Chapter 2542: Arboreal Realm
Mu Sanye paid special attention to Lu Yin. All of the other students who were present were from foreign universes, including Xu Ji. Despite acquiring a tetra-chromatic fruit holder, Xu Ji would never become a part of the Arboreal Realm. However, Xuan Qi was different, and Mu Sanye was determined to recruit this prodigy for the Arboreal Realm.
Seeing the awe with which “Xuan Qi” observed his surroundings in awe, Mu Sanye remembered the information he obtained from the Transcendent Universe. Xuan Qi was not actually from the Transcendent Universe originally, but had been taken there with Zi Jing when she had been found. The young man knew practically nothing about the Sixverse Association. In that case… "Ahem, what you see before you is the Arboreal Realm. The Arboreal Realm's foundation is based on the cultivation of arboreal energy, which we use alongside battle techniques and our acquired innate gifts. We possess a formidable level of power that ranks just below the Cyclic Universe. As long as you are willing, Arboreal Realm can quickly groom you into a powerhouse."
Xu Xiangyin arched a brow. "Just below the Cyclic Universe? Mu San, have you received the approval of the Sixverse Association to make such a claim?"
Mu Sanye lifted his head in a proud manner. "This is the true strength of my Arboreal Realm. There’s no need for any approval."
Xu Xiangyin sneered. "Self-praise only serves to showcase your narrow-mindedness."
Mu Sanye pointed out towards outer space up above. "You want to argue about narrow-mindedness? Aeternus has invaded both the Cyclic Universe and the Voidforce Universe on numerous occasions, yet has rarely done so to the Arboreal Realm. The reason for that is that these trees are spread throughout the universe. These trees have been gathered by the inhabitants of the Arboreal Realm over the course of countless years, and have also been created by our Guardian, and they are able to ensure that our enemies have no means of escape. Can any of you say the same?"
Lu Yin was thoroughly impressed. So these trees really did cover the entire universe!
He did not know just how large the Arboreal Realm might be, but there was no way it was much smaller than the Fifth Mainland, and it was possible that they were even of equal size.
For the trees to fill an entire universe, the Arboreal Realm's heritage was indeed profound.
Xu Xiangyin argued, "In my Voidforce Universe, our voidforce puppets also fill our entire universe."
You Teng interjected, "Gentlemen, isn't it nearly time for the Arboreal Sanctuary to open?"
The two men instantly stopped arguing.
Mu Sanye led the students in a particular direction by using arboreal energy.
As they traveled along, Lu Yin saw many of the Arboreal Realm’s natives. Some walked through outer space, while others were working on cities that existed among the branches. He even saw what looked like spacecraft flying around. Aside from the trees and green bubbles that were scattered throughout, the Arboreal Realm did not seem much different from the Fifth Mainland.
He saw rivers flowing through outer space, extending far into the distance.
Suddenly, his expression froze. Someone was observing them from a vast distance. He could not tell just how far away the person was, but their gaze caused his muscles to tense up, and he was filled with fear. This was the gaze of a powerful Progenitor.
In the distance, a blindfolded man was sitting cross-legged on a branch, a long blade next to him stabbed into it. He was looking towards Lu Yin and his companions.
Mu Sanye noticed the man’s gaze as well, and quickly bowed in respect.
Xu Xiangyin and You Teng did the same.
The others were unable to sense the man’s observation, but as soon as they noticed Mu Sanye and the others bowing towards a certain direction, the students all followed suit.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jiang Xiaodao whispered to Xu Yue as he bowed at the waist. After they had both mocked Xuan Qi, the two had discovered they shared a specific interest.
Xu Yue shook her head and pursed her lips. "What could possibly make those seniors bow like that? What do you think?"
"Could they have noticed a peak powerhouse?"Jiang Xiaodao exclaimed.
Suddenly, the blindfolded man in the distance drew his blade and it swept out. A razor-sharp slash surged toward the group at an unimaginable speed. Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. Was this an attack? No! He forced down the instinctive reaction to flee. The slash sliced through something beneath their feet, and the entire group to vanish from where they had been standing.
Aside from Mu Sanye, all of the others, including even Xu Xiangyin, had been completely unprepared.
When they finally regained their senses, they were already a vast distance from where they had just stood.
People turned to look at Mu Sanye with confusion and fear.
Mu Sanye bowed again, this time towards behind them, and solemnly said, "Just now, Senior Mu Ke gave us a ride."
"Senior Mu Ke? That Senior Mu Ke?" You Teng and Xu Xiangyin exclaimed.
Mu Sanye proudly replied, "Yes, that esteemed Senior Mu Ke."
No matter how Xu Xiangyin had tried to belittle the Arboreal Realm, everyone felt deep respect when the name Mu Ke came up, including You Teng.
He Shu felt shocked. "That was actually esteemed Senior Mu Ke? The person who single-handedly killed one of Aeternus’s peak corpse king during a Corpse King Transformation."
This comment left Lu Yin shaken. A person who could kill a powerhouse Aeternus corpse king after it had undergone a Corpse King Transformation without any assistance? Any Progenitor-level corpse king that had mastered the Corpse King Transformation was beyond terrifying. Given that the corpse king had possessed the strength of a Progenitor meant that it had undoubtedly possessed perfect mastery of the Corpse King Transformation, which would have given the creature an unimaginable level of physical strength and defense. It could not have been much weaker than Corpse God himself. Even if Lu Yin exhausted all of his means, he would still be unable to kill such a monster. No wonder everyone was so shocked by Mu Ke's accomplishment.
"Senior Mu Ke is a legendary figure in the Sixverse Association. I never imagined we would receive the honor of meeting him. This is something to boast about for the rest of our lives!" someone exclaimed.
Mu Sanye glanced over at Lu Yin. Seeing the shock on the young man’s face was quite satisfying. "With Senior Mu Ke kindly helping us out, we've already arrived at the Wood Spirit Realm."
As the man spoke, everyone saw an immense, majestic green light appear in the distance before them. It shone as bright as a sun and illuminating outer space.
Mu Sanye led the group closer, and a ray of green light descended that pulled them inside.
Enveloped within the green sun lay a world that seemed reminiscent of a whimsical fairy tale. Luminous green bubbles effortlessly drifted through the air to create a mesmerizing display. The ground seemed to be floating, and waterfalls fell from high above in defiance of gravity. Delicate creatures gracefully danced about the sky, giving off a radiant glow. The air was filled with the fragrance of blossoming flowers that seemed to rejuvenate the senses.
It was a vast isolated space.
Mu Sanye said, "It is possible to receive an innate gift from a tree in any part of the Arboreal Realm, but only those who manage to pick Triple Radiant Fruits are given the chance to enter the Wood Spirit Realm where they can obtain rare and powerful innate gifts from the trees here. You should all have heard of Mu Mu; she encountered a tree here in the Wood Spirit Realm that nurtures the Golden Crow. From that, she received an innate gift that enables her to nurture a Golden Crow for herself. With that power, she is able to incinerate stars and turn seas to ash. I hope all of you can also obtain powerful innate gifts from the Wood Spirit Realm.
"When searching for trees here in the Wood Spirit Realm, remember one thing: show no malice. The trees here have lived for eons, and many of them are far beyond your strength. They will not attack you unless provoked. Even if you wish to obtain an innate gift from them, they won't strike at you. You simply need to get close to them. However, if they sense any malicious intent, things become a completely different story. You can’t blame me if you end up dead."
Xu Xiangyin spoke up, "Alright, send them out to search for their trees."
Mu Sanye shot a glare at the man. "What's the rush? Since the Wood Spirit Realm has opened, were are also people from our Arboreal Realm on their way."
"Since the Wood Spirit Realm opened ahead of schedule, the Arboreal Realm's selection process shouldn't have even started yet, right?" Yu Teng asked, feeling puzzled.
Mu Sanye sighed. "There's no choice. Whoever can make it will come. If no one shows up, so be it. We will wait and see."
At the moment, the group was standing at the peak of a low mountain. Before them was a green screen of light that stretched from the sky to the ground and split the space in two.
Lu Yin watched as creatures that looked lik butterflies with bright green spots danced about the air. It was a mesmerizing sight.
"Xuan Qi, let's see who can obtain a more powerful innate gift," Jiang Xiaodao eagerly suggested.
Lu Yin glanced over. "Weren't you unable to prepare?"
Jiang Xiaodao scoffed, "Do I need to prepare to be able to compete with you?"
Lu Yin smiled. "I got a penta-chromatic fruit."
Jiang Xiaodao crossed his arms. "That doesn't mean anything. So, are we competing or not?"
Xu Yue approached. "Xuan Qi, just compete with him. You got a penta-chromatic fruit, so what are you afraid of?"
"Little Yue, come back here," Xu Ji sternly ordered.
Xu Yue stuck out her tongue even as she walked away.
Luo Zang then approached. "All of us have some understanding of this Arboreal Sanctuary, and each of us have our own goals. Xuan Qi, on the other hand, knows nothing of this place. Such a competition is unfair."
Jiang Xiaodao glanced at Luo Zang and retorted, "You want to argue about fairness? Both of your parents are peak powerhouses. Anyone dealing with you doesn’t stand a fair chance."
Luo Zang smiled and said, "That may be true of ordinary people, but Xuan Qi is no ordinary person."
He looked at Lu Yin and added, "Thank you."
Lu Yin was puzzled, "For what?"
"My useless second brother has caused you trouble."
Lu Yin chuckled. "No worries; he’s helped me quite a bit."
Luo Zang nodded. "You’ve already done him a great favor, but from here on out, he will need to walk his own path. Unfortunately, he will never be able to reach your level in his life."
"Not necessarily," Lu Yin said as he clasped his hands behind his back. "It’s possible that someone important will assist him."
Luo Zang burst out laughing and said, "You’re quite interesting."
With that, he moved away.
Jiang Xiaodao sneered. "Devious."
Because of Luo Zang's interruption, Jiang Xiaodao did not continue to try to challenge Xuan Qi. Others huddled in little groups, talking or discussing various matters.
After half a day passed, an old woman appeared, escorting a group of people into the Arboreal Sanctuary. When she saw Mu Sanye, she hurriedly approached to pay her respects.
Mu Sanye looked behind the old woman and asked, "Only three?"
The old woman replied in a helpless manner, "The Arboreal Sanctuary has opened earlier than expected, so not many were prepared. They decided not to enter for this time, and instead intend to do so the next time it opens. These are the ones who were ready."
Three children followed behind the old woman; two boys and one girl. They appeared to be around five or six years old, and yet they had already begun cultivating.
There were two different paths taken by the inhabitants of the Arboreal Realm. One was to allow the children to pick Wood Fruits and acquire innate gifts that could support their cultivation, which could enable them to progress faster. The other option was for children to first start cultivating, and then later try to find an extraordinary tree to use for selecting a Woods Fruit, which could allow them a greater possibility of obtaining a better Wood Fruit, and thus a better innate gift.
It was clear that the three children were using the first path.
Mu Sanye announced, "Alright, I will now open the Arboreal Sanctuary."
Everyone grew solemn and turned to look into the space that lay behind the green curtain of light. Anticipation filled all of the eyes.
In the Fifth Mainland, it was rare for a person to be born with an innate gift, while it was possible for every cultivator in the Arboreal Realm to acquire one. How wonderful would it be if all of the Fifth Mainland’s cultivators could acquire innate gifts from the Arboreal Realm?
It was only possible to obtain an innate gift from a tree within the Arboreal Realm. Lu Yin had only learned about this after he had entered the Arboreal School. He found It regrettable that he would not be able to obtain an innate gift from the Mother Tree.
That thought was still in his mind when the green barrier suddenly vanished.
"Enter," Mu Sanye softly ordered.
Everyone shot into the space.
Despite being young, the three children reacted quickly and immediately rushed forwards as well.
The green barrier reappeared in an instant, separating the two spaces.
Lu Yin looked ahead. This was the Arboreal Sanctuary? It was a place filled with various exotic trees.
"Everyone, shall we compare our innate gifts later?" someone said with a laugh as they rushed in.
Jiang Xiaodao sneered, "Of course! I'm no coward."
He glanced provocatively at Xuan Qi before leaving.
One by one, Shao Qingfeng and the others all left as well.
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