The yellow light of the trapping formation faded, and with it, the illusion masking the tree.

The true form of the spiritual plant revealed itself.

It stood ten feet tall, its trunk twisted and gnarled like a climbing dragon, the bark smooth and warm as jade. But the crown told a different story.

The “six” fruits were gone.

In their place hung only two. They were semi-transparent, glowing with a soft, milky light and etched with faint, golden veins.

Chen Ping felt a pang of regret. Six fruits from a single tree had been a fantasy, a bait too good to be true. Reality was often disappointing.

He stepped closer, examining the prize.

The two fruits were exquisite, but their luster was slightly dim, the golden patterns hazy. They weren’t fully ripe.

A cold smile touched his lips. The eight disciples of the Thick Earth Sect hadn’t just been hunting him; they were camping. They had set up a trap to harvest passing cultivators while waiting for their true treasure to mature.

It was a solid plan. “Waiting by a stump for a hare,” as the idiom went.

Unfortunately for them, the hare that arrived was a wolf. Now, they were fleeing like stray dogs, and their prize belonged to him.

“Two… are enough.”

His eyes burned with anticipation.

He wasted no time. His fingers stiffened into claws, Qi condensing at the tips like shovel blades. He began to dig.

Soil flew into the air. He worked with the precision of a surgeon and the speed of a machine, excavating a pit ten feet deep and wide. He didn’t just take the tree; he took the entire ecosystem—the massive ball of original soil and the intricate web of roots that surely tapped into a deep ley line.

With a thought, the massive earthen ball vanished.

Chen Ping disappeared with it.

Inside the Jade Pendant space.

Chen Ping carefully lowered the True Essence Fruit Tree into the center of the Black Earth, a spot he had reserved for his most precious resources.

The Black Earth, mysterious and potent, welcomed the new addition.

Normally, transplanting such a heavenly treasure was a nightmare. It required specific Qi concentrations, rare earth veins like Extreme Yin or Origin Magnetism, and perfect control over light and water. One mistake meant death for the plant.

That was why True Essence Fruits were priceless legends in the outside world.

But here? The rules of the cultivation world didn’t apply.

The moment the roots touched the Black Earth, a tremor of joy seemed to run through the tree. The delicate rootlets, starved for specific nutrients, burrowed greedily into the dark soil.

The Black Earth responded, converting its pure, primal energy into whatever the tree needed. It ignored the laws of nature.

Plant it, and it will live.

The jade-white trunk brightened, glowing with vitality. The two unripe fruits pulsed with newfound energy, their ripening process accelerating before his eyes.

“Incredible,” Chen Ping whispered, rubbing his temples.

This space was a cheat code. It had the power to turn decay into magic, to force life where it shouldn’t exist.

Satisfied that the tree was thriving, he exited the space. He spent a few minutes erasing his traces, obliterating footprints and aura residue, before vanishing into the forest.

The battle had sharpened his instincts.

Chen Ping moved like a ghost, his Divine Sense stretched to its limit. He avoided risks, took detours around high-level beast territories, and stuck to the safer paths marked on his map. His goal was the core of the Secret Realm—Lingyun Peak.

His caution paid off. He avoided conflict and even harvested a few more herbs along the way.

Days passed. The terrain grew rugged, the air crackling with static.

He was nearing Falling Thunder Cliff.

The name was literal. The unique geography attracted lightning strikes year-round, creating a harsh, electrified environment that birthed rare thunder-attribute plants.

Long before he saw the cliff, he heard the sounds of violence.

Explosions. The clash of steel. Screams of rage and pain.

The air smelled of ozone and blood.

Chen Ping suppressed his aura and scaled a massive tree, peering through the dense canopy.

Ahead, a sheer cliff face rose like a wall of black iron. On a narrow platform near the summit, a chaotic melee was underway.

Over a dozen cultivators were locked in a death match.

Their prize grew at the very edge of the precipice—a stalk of bamboo, slightly taller than a man.

It was deep gold, its joints distinct and sharp. Tiny silver arcs of lightning danced along its surface, emitting a constant, low crackle.

Pure, violent thunder Qi radiated from it, dominating the area for thirty feet. Even from this distance, Chen Ping felt his skin prickle.

Millennium Origin Thunder Bamboo!

His breath caught.

This was a supreme material for crafting thunder-attribute Dharma Treasures. Its value dwarfed that of the Foundation Establishment herbs.

No wonder they were fighting like mad dogs.

Sword lights slashed through the air. Fireballs and ice spikes collided in bursts of steam. Sparks flew as artifacts ground against each other.

Every few seconds, a scream cut through the din as a loser was hurled off the cliff or torn apart by a spell.

The combatants were all elites—Level 9 Qi Condensation at minimum, with several at the Great Perfection stage.

Chen Ping watched, calculating.

The main bamboo stalk was the center of the storm. Several powerful auras were locked onto it. If he tried to snatch it, he would become the public enemy of every survivor on that cliff.

The risk was too high. He valued his life more than treasure.

He prepared to retreat.

But as he turned, something caught his eye.

Thirty meters away from the main stalk, hidden in the shadows of a rocky crevice, grew a cluster of small shoots.

They were only arm-length, a tender purple color, with faint sparks of electricity jumping along their skin.

Shoots!

Chen Ping’s heart skipped a beat.

These were the offspring of the Millennium bamboo. They lacked the terrifying power and material strength of the parent, useless for crafting artifacts.

But they were alive.

They contained the pure genetic lineage and thunder essence of the main plant.

And he had the Black Earth.

If he could transplant them… he could grow his own forest of Origin Thunder Bamboo.