Sage of Humanity

"What makes this Enlightenment Tea Tree different from other Spirit Plants in the medicinal garden?" Lu Ye asked within the Divine Sea.

"Not much difference," Jiu Ying replied, "it's just that I snatched it. Before I took it, it had been with its previous owner for tens of thousands of years. That old guy valued this Enlightenment Tea Tree greatly; when I asked him for it, he refused, so I had no choice but to take it. Maybe that's why it has the foundation for shape-changing."

"I don't feel anything special about it at all, and it doesn't even bear fruit," Lu Ye said, puzzled as he scrutinized the Tea Tree before him.

Unlike those fruits that Lu Ye can immediately tell are filled with abundant Dao force, this Enlightenment Tea Tree bears no fruit, only leaves, which truly seems unremarkable.

"Kid, you just don't understand..." Since making a sworn oath with Lu Ye, Jiu Ying's attitude toward him had become much friendlier, and he began to speak more casually.

"Speak properly!"

"Ahem... The Enlightenment Tea Tree doesn't bear fruit, but its leaves are incredibly precious. You must be wondering why I went through the trouble of seizing this tree. Holding a leaf under your tongue during a breakthrough can increase the probability of success. Furthermore, using Enlightenment Tea as an aid can significantly boost cultivation efficiency. Throughout this whole Star Abyss, the Enlightenment Tea Tree is an extremely valuable treasure."

Lu Ye's eyes lit up with interest.

A treasure that can increase the probability of breakthroughs is indeed valuable. As far as he knows, whether it's entering the path or Dao Fusion, breaking through is exceedingly difficult, and few external forces can affect it, but the Enlightenment Tea apparently can.

As for the tea leaves, which can greatly enhance cultivation efficiency, it doesn't mean much to Lu Ye, as his power rarely comes from arduous cultivation.

Perhaps Lu Ye stood near the tea tree for too long, as the tree clustered into a ball began to tremble, and its leaves rustled loudly.

Lu Ye couldn't help but laugh and cry. Although he knew the tree was timid, he didn't expect it to be this timid.

Moreover, it seemed a bit naive; he wasn't foolish enough to miss the tea tree's peculiar state, yet it kept deceiving itself.

The tree didn't have a proper grasp of its own power.

With a turn of his eyes, Lu Ye acted amazed and shouted, "It's really an Enlightenment Tea Tree! I've long wanted to pick some leaves to brew tea. It seems to have fallen into my lap without any effort! Ha ha ha ha!"

Accompanied by insidious laughter, he reached out to grab.

Silently, he remained tense, with Dao force discreetly activated, ready to retreat at the first sign of trouble.

The girl might not recognize her own strength, but Lu Ye certainly did.

Clatter...

The tea tree shook even more violently, dropping a dozen leaves.

Easy to fool!

Lu Ye felt a bit guilty, realizing maybe he shouldn't do this, feeling a pang of guilt for tricking and intimidating such an innocent being. Yet his hand honestly gathered up the fallen leaves.

Jiu Ying had boasted about the leaves of Enlightenment Tea; now he wanted to see if it was true.

"Little Tea, Little Tea, grow quickly and produce more leaves," Lu Ye said while patting the Tea Tree's crown, then walked away.

Throughout the whole time, the Enlightenment Tea showed no signs of shape-changing.

Only after a long while did the clustered tea tree gradually return to normal, its branches hanging down looking despondent.

She was trying to stop the sudden intruder from randomly eating fruits, but not only did she fail, she even gave away a dozen of her leaves for no reason.

After wandering in the medicinal garden for a bit longer, Lu Ye burped, his mouth filled with the scent of fruits.

Ultimately, he had eaten all the edible fruits clean, and not only that, the exotic flowers and rare herbs rich in Dao force were all devoured too.

The Talent Tree glowed an intensely brilliant gold!

This was definitely the most Dao force he had ever accumulated; he'd never felt this abundant before.

After all, even though Jiu Ying had prepared these resources for his own awakening, only thirty percent remained, but that was still substantial for Lu Ye.

He eagerly anticipated what kind of enhancement this would bring to his strength this time.

Under the enveloping intense golden light, black mist also surged.

Since Lu Ye and Jiu Ying each took their oath, the Talent Tree had been reacting in this way, clearly due to the Talent Tree burning the constraints of the oath.

Jiu Ying assumed that after making an oath, he could rest easy, but he never imagined there are exceptions in this world unaffected by constraints.

At the current pace, it wouldn't be long before that intangible restraint was fully burnt away.

He had reached the deepest part of the medicinal garden, where the last remaining Stellar Tree stood.

Lu Ye looked up, noting the five Stellar Fruits on the tree, ripened long ago and left unharvested for years.

After some thought, he did not immediately pick the Stellar Fruits but sat cross-legged underneath the Stellar Tree instead.

Calming his mind, he focused and sealed the Divine Sea.

Even though Jiu Ying probably couldn't figure anything out, it was always best to act cautiously.

Lu Ye did not rush to refine the Dao Bone; instead, he took out a small cauldron from the Small Flower World!

This item was Li Qi's Dao soldier.

As he prepared to refine the Dao Bone, Lu Ye certainly aimed to be well-prepared. He planned to first refine the Dao force contained within this Dao soldier!

Dao soldiers are not crafted items; those that can be crafted are merely prototypes or embryos. Only continuous investment of one's Dao force can gradually nurture them into Dao soldiers.

Only those qualified to nurture Dao soldiers are at least Dao Fusion, and not the average Dao Fusion.

During the initial phase of Dao Fusion, cultivators typically choose to enhance their cultivation as it boosts their strength better. Until a certain stage, such as the 5th or 6th Order of Dao Fusion, the enhancement from increased cultivation is less than that from nurturing Dao soldiers, prompting cultivators to shift their focus to Dao soldiers.

The right time to nurture Dao soldiers varies from person to person.

Dao soldiers contain remnants of Dao force, valuable to Li Qi, but for Lu Ye, it's merely a Dao Bone, albeit one with abundant Dao force.

As for Li Qi's original Dao Bone, it was refined long before Lu Ye arrived.

The Talent Tree's power surged, its invisible roots delving into the small cauldron, which gradually dimmed from its previously bright hue.

Until a certain moment, it completely turned to dust.

Lu Ye slowly opened his eyes, withdrew the Talent Tree's power, and took out a leaf from the Enlightenment Tea Tree, ready to place it in his mouth when he suddenly raised his eyebrow, focusing intently.

Only then did he notice that the leaf was full of intricate and minute patterns, which even his sharp ocular power couldn't instantly discern.

He had to exert maximum ocular power and carefully scrutinize.

The patterns were evidently innate Dao Runes, extremely complex. Even if Lu Ye could mold them, whether they'd be functional was uncertain, as these Dao Runes, paired with the leaf from the Enlightenment Tea, merge to yield extraordinary effects. Alone, the runes are useless.

Lu Ye wouldn't miss such an opportunity to interact with Dao Runes he had never encountered.

The Talent Tree's deducing capability concerning spirit runes and Dao Runes heavily depends on his understanding in this domain. Someday, while deducing new Dao Runes, what he witnessed might prove beneficial.

Just like when he deduced the As-Close-As-Siblings Dao Runes, some patterns correlated with those within the giant ant.

Contemplating this, Lu Ye suddenly thought of conversing with Jiu Ying if time permits; during this being's peak, its realm was unimaginably advanced, with knowledge of Dao Runes unmatched by common individuals.

Moments later, Lu Ye observed another leaf from the Enlightenment Tea, surprisingly discovering that the patterns on the two leaves weren't entirely identical.

They were about 80-90% similar, yet some aspects were different.

Spending nearly half a day, Lu Ye inspected all the dozen or so leaves he obtained, before finally picking one up to chew.

A slightly bitter taste unfolded, accompanied by a miraculous warm stream as the bitterness spread.

Lu Ye's mind instantly settled, feeling his entire being becoming much more transparent.

In this state, he felt a significant increase in his affinity with Dao force, a testament to the Enlightenment Tea leaves' reputation.

Without delay, Lu Ye promptly began refining his Dao Bone!

This harvest was substantial, coupled with previous accumulations, the Dao force within the Talent Tree may have reached at least seventy thousand. Based on his Dao Bone refining consumption, barring unforeseen circumstances, this session could enhance his strength by twelve or thirteen Dao!

This enhancement is indisputably substantial, especially given his current 100th Dao strength, where further improvement becomes increasingly challenging.

And this hasn't accounted for the Stellar Fruit!

Time passed.

A piece of newly refined Dao Bone emerged, and Lu Ye distinctly felt the slow uplift in his strength.

When Lu Ye opened his eyes again, his strength had surged to one hundred and fifteen Dao!

An increase of fifteen Dao strength!

Exceeding expectations, this was undeniably credited to the Enlightenment Tea leaves, as Lu Ye clearly noticed a reduction in Dao force consumption compared to before.

This amplified his appreciation for the Enlightenment Tea's rarity; other cultivators entering the path might find the reduced consumption modest, possibly enhancing Dao Bone refining success rates slightly.

Yet for Lu Ye, the Dao force saved was considerable.

The Enlightenment Tea Tree, indeed a precious treasure; devising a method to keep it by his side is essential.

However, given his initial impression, amicably negotiating this seems unlikely.

The fifteen Dao strength enhancement wasn't the limit, as Lu Ye had reserved some Dao force, still having five Stellar Fruits uneaten.

He had considered whether to save the Stellar Fruit here, consuming them while refining the last few pieces of Dao Bone later, since those would undoubtedly demand enormous Dao force, optimizing these fruits' efficacy.

But ultimately he decided against it; for him, immediately boosting strength is the correct choice, even if more Dao force would be required later, now strong power is crucial for self-preservation.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!