One must know that although they hadn't flown just now, they had walked in the forest for the time it takes for half a teacup to cool, and had seen no less than a hundred spirit trees.
Spirit trees were a type of spirit plant, nurtured by the spirit qi of heaven and earth.
Li Yan didn't know what the situation was with spirit plants in the Immortal Spirit Realm, but in the Mortal Realm, if a sect had even a few ten-thousand-year-old spirit plants, they would be revered as supreme treasures.
Even the Malevolent Spirit Sect didn't have many spirit plants over ten thousand years old. Just a small leaf or stem was a rare treasure.
To think that they had just walked all this way, stepping on who knows how many branches and leaves, made Li Yan's heart ache for the Giant Wood Clan.
'When I leave, should I pick some branches and leaves from here to take with me?'
Li Yan thought to himself. They had only come from one direction. If this was already the core of the forest, and calculating based on four directions, wouldn't that mean there were over a thousand ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees here?
Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, and then seeing a flash in Li Yan's eyes, Ting Bixiao seemed to guess Li Yan's thoughts and chuckled softly.
"Not all the spirit trees here are over ten thousand years old, but only the wood spirit rhythm from the ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees will gather in this lake."
"The reason they can survive to this day is that this place has its own unique Power of Rules!"
"If any small branch or leaf from here is taken out without the blessing of the Sacred Tree's magical power, it will turn to nothingness in an instant."
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, when you leave next time, you can try picking up a few branches and leaves from the ground and taking them out to test."
"But by no means should you pluck them directly from the tree trunk. Otherwise, even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to come, they wouldn't dare say they could walk out of this forest!"
His words left Li Yan somewhat dumbfounded.
"These spirit trees have very powerful offensive abilities?"
Li Yan couldn't help but blurt it out, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew his question was too naive. He then smiled wryly and waved his hand at Ting Bixiao.
'Ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees, they must have long since gained intelligence, and a very high level of it at that!'
He didn't press on about what special rules of heaven and earth existed here that would allow so many ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees to appear.
He had already understood the terrifying nature of the rules of heaven and earth ever since he witnessed those "old monsters" like Meng Zhiyuan, who should have long since died, still alive after coming to the Verdant Continent.
That was a realm he couldn't possibly comprehend at his current level. In his view, it was a method that only true immortals could possess.
Ting Bixiao's meaning was to tell them not to think too much. There weren't that many ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees here either; they were just mixed in with the forest they had just walked through.
Even his "not many" was an extremely terrifying number compared to the spirit plants of the outside world.
Thinking about it, it should be possible. The concentration of spirit qi emitted by the spirit trees he had seen before varied, and the sense of age they gave off was also very different.
Li Yan also heard another layer of meaning in Ting Bixiao's words. The spirit trees here were extremely terrifying, possessing the dreadful power to kill Nascent Soul cultivators.
He couldn't help but look at the giant trees behind him and gently move his feet forward a little.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang need not worry. These Sacred Trees have a gentle nature and will not actively attack people, unless you directly harm their bodies!"
Ting Bixiao had, of course, noticed Li Yan's small movement, and a smile appeared in his eyes. This time, he used the words "Sacred Tree."
At the same time, he sighed inwardly. The Sacred Trees here, on one hand, were influenced by the rules of the outside world and were unwilling to take the risk of going out.
On the other hand, they truly disliked fighting and only wanted to stay here quietly, slowly cultivating and growing.
Perhaps only when the Giant Wood Clan faced the disaster of extinction would these ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees act once.
The Giant Wood Clan regarded this place as a sacred land, but in essence, it was just an otherworldly secret realm that the ancestors of the Giant Wood Clan had discovered back then.
The other party had agreed to become their totem out of consideration for their shared wood-attribute origin. In fact, what connected the two more was the bond of "mutual benefit."
The Giant Wood Clan had invisibly added a protective "shell" outside this secret realm, allowing them to be less disturbed by other foreign races and to cultivate in peace.
And the Giant Wood Clan could also obtain considerable benefits from here.
"Fellow Daoist Ting, I've always had a question. Putting everything else aside, just the fact that the Wood Essence Pool has its legendary effects, has no one coveted it?"
"The Giant Wood Clan is not the hegemon of the Verdant Continent. Logically, there should be many powerful forces that could snatch this place away. Why have you always been safe and sound?"
"Of course, I'm just curious. If it involves your esteemed clan's secrets, please don't take offense!"
Ting Bixiao raised his hand and waved it gently.
"I can tell at a glance that Fellow Daoist Zhang's sect is a reclusive, noble one, which is why you don't know much about our clan."
"Although the matter of the Wood Essence Pool is not widely circulated in the outside world, it is no secret among some major cultivation sects and large families. However, they simply cannot take it away!"
"Oh, why is that?" Li Yan pressed.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you remember when I said before that this place has special rules of heaven and earth? We call that kind of rule the 'Power of Belief'."
"Because of our special constitution, we are almost of the same origin as the spirit trees here. We have been recognized by the rules of heaven and earth here, and thus were able to establish a connection with this place, making it our clan's sacred land."
"Our clan's daily worship generates a strange power similar to the willpower of Buddhists. This strange power is absorbed by the sacred land, making the spirit trees here more and more prosperous."
"They are then able to provide the Wood Essence Pool for our clan's use once every hundred years, allowing our clan to constantly produce outstanding disciples."
"Even if this place is coveted by other clans, their chances of successfully establishing a connection with the sacred land are almost zero, and they will also suffer the attacks of the Sacred Trees."
"On the Verdant Continent, a bloodline identical to our Giant Wood Clan has yet to appear!"
As Ting Bixiao's words fell, two voices suddenly appeared, one old and one deep.
"Little fellow, stop chattering on here. If you have nothing else to do, hurry up and go in. Don't disturb our rest anymore!"
"Although you are seventeen years early this time, the next hundred-year cycle will be calculated from this time and will not be brought forward. Now let the three of them go in early and get out early!"
These two voices came abruptly. Apart from Ting Bixiao, Li Yan and the other two were startled.
The voices seemed to come from the dense forest in all directions, and it was impossible to pinpoint their exact location. By the time the voices faded, the three of them had still not found anything.
The surroundings quickly returned to a state of silence. Ting Bixiao couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Alright, Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's stop here. I will explain some of the main points about entering the Wood Essence Pool, and then I must leave first."
"In fifteen days, I will enter here again to pick you up."
Li Yan and the other two had already guessed who the two voices belonged to—the ten-thousand-year-old spirit trees here. Apparently, their conversation just now had displeased them.
'They really are extremely reclusive characters!'
Li Yan felt that he and Zhao Min were already people who liked peace and quiet, but he hadn't expected the spirit trees here to find just a few sentences of conversation so irritating.
"Do you see the three tree holes on the opposite shore of the lake? When the time comes, you just need to enter a tree hole each to cultivate."
"There is one rule here: when you feel that the wood spirit rhythm you have devoured has filled seventy percent of your meridians and Dantian, you must stop absorbing."
"You must promptly refine the wood spirit rhythm in your body before you can continue to absorb."
"Otherwise, if you greedily continue to devour the wood spirit rhythm without regard, and the total amount exceeds seventy percent, then your magical power will absolutely not be able to suppress the power of the wood spirit rhythm."
"That extremely pure power will wash your meridians into a thin layer in an instant, and then the slightest passage of magical power will cause them to shatter inch by inch."
"At that time, the magical power in your body will no longer have a path in your meridians to circulate."
"Without the protection of magical power for your physical body, the wood spirit rhythm containing terrifying power will instantly rush into your flesh and blood, washing all the flesh and blood off your bones."
"Next is the washing of the bones. The bones will be as fragile as a slender icicle, shattering at a touch!"
"That kind of pain is no less than being soul-searched. Surely no one would be willing to experience this kind of worldly torture."
"However, as long as you grasp the measure I have spoken of, you don't need to worry about any severe pain that occurs during the remaining time. That is just the inevitable result."
"If you persist, you will receive unexpected benefits. Otherwise, the effect will be greatly reduced."
At this point, Ting Bixiao glanced at Zhao Min and then continued.
"This fellow daoist should be a very powerful Body Cultivator, but do not attempt to overstep the rules I have mentioned."
"The way you defeated Ting Shan that day, if I'm not mistaken, it should be because the body refining technique you cultivate is exceptionally powerful."
"Ting Shan is actually just a Dharma Cultivator, but his physical body has already surpassed that of an ordinary Dharma Cultivator of the same rank by almost twice."
"However, what I want to say is that he has never cultivated any body refining techniques. His physical body has only reached its current state after absorbing the wood spirit rhythm here three times."
"This, of course, is also related to Ting Shan's own constitution. Because of this, he has defeated many cultivators of the same rank with just his physical body."
"Thus, he even thought he was a Dual Dharma-Body Cultivator, just using a different method of cultivation."
"Although I have also advised him, he has never really taken it to heart. Through this duel, I think he has understood what a true Body Cultivator is."
"He just had an opportunity that made his physical body relatively tough, but he is not a so-called Dual Dharma-Body Cultivator."
"Fellow Daoist, after you absorb the wood spirit rhythm this time, your physical body will become even more powerful. This is beyond doubt."
"However, what I want to say is that the Wood Essence Pool is actually more helpful for the growth of magical power!"
"I hope that you three will take what you need after devouring the wood spirit rhythm, whether it is to refine it into your physical body or to purify your magical power, you must make the most appropriate judgment and choice."
As Ting Bixiao spoke, his gaze roamed between Zhao Min and Li Yan.
Apparently, his words were meant for the two of them. Ye Mingxin must have known all of this clearly long ago, while Li Yan and Zhao Min's eyes grew brighter as they listened.
'Judging from the flow of Ting Shan and Ting Bixiao's auras, I had always thought they also cultivated body refining techniques.'
'It turns out Ting Shan has only absorbed the wood spirit rhythm three times to strengthen his physical body to this extent. The final blow from Senior Sister yesterday would have sent an ordinary Golden Core cultivator's flesh and blood flying.'
Li Yan thought to himself. What Ting Bixiao had said was something he and Zhao Min had not known before, which invisibly deepened his understanding of the Wood Essence Pool.
On the opposite shore of the lake were three large, massive trees. Their thick, gnarled roots were deeply embedded in the riverbed, with many roots exposed on the riverbank.
This caused some tree roots to drift in the milky-white lake water. Under the washing of the lake water, each root emitted a hazy white light.
Between the roots of each massive tree and the riverbank, a semi-circular archway could be seen. Li Yan and the other two flew across the air towards the opposite side.
After arriving above the massive trees, while Li Yan and Zhao Min were still observing, Ye Mingxin showed no hesitation at all. She went directly into the nearest archway.
After the milky-white lake water splashed up into droplets, her figure had completely disappeared. It was as if she didn't want to waste a single moment.
Only then did Li Yan and Zhao Min cup their fists towards Ting Bixiao on the opposite side of the lake. The two of them also quickly entered the tree holes.