Chapter 899: Five-Star Azure Dragon Wood

Zhou Shengqing was greatly moved upon learning of Chen Mobai's accomplishments.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator with a Dharmakaya, his cultivation realm could not be further improved. To increase his combat power, he had to rely on external means. The tree seed, a perfect complement to the Longevity Scripture, functions as a magical artifact, a spell, and even a formation. If he had possessed a fourth-tier tree seed, he certainly wouldn't have been defeated in a single blow when he encountered Patriarch Jinfeng.

"Junior Brother, refining the Longevity Wood in my own dao field into a tree seed will suffice," Zhou Shengqing said. However, after careful consideration, he felt that refining two Longevity Woods into tree seeds would be too wasteful. Even with a top-tier fourth-tier tree seed, his combat power would at most be equivalent to that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. If the domain evolved from one tree seed couldn't stop an opponent, two would also be wasted. It would be better to keep them within the sect, providing more options should another person achieve Nascent Soul cultivation through the Longevity Scripture in the future.

"That works too, Senior Brother," Chen Mobai nodded, expressing his thoughts. "You can refine yours first. As for mine, we can wait until the fifth-tier spiritual vein in the Eastern Barrens is established. Perhaps then it can even be imbued to become a fifth-tier."

"Are there still undiscovered fifth-tier spiritual veins in the Eastern Barrens?" Zhou Shengqing asked.

"There are no wild ones," Chen Mobai replied, "but I recently perfected the Way of Formations from the Longevity Sect during my seclusion. I comprehended the 'Forest of Woods' method, which allows multiple spiritual veins to be merged and upgraded." Chen Mobai then briefly explained to Zhou Shengqing the method of combining numerous spiritual veins into a single super spiritual vein. Hearing this, Zhou Shengqing was even more awestruck by the ancient Longevity Sect, marveling that they possessed even such a method for artificially creating high-tier spiritual veins.

After discussing these matters, the two turned to the allocation of Wood Origin Golden Cores. Chen Mobai held a positive impression of Tan Rong, who had taken care of him in the Fire True Hall. He regretted her previous failure in Core Formation after taking the Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill. Meng Hong was also a concern; his last Core Formation attempt had involved shattering an Outer Golden Core. To save his life, Zhou Shengqing had dissipated most of his spiritual power, exhausting his origin. Thus, although Meng Hong still held the perfected Foundation Establishment realm, he could no longer realistically attempt Core Formation, as it would certainly lead to death.

As the current Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect, Chen Mobai felt it was crucial to give all disciples hope for advancement whenever possible. "It wouldn't be good for our Wood Lineage to take all of them," Chen Mobai suggested. "Given that Wood generates Fire in the Five Elements, if Junior Niece Tan Rong from the Fire Lineage is willing, I think we can give her another chance."

Zhou Shengqing replied, "Junior Brother can decide, but we shouldn't grant unlimited opportunities for Core Formation." Chen Mobai agreed, noting that as time progressed, the supply of pills would eventually become insufficient, just like in the Immortal Gate, necessitating limits. However, he also worried that unlimited access might lead cultivators to rush for pills, damaging their foundations. Therefore, after consulting with Zhou Shengqing, they decided to maintain the previous rules.

"One or two, but not three," Chen Mobai mused. "Let's limit each sect member to a maximum of two exchanges for Core Formation elixirs." Zhou Shengqing nodded, acknowledging this rule, which was also one of the cornerstones of the Immortal Gate's system. Zhou Shengqing generally agreed with Chen Mobai's ideas but, with a more seasoned mindset, offered some supplementary suggestions.

They first decided to arrange for their direct affiliates. "Then it must be our Wood Lineage's Giant Wood Ridge!" Chen Mobai declared, an obvious choice for his base. Zhou Shengqing nodded in agreement, relieved. The Mysterious Five Elements Formation, in theory, was best centered around the Earth Element Spiritual Hub, as this fifth-tier grand formation was essentially derived from the Primal Chaos Dao Fruit. However, Chen Mobai certainly had to consider his core supporters for something as significant as a fifth-tier spiritual vein. His current standing was entirely due to the strong support of the Wood Lineage, so he would only choose to upgrade the Giant Wood Ridge to a fifth-tier spiritual vein.

They listed the names: Chu Zuoshu, Yi Shaoqing, Meng Hong, Ma Wuniang, and Quan Shanlin. They initially decided to list four Wood Origin Golden Cores in the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion for Chu Zuoshu, Yi Shaoqing, Ma Wuniang, and Quan Shanlin to exchange. This meant only four pills were used. Zhou Shengqing then asked, "Where do you plan to establish this fifth-tier spiritual vein, Junior Brother?" Zhou Shengqing lamented, "It's a pity that the other four lineages don't have perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators specializing in wood-attribute cultivation methods." His subtle smile, however, revealed his satisfaction. Although the five lineages of the Five Elements Sect had merged, he undoubtedly hoped his own Wood Lineage would grow stronger.

The Five Elements Sect was currently in a period of growth. After absorbing the Mysterious Apex Dao Palace and with Qing Nü as a grand alchemist, the supply of Core Formation spiritual items would not be outstripped by the number of perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators for at least the next few years. This rule, Zhou Shengqing noted, merely set a framework; it would be easy for Nascent Soul cultivators like them to circumvent it. Chen Mobai still had five Water Origin Golden Cores in storage, with no one to use them.

In the Wood Lineage, there were many who were approaching perfected Foundation Establishment, such as Yan Yuanhao, Mu Yuan, Dong Xuanze, and Wei Liuting. Among these, aside from Mu Yuan, who was young, the other three were Foundation Establishment cultivators who had proactively volunteered to guard various nations during Chen Mobai's New Policies. Yan Yuanhao, in particular, had diligently worked in Hong County for decades, accumulating merit from desert reclamation and river dredging. Chen Mobai had guided him multiple times, and over the years, Yan Yuanhao had assiduously refined his physique, consumed spiritual rice, and purged pill toxins, giving him hope for Core Formation.

Besides the Heavenly Yang Fire Liquid that Zhu Jun brought to open the Yellow Dragon Cave, which Chen Mobai had kept for his eldest disciple Liu Wenbai, Chen Mobai also reserved one Wood Origin Golden Core and one Water Origin Golden Core for Liu Wenbai, as he rotated between water and wood cultivation methods. With these combined conditions, Liu Wenbai's Core Formation was essentially guaranteed.

"Since Junior Niece Tan can exchange for one, then let's give Xie Yuntian one as well," Chen Mobai thought, recalling the head of the Sword Cultivation Department. Xie Yuntian cultivated the Crimson Flame Sword Art and was an elder Foundation Establishment cultivator who had made significant contributions to the Wood Lineage. Now that the sect's conditions had improved, he certainly shouldn't be forgotten.

"Junior Brother can decide," Zhou Shengqing nodded. This meant six Wood Origin Golden Cores would be listed. He wondered how many would successfully form their Cores. Of the remaining four pills, one was reserved for Liu Wenbai, and another was reserved by Zhou Shengqing for his grand-disciple Mu Yuan. This meant only two were effectively left. Who would cultivate to perfected Foundation Establishment next and be quicker would determine who received these life-changing pills.

After discussing the two matters, Zhou Shengqing awkwardly asked Chen Mobai for assistance. "Junior Brother, I might need Junior Niece Zhuo's help when I go back to refine the tree seed." Although he was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, his attainments in spiritual plants and geomancy were far inferior to Zhuo Ming, who had just formed her Core. Therefore, he planned to ask Zhuo Ming for help when refining the Longevity Wood into a tree seed. "No problem," Chen Mobai nodded. "When we return, I'll have Ming'er put her current tasks aside."

With Zhou Shengqing returning to refine the tree seed, the defense of the Eastern Yi region would be weakened. However, the situation had completely stabilized. Among the three border regions of Eastern Continent, the Five Elements Sect had become dominant. Patriarch White Crow was holding steadfastly to Golden Crow Immortal City, not even daring to go to Eastern Earth, fearing a sudden attack from the Five Elements Sect. With the large-scale teleportation array, even if Zhou Shengqing didn't remain in Eastern Yi, it wouldn't be a major issue, as Chen Mobai was regularly in Northern Abyss City and could teleport directly if needed. Therefore, the two summoned Zhou Ye, informed him of the situation, and then returned to the Eastern Barrens together. When Zhou Shengqing returned, he also brought Zhou Wangshen with him. This refinement of a fourth-tier tree seed was an unprecedented event for the Five Elements Sect, and he hoped Zhou Wangshen could observe and gain insights.

As this news spread, cultivators in the Five Elements Sect who practiced wood-attribute cultivation methods quickly applied to return to Giant Wood Ridge, also wishing to observe. This primarily included E Yun and Yin Qingmei; Fu Zongjue was already at Giant Wood Ridge. Chen Mobai considered it and, when notifying Zhuo Ming, asked her to bring Jiang Zongheng, as this junior disciple also cultivated the Longevity Scripture. He also sent a message to Yue Zutao in Eastern Earth, asking him to return via the teleportation array and not miss this opportunity.

The three Longevity Woods in Giant Wood Ridge were at the peak of the fourth-tier. Originally, Chen Mobai had intended to try imbuing them to upgrade to fifth-tier using the "forcing growth" technique after upgrading Giant Wood Ridge to a fifth-tier spiritual vein. However, according to Granny Ming, for a Longevity Wood to upgrade to fifth-tier, Longevity Earth and the "forcing growth" technique alone were insufficient. It required a cultivator practicing the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture to make it their fated spiritual plant, using their true qi for nourishment and resonance. When Longevity Wood advanced further, it would condense from a towering giant tree into a small branch the size of an arm. Such a fifth-tier spiritual wood was called "Azure Dragon Wood" in the Longevity Sect. The highest realm of Longevity Puppet Art, the fifth-tier Longevity Azure Dragon, required Azure Dragon Wood as its core to be refined.

Chen Mobai was quite excited about this, as he was currently recognized as the top puppet master in the Immortal Gate. If he could refine a fifth-tier puppet here, even if the materials were somewhat inefficient, it would still represent a fifth-tier method. Moreover, puppets could be passed down. If he ever ascended, this could serve as one of the Five Elements Sect's foundations. In case of a situation similar to when Venerable Ming arrived, it could provide a defense, allowing time to activate teleportation arrays and escape.

Unfortunately, Yin Qingmei's fated spiritual plant was the Jasper Parasol Tree, and she couldn't change it to Longevity Wood. However, Chen Mobai had another idea: whether he could use the Universal Harmony Pact to resonate with the Longevity Wood as his fated spiritual plant, achieving a similar effect. He tried it after considering it. It was indeed very simple, but a fated spiritual plant was only one condition for Longevity Wood to upgrade to Azure Dragon Wood. The most crucial factor was nourishment from the true qi cultivated through the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture. It wasn't entirely without a solution, for example, by using Yin Qingmei's true qi through a dual cultivation technique. However, even with her Heavenly Spiritual Root, Yin Qingmei would likely take at least a century to form a Nascent Soul. By that time, Chen Mobai estimated he would have mastered many fifth-tier techniques himself. So, this idea had to be put on hold for future consideration.

Since the Wood Origin Golden Cores were still undergoing final nourishment in the Pure Yang Cauldron, Chen Mobai brought Qing Nü along to Giant Wood Ridge to observe the fourth-tier tree seed refinement. The Longevity Scripture was a simplified version of the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture created by True Monarch Yi Yuan. However, many aspects of it were merely deductions by the ascended cultivator and had not been practically tested, so whether this fourth-tier tree seed method would succeed was still an unknown. Chen Mobai, however, was inclined to believe it would succeed, given the ascended cultivator's realm.

Under the anxious gaze of numerous Core Formation cultivators of the Five Elements Sect, Zhuo Ming remained poised. Together with Zhou Shengqing, she performed the tree seed ritual, covering the tallest Longevity Wood at the center of Giant Wood Ridge. Although Zhuo Ming's cultivation was insufficient, she was the primary conductor of the ritual. Zhou Shengqing's role was mainly to provide Longevity True Qi, applying the tree seed prohibitions at precise timings and injecting them into the correct parts of the Longevity Wood's trunk as instructed.

The spiritual energy contained within a peak fourth-tier spiritual plant was incredibly vast. While it couldn't compare to the Great Dao Tree in the Divine Tree Secret Realm, it still surpassed both Chen Mobai and Zhou Shengqing. However, under the tree seed prohibitions, the Longevity Wood offered no resistance, allowing Zhou Shengqing and Zhuo Ming to condense it. It shrank step by step from a towering tree reaching the sky, ultimately condensing into a fist-sized mass of deep cyan.

"Hahahaha, excellent, excellent!" Zhou Shengqing burst into laughter the moment the fourth-tier tree seed formed. Disregarding his own true qi consumption, he immediately drew a talisman in the air. As the fourth-tier Heavenly Wood Talisman descended, the fist-sized tree seed quickly erupted with a mighty green light. Then, under everyone's gaze, it grew at a not-so-slow pace, transforming into a Longevity Wood about one-tenth its original size. This scene made Zhou Shengqing somewhat embarrassed, as it indicated he hadn't fully unleashed the power of this peak fourth-tier tree seed.

"It seems Senior Brother's true qi consumption was quite significant during the tree seed refinement," Chen Mobai interjected, trying to smooth things over. Fu Zongjue and others nearby nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Cough, cough, ten days and ten nights without sleep, I am a bit fatigued," Zhou Shengqing accepted the graceful exit. As he spoke, he waved his sleeve, retracting the domain he had unfurled, transforming it back into a deep cyan tree seed, and placing it into his storage bag.

"Senior Brother, you've worked hard, but it's rare for so many Junior Nephews to gather. As a pioneer of the Longevity Scripture, why not share some insights?" Seeing this rare opportunity, Chen Mobai wanted Zhou Shengqing, a Nascent Soul cultivator, to give a lesson to the many Core Formation cultivators present in the Wood Lineage. "Junior Brother truly lives up to the name 'Great Teacher of Benevolence'," Zhou Shengqing responded. "Then I shall make a humble presentation." If he were facing outsiders, Zhou Shengqing would certainly not give a lecture, but those present were Core Formation cultivators from their Wood Lineage within the Five Elements Sect, truly the sect's direct lineage. So, he overcame his reservations, sat on the ground by the deep root pit left by the Longevity Wood, and began to explain his understanding of the Longevity Scripture.

Zhou Shengqing was the only person to cultivate the Longevity Scripture to the Nascent Soul realm. Although he hadn't been able to advance further in recent years, his elevated perspective allowed him to repeatedly revise this wood-attribute cultivation method. Even Chen Mobai, with his Immortal Gate perspective, would find it difficult to find flaws. Since he was addressing Core Formation cultivators, Zhou Shengqing spoke about his cultivation experiences during Core Formation and his insights on advancing from Core Formation to Nascent Soul. In the past, such lessons were only given when an elder cultivator was nearing death or a junior cultivator was on the verge of a breakthrough. But in recent years, influenced by Chen Mobai, communication among the upper-level cultivators of the Five Elements Sect had become more open. This time, Zhou Shengqing brought out his most profound knowledge. Some of the Core Formation cultivators, like Fu Zongjue, felt enlightened, some had sudden realizations, while others frowned in thought. Even Chen Mobai felt greatly benefited, gaining an understanding of the cultivation journey from Core Formation to Nascent Soul for Eastern Barrens cultivators. This would provide more references for him when guiding others in the future.

After Zhou Shengqing finished speaking, Chen Mobai, also eager to share, took the stage and gave a lecture. "I'll simply talk about what to pay attention to during Core Formation realm cultivation," Chen Mobai began directly. "These might be things you don't typically notice, but they can significantly impact your Nascent Soul formation." His opening sentence commanded everyone's respect, and they listened with utmost attention. After listening, several people, as expected, turned pale and broke into a sweat, feeling as if the Sect Master was speaking directly to them, using this method to awaken them. In truth, Chen Mobai was merely explaining a dozen common principles summarized in the Immortal Gate's Nascent Soul formation experience books. For him and Qing Nü, this information was readily available online, but for cultivators in the Eastern Barrens, they might never know it if not told. For example, the selection of Nascent Soul spiritual lands, the daily dietary pairing of spiritual rice, aligning cultivation times with the four seasons, and pausing cultivation periodically to allow vital energy, spirit, and mind to relax. This short lesson made the attending Core Formation cultivators believe that the sect's two Nascent Soul patriarchs were imparting their insights on forming a Nascent Soul. While feeling valued, they also secretly noted everything Chen Mobai said, resolving to correct their bad cultivation habits in the future.

After completing the tree seed refinement and the lectures, everyone stayed at Giant Wood Ridge for a period, exchanging experiences in cultivating the Longevity Scripture. Among them, Yin Qingmei, who cultivated the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture, gained the least. She wore a bitter expression, knowing that while cultivating a Void Transformation technique offered vast future prospects, it also meant many hurdles and difficulties had to be overcome individually. Fortunately, the Longevity Scripture was a direct lineage, so Zhou Shengqing's experience was somewhat useful to her. Coupled with Chen Mobai's general cultivation advice, she still gained some insights. Yin Qingmei had originally wanted to privately ask Chen Mobai for more knowledge, but unfortunately, Chen Mobai was always with Qing Nü, and she couldn't find an opportunity.

After the tree seed was refined, the batch of Wood Origin Golden Cores in the Pure Yang Cauldron was also sufficiently nourished. "Two pills still contain a trace of pill toxin," Qing Nü said after opening the cauldron, meticulously re-examining all ten pills. She set two aside. After the furnace nourishing, the pill toxin had further decreased to just 0.2. Chen Mobai picked one up and looked at it; he couldn't perceive any difference from the perfectly flawless ones. Moreover, this trace amount of pill toxin was effectively negligible for cultivators in this region. "Let's mix them together when listing them for exchange," Chen Mobai suggested, "and let fate decide." Only Qing Nü in the entire Five Elements Sect could detect such a trace amount of pill toxin in the elixir, so this method was the most fair. Furthermore, Qing Nü, as an alchemist, confirmed that this minute amount of pill toxin would have virtually no impact on Core Formation. However, out of personal consideration, Chen Mobai still placed these two Wood Origin Golden Cores with trace pill toxin in the first batch. In his view, the perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanging for the first batch had little hope of forming a Core.

Soon after, Zhou Shengqing returned to Eastern Yi with the fourth-tier tree seed and Zhou Wangshen. Since his cultivation could not be further elevated, it made no difference where he practiced with the tree seed. Yue Zutao accompanied them, and after acquiring a large quantity of talisman papers and inks, he diverted to Eastern Yi before returning to Eastern Earth. Chen Mobai also returned to Northern Abyss City with Qing Nü and others. Seeing no further opportunity, Yin Qingmei regretfully departed for her Six Armor Mountain dao field. Jiang Zongheng, however, stayed behind and reported to Chen Mobai on his recent experiences in the mortal realm.

After obtaining the Dao Law Seed, he didn't immediately go to the capital city to sow it. Instead, he first traveled through various parts of the nineteen counties of the Eastern Barrens to see if the policies he had established for strengthening the nation and benefiting the people had been continued. The results pleased him greatly. In the years of peace, combined with Zhuo Ming's improved rice strains, the common people no longer worried about food, and the population grew steadily. Now, every family, if conditions allowed, would raise three or four children. In about twenty more years, the total population of the Eastern Barrens could reach fifty million. This was an unprecedented achievement. Jiang Zongheng had read ancient sage-king texts in his youth and knew that even at its peak, the Eastern Earth Imperial Court only had hundreds of millions of people in the Eastern Continent. He never imagined that the mortal dynasty he founded could achieve such results. Moreover, in the foreseeable future, if the Eastern Barrens remained stable under the Five Elements Sect's control, surpassing one hundred million in population would not be a problem. If they could further develop the Barren Ruins and incorporate Yunmeng Marsh, or even annex the Eastern Wu and Eastern Yi regions into the Eastern Barrens Dynasty's territory, Jiang Zongheng felt he could restore the Eastern Earth Imperial Court's peak mortal population here.

"Under peaceful conditions, population will definitely explode exponentially," Chen Mobai stated. "However, if the numbers become too high, control will be necessary. You should discuss this matter with E Yun and Ming'er." Chen Mobai knew that the Immortal Gate, due to its population surge, had to limit birth rates. After several rounds of adjustments, they finally settled on three hundred million as a constant standard population. This population, as Xingchen had told Chen Mobai regarding the number of Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators, was within the Earth Yuan Star's sustainable capacity. Exceeding it would deplete their foundations. In the Eastern Barrens, the main considerations were land and food. E Yun was currently in charge of land, and Zhuo Ming was naturally in charge of food.

After Jiang Zongheng left to follow his orders, Chen Mobai began to arrange for the listing of the Wood Origin Golden Cores. At Fire True Academy, Tan Rong, serving as its principal, opened the Sect Master's decree sent from Northern Abyss City with a mix of confusion and respect. After reading it, her breathing quickened, and she bowed deeply towards Northern Abyss City. The decree's content was simple: it informed her that the sect had recently refined a batch of Wood Origin Golden Cores, which could also aid fire-attribute cultivators in Core Formation, and that she met the eligibility criteria for exchange. However, it also stated that each Five Elements Sect cultivator was limited to two exchanges for Core Formation elixirs. If she exchanged for this Wood Origin Golden Core, all subsequent Core Formation elixirs from the Five Elements Sect would be unavailable to her.

Faced with this, Tan Rong had no hesitation. She understood how precious an opportunity for Core Formation was. If not for the Five Elements Sect's rapid increase in power and the presence of a grand alchemist like Qing Nü, she doubted she would ever get a chance at a Core Formation elixir in her lifetime. Although the Wood Origin Golden Core wasn't perfectly matched to her attribute, Tan Rong felt she had to seize this opportunity. Even if she failed this time, it only meant she couldn't exchange within the sect. In the future, if the Sect Master achieved Void Transformation, she might still be able to order other Core Formation elixirs from other Immortal Cities in Eastern Earth, leveraging her status as a Five Elements Sect cultivator.

Besides Tan Rong, Xie Yuntian also showed no hesitation, arriving directly at Northern Abyss City the moment he received the news. This again showed Chen Mobai the decisiveness of the local cultivators. Soon, the news spread that the Northern Abyss City Spiritual Treasure Pavilion had listed six Core Formation elixirs again. However, these items were limited to Five Elements Sect cultivators, so the other Foundation Establishment cultivators in Northern Abyss City could only look on with envy and jealousy. Some, in their muddled thinking, wanted to protest again, but they were personally apprehended by a prepared E Yun, who heavily fined them spiritual stones. The Foundation Establishment cultivator from a family who had organized the protest was even directly expelled from Northern Abyss City. At least for now, Core Formation spiritual items were not yet at a point where they could be made available to those outside the Five Elements Sect.

Chu Zuoshu, Yi Shaoqing, Ma Wuniang, Quan Shanlin, and Xie Yuntian were the first five to make exchanges. Tan Rong arrived last.