Eternal Tale

One month later, at Flower Rain Valley.

This place had become a place for nurturing trees, with towering Crane Spirit Trees rising, their massive canopies blocking out the sky and releasing thick spiritual energy.

Chen Xun sat cross-legged in mid-air, frowning slightly in deep thought. These Crane Spirit Trees, which were over ten thousand years old, seemed to drain the entire valley of its spiritual energy when rooted in the ground.

However, the spiritual energy they emitted continuously dissipated, much like the energy released by spiritual herbs, making it unusable for cultivation.

“This wood-based energy seems to be transforming, slowly converting into non-elemental spiritual energy in the world, but the process is incredibly slow.”

A Wood-element Nascent Soul hovered above Chen Xun’s head, sensing the energies of the world.

“Even cultivators with wood-element spiritual roots would likely avoid absorbing this energy directly, as it’s entirely different from the wood-elemental energy found in nature.”

He suddenly let out a laugh. If someone absorbed too much of this energy, would they end up turning into Crane Spirit Trees themselves...?

Meanwhile, the big black ox was busy on the ground, setting up formations around a small flying boat.

“These Crane Spirit Trees can only age properly in places where spiritual energy gathers, and now they’re everywhere in the cultivation world. ”The Wood-element Nascent Soul on top of Chen Xun’s head opened its playful eyes, showing interest. “If I were to plant high-aged Crane Spirit Trees everywhere…”

Chen Xun’s eyes widened suddenly with a realization—they could silently destroy a cultivation world!

Crane Spirit Trees, unlike rare spiritual herbs that require specific environments, only need spiritual energy to thrive. As for the feedback after their conversion, it could take countless years for the world’s spiritual energy to recover.

Chen Xun’s heartbeat quickened. These Crane Spirit Trees were indeed a scourge on the cultivation world—they should be cut down!

“This cultivation world has spawned such a great menace. I cannot allow you to remain!” A cold light flashed in his eyes as he inexplicably donned a bandit’s hood, muttering, “Then again, we immortals might also be considered a scourge to the cultivation world…”

“Moo?!” The big black ox exclaimed in surprise, instinctively putting on a bandit’s hood as well. Could it be that his elder brother was about to take action?

Mysteriously… An eerie scene unfolded in Flower Rain Valley. The true three great scourges of the cultivation world had gathered!

“No worries, Old Ox, I just thought of something.”

“Moo”

The big black ox relaxed, muttering a few words before resuming its work, running around the ground while surrounded by three powerful formation flags.

“Heh.” Chen Xun grinned, raising two fingers as the Wood-element Nascent Soul radiated a green light, and a chain of spiritual energy wrapped around him.

The five elements of the world, are non-elemental spiritual energy, cultivators using spiritual roots as a foundation, and sensing the energy of heaven and earth.

Chen Xun’s gaze grew sharper as he recalled the ancient “Qi Refining Technique,” a creation of a truly wise one!

“What is the medium that converts the Crane Spirit Tree’s wood energy into non-elemental spiritual energy?”

A smile played on Chen Xun’s lips as the five-element Nascent Souls appeared. A slight rumble echoed through the valley, and a powerful aura surged forth, overwhelming everything.

The big black ox’s face changed drastically on the ground. The five orbs of light behind Chen Xun seemed to be merging, and the terrifying phenomenon from back then was about to reappear.

“Moo~moo~~” The big black ox quickly hid inside the small flying boat, poking its head out cautiously to observe the sky.

“Damn it, it’s relying on the five elements of the world—wood!” Chen Xun’s smile turned bloodthirsty as the power of the Nascent Soul exceeded imagination. “Interesting, hahaha…”

His laughter echoed through the valley, accompanied by the overwhelming force of his energy, which began to bombard the big black ox’s formation.

The big black ox’s pupils trembled, its hooves gripping the edge of the flying boat as Chen Xun’s black hair whipped wildly in the air, a hint of madness gleaming in his eyes.

Chen Xun’s laughter grew increasingly wild. The things he couldn’t figure out during the Golden Core stage had finally become clear after his breakthrough!

The Five Elements Qi of Heaven and Earth is infinite—so why hasn’t it been fully harnessed by cultivators, only used as an auxiliary?

It’s because no one has ever possessed a Five Elements Golden Core, a Five Elements Nascent Soul, or immortality!

The Five Elements spiritual energy can mutate into attributes like wind, thunder, and ice, while the non-elemental spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth naturally relies on a medium to be converted by the Five Elements Qi!

“Damn it, I’ve figured it out!!”

Chen Xun’s chest heaved violently as if he had touched upon an essential truth. The entire Flower Rain Valley trembled with his realization.

The big black ox was stunned and quickly manipulated the formation to stabilize the surroundings—after all, they were merely renting this place, paying a fee for the use of the grounds.

“Book, the little booklet, yes.”

Chen Xun hurriedly fumbled through his storage ring to record his inspiration. This was crucial for creating his cultivation technique and solving the problem of spiritual energy activation.

“Moo?” The big black ox roared at Chen Xun, confusion written all over its face.

“Old Ox, I’ve figured out some more things. We’re in for some good times ahead.” Chen Xun laughed heartily, still writing and sketching. “This is real cultivation, so interesting.”

The glowing figures behind him slowly faded away, and the overwhelming aura dissipated into the heavens and earth.

“Moo!” The big black ox let out a joyful roar, running around the small flying boat twice. Chen Xun was indeed a genius!

“We need to accumulate more knowledge, especially by studying Five-Element spiritual root techniques.” Chen Xun felt his mind becoming increasingly clear. “Even the techniques from the Qi Refining stage shouldn’t be overlooked.”

His gaze turned back to the Crane Spirit Trees—problems should be considered from all angles, not just the negative.

The Crane Spirit Trees could be a great threat if forcibly cultivated without roots, but their essence, which can be cultivated without roots, is of immense benefit.

If hundreds of thousands of years old Crane Spirit Trees were buried underground in certain places, with time…

“Oh, come on, this is how spiritual veins and spirit stone mines are formed?!” Chen Xun’s eyes widened as his thoughts continued to expand. “Weren’t those petroleum deposits in the previous life formed from the fossils of various plants and such?”

He swallowed hard. With the improvement of his cultivation level, it felt like his mind was expanding too, which was both amazing and frustrating!

“Immortality is wonderful~~ simply marvellous ~~” Chen Xun chuckled to himself, humming a tune as he filled his small booklet with more notes.

He even had special shelves in his storage ring, categorizing those little booklets starting from the first layer of Qi Refining.

There are countless theories in the cultivation world about how spiritual veins came to be. Most people say it’s a gift from Heaven and Earth—who has the time to think so deeply about it?

When something appears, fight for it. When it’s used up, discard it. It’s the same with good techniques and spells; if they exist, fight for them, and if they don’t, seek them out. And if a Heaven-given technique appears, taking it is as justified as if you created it yourself.

Chen Xun had always disagreed with the current cultivation world’s mindset, but he never voiced his opinions, quietly doing what he wanted.

He and the big black ox had always had a deep respect for the ancients. Their immortal mindset was different—they enjoyed exploring the essence of things and had a greater sense of reverence.

Meanwhile… The big black ox also felt like his mind was growing. He stared at his three formation flags inside the flying boat, lost in thought.

A Nascent Soul can refine a second set of life-bound magical treasures. The ox planned to refine two more formation flags, corresponding to the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth—it would be much more effective that way.