Name: Cultivation

In fact, Yu An had already tried when he learned about the fetal movement.

But no matter how hard he tried to hold on, he couldn't feel the rhythm of heaven and earth, let alone integrate into it and transform himself under its influence.

Could it be that the human cultivation method was not suitable for him?

But the problem was, he didn't know how plants, especially those Rare Species, and even Spiritual Roots, cultivated and evolved.

For the past six months, he had been basking in the sun every day, absorbing nutrients from the earth, but his growth rate was still so slow that it made him anxious.

When his consciousness awakened and his tree body was less than half a meter tall, the Panel already showed that he was in Early Stage One. Now he was over two meters tall, and still in Early Stage One.

When would he grow up?

If the plants in this world could only rely on instinct to passively transform and evolve under the invasion of the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, it would probably take decades, or even hundreds of years, to have a slim chance of becoming a Spiritual Root.

Not to mention that this kind of lucky evolution, where a slight mistake could lead to death and the tree's demise, the time span alone was something he could not tolerate.

Moreover, even if he himself was tenacious, the geographical location was also crucial.

Any place that could evolve into a Spiritual Root was at least a Spirit Field, or a place with an Earth Vein Spirit Cave.

And the Yu Family Courtyard where he was currently rooted was just ordinary, barren land.

With these conditions, let alone surviving this year's Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, even if he managed to survive, how could he evolve into a Spiritual Root?

Just because he was human in his previous life?

Unfortunately, he couldn't be human anymore in this life.

However, Yu An had no intention of giving up. No matter what, he had to give it a shot.

Then he began to consider his advantages.

Yu Xiaoshan had said that he hadn't found any trees similar to him in Ox Ridge. Yu An wasn't sure if there were Elm Trees in this world, but he felt that he was likely a unique existence.

Since he was unique in this world, shouldn't there be some special preferential treatment?

Secondly, he had a Golden Finger-like Panel, which allowed him to have a clear understanding of himself, and he also possessed a Divine Ability called [Town Protection].

Finally, although he was a tree, he was a tree that could think and possessed a human soul.

This might even be his greatest advantage.

Being able to think meant he could actively transform and evolve. Compared to plants, and even Spiritual Roots, that could only rely on instinct to evolve, he was definitely stronger.

So the problem returned to the starting point.

How could he actively evolve?

Relying solely on absorbing sunlight and drawing nutrients from the earth was definitely unreliable.

Moreover, even if he exhausted himself trying to draw nutrients from the land he was rooted in, it would be like trying to scoop water from a vast ocean with a single ladle.

In the end, Yu An had to admit that there was still only one path before him.

That was to cultivate like humans.

If he had failed before, he would continue to try until he succeeded.

In his previous life, it was this stubborn refusal to admit defeat that propelled him from the bottom of his class in primary school to the upper ranks in middle school, and then to the top in high school. He had stubbornly transformed himself into a small-town academic prodigy and eventually got into a key university.

It was also this same stubbornness that allowed him to succeed time and again after entering society, finally establishing a foothold in a big city. By his thirties, he had already achieved semi-financial freedom.

Since it worked in his previous life, why wouldn't it work in this one?

With this thought, Yu An's previously restless heart gradually calmed down.

A few more days passed in the blink of an eye.

However, the atmosphere within the Settlement grew increasingly restless.

From Old Man Yu's family, he heard news of people stealing spirit herbs in the middle of the night, of people being killed by the Settlement guards, and of people selling their children.

Everything was done in order to enter the blessed land and survive.

Even Old Man Yu's family became increasingly silent.

Amidst this atmosphere, Yu An never gave up hope and persisted.

Yu Ershan, who was like him in his persistence, spent more and more time staring blankly under the Elm Tree, as if he had made some kind of decision.

That night, Old Man Yu and Yu Xiaoshan guarded the Spirit Field, while Yu Dashan and Yu Ershan went inside to rest early, preparing to take over in the latter half of the night.

Under the cold moonlight, Ox Ridge lay like a crouching Giant Beast.

Yu An stood quietly, as if the night's chill caused the leaves hanging from the branches to curl slightly.

Although he could not move or speak, Yu An could "see" everything around him, as if his entire body was covered in eyes, possessing a 360-degree field of vision without blind spots.

Even at night, his vision was no different from during the day.

In reality, his so-called seeing was more like a state of perception. It was just that in his previous life, he had been human and was accustomed to seeing with his eyes, so it manifested as a visual sensation.

These past few days, Yu An had not given up, but more than anything, he was constantly being assaulted by a vague sense of crisis, trying to drown him.

However, he was like a Reef standing firm against the surging waves, stubbornly resisting the terror of approaching death.

The moon in this world was much larger than in his previous one. Strangely, there was no crescent moon phase. Although it rotated, it always remained a perfect circle.

Before he knew it, the moon had risen high in the branches.

Bathed in moonlight, Yu An numbly, almost instinctively, sensed that trace of rhythm in the world.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Yu An felt his consciousness about to dissipate.

Suddenly, a sound like a heartbeat seemed to be imprinted in his heart from the depths of the void. The instantaneous resonance caused his body, which had transformed into an Elm Tree, to tremble. All the leaves on his branches instantly unfurled, facing the moonlight as if desperately absorbing something.

"This is... fetal movement?"

The sudden change also startled Yu An. He didn't even have time to feel joy before he felt his tree body becoming hot. His roots underground also seemed to come alive, desperately burrowing deeper.

Slight traces of coolness, seemingly absorbed by the leaves, did not extinguish the heat in his body. Instead, it was like fire meeting oil.

At this moment, Yu An dared not be careless in the slightest. He once again devoted himself wholeheartedly, continuing to sense that trace of rhythm.

"Dong!"

Another sound like a heartbeat, continuously driving the changes in his body.

At this point, Yu An finally understood what fetal movement truly meant.

This was a creation imprinted upon heaven and earth. As long as one could sense this rhythm, they could unlock the treasures buried deep within their body and initiate the evolution of life.

In this regard, heaven and earth were perfectly impartial.

Fetal movement was the beginning of cultivation.

At this moment, Yu An, as a tree with a human soul, gained a clear understanding of cultivation.

Whether human, demonic beast, or plant, in the eyes of heaven and earth, there was no difference. All were treated equally.

The opportunities and creations it left for all things in heaven and earth were always plainly 'placed' there, waiting for whoever could seize them.

It was just that humans, known as the most intelligent of all beings, were the first to find and summarize a path of cultivation.

It was called: Cultivation of Immortality!

Immersed in the joy of the first fetal movement and fully engaged, Yu An did not notice a figure quietly appearing in the courtyard.