Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 184: Consecutive Breakthroughs

Han Yu sat cross-legged at the heart of the Ancestral Tree Earth Vein. Beneath him, massive roots coiled and twisted like slumbering pythons, guarding the spiritual artery of the sect.

The air was thick with liquid light. Spiritual Qi here was so dense it felt almost tangible, a heavy mist that seeped into his pores and marrow with every breath.

Standing at the edge of the formation, Sect Leader Qi performed a rapid sequence of hand seals.

“Guide!”

The command echoed through the cavern. Instantly, the ambient spiritual light boiled, transforming into thousands of luminous silk threads that surged toward Han Yu.

Boom.

A tide of power crashed into his meridians. Unlike the chaotic energy found in the outside world, this force was pure, refined, and ancient.

Han Yu immediately cycled the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method. He guided the torrent through his circulation paths, watching his Spirit Breath swell at a terrifying speed.

The efficiency of the Spirit Infusion Power was staggering. It functioned similarly to the Qi Refining Spirit Boosting Pill, providing raw fuel that required only minimal refinement to become his own. It bypassed the bottlenecks of aptitude entirely.

Sect Leader Qi watched the visible rise in Han Yu’s cultivation aura and nodded, though his muscles remained tense. His hand hovered near a seal, ready to sever the connection at the first sign of instability. No matter how much he trusted Han Yu, the Ancestral Tree Earth Vein was the lifeblood of Wanchun Valley. They could not afford an accident.

Song Wanxiong had claimed with his dying breath that the Earth Vein was a trap set by the Myriad Phenomena Sect. Perhaps that was true for the high-level players of the Central Heaven Domain. But for the cultivators of Wanchun Valley, this root system was the only thing keeping them alive in the unforgiving Southern Region.

Suddenly, the ground shuddered.

The massive roots surrounding Han Yu began to tremble. The smooth flow of Spirit Infusion Power spiked violently.

Trouble?

Sect Leader Qi’s expression darkened. He stepped forward, spiritual energy flaring in his palm to suppress the anomaly.

But before he could strike, the roots moved. They didn’t attack; they curled inward, pressing gently against Han Yu’s back and shoulders. Smaller rootlets brushed against his neck with the tender familiarity of an elder stroking a grandchild’s hair.

“This…” Sect Leader Qi froze, his hand dropping.

A jade-green halo erupted around Han Yu.

His aura climbed vertically, smashing through limits. Within an hour, the barrier to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining shattered like glass. He stabilized instantly at the Eighth Layer.

But the Spirit Infusion Power did not stop.

The Ancestral Tree seemed to have mistaken Han Yu for its own kin, a long-lost descendant returning home. It poured its accumulated essence into him with reckless generosity.

Inside Han Yu’s dantian, the Spirit Breath spun into a cyclone. Two hours later, under Sect Leader Qi’s incredulous gaze, the second barrier fractured.

Crack.

Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

The spiritual tide slowly receded. Han Yu opened his eyes, a verdant light swirling in his pupils before fading. He looked at his hands, clenching them into fists. Vitality roared through his veins—he could feel that his lifespan had just extended by at least twenty years.

“Sect Leader,” Han Yu whispered, his voice hoarse. “This is…”

Sect Leader Qi took a deep breath, the tension leaving his shoulders. He clapped his hands together with a sigh of amazement.

“Incredible. Truly ‘Universal Comprehension’! To think the Ancestral Tree would treat you as its own flesh and blood… I have never heard of such a Fated Chance.”

Han Yu blinked, his analytical mind quickly piecing together the cause.

It’s the loot, he realized.

Over the past two years, he had consumed a massive amount of Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart and Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid—rewards from the System. His body was practically marinated in the essence of high-grade spiritual wood.

To the Ancestral Tree, he didn’t smell like a human cultivator; he smelled like a sapling.

The tree hadn’t just boosted him; it had tried to overfeed him.

“Sect Leader, is this… appropriate?” Han Yu asked, feigning ignorance. “We agreed on one level, but it gave me enough for two.”

Sect Leader Qi smiled, stepping forward to pat Han Yu’s shoulder. “The Ancestral Tree’s gift is the ultimate background check. Not even the Elders or I received such affection when we were at the Qi Refining stage.”

He looked Han Yu in the eye, his expression solemn. “From this day forth, you are the most trusted person in the sect, second only to the Elders. Do not fail the trust of the Tree, or of us.”

“Yes, Sect Leader! I will not.” Han Yu bowed deeply.

“Good.” Qi gestured for him to stand. “The Earth Vein has spent years accumulating this power. We fed it mountains of Spirit Stones just to prepare for Elder Yan and Elder Mu’s breakthroughs. Now that it has pushed you to the Ninth Layer, its reserves are depleted. It needs to rest.”

Han Yu moved to leave the circle, but a thick root suddenly snapped around his wrist, holding him in place.

Han Yu and Sect Leader Qi both stiffened.

“Ancestral Tree?” Qi asked tentatively. “Do you… wish for him to stay?”

The root lifted into the air, curling like an elephant’s trunk, and bobbed up and down in a distinct nod.

“It seems it really likes you,” Qi muttered, scratching his head. “But, honored Ancestor, you really do need to sleep…”

While Han Yu stood awkwardly being held by a sentient tree root, Sect Leader Qi manipulated the formation array. He slowly dialed down the ambient spiritual energy flow. The blinding lights of the cavern began to dim, fading into a dormant gray.

Sensing the inevitable separation, the root tightened its grip on Han Yu’s wrist one last time. Then, with a dry snap, the tip of the root broke off.

It twisted and warped, instantly fusing into a solid wooden bangle around Han Yu’s wrist.

Han Yu inspected it. The bracelet sat two inches above the bird-patterned tattoo of the Beast Heart Psychic Pact. It was simple, brown, and textured with natural wood grain—not flashy, but possessing an ancient, earthen elegance.

“Thank you for the heavy gift, Ancestral Tree,” Han Yu said respectfully.

The roots retreated into the shadows. Silence reclaimed the cavern, leaving only the heavy, damp scent of soil.

“Let’s go,” Sect Leader Qi said.

He activated the teleportation array. A flash of light swallowed them, and the damp underground air was replaced by the incense of the main peak’s Great Hall.

The hall was still illuminated, though Elder Wen had retired to recuperate. Elders Lü, Yan, and Mu were waiting, pacing anxiously.

As soon as Qi and Han Yu materialized, heads snapped toward them.

“How did it go?”

“Is the Earth Vein stable?”

Sect Leader Qi smiled, dusting off his robes. “Smooth. Smoother than we dared to hope. Han Yu, show them.”

Han Yu raised his arm, displaying the wooden bracelet.

The Elders stared at it, confused.

“The Ancestral Tree took a liking to the boy,” Qi explained, his voice tinged with amusement. “It poured extra power into him, pushing him straight from the Seventh to the Ninth Layer. And before we left, it broke off a piece of its own body to give him a souvenir.”

“Ninth Layer?”

Elder Lü let out a roar of laughter, rushing forward to slam a heavy hand onto Han Yu’s shoulder. “Good! Good lad! Ninth Layer!”

He shook Han Yu vigorously. “Another year or two to polish your body, spirit, and soul, and you’ll be ready for Foundation Establishment!”

The other Elders buzzed with excitement.

“To be favored by the Ancestral Tree…” Elder Bai shook his head in wonder. “This is his fortune. A Foundation Establishment cultivator with ‘Universal Comprehension’… Wanchun Valley is truly rising.”

Elder Bai paused, a flicker of envy crossing his face. “It is a pity my disciple, Bai Seventeen, arrived too late and lacks merit. With his Single Wood Spirit Root, perhaps the Ancestral Tree would have—”

“Unlikely,” Sect Leader Qi cut him off gently. “I also possess a Single Wood Spirit Root. Yet, when I was at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, the Ancestral Tree never looked at me twice.”

Elder Bai fell silent, staring at Han Yu with renewed bewilderment.

He muttered under his breath, “Does ‘Universal Comprehension’ mean he can even comprehend the feelings of a vegetable?”