Star-defying cultivation

Gù

But the water did not advance any farther, stopping before it could rise toward him.

[ Mission: Return to cultivate the Wood Technique before coming back here ]

[ Reward: "Secret" ]

Secret? Ye Xian wondered as he looked at the rippling water. He had, however, an idea of why the Heavenly Voice was asking him to cultivate the Wood Technique first. The faster he cultivated it, the faster he could bring the wood back to Chen Badao, and the faster he could return here and cultivate without disturbance.

"Who is this joker? Did he really come here to disturb us?" said one of the three fat cultivators with a frown. Ye Xian turned his head toward them in perplexity before remembering the fat Gu brothers Zhuo Yin had mentioned. Just by looking at them, he could guess that they were them.

"Haha! How many oxen do you eat per day?" Ye Xian couldn't help but ask while laughing and looking at their overly fat bellies. All three of them were extremely fat, like balloons, and appeared older than Ye Xian, with short red hair.

Ye Xian's laughter didn't stop as he struggled to remain standing.

The three of them were all annoyed, their faces twitching. No one had ever dared to speak to them like that before, especially when people heard their family name, "Gù."

"By the way, do you want to die before you've even grown a little?" one of the fat men shouted as he took a step forward, but the other two grabbed him by the sleeves.

"Brother! Let's just inform our parents. Don't forget that fighting is forbidden."

"Yes! Besides, he's just a child. What will the others think if we hurt him?"

This was a golden rule in the sect. No one ever fought within the sect, whether because of quarrels, training, or even duels. This was why special events such as various trials, tournaments, and missions outside the sect were seen by many disciples as the best opportunities to take revenge or test themselves.

The one who had almost attacked took a slight step back after hearing what his brothers had said before frowning.

"Okay! We'll just inform our parents, or, worse, wait for the tournament to deal with him."

At the same time, Ye Xian turned around and began walking away in a hurry, leaving behind a provocative sentence.

" Wait for me here. I'll be back."

He had absolutely no intention of letting people stop him from cultivating whenever he wanted to or whenever the Heavenly Voice asked him to. The fat cultivators behind him couldn't help but grit their teeth in unison before cursing.

"You little bastard! Are you actually challenging the Gù family?"

"I hope you'll enjoy your last moments so you can say your final words to your friends..."

_______________________

Back in the forest, among the wood scattered across the ground, Ye Xian couldn't help but sit cross-legged and prepare himself.

[ Very well! I will first explain a fourth type of spiritual energy to you. ]

"A fourth type? Does it have its own dantian?" Ye Xian asked, raising his head eagerly.

[ No! It is simply a type of spiritual energy that is useful for learning and cultivating techniques. ]

Ye Xian scratched his head before asking afterward, "Is there a difference between learning and cultivating a technique?"

[ Yeah! You learn a technique that you did not have before, and you cultivate that technique once you have already learned it in order to make it stronger. ]

Ye Xian nodded after a few seconds of assimilation, indicating that he understood.

[ The fourth type of spiritual energy is something found in nature that acts as an essence. ]

"An essence?"

[ When you absorb Earth Spiritual Energy from a tree, it does not die, but it becomes weaker. However, when you take its essence, which is the fourth type of spiritual energy and acts as a source of life for it, it dies on the spot. ]

[ This fourth energy, which is essence or a source of life, also has different, simpler names. For example, for a tree it is simply called "Wood" Spiritual Energy. For fire, "Fire" Spiritual Energy. By absorbing these energies, you can use them to learn a technique related to what the energy belonged to. ]

Ye Xian looked at the wood around him as he wanted to ask whether this energy was still there since he had cut down the trees and they were probably dead. But he gave up when he felt something as he looked at them and couldn't help but smile and close his eyes, focusing on his dantian.

After a few seconds, he managed to maintain control over his dantian as he then used it like a black hole, absorbing not the Star Spiritual Energy, but something else.

An illusory substance began to emerge from each piece of wood around him, gathering before condensing again and again and moving inward toward his spiritual body, attracted by the dantian.

However, as the illusory substance entered the dantian, Ye Xian could perceive something beginning to form in his mind.

A small plant... There was a plant that had just formed in his mind, which was like a vast, slightly dark world, with the plant as its only life. The latter began to grow little by little. The more substance he absorbed, the larger the plant became. It grew a little, not even exceeding 30 cm, when the Heavenly Voice suddenly warned him urgently.

[ Stop! You must not absorb all the Wood energy. Have you forgotten your work? ]

Suddenly, Ye Xian stopped before opening his eyes and standing up with a start.

"Fuck! I hope it's not over?" he asked as his heart beating wildly.

[ No. But the amount in each piece of wood is small! ]

"I was scared! I thought I had taken everything." Ye Xian sighed as he thought about how to carry the wood before heading toward The Sword's Source. However, the Heavenly Voice continued.

[ You have successfully learned the Wood Technique "World Tree." ]

"The World Tree?" Ye Xian raised his head in astonishment.

[ World Tree: This is the Wood Technique cultivated by everyone who uses "Wood" energy in the cultivation world, and it is divided into 20 levels. No one has been able to surpass the first 10 levels, even in the Upper Realm. You have only reached the first level. ]

[ Level 1: You can produce Spiritual Wood that you use to strengthen yourself or use as a means of attack. ]

Twenty levels isn't too many? Even after everything I absorbed from the wood here, I couldn't even reach level two... Ye Xian complained.

He made a starry luminous sword appear, then busied himself cutting all the leaves off the wood. After becoming a Starry Cultivator, his physical strength was simply monstrous, allowing him to carry two large pieces of wood at once despite his age as he headed to Chen Badao's place.

_______________

Ten minutes passed as Ye Xian busied himself carrying more than ten pieces of wood in front of Chen Badao's room. Chen Badao wasn't there, so he simply placed the wood in front of his room, where some wood had already been placed, and he didn't care if Chen Badao came to ask him for proof that he had brought the wood.

It wasn't a problem for him to cut down more wood... After all, he also used the wood to cultivate.

This time, the Gu brothers weren't there, which made him sigh as he looked at the river.

[ You have completed the mission that consisted of taking care of the wood first before coming here. ]

[ Reward: You can resist the effect induced by the swords in The Sword's Source. ]

"The induced effect? I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy," Ye Xian commented with a chuckle. He sighed deeply before moving forward and ignoring the water that was rippling violently toward him.

When he placed his right foot in it, he felt faint stabbing strikes targeting his mind as the water pulled him strongly inward, forcing him to shout.

The moment he managed to stand up in the water, he felt a large amount of energy pour into his body, nourishing the Sanctuary of a Thousand Swords technique at a considerable speed. The stabs targeting his mind were not too painful, although they were a little painful, forcing him to thank the Heavenly Voice.

Then he focused on his body, which was absorbing the unknown energy.

[ The Sword Energy present in The Sword's Source is nourishing the "Sanctuary of a Thousand Swords." Please do not leave for now. ]

Is this the fourth energy? "Wood" energy, and now Sword Energy...

"Does this mean that, just like the World Tree Technique, the Sanctuary of a Thousand Swords was also learned and cultivated by members of the sect?" he asked the Heavenly Voice in astonishment.

[ Yes! But none of them learned it at such a young age and at such a level of cultivation. Yet another benefit of Star Cultivation. ]

[ Now that I think about it... ]

[ A long-term mission has just been added. ]

A long-term mission? Ye Xian didn't understand what the Heavenly Voice was getting at as he slightly frowned.

[ Long-Term Mission: Succeed in the upcoming tournament in one year and advance to the outer sect. ]

[ Reward: You will be qualified to learn techniques unique to your type of cultivation... ]

Techniques of Star Cultivation? Will they be more powerful than the ones I have now? Ye Xian shook his head before looking at the water he was standing in and murmuring.

"The tournament..."

____________________

Night had already fallen when the Heavenly Voice rang out, startling Ye Xian, who had already fallen asleep without realizing it. Since he didn't need to do anything to absorb the Sword Energy because it simply entered him on its own, he had nothing to do but watch.

[ You have reached Level 2 of the Sanctuary of a Thousand Swords technique! ]

[ Level 2: You can now create 15 swords and also use "Sword Tornado." ]

[ Sword Tornado: You can create a 2-meter sword tornado with 15 swords, inflicting heavy damage. ]

Ye Xian stood up before happily leaving The Sword's Source, and the water did nothing to stop him.

Although he had absorbed a lot, the water in The Sword's Source didn't really seem to have decreased, as if it instantly replenished itself.

Ye Xian hurried home, hoping not to encounter Chen Badao on the way, as he might come looking for him after noticing his absence.

After a while, Ye Xian emerged from the forest, and the first thing he saw was several aspiring disciples standing in front of Chen Badao's house. The Spiritual Wood had already been taken away, leaving more space.

Perplexed, Ye Xian saw Zhuo Yin a little ahead and quietly approached him, noticing the fearful look on the faces of all the disciples present without even giving them time to notice him.

Is there a problem? Ye Xian couldn't help but wonder.

When Zhuo Yin saw him approaching, he moved slightly toward him and scrutinized him while saying, "Where did you go? I've been looking everywhere for you, damn it!"

Ye Xian, concerned about something else, asked instead, "Is there a problem?" while looking around him.

Zhuo Yin chuckled before speaking with visible fear.

"The elders discovered a problem with some of the wood Chen Badao brought to the inner sect this afternoon and sent people here to reprimand him."

"..."

Ye Xian's heart skipped a beat.