Time continued to flow by, slow and steady.
Originally, Liu Dongqing had expected his cultivation to slow somewhat once those precious twenty-odd days of cultivation had passed.
But he had never imagined—
A single Pill Formula bestowed by the Rising Mist Dao Academy, and the birth of the Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Elixir Fruit, had given Liu Dongqing the ability to refine Blood Baleful Intent. It could also harmonize his body and soul, eliminating the intervals between cultivating the Lesser Thought Art.
And so—
Liu Dongqing's cultivation efficiency had not merely held steady; it had actually increased.
After Manager Hou's incisive analysis that day, Liu Dongqing had clearly recognized just how much initiative he held in his own hands.
He immediately resolved to make the most of it.
Thus, when the first full month since he and Zhang Qiwei had agreed to plant the new Jade Cloud Fruit variety came around, Liu Dongqing was still immersed in cultivation.
The steward came to hurry him along, but not only did he fail to find any mature Jade Cloud Fruit plants, Liu Dongqing even persuaded him to leave behind more than a hundred fire-attribute flying demon beasts.
Five days later, the steward returned.
Once again, he left without any mature Jade Cloud Fruit.
After that—
The steward came by Liu Dongqing's courtyard once every three days.
The next two visits went exactly the same way.
Then came another third day.
At that moment, Liu Dongqing stood quietly in his bedroom, carefully plucking every Elixir Fruit from the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree.
His cultivation progress now relied entirely on the boost from the Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Elixir Fruit.
In turn, Liu Dongqing's consumption of these fruits had become terrifying under such frenzied cultivation.
In just a few dozen days, this was already his third time "opening the furnace to refine pills."
But at that moment—
Liu Dongqing's gaze was not on the pale green Elixir Fruit at his fingertips.
He was studying the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree itself.
The first time it had grown exuberantly on the medicinal slurry's spiritual power from the Pill Formula, the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree had been pitch-black and glossy all over. A single glance revealed something uncanny and bizarre, yet brimming with life.
But now—
After flowering and bearing fruit three times—
The tree's once-glossy sheen had long since vanished.
Its black color had faded toward gray, and on closer inspection, fine cracks ran across the wood, which had once been dense and tight.
The cycles of growth and decay in plants and trees did not repeat forever.
Even Liu Dongqing's natural, living pill furnace had a lifespan.
Every sign matched the descriptions in the Inheritance Manual he remembered: the plant, driven to grow by Daoist arts, was nearing the limit of its vitality.
Yet there was no regret in Liu Dongqing's eyes.
On the contrary, he even looked a little expectant.
He gently pinched and turned the fruit between his fingertips. The instant he plucked the last Elixir Fruit from the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree—
His movement seemed to touch a switch, setting some change in motion.
Crack—crack—crack—
Almost at once, a dense chorus of fine cracking sounds rang out from all over the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree.
Then, a rich, overwhelming woody fragrance surged toward Liu Dongqing, spilling from the countless cracks.
As the heart-pleasing scent spread, the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree began to dry out, its shape growing ever more twisted and sinister.
At last—
The dense cracking abruptly ceased.
The entire Medicine Vine Fruit Tree, along with the root offshoot planted beside it, crumbled to fragments of dark gray wood chips before Liu Dongqing's eyes.
It was then—
Liu Dongqing slowly reached out and gently brushed away the top layer of wood chips in the jade bowl.
Then—
Where the original burl had grown, a thin, brittle shell of dried wood still remained, carefully enclosing something that glimmered with an emerald-green light.
This was the true ultimate purpose for which the sages of old had created the Branch-Splitting Myriad Transformations Origin-Seizing Art: to use an offshoot to nurture a wooden pearl like this.
At that moment—
Liu Dongqing carefully lifted the wooden pearl and walked over to the jade vat. He held it suspended above the vat, then applied a little force with both hands.
Crack—
With a crisp snap, the dry outer shell split open. At once, the viscous yet clear, emerald-green liquid within poured straight into the vat's intermingled green and red "spring water."
Ever since he had first cultivated the mother plant of the Bloodthirsty Medicinal Vine into a proper form, all this time had passed, yet Liu Dongqing had still been unable to observe any further growth with his own eyes.
It had remained in the same state: one slender vine and a single protruding woody node.
But now—
As the liquid from the wooden pearl poured out—
In an instant—
Abundant spiritual light surged forth, carrying the energy of great quantities of the green and red spring water. It seemed almost to pour itself into the dense mass of roots.
Then—
Under Liu Dongqing's gaze, the vine that had long remained frozen in place began to grow vigorously once more. It formed a second protruding woody node, and only then did all further change come to an abrupt halt.
According to the Inheritance Manual, I can control this second woody node with the Divine Vine Pill Sigil.
In one mode, this node can freely draw energy from blood and bone, just like the first, and condense ordinary Elixir Fruits.
But in another mode, this node will exert a reverse influence on some of the roots. It will actively draw medicinal energy suited to the Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Pill Formula from all the spiritual materials and the resources of blood and bone.
Then, the Elixir Fruits it condenses will be Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Elixir Fruits!
Perhaps this is the vision the sages of the Ghost Vine Lineage hoped to see once the Bloodthirsty Medicinal Vine reached Great Accomplishment—
Hundreds of precious pills gathered on a single tree; a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred fruits ripen. Different medicinal properties and different meanings of the Pill Dao surge and flow through one and the same plant.
Thus, layer upon layer of perfect forms overlap, connect, and merge as one, achieving the Taiyi Creation of the Yi Wood Dao!
This Dao is vast and profound. It must not be treated as a mere auxiliary cultivation art!
As he pondered this—
Suddenly—
Liu Dongqing's expression paused. Then he looked toward the distant direction of Departure Peak.
Three days between each visit, three times in a row.
It seems it isn't the steward, but Senior Sister Zhang who truly can't wait any longer.
Fine. One and a half months for a batch of Jade Cloud Fruits to mature.
That's the longest I can delay it.
The instant this thought came to him—
Liu Dongqing walked slowly to the window, first raising a hand to cast the Mirror-Illuminating Cloud-Birthing Purple Rain Art and summon Purple Cloud Azure Rain.
Then, using the Purple Cloud Azure Rain as cover, a green light abruptly gathered in Liu Dongqing's hand, forming a Divine Vine Pill Sigil.
In the next instant—
Liu Dongqing sent the Divine Vine Pill Sigil straight toward the purple cloud hanging in the air.
Though Liu Dongqing cultivated the Bing Fire path, he had been in contact with both of these arts for so long that, even without internal cultivation, he had already discerned some of their cycles and transformations.
Now, as he cast the Divine Vine Pill Sigil, the rolling clouds underwent the transformation of water nourishing wood.
Yi Wood steals water.
In the blink of an eye, the dense purple cloud was consumed at an unprecedented rate.
And amid the sudden downpour of Azure Rain, every drop held a glimmer of the shattered light of a Divine Vine Pill Sigil.
Water infused with the power of these two arts poured down together. At once, gentle radiance flickered across the soil, and the roots, which had been still, began ravenously drawing energy from the earth.
Flowers bloomed. Fruit ripened.
It all happened in a few brief breaths.
By the time the fruit-laden tree swayed in the final gentle breeze and rain—
The knock at the door finally arrived.
Before you continue