The Ancestor Tree, also known as the Ancestor of the Forest, is an extraordinary and rare tree. Unlike most trees that offer something tangible like fruit, this one holds limitless potential.
Growing deep within an ancient forest, its very emergence elevates the forest to a higher state, simply through its presence.
The tree and forest share a unique bond, each nurturing the other. As the Ancestor Tree grows taller and stronger, it enriches the forest, creating a harmonious and endless cycle.
Watching it, Yanga finally understood why the woodland rabbits were there their role was to care for and support the tree, helping it thrive in an otherwise challenging environment.
With their devotion, the tree could grow into something truly magnificent.
Yanga wasted no time. He went straight to work, placing his hands on it and using the power of the Seedling World. Knowing how precious it is, he understood that digging it up might damage it or its roots.
With the Seedling World's power, he carefully traced every root and, with a single thought, transplanted it into the Seedling World.
The moment it appeared there, everything began to shift. It was as if the Seedling World was gathering momentum for something grand, and a smile spread across his face.
This was better than he had imagined. Now that the Ancestor Tree was his, all that remained was to gain more experience. He began collecting the other spiritual plants in the flower field. Most were low-tier human-grade, about 120 in total, but still valuable given the circumstances.
Since Yanga couldn't turn them into anything useful like pills or elixirs, he didn't pay much attention to them. After gathering all the spirit plants in the flower field, he ventured deeper into the Infinite Basin.
Time flies when you're having fun, but this time it didn't fly because he was having fun, but because his days were filled with productivity.
Following the discovery of the Woodland Rabbits and the Ancestor Tree, he found no more treasures in the forest, yet pressed onward into the basin's depths, and a month slipped by quickly as Yanga faced countless challenges.
With a large haul of spiritual plants stored in the Sealing World, he finally unleashed his full strength, battling every monster he encountered to sharpen his skills and gain as much experience as possible. He fought on and on, relentless in his pursuit of growth.
From the Red-eyed Python, which he battled for two days to finally defeat, to the Iron Bear, whose defenses proved too strong no matter how hard he tried, forcing him to retreat, every fight brought valuable battle experience.
That month, Yanga also stumbled upon many opportunities, each with its own challenges. Like the Moonlight Crow guarding the Moonlight fruit, a rare fruit that grows on trees thriving in the night, especially under a full moon. Encounters like these were the most fulfilling, offering not only personal growth but also rewards that could benefit the Yanga cultivation.
During this time, Yanga opened his last two meridians, reaching the 12th level of the meridian opening stage, leaving only the final step before advancing to the spirit gathering stage.
After a month of hard work and many new experiences, Yanga finally reached the peak of the Meridian Opening stage. He began searching for a place to go into seclusion and attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Gathering stage.
Determined to advance, Yanga ventured deeper into the Infinite Basin. According to the map he had studied, he was now entering an area where stronger monsters roamed. Confident in his abilities, he believed that even if a Spirit Gathering stage-level beast appeared, he could handle it or, at the very least, escape unharmed.
Soon, a vast open field came into view, and Yanga stepped into it. His pace slowed. After spending a month living in the wild, Yanga had learned to be more cautious of everything that seemed out of place. He scanned the area, but seeing nothing of note, he continued on his way.
Yanga kept walking when he heard a loud, booming howl that sent a shiver down his spine. There was a deep power in the howl, and though Yanga had heard a strong howl before, this one was at another level, but it wasn't what unsettled him most. It was the other howls that followed, different from the first, echoing from various parts of the forest as if answering it.
From their differences, Yanga realized they weren't the same species of wolves. By the sound of it, there were three kinds in the area.
Then, from one side a massive beast emerged from the woods, towering over two meters tall. Its very presence radiated pure domination, regarding everything before it as nothing more than prey to hunt.
Another one appeared, even larger than the Howling Wind Wolf. This one was different its fur was a deep, smoldering red, as if low flames danced along its body. It towered over the Howling Wind Wolf.
From another direction came a brown wolf, not as massive as the red one but still larger than the Howling Wind Wolf. Unlike the red wolf, it moved with a steady, powerful grace, its body packed with muscle.
In that moment, Yanga wished to be anywhere else, for there was no worse place to be than caught between three terrifying wolf packs. The red-furred ones, known as Infernal wolves, were far fiercer and more unruly than their howling wind cousins, and much larger too.
Though they roamed in smaller packs, they were far more dangerous, driven by a furious nature. Once they set their sights on prey, they would hunt relentlessly until either their target fell or they did.
The Brown Wolf, also called the Stone Wolf, was the calmest of the three Wolfkind, but that didn't make it any less formidable. With their earth element, Stone Wolves were steady, incredibly well-defended, and had unmatched endurance, often taking on larger prey than the others.
While the howling wind wolves relied on speed and sharp strikes to bring down their targets quickly, and the red Infernal wolves used raw power to overpower theirs, the Stone Wolves took a different approach.
They sought out the largest, most dangerous prey, using their sturdy bodies and relentless stamina to wear them down. Their hunts could last an entire day or even several days of chasing their quarry until exhaustion set in before delivering the final blow.
Surveying his surroundings, Yanga understood the situation. An elder from Mhlanga village had once explained it to him: wolves are pack animals and tend to be fiercely territorial, so when many wolf packs are around, their territories overlap. When territories overlapped, different wolf species would battle to the death, often at predetermined grounds.
Now, it seemed, Yanga had found himself right in the middle of one.
Yanga knew there was no escaping this life-or-death clash between three species of wolves, and he was right in the middle of it. The most unsettling part was that all three wolf emperors had appeared, which meant hundreds of wolves were about to descend upon this field.
Once the battle began, it would be an all-out war to see which would be the last standing.
The wolf emperors were fearsome level 5 wildbeasts, far beyond what Yanga could handle. Still, he knew he had no choice but to face them.
Pushing aside all hesitation, he focused entirely on the scene before him. A sword materialized in his hand, and he stood his ground. The noise around him grew louder and louder, a chaotic mix of sounds. The forest was swarming with wolves, ready to charge the moment their emperor gave the signal. When it came, they would tear each other apart.
The only silver lining here was that this was a clash between three different packs, meaning he wouldn't be the main target no matter what. As long as he kept a low profile, he'd make it through.
But deep down, hiding wasn't in him he wanted to endure and be the last one standing. Something inside him burned.
Two years to build his foundation. Once he stepped into the spirit gathering stage, the path ahead would become hundreds of times more difficult, demanding immense resources for even the slightest progress. Yanga took one final deep breath.
Four drops of liquid spirit Qi appeared before him, and in a single gulp, he swallowed them all. The spirit Qi roared to life within him, raging as if to tear him apart, but he ignored it.
It was as if an unseen signal had been given howls and the growls swelled, ready to rip each other to shreds. Still, Yanga stood firm, waiting.
Yanga smiled as he waited for the bell to toll. Over the month he spent fighting for his life, he learned something he hoped would form the foundation for all his future battles.
He wasn't into flashy moves instead, he preferred using speed to overwhelm his opponents, taking them down in a single strike without giving them a chance to recover.
For the past month, he had focused most of his attention on mastering his skills, keeping himself withdrawn.
To master a cultivation technique, one had to follow several steps and practice its forms. When beginning a cultivation technique...
Mastering a technique involves progressing through several stages and forms. There are four well-known stages. First is initial completion, which comes right after cultivating the technique and comprehending its essence. Next is minor completion, achieved by delving deeper into the practice. Then comes greater completion, and finally, perfect completion when the technique is fully mastered.
Different techniques also have various forms. For example, the Void Skipping Technique has three:
one step one mile, one step 10,000 miles, and one step to infinity.
Yanga is currently at the one-step-one-mile stage of the Void Skipping Technique.