Five-Hundred-Year Willow Heart

Chen Yuan naturally knew that so-called Spirits of Vegetation were plants that had undergone transformation, developed spirituality, possessed simple consciousness, and could even attack living creatures that approached them.

If this is a Spirit of Vegetation, I've struck it rich today... Chen Yuan circled the massive willow, observing it closely. "A willow-type Spirit of Vegetation. The trunk is estimated to be eighty centimeters in diameter, and the tree is no more than twenty-five meters tall. Based on those conditions, it should be a Millennium Willow Heart."

Every Spirit of Vegetation could be considered a treasure containing the essence of heaven and earth, each with special effects. The Millennium Willow Heart, in particular, increased cell activity and improved physical fitness.

Chen Yuan remembered the Millennium Willow Heart clearly. The main reason was that Luo Feng had once consumed one, and it had been one of Luo Feng's important resources during his early growth.

"I remember that after Luo Feng consumed a Willow Heart, his strength rose directly from Elementary War God to Intermediate War God. That caused the Dark Golden Sphere in his mind to fully awaken, allowing him to leap straight into becoming a peak War God-level Psychic Master."

"If I can consume a Millennium Willow Heart, my strength will definitely soar as well!"

"Of course, that depends on whether this really is a Millennium Willow Heart." Chen Yuan lowered his head, connected to the internet through the Communication Watch on his wrist, and logged into the Limit Home forum.

He searched for "Millennium Willow Heart," and numerous introductions immediately appeared on the forum.

Thanks to the rise of the Earth Trio, treasures on the level of Spirits of Vegetation were no longer kept secret by the Limit Dojo under Hong's Will Branch. The information had been published directly on the Limit Home forum.

"Willow Heart: a type of Spirit of Vegetation. A millennium-grade Willow Heart tree has a trunk one meter thick and stands over thirty meters tall. The essence contained within such a willow tree is the Millennium Willow Heart..."

Chen Yuan carefully browsed the introductions to Millennium Willow Hearts on Limit Home. Images had even been thoughtfully included, allowing him to see at a glance that they were basically identical to the willow tree he had encountered.

Except...

"The size is wrong." Chen Yuan compared the forum's figures with the willow beside him and reached a conclusion. "Judging by this willow's size, it hasn't reached millennium quality. It should only produce a hundred-year... no, perhaps a Five-Hundred-Year Willow Heart."

The forum did not provide detailed figures for Willow Hearts below the millennium grade. It merely mentioned that Willow Hearts below millennium quality had limited effects on Martial Artists at the War God Level and above, making them more suitable for War General Level Martial Artists.

Therefore, Chen Yuan's estimate of this Willow Heart's age was entirely based on instinct. Whether it was five hundred or eight hundred years old, there was not much difference in the effects of Willow Hearts below the millennium grade anyway.

"That works too." Chen Yuan stared at the willow, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. "The forum says that a willow capable of producing a Millennium Willow Heart can attack at the War God Level. But this willow is clearly nowhere near that level. Each branch can attack at no more than the Elementary War General level."

Though they were only at the Elementary War General level, the willow had no fewer than a thousand branches. Once a creature approached, it would suffer attacks from over a thousand War Generals. Even an Advanced War General would be unable to withstand that.

"No wonder the Lion Mastiff Leader chose such a remote place as its territory. It had discovered an opportunity, but unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to withstand the willow's attacks. The meat was right at its mouth, yet it couldn't eat it." Chen Yuan's eyes shone brightly. "In that case, I'll gladly take this opportunity."

In Chen Yuan's eyes, the willow before him was powerful, but it had a fatal weakness. Perhaps this was the common flaw of all Spirits of Vegetation—its main body could not move.

Indeed, its thousand willow branches were incredibly powerful, practically invincible at the War General stage. But since it could not move, that meant it could be slowly worn down through a battle of attrition.

The reason the Lion Mastiff Leader could not defeat the willow was because its body was too clumsy, making it easy for it to be surrounded by the willow's branches.

Chen Yuan, however, was different. With his movement speed, those willow branches could not trap him at all. He could stand at the edge of the willow's attack range and slowly sever every branch until they were all cut away!

As soon as the thought occurred to him, he acted. Chen Yuan shifted his feet lightly and flashed into the willow's attack range. At once, more than a dozen willow branches struck from every direction, while more branches rapidly moved toward him.

Chen Yuan moved with graceful agility, weaving nimbly through the dense branches. The long sword in his hand flashed with cold light, and in the blink of an eye, he had severed four or five branches.

When the willow's remaining hundreds of branches swept toward him like a flood, Chen Yuan withdrew at the right moment. He calmly retreated and instantly left the willow's attack range.

The willow seemed enraged, wildly thrashing all its branches in place. Yet it was completely futile; it could not touch Chen Yuan standing in the distance. After a while, its branches gradually calmed down.

Chen Yuan repeated the same tactic, entering the willow's attack range again and again. Each time, he severed several branches. Though the willow was furious beyond measure, it could do nothing but watch its branches grow fewer and fewer.

Time passed quietly. About an hour and a half later, Chen Yuan severed the willow's final branch. Looking at the bare trunk, he nodded in satisfaction.

Next came the Willow Heart. Chen Yuan swung his long sword and viciously chopped at the willow's trunk. Thud! Thud! Thud! The blade struck again and again, sending wood chips flying in every direction as a massive gap quickly appeared in the trunk.

A glint of joy flashed through Chen Yuan's eyes. He pressed the attack, swinging even harder and even using double force.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced. Good thing I have this inherited A6-Grade Battle Sword. It can break through an Advanced War General's defenses. If I had used a lower-grade battle sword, who knows how long I'd have had to chop...

With strength comparable to an Elementary War General and a Grade 6 Weapon, cutting down a tree was already this laborious. If he had used a Grade 3 or Grade 4 weapon instead, the difficulty was obvious. He probably would not even have been able to break through its defenses.

Fortunately, Chen Yuan possessed every necessary condition. Hard work did not disappoint him. Two hours later, the willow finally collapsed with a crash, splintered wood scattering everywhere.

Chen Yuan's sharp eyes immediately spotted a soul-stirring flash of green among the broken wood. He lunged forward and grabbed it, almost wishing he could refine it immediately.

Unfortunately, he could not refine it yet.

When he opened his palm, a jade-green crystal appeared before his eyes. It was about the size of an egg, smooth and round throughout, with liquid rippling inside—it was the essence of the Willow Heart.

"Willow Heart..." Chen Yuan felt waves of coolness seep into his skin merely from holding the crystal shell, leaving him refreshed and clear-minded.

After sensing the Willow Heart's aura for a while, Chen Yuan put it away and turned to leave. He needed a secluded place to consume it.

Ten minutes later, in the basement of an abandoned villa within the county town, Chen Yuan used the faint glow of his Communication Watch to take out the Willow Heart once more.

"Both the original novel and the forum mentioned that the way to consume a Willow Heart is to break the shell and drink the liquid inside." Chen Yuan did not use his battle sword. Instead, he pulled a dagger from his backpack. He had specifically bought it to cut Monster materials. It was also A6 Grade and had cost him a full three hundred thousand.

Chen Yuan held the Willow Heart crystal in one hand and the dagger in the other, then stabbed fiercely at the Willow Heart. Once, twice.

The Willow Heart's shell was truly hard. Even after two stabs, Chen Yuan had not broken it. When he stabbed down a third time, a crisp crack sounded, and the crystal finally shattered. The green liquid inside flowed out.

Chen Yuan hurriedly brought the crystal to his mouth and drained it in one gulp. Although the green crystal was not small, there was not much liquid inside—at most twenty or thirty milliliters.

The liquid flowed down his esophagus and into his body. At once, a cool and comfortable sensation spread throughout him, making even his soul tremble slightly.

"So comfortable." Chen Yuan wore an expression of bliss as coolness surged through his entire body, as though countless soft little hands were massaging him.

Inside Chen Yuan's body, the essence contained in the Willow Heart—the boundless, surging vitality—almost instantly fused into every part of him. This life energy caused the cells in his muscles, bones, and flesh to undergo astonishing changes, like a sapling growing into a towering tree.

Transformation!

No other word could describe the feeling. Chen Yuan felt his cells rising to a new level, his genes becoming more complete, and even his bones, muscles, and flesh reorganizing.

On the panel, the numbers under "Strength" began climbing rapidly!

4712... 5863... 7545... 9688... 11370... 12896... 13980...

As time passed, the increase in strength gradually slowed. Finally, the number stopped at 14728.63 kilograms.

In just two hours, Chen Yuan had risen directly from the level of a newly advanced Advanced Warrior to the Peak Elementary War General Level. He was now less than 1,300 kilograms away from the 16,000-kilogram threshold of an Intermediate War General!