Chapter 154: Maturation of the Astral Source Spiritual Fruit, Enhancement of Aptitude!

The next day, Zhou Changwang eagerly arrived at the spirit field and began casting spells to accelerate the growth of the growth rings.

With each casting of the Growth Ring Technique, paired with the beast spirit liquid, the age of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree slowly increased.

One year, two years, three years...

Once the tree age of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree exceeded two hundred and seventy years, the spiritual energy required for each new growth ring increased rapidly.

At two hundred and eighty years, perhaps only thirty bottles of beast spirit liquid were needed, but by two hundred and eighty-one years, it required thirty-two, or even thirty-three bottles.

Zhou Changwang maintained his established rhythm, pouring in two hundred bottles of beast spirit liquid each time.

As the growth rings of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree continued to multiply, the fruits clustering upon its branches also expanded rapidly, ripening swiftly.

Wiffs of alluring fruity fragrance began to drift outward.

Then came the second day, and the third.

On this day, just as Zhou Changwang was once again burying a batch of spiritual energy ores around the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree, he suddenly sensed the defensive array shifting once more.

His gaze turned cold.

He looked up.

Sure enough, he spotted several giant eagles hovering in the empty air.

Ever since a giant eagle had drawn too close a few days prior and was executed by his finger technique, giant eagles had been approaching almost daily, circling in the sky.

At first, their cultivation levels were relatively weak, mostly at the mid-Qi condensation stage.

However, starting yesterday, a giant eagle equivalent to the late Qi condensation stage had appeared.

Seeing them again today, his suspicion was confirmed.

There were a total of three giant eagles: one at the mid-Qi condensation stage and two at the late Qi condensation stage.

"Perhaps it's because of this tree?"

After casting a few glances, Zhou Changwang dismissed them from his mind. Because several of their kind had previously fallen into the defensive array and been slain by him, these giant eagles generally did not dare to get too close.

Thus, he cast his gaze back upon the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree beside him.

As the tree age of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree increased, the fragrance of the fruit became more potent, which naturally attracted these giant eagle beasts.

"Indeed."

"Beasts possess an extremely keen perception of heavenly treasures and can instinctively sense their corresponding aura."

"Then they will simply crouch nearby and wait."

"Firstly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around heavenly treasures tends to be much denser."

"Secondly, once a heavenly treasure matures, a force of creation often emerges, which is immensely beneficial to various types of beasts."

"Thirdly, there is the heavenly treasure itself."

"Some can even directly enhance their strength..."

As these thoughts flashed through Zhou Changwang's mind, he understood.

Perhaps it was precisely because this Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree was nearing maturity that its unique fruity aroma and aura drifted outward, thus luring these giant eagles over.

However, why giant eagles? And not other beasts?

Instinctively, Zhou Changwang felt a trace of doubt.

Then, when he looked up once again and met the peerlessly sharp eyes of those giant eagles, it dawned on him.

They could see through the fog of the grand array and directly perceive this Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree.

Precisely for this reason, they approached time and time again, attempting to seize it.

"It seems I still need to be a bit cautious these next few days."

"The Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree is on the verge of maturing; I cannot allow any accidents to happen now."

Zhou Changwang frowned.

Immediately afterward, he continued his cultivation efforts.

Bottle after bottle of beast spirit liquid was poured into the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree.

Then, he employed the Growth Ring Technique to assist its growth.

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...

Boom~!

Suddenly, one of the giant eagles plummeted downward, slamming its sharp talons fiercely against the defensive array.

As the spiritual light rippled, the giant eagle spread its wings and rapidly ascended back into the sky.

"You have some nerve!"

Zhou Changwang let out a cold snort.

With a mere thought, a stream of Gengjin golden light shot forth instantly.

Puff~!

Although the giant eagle was ascending rapidly, the Gengjin Finger still struck its wing, causing its body to sway involuntarily.

Just as it adjusted its posture and attempted to dodge away at high speed, a second and third Gengjin Finger surged toward it.

Puff! Puff!

One pierced straight through its heart, while the other penetrated its head.

The grand array shifted slightly, opening a small gap, and the entire giant eagle tumbled down into the spirit field.

The spirit hound let out an excited howl, charged forward, clamped its jaws onto the completely lifeless giant eagle, and dragged it over to Zhou Changwang to claim credit.

On the other side, the two remaining giant eagles in the sky seemed startled, rapidly gaining altitude.

They circled for a long time before finally dispersing.

"Two hundred and ninety-five years."

"With just five more growth rings, this Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree will reach complete maturity."

Ignoring the spirit hound, Zhou Changwang fixed his gaze upon the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree.

After several days of cultivation, he had finally nurtured it to the stage of two hundred and ninety-five years of growth rings.

Only the final five growth rings remained before maturity.

However, Zhou Changwang glanced at the remaining three hundred bottles of beast spirit liquid in his storage pouch.

At this stage, each additional year of growth for the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree required fifty bottles of beast spirit liquid, and three hundred bottles might not be enough.

"Let's test it first!"

Thinking this, Zhou Changwang had no intention of waiting any longer and hastily began his attempt.

Bottle after bottle of beast spirit liquid was poured in, followed by the execution of the Growth Ring Technique.

Two hundred and ninety-six years.

Fifty-three bottles!

Two hundred and ninety-seven years.

Fifty-seven bottles!

Two hundred and ninety-eight years!

Sixty-two bottles!

Two hundred and ninety-nine years.

Seventy bottles!

Then, until he poured in all the remaining fifty-eight bottles of vitality spirit liquid, it was still not enough to increase the tree age by a single year.

"We're just a hair's breadth away!"

Zhou Changwang sighed with mixed feelings of urgency and helplessness.

At this moment, the seven spirit fruits were each the size of an adult's fist, crystal clear and immensely plump.

Furthermore, a potent surge of spiritual energy was about to burst forth, catching the eye instantly.

These seven spirit fruits appeared entirely golden, save for a tiny portion tinged with a hint of green immaturity—the classic sign of not being fully ripe.

If the spirit fruits were not completely ripe, their effects would be greatly diminished.

Naturally, he would not quench his thirst with poisoned wine.

"At this point, the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree should be at around two hundred and ninety-nine years and five or six months."

"Even without the beast spirit liquid, assuming the spirit fruit tree can withstand one Growth Ring Technique per day, it should reach complete maturity in just five or six days."

"Five or six days—I can afford to wait."

Murmuring to himself, Zhou Changwang quickly channeled spirit spring water over to continuously irrigate the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree.

Then, he cast the Spirit Rain Technique.

After this series of measures, it only barely replenished the consumption of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree; it could not serve as a foundation to continue casting spells and increase the growth ring age.

Sighing, he was just about to give up when his gaze suddenly landed on the dead giant eagle.

This giant eagle was a high-grade tier-one beast.

Its size was more than double that of the large eagle he had stewed and eaten a few days ago.

With its wings unfurled, it spanned nearly three zhang.

Though it had been dead for only a short while, its surging vital blood continued to radiate outward.

In terms of aura, it was only slightly inferior to the high-grade tier-one beast, the Blue-Eyed Salamander, which was slain by Chen Ping'an when he first arrived at Divine Wind Valley Market.

It could be considered a beast at the eighth layer of the Qi condensation stage.

"I wonder if this hawk beast possesses a beast core?"

Curiosity flickered across Zhou Changwang's face.

Generally speaking, the probability of a low-grade tier-one beast condensing a beast core was only one in a thousand; for a mid-grade tier-one beast, it was one in a hundred.

As for high-grade tier-one beasts, the probability of condensing a beast core within their bodies was one in ten.

Only beasts of tier two and above were guaranteed to contain beast cores.

This was precisely why acquiring beast cores in the black market previously had been so difficult and expensive.

Scarcity bred value.

Subsequently, with a thought in his mind, a flying sword swiftly emerged, directly cleaving open the hawk beast's head.

"As expected, there isn't one."

"However, this means I won't have to wait another five or six days to bring the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree to maturity."

Zhou Changwang poked around a few times and, confirming the absence of a beast core, let out a slight sigh.

Yet, no trace of disappointment showed on his face.

Because the flesh and blood of this beast likewise contained immense energy, which could similarly be stripped of its vitality and spiritual power by his Soul Extraction Technique, transforming it into beast spirit liquid.

Without hesitation, he directly cast the Soul Extraction Technique.

In an instant, droplets of beast spirit liquid were condensed by him and sequentially stored into medicine bottles.

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...

After a full twenty bottles, the entire hawk beast had shriveled into a desiccated corpse, unable to yield a shred of spiritual power or vital blood ever again.

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Changwang summoned a ball of fire, thoroughly incinerating the giant eagle's remains.

Following that, Zhou Changwang hastily poured these beast spirit liquids back into the tree and cast the Growth Ring Technique.

One, two, three...

The instant all the beast spirit liquid was poured in and Zhou Changwang cast his final Growth Ring Technique!

Hum~!

The entire Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree suddenly trembled violently.

Boundless spiritual light erupted from it.

Simultaneously, the last trace of green immaturity on each of those golden spirit fruits was swiftly erased by this beam of spiritual light, transforming them into purely golden fruits.

Three hundred years of growth rings.

It had arrived!

The Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree had matured!

Zhou Changwang was instantly galvanized.

An expression of incomparable excitement surfaced on his face.

After enduring for so long—nearly three months of time.

Expending countless hours and immense effort.

Casting countless spells, alongside bottle after bottle of vitality spirit liquid, bottle after bottle of beast spirit liquid...

From start to finish, even calculating solely by consumed spirit stones, it amounted to fifteen thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

Not to mention the countless pools of spirit spring water watered during this period, the countless Spirit Rain Techniques and Growth Ring Techniques cast... if meticulously calculated, the cost was by no means inferior to fifteen thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

"Yet, at present."

"It is finally a success!"

"All seven Star Origin Spirit Fruits have matured."

"This makes all my hard work and diligent efforts during this period worthwhile!"

"Everything was worth it!"

Zhou Changwang was genuinely thrilled.

A look of immense joy bloomed across his face.

Hum hum hum...

Then, he felt an incomparably pure and potent force of creation descend instantly from the sky, landing directly upon the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree before enveloping his own body.

Without the slightest hesitation.

And without a shred of doubt.

He hurriedly quieted his mind, rapidly operating the Pure Sun Five Elements Technique to begin his cultivation.

One cycle, two cycles, three cycles...

Until every last wisp of the force of creation was absorbed.

A sharp gleam flashed through Zhou Changwang's eyes, and his heart surged with joy.

His cultivation level had increased once more.

Furthermore, it had increased by a full seven points at once.

His current cultivation level had abruptly shifted to: Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation (18/100).

Compared to before, this was a massive enhancement.

It was directly equivalent to saving over half a month of bitter cultivation.

Moreover, aside from the concrete increase in cultivation, he felt that the greatest enhancement the force of creation brought him was actually his spiritual sense and physical strength.

Among them, his spiritual sense, cleansed by this wave of creation force, expanded directly from its original thirty zhang—about one hundred meters—to fifty zhang, a full one hundred and fifty meters.

As for his physical strength, which had previously just barely stepped into the fifth layer of body refining, after several baptisms of creation force and his own bitter cultivation, it had only reached the mid-stage of the fifth layer of body refining.

Now, it had directly leaped to the peak of the fifth layer of body refining, leaving him just a step away from advancing to the sixth layer of body refining.

Although Zhou Changwang primarily focused on Qi cultivation, the enhancement of his physical body compensated for his shortcomings, representing a very real boost to his overall strength.

"However, while the advancement of cultivation is certainly a good thing."

"The most important matter is that these seven Star Origin Spirit Fruits have completely matured."

Zhou Changwang stood up immediately and turned his attention to the seven spirit fruits.

Each fruit was plump, crystal clear, and emitted an alluring aroma that made his mouth water, urging him to pluck and swallow them right away.

"A single Star Origin Spirit Fruit, if taken outside, could fetch up to one hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones."

"And they are practically priceless."

"Yet I have seven of them here."

"Even without calculating their miraculous utility, purely in terms of spirit stone value, this is a massive windfall."

"However, these spirit fruits must still be prioritized for my own use."

"I just wonder if the effects of this Star Origin Spirit Fruit are as miraculous as legend says?"

Zhou Changwang muttered softly, filled with anticipation.

The introduction of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit from various ancient texts flashed through his mind.

Star Origin Spirit Fruit: A tier-three heavenly treasure, a rare spirit fruit and sacred fruit in the cultivation world capable of elevating a cultivator's spiritual root aptitude. It is said that a single fruit can elevate a cultivator with inferior-grade spiritual root aptitude to medium-grade, while three can elevate medium-grade to superior-grade!

"Inferior, medium, superior... are these referring to a cultivator's efficiency in absorbing and converting heaven and earth spiritual energy? Or the spiritual root's affinity for various elemental spiritual energies?"

Zhou Changwang felt somewhat puzzled.

Yet at this moment, he didn't dwell on it.

Wouldn't he know by trying one?

Without further ado, he plucked one of the Star Origin Spirit Fruits and held it in his palm.

Taking a deep breath, he consumed the entire Star Origin Spirit Fruit in a few bites.

A peculiar, refreshing sensation quickly arose in his chest, and then he felt a special force within the spirit fruit breach layers of obstruction, penetrating straight into the depths of his mind and pouring into his intangible 'spirit'.

The very next moment.

Through that trace of 'spirit', he directly perceived something rooted deep within his flesh, blood, and soul.

A spiritual root!

Was this a spiritual root?

An epiphany instantly bloomed in his mind.

This spiritual root was rooted between his physical body and his soul, occupying an ethereal, mysterious region.

It resembled a small tree that had sprouted five branches, each branch a different color, correspondingly representing a type of spiritual root attribute.

Gold, wood, water, fire, earth.

The five elements in five colors.

It was precisely his unique five-element spiritual root.

These five 'branches' were roughly equal in height and size, maintaining a state of uniform balance.

Beyond these five branches, there were actually some smaller, shorter branches. With a brief glance, he deduced that they belonged to special attributes such as 'light', 'darkness', 'wind', and 'lightning'.

It was just that they were too small, too weak, and entirely inconspicuous.

With almost instinctive precision, he channeled the special force transformed by the Star Origin Spirit Fruit directly onto one of those 'branches'.

In an instant.

That 'branch' rapidly stretched upward, thickened, grew, inflating like a balloon.

Until he felt the special energy provided by the Star Origin Spirit Fruit wane and completely dissipate into nothingness.

Then, his consciousness fell into a brief trance as he withdrew from that mystical 'region'.

"Has my spiritual root aptitude improved?"

Thinking this, Zhou Changwang knew that verifying it would be simple, so he immediately began practicing.

He deployed the Five Elements Glazed Heart Lamp and operated the Pure Sun Five Elements Technique.

"Hmm?"

"Wood-attribute spiritual energy is gathering at a rapid pace, and the volume is much greater."

"As for the spiritual energies of the other attributes, there's almost no change..."

The moment he began practicing, Zhou Changwang discovered the issue.

And he instantly understood.

The spiritual root he had just elevated was the wood-attribute spiritual root.

It had directly lifted his wood-attribute spiritual root from the inferior grade to the medium-grade tier.

Only at this moment did he truly understand why a four-attribute spiritual root aptitude was superior to a five-element attribute, and why a three-attribute spiritual root cultivator's cultivation efficiency surpassed that of a four-attribute one.

"Heaven and earth are actually fair to everyone."

"The total volume of spiritual roots distributed to each person is roughly the same."

"It's just that some sprout five branches, while others sprout four, three, two, or—in extremely rare cases—just one."

"Naturally, cultivators who sprout a single 'branch' possess better spiritual root aptitude."

"Taking the total volume of spiritual root aptitude as one hundred."

"A cultivator with a single-attribute spiritual root directly possesses a spiritual root aptitude of one hundred."

"A dual-attribute spiritual root cultivator must split this 'one hundred' between two attributes."

"It is the same for three-attribute, four-attribute, and five-attribute spiritual roots; they must correspondingly divide this point value of 'one hundred'."

"The more attributes, the more the distribution is diluted."

"Some people lean toward a specific attribute; even if they have a three-attribute spiritual root, if one attribute's aptitude exceeds half—that is, 'fifty'—then in reality, they won't lag far behind a dual-attribute spiritual root cultivator."

"Of course, in reality, absolute single-attribute cultivators do not truly exist."

"Perhaps a cultivator also possesses aptitudes for other attributes, but if one particular attribute exceeds 'seventy points', they can likewise be termed a single-attribute spiritual root, or a heavenly spiritual root."

"As for dual-attribute spiritual root cultivators, it indicates that both attribute spiritual roots are relatively close, both resting above 'forty points'."

"Three-attribute spiritual roots have each item above 'thirty points'."

"Four-attribute spiritual roots have each item above 'twenty points'."

"As for five-attribute spiritual roots, the five attributes are balanced, all above 'fifteen points'."

Zhou Changwang finally summarized his findings.

It might not be entirely accurate, after all, spiritual root attributes didn't solely comprise the five elements.

They also included special attribute spiritual roots such as wind, lightning, light, and darkness...

They were simply too rare to be included in the general formula.

Because of the Star Origin Spirit Fruit, Zhou Changwang's wood-attribute spiritual root had been forcefully enlarged and elevated, rising from ten-something to twenty or thirty.

It was equivalent to 'adding' a dozen or twenty points elsewhere.

Thus, his spiritual root aptitude had become much more prominent.

"However, because of this."

"It is somewhat detrimental to my cultivation."

"The five elements are out of balance, and when I operate the Pure Sun Five Elements Technique, it feels somewhat sluggish instead."

"Excessive wood-attribute spiritual energy disrupts the balance of spiritual power..."

After giving it a brief thought, Zhou Changwang soon shook his head.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the remaining Star Origin Spirit Fruits on the tree.

Without hesitation, he plucked another one and swallowed it in a few gulps.

Familiar with the process, he once again peered into his spiritual root through his 'spirit'.

This time, without any hesitation, he directed the special power contained within the spirit fruit straight into one of the 'metal-attribute spiritual roots'.

Following that, he consumed the third, fourth, and fifth spirit fruits.

He successively channeled that special power into the 'water', 'fire', and 'earth' attribute spiritual roots.

With these actions completed.

Zhou Changwang slowly opened his eyes.

"The five-element attributes are balanced once more."

"And the numerical values of my spiritual roots have correspondingly risen from around ten to fifteen up to roughly twenty to twenty-seven."

"It places me right between a four-attribute and a three-attribute spiritual root."

"If I practice with this current aptitude, my cultivation efficiency should also experience a major leap compared to before."

A trace of joy surfaced in Zhou Changwang's heart.

Eagerly, he commenced his cultivation routine.

After completing a single cycle.

A brilliant, burning light shone in Zhou Changwang's eyes.

Nearly doubling!

It had improved by about seventy to eighty percent.

One had to know.

Given that Zhou Changwang's Pure Sun Five Elements Technique had reached Great Accomplishment, his cultivation speed was already far from slow, rivaling that of an ordinary dual-attribute spiritual root cultivator.

To have his speed increase by another seventy percent on top of that foundation naturally propelled his cultivation velocity significantly higher.

Even if it couldn't match the legendary heavenly spiritual root cultivators, it definitely surpassed many dual-attribute spiritual root cultivators.

Of course, this assumed the other party's cultivation technique was only at the initial mastery stage.

If the opponent's cultivation technique had also reached the mastery or minor success realms, the calculations would naturally differ.

Even so, it filled him with immense excitement.

Such a tangible improvement in spiritual root aptitude truly brought him joy and satisfaction.

"It's just a pity."

"I am left with only two spirit fruits."

"Moreover, although my spiritual root aptitude has improved quite a bit."

"It falls far short of my initial expectations."

Yet immediately afterward, Zhou Changwang's brow furrowed slightly.

Initially, he had hoped to elevate his aptitude all the way to the superior or even top tier in one go.

However, because it had to match his own Pure Sun Five Elements Technique, he had to abandon the idea of exclusively boosting a single spiritual root attribute and instead evenly distribute the 'opportunity' of spiritual root enhancement across all five elements.

Consequently, the actual increase in his spiritual root aptitude wasn't all that massive.

He was stronger than a four-attribute spiritual root cultivator, yet weaker than a three-attribute one.

"This really is..."

Zhou Changwang felt rather helpless, but he harbored no regrets.

"As for these remaining two Star Origin Spirit Fruits."

"I'll keep one for propagation, while the other will just have to be stashed away for now."

Ultimately, Zhou Changwang plucked one of the Star Origin Spirit Fruits, placed it dedicatedly inside a jade box, and sealed it with a high-grade tier-one limit-breaking sealing talisman.

Only then did he look toward the very last Star Origin Spirit Fruit.

"The Star Origin Spirit Fruit has fruit but no pits."

"It does not produce spiritual seeds on its own."

"Only when a mature Star Origin Spirit Fruit is left unpicked and unconsumed for a hundred days after maturity will the heaven and earth essence within the fruit naturally contract and condense into a brand-new spiritual seed."

"Therefore, I still need to cultivate it for a hundred days before a new Star Origin Spirit Fruit seed can be born."

Recalling the introduction provided by that spider-silk fairy Chen Xiaor, Zhou Changwang's thoughts settled.

He then returned to his courtyard, sequestered himself in the cultivation chamber, and truly began cultivating with his new 'spiritual root aptitude'.

The next day.

Zhou Changwang opened his eyes, instantly checking his attribute panel.

Cultivation: Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation (19/100)

"My cultivation increased by one point."

"Originally, through natural cultivation, it took me a full three days to increase my cultivation by a single point."

"Now, it increases by one point every single day."

"As expected, once aptitude is improved, the results are immediate."

A wave of comfort washed over Zhou Changwang's heart.

Only then did he begin the routine cultivation of his other spiritual plants.

During this period, although he had been meticulously tending to the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree, he had never neglected the cultivation of his other spiritual plants.

Not only had he fulfilled Water Cloud Pavilion's demands well in advance, but he had also accumulated enough 'task requirements' to last two full months.

"However, if I continue to cultivate the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree going forward, I won't have enough spirit stones to bid for that Foundation Establishment Pill at the auction a month and a half from now."

Thinking of this, Zhou Changwang felt a headache coming on.

Poverty!

He was far too poor!

Planting and nurturing the Star Origin Spirit Fruit Tree required spirit stones.

Acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill similarly required spirit stones.

Furthermore, aside from the Foundation Establishment Pill, to ensure his success in establishing his foundation, he felt he also needed to prepare Foundation-Solidifying Pills, Blood-Coagulation Pills...

Additionally, he needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario: failing to purchase that Foundation Establishment Pill a month and a half later.

Should that happen, he would need to prepare at least three sets of Foundation Establishment materials...

Though he already possessed one set, the other two would either require braving the wilderness in search of adventure or cultivating them himself—which likewise demanded a sufficient quantity of spirit stones to trade for beast cores and extract beast spirit liquid.

These various tasks gave him a severe headache.

At times, he had the sudden urge to transform into a rogue cultivator, raiding other practitioners to acquire more cultivation resources...

Of course, he was merely entertaining the thought.

If push came to shove, he would never actually do it.

Danger was only one factor.

Most importantly, acting in such a manner violated his original principles, and naturally, he had no desire to do so.