Chapter 364: Enlightenment Under the Tree

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After bidding farewell to Lin Shanshan, Ning Zhuo returned to his cave dwelling on Minor Contention Peak.

He first took out his meditation cushion, sat down cross-legged, and performed his daily routine of cultivation.

He was currently in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, cultivating three techniques simultaneously. He had to meditate, breathe in vital energy, and refine his blood essence. Therefore, the time he spent on cultivating his techniques each day was roughly three times that of others.

He also had to undergo special training daily to improve his martial skills.

There were also various external interactions, such as inspecting the medicinal herb mountain, negotiating with the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, and discussing major cooperation matters. Another example was his proactive challenge to the demonic cultivator Chang Yan, who held a higher ranking.

His time was extremely tight, practically measured in minutes and seconds, down to the last penny.

Even so, there were many things he couldn't complete.

For instance, in the realm of automatons, he could only squeeze out a mere cup of tea's worth of time each day to practice manipulation techniques.

Furthermore, the task of designing an automaton body for Meng Yehu had been repeatedly delayed, with not even a beginning made.

Ning Zhuo wished he could split himself in two to get everything done.

Time was simply too scarce!

"Now, I have to add one more item: the Enlightenment Illustrations."

After finishing his cultivation, Ning Zhuo took out the three illustrations.

"I hope to gain something."

Ning Zhuo first examined them. These three illustrations were the Illustration of Old Tree's Entwined Roots, the Illustration of Listening to Waves on a Mountain Night, and the Illustration of Peering at the Sky from Under a Tree.

He had already learned the "riddles" of these three illustrations from Lin Shanshan – which Wood Element spells they corresponded to.

He then chose the first illustration, the relatively simpler one, to attempt to comprehend.

Ning Zhuo stared intently at the illustration, his expression focused.

Soon, his mind was completely immersed in the illustration, no longer disturbed by external movements.

He observed every detail of the root system, his gaze following the winding curves of the roots. His thoughts also unfolded with the form of the roots, carefully observing the intertwining of each root and the entanglement of every vine.

Gradually, he sensed a natural rhythm.

Ning Zhuo's breathing became steady and deep, his body leaning slightly forward, as if about to plunge into the world within the painting.

His heart grew increasingly calm, feeling the profound meaning contained within the illustration.

However, just as his mind and body were gradually beginning to resonate with it, a strong sense of hunger suddenly struck, breaking his state of comprehension.

He came to his senses and opened his eyes.

It turned out that unconsciously, he had closed his eyes. Even though his gaze was not fixed on the painting, his divine sense had always been deeply penetrating the Enlightenment Illustration.

Ning Zhuo's stomach growled, and a strong sense of fatigue and weakness followed.

He realized that the "short while" was entirely his own illusion; he had maintained that state for a full three hours.

Although he had already consumed a fasting pill, his body still couldn't withstand the consumption.

At the same time, in the upper dantian's divine sea, his spiritual sense was completely depleted, and his spirit had weakened to rock bottom.

The state of enlightenment was a huge drain on mental power. The consumption of spirit and spiritual sense was even more terrifying.

"Is this the state of comprehending the Enlightenment Illustrations?" Ning Zhuo was both tired and joyful.

This was the first time he had entered this state, and he found it incredibly novel.

Besides, he was also quite surprised and satisfied. After all, before, he had been worried that he wouldn't be able to comprehend the Wood Element Enlightenment Illustrations.

From the current situation, it seemed that while his talent in the Ice attribute was not high, he possessed a remarkable comprehension ability in the Wood element.

Ning Zhuo took this experience and shared it with Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong said, "Being able to enter the state of enlightenment on the first try is actually rare. Little Zhuo, if you continue to develop in the Wood element, you'll have a promising future."

Ning Zhuo said, "Boss, you should try to comprehend as well. After all, these illustrations are borrowed and must be returned after the deadline."

Sun Lingtong was also interested and agreed, "You go into the Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon first, I'll stand guard for you."

Ning Zhuo then entered the automaton Wandering Dragon.

He first ate and drank some spiritual food and rested for a while, adjusting his state again.

Then, he came to the storage compartment and took out a willow tree.

The willow tree had been excavated, its roots wrapped around a large块 of earth, and it was placed vertically on the floor.

Ning Zhuo took out his meditation cushion and sat down directly under the tree.

The willow tree had hidden profound mysteries and vibrant vitality. Its willow branches were tender yellow, and its willow leaves were evergreen, like a layer of thin jade, translucent and almost transparent when light shone through.

It was precisely a Spirit Concealing Willow!

As Ning Zhuo sat under the tree, the willow tree's fragrance, like sandalwood and orchid, was refreshing, distant, and peaceful.

Before Ning Zhuo even adjusted his state, he felt refreshed, his worries dispersed, his spiritual sense frequently moving, and wisdom surging within him.

"What a good tree." Ning Zhuo held anticipation and took out the Illustration of Old Tree's Entwined Roots again, beginning his comprehension.

In an instant, he felt as if he had entered the world within the illustration.

He stood barefoot on the tree vines and roots, feeling the roughness, the winding, the hidden power, and the vitality of the roots.

The Spirit Concealing Willow sensed that Ning Zhuo was comprehending. Without wind, its branches rustled, and pieces of willow leaves naturally fell, fluttering around Ning Zhuo, slowly transforming into emerald green light spots, and then quickly dissipating.

Ning Zhuo, "situated" within the Enlightenment Illustration, suddenly underwent a mysterious transformation. His entire being gradually lengthened and ascended, transforming into a tree. Large amounts of vines grew from his body, slowly and rapidly spreading in all directions.

These tree roots and vines intertwined and entangled with the original roots and vines. They were both soft and strong, and within their entanglement lay infinite power.

At this moment, in Ning Zhuo's upper dantian's divine sea, spiritual light flashed frequently.

He commanded these vines, continuously extending and retracting, like directing an arm.

The large tree before him was his best teacher. He imitated it, learned from it, and merged himself with nature. Thus, power erupted in the entanglement, possessing both the flexibility of the vines and the toughness of the roots.

He fully comprehended!

Wood Element Spell – Root and Vine Entanglement.

Ning Zhuo suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes glittering with sharp light.

Looking at the Illustration of Old Tree's Entwined Roots again, it was clear at a glance, with no more profound meaning.

"Only a little over an hour has passed?"

Ning Zhuo calculated the time; it was surprisingly short. And the insights he had gained were more than dozens of times what he had attempted before?

"Furthermore, the state is also better. I haven't hit rock bottom. At least I'm not hungry, and my spiritual sense still remains at 30%."

Ning Zhuo rubbed his belly and then looked up at the Spirit Concealing Willow beside him.

"Good tree, good tree!" he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

At the same time, he also keenly observed that a willow branch on the Spirit Concealing Willow was completely bare, all the willow leaves had fallen, and the willow branches had become shriveled and yellow, as if they had lost moisture.

After a short rest, Ning Zhuo took out the second illustration: the Illustration of Listening to Waves on a Mountain Night.

On a cliff face, there was a simple wooden house.

The window of the wooden house facing the cliff was open. A cultivator leaned against the window, seeming to be cultivating their breathing, or perhaps meditating with closed eyes, or perhaps listening intently.

It was already late at night. The mountains outside the window were dark, deep, and vast.

Only a little lamplight in the room illuminated a warm corner.

The mountain wind was strong, causing the lamp flame to flicker and the cultivator's robes to sway. Although the lamplight couldn't illuminate too far, near the small wooden house, the shadows of pine trees could be faintly seen swaying in the wind, and the outlines of branches were indistinct.

Further out, occupying eighty percent of the entire illustration, was a expanse of darkness.

However, the deep darkness was not monotonous. If one looked closely, they could see in the darkness the faint, colossal arcs, like waves, connecting heaven and earth, stretching east and west.

Illustration of Listening to Waves on a Mountain Night!

What was being listened to was naturally not water waves, but the sounds of the pine forest under the mountain wind.

Under the Spirit Concealing Willow, Ning Zhuo focused his mind and once again immersed himself in the illustration.

He transformed into a visitor, leaning against the wooden window, his eyes slightly closed, his ears filled with the continuous sounds of waves.

The sounds of waves were sometimes surging like a great tide, and sometimes gentle like light rain. What overwhelming vitality this was, what immense natural power!

After about an hour, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, a trace of shock still remaining in his eyes.

He had comprehended the Illustration of Listening to Waves on a Mountain Night.

Pressing on, he took out the third illustration.

Illustration of Peering at the Sky from Under a Tree!

The illustration was filled with dense branches and leaves. The layers of thick leaves were stacked upon each other, forming a solid green canopy that almost completely obscured the clear sky.

Lying on the grass and looking up, one could only barely glimpse a tiny bit of blue sky through the gaps in the leaves.

The blue sky was like a wash, but it could only be seen in scattered points through the gaps in the leaves. Here, the trees, branches, and leaves were the entire world, isolated from the outside, forming a self-contained entity.

Ning Zhuo, situated within the illustration, felt the remoteness of the outside world, the feeling of being isolated from the world.

Those tiny signs of blue sky only highlighted the claustrophobia of the forest world.

However, he was not a prisoner, but the master of this forest, the king, the lord, the god!

After about two hours, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, revealing a tired look again.

The Illustration of Peering at the Sky from Under a Tree was the most difficult and deepest of the three illustrations, and he had also comprehended it!

Ning Zhuo had mastered three new Wood Element spells. Because he directly grasped the profound mysteries through the Enlightenment Illustrations, he saved a large amount of time and energy that would have been spent on improving the spells.

"With these three spells alone, if I face Han Zhou again, I will definitely prevent him from getting close!"

Ning Zhuo's combat power suddenly increased significantly, and his confidence also greatly surged. He looked forward to his battle with Chang Yan even more.

"Boss, Boss, come quickly, it's your turn."

"The Spirit Concealing Willow is really useful. I comprehended three spells in a row, which is much easier than comprehending them on my own."

Ning Zhuo called out to Sun Lingtong and shared his joy with him.

Sun Lingtong chuckled, "Okay, I'll have a go too!"

Ning Zhuo left the automaton Wandering Dragon and continued his cultivation.

In the following days, he continued his martial arts special training with Lin Shanshan.

He made rapid progress, achieving a balance between offense and defense, with offense accounting for nearly fifty percent of his movements.

Lin Shanshan praised Ning Zhuo's comprehension while also inquiring about his progress in comprehending the Enlightenment Illustrations.

Ning Zhuo said that he had entered a good state in comprehending the first Illustration of Old Tree's Entwined Roots, but he had not yet thoroughly studied the other two.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shanshan's face lit up with joy: "You were able to enter the state of comprehension in just one day. Young Master Ning Zhuo, I was right about you after all."