Given the Voidrealm Tree's status as a divine inheritance tree and the astonishing effects of the Voidrealm Essence
Li Ye had every reason to suspect
That back in the days of the Wood God Sect, spiritual materials gained from drawing essence from the tree just like this were likely among the sect's most important heritage resources.
Most likely, only the sect's higher-ups or the most exceptional disciples who had contributed greatly would ever have the chance to enjoy even a portion!
Yet here he was, receiving it as an annual routine?
"If I had obtained the Wood God Art a few years earlier, I probably wouldn't have even needed the Green Vine Verdant Wood Formation after reaching Foundation Establishment... I could've taken care of Xu Pingyang and Ma Ying's lot on my own."
Li Ye chuckled to himself.
Inwardly, he felt immensely grateful for choosing the Wood God Art back in that ruined Mechanism Pavilion.
Though external tools created through various arts could also serve well in combat and cultivation, at the end of the day, one needed reliable means from within as well.
Only through complementary strengths and no glaring weaknesses could true stability be achieved.
"And to think, this Wood God True Flame was fully formed in just one go…"
Pure green flame rose from Li Ye's hand its temperature seemed unremarkable, its appearance like gently swaying blades of grass.
As he tossed it to the ground, it immediately spread out, burning upon each blade of grass yet not reducing them to ash.
When he withdrew the flame, the grass was merely somewhat withered.
But the pure green flame itself now seemed slightly brighter, with faint strands of wood-element essence flowing within it.
"It can refine the essence of plants and wood for my use not only enhancing the flame's power but also enriching my mana foundation…"
Li Ye spoke softly, then flicked his fingers.
The green flame landed on the stone he had previously sliced. It spread swiftly over the surface, and soon, bark-like patterns emerged on the stone before the entire block was incinerated into ash.
"It also possesses a Woodification divine ability affecting magic tools, protective auras, and even flesh and blood. The more woodified something becomes, the more life force this fire can draw from it!"
"If an entire body were to be woodified by this fire, it could be completely burned down its essence used to temper and nourish the flame…"
At this point, a slightly strange expression crossed Li Ye's face.
This secret art... was a bit too overwhelmingly fierce. Not only could it absorb wood-elemental essence, but it even came with a built-in Woodification ability. Wasn't this teaching disciples how to quickly progress through... rather questionable means?
Compared to the Heavenly Craft Scripture, which centered around puppetry and incorporated countless arts and techniques
The Wood God Art was focused entirely on the Wood element, yet still carried an air of dominance, as if it sought to suppress all other elemental paths with pure force.
This method of drawing life essence in particular took Li Ye by surprise.
He could now easily imagine how, in ancient times, disciples of the Wood god Sect had relied on Wood God Flame and Verdant Spirit Light to run rampant across the southern cultivation world!
"This is just a brief trial, after all. The grass and stone burned were only faintly spiritual materials… If it were a real cultivator or a demon beast, with various defenses and techniques, it likely wouldn't be quite so effective…"
Still, as he considered things, a wide smile spread across Li Ye's face.
"But with the Voidrealm Essence providing consistent support day by day, year by year this flame's future potential is immense!"
At last, his cultivation path had truly become clear.
His main path was rooted in the Wood God Art, focusing on the Wood Dao cultivating through the feedback of wood-element essence from spiritual plants such as the Voidrealm Tree.
Then there was his secondary path, centered on the Heavenly Craft Scripture, encompassing various auxiliary arts and worldly techniques. This path benefited from the cultivation experience gained through the growing and refinement of spiritual plants.
Lastly, there was the body cultivation path, a route he'd only pursue if he had enough time and resources to spare. This method focused more on defense and preparation for future breakthroughs to higher realms.
Each path had its strengths and weaknesses but together, they compensated for one another, ensuring Li Ye's cultivation would be smooth and stable, unafraid of external threats.
However, with the unique powers granted by the Wood God Art, Li Ye found that his need for body cultivation had noticeably diminished.
For example, the Myriad Beast Body technique, which required refining the blood of demon beasts to forge a powerful physique, was indeed exquisite but compared to the Wood God Art and Heavenly Craft Scripture, it felt slightly lacking.
So far, Li Ye had only dabbled in it tempering his blood and Qi but hadn't yet chosen which beast's essence to refine.
Now, perhaps it was best to observe a bit longer and see which path truly warranted deeper investment.
.....
[…]
[You have successfully cultivated Tier-2 spiritual plant [Qingxuan Rice] to maturity. EXP +5…]
[…]
[Tier-2 spiritual plant [Qingxuan Rice] fully matured. You have obtained [Qingxuan Essence] (5%)…]
[…]
As the Voidrealm Tree released its annual feedback once again, Qingxuan Rice, which ripened once a year, had matured along with it.
This rice was what Li Ye ate daily and also served as his primary source of experience points to a fundamental crop in every sense.
The essence it produced, Qingxuan Essence, was currently a stand-in for Jade Cluster Fruit Essence in Li Ye's alchemy processes.
After nearly a full year of attentive cultivation, the Jade Cluster Fruit and several other Tier-2 spiritual plants had finally filled their respective plots.
But for them to mature enough to be used in pill refinement, the required cultivation time would be at least five years, with ten years needed to reach optimal potency.
That said, in Li Ye's experience, although these plants took a long time to mature, they still allowed for a steady accumulation of EXP and spiritual essence over time.
Now that the various cultivars had been successfully propagated and planted, all that remained was to harvest the essence and begin collecting medicinal components for alchemy.
With his current level of alchemy skill, Li Ye could now refine a maximum number of high-grade pills with minimal consumption of essence.
And since the Jade Cluster Fruit Essence wouldn't be available anytime soon, using Qingxuan Essence as a substitute was the best interim solution.
After all, spirit rice was known for its gentle and pure nature, and its essence followed suit acting as an excellent all-purpose medium for refining alchemical power, provided the pill's properties were compatible.
Once Jade Cluster Fruit started yielding regularly, whether he chose to refine it directly with Verdant Spirit Light or to sacrifice it to enhance the Wood God Flame, neither would be a waste.
"I wonder if this Qingxuan Rice will ever yield a different essence trait when solidified…"
Traits like [Wood Spirit] and [Tongtian] had yet to appear in any of his cultivated plants.
Only then did Li Ye fully grasp just how minuscule the odds of those so-called "extremely rare probabilities" actually were…
Still, he much preferred gaining some practical trait enhancements instead!
Li Ye gazed at the shimmering spiritual glow of the ripened rice paddies before him, breathing in the fragrant aroma of the spiritual grain. With just a light wave of his hand, beams of Greenwood Radiance shot forth.
This spiritual light possessed some degree of illusionary transformation and was particularly effective when used on plant-type entities.
At this point, it wasn't so much "harvesting" as it was "inducing" stimulating the Qingxuan Rice to complete its maturation and naturally fall from the stalk.
As the radiance passed over the field, clusters of rice stalks gracefully tilted and tumbled, the grain automatically falling into pre-prepared sacks below.
The entire process flowed seamlessly far more elegant than the old days of painstakingly harvesting rice with a sickle during the Qi Refining stage. It was a stark contrast, showing how far he'd come.
He finally had the bearing of a true cultivator.
At the same time, a new stream of notifications began popping up before Li Ye's eyes once again.
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