Ye Yun activated the Art of the Nine Revolutions Essence and started to continuously absorb the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth. The Qi flowed around him and swirled into gusts of wind.
The light green glow on him that was usually only visible at night became more intense despite the daylight as his soul gradually condensed into a solid form. But Ye Yun wasn't aware of any of this as he was focused on his cultivation.
The flow of Qi around him started to expand further from him, intensifying into a mysterious concentration of Qi.
A few kilometers away, a child who was playing with a puppy after practicing his fist technique suddenly stopped and looked at the willow tree.
——
A pair of clear eyes blinked as the child's delicate porcelain-like face was turned towards the willow tree.
Strange, how could there be such a mysterious Qi flow that he had never come encountered before? Shi Hao was puzzled.
The energy of the Qi flow reminded him of the energy of the Bone Text he was first introduced to.
But, why was it being emitted from the willow tree?
No, it can't be... This village had been guarded by the willow tree guardian spirit for generations. How could it...?
Could something have happened?
The black-haired child with the delicate porcelain-like face slowly walked towards the willow tree in confusion, still staring intently.
Shi Hao carefully observed the willow tree and circled it many times, but he still could not find the source of the mysterious Qi flow.
It didn't seem like the guardian spirit had appeared abnormally. Nothing else about the willow tree seemed amiss.
Shi Hao became even more confused. Could he be wrong?
But the Qi flow seemed to be closer to him now.
Shi Hao sat cross-legged beside the guardian spirit and carefully observed it.
Little did Shi Hao notice that the emerald grass sprawled out under the tree was being enveloped by a light green glow and that the strange Qi flow he had been wondering about was coming from that glow.
The instant Ye Yun opened his eyes, he was almost scared out of his wits - he suddenly noticed a huge shadow covering him.
"How bad could being a blade of grass be?" Ye Yun complained sarcastically in a low voice.
After calming himself down, Ye Yun realized that the shadow over him was from a small child.
The child who was playing with the puppy earlier.
A child's body was not big, but for a blade of grass like Ye Yun's current form, the child was like a giant.
Enough with the distractions. The most important thing now was to cultivate and gain a human form.
Eventually, Ye Yun's form started to grow and the child did not seem as big as before.
Ye Yun couldn't see the child's face before, but now he could see the quasi-black hair draped over the shoulders; the fair and smooth skin; and the clear and bright eyes.
As he continued observing, he noticed that the child's weak and small body contained a surge of hidden energy.
Ye Yun stared at Shi Hao in confusion. He couldn't find a character like him anywhere in the novels he was usually familiar with.
Perhaps he was just another ordinary child character cultivating in this world.
Ye Yun did not think much about it as he kept on watching the child circle the willow tree and bury his head in all sorts of places to search. Ye Yun was filled with confusion, but he did not speak.
Right now, he was just a blade of grass, or maybe a medicinal herb.
If he suddenly made his voice heard by the child, the latter might think that Ye Yun was a spiritual herb with cultivated vitality and could be harvested and consumed as a tonic. Now, wouldn't that be dreadful?
He had to figure out what world he was in before making his next move.
It never hurt to be a little more cautious.
Ye Yun ignored Shi Hao and closed his eyes again to continue cultivating.
As Shi Hao was investigating, another child noticed his behavior and ran over, more curious about what Shi Hao was looking for than the mysterious Qi flow.
"Hey, little guy. I noticed that you have been circling the guardian spirit. Are you looking for something? Tell me, I'll help you."
One of the children spoke with a tender voice. But to Ye Yun, it sounded like thunder rumbling.
Little guy... guardian spirit... willow tree...
These keywords stuck out to Ye Yun and he felt like his worldview had just been shaken! An almost unbelievable thought appeared in his mind.
Could it be that he was in 'Perfect World'?
Could it be that the exquisite child beside him was the protagonist of 'Perfect World', Shi Hao?
The Shi Hao who once possessed the Supreme Being Bone; was deprived by the Stone clan's Shi Yi and abandoned by his mother; almost lost his life but then became the Desolate Heavenly Emperor?
Then wasn't the place he lived in Stone Village?
And the willow tree above him was the ancestral guardian spirit of the Immortal Ancient Era?
The guardian spirit that was the Immortal Ancient attacked by two immortal kings of the immortal realm before getting killed by lightning when it was in the state of Nirvana; had its dharma body destroyed and thus given no choice but to start all over again by turning into a seed; then becoming the Willow Deity of the lower realm's Stone Village?
Oh, shit...
Ye Yun was doing his best to come to terms with his recent realization of his reality.
He even doubted his ears' ability to hear properly.
Did he just grow next to the Willow Deity?
Unbelievable!
Ye Yun observed the willow tree again as his thoughts tried to organize themselves in his head.
Wood struck by lightning... guardian spirit... willow tree...
This was indeed the Willow Deity, and he was indeed in 'Perfect World'!
Ye Yun's thoughts finally became less chaotic as he verified his reality.
Shi Hao did not reply, but the child spoke again. "Shi Hao, tell me!"
Oh, shit! This second kid just confirmed it! The first child was Shi Hao! The protagonist of 'Perfect World'! The Desolate Heavenly Emperor that ruled the sky!
Ye Yun was so excited that he became speechless!
It was simply unbelievable! He actually met the future Desolate Heavenly Emperor!
He was even lucky enough to grow next to the Willow Deity! If this wasn't luck, he didn't know what was.
Knowing that he was in Stone Village of 'Perfect World', Ye Yun's worried heart slowly settled down.
He ignored the children's conversation and smoothly resumed his cultivation.
As for Shi Hao, when he was still unable to find the source of the mysterious and unfamiliar Qi flow, he helplessly sighed and left.
However, he had not given up. The mysterious Qi flow was still there and he continued his search daily at the willow tree.
Why couldn't he figure out the source of the mysterious Qi flow?
Could it be another indication that the guardian spirit was healing?
Shi Hao had once heard the village chief talk about the origins of the willow tree guardian spirit.
The towering ancient willow tree was from the heavens, its branches intertwining with the sky and reaching far and wide beyond the distant mountain ridges.
One day, it pulsed with bright golden light during a thunderstorm. Its branches trembled and moved as if the tree was fighting with an unknown being in the sky. With a sudden bright flash, as if it had been struck by lightning, the towering branches crumbled and the tree fell to where it now stood, replacing the Stone Village's previous sacrificial stone.
Years later, a branch grew from its charred bark, and that was when the guardian spirit revealed its presence. The villagers speculated that it was an indication that the guardian spirit had been healing.
Shi Hao no longer wanted to dwell on the mysterious Qi flow or the willow tree's branches. He had better things to do than to expend his energy on than this.
Moreover, he had already made plans with his friends to check out the nest of a Green Scaled Eagle today after they heard the elders talking about it.
————
An egg rolled toward the willow tree and stopped among the grass.
The huge ferocious Green Scaled Eagle had been perching elsewhere outside the village with its sharp eyes, staring at its three eggs that had been stolen and were now sitting on the grass. The demon beast started to emit a cold aura.
Another egg was leaning on Ye Yun, but he did not have the time to pay attention to it
He was now in an important stage of breaking through.
The quasi-purple light returned as it enveloped his body and intersected with his light green glow.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a strange mark appeared on the Green Scaled Eagle egg leaning on Ye Yun, and it started to glow with vitality.
At the same time, the willow tree's only branch slowly swayed and suddenly emitted a bright green light.
The branch eventually drooped further to the ground and slowly touched the other egg.
With two independent magical touches, the two eggs suddenly emitted a dazzling light and the system's notification echoed in Ye Yun's ears.
[Beep beep. Dear host, would you like to check in today?]
Ye Yun checked in silently, no longer as excited as the first time he did it.
Why would he be when he hadn't been receiving any check-in rewards?
Shi Hao hadn't been the only one facing a daily mystery - the mysterious Qi flow - recently. Ye Yun had also been trying to figure out his own daily mystery - the lack of daily check-in rewards.
He had not obtained a single thing since his first reward!
When he received the Art of Nine Revolutions Essence at the beginning, he thought he would be able to subsequently receive equally good rewards.
However, Ye Yun could never be more wrong and his subsequent check-ins could not be more fruitless.
Was the system messing with him?
Let him draw the one and only card in a blank deck so that he could be miserable later?
How wicked.
Still, Ye Yun did not want to reject the option to check-in for fear of missing a potential opportunity of getting a reward.
[Congratulations, dear host for completing today's check-in. You have obtained the Breath Concealing Technique and a piece of the Original Green Scaled Eagle Rune!]
When the voice disappeared, the Breath Concealing Technique quickly merged with Ye Yun's knowledge base and the mysterious Qi flow circulating from his body became concealed in an instant.
At the same time, the piece of Original Green Scaled Eagle Rune fused into Ye Yun's body, circulated through his blood, and transformed into strength, thus allowing Ye Yun's cultivation to finally break through.
Ye Yun had gained a reward that was not only much anticipated, but also much needed!
In addition, when he absorbed the rune, the crisp surface of the grass - Ye Yun - was instantly engraved with an ancient symbol, the exact same one as the mark on the eggs.
Shi Hao - who had not stopped investigating the mysterious Qi flow around the Willow Deity - immediately noticed the changes. He suddenly turned around, looked at the willow tree, and a thought appeared in his mind.
The timing of all of these was just impeccable!
The moment Ye Yun's check-in rewards took effect, the people from the village had come to pick up the eggs, only to be shocked.
Both eggs radiated with a divine aura as multicolored spots of lights appeared all over, making them pulse with vitality. The spots of light eventually turned into ancient symbols that seemed to have developed their own consciousness as they rotated and changed around the eggs with an endless ancient Qi flow.
Those who had picked up the eggs could immediately feel a constant emission of heat as if he was holding a pulsing furnace in his hands.
Ye Yun noticed the gathering of people. At first, he was confused, but then he remembered the plot of the novel.
Shi Hao and his friends must have successfully stolen the eggs from the Green Scaled Eagle's nest. When they brought the eggs back to the village, the Willow Deity's branch must have touched one of the eggs and awakened its ancestral inheritance.
It must have been the egg with the ancient runes!
But why were there two glowing eggs?
Ye Yun became equally as confused as the villagers. Eventually, the system pinged him a virtual notification display, though it lacked any proper explanation.
[Successfully helped the Green Scaled Eagle egg awaken its ancestral inheritance.]
Ye Yun stared at the line of words on the display and fell speechless.
What's going on?
'I didn't do anything to the egg, did I?'
——
When the mother Green Scaled Eagle rejected the return of her eggs by the villagers, the latter decided to keep the three eggs until they hatched. The mother Green Scaled Eagle flew off and the shocking events at the willow tree ended with the arrival of night.
Shi Hao was lying in his room, tossing and turning as he faced some difficulty falling asleep.
In the end, he got up, put on some clothes, and walked across the courtyard to the village chief's room.
"Say that again?!
"There is another guardian spirit besides the willow tree guardian spirit?!"
The surprised voice broke the silence of the night before the silence resumed. It was the village chief.
Shi Hao had just told the village chief what he had speculated based on the events earlier during the day.
How else could they explain not one, but two glowing Green Scaled Eagle eggs? Everyone had clearly seen the willow tree branch touching only one of the eggs. It must have been the work of two guardian spirits.
Shi Hao also had an additional and potentially related speculation - that the divine spirit of the willow tree guardian spirit had awakened.
What other explanations were there? Despite years of sacrificial offerings to the willow tree guardian spirit, nothing had happened until now.
In addition, Shi Hao had sensed the mysterious Qi flow near the willow tree days ago. And the moment the willow tree's branch touched the Green Scaled Eagle egg and awakened its ancestral inheritance, the mysterious Qi flow had disappeared.
If this wasn't evidence of the revival of the willow tree guardian spirit, Shi Hao didn't know what other explanations there could be.
However, the village chief still had a hard time believing Shi Hao. It was not because the village chief still saw Shi Hao as a child and thus deemed his words groundless - the village chief did not doubt Shi Hao's logic - but because Shi Hao's words were simply so inconceivable to the village chief that he couldn't bring himself to accept them, at least not immediately.
As far as he knew, there should only be one guardian spirit of Stone Village.
The matter of two guardian spirits appearing in the same place was unprecedented.
"Two guardian spirits... Really?"The clan leader muttered to himself.
Ultimately, he did not care what was possible or not. What had happened today was still an auspicious event for Stone Village in the Great Wasteland.
Moreover, there was currently no better explanation for the awakening of the second egg's ancestral inheritance.
The village chief noticed how late into the night they were, so he advised Shi Hao to go to bed. Then, he turned to his window and stared at the quasi-black space alone, deep in thought.
If Shi Hao was right about the mysterious Qi flow that had appeared for a while but dissipated the moment the Green Scaled Eagle eggs' ancestral inheritance awakened, such a major event had to be discussed with everyone.
After all, it was related to the guardian spirit and fate of Stone Village,
The village chief was already fortunate enough to witness the willow tree guardian spirit's extremely powerful abilities years ago. If there was another guardian spirit around, what would its identity be?
——
Ye Yun did not know that his cultivation had brought the willow tree back to life and awakened the ancestral inheritance of an additional Green Scaled Eagle egg. So it's not a wonder he was not aware that he might be the other guardian spirit Shi Hao had been guessing at.
Instead, he had noticed other changes around him and made a discovery.
When the ancient runes fused into him earlier, he not only had a breakthrough in his cultivation, Ye Yun found that his roots had grown deeper into and spread wider throughout the ground.
Before that, his roots were right under the surface of the soil and did not touch the willow tree's roots at all.
Now, his roots had extended so deep into and far across the ground that they could almost come in contact with the willow tree's roots.
This realization excited Ye Yun, even if he was still a blade of grass, unable to move.
Based on his development progress, wouldn't it be just a matter of time before he gained a human form?
Ye Yun quickly activated the virtual display and browsed through his information and attributes.
It was as he had expected. He had already become an Intermediate Sprout.
Even though he did not know what kind of plant he would become when he matured, Ye Yun was already feeling quite confident in his ability to reach his goal.
There was something else that he had noticed.
The more he cultivated the Art of Nine Revolutions Essence, the higher the density of his soul and the wider his field of vision.
Initially, his field of vision was only limited to around the altar by the willow tree and some parts of the village. Today, he could already see the entire Stone Village.
Though his field of vision had much more room for expansion, Ye Yun was already excited about the small recent improvements.
As such, he had become highly motivated to cultivate diligently. He couldn't wait to explore Stone Village.
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