Chapter 359: Innate Spirit Wood, Xing Family Proposes Marriage!
In his Dantian, a phantasmal image of a small tower slowly appeared.
The tower had twelve floors, signifying Lin Mu had reached the peak of Qi Refinement.
The Twelve-Fold Towers!
Feeling the surging Spiritual Energy within his body, Lin Mu’s expression grew serious.
Although I haven’t achieved Foundation Establishment, whether or not I can construct the Twelve-Fold Towers will determine the height of my future cultivation.
At present, the tower within his Dantian had not yet solidified; it remained a mere phantom.
Only by solidifying these Twelve-Fold Towers could a sturdy Dao foundation be laid for Foundation Establishment.
The Twelve-Fold Towers are the Dao foundation!
Lin Mu sat cross-legged, floating three feet above the ground, absorbing all the surrounding Spiritual Energy. In the blink of an eye, any Spiritual Energy that entered his body was devoured by the Twelve-Fold Towers.
The first floor of the tower flared with a brilliant light, solidifying from illusion into reality. It was followed by the second, the third... all the way to the fifth floor.
Unfortunately, the ambient Spiritual Energy had grown scarce, and it was far from enough for Lin Mu to construct the final seven floors.
If the Twelve-Fold Towers could not be constructed in a single attempt, this period of seclusion would end in utter failure.
However, Lin Mu had already absorbed all the Spiritual Energy within a hundred-mile radius. With each additional level, the amount of Spiritual Energy required by the Twelve-Fold Towers grew to a terrifying degree.
Just then, Lin Mu suddenly sensed a fluctuation of extremely pure Spiritual Energy. He snapped his eyes open and saw a massive, ancient tree as thick as a water bucket standing at the edge of the cliff.
The tree was lush and verdant, its leaves swaying gently. Streams of exceptionally pure Spiritual Energy emanated from it. On its trunk, a vine as thick as a wrist was also thriving, its vibrant green a pleasing sight.
Is this...
Lin Mu’s pupils constricted, and his heart began to beat a little faster.
A Dao Tree?
He shook his head. No, this isn’t a Dao Tree. It’s a seed of Innate Spirit Wood that was cultivated by the Mountain and River Cauldron.
A smile touched Lin Mu’s lips. "A most timely rescue!" he murmured.
With a grasp of his hand, the giant tree began to shake, and the Mountain and River Cauldron emitted a buzzing sound, as if condemning Lin Mu for his thievery.
"Help me forge my Dao foundation today, and I promise I’ll help you recover your full power in the future!" Lin Mu said, appearing to negotiate with the Mountain and River Cauldron.
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
The Mountain and River Cauldron emitted a muffled hum, as if in hesitation.
"The Spiritual Energy in this realm is too thin to help you recover your peak strength," Lin Mu said earnestly. "To you, this Spirit Wood is only useful for preserving your spirituality. It’s not a great help. But if you give it to me, I guarantee that I will find you places overflowing with Spiritual Energy in the future."
BUZZ! BUZZ!
The Mountain and River Cauldron seemed to have made a decision, as its resisting force weakened considerably.
BOOM!
As Lin Mu’s palm exerted a powerful suction, the Spirit Wood inside the Mountain and River Cauldron exploded. A streak of green light shot out from within, attempting to flee.
"Haha, trying to run?"
Lin Mu’s large hand snatched at the air, and the light was instantly frozen. It was a palm-sized block of wood, carved with countless mysterious inscriptions.
This block of wood was the Spirit Core of the Spirit Wood, which could also be called Innate Spirit Wood. It contained the entire essence of the spirit tree.
A so-called Innate Spirit Wood comes from a divine tree with a lifespan of over 10,000 years. After Transcending Tribulation, it can shed its mortal body and live on as a primordial spirit. It can fly through the heavens, roam the sky, transform into a human, and possess all manner of inconceivable Divine Skills.
However, this Innate Spirit Wood had clearly not yet undergone its tribulation, so it was naturally unable to fly or take human form.
Even with the Mountain and River Cauldron’s heaven-defying abilities, it was impossible to grow a seed into a true Innate Spirit Wood in such a short amount of time.
Still, this block of wood contained an extremely dense Spiritual Energy, which could help Lin Mu with the Construction of the Twelve Floors.
If this Innate Spirit Wood were to fall into the hands of someone practicing a wood-attribute cultivation technique, it would be an absolute treasure!
Unfortunately for the wood, Lin Mu only needed its Spiritual Energy.
Having mastered the Heavenly Dao Myriad Laws Record, he had integrated all the myriad Daos into one. With every concept clear in his heart, a single move from him was a law, a technique, a Divine Skill, capable of manifesting any art in the world.
As long as his Divine Soul remained powerful enough and his physical body was indestructible, he would be the most invincible being in the world!
His Divine Soul was already among the strongest in existence, but his physical body, after all, was not some powerful Dao Physique. It required polishing and Body Tempering; it needed to become stronger!
The Twelve-Fold Towers could help him lay his Dao Foundation and temper his physical body!
At this thought, Lin Mu floated three feet off the ground, sitting cross-legged with his hands held before him as if cradling a Tai Chi symbol from which Yin and Yang spontaneously emerged.
The Innate Spirit Wood hovered between his palms, its Spiritual Energy being drawn from the Spirit Core with every breath Lin Mu took.
Streams of supremely pure Spiritual Energy emerged from it, forming an ethereal mist. This mist appeared to be composed of countless green droplets, each one containing surging vital energy and dense Spiritual Energy.
If an ordinary person were to absorb just one such droplet, their body would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and burst from the potent Spiritual Energy, transforming them into an ancient tree.
But if a Cultivator refined and absorbed it, not only would their lifespan be extended, but their cultivation level would also rise dramatically.
Lin Mu was now using these green droplets to complete the Construction of the Twelve Floors and lay his Dao Foundation.
BOOM!
As Lin Mu began refining the green droplets, one of them burst open. A terrifying wood-attribute energy and a surging Life Force instantly blanketed the entire forbidden area of the back mountain.
Fortunately, a Formation was in place to contain it. Otherwise, this energy would have spread out in all directions and dissipated back into the world.
Even so, the countless flowers and grasses in the back mountain seemed to come alive, growing rapidly, becoming lush and verdant, and brimming with vitality. Even long-withered trees and plants sprouted new shoots, bursting with renewed life.
In the blink of an eye, the vast forbidden area was filled with thousands of swaying trees and hundreds of blooming flowers. Countless peach trees released a thick, sweet fragrance.
It was like April in the mortal world, when the peach blossoms at the mountain temple begin to bloom.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
The Mountain and River Cauldron "watched" with envy, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy that filled the air.
Lin Mu paid it no mind. The Spirit Core contained thousands of these green droplets, which was more than enough for him to lay his Dao Foundation.
As Lin Mu continued the refinement, his pace quickened, as did the Construction of the Twelve Floors.
The sixth floor, the seventh, the eighth... all the way to the tenth! Only the final two floors remained!
Moreover, Lin Mu’s physical body grew stronger and stronger, faintly emitting a dazzling halo.
He had only used a little more than half of the Spirit Core’s essence. It was more than enough to construct the final two floors!
While Lin Mu was occupied with the Construction of the Twelve Floors, a group of uninvited guests arrived at Bai Miao Village.
"The Xing Clan of Southern Sky has come to propose marriage to the Li ethnic group Saintess today!"
As the leading elder’s voice fell, the people of Bai Miao Village erupted in fury.
"How audacious!"
"Our ancestral teachings state that the Saintess must serve the Miao King for her entire life and cannot marry an outsider!"
"Xing Family, you are bold indeed! Do you wish to forsake the ancestral teachings and challenge the authority of our King of the Miao of the Li Clan?"
Facing the anger of the People of the Li Clan, the elder chuckled faintly. "The Xing Family and the Jiuli Tribe are branches of the same tree. A union between the Li ethnic group Saintess and our own genius, Xing Chong, is a match made in heaven. How could that be considered forsaking your ancestral teachings?"
The elder sneered proudly. "Besides, this so-called ’Miao King’ is merely a title the Li Clan bestowed upon itself. The Xing Family does not recognize it!"
"The Xing Family violated the ancestral teachings and is no longer part of the Li Clan! Our Miao King has no need for your recognition!"
"Well said! Members of the Xing Family, get out of here! Or don’t blame us for being discourteous!"
As the angry shouts from Bai Miao Village carried out, the smile on the elder’s face slowly vanished. "The Xing Family came today with the genuine intention of arranging a marriage with the Saintess, not to use force," he said coldly. "But if you insist on being stubborn, then don’t blame this old man for forgetting our past ties!"
With a wave of his hand, the elder sent a human head flying into Bai Miao Village.
"Xiao Qian of the Xiao Family!"