"Crack!"

An almost imperceptible sound echoed as a fine fissure appeared on the hard seed coat. Immediately after, a black sprout darker than night emerged stubbornly from the crack at a visible speed.

The sprout was pitch black throughout, yet its surface shimmered with a mysterious obsidian-like luster. A crystal-clear dewdrop hung from its tip, emitting an unusual fragrance. Unlike ordinary plants that grow upward, it seemed alive, driving its roots deep into the soil to greedily absorb the natural energy Li Pingcan infused and the surrounding spiritual energy from the spirit fields.

"What a glutton!" Li Pingcan could clearly feel his mana rapidly depleting. In mere moments, this tiny sprout had consumed nearly thirty percent. Not daring to delay, he quickly popped five divine berries into his mouth to replenish his mana and increased the "feeding" intensity.

Finally, when Li Pingcan's mana was nearly exhausted, the black sprout's growth gradually slowed, eventually forming a peculiar black sapling about three inches tall. It was ink-black throughout, with branches resembling coiling dragons and snakes, while its two leaves appeared semi-transparent like dark crystal.

[You have successfully nurtured a 'Soulwood' sapling.]

[Your skill ?Plant Growth? has gained 10 proficiency points.]

On the panel:

[LV0 Plant Growth (1st Tier) (10/1999) [Earth]]

Li Pingcan twitched at the painfully slow proficiency growth. "As expected of a 1st-tier spell. The upgrade difficulty is insane—using all my mana only gives 10 points." Fortunately, tier-upgraded skills didn't require restarting proficiency from scratch, or he couldn't imagine the terrifying grind ahead. Of course, upgraded skills could still gradually strengthen through use, like how sensing the Five Elements Stone Tablets enhanced elemental spells, though not displayed numerically.

"This Soulwood can nourish the soul?" Li Pingcan approached it and felt his spiritual sense range expand slightly. "What a treasure—a portable soul amplifier! Definitely a steal for eight low-grade spirit stones." Though the effect was minimal now, the Soulwood could grow, promising future potential.

He plucked a Soulwood leaf to carry, hoping to enhance his spiritual perception—better than nothing.

..........

The misty Spirit Mountain concealed its paths in clouds. Just after entering and before reaching Listening Wind Cliff, Li Pingcan encountered a familiar figure.

"Venerable Nightingale, what a rare sight." Bear Second greeted him, accompanied by the second-generation Treasure-Seeking Bee Queen, munching on half a honeycomb it had swiped somewhere, its mouth smeared with honey. Since the Treasure-Seeking Bee Queen adored honey, it often foraged with Bear Second in the mountains, forming a close friendship.

Just as Li Pingcan was about to banter with Bear Second, he noticed it sniffing the air, its face showing confusion mixed with desire. "That... what's that aura?" Bear Second tentatively asked, "Venerable Nightingale, are you carrying some divine object?"

Li Pingcan's heart stirred. The only difference from usual was the Soulwood leaf. But given his cultivation level, his aura should be concealed—unless there was a mutual attraction. No longer hiding it, he produced the black-jade-like Soulwood leaf.

The moment the leaf appeared, Bear Second's gaze locked onto it. "That's the aura! No mistake!" It looked excited yet restrained, eyeing the leaf eagerly.

Li Pingcan smiled faintly. "Go summon the other four spirits." Soon, all Five Spirit Beasts gathered, their eyes glued to the leaf.

Li Pingcan declared, "Fellow cultivators, this wood shares a karmic bond with you. I propose a symbiotic relationship where you rely on each other. What say you?" The Five Spirit Beasts were stunned momentarily before erupting in ecstatic cheers. This wasn't just reliance—it was an opportunity!

Without hesitation, each extracted a drop of their lifeblood essence, suspending it midair. Li Pingcan immediately activated [Natural Symbiosis]. With a resonant hum, an invisible bridge formed between the five drops of essence and the Soulwood leaf, manifesting vivid totems of tiger, crane, bear, deer, and ape, each radiating profound mysteries.

The Five Spirit Beasts felt their souls infused with a refreshing clarity, their spiritual awareness unprecedentedly solid. Long-stagnant cultivation bottlenecks showed signs of loosening—simply put, their minds cleared, and comprehension improved! As long as this Soulwood stood, their cultivation path would smooth out.

"Thank you, Venerable Nightingale, for this boon!" The Five Spirit Beasts bowed deeply toward Li Pingcan, then gazed distantly toward Peach Blossom Village—the Soulwood's location. Having grown this far, they weren't foolish; they understood Peach Blossom Village likely held significant ties to Venerable Nightingale.

"From this day forth, we Five Spirits vow to guard the Soulwood's location eternally. May the heavens strike us down if we break this oath!"

Li Pingcan accepted gladly. With these five spirit beasts as guardians, the Li family's security was further assured. To his delight, the Soulwood leaf also transformed subtly from the symbiosis, gaining a faint multicolored glow.

On a whim, he placed the leaf in his mouth. A warm current surged in, strengthening his soul while involuntarily deducing variations of the [Five Spirit Play]. At his Divine Martial Realm, these insights didn't bring qualitative leaps but expanded his perspective. However, martial descendants practicing under the Soulwood could achieve "epiphanies"! And the Soulwood was just beginning—its potential growth immense!

"It's practically a living martial arts manual!" Li Pingcan rejoiced inwardly. This Soulwood was tailor-made for the [Five Spirit Play].

Cultivation knows no time.

The Soulwood's symbiosis with the Five Spirit Beasts brought Li Pingcan tremendous benefits. His comprehension of the [Five Spirit Play] deepened, and even his stagnant martial cultivation loosened slightly. Most importantly, his soul underwent purification and strengthening.

That night.

Accompanied by a crisp shattering sound, he broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining. His dantian's energy sea expanded again, mana surged, and his spiritual sense now covered several miles.

[Druid level increased. You gained 4 Tier Upgrade Points.]

Li Pingcan allocated three points without hesitation to [Hallucinogenic Mushroom], [Earth Shaping], and [Natural Symbiosis], elevating them all to 1st-tier spells. He saved the last point for emergencies.

Panel changes:

[Hallucinogenic Mushroom (1st-tier): Your hallucinogenic effects strengthen, capable of affecting mentally resilient targets. In combat, you can project brief illusions that exploit a target's fears or desires, disrupting their casting or attack rhythm.]

[Earth Shaping (1st-tier): Your terrain manipulation range expands. You can briefly resonate with the earth, slowly merging with soft soil for short-distance stealth movement, though unable to penetrate solid rock.]

[Natural Symbiosis (1st-tier): Your symbiotic partners' levels increase, and you gain an additional symbiosis slot.]

......

He upgraded [Hallucinogenic Mushroom] primarily for future "interrogations," as the zero-tier version was becoming inadequate against mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. [Earth Shaping], as an elemental skill, was versatile and had long been slated for upgrade. [Natural Symbiosis]'s benefits were self-evident—a cornerstone for sustainable resource cycling.

"Excellent, just the effects I wanted."

Amid his satisfaction, Li Pingcan's expression suddenly changed.

[Fungal Lord Domain] silently activated.

Through his "god's-eye view," a gaunt, blurred figure appeared soundlessly within Yunshui County's borders.

The man wore a faded gray Daoist robe, his frail form leaning on an unidentifiable wooden staff as he trudged through snow. His pace was unhurried, each step seemingly measured, starkly contrasting the hurried townsfolk.

"A cultivator, and no rogue practitioner either." That seamless aura convergence was unmistakably a major sect's heritage.

Li Pingcan immediately withdrew his probing, keeping a mushroom's distant watch. The elderly Daoist appeared ancient, his wrinkles deep enough to trap mosquitoes, his murky eyes half-lidded as if ready to depart with the wind. Yet beneath this decrepit facade, Li Pingcan sensed a terrifyingly profound power and icy, penetrating killing intent!

The murderous aura wasn't directed at him but locked precisely on one location—Yunshui County Government Office.

Tracking the elder's movements, Li Pingcan noted that after entering the city, the Daoist didn't seek lodging but lingered inconspicuously at several seemingly ordinary spots. One was the now-abandoned Zhao family mansion.

Witnessing this, a conjecture surfaced: "Could this be... that legendary Zhao clansman who joined a sect?"

Once this thought emerged, it stuck. The age matched. If true, his purpose was clear—revenge!

Temporarily dubbing him "Zhao Cultivator," Li Pingcan observed as the elder aimlessly circled the town before finally stopping at a secluded spot near the Li family mansion. The snowstorm became his perfect cover.

"What's he planning?!" Li Pingcan grew tense. Was this elder so consumed by vengeance that he'd eliminate everyone connected to Magistrate Liang?

His elder brothers still served in the county office, and Zhao Sisi was nominally his concubine. These intricate ties couldn't be easily severed!

In an instant, Li Pingcan contemplated numerous countermeasures. Just as killing intent surged within him, the Zhao Cultivator took no further action. He simply stood silently in the snow like a lifeless statue, his turbid gaze piercing through walls as if fixated on something.

Through the fungal network, Li Pingcan clearly "saw" the elder's face contort with complex emotions—anguish, fury, resentment, but mostly bone-deep desolation.

..........

Zhao Wuyou's heart was colder than the blizzard.

A century ago, with his mediocre Five Elements spiritual roots, he'd barely scraped into Seven Stars Sect as an outer disciple. A hundred years of grueling cultivation, enduring scorn, risking life and limb, only to stall at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, forever barred from Foundation Establishment, his lifespan dwindling.

The sect wasn't home anymore. A worthless Qi Refining elder was lower than a dog there.

Disheartened, he recalled his long-neglected mortal family. In youth, he'd cared little for them, but now, returning to his roots seemed a dying man's final solace. Instead, he found his clan oppressed and ancestral home seized—all thanks to that "Magistrate Liang" Liang Zhiyuan!

Blood debts demanded blood repayment.

But first, one matter remained. His descendant, Zhao Sisi, had become a Li family concubine. Utter humiliation! However fallen, the Zhao clan had produced immortals! How could his bloodline degrade to mingling with mortal warriors as playthings?!

Killing intent nearly overwhelmed him—he could raze the entire Li estate! His powerful spiritual sense had already locked onto the rear courtyard's side chamber, where his descendant Zhao Sisi sat embroidering.

Yet, just before striking, he froze. His unique [Bloodline Tracking Art] detected an anomaly. Beside Zhao Sisi's life aura pulsed another faint but extraordinarily pure vitality—sharing his Zhao bloodline!

"Pregnant?"

Zhao Wuyou was stunned. Focusing intently, his murky eyes suddenly blazed with terrifying intensity! "This... this is the aura of a spiritual root!" Though nearly imperceptible, there was no mistake—a natural affinity with heaven and earth's energy, the very gift he'd coveted in vain!

His concubine descendant carried a child with such immortal potential!

Raging flames of fury abruptly halved, replaced by indescribable complexity. His own path had ended; the Zhao clan was already extinct in all but name. Yet now... a spiritual-rooted descendant, a new hope, had emerged from disgrace!

Compared to bloodline continuation and a potential immortal successor, what was pride?

Warmth kindled miraculously in his heart.

After a long silence, Zhao Wuyou sighed deeply, all malice dissipating into exhaustion. Slowly, he raised a withered hand, producing an ancient ring—his life's meager savings: cultivation manuals, hard-won pills, and a treasured magical implement.

Originally intended for settling scores with Magistrate Liang, he now changed plans.

"So be it... so be it." Muttering, he flicked the ring, which vanished as a nearly imperceptible streak through the courtyard wall, landing precisely in a hidden compartment of Zhao Sisi's jewelry box.

With one last look at the warmly lit chamber, his stooped figure melted back into the blizzard as if never there. His killing intent remained fixed on the county office, resolute yet now tinged with relief.

"So that's how it is..." Having witnessed everything, Li Pingcan relaxed his guard. A crisis on the brink of eruption had resolved unexpectedly.

"The situation has shifted." Li Pingcan's mind raced. "A peak Qi Refining elder seeking death to clear obstacles for his descendant versus a scheming, cautious Magistrate Liang..." This was an opportunity—perhaps the perfect chance to eliminate Magistrate Liang.

As Li Pingcan monitored both, a familiar consciousness contacted him via mushroom—it was the Omniscient Raven.

"Caw! Venerable Nightingale! That matter you entrusted—progress! This old raven nearly plucked itself bald cracking it! Those scribbles on the stone aren't cultivation manuals..." It paused dramatically.

Li Pingcan replied flatly, "Get to the point."

"Caw! Fine, fine!" The raven huffed. "It's a military map! The recorder claimed to be a personal guard under the 'Martial God.' It documents the Martial God's final defeat route and... the burial site of his lifetime's wealth and legacy!"

"Martial God's treasure?!" Li Pingcan's breath hitched.

"Exactly! From fragmented records, this Martial God was an ancient body cultivator—his legacy is extraordinary! Admit it, who but this raven could decipher such ancient secrets?"

Ignoring its bragging, Li Pingcan focused entirely on the "Martial God's treasure." Stuck at Divine Martial Realm, an ancient body cultivator's heritage was serendipitous. With the Zhao Cultivator occupying Magistrate Liang, this was the perfect window to act.

The raven added, "But, Venerable, I must warn you—the treasure's location is Old Yin Mountain!"

"Old Yin Mountain?!" Li Pingcan's pupils constricted sharply. That name represented taboo throughout Yunshui County's rogue cultivator circles.