Chapter 5
Growth!
Ferocious growth!
The originally thirty-meter-tall ancient tree underwent another transformation.
The tree, once thirty meters tall, expanded to a towering fifty meters before finally stopping.
At the same time,
Upon reaching mid-level Tier-1, Lu Qingyang noticed that the spiritual energy he could control had doubled compared to before his breakthrough.
With his current cultivation, he could now easily deal with an early Tier-1 beast without expending much effort.
Then,
Lu Qingyang calmed his mind and examined his current status information.
…
[Name: Lu Qingyang]
[True Form: Ancient Tree]
[Lifespan: 10/1500]
[Realm: Mid-level Tier-1 (80/2000)]
[Divine Abilities: Soul-Devouring Entanglement (Tier-1), Life Burst (Tier-1), Spirit Integration (Tier-1), Ancient Tree Aptitude (Tier-1)]
…
"Fifteen hundred years of lifespan!"
Lu Qingyang was amazed to see his lifespan value.
Indeed,
The lifespan of a tree was unmatched by ordinary living beings.
Just at mid-level Tier-1, it could have a lifespan of fifteen hundred years.
If he continued to advance, while it might not immediately lead to immortality,
Living for tens of thousands of years would be an easy feat.
However,
With increased lifespan came more challenging breakthroughs to the next realm.
"Two thousand cultivation points are required to break through to late Tier-1. The Ancient Tree Aptitude is truly a double-edged sword. Without its influence, my advancement would be much smoother!"
Lu Qingyang felt a bit helpless.
Two thousand cultivation points were not easy to obtain.
Even devouring late Tier-1 beasts would require at least ten to meet the advancement requirements.
However,
The Ancient Tree Aptitude was not without benefits.
From the battle with the giant ape beast, it was clear.
Although Lu Qingyang was only at early Tier-1, he could kill a mid-level Tier-1 beast, showing his immense foundation.
Now at mid-level Tier-1, dealing with mid-level Tier-1 beasts would be much easier.
As for whether he could fight Tier-2 beasts, that was another matter.
"The divine abilities haven't changed much, which means they can only advance with major breakthroughs."
Seeing no significant changes in his divine abilities, Lu Qingyang felt a bit regretful but didn't dwell on it.
He understood something.
Minor breakthroughs within the same tier wouldn't bring significant changes; only leaps from one major tier to another would result in substantial transformations.
Now,
Having entered mid-level Tier-1, Lu Qingyang's ancient tree body had grown to fifty meters. However, compared to the hundred-meter-tall ancient trees, he still seemed quite immature.
But it was worth noting that he hadn't seen any other trees undergoing the same phenomena as he did.
This suggested that,
Not every ancient tree had the potential to advance; he was an exception.
Additionally, after advancing to mid-level Tier-1, his roots could now spread over a three-hundred-meter radius.
Once any beast stepped into this range, Lu Qingyang could instantly launch an attack and kill it.
And drag the beast's corpse underground to be completely devoured.
This ability greatly enhanced Lu Qingyang's survival capability.
…
Time passed, seasons changed.
In the barren land, a sixty-meter-tall ancient tree stood majestically.
Its branches and leaves drooped like a canopy, yet no birds perched on them.
Any beast that accidentally wandered into this area was instantly strangled by sudden roots.
The entire carcass would then be pulled into the depths of the earth, completely devoured and digested.
[Ding! Killed a late Tier-1 demonic beast, gained 200 cultivation points]
…
[Name: Lu Qingyang]
[True Form: Ancient Tree]
[Lifespan: 15/2000]
[Realm: Late Tier-1 (4300/5000)]
[Divine Abilities: Soul-Devouring Entanglement (Tier-1), Life Burst (Tier-1), Spirit Integration (Tier-1), Ancient Tree Aptitude (Tier-1)]
…
"Five years have passed!"
Lu Qingyang reviewed his status information, realizing that another five years had flown by.
Since transforming into an ancient tree, his perception of time had become increasingly blurred, making five years feel like a moment.
During these five years,
Lu Qingyang continuously devoured demonic beasts, absorbed the essence of the sun and moon,
And diligently absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, steadily increasing his cultivation.
Three years ago,
Lu Qingyang broke through a bottleneck, advancing from mid-level Tier-1 to late Tier-1 in one leap.
The breakthrough increased his lifespan to two thousand years.
However, the required cultivation points surged to five thousand.
The improvement in his cultivation was significant.
A year ago,
A perfect Tier-1 demonic beast intruded into his territory.
Lu Qingyang killed it with lightning speed;
Six months ago, an early Tier-2 demonic beast entered the area and met the same fate.
Currently,
Though Lu Qingyang was only at late Tier-1, he could directly confront early Tier-2 beasts.
The advantages of the Ancient Tree Aptitude were becoming more apparent.
At late Tier-1, he could defeat early Tier-2 beasts.
If he reached perfect Tier-1, even killing mid-level Tier-2 beasts wouldn't be difficult.
Now,
After five years of accumulation, Lu Qingyang was only seven hundred cultivation points away from perfect Tier-1.
However—
If five thousand points were needed to advance from late Tier-1 to perfect Tier-1,
Then advancing from perfect Tier-1 to early Tier-2 would undoubtedly require even more.
"With my current cultivation, I should be considered a strong presence in this mountain range."
"Though I haven't entered Tier-2, my real strength is already comparable to Tier-2 beasts."
Lu Qingyang mused.
Over the past fifteen years, he had encountered countless demonic beasts.
When he was at the Mortal stage, Lu Qingyang thought those beasts were incredibly powerful.
Now, looking back, those beasts weren't as formidable as he had imagined.
Reaching Tier-2 made one top-tier.
In the past fifteen years, Lu Qingyang had only seen one creature like the golden divine eagle.
It showed that Tier-2 beasts were incredibly powerful.
As long as he didn't encounter beasts like the golden divine eagle, he could safely cultivate.
Still, Lu Qingyang didn't let his guard down.
Since there were beasts like the golden divine eagle,
It meant there were always hidden threats in the mountain range.
The golden divine eagle hadn't shown interest in him last time because his cultivation was too low.
Now, if the golden divine eagle reappeared, it might be attracted to the rich spiritual energy in his body.
And attack him like other beasts.
To prevent this, Lu Qingyang couldn't afford to be careless.
As Lu Qingyang's mind settled, he perceived everything within a six-hundred-meter radius.
At late Tier-1,
His roots covered a six-hundred-meter range.
Once, there were many ancient trees within Lu Qingyang's six-hundred-meter territory.
Unfortunately,
During his battle with the early Tier-2 beast, the surrounding ancient trees were affected.
They were all destroyed.
Now, only he remained.