That night, Zhaang Tianlong arrived punctually once again, demonstrating a large batch of Combat Skills for Zhaang Ye to decipher. One demonstrated the skills while the other deciphered them, and before they knew it, it was already dawn.

Before leaving, Zhaang Tianlong said slowly, "Zhaang Ye, do you know why I come over every day and have you decipher Combat Skills?"

Zhaang Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "Could it be that the True Hall places great importance on Comprehension?"

Zhaang Tianlong chuckled. "You’re very smart. That’s more or less the gist of it. After becoming True Hall Disciples, you will all have to undergo another test. This test is divided into three parts: talent, Comprehension, and Willpower. Those with the best scores can become the Hall Master’s disciple, while the next best can only study under an Elder. As for those with the worst scores, they can only practice Cultivation on their own."

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. Zhaang Tianlong’s answer didn’t surprise him.

Thinking of his troublesome talent, Zhaang Ye asked, "Fifth Elder, I feel my Comprehension is adequate, but my innate talent is lacking. I was wondering, does the family have any methods for improving one’s talent?"

"Improve your talent?" Zhaang Tianlong smiled. "Come with me."

Zhaang Ye followed behind Zhaang Tianlong, heading straight for the back mountain.

After they entered a secluded area in the back mountain, Zhaang Tianlong, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. "Patriarch, we have arrived."

’The Patriarch? Zhaang Chuanqi, the Patriarch of the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family?’ Zhaang Ye’s expression shifted slightly. He followed Zhaang Tianlong’s gaze and saw a tall, middle-aged man in purple robes standing under a large tree with his hands clasped behind his back. The tree was large, but the man seemed even larger. Just as Zhaang Ye looked over, the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes met his gaze, and a faint wave of Suppression washed over him.

Fifth Elder Zhaang Tianlong could also make Zhaang Ye feel a sense of pressure, but the oppressive feeling emanating from this man in purple robes was several degrees stronger. Clearly, this Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes was even more powerful than Zhaang Tianlong.

Zhaang Ye bowed respectfully. "Zhaang Ye greets the Patriarch."

The man in purple robes, Zhaang Chuanqi, sized up Zhaang Ye for a moment before chuckling. "To become the number one expert of Cyan Mulberry City’s younger generation and a True Hall Disciple at the age of fourteen... Zhaang Ye, you have done very well indeed. Very well."

Zhaang Tianlong then said, "Patriarch, Zhaang Ye has come hoping to improve his talent. What do you think..."

Zhaang Chuanqi nodded slightly and said to Zhaang Ye, "Zhaang Ye, since you are a member of our Zhaang Family, the family will naturally do everything in its power to nurture you. Your talent is only Eighth-Grade. We cannot help you raise it to the Second or Third Grade. However, with the family’s resources, giving it a small boost is still possible."

Here, Zhaang Chuanqi paused before continuing, "However, nothing in this world comes for free. The family’s resources are difficult to gather, and whoever uses them must provide a corresponding return. Zhaang Ye, we can raise your Eighth-Grade Talent to the Sixth Grade. But we have one condition that we hope you will accept."

The fact that Zhaang Chuanqi was treating him as an equal and stating the conditions upfront gave Zhaang Ye a very favorable impression. He said respectfully, "Patriarch, please speak your mind. As long as it is within my power, I will do my best."

A hint of delight flashed in Zhaang Chuanqi’s eyes. With a small wave of his hand, he led Zhaang Ye into a small ravine.

The moment he stepped into the small ravine, Zhaang Ye immediately sensed something different. He realized the air was filled with an exceptionally fresh fragrance. This scent seemed to have a profound effect on the body; after taking a single breath, Zhaang Ye felt his mind become slightly clearer than usual.

’What a wondrous fragrance! Could there be something incredible inside this ravine?’ Zhaang Ye wondered.

Zhaang Ye followed Zhaang Chuanqi to the bottom of the ravine, where a verdant tree with a trunk thick enough to hug stood growing silently on a platform. The leaves of this tree grew in an alternating pattern and were an exceptional shade of green, even more vibrant than new leaves after a spring rain. Its trunk had a faint blackish hue, and through the cracks in its bark, one could clearly see the grain within.

The tree’s leaves, flowers, and trunk all exuded a clean fragrance. The refreshing scent filling the ravine came directly from this very tree.

Zhaang Ye took a deep breath and said, "This... is this a camphor tree?"

Zhaang Chuanqi nodded slightly. "Correct, this is a camphor tree. But it’s no ordinary camphor tree."

He walked closer to the camphor tree, gently stroking its branches as he spoke slowly. "Our Zhaang Family first established itself in Cyan Mulberry City a thousand years ago. Later, an astonishingly brilliant Elder Ancestor emerged from our ranks. In the short span of forty-odd years, this Elder Ancestor cultivated all the way to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Before he even turned fifty, he broke through the Martial Dao, entered the True Dao Realm, and left for the wider world beyond.

"Before leaving the family, the Elder Ancestor made a series of arrangements. One of those was to find a Spirit Tree, break off one of its branches, and bring it back for the family to plant..."

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. He pointed at the camphor tree before them and said, "This camphor tree must be what grew from the Spirit Tree branch that the Elder Ancestor broke off back then, right?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Zhaang Chuanqi chuckled. "Exactly. After being meticulously nurtured by the family, that branch from all those years ago slowly grew into this tree. However, since this camphor tree grew from just a single branch, most of its Spirituality was lost. It can’t possibly compare to a genuine Spirit Tree."

At this, a look of regret appeared in Zhaang Chuanqi’s eyes.

Zhaang Ye pondered for a moment and said, "May I ask the Patriarch, what effect does this camphor tree have for us Cultivators?"

Zhaang Chuanqi smiled slightly. "All camphor trees naturally possess a fresh fragrance. This scent helps regulate qi, invigorate the blood, calm the spirit, and quiet the mind. Although our Zhaang Family’s camphor tree is not a true Spirit Tree, it can still gather a small amount of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. This Essence Qi is of the highest purity and is extremely beneficial for Cultivators.

"Furthermore, the fragrance it emits has various wondrous effects for Martial Artists. Cultivating under the camphor tree allows one to enter a deeper state of Cultivation, and can even induce a state of epiphany. And when cultivating, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, filtered through this tree, will become even more pure..."

After listening to Zhaang Chuanqi’s long explanation of the benefits, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but ask, "Patriarch, what is it you actually want me to do?"

"Haha..." Zhaang Chuanqi chuckled, but his expression then turned solemn. "This camphor tree is not a true Spirit Tree. It can only absorb Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, not Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which makes its growth extremely difficult. From the day it was planted until now, it has taken a full seven hundred years for it to reach this size. To grow any larger would require another millennium.

"I learned from ancient texts that for trees grown from severed branches like this, the best way to make them grow quickly is to find them some companion trees. In other words, if we could find one or two more branches from Spirit Trees and let them grow together, their growth rate would be much faster..."

Hearing this, Zhaang Ye said, "Patriarch, you want me to find more Spirit Tree branches and bring them back?"

Zhaang Chuanqi nodded. A bitter expression crossed his face. "A few of us old-timers have been stuck at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer for a very long time. One way to advance to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer is to obtain a few Spirit Fruits and use Alchemy to refine them into Elixirs. But Spirit Fruits are incredibly difficult to find, so we had no choice but to give up on that path.

"Now, all our hopes rest on this camphor tree. It has many marvelous benefits for Cultivation, and practicing under it for an extended period would certainly allow us to advance quickly. But the tree is simply too small. If we were to cultivate under it and absorb the large amount of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi it has gathered, we would inevitably harm its very core. After much thought, we feel the best solution is to find more Spirit Tree branches and bring them back. This would allow this camphor tree to grow faster and support our Cultivation..."

Hearing Zhaang Chuanqi’s somewhat bitter words, Zhaang Ye was visibly moved. Once again, he was struck by how arduous the path of the Martial Dao truly was.

After a moment of thought, Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. "Patriarch, I’ve only ever read about Spirit Trees in books. In all my life, I’ve never even seen one. This task of finding and breaking off branches from a Spirit Tree... it sounds exceptionally difficult."

Zhaang Chuanqi said slowly, "The task is difficult, I’ll admit. When I was trying to find a few Spirit Fruits for Alchemy, I traveled over a million li and scoured all the surrounding cities, yet I couldn’t find a single one. But..."

Zhaang Chuanqi turned his gaze to Zhaang Ye. "The task may be difficult, but you, Zhaang Ye, are no ordinary person. You have a long, long road ahead of you. Because of that, I believe you can accomplish it. I hope you will accept my request, so that our Zhaang Family can produce more masters and remain firmly rooted in this Barbaric Land for ages to come."

Zhaang Ye thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I will do my best in this matter. But as for when I’ll be able to find a Spirit Tree, that’s hard to say."

A smile touched Zhaang Chuanqi’s lips when he heard Zhaang Ye agree. He knew that Zhaang Ye had inherited the legacy of one of the Ancient Races. People who receive such a legacy tend to have exceptional luck and fortuitous opportunities. As long as nothing unexpected happened, Zhaang Ye was destined to go far on his path of Cultivation.

Now that he had Zhaang Ye’s promise, he could finally set this worry aside.

Zhaang Chuanqi chuckled. "Alright, now let’s talk about the matter of improving your talent." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)