Rare Species?

"What are you looking at, Xiaoshan?"

Yu Ershan was the first to notice something was off with Yu Xiaoshan. He stepped forward and asked.

"Second Brother, I searched all over Ox Ridge earlier, but I didn't find any trees like this. And it's been more than half a year, yet it's only grown this little. I heard some Rare Species grow exceptionally slowly. Do you think our tree might be one?"

Yu Xiaoshan spoke with hopeful anticipation.

Rare Species was a term for certain unusual plants, meaning they were scarce and precious.

More importantly, Rare Species had a far greater chance of evolving into a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root than ordinary plants.

Some Cultivation Families in Blessed Lands would specifically buy these Rare Species, hoping to cultivate a true Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root.

Even if the odds were only one in ten thousand, or one in a hundred thousand, it was still worth it.

Because every Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root represented a Blessed Land.

Its value could no longer be measured in Spirit Stones alone.

There were all kinds of legends in this world. For example, an ordinary cultivator might discover a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, establish a Blessed Land, and from then on rise above the common crowd, drawing countless people to flock to them.

Though Yu Xiaoshan was young, he'd heard plenty of stories like that.

Of course, he didn't dare hope for a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. Even if it was only a Rare Species, that would be enough.

Right now, the price of a Blessed Land quota had skyrocketed. Their father would rather sacrifice himself than fail to provide for his three sons. Unable to change any of this, Yu Xiaoshan could only pin his hopes on a miracle.

If the tree in their courtyard was a Rare Species, selling it to a Blessed Land or a family would bring them a fortune. By then, never mind a yearly quota to enter a Blessed Land—even a permanent residence quota might be within reach.

"What are you daydreaming about?

"Our nameless little tree was probably a seed blown here from somewhere else by the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster in a previous year. It happened to land at our place and slowly put down roots and sprouted.

"It's growing slowly because its roots were damaged.

"Any Rare Species, even as a seedling, would already show signs of being extraordinary.

"Look at this tree. It's sickly and frail, just like me. It probably won't even survive this year's Black Annihilation Wind Disaster. How could it possibly be a Rare Species?"

Yu Ershan shook his head. He was talking about the tree, but wasn't he talking about himself, too?

Perhaps because they shared the same misfortune, he had stopped Yu Dashan from cutting down the tree back then, and he often looked after it.

It wasn't that he'd never imagined the tree might be a Rare Species. But reason told him it was just wishful thinking.

"But what if it is? Should we ask a Spirit Planter Master to come take a look?"

Yu Xiaoshan said, unwilling to give up.

"No matter which settlement you're in, Spirit Planter Masters are important figures. If they came running every time someone had an ordinary little tree with nothing special about it, they'd be swamped.

"Besides, figures like that are often unpredictable. If one thinks we deliberately tricked him, we'll be in for a disaster."

Yu Ershan stepped forward and ruffled Yu Xiaoshan's hair as he warned him.

At the same time, his gaze fell on the little tree in front of him, and a trace of inner conflict appeared in his eyes.

Hearing his second brother's warning, a sliver of fear welled up in Yu Xiaoshan. His one remaining hope was snuffed out. "That's right. How could our sickly little tree possibly be a Rare Species?"

"Father, take Second and Third Brother into the Blessed Land. I'm the strongest, and I'm still young. I'll stay behind and guard the house."

Yu Dashan looked at his two younger brothers and clenched his fists.

"No. Your aptitude is better than mine, and you've already completed one Blood Change. You may have a chance to reach Qi Refining someday. Only if you become a true cultivator will you be able to protect your brothers better."

Old Man Yu spoke firmly.

If someone in this family had to be sacrificed, it could only be him.

"Father, Big Brother, don't rush into anything. There's still some time before the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster arrives. Maybe another solution will turn up by then."

Yu Ershan tried to persuade them.

Perhaps he, too, felt the topic was too heavy. Old Man Yu nodded and said, "Right. The Spirit Rice in the Spirit Field hasn't been harvested yet, and the price of a Blessed Land quota has soared again this year. We need someone keeping watch over the field so no one steals our Spirit Rice.

"Starting tonight, Xiaoshan and I will take one shift, and Dashan and Ershan will take the other."

The three Yu brothers had no objections.

The Spirit Field was only a few dozen meters from their home, but if someone sneaked in at night to cause trouble, they might not hear a thing.

They could only rest easy if they stayed in the field.

And taking turns on night watch wouldn't interfere with their work the next day.

The harvest from these ten mu of Spirit Fields was the Yu Family's last hope. They couldn't afford the slightest mishap.

After Old Man Yu and his family left, Yu An's mind stirred, and a translucent panel appeared in his awareness.

Name: Yu An

Race: Elm Tree (Rare Species)

Age: 1/108

Realm: Early Stage One

Divine Ability: Town Protection

[One elm in the household brings surplus year after year, slightly improving the fortune of the dwelling.]

Not bad. Yu Xiaoshan hadn't guessed wrong. Even after transmigrating and becoming a tree, he, Yu An, wasn't an ordinary tree. He was a Rare Species.

And he also had the ability to protect the household.

He just didn't know whether, as Yu Ershan had said, his origin had been damaged for some reason, leaving him with a mere 108 years to live.

Or was that the actual age of the elm tree in his old home in his previous life?

But for a tree, a lifespan of just 108 years still seemed far too short to Yu An. It didn't quite fit his status as a Rare Species.

The mention of a Spirit Planter Master had truly startled him. So far, Old Man Yu's family hadn't noticed that he was in there; they just thought of him as an ordinary, nameless little tree.

But he couldn't be sure whether the Spirit Planter Master—or a cultivator, for that matter—would be able to detect him.

If they discovered the soul hidden inside the little tree, the fate awaiting him would definitely be grim.

They might imprison him or use him for all kinds of experiments. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

So, before he had enough strength to protect himself, he'd rather stay with Old Man Yu's family for the time being.

But there was another problem he couldn't avoid: the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster.

As a tree that couldn't move, what could he do?

Endure it head-on?

Or cultivate like humans and make himself stronger as quickly as possible?

Over the past six months, Yu Ershan had taught Yu Xiaoshan some basic knowledge about cultivation, and Yu An had listened in from the side.

For instance, ordinary people usually began cultivating at fourteen, once their bodies were more or less fully developed.

Starting too early or too late was unsuitable.

The idea that someone could reach Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment at seven or eight and become a cultivator was simply impossible.

Of course, fist techniques for training the body didn't count as true cultivation. At most, they laid the groundwork.

The first true step of cultivation was called Fetal Movement.

It meant using one's life force to sense a rhythm in the world around them—or, more aptly, the breath of Heaven and Earth.

A seven- or eight-year-old child's life force was still unstable. If they tried to cultivate recklessly, they would only damage their life force and suffer severe internal harm.

That was why the best age to start cultivating was after fourteen. By then, both a person's mind and life force had become relatively stable.

However, children from some Cultivation Families, especially those whose parents were both cultivators, had powerful bloodlines from birth. They could often begin two years early, at around twelve.

But ordinary people—especially a family like Old Man Yu's—simply didn't have the means.

Yu Ershan had started cultivating at fourteen, but even so, he had accidentally damaged his foundation and still hadn't recovered.

There was no doubt that although cultivation could make people stronger, it was also a rugged road.

For ordinary people, the end of the road was Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment. If they were lucky, they might complete one or two Blood Changes or reach Perfection of Fetal Movement, but that was usually as far as they could go.

Without Immortal Destiny, they could spend their entire lives without breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm and becoming true cultivators.

Then, could Yu An, who had become a tree, cultivate just like humans?