"I strike!"
Wang Yi, dressed in a gray-black and reddish combat uniform, moved cautiously through the dense jungle.
His goal was the "Willow Heart," or more precisely, the "Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart."
After a month of training at the camp, Wang Yi's physical strength had reached a staggering 100,000 kilograms!
In just one month, he had increased his power by nearly 30,000 kilograms—averaging an additional 1,000 kilograms per day, equivalent to the physical fitness of a quasi-warrior. This rapid improvement was extraordinary.
Wang Yi chose to search for the Willow Heart because it had distinct characteristics, making it easy to locate. Furthermore, this particular plant spirit was one of the few in Kirishima that could directly and safely enhance physical strength when used properly.
"The ordinary Millennium Willow Heart greatly boosts cell activity and accelerates the body's healing. It also significantly enhances physical fitness," Wang Yi recalled from the original story. As for the more powerful Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart, its effects were even more miraculous and potent.
However, in the original tale, Li Yao, a high-level War God equipped with the 'Black God Suit,' nearly perished in an attempt to take the Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart. Wang Yi had his doubts about whether he could defeat it.
"My physical abilities are now comparable to a high-level War God," Wang Yi reassured himself. "With my 2.1 times strength multiplier, I can exert over 600,000 kilograms of force. My mastery of swordsmanship and physical combat is top-tier. I should be able to handle the Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart. Plus, I have my mental powers."
Mental power was Wang Yi's ultimate weapon.
The Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart would be up against a highly skilled warrior with spiritual abilities unmatched among the War Gods.
However, without the 'Black God Suit,' Wang Yi knew his own defenses were weak.
"I'll take the largest Willow Heart and leave Luo Feng with four Millennium Willow Hearts," Wang Yi decided, feeling slightly uneasy.
He wondered whether his actions would drastically alter the course of history.
...
The island wasn't large, and soon Wang Yi had searched one-third of it. Along the way, he dealt with several plant spirits that attacked him. With his current strength, dispatching these creatures was simple, netting him a few unknown plant spirits.
Of course, Wang Yi didn't eat them immediately but stored them away, intending to research their effects later.
"I wonder if there's a plant spirit here even stronger than the Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart, apart from the Mo yunteng, but I haven't come across it yet."
After some time, he finally found it.
Wang Yi stood on a large tree, looking at nine towering willow trees in the distance with a smile.
"Found it!"
He leapt down from the tree, and two swords flew out mid-air, landing beneath his feet. Using them like a glider, Wang Yi sped toward the nine willows.
"One, two, three... Yes, it's them." Wang Yi confirmed.
The smallest of these willow trees stood thirty to forty meters tall, while the largest, with a trunk three meters thick, towered nearly 100 meters. Their countless branches swayed in the wind.
From hundreds of meters away, Wang Yi observed them carefully, frowning.
"The nine willow trees are too close together."
"No matter which tree I attack, the other eight will strike back."
The largest and tallest of the trees—the Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart—stood in the center, its branches stretching hundreds of meters, covering the entire grove of willows.
To reach any of the willow trees, Wang Yi would have to endure the attacks of the Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart.
He cautiously approached one of the outer trees.
As he neared, its branches suddenly came alive, moving with frightening speed, breaking the sound barrier as they whipped toward him.
But faster than those branches were the flying blades Wang Yi had sent out, slicing through the air to cut the oncoming branches.
The severed branches fell in disarray.
With ghost-like agility, Wang Yi dodged the attacks and closed in on the nearest Millennium Willow Heart. His twin blades blazed as they slashed into the trunk.
Wang Yi's strength, combined with his ultra-sharp SS-class swords, which could cut through most king-class monsters, easily penetrated the tree's bark. Green sap oozed from the wound.
The tree trembled violently, its branches thrashing even more wildly.
Wang Yi struck again at the opening he'd created.
Suddenly, the pale golden branches of the massive Ten Thousand-Year Willow Heart in the center shot up. Tens of thousands of branches twisted and whipped toward Wang Yi in a coordinated assault.
Wang Yi controlled his flying blades to intercept the golden branches.
Although Wang Yi was at the pinnacle of spiritual power among the War Gods, with each blade exerting over 500,000 kilograms of force, even he found it difficult to sever the thick golden branches.
The onslaught was relentless. Despite Wang Yi's efforts, more and more branches broke through his defenses and reached him.
A pale golden branch wrapped around his left leg, causing him to stumble.
"There are too many of them!" Wang Yi thought, feeling a surge of frustration.
Channeling all his power into his sword, he swung fiercely, cutting the golden branch clean in two.
Yet, as more branches closed in, Wang Yi's frustration grew.
These willow trees were proving far more difficult than he had expected.
"Damn it!" Wang Yi cursed, manipulating his flying blades while using his mental power to retreat like a darting shadow.
...
"That was brutal," Wang Yi muttered, watching the willow trees return to their calm state from a safe distance.
"I'm not giving up yet!" He steeled his resolve.
Wang Yi approached again, slicing through more willow branches with his flying knives.
Slowly but surely, the number of intact branches decreased.
His strategy was clear: wear them down by pruning their branches.
Several hours later, Wang Yi's persistence paid off.
With one final strike from his flying knives, a Millennium Willow Heart near the edge fell to the ground.