Chapter 146: The Spiritual Treasure Matures

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: The Spiritual Treasure Matures

After more than two hours, Ye Xing finally finished setting everything up. He had secretly installed bombs in various locations. When the time came, all he needed to do was press the remote to detonate them at any moment.

’You dare come to my White Cloud Mountain to steal things? Watch me blow you all to hell!’ A cold light flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes.

After finishing his preparations, he immediately mounted the Gale Leopard, left the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, and returned to the Ye Mansion.

After returning to the Ye Mansion, Ye Xing made a trip back to Earth. He gave the blueprints for the Thunder Heart Spring Wood to a factory specializing in handicrafts and had them work through the night to create a model of it.

Once everything was arranged, Ye Xing returned once more to the Training Room in the White Cloud Mountain Ye Mansion.

Inside the Training Room were many surveillance monitors. Ye Xing had installed cameras near the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree long ago, so he could immediately see any activity over there. From the monitor screens, he could tell that the number of Martial Artists at the banyan tree was constantly increasing, with more arriving in a continuous stream.

In fact, Ye Xing hadn’t just installed cameras at the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. He had placed them along basically every major path and mountain road on White Cloud Mountain, keeping every move under his control.

All that was left was to wait for the Thunder Heart Spring Wood to mature. It could take a day, or it could take more than ten.

Inside the Training Room, Ye Xing sat cross-legged. The Little Purple Eagle stood on his shoulder on its two small claws, while the Gale Leopard lay prostrate beside him.

"Little Zhi, Gale, keep an eye on things for me. Wake me up immediately if there’s any movement at the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. I’m going to cultivate for a bit!" Ye Xing said.

"Yoyo!" The Little Purple Eagle nodded its small head, its beady eyes darting around as it curiously examined the surveillance monitors in the room.

Hearing Ye Xing’s command, the Gale Leopard at his side also gave a human-like nod.

Ye Xing immediately sat down cross-legged and began to practice his Innate Skill. He never dared to slack off in his cultivation for even a moment. He would cultivate whenever he had free time, and even if he didn’t, he would squeeze in the time to do so. To achieve greatness on the Martial Dao, one’s own hard work and diligence were just as important as natural talent and comprehension.

HUUUFF—

SHIIIP—

He inhaled slowly, then exhaled gradually. With each breath, the True Qi in his body circulated endlessly.

The night was as still as water, and time trickled by. While Ye Xing cultivated, he would also open his eyes periodically to check the surveillance monitors.

He couldn’t help but worry. Look, Little Zhi, that little rascal, had just promised to help watch the monitors two hours ago, but now it was already asleep on Ye Xing’s shoulder. ’Where’s the most basic trust between people... err, no, between a person and a bird?’

The Gale Leopard, on the other hand, was dutifully carrying out its orders, not daring to slack off in the slightest as it stared at the surveillance monitors with its leopard eyes wide open.

And so, he continued to cultivate in the Training Room while keeping an eye on the activity at the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a day had gone by.

"ROAR!"

The Gale Leopard at his side suddenly let out a loud cry and quickly pawed at Ye Xing.

"Hm? Is something happening?" Ye Xing’s eyes snapped open, and he looked toward the surveillance monitors.

On the monitor, next to the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, two groups of people were engaged in a fierce battle. Several corpses lay on the ground, and many Martial Artists had gathered around to watch the spectacle.

As for the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, there was no change; its leaves were still a vibrant, dripping green. The four masters from the Wind and Cloud List—"Mountain Shattering Fist" Shao Shantai, "Seven-Snake Centipede Whip" Gao Zhisong, "Cross Breaking Sword" Fu Yifan, and "Mother Yecha" Shen Sanniang—along with several dozen Eighth and Ninth Realm Martial Artists, were still sitting cross-legged around the banyan tree’s trunk, resting with their eyes closed. Clearly, the Thunder Heart Spring Wood had not yet matured.

"Gale, that’s just two gangs fighting. They probably had some pre-existing grudges and started brawling as soon as they saw each other. But don’t worry about that kind of thing. I told you to watch for the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree maturing, got it?" Ye Xing rolled his eyes. "Once the Thunder Heart Spring Wood matures, the entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree will wither. See those four people next to the trunk? The moment they start fighting, it means the Thunder Heart Spring Wood is about to mature."

After giving the Gale Leopard a few more instructions, Ye Xing sat cross-legged and resumed his cultivation.

As he cultivated the Innate Skill, the True Qi in his body steadily increased, bit by bit.

Before he knew it, more than another day had passed. It was morning, and light shone in through the small window.

The light in the Training Room gradually brightened.

"Yoyo!" "Yoyo!"

The Little Purple Eagle on his shoulder, which had been preening its feathers, suddenly let out a sharp cry. It vigorously tickled Ye Xing’s neck with its small, light-purple wings.

At the same time, the Gale Leopard at his side also roared repeatedly, pawing at Ye Xing.

"Hahaha, that tickles! Little Zhi, what are you doing!"

Ye Xing, who had been in the middle of cultivating, was startled awake. His gaze instinctively shifted to the surveillance monitor, and his expression changed instantly.

On the monitor, the lush green leaves at the tips of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree’s branches had all withered. Leaves fell in flurries, fluttering down as the withered, yellow foliage danced in the air. In an instant, the entire banyan tree lost its vibrant color, wilting rapidly toward its main trunk at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The sudden change startled all the High-tier Martial Artists of the Qi Condensation Stage surrounding the main trunk. Their eyes were fixed on the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree’s trunk, their expressions tense. As for the circles of Martial Artists in the middle and outer rings, they began to flee down the mountain, as those with a cultivation of the Sixth Realm or lower had no ability to compete. It was a classic case of "when gods fight, mortals suffer." They had only come to leech off the Primordial Qi for their cultivation. Aside from a small, extremely greedy few who remained, the vast majority either fled down the mountain or retreated to a safe distance to watch.

"The Thunder Heart Spring Wood is about to mature! Gale, quick!" Ye Xing hastily climbed onto the Gale Leopard’s back, and they charged out of the Training Room.

The wind howled in his ears as the Gale Leopard transformed into a cyan streak, carrying Ye Xing as it raced up the mountain.

Along the mountain path, he could see many Martial Artists fleeing downhill.

"Goddammit, couldn’t this Thunder Heart Spring Wood have taken a few more days to mature? I hadn’t finished cultivating my fill yet!"

"Haha, after cultivating these past few days, I feel my cultivation has improved a lot. I should be able to break through to the Martial Arts Third Realm in ten to fifteen days at most."

"Exactly! If only it could have taken a few more days. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi around that Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree is even stronger than in many Pocket World Blessed Lands!"

"If I could get the Thunder Heart Spring Wood and cultivate in such dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, my Inner Power Cultivation would definitely advance by leaps and bounds. It’s a shame my strength isn’t enough, otherwise I’d definitely fight for it, even if there was just a sliver of a chance!"

"Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi? You really are ignorant. Gathering Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi is just the most basic characteristic of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure. This Thunder Heart Spring Wood is a Wood-Attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure. Once refined, it grants astonishing recovery power..."

"Let’s just run! When the fighting starts, those Qi Condensation Stage Martial Artists could kill us in a single blow!"

"Hurry, run faster!"