Chapter 1035: Promotion

"Since Master left behind these arrangements, why didn't he just protect the two miraculous items directly? Why was a competition involving these two iron towers still necessary? That doesn't seem like a foolproof plan." Zhou Yuan couldn't help but ask, after slowly digesting the news Mu Ni had delivered.

Cang Yuan's decision to leave such contingencies suggested he had anticipated something. At their level, a sudden intuition often indicated a form of premonition.

Mu Ni shook her head. "You're thinking too simply," she said. "Those are, after all, merely contingencies left by Cang Yuan, and his true body isn't present here. If Grand Elder Wan Zu were truly provoked, he would undoubtedly resort to other measures."

"With these two iron towers standing, the rules are quite fair to both sides. That's why Grand Elder Wan Zu tacitly agreed and didn't attempt to disrupt things further."

"Our immediate priority now is to identify ten individuals from both the Heavenly Sun and Nascent Origin stages. I'm sure Xi Jing and the others will quickly begin the selection process. This matter is of great importance, and we must ensure we choose the strongest possible candidates."

Zhou Yuan nodded gently, a hint of regret in his eyes. Although his current Genesis Qi foundation had reached 720 million, a level that left him unafraid even when facing those at the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage, the participants chosen for this competition over the miraculous items would undoubtedly be from the late Heavenly Sun Stage. Their Genesis Qi foundations would surely exceed one billion.

While his 720 million Genesis Qi would allow him to hold his own against mid-Heavenly Sun cultivators, he would still be somewhat outmatched when facing top late-Heavenly Sun experts on the rankings, such as Qin Lian and Mu Youlan. The difference in power was considerable.

However, this competition for the miraculous items was critically important to the Tianyuan Region, even determining the future ownership of the Ancestral Dragon Lantern. If he were merely to stand by and observe, he would be restless, as he had no desire to entrust their fate to the performance of others.

Zhou Yuan's gaze suddenly flickered to the Heavenly Fire Tree King perched on his shoulder. A thought struck him, and he immediately asked, "Aunt Mu, could I perhaps borrow the Heavenly Fire Tree King's power to secure a spot?"

Previously, with the Heavenly Fire Tree King's power, he had even been able to suppress Nascent Origin stage experts. If he could borrow it again for this competition, he was certain he could sweep the field.

However, Mu Ni shook her head. "At the iron towers, Grand Elder Wan Zu's decree hangs in the air, meaning he is also observing the events there. If you were to use power that doesn't inherently belong to you, he would undoubtedly detect it, which would inevitably lead to complications."

"Furthermore,"

Mu Ni's gaze swept over Zhou Yuan's body, and in that instant, he felt as though he had been seen right through.

"Excessive use of the Heavenly Fire Tree King's power is not beneficial for you."

Mu Ni extended her hand and gently took Zhou Yuan's palm. In that instant, he felt a powerful yet remarkably gentle force surge into his body.

That force directly cleansed him from the depths of his flesh and blood.

To Zhou Yuan's astonishment, he then witnessed greenish wood shavings slowly emerge from beneath the surface of his skin. The moment these shavings met the air, they dissolved into nothingness.

"W-what is this?" Zhou Yuan stammered.

"This is the Heavenly Fire Tree King's power eroding your body."

"If you rely on its power for too long, your body will gradually calcify, turning into wood until, eventually, you completely transform into a human-shaped wooden statue," Mu Ni explained slowly.

Zhou Yuan broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. He had never imagined that the Heavenly Fire Tree King's power could have such a side effect, and he hadn't detected it in the slightest. He glanced at the jade-green sapling on his shoulder and couldn't help but shiver, wanting to shake it off.

As if sensing Zhou Yuan's aversion, the jade-green sapling's branches immediately drooped with a somewhat dispirited air.

Seeing this, Mu Ni said, "Don't blame it. It's not actively controlling this process; it's simply because your own power is too weak, which allows its strength to erode you."

Zhou Yuan nodded with a bitter smile, feeling a touch of disappointment. It seemed his idea of using the Heavenly Fire Tree King in the competition for the miraculous items was no longer viable.

"So, you want to participate?" Mu Ni asked with a gentle smile.

"What's your current Genesis Qi foundation?"

"720 million," Zhou Yuan replied dejectedly.

Hearing this, Mu Ni said admiringly, "To achieve such a foundation at the early Heavenly Sun Stage is truly remarkable and extremely rare. However, among the five final spots for the Heavenly Sun Stage, Qin Lian, Bai Yu, Bian Buji, and Mu Youlan are certain to claim one each, as they are considered the strongest Heavenly Sun cultivators in the Tianyuan Region."

"The last spot is still under discussion, but it will undoubtedly go to a top-tier late Heavenly Sun expert, whose Genesis Qi foundation would likely need to exceed 1.3 billion to even be considered."

Zhou Yuan scratched his head. It appeared the requirements for a spot were even higher than he had anticipated. The 1.3 billion threshold was 600 million higher than his current level, a gap no Genesis Art could bridge. His only hope was a breakthrough into the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage, but it had only been a month since his last breakthrough. Achieving another so quickly would be incredibly difficult; forcing it with external power would only harm his foundation and be counterproductive.

Just as Zhou Yuan's disappointment settled in, Mu Ni suddenly smiled. "However," she said, "it seems there might still be a way."

Zhou Yuan stared at her, astonished.

Mu Ni chuckled softly. "Didn't Cang Yuan give you his Heavenly Yuan Brush? How many patterns have you awakened on it?"

"The sixth pattern!" Zhou Yuan quickly replied.

"Do you know what the seventh pattern is called?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

"The seventh pattern is called 'Advancement'," Mu Ni said with a beaming smile. "Its function is to elevate your cultivation level by one minor stage for a certain period. Since you are currently at the early Heavenly Sun Stage, awakening the seventh pattern would grant you the power of the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage for a short time."

Zhou Yuan's eyes suddenly widened. The Heavenly Yuan Brush's seventh pattern actually possessed such an incredible ability?!

Forcibly raising his cultivation level by an entire stage? Even with a time limit, that was absolutely astounding.

"A Heavenly Yuan Brush with its seventh pattern awakened can be considered a quasi-sacred artifact. It's not surprising for it to possess such an ability," Mu Ni explained. "Furthermore, the effectiveness of this 'advancement' diminishes as one's own power grows. For cultivators at our Law Domain stage, for example, it would be highly unlikely to achieve even a minor stage elevation."

Zhou Yuan secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. Indeed, the true power of the Heavenly Yuan Brush only gradually manifested as its level increased.

"Awakening the Heavenly Yuan Brush's seventh pattern is incredibly difficult. I've attempted it many times before, but there has been no progress whatsoever," Zhou Yuan said with a bitter smile. He had never stopped nurturing the Heavenly Yuan Brush, yet for nearly a year, the seventh pattern had remained completely unresponsive. Truly awakening it seemed no less challenging than his own breakthrough to the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage.

"As the Heavenly Yuan Brush's level increases, awakening its patterns becomes progressively more difficult."

Mu Ni nodded gently as well. Then, her gaze shifted, and she said, "Therefore, this will require the unique power of certain extraordinary items."

Zhou Yuan paused, then seemed to understand something, his gaze slowly shifting towards the Heavenly Fire Tree King on his shoulder.

Under their combined gaze, the Heavenly Fire Tree King suddenly twitched. It seemed to sense danger, and with a flash of emerald light across its body, it prepared to transform into a streak of light and burrow into the ground.

However, no sooner had it moved than a slender hand, delicate as white jade, reached out from the void and firmly grasped it.

Mu Ni gazed at the emerald sapling in her palm, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "Little Tree King," she murmured, "would you mind lending us some of your power?"

The Heavenly Fire Tree King trembled visibly.

Zhou Yuan, feeling a pang of pity, asked, "It won't have too significant an impact on it, will it?"

Mu Ni chuckled. "Don't underestimate its power. If its Genesis Qi weren't non-aggressive, I might not even be able to subdue it if we truly fought. Borrowing a bit of its power to help you awaken the seventh pattern will, at most, only cause it to be listless for a while."

She raised her hand, her gaze fixed on the Heavenly Fire Tree King. "You were planted by Cang Yuan long ago," she said. "Without his power and blessings, you wouldn't have grown to this extent. You now possess a nascent level of sentience. If you can contribute your strength this time, it will be an immense service to our Tianyuan Region. In the future, no one in the Tianyuan Region will ever harbor ill intentions towards you."

"Therefore, whether for the sake of repaying a debt or for your own future, you should know how to make the right choice, shouldn't you?"

Under Mu Ni's gentle tone, a faint luster shimmered across the Heavenly Fire Tree King's body. It remained rigid for a long moment, before finally drooping its branches as if resigned to its fate.