Life Tree intended to bestow upon him were far more than mere rare herbs and minerals. Two of the three were tailored specifically to Chen Mu’s current situation, and were far from ordinary.

With that, the structure of the Life Tree’s hall began to change rapidly. The plant floor parted to reveal a passage leading underground, and the Life Tree gestured for Chen Mu to enter. Chen Mu glanced at Rou'er, then, without hesitation, followed the passage below.

Descending the spiral staircase, Chen Mu was certain he had reached deep underground, for he felt the vital energy flowing upward along the walls, as if he were nearing the very roots. The deeper he went, the heavier the aura of decay and death became—it was clear he was approaching the site of the Life Tree’s injury, namely its roots.

At last, after traversing ever downward within the Life Tree, Chen Mu arrived at the necrotic roots. Most of the cellular tissue here was dead and withered, the vast area of rot shocking him deeply.

To have survived in such circumstances, this Wild Life Tree had indeed endured much.

Chen Mu gently stroked the wounded part of the Life Tree. Closing his eyes, he slowly drew forth the breath of life from the black pearl in his sea of consciousness, gathering it in his hands. The life energy flowed through his palms and into the injured root.

The Life Tree, feeling this surge of vitality, trembled throughout its trunk. The deathly aura faded, replaced by joy, and its leaves rustled with delight. The dead portions began to detach and new plant tissue sprouted; though the healing was gradual, it was clearly effective.

During Chen Mu’s treatment, the atmosphere of the entire forest began to change. The life within sensed the shift in nature’s mood, becoming refreshed and tranquil, the oppressive feeling dissipating.

Centered around the Life Tree, flowers, grass, and trees grew wildly, each bearing abundant fruit. The once dim forest grew brighter.

Perhaps recognized by the Life Tree, the Chen family and the Starwatch Valley disciples began to feel comfortable within the forest, no longer unsettled or wary.

Of course, this was limited to those acknowledged by the Life Tree. As for Zhong Tianyao, who was venturing deeper into the mountains, he still felt the hostility of the forest.

Having battled countless beasts, he was showing signs of fatigue. Though the beasts were not individually powerful, their numbers were overwhelming.

Now Zhong Tianyao felt lost—after such a long journey, the scenery remained unchanged, and the eerie atmosphere was increasingly troublesome.

He had traversed mountains and ridges and now reached the middle section of the Star Ridge Mountains. He was unsure whether to ascend or continue along the valley. Fortunately, with the aid of his spiritual sense, he avoided losing his way.

But upon reaching the area between the middle and deeper sections of the range, he became lost in the forest; though moving forward, in truth he was not penetrating the mountains at all.

This was what the fourth-level bear demon had mentioned—unless he could shake off the sense of confusion induced by the forest, he could not reach the inner regions. Even if he managed to enter, he would face attacks from numerous fourth-level beasts.

At present, these fourth-level beasts mostly stayed in their lairs, unwilling to emerge. The Chen group had encountered the bear demon only because it was its turn to guard the Life Tree.

Thus, day by day, time passed. The Wild Life Tree was gradually recovering, and the Chen family and Starwatch Valley disciples greedily absorbed the abundant vital energy for cultivation.

The beasts near the Life Tree had initially been curious about these outsiders, but over time their novelty faded and they gradually accepted the newcomers.

As for Zhong Tianyao, he sped madly through the forest, eager to advance, but the boundless woods left him feeling powerless.

He had considered flying above the canopy to find his direction, but the trees here were as towering as those of a giant’s realm, colossal and unreachable. The upper winds were strong enough to tear him apart, so he abandoned the idea of breaking through from above.

Feeling the strain, Zhong Tianyao simply sat down to meditate and recover his strength. Since he could not find them, he would wait here; he refused to believe that Chen Mu and his companions would never come out.

After another half month, the Life Tree’s branches and aura grew visibly healthier, and the necrotic roots had nearly healed.

In these days, the old man formed by the Life Tree smiled like a flower, even tidying up the natural temple within its trunk, a sight both amusing and endearing.

Indeed, this temple had lain unused for many years, accumulating dust. Now, with renewed vitality, the Life Tree naturally wished to clean it thoroughly.

During this period, Chen Mu expended vast amounts of energy, neither eating nor drinking as he infused the Life Tree with life breath, causing the black pearl’s operation to slow. If the pearl possessed consciousness, it would surely protest such exploitation.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes, relieved to see the Life Tree nearly healed.

At this moment, the old man formed by the Life Tree had been waiting quietly by his side. Seeing Chen Mu awaken, he greeted him warmly: “Thank you, young friend Chen Mu, for healing wounds that have plagued me for many years. Please rest for a while, and soon I will take you to claim your reward.”

Chen Mu nodded tiredly. Rou'er leapt into his arms, and he cradled her as they made their way up the passage to the hall. Finding a room, they rested and slept.

Two hours later, Chen Mu had rested and went to the hall, where the Life Tree elder was already waiting.

Seeing that Chen Mu was refreshed, the Life Tree said, “Are you rested, young friend? Since you are ready, follow me—I shall take you to the location of your first grand gift.”

Following the elder through winding paths, they arrived at a room filled with steam, containing a pool large enough for dozens. Noticing Chen Mu’s curiosity, the Life Tree elder explained calmly, “I know you practice physical cultivation. This pool was originally used by clan beasts for body refinement, infused with the remaining energy essence of the Life Tree, comparable to powerful blood tonics. If you absorb the essence of this pool, your body cultivation will surely break through to the next realm. This is your first grand gift.”

Hearing the explanation, Chen Mu was ecstatic; what he needed most was to increase his strength.

A breakthrough in body cultivation would elevate both his defense and physical combat prowess. If he could advance from the Body Forging Realm to the Vein Refining Realm, he would be able to match Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in normal combat, and even the blade and spell attacks of early Nascent Soul practitioners would prove ineffective against him.

Understanding the significance of the Life Tree’s gift, Chen Mu bowed respectfully, “I, Chen Mu, thank the elder for this generous gift. My strength can now advance greatly in a short time.”

The Life Tree smiled kindly, “Hehehe, don’t thank me yet—this is only the first gift. The real treasures are yet to come.”

Without further ado, Chen Mu removed his black robe and straw hat, then leapt into the energy essence pool, swimming about. Rou'er, seeing his antics, blushed deeply and shouted, “Childish!”

After a brief play, Chen Mu began in earnest, quickly circulating the Ancient Nine Tribulations Scripture to absorb the energy and temper his body.

His muscles were nourished and refined by the blood power transformed from his divine palace, growing firmer and stronger, with increasing flexibility.

Breakthrough! In less than a day, Chen Mu reached the peak of the Body Forging Realm, his cultivation still rising.

After another three days, he had absorbed most of the pool’s energy, achieving the pinnacle of the Body Forging Realm, his body refined to the utmost.

At that moment, vital energy surged around him as if he had broken free from shackles, and he finally stepped into the Vein Refining Realm.

His aura soared—now, with his physical strength, he could lift and shatter a giant boulder the size of a house. If he punched the ground, a crater a hundred meters wide would appear amid flying dust.

Outside, dark clouds gathered and lightning flickered. The Life Tree secretly worried, knowing this was the tribulation drawn by Chen Mu’s breakthrough.

If Chen Mu remained inside, the Life Tree would suffer.

Fortunately, Chen Mu sensed the coming of the Deathbane Thunder Tribulation, immediately suppressing his cultivation and not bothering to dress, knowing that any clothing would be destroyed by the tribulation lightning anyway.

Thus, he strode naked from the Life Tree’s temple, sitting cross-legged to await the thunder’s arrival.

The disciples of Starwatch Valley blushed at Chen Mu’s naked emergence, but soon realized something was amiss.

Lone Star Yuan looked up at the sky, “It’s a thunder tribulation! How could Chen Mu’s cultivation trigger a tribulation? And its power—even I feel I might not withstand it.”

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. If even their valley master Gu Xingyuan could not withstand the tribulation, how did Chen Mu provoke it?