Three days later, all fifty Source Essence Crystals had been used up, not a single one left.
Xu Wuyi sat in the center of the Cultivation Room, surrounded by empty shells that had turned ash-gray. The Inner Landscape's golden light within him was noticeably brighter than it had been three days ago. Golden radiance flowed slowly beneath his skin, making the contours of his features faintly glow in the dark room.
The changes to the Inner Landscape Tree were even greater. The fruit was now completely transparent, and the order veins inside had formed an exceedingly fine network. Every vein was clearly visible, like a star map embroidered within the flesh of the fruit using pale golden threads. The number of leaves in the canopy had nearly doubled, while its roots had burrowed deeper into his entire body. Now, roots did not merely pass through his palms and the soles of his feet. Even the most important new network along his spine had been wrapped by several thick roots extending from deep within his sea of consciousness.
He could feel his body growing stronger. This was not an accumulation of quantity, but a transformation of quality. Every time he threw a punch, the golden roots inside him lit up first, allowing mental power to cover his fist before the force of the blow arrived.
Yet fifty Source Essence Crystals had only allowed the fruit to complete its initial transformation. During absorption, he had noticed a crucial problem: the energy from the Source Essence Crystals still flowed mainly into his muscles and bones, with only a small portion guided into his sea of consciousness to nourish the Inner Landscape Tree. The ratio was roughly seven to three.
That ratio was already sufficient for a newly advanced third-rank Newbud, but if he