Chapter 137 - 127: Benefits for Everyone, Dead Wood Regeneration

Chapter 137: Chapter 127: Benefits for Everyone, Dead Wood Regeneration

Ji Zhixing’s vision blurred, and his surroundings faded into a hazy gray. Everything seemed to be spinning endlessly, leaving him with a sense of extreme dizziness.

When he finally recovered, the scene before him was entirely different. Gone was the familiar plaza of Yu City University, along with the numerous campus buildings. Replaced by an azure sky and a withered, yellow forest, they found themselves standing in a clearing.

"Is this the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land?" someone whispered.

Ji Zhixing swept his gaze over the surrounding forest. It was massive, stretching as far as the eye could see. Yet, all the trees were withered and yellow, devoid of a single green leaf. The trunks were covered in deep cracks, looking as if they had been dead for years. The entire forest exuded a bleak, desolate aura, almost like a land of death.

"The people from Yu City University are here."

A voice called out from nearby. Ji Zhixing turned and saw two groups of people standing on either side of the clearing, each with about thirty members. Seeing the arrival of the Yu City University group, they all looked over.

"Are these the people from Feng City University and Yun City University?" Ji Zhixing wondered.

The Spirit Ruins Treasure Land was jointly managed by three base cities. The number of people in these two groups matched theirs exactly—thirty people each. In all likelihood, they were from the universities of the other two base cities. The three groups gathered in the clearing, sizing each other up, internally guessing who the geniuses among them might be.

"Bai Yuan, I didn’t expect you to be leading the team this time," a deep voice spoke up.

It belonged to the teacher leading Yun City University. He looked slightly older than Bai Yuan, boasting a burly figure clad in a dark martial arts suit. He stared at the white-clad teacher leading Yu City University, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes.

"I had some free time, so I came to take a look," Bai Yuan said lightly, his tone calm. "After all, I visited this place back in the day and reaped quite a harvest."

"Alright, enough nonsense. Since everyone is here, let’s go through the motions and start as soon as possible," a cold female voice interjected.

It was the teacher leading Feng City University. She was a woman in her thirties, tall and beautiful, with her long hair tied into a neat ponytail. A longsword hung at her waist, exuding a sharp, imposing aura.

"Alright, then let’s activate the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest," Bai Yuan nodded.

"Dead Wood Regeneration Forest?" Ji Zhixing’s heart stirred upon hearing the teachers’ conversation, and his gaze swept over the forest before him.

"Alright, get ready now," Bai Yuan’s voice rang out. He looked at the Yu City University students and said, "The Spirit Ruins Treasure Land is made up of countless smaller treasure lands. The Dead Wood Regeneration Forest is one of them.

"Every time the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land opens, those who enter can obtain their first benefit here."

"Benefit?" someone asked curiously.

Bai Yuan didn’t answer, merely gesturing for everyone to look ahead.

SWISH!

Right then, the female teacher from Feng City University drew the longsword at her waist and delivered a fierce upward slash. A sharp beam of sword light shot into the sky, exploding against the azure backdrop and transforming into countless fine specks of light that scattered like fireworks.

Those specks of light fell upon the surrounding withered wood, seemingly triggering something.

The next moment, the supposedly dead trees began to sway gently. The withered yellow branches trembled, and the cracked bark split further to reveal tender green shoots sprouting from the crevices. These new shoots grew at a visible rate, turning into tender twigs in the blink of an eye, which then unfurled fresh leaves.

At the same time, wisps of milky-white fog emanated from the withered wood, slowly rising and spreading until they shrouded the entire area. The rotten smell in the air was replaced by the fresh scent of vegetation, instantly refreshing the spirit with a single breath.

"This fog..."

As the fog rolled in, Ji Zhixing’s heart stirred, immediately sensing the vitality hidden within it. It was a pure, rich life energy, as if every wisp of fog was composed of countless tiny life particles. He took a deep breath, inhaling a wisp of fog into his body.

The moment the fog entered his system, the phantom of the Five-Colored Willow mutant tree gene within him trembled slightly. Its branches stretched out, and its leaves opened up, eagerly absorbing this life energy. To his even greater surprise, he discovered that the fog could faintly enhance his self-healing ability.

"Good stuff!" Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up.

"Now, you can go search for the places where the fog is thickest," Bai Yuan’s voice sounded again. "Where the fog is thickest, there’s a chance it will condense into Dead Wood Regeneration Dew.

"This is the real prize. It can rapidly heal your injuries, and a single drop is worth a hundred thousand points. Every time the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest is activated, it condenses several hundred drops of Dead Wood Regeneration Dew."

At these words, everyone’s hearts leaped. Dead Wood Regeneration Dew? A hundred thousand points for a single drop? A hundred thousand points might not seem like much, but this was only their first day in the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land. As long as they could harvest a drop or two, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip. Plus, they could keep the dew for themselves to treat future injuries.

"Let’s go! Let’s head deeper into the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest!"

The students from the three schools immediately sprang into action, scattering in their chosen directions to begin their search.

But Ji Zhixing didn’t move. He stood in place with his eyes closed, feeling the gentle flow of the surrounding fog. Then, he noticed something strange. The fog around him was noticeably thicker than elsewhere, and the density was still increasing. It wasn’t that he had walked into a dense patch of fog; rather, the fog was actively gathering toward him.

"Am I attracting this fog?" Ji Zhixing pondered silently.

He could feel that this phenomenon was likely tied to his Five-Colored Willow mutant tree gene, which was currently undergoing a metamorphosis and slowly sinking into a state of deathly stillness. However, because the process had just begun, the trend was very subtle. Aside from him, no one else around had noticed.

"Dead Wood Regeneration Forest..." Ji Zhixing mused. "This forest and the process my Five-Colored Willow mutant tree is undergoing seem to share a similar underlying principle."

Dead wood regenerating—radiating vitality from decay. For his Five-Colored Willow mutant tree gene to evolve into the Thunder Silence Willow mutant tree gene, it also needed to undergo a grueling process from annihilation to rebirth. At their core, the two concepts were deeply connected.

"This fog can condense into Dead Wood Regeneration Dew, and it seems to be useful for developing my super self-healing ability. However, the fog alone isn’t enough; I still need the stimulation of lightning," Ji Zhixing thought to himself.

After these past few days of rigorous development, his advanced self-healing ability had already seen considerable progress. If this fog could provide sufficient life energy, perhaps he could actually leverage it to break through and achieve a super self-healing ability this time.

With this thought, his heart suddenly gave a jolt. He raised his head and swept his gaze around, just in time to see Xu Cheng stepping forward, preparing to find a spot to hunt for Dead Wood Regeneration Dew.

"Xu Cheng!" Ji Zhixing called out.

Xu Cheng turned his head and looked at him. "What is it?"

"Do me a favor," Ji Zhixing said. "I want to train here a bit more. Strike me with your lightning."

Xu Cheng’s mouth twitched. "Are you crazy? Training here? What’s wrong with you?" He turned around, ready to walk away.

"Don’t worry, I’ll replenish all the genetic source energy you consume," Ji Zhixing offered.

Xu Cheng remained completely unmoved. This was the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land. He was here to hunt for treasure, not to train his genetic abilities. Now was the prime time to seize opportunities; he’d have to be bored out of his mind to waste time training with Ji Zhixing.

"I’ll throw in an extra drop of Dead Wood Regeneration Dew," Ji Zhixing shouted again. "If you search on your own, you might not necessarily find any. But if you help me out, I guarantee you at least one drop."

Xu Cheng paused his steps. Dead Wood Regeneration Dew? He looked at Ji Zhixing suspiciously.

"Trust me," Ji Zhixing said. "I won’t lie to you. You’ll see exactly what’s going on in a moment."

Off to the side, Xiao Mingyue looked at Ji Zhixing in surprise, unsure of what he was up to. But at a time like this, she naturally wouldn’t say much, simply standing quietly beside him.

"Right here?" Xu Cheng took a deep breath, ultimately deciding to trust Ji Zhixing this once. After all, even though Ji Zhixing was a bit of a freak, he had seemingly never actually lied to him.

"Hmm..." Ji Zhixing glanced around. "Let’s find another spot."

Though everyone else had already left, the leading teachers of the three schools were still lingering. Being continuously struck by Xu Cheng’s lightning under the watchful eyes of several teachers would make even him feel a bit embarrassed.

"Let’s go."

Ji Zhixing led Xu Cheng away into the distance, with Xiao Mingyue following beside them. The trio departed the clearing together. As he walked, Ji Zhixing meticulously sensed the surrounding fog. He discovered that as he moved, the fog moved with him. Wherever he went, the fog in that area would thicken slightly.

"Just as I thought, this fog is converging on me." He became even more certain of this fact.

After walking several hundred meters, they arrived at a relatively open area. Ji Zhixing stopped and gauged the fog density. The fog here was significantly thicker than in the clearing, and it was still continuously increasing.

"This is fine. Bring it on," he turned around and told Xu Cheng.

"Damn it," Xu Cheng cursed inwardly. He had been training with Ji Zhixing all these days, originally assuming he’d be free once they entered the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land. He hadn’t expected to still get caught by him.

"You guys train here first. I’ll go scout the surroundings," Xiao Mingyue said to Ji Zhixing. "Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll come right back."

"Alright," Ji Zhixing nodded.

Xiao Mingyue gave Xu Cheng a passing glance before turning and walking deeper into the forest, her figure quickly vanishing from their sight.

Xu Cheng watched their intimate interaction and swore under his breath. One was ranked first in the selection tournament, and the other was second. Watching them gang up to show off their affection made his blood boil. Especially since Xiao Mingyue was so exceptionally beautiful—he really couldn’t fathom what she saw in Ji Zhixing.

Taking a deep breath, he cast aside his hesitation and raised his right hand. Purple lightning danced and gathered in his palm.

CRACKLE!

The dense, crackling sound of electrical currents rang out as a thick bolt of purple lightning formed in his hand, before shooting straight out and blasting toward Ji Zhixing.

CRACK!

The lightning struck Ji Zhixing, instantly blocked by the Five-Colored Spiritual Light that flared up around his body. The five-colored radiance flowed rapidly, frantically absorbing the scattered electrical arcs.

"It actually works!" Ji Zhixing rejoiced inwardly.

Upon absorbing the electrical arc, he immediately felt his Five-Colored Willow mutant tree gene being stimulated. That jolt caused the phantom of the Five-Colored Willow mutant tree to shudder violently, triggering a frantic absorption of the surrounding life energy. The ambient fog seemed to be drawn by some unseen force, converging upon him at an accelerated rate.

"Keep going, faster! Didn’t you eat?" Ji Zhixing shouted at Xu Cheng.

"Damn it."

Xu Cheng cursed aloud, waving both hands. Bolt after bolt of purple lightning flew from his palms, pouring down like a torrential rainstorm.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK!

The explosive reports of lightning echoed densely throughout the Withered Wood Forest, the purple electricity illuminating the surroundings with a stark brilliance. Ji Zhixing stood dead center in the storm of lightning, utterly motionless. The Five-Colored Spiritual Light flowed like crazy, absorbing and converting every single bolt.