God of War

"After so much effort, I finally obtained the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart," Wang Yi thought, ignoring the four pitifully 'bald' willow trees nearby. He carefully placed the fist-sized Willow Heart into his combat backpack and calmly left the chaotic scene.

As for the broken willow branches? Thanks to the incredible vitality of the plant spirits, they would grow back soon enough, so Wang Yi had no need to worry.

With five Willow Hearts in hand, Wang Yi happily departed from Kirishima, soaring into the sky and heading back to the shore.

This expedition had been very fruitful. In addition to signing a contract with a 'Cloud Vine seedling,' he had also collected a total of eleven plant spirits, including the precious Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart! And all this without disturbing the Cloud Vine on the island, allowing him to leave safely.

Whether Luo Feng would come to this island next August and find the Willow Heart would depend entirely on his own luck.

Amidst the dense wilderness, Wang Yi suddenly reappeared.

"Hmm, there's a mountain range up ahead. That looks like a good spot," Wang Yi muttered, squinting at the steep, desolate peaks. Flying like an agile ape, he found a cliff where few monsters roamed. Controlling his flying knives, he quickly carved out a four to five-meter-deep cave, large enough for one person to rest in. He left only a small gap for ventilation.

"Perfect," Wang Yi said as he sat at the far end of the passage, paying no mind to the dirt. He opened his backpack and took out the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart, holding it in his palm for a closer look.

It was an oval crystal about the size of a fist, shimmering with flowing green hues and a hint of gold. Just looking at it with the naked eye made his heart race.

"The Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart has two major effects: it can increase cell activity and enhance physical fitness. And now, this one is mine," Wang Yi thought, feeling a tinge of excitement.

In the original story, Luo Feng had used the "Thousand Year Willow Heart" to increase his physical strength from that of a lower God of War to the mid-level, or even high-level, God of War.

The Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart would undoubtedly provide even greater effects!

However, Wang Yi doubted it would be enough to elevate him to "Beyond God of War."

Breaking through beyond the God of War required more than just physical strength.

Still, even a slight improvement was worth the effort for Wang Yi.

With that thought, he tightly gripped the fist-sized crystal. The liquid within, brimming with vitality and glowing green with flecks of gold, slowly seeped out. A fragrant aroma filled the air, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort to his mind and body.

Using his mental powers, Wang Yi absorbed the essence of the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart, turning it into a stream of crystalline liquid that flowed into his open mouth.

A refreshing coolness spread from his throat through his entire body, making him shiver in pleasure.

"Refreshing!" he exclaimed.

Although he had anticipated that consuming the Willow Heart would be painless and safe, the sensation was far more pleasant than he had expected.

As his body absorbed the cool energy, Wang Yi felt a rapid vibration coursing through him—small but incredibly intense. Through this vibration, grayish-black substances were expelled from his pores.

Meanwhile, the boundless vitality within the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart triggered dramatic changes at the cellular level.

His genes evolved, and his cell activity surged.

Wang Yi's strength, which had reached a hundred thousand kilograms, began to climb... 150,000... 200,000... 250,000... 300,000...

The life force contained within the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart was exponentially greater than that of the Thousand Year Willow Heart, and its effects were far more potent.

...

In the dark cave, Wang Yi opened his eyes after an unknown amount of time had passed. Glancing at his tactical watch, he saw that three hours had gone by.

"Crack."

"Pop."

Wang Yi stood, his joints cracking like popping corn.

It felt as if he had just enjoyed a relaxing hot spring massage.

He had only one thought: Comfortable!

Feeling the surge of power and vitality coursing through him, Wang Yi couldn't help but smile.

Though he wasn't sure how much his strength had improved, he could sense that his physical fitness had nearly reached the limit of a God of War.

Furthermore, a significant amount of medicinal energy from the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart remained within his body.

"The effect of the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart is truly astonishing," Wang Yi nodded in satisfaction.

And he still had plant spirits, including four Thousand Year Willow Hearts. Although they wouldn't benefit him, now that he was nearing the peak of God of War, he could bring them back for his family.

"Now that the Ten Thousand Year Willow Heart issue is settled, it's time to focus on the Cloud Vine." With a thought, Wang Yi summoned his sign-in panel, where a seedling resembling a gourd vine stood prominently.

"Cloud Vine..." Wang Yi sighed, feeling a bit of a headache.

The Cloud Vine was a powerful lifeform, but it required resources to grow.

And its strength depended heavily on the quality of its cultivation.

At present, Wang Yi didn't have the resources to properly nourish it.

After some hesitation, he decided to release the Cloud Vine.

A drop of blood sealed the bond.

The most important thing now was to seize every resource to strengthen himself as quickly as possible.

As the Cloud Vine absorbed Wang Yi's blood, its color shifted from green to red, and its branches gently swayed.

Wang Yi had to give quite a bit of blood—twice in fact—but his current physical fitness and heightened cell activity made it a trivial matter.

When the bond was complete, Wang Yi stopped the bloodletting and placed his hand gently on the Cloud Vine. A wave of consciousness passed through, bringing an affectionate feeling, like a child clinging to a parent. Wang Yi sighed in relief, knowing he had successfully subdued the Cloud Vine.

The Cloud Vine was deeply loyal. Once it bonded with a master, it would never betray, and it could only serve one master in its lifetime.

If its master died, so would the vine.

Cloud Vine... from now on, you'll be my partner," Wang Yi murmured, stroking the vine gently.

As their minds connected, Wang Yi received instructions on how to utilize the Cloud Vine.

With a mere thought, the vine shrank, disappearing into Wang Yi's skin. At the same time, he could sense an invisible, protective layer enveloping his body.

Still, Wang Yi shook his head—Cloud Vine hadn't even reached planetary strength yet. Only when it evolved to that level could it provide him with armor and significant combat capabilities.

For now, the Cloud Vine was just a decorative ornament.

"For Cloud Vine to evolve quickly, it needs resources that Earth can't provide..." Wang Yi's gaze turned toward the depths of Kirishima.

Beneath the surface lay the Meteor Star spacecraft!

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