During the years Li Ye had dedicated to diligently cultivating his way into the late Foundation Establishment stage, the situation across the four nations had barely managed to maintain a surface-level harmony and stability.
After the death of Wanderer Bihu, Thousand Island Water City came under increasing pressure from all directions, with constant disputes erupting over resource points.
However, aware that their strength was no longer what it once had been, they proactively withdrew their forces, fiercely defending only the most valuable locations.
They even went so far as to deploy their third-tier Black Flood Dragon, annihilating invaders and sending a strong message to the surrounding forces.
As for the less important resources, they ceded them bit by bit partly yielding, resisting.
In doing so, they demonstrated both strength and stance, while also barely satisfying the greed of the other three Golden Core sects.
After all, the might of a third-tier Black Flood Dragon was no joke. Having gained benefits, the other three sects didn't press further.
And so, over several years, although Thousand Island Water City had ceded quite a bit of territory, they had successfully weathered the initial chaos and emerged stabilized.
By now, each faction had its internal troubles. Since none could eliminate the others in one swift blow, they all chose to stand down, and large-scale wars between the nations never broke out keeping the fragile peace intact.
Li Ye was naturally quite pleased with this outcome.
Even though he had now reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, he estimated he would need at least twenty more years to fully complete this realm. If he could truly spend that time in peace, it would be the best possible scenario.
And after celebrating his advancement, the initial excitement and joy in his heart soon settled.
Day by day, he returned to a stable routine of cultivation, tending spiritual fields, and studying the many arts of immortal practice.
Whenever boredom crept in, there was always a graceful companion at his side to ease his mood.
Thus, his life remained both fulfilling and enjoyable.
Before he knew it, four years had passed.
Riding a flying vessel, Li Ye descended upon Dengjin Mountain.
With an eager expression on his face, he put away the flying vessel and quickly approached the one-acre plot of tier-three spiritual farmland, heavily protected by formation arrays, filled with swirling spiritual energy and faint blue-green light.
After years of adjustments and accumulation, the forcibly cultivated farmland had finally stabilized. It could now fully support the growth and maturation of tier-three Qingxuan Rice.
It was even viable to experiment with other tier-three spiritual plants here.
And today was the day the rice finally matured!
Looking out over the field, dense with heavy rice stalks of lush green intertwined with faint yellow spiritual patterns, Li Ye couldn't help but break into a joyful smile.
"Such a harvest… brings a special kind of satisfaction," he murmured to himself.
Forming hand seals, his technique changed, and all across the field, a swarm of uniquely shaped gu insects began to crawl and fly out, buzzing softly as they fell neatly into the pouch he held open.
"With this quantity, I can either use them to refine corresponding tier-three gu to better aid my spiritual plants or use them as fuel to refine other wood-element combat gu. Either way, they'll be incredibly useful."
Li Ye nodded in satisfaction.
Using gu insects to assist in tending the fields allowed them to absorb the ambient spiritual energy from the plants and grow stronger themselves.
It was a three-in-one method of nurturing, refining, and utilizing.
This saved Li Ye a great deal of time and effort in personally tending to the fields, while simultaneously cultivating the insects.
And now, with the plants matured, he could harvest a new batch of gu along the way a win on all fronts.
However, the gu harvest was only the appetizer.
The related experience points and spiritual resonance had already fed back to him earlier. What truly caught Li Ye's attention was the trait he was about to receive upon harvesting.
His eyes flickered with anticipation as he formed a new hand seal, releasing a burst of green wood spiritual light.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh
In an instant, countless streams of light split off, surrounding the entire field. As they weaved through the stalks, they merged effortlessly into the bodies of each tier-three Qingxuan Rice plant.
In a single flash, the energy within each stalk was drawn and concentrated directly into the rice grains, while the rest of the plant withered, leaving no waste behind.
As he carefully harvested handfuls of these rice grains with the green wood light, Li Ye's system interface began to display updates before his eyes.
From the transformation of the farmland's foundation, to the growth from seed to maturity, to the final harvest every stage of the Qingxuan Rice's life cycle pulled his consciousness into the moment.
[You harvested a tier-three spiritual plant: Qingxuan Rice. Insight deepened. Spiritual Resonance Solidification +0.1%...]
[Qingxuan Resonance Solidification: 100%. Converting to the corresponding trait...]
[You and your skill "Planting" have obtained the Tier-3 Trait: Vitality!]
[Vitality (Tier 3)]: Vitality is the life force itself. Your body now possesses life energy far beyond ordinary beings. Injuries and illnesses recover at an accelerated rate. Any spiritual plant you plant and care for will thrive with astonishing resilience and vitality and will be better able to withstand external threats.
.......
In a sudden, dreamlike moment, Li Ye felt his entire body flesh, organs, and even the marrow within his bones begin to gently stir, undergoing a profound transformation under the surge of newly gained power.
The vitality he had accumulated over the years, nourished by the spiritual essence of the Void Realm, now seemed to have been fully activated. Life force erupted from every inch of his body, flowing endlessly and igniting a sweeping rebirth.
Whoosh, whoosh
His blood surged through his veins, gradually becoming purer and more refined. The few impurities and toxins that had built up over time in various parts of his body were now being drawn out by this rejuvenating current.
With a sweep of the Wood God's True Flame from his dantian, those impurities were incinerated into nothing.
By the end of the process, Li Ye's hair had grown darker and glossier than ever, his skin clear and resilient like a newborn's, his bones shimmering like jade, and even his internal organs now appeared crystalline and translucent.
A faint, indescribable fragrance seemed to emanate from his body subtle, yet inexplicably pleasant and soothing, as if it resonated with all living things.
Every drop of blood inside him now pulsed with overwhelming vitality, pushing his body into a completely renewed state.
When it was finally over, Li Ye stood dazed, slowly coming back to himself. As he turned his awareness inward to examine his condition, he could hardly believe what he found.
"This state… it's like being reborn. My entire body has been reforged!"
The spiritual essence from the Void Realm had long since allowed him to maintain a youthful appearance and laid a strong foundation in the art of body refinement.
But aside from using it to boost his chances of breakthrough during cultivation, he had never found another path to truly unleash that potential.
Yet today, the Tier-3 [Vitality] trait felt like a key that had unlocked a long-sealed treasure trove, unleashing the accumulated power all at once.
The synergy between the two had produced astonishing results!
Even Li Ye himself was at a loss for words to describe his current condition he only knew that his vitality was overflowing, and his energy seemed boundless.
"With this surge in life force… I might just be able to make another breakthrough in body cultivation today, bringing me even closer to perfection. Perhaps even forming a Body Cultivation Core no longer feels that far-fetched…"
His expression turned a little strange.
From the Qi Refining stage until now, he had always viewed body cultivation as a mere support method to improve his chances at breakthroughs.
So how had things turned out this way?
Why did it suddenly feel like… this was the path he was truly gifted in?
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