184 Most Valuable Possession
“Senior old tree, are you serious about what you said?” Yang Lujia himself did not even believe what he heard. Moreover, it seemed as though this old tree was very reliable himself.
KEKEKE.
“Kid, this old tree hasn’t acknowledged anyone in a long time. Even those geniuses from the void who pleaded to take one of my precious treasures did not gain my acknowledgment. Only you.
“Although there is somewhat of an array formation keeping your dantian from leaking out your real cultivation, I can sense that you are very strong. Much stronger than those kids from the void,” the old tree said, laughing strangely. “At your age, kids from the void should still be at the Saint Emperor Realm or above.”
“Should I thank the senior for the acknowledgment, then? I didn’t come here to be acknowledged, though. I am only here to collect treasures. My dragon bloodline is trying to stimulate me again,” Yang Lujia said with a smile, leaving the old tree speechless.
This kid did not actually feel honored by his acknowledgment. If he was such a bloodthirsty tree like those of others, who would solve every anomaly or problem with strength, he would have already killed this kid for his words. Such words not only insulted his honor but also his prestige as an old Void Tree coming from the void.
It had to be known that among all the other worlds out there, the void was the most feared.
“Brat, you actually did not feel thankful for my acknowledgment?” the old tree asked in bafflement. “This old tree doesn’t just give out compliments as simple as that. You have to know that even in the void, I am respected by many.”
Yang Lujia had an expressionless countenance as he looked at the tree trunk. “Why would I thank you, senior? The senior is the one who willfully complimented me. I didn’t ask for it.”
This logic made the old tree twitch its branches slightly. It was as though it wanted to slap Yang Lujia to the ground and make him kneel. However, no matter what, he knew that Yang Lujia came from “that” family. It was a terrifying family that even an old Void Tree like him could not compare to. Hence, the old tree restrained himself.
“Brat, what are you looking at?” the old tree asked, feeling the gaze of Yang Lujia on his body. It was as though he was being stripped. This made the old tree feel ashamed of its rough trunk.
If Yang Lujia were to hear the thoughts of this old tree, he would’ve already vomited. A tree could actually also feel shame when naked?
“Senior old tree, your body is sturdy and big,” Yang Lujia said, as though he was implying something. “How did you manage to grow this big?”
SIGH.
The old tree even felt more helpless with Yang Lujia’s personality.
Yang Lujia then coughed a bit and said, “Anyway, senior, again, I was only here to find treasures. Can you give me some? I prefer something shiny, though.”
Within him, however, Yang Lujia’s normally calm heart was strangely beating quicker, as though he was currently in a race.
Well, it was because he knew that this old tree was someone he could not offend. He could only hope that his act of showing his innocence would move the old tree.
His acting skills were put to the test once again. He should have just become an actor in his past life and not some hidden boss who did dirty things behind the eyes of the public.
SIGH.
The old tree actually sighed again and its branches suddenly trembled. “This old tree can’t measure the extent of your talent, brat. Even my tests would be rendered incapable of making you experience difficulty. After all, my trials concern the talent of a person, not just some willpower or a high cultivation realm.”
“But senior, you will give me treasures, right? Those valuable and shiny ones!”
If the old tree had a forehead, it would have already slapped all of its branches on its own like a human being.
“Forget it,” the old tree helplessly said. “I shall give you what you want. However, I only have a few treasures with me. However, each of them surpassed the quality of treasures in the Five Realms. Do you want one? I have never offered any of these treasures before, you know. You should feel honored.”
“What sort of treasure would you give me, senior?” Yang Lujia was curious himself. This old tree was rather strong. He must have treasures that were on par with his strength, right? After all, the treasures in the Five Realm had very little to no effect on him now.
“It’s actually the most precious treasure I have. However, it is of no use to me. I should give it to the person befitting for it. I can’t find anybody else who’s most fitted to use such a treasure.”
After saying that, it was as if the space on the tree’s trunk became transparent and the old tree’s branch stretched out and brought out a piece of bottle. The old tree then handed it to Yang Lujia.
Yang Lujia accepted it. No matter what, he wasn’t an idiot. He could tell that there must be something extraordinary in this piece of bottle.
When Yang Lujia opened the bottle’s lid, he only saw water, and there was nothing special about it at all. His face then turned grim, thinking that he had been deceived by the old tree.
Who the hell would treat normal water as treasure? This was basically processed water like those made on Earth!
Soon enough, his grim face earned the laughter of the old tree. “Brat, you actually believed it. That’s not the actual treasure I was planning to give you. This is the one.”
Yang Lujia felt displeased but he only expressed his displeasure by letting out a harrumph. This even brought more laughter to the old tree. After all, this brat had been not-so-courteous to it since the beginning. It was good to its feeling that Yang Lujia was deceived.
The old tree brought out another treasure, but it was still not the real one. This procedure was repeated multiple times and the old tree’s voice became hoarse due to extensive laughter.
If Yang Lujia was an eccentric fellow, it was even more so for this old tree. He actually toyed with him for a long time before giving him the final treasure. Moreover, it was placed inside a gourd.
Seeing it, Yang Lujia was again skeptical. It was as though he would force his way out of this place if ever this old tree deceived him again.
“Brat, I chose to give you this treasure because it was most suitable for you. I can find no one other than you who can manage to refine and use this treasure. After all, this old tree had no bloodline as I am not a living being with blood—”
“Senior, will you not deceive me this time?”
The old tree coughed as though it was embarrassed about the things he did earlier. “Anyway, brat…” He tried changing the topic.
Soon enough, his voice became serious. It changed from a cheeky voice to an expert’s voice. This shook Yang Lujia’s core as he recalled his grandfather, Zhuquan De, who would reprimand him every time. It was his grandfather who taught him to cultivate although he was a bit unwilling.
“I know that your bloodlines are powerful, but what I gave you is half of my essence. It’s like my lifeblood. After extracting it from myself, I actually became much weaker. I need to stay here for another hundred thousand years or even a million years to replenish half of my life’s essence.”
“What the? Then…” Yang Lujia realized something.
“Yes, brat. I was doing that earlier to you so I could enjoy myself. After millions of years of guarding this place, this was my first time seeing another void human,” the old tree replied. “Brat, you made this old tree laugh earlier. Thanks for that. Hahaha!”
Yang Lujia was dumbstruck by how long the old tree had stayed in this place. It was as though his experience on Earth were not even valuable to him anymore. It was making him feel so small in this world again. However, even if he wanted to hide, he could not. It was useless to hide when another party was already spying on him.
Why not infuriate that person more instead? He just wondered how he would do that, but he would sooner know about that.
After a moment of silence, while Yang Lujia stared at the liquid inside the gourd the old tree gave him, he felt somewhat sad and grateful. He was feeling skeptical, but he kept having the feeling that the old tree was telling him the truth.
“Brat, this is the essence of this old Void Tree. Apart from having the ability to probably give you another special body, I am most certain that it can enhance your bloodlines. No matter what you do, you can’t transform into a real dragon, right? Neither can you become a Chaotic Being, right?”
“S-Senior…” Yang Lujia’s voice began to tremble.