Azure Origin Heart-Questioning

A year earlier, while gathering herbs in the Star Dou Great Forest, the two had stumbled upon an Azure Origin Ancient Cypress with nine thousand years of cultivation. After sensing Jiang Baiyu's aura, it had decided to become his third Soul Ring of its own free will. Since then, Jiang Baiyu had been strengthening his body so the vast Soul Power would not overwhelm him.

They passed through a dense wall of trees, and the view suddenly opened up. A clear Spirit Spring lay at the bottom of the valley, its waters murmuring beneath a veil of warm mist.

At the heart of the spring stood a towering cypress: the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress. Its immense trunk was covered in ancient bark like green jade, pale green light flowing through its grain. Layer upon layer of verdant leaves spread overhead, their everlasting green casting a boundless calm across the valley and blocking out the sky. Rooted deep beneath the Spirit Spring, the ancient tree drew in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without cease. An ancient wood Dao aura, almost alive with spirit, surrounded it.

Sensing their arrival, the Azure Origin Ancient Wood rustled its green leaves.

Jiang Baiyu stepped forward and placed both hands on the trunk. At once, a gentle voice sounded within his heart. "Is that you, kind little fellow?"

Jiang Baiyu summoned the Shennong Cauldron, and rich vitality flooded the Spirit Spring. "Yes, it's me."

"So soon? It feels as though I've only had time for a nap. Heh, I'd hoped to secretly advance to ten thousand years and give you a proper test, boy," the ancient tree said slowly.

"Well, since you're here, let's begin." Without the slightest hesitation, the Azure Origin Ancient Wood's nine thousand years of accumulated essence began to simmer, and its body trembled faintly. Green cypress leaves stirred though there was no wind. A vast, pure wood Dao aura, free of any trace of malice, swept across the valley. Its Life Origin, Tranquil Heart Power, and Waykeeping Breath, tempered over nine thousand years, spread gently like a tide and enveloped Jiang Baiyu.

It had lived for nine thousand years, sheltering this land. It had seen countless soul masters enter the forest to seize Soul Rings, and it had seen Soul Beasts kill one another. But the boy before it was different. His Medicine Dao was rooted in compassion, and both his rings had come from bonds freely formed with plants and beasts—the thousand-year Dragonblood Medicineheart Wood had helped him nurture his domain and medicine heart, while the five-thousand-four-hundred-year Nine-Colored Spirit Deer had willingly become his ring. His martial soul carried the aura of a Medicine Dao devoted to healing the world. The Shennong Cauldron's gentle medicinal aura and the Heart of Hundred Herbs' vital essence were perfectly aligned with the path the ancient cypress had upheld for nine thousand years: "keep still, strengthen the roots, nurture life." He was a kindred spirit.

It could not help wondering how far the little fellow might go.

Still, the boy ought to face a little hardship. At that thought, the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress drew in Life Essence from heaven and earth, pushing itself one step further into the ranks of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

It had always been a child of nature. Since Spirit Awakening had granted it intelligence, its cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Now that it had made up its mind, the Azure Origin Ancient Wood would give Jiang Baiyu all the help it could.

Layers of pale green runes lit up across the cypress's thick, jade-green trunk, while its countless roots beneath the Spirit Spring stirred gently. There was no resistance, only complete trust.

It willingly opened the essence of the Soul Core it had cultivated for nine thousand years.

Jiang Baiyu stood still, his mind clear and utterly calm. The Shennong Cauldron floated out from within him, light flowing over its surface as it gently received the ancient cypress's overflowing wood essence. Vast green Soul Power surged like rivers into the sea, then slowly entered Jiang Baiyu's body.

His third Soul Ring should have been purple, but under the infusion of nine thousand years of exceptionally pure wood essence, its color changed with startling speed!

Light purple, deep purple, dark purple...

At last, it settled into a solid black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, faint green patterns flowing across it!

With the Azure Origin Ancient Wood's full help, what had been a nine-thousand-year Soul Ring had advanced into a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. The violent tremors that should have shaken Jiang Baiyu's soul also faded within the immense Soul Power of the ancient tree's willing sacrifice.

The ring took shape, and silence fell across the valley.

Vast, potent wood energy washed through Jiang Baiyu's limbs and bones, flowing along his meridians to nourish his dantian and steady his soul. His Soul Power foundation, already at level thirty, was strengthened and broadened once more. It was several times more substantial than that of an ordinary three-ring soul master.

The black third ring beside him gleamed with gentle light. Jiang Baiyu looked at the Azure Origin Ancient Wood, which had willingly sacrificed itself and now held no trace of life. He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your kindness, senior. I will devote myself to healing the world."

As he spoke, a glimmer of green caught his eye.

Is that... a Soul Bone?

Su Wu came closer for a look.

When he saw what it was, even he was stunned by Jiang Baiyu's fortune. It was a fist-sized seed, translucent and blue-green, radiating immense vitality. The wood Dao aura of ten thousand years flowed through it, while the ancient cypress's entire nine-thousand-year accumulation of plant essence lay condensed within.

"So the legend was true! Xiao Baiyu, this is every bit as valuable as a medicine heart!" Su Wu said in delight. "The stories say spirit trees can condense their essence into a seed. It holds everything they've accumulated, and it's a treasure on par with an External Soul Bone. Quick, absorb it!" Su Wu urged.

"Once absorbed, it can become an exceptionally rare Soul Bone unique to plant-type soul masters. It strengthens your foundation, gathers spiritual energy, steadies your soul... It's worth far more than an ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone!"

Jiang Baiyu looked at the green seed.

It lay quietly within the Azure Origin Ancient Wood's lifeless remains, right before his eyes. All he had to do was pick it up, and he could refine it in an instant. Then he would possess an extraordinary plant Soul Bone and take another step along his path.

But was that Jiang Baiyu's path?

He gazed at the green seed, his eyes clear and calm, without a trace of greed in his heart.

He knew what it meant.

The ancient cypress had grown beside the Spirit Spring and guarded this valley for nine thousand years. All its life, it had quietly protected the forest and nourished countless plants, neither fighting nor killing. In the end, it had given him its Soul Ring to help him along his Medicine Dao.

Now it was dead, and only this seed of its essence remained. If he refined it and claimed it for himself, he would be taking the last root of its life, stealing a plant's spirit and betraying the kindness it had shown him.

The Shennong Cauldron's Medicine Dao took compassion as its foundation and life as its path.

Jiang Baiyu picked up the seed and felt the immense vitality within. Rather than refine it, he cradled its faint green glow and walked to the fertile ground beside the Spirit Spring, where the cypress had once taken root.

Soul Power flowed slowly from Jiang Baiyu's palm and wrapped around the seed. He said softly:

"You gave me this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and helped me follow my path."

"I will preserve your life, return you to the earth, and let you take root again."

The moment he finished speaking, he pressed the precious seed—a seed that was also the embryo of a Soul Bone—into the fertile soil of the Spirit Spring that had nourished the ancient cypress for thousands of years. He infused it with the rich Medicine Dao essence of the Shennong Cauldron.

The instant the seed entered the earth, the entire valley fell still.

Then—

The ground trembled. The soil, spiritual veins, and waters of the Spirit Spring valley all surged with energy!

Brilliant wood light erupted from beneath the earth and poured into every part of Jiang Baiyu's body! This was the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress's final trial.

The Soul Ring had been its gift; the seed was its test.

It had tested the truth of his Medicine Dao, whether he would grasp at profit, whether his compassion was a lie, and whether he was worthy of carrying the ancient wood's enduring path.

Jiang Baiyu had given up a priceless Soul Bone, returned the seed, and restored its spirit to the forest.

He had passed the ancient cypress's Daoheart Trial perfectly!

Rumble—

Endless wood energy from beneath the earth, the vitality of the land, and the weighty Dao aura of the passing ages all flowed back into him.

The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring he had just absorbed was still faintly restless. As the earth's gift washed over it, the ring was tempered layer by layer until it became smooth and whole.

The green patterns on the Soul Ring grew finer and clearer. Its Soul Power, once vast and turbulent, became gentle, contained, and easy to command.

The strange sense of resistance vanished, leaving only a harmony perfectly attuned to Jiang Baiyu's Medicine Dao.

His first Soul Ring held the Hundred Herbs Domain; his second, the Spirit Deer Nine Seals; and his third, the Azure Origin Eternal Guard.

The auras of all three rings flowed together at last, answering, supporting, and blending with one another.

The foundation of his Medicine Dao was flawless.

After a while, the earth settled and the spiritual energy grew still.

Beneath the fertile soil by the Spirit Spring, the green seed quietly took root, gathering vitality until the day it could flourish again.

And Jiang Baiyu seemed transformed.

The young man stood in the valley, his features delicate and his three rings shining with soft light. It was as though the ancient cypress's Dao aura had tempered him. His heart was calm, his soul steady, and his foundation firm.

Su Wu walked over slowly and gazed at Jiang Baiyu's three flawless Soul Rings.

"You refused a priceless treasure and did not grasp at fortune. You proved your path through your heart and repaid kindness with kindness..."

"Baiyu, the choice you made today is ten thousand times more precious than a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone."

"From this day on, your plant-based Medicine Dao has truly taken root. Nothing will shake it, even after ten thousand years."

At those last words, Su Wu gave a faint sigh and bowed deeply to Jiang Baiyu. "I truly admire your path. I cannot measure up to you."