Zhenyuanzi brought them to the rear courtyard, where the Ginseng Fruit Tree grew in the center.
The Ginseng Fruit Tree was not towering or especially tall. Its trunk was thick and sturdy, but it stood only a few dozen feet high. Its foliage, however, was far more luxuriant than anyone could have imagined.
The entire tree resembled a gigantic emerald-green canopy. Its branches spread in every direction, while layers upon layers of leaves crisscrossed one another, nearly blocking out the sky and sun. The smooth leaves looked like jade carefully polished by a craftsman, displaying a vibrant deep green. Under the sunlight, they shimmered with a warm, lustrous glow.
More than six thousand years had passed since the Ginseng Fruit Tree's last harvest.
Most of the pink petals on the Ginseng Fruit Tree had already withered and fallen. Tiny fruits had formed in the centers of the few scattered blossoms that remained, resembling sharp pine nuts. The fastest-growing fruits already looked like newborn babies. Their surfaces were as white as snow, glowing with the gentle radiance of mutton fat jade. Their features had yet to take shape, and from a distance, they truly looked like babies lying on the branches, their arms and legs curled up as they displayed an adorably innocent appearance. At the point where each fruit connected to the branch, something resembling an umbilical cord maintained the link between the Ginseng Fruit and the tree.
As everyone approached the Ginseng Fruit Tree, a faint, refreshing fruity fragrance wafted over them. It was no ordinary fruit scent, but a unique aroma mixed with the aura of life and the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Merely breathing it in once left them feeling refreshed, while a sense of comfort seeped deep into their souls.
Upon seeing Zhenyuanzi arrive, the Ginseng Fruit Tree gently swayed its branches and leaves, producing a rustling sound as though welcoming him to visit.
"Everyone, this is the treasure that guards my Wuzhuang Temple—the Ginseng Fruit Tree. It has been my companion since I first gained consciousness and has remained rooted here ever since."
"My tree bears fruit only once every ten thousand years. Look at those fruits: they are shaped like babies, with all four limbs and complete facial features. They radiate golden light and are filled with spirituality. That is why they are called Ginseng Fruits. They are also known as Grass-Returning Pills. Smelling one can grant a person three thousand six hundred years of life, while eating one can grant forty-seven thousand years. They are truly rare treasures of the immortals."
"Once these fruits mature, they cannot be picked directly by hand. You must use a special tool from my Wuzhuang Temple—the Golden Striker. Fruits fall when they encounter metal, wither when they encounter wood, dissolve when they encounter water, scorch when they encounter fire, and sink into the earth when they encounter soil. Only by gently striking the fruit stems with the Golden Striker will the fruits naturally fall. Then you must catch them with a silk handkerchief or brocade cloth. That is the only way to ensure nothing goes wrong."
As they listened to Zhenyuanzi's explanation, Zhunti and the other two clicked their tongues in wonder. They had never expected the fruits to be picked in such a peculiar manner, and they could not help marveling at the powerful effects of the Ginseng Fruits.
After touring the Ginseng Fruit Tree and hearing the explanation, the group expressed their admiration for Zhenyuanzi's words, filling him with immense pleasure. Hong Yun also kept chiming in with amusing stories about sneaking into Wuzhuang Temple to steal and eat Ginseng Fruits, making everyone laugh nonstop.
They chatted in the rear courtyard for quite some time before returning to the main hall.
After discussing the Ginseng Fruit Tree, Zhenyuanzi suddenly remembered the Gourd Vine Jiang Yun had collected at Buzhou Mountain. He said, "Nephew Jiang Yun, I previously saw you collect the Gourd Vine by its roots at Buzhou Mountain. I assume you intended to heal it and see whether it could survive. My Ginseng Fruit Tree is an earth-element Innate Spiritual Root, and quite a bit of Innate Wutu Spiritual Soil has formed beneath it. I will give you some. Try it and see whether it has any effect."
As he spoke, he took out a portion of Innate Wutu Spiritual Soil and handed it to Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun glanced at Zhunti and Jieyin. Seeing them nod, he accepted it without hesitation.
"Many thanks for the generous gift, Great Immortal Zhen Yuan!"
Jiang Yun thought, Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi truly has a kind and honest heart. How many ordinary people would notice such a matter, let alone specially provide spiritual soil to help?
Seeing how generous Zhenyuanzi was and how he had given Jiang Yun such precious Innate Wutu Spiritual Soil, Jieyin wanted to offer something in return. He remembered the Three Lights Divine Water Jiang Yun had previously offered to him and Zhunti. Taking out a cluster containing roughly three thousand drops, he said to Zhenyuanzi, "Daoist Friend Zhenyuan, you have given my disciple such precious spiritual soil, so I cannot fail to show some sincerity in return. This Three Lights Divine Water was something my disciple offered me when he first became my disciple. I will now give some of it to you. I hope you will not find it lacking."
Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun were both astonished to see Jieyin take out so much Three Lights Divine Water. They knew very well how precious this water was, capable of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones. Moreover, Zhenyuanzi possessed a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root like the Ginseng Fruit Tree, so there would be no shortage of situations in which he needed Three Lights Divine Water in the future. It could provide extremely effective nourishment to the source of an Innate Spiritual Root.
This also helped them understand why Jiang Yun had collected the Gourd Vine at Buzhou Mountain. He possessed Three Lights Divine Water, and by nourishing the Gourd Vine with it, he might well be able to restore its vitality and make it blossom and bear fruit again.
"Daoist Friend Jieyin also knows the benefits of Three Lights Divine Water to spiritual roots, so I will not refuse. I shall shamelessly accept this cluster of divine water."
Zhenyuanzi waved his sleeve and collected the Three Lights Divine Water.
Thinking that his momentary kindness had resulted in such a generous reward, he felt an awkward sense of having intended to help someone, only to be helped in return.
With that thought, he took the initiative to suggest discussing the Dao with everyone.
That way, Jiang Yun could gain some insights during the discussion. An honest man did not like taking advantage of others.
He began by expounding on the Way of the Great Earth that he cultivated. Zhenyuanzi revered "Heaven and Earth" and based his cultivation on the Earth Scroll, his companion supreme treasure, as he pursued his own Dao. Through the Earth Scroll, he could deeply understand the workings of the Great Earth, its power to bear all things, its power to nurture, its tolerance, and its vitality. His comprehension of the Great Earth had naturally made him its representative and guardian.
He slowly expounded on the Way of the Great Earth that he had comprehended. Jiang Yun had already attained deep insights into the Earth Element Law, and the Way of the Great Earth also contained the Earth Element Law. By drawing inferences from one example, he gained considerable understanding of the Way of the Great Earth.
After Zhenyuanzi spoke for a hundred years, Ancestor Hong Yun began expounding on his Way of Auspiciousness. Hong Yun himself symbolized auspiciousness, and his cultivation was connected to spreading good fortune and protecting all living beings. He practiced the method of saving the world and delivering people, helping mortals avert disasters and overcome difficulties while accumulating merit. Much of it involved the Way of Causality: forming good causes and accumulating good effects.
Another hundred years passed. After Ancestor Hong Yun finished discussing the Way of Auspiciousness, Zhunti and Jieyin each preached for a hundred years as well, discussing the Way of Bodhi, the Way of Nirvana, the Way of Causality, and the Great Way of the West.
After the discussion ended, everyone answered the questions of Jiang Yun, Qingfeng, and Mingyue. Because Qingfeng and Mingyue's cultivation was relatively low, they actually broke through from the True Immortal Realm to the Mystic Immortal Realm during the discussion. The two of them were extremely excited.
When it was Jiang Yun's turn, he asked Zhenyuanzi about the relationship between the Way of the Great Earth and the Three Ways of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Zhenyuanzi explained his understanding to him. As an important component of the Earth Way, the Way of the Great Earth served as its foundation and carrier. The Way of the Great Earth provided the Way of Man with its fundamental material support and nurtured the many living beings of the human realm. At the same time, it provided the Way of Heaven with a place to spread its teachings. The changing of the seasons, the shifting of oceans and land, and all such transformations of the Great Earth were manifestations of the Way of Heaven through the Way of the Great Earth. The Way of the Great Earth played a coordinating and connective role among the Three Ways of Heaven, Earth, and Man. It linked the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man, while itself bearing the Earth Way. The three depended on and restrained one another.
These principles gave Jiang Yun a much deeper understanding of the entire Primordial Desolation World. At the same time, they gave him some new ideas about revitalizing the Western Land.
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