Withered Tree Meets Spring

The sun climbed higher, its light filtering through the forest and spilling across the Dengxia Platform.

The moment approached high noon—when the yang energy between heaven and earth blazed at its most intense and scorching peak.

On the platform, Shen Qingshan, who had sat still as withered wood, slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was clear as a mountain spring, yet deep as if it held an endless starry sky.

There was no piercing sharpness—only a calm born from weathering countless years.

He swept his gaze warmly over the dense crowd of onlookers below, gave a slight nod, and said nothing—everything conveyed without words.

Then, he slowly raised his hands and formed an ancient, profound hand seal before his chest.

Hum—!

A low hum, as if rising from the very depths of the earth, resounded.

The next moment, a surge of blood and qi so vast it defied description erupted from his seemingly withered body like a volcano that had slumbered for ten thousand years!

This power did not explode recklessly. Instead, it surged like an ocean tide accumulated over millennia—mighty and torrential, yet carrying an ancient rhythm as it thundered forth.

Scorching! Overwhelming! Boundless!

The terrifying blood and qi force burst through his body, churning violently in the void behind him, coalescing into a clear and awe-inspiring vision.

An endless, raging sea of blood, its waves crashing against the sky!

Blood Sea surged, furious waves struck the heavens!

Every drop of that "seawater" seemed condensed from the purest, most immense blood and qi, radiating a dread pressure that made the soul itself tremble.

Near the platform, martial artists below the Tendon Changing Realm instantly turned pale, their own blood and qi churning uncontrollably, as if they would be crushed by the invisible pressure at any moment!

Even many Tendon Changing Realm cultivators breathed heavily, oppressed by the force.

"A blood and qi vision! A sea of blood surging to the heavens! That's indeed the mark of Blood Changing Realm perfection."

A seasoned veteran martial artist whispered hoarsely, his voice thick with reverence. "To refine blood and qi to the point of manifesting a tangible vision... terrifying."

Shen Qingshan's expression turned gravely serious, even tinged with pain.

He fully activated his family's inherited technique, attempting to compress and refine the vast Blood Sea vision that was nearly slipping from his control!

This was the most dangerous step in breaking through to the Qi Eating Realm—condensing blood and qi into True Essence, gathering the vision to form a Divine Soul Seed!

The Blood Sea vision was the culmination of his lifelong cultivation, yet now it was heavy as a mountain, wild as thunder, and nearly impossible to restrain!

It seemed to possess a life of its own, resisting the fate of being refined and transformed!

The meridians across Shen Qingshan's body bulged violently, and beneath his skin, countless tiny snakes seemed to writhe—signs of rampaging blood and qi spiraling out of control.

Veins stood out on his forehead, sweat poured like rain, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

The Blood Sea vision fluctuated wildly—sometimes swelling as if about to explode, sometimes shrinking and twisting in instability—dragging his aura into chaos, surging and fading without rhythm.

The watching crowd below held their breath, palms slick with cold sweat.

Anyone could see that Old Master Shen had run into a monumental obstacle!

His age was simply too advanced. Though his blood and qi were boundless, they lacked the vitality and resilience of youth. His momentum seemed to falter.

The Blood Sea vision was too heavy, too vast. It rebounded against him, threatening to drag down his Divine Soul and will, assimilating them, making it impossible to complete the ultimate transformation and ascension.

Time trickled by, each second stretching into an eternity.

Shen Qingshan's aura visibly withered. His face shifted from flushed to pale, and finally took on a gray, deathly pallor.

The Blood Sea vision began to flicker violently, its edges blurring, showing signs of collapse and annihilation...

Many sighed inwardly, some even closing their eyes in pity.

It's over... in the end, he fell short... too old, fate cannot be defied... with this failure and the backlash of blood and qi, Old Master Shen might not survive...

Li Wei, Wang Meng, Sun Yun, and the others wore heavy, regretful expressions.

Wang Meng even slammed his fist against his thigh.

Chen Yuan stared fixedly at the platform, his fists clenching unconsciously.

He could clearly feel the unyielding will within Old Master Shen—a refusal to submit, a struggle against fate itself. But the aura, flickering like a candle in the wind as it faded, could not be faked.

A pang of regret and reluctance rose in his heart, but all he could do was offer a silent wish: If only a miracle could happen...

Then, a sudden change occurred!

The aura on Shen Qingshan's body, which had been sinking into deathly stillness like embers burned to ash, underwent a miraculous, indescribable transformation.

It was no simple final flare. It was a withered tree meeting spring—a brand-new life force bursting forth from the brink of death!

A thread of power—faint yet incomparably pure, carrying the essence of "Withered Tree Meets Spring"—emerged like the first tender sprout forcing its way through a frozen wasteland, stubborn and resolute, from the very core of the Blood Sea on the verge of total annihilation!

Hum...!

The moment that thread of power appeared, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth across all of Qixia Mountain seemed to freeze!

That spark of life rapidly grew, like a wildfire from a single ember, spreading instantly through his entire body, merging into the rampaging blood and qi that was about to scatter.

The once-heavy, overwhelming Blood Sea vision, as if infused with a new soul and vitality, began to revolve along a path far more profound and in harmony with the natural order.

Compress! Condense! Transform!

The speed suddenly accelerated.

"Boom!!! Rumble!!!"

In the sky, wind churned and clouds surged!

Centered on the Dengxia Platform, a massive vortex of spiritual energy formed!

An ocean of heaven and earth's spiritual energy poured wildly into Shen Qingshan's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. A brilliant yet gentle radiance burst from him, and within that light, strange phantom images flickered and sank—withered branches sprouting new buds, cold ice melting into spring water.

The vast Blood Sea phenomenon shrank at a visible speed, finally condensing into a single, refined pillar of crimson-gold light that slammed back down, plunging entirely into his Dantian.

An aura—transcendent, above the mortal dust—spread slowly from within him, like an ancient god awakening from slumber, gentle yet carrying undeniable majesty.

This aura was vast as the ocean, tranquil as the moon, yet it brought no oppression or fear. Instead, every observer below felt their entire body relax, their Divine Soul as if washed and nourished. Many long-stagnant cultivation bottlenecks even showed signs of loosening.

He succeeded?!

At the final moment, on the edge of a ten-thousand-zhang abyss, he had truly reversed heaven and earth, made the withered tree meet spring, and stepped across that immortal-mortal chasm that had blocked countless geniuses!

"This... how is this possible?!"

On the foremost cushion, the young man from the Glimmering Light Sect suddenly opened his eyes. The arrogance and mockery on his face froze instantly, replaced by shock and disbelief!

And in the distant clouds, a blurry figure invisible to the naked eye trembled slightly. Its aura fluctuated violently, stirring the surrounding cloud-mist.

It was the hidden elder of the Glimmering Light Sect, whose qi had been locked in mutual restraint with the Prefecture Lord and the Martial Alliance Leader.

Now his mind shook violently: "Withered Tree Meets Spring... a mutated qi containing life force?! Such a miracle... could it be... Heaven's will?"

He instinctively wanted to look up at the sky, but the next moment he forced his head down, cold sweat soaking his back. He forcibly cut off that arrogant thought, daring not ponder it further—how could Heaven's will be lightly spied upon?

Shen Qingshan slowly opened his eyes. The divine light within them was warm and restrained, as if sun, moon, and stars were being born and dying within.

He gently exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi. That breath shot out like a white ribbon, extending over a zhang before hanging in the air, condensed and unbroken, lingering long before dissipating.

Qi Eating Realm! A genuine Qi Eating Realm!

True Essence self-formed, divine abilities first gestated, a lifespan of three hundred years!

After a brief, deathly silence, the entire Qixia Mountain erupted!

Deafening cheers, gasps of amazement, and applause burst forth like a mountain avalanche and tidal wave!

Everyone was beside themselves with excitement. They had witnessed a miracle with their own eyes—a breakthrough born from despair, defying fate!

Shen Qingshan stood up. His face even seemed a few years younger. He smiled slightly at the crowd below, cupped his hands, and bowed in a full circle.

His voice was gentle yet clear, reaching every ear, carrying a faint trace of emotion and gratitude: "I, Shen Qingshan, today borrowed the tempering of 'Minor Cold,' the thoughts of all living beings, and the withered tree meeting spring. By fortune, I succeeded, condensing this 'Withered Tree Spring Return Qi.' I thank all Fellow Daoists for your protection and witness."

With that, he flicked his finger. From within his body, the newborn True Essence qi, imbued with the artistic conception of the withered tree meeting spring, separated into a hundred extremely fine strands.

As if possessing intelligence, they precisely entered the bodies of a hundred observers below—those who were oldest or whose foundations appeared damaged.

These people trembled all over, feeling a gentle yet powerful life force flow into their limbs and bones, nourishing old hidden injuries and extending their lifespans with ease.

And one of those strands crossed the crowd, precisely entering Chen Yuan's body.

Chen Yuan felt a cool yet vibrant current instantly flow through his entire body, merging into his qi, blood, and marrow.

The minor hidden injuries left from previous cultivation healed instantly. His qi and blood became more lively and pure. Even his lifespan foundation seemed to increase slightly, and his mind grew clearer.

The observing crowd excitedly returned the bow, their hearts filled with emotion. They admired Old Master Shen's breadth of mind, his bearing, and his unyielding will to the utmost.

Chen Yuan stood among the crowd, his heart surging, unable to calm for a long time.

He had not only witnessed the entire breakthrough process of the Qi Eating Realm, feeling its vast power and perilous obstacles, but he had also truly experienced that unyielding will that refused to give up in desperate straits and ultimately summoned a miracle—as well as the wondrous resonance and feedback between heaven, earth, and humanity.

For his martial heart, this was an unprecedented baptism and elevation.

Realm: Skin Grinding Realm - Great Accomplishment (68/100). Lifespan slightly increased. Origin foundation faintly supplemented.

Tide Fortune: 95/100

On the way back to the city, Wang Meng was still gesticulating excitedly, babbling incoherently. Sun Yun remained silent, but a sharp light flickered in her eyes—clearly, her gains were immense.

Li Wei sighed in admiration: "Old Master Shen's breakthrough this time was a narrow escape from death. His heart harbored benevolent thoughts, blessing his juniors, and thus he received the feedback of all living beings, igniting life force amidst desolation. This is the principle of 'virtue aligning with heaven and earth.' In martial cultivation, sheer ferocity is easily broken; benevolence and endurance carry all things—that is the path to longevity."

Chen Yuan deeply agreed, engraving these words firmly in his heart. Martial cultivation was not about blindly charging forward with force. Sometimes, harboring kind thoughts and aligning with heaven's virtue could instead bring great freedom and great fortune.

This trip to the prefectural city—just this one experience alone—had already been worth everything.

If you find this book good, to avoid losing it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.