Chapter 3: Root of Knowledge

Root concentrated- He was in a cultivation world, to grow strong one has to cultivate, and to cultivate he needs to have pure qi… Nature Qi, which there isn't much around because of this drought. One of the answers for this is the new technique he has created based on the photosynthesis that his spirits make, which is what he has been doing- Producing Nature Qi by absorbing the sun's rays and converting it into both nutrients and Nature Qi.

His children were also doing the same!

In fact, he made some of his children use the Nature Qi they made to focus on a single seed he made so it would hatch faster. He made some calculations- after he popped a seed off, he watched as five of his children made Nature Qi and fed it to the seed, he could see the process of how the spirit inside the seed developed. At this speed, it would hatch in 6 months with 5 spirits feeding their energy to it. He brought another 5 and the time was reduced to 3 months or something like that- It wasn't a fixed amount of Qi produced by them, it was like the waves of the ocean. Sometimes high, sometimes low. '...let's see with 30 spirits per seed.' With 30 spirits per seed, the speed in which the seed would hatch was drastically reduced! He also decided to help the hatching by absorbing Sun Qi, transforming it into Nature Qi, and dispersing it into the seeds by using his [Mycorrhizal Network] technique.

In an instant, about 105 seeds popped, hatching almost immediately. He watched amazed how the process of the small dot of energy inside the green fruit absorbed the Nature Qi and quickly grew to the size of a pea, popping out of the fruit in various forms.

He saw butterflies, foxes, dogs, wolves, cats, caterpillars, snakes, rats, owls, ravens, and many other animals! These newly born spirits were then also told to do the same the others were doing, and like that, Root entered a cycle of spreading Nature Qi. Why? Because if there is a lot of nature qi, his cultivation will also grow faster in the future! Plus, these trees look really pitiful, as does the ground and everywhere else. His pink petals and his leaves fluttered with the wind- Because yes, he has pink petals! He liked cherry blossoms, and with the wind they flew, spreading out and making him stop and think.

He isn't a human anymore, so why should he do things like humans do?

From the highest point of his body, he used [Flower Make] alongside [Seed Make] and focused on a particular plant- A Dandelion. As the yellow flower bloomed on top of his "head", he smiled softly as he could feel and see the seeds of his children right where the seeds of the dandelion would be! "And now…" Feeding it with a little of his Nature Qi was more than enough to make the yellow flower turn into the white and fluffy dandelion you know and love. Several hundred of them, right on top of him, where the wind would blow and drag the seeds and spread them into the wild! "Like this I might not be able to protect you, but many of my children will be around, helping nature." He also gave each and every seed just enough energy to almost hatch, reducing the year long gestational period to just a month! "Go on, my children." A strong wind blew above his head, blowing away the hundreds of dandelions, whereupon each and every seed flew with wind. It was a beautiful spectacle, so beautiful in fact that Root felt and saw the awe in Leaf's face as he watched many of his siblings depart.

"Father… Why?" He wasn't criticizing his father, he was wondering the reason why his father did such a thing. "Son, it is life… Life's reason to be is to live. We cannot trap them into the confines of my sight… With danger comes the opportunity to grow, and with growth comes power." Leaf sighed softly as his siblings flew away with the wind, wind which carried them far and wide, so far he couldn't see them anymore after a few minutes. His father was wise, wise that Leaf has never thought about before- Even after spending years basking into the wisdom of his father's roots he had never learned such words, and yet, he knew what his father meant by that. "Also, nature will thrive with more Nature spirits to spread Nature Qi upon this forest, which will thus help the world." He didn't know if this drought was local or world wide- wait, how big is this world? He had no idea, so he didn't think much about it and decided to just keep making more children to populate the world! He also spread more children close to him too, waking them up from their endless slumber to life.

He only stopped when he got bored.

'Let me take a look…' He opened his status to see how many children he made. "Huh, I feel like a seahorse." God dayum! Look at how many kids he made, fuck! Okay, maybe he can make a few more and then continue to cultivate!

[Status]

Name: Root

Species: Spirit Tree

Cultivation Root: Nature [Heavenly Pure Quality]

Age: 110 years

Qi Realm: Core Formation (1st Stage)

Skills -

F RANK: [Flower Make]

E RANK: [Hibernation]

B RANK: [Seed Make]

S RANK: [Purification]

S RANK: [Pain Resistance]

Techniques -

F RANK: [Tree Breathing Technique]

C RANK: [Sun Breathing Photosynthesis Technique]

B RANK: [Mycorrhizal Network]

Sect - Spirit Forest Sect

Great Ancestor: Root [Core Formation (1st Stage)]

Sect Master: Leaf [Qi Gathering (3rd Stage)]

Members: Unnamed Lesser Nature Spirit (×10,560,678)

Inventory -

SSS Rank: Tea of Heaven (Recipe)

Year 10, Day 2

So, it turns out that at night he can't use the [Sun Breathing Photosynthesis Technique] to make Nature Qi! But wait, I hear you say, isn't the moon's light just a reflection of the sun's light? And yes, but when you live in a world where the very air is full of mystical energy that can make an ordinary human a super murderous psychopath, it's only natural that the sun and moon have different energies!

So what did he do? Well, he created another technique, of course! Well, they both fused into one, so now he has a new one:

[Twilight Qi Conversion Technique

Rank: A

Description: Taking both the Sun Qi (Yin, Fire, and Light Qi) and Moon Qi (Yang, Ice, and Dark Qi), you can convert both of them into a Qi of your choice or store it for later use.]

So, as it turns out, the sun is the energy of fire, light, and yin while the moon is the energy of ice, darkness, and yang! Which is kinda cool to learn, actually. He wanted to convert more types of qi into Nature Qi, like Air Qi, but he decided to first try this technique first before making another one. As he stayed awake the whole night converting Moon Qi into Nature Qi and releasing it into the atmosphere, he couldn't help but watch enthralled as each time he did there was this wave of green that rushed through the ground and out of his body, each and every single little kid he made floated and fed upon the Nature Energy he made. His cultivation did, however, increase in a single stage!

He absorbed a bit of the nature qi from the world around him as he produced it, purified it, and gathered it on his core. He spent a long time doing this, but thanks to his [Heavenly Pure Quality] Cultivation Root, the Qi was not wasted, not even a tiny bit, so he didn't need to pull more qi from the outside to his core! But he also ended up consuming a large amount of Nature Qi he made… So he started to purify it, just a little bit.

If we're applying purity of qi to the purity of root, then there's Trash Qi up to Heavenly Pure Qi. If the Qi he manually made was Poor Quality (Thanks to his naturally pure qi and body, the Nature Qi he produced was purer than that of his children) then the Nature Qi his children made was Trash Quality. If he produced a ton's worth of qi each time he breathed (theoretically speaking), then his kids could make an ounce of qi every single time they breathed!

And damn, after he went up to the [Core Formation (Stage 2)] of his cultivation, the amount of Qi he needed to raise his stage again almost tripled! But he did increase his stage: "Isn't that supposed to be hard?" Is he playing with easy difficulty? Oh shit, did he just jinx himself?

[Daily Prize Given!]

[+1 Copper Ticket]

[Would you like to use it?]

"Sure." He didn't know what he would get, but maybe he'll get something he can give Leaf as a gift? 'Wait, should I give Leaf a little brother or sister?' Aren't all plants supposedly able to cultivate and achieve sentience?

[You've received the D-Rank Skill: ]

[Wood Make:

Rank: D

Description: You can use wood by turning Nature Qi into wood to craft items carrying your will, memories, desires, and Qi. From sticks that can grow pure flowers to wooden swords that are capable of cutting through the heavens! That is, if the user is skilled enough]

"Hey, that can work." He was expecting a recipe or blueprint for some item he didn't know how to make yet, but he got a skill that lets him make things with wood! He focused for a second, his million children spread out as he used his heavenly pure nature qi and shaped it into a small, thin but sturdy long bladed weapon. Since the skill said it carried his will, memories, and even desires, he pushed onto the qi what he thought could help his son- The desire to protect his son and hurt his enemies.

[Congratulations!]

[You've made your first item!]

[Crafter Achievement Unlocked]

[Crafter: You are able to easily distinguish ways to make things]

[+1 Silver Ticket]

"Oh dayum." He used that ticket too, because why not? But before he focused on that reward, he called out to his child: "Son." Leaf, who herded his siblings along so they could release the Nature Qi they had made into the wild, stopped. "Yes, father?" Floating towards his dad at his max speed, Leaf quickly reached his dad. "Take this, this is for you- A reward for being a good son."

[Thorn of Pain and Protection

Rank: D

Description: A sword born from the desire of a father for his son's safety.

Abilities:

Inflict Pain - Rank E: A mere fraction of the pain the father once felt. When Thorn hits an enemy, the enemy will feel the pain.

Shield of Thorns - Rank D: The moment the user of this sword is in mortal danger, the sword will spread into thousands of thorns and surround the user, protecting them from any attacks. If someone touches a thorn, they will be under the effect of Inflict Pain.]

Leaf didn't know what to say for a moment- What was he supposed to say!? "T-thank you father." He couldn't help but stutter, for he never expected to receive such a gift. "I will cherish it dearly." Root smiled- or did the tree equivalent: He released a little of nature qi.

As Leaf floated away with barely hidden tears, or Water Qi his body naturally produced, Root checked the reward he received from the Silver Ticket.

"Wait, what?"

[Root of Knowledge

Rank: B

Description: Tapping into your species' natural ability to share wisdom and knowledge, you can actively do this in a quicker way- by burrowing a root of qi into their mind and sharing knowledge you have directly. It can also be used in reverse, to take knowledge from others.]

"Holy fuck."

[Status]

Name: Root

Species: Spirit Tree

Cultivation Root: Nature [Heavenly Pure Quality]

Age: 110 years

Qi Realm: Core Formation (2nd Stage)

Special Achievements:

[Crafter]

Skills -

F RANK: [Flower Make]

E RANK: [Hibernation]

D RANK: [Wood Make]

B RANK: [Seed Make]

S RANK: [Purification]

S RANK: [Pain Resistance]

Techniques -

F RANK: [Tree Breathing Technique]

B RANK: [Mycorrhizal Network]

B RANK: [Root of Knowledge]

A RANK: [Twilight Qi Conversion Technique]

Sect - Spirit Forest Sect

Great Ancestor: Root [Core Formation (2nd Stage)]

Sect Master: Leaf [Qi Gathering (3rd Stage)]

Members: Unnamed Lesser Nature Spirit (×12,746,870)

Inventory -

SSS Rank: Tea of Heaven (Recipe)

-Author Notes-

Hey, more childeen. I think he kinda went overboard with it? But it's so easy to just... pop one out! Give me names you'd like a few of the children that will achieve sentience like Leaf has. Any name you'd like a spirit to have- You can also tell me what gender you want your spirit to be! Male? Female? Genderless? Neither? Both?

Also, this is just the start of the Heavenly Spirit Forest Sect. The Heavenly comes after.