Embers from the small campfire flickered out, lightly scorching the corners of Shizen's ankles. The brown-haired youth threw the dried twig that he'd collected into the belly of the flames, feeding it with more and more fuel. Over the past few weeks, the fire that Venerate Maurice had started was constantly put out by the chilly winds of the Illusory Canyon. Fortunately for the Spirit Venerate, Shizen's Spirit was the Advinar Tree. It could create heaps of vines, roots and twigs to fuel the fire. Though it wasn't its original function, it sure was useful for the explorers.
The veteran was seated just three metres away, on a warm leafy bed that he'd made for himself. His eyes were closed, and fingers crossed. Each time he inhaled, vast amounts of spiritual energies rushed inwards, giving him equilibrium in his Venerate Soul. It wasn't often that one could cultivate near an Empyrean Wonder. Even a Spirit Venerate like Maurice would capitalise on the situation.
Shizen, on the other hand, had his fill for today. After exploring the safe regions of the Illusory Canyon for the fourteenth time, the young Spirit Spectre was beginning to become restless. He cultivated hard at every moment he'd got, but Shizen soon realised that with everything in life, there was a ceiling that he couldn't just seem to cross. The nature boy was at a bottleneck, and he knew it acutely. The only way he could breakthrough was to find the bloody Tree of Illusions that refused to show itself.
'What a waste of time...' Shizen thought to himself. He could have been in the Lantis Republic, sipping on his favourite beverage while talking about everything and nothing with his best friend. And yet, Shizen chose to travel to the other side of the world, with the hopes to chase something that probably would never show itself.
'Whatever… Let's not think about that now...'
For the nth time today, Shizen summoned out the Adivinar Tree. It was about two-metres-tall, barely taller than an average human. Its leaves were a combination of green and brown with an attribute that could only be described as agrestal. Rich, pungent smells dominated the senses of the young man, dwarfing the dry and dull scent of the rocky canyon. Shizen couldn't absorb the spiritual energy from the Tree of Illusions, but at the very least, he could enjoy the mana-rich environment of the Illusory Canyon.
Shizen reached into his bag and took out a simple porcelain flask. Uncorking it, the nature boy held the bottle over his mouth, allowing the final drop of water that it possessed to roll down his throat.
'I'm already out… I should have been more conservative with drinking it...' Shizen fell into the same trap that many youngsters did with their salary. They spent all of it before the new influx came in. Shin was now tens of thousands of kilometres away, and it would take ages for Shizen to get a new flask of his created water.
"Hah… I miss them…" The nature boy thought of the friends he'd made over the years. Shin, Kanari, Emma, Elrin, Isadore… Yes, Shizen even missed Ella's nagging. They seemed so distant, even though he'd been with them about a month back. "Hah… No point crying over spilt milk..." With a sigh, Shizen dropped the flask that he held and fell into meditation once more. Even if he was too lazy to cultivate, just closing his eyes to rest was good enough.
The Adivinar Tree greedily sucked in as much spiritual energy as it possibly could, all while Shizen restfully leaned back on the cave walls. Mana within Shizen's Spectre Soul was enriched all while the young man did nothing. His mind was clear of any thoughts, and his consciousness was on the verge of entering a state of stasis. It had been a long two weeks after all. No one could blame Shizen if he wanted to sleep for the next twenty-four hours.
"Hmmm?" All of a sudden, Shizen felt a sudden tug on his consciousness. His eyes were still firmly shut, and his soul was in the midst of repairing itself. There shouldn't be any issues… right?
Shizen's Spirit was resonating wildly, and his spiritual energy was being plucked bit by bit. The Adivinar Tree swayed from side to side as if an external force was urging it forward. Shizen didn't know what was happening, but the foreign spiritual energy didn't seem to be sinister. In fact, it was the contrary. It appeared to be willing to help Shizen to achieve his every dream.
The young man's eyes snapped open. This… This was the feeling that Shizen had felt at the Soul Tree! It was the same happiness… The very same enlightenment that he'd received! Shizen's sudden movement didn't go unnoticed. Venerate Maurice got up from his meditative pose and drearily asked the man: "What's the matter?"
"Venerate Maurice..." Shizen's voice was soft and weak. It wasn't that he'd suffered a physical or mental blow as his current state was basically unscathed. Shizen's entire consciousness was now focusing on one single point… "Let's go back into the canyon..."
The Spirit Venerate raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Didn't I tell you that we're only doing three hours a day? Just wait for tomorrow or..." Before Maurice could finish his scolding, he sensed that something was amiss with the young man. Shizen's eyes were locked onto a single direction as if he was a hawk that gazed at its prey. There was no hostility in his eyes, neither was there desperation. All that was present was a desire to move forward.
"Don't tell me, you..." Venerate Maurice didn't dare believe it. In his youth, he would often dream of meeting the Tree of Illusions. As a Master Explorer, he would brave unspeakable dangers just to reach his goals. Climbing ten thousand metres? Diving down into the greatest depths of the ocean? Braving the volcanic ash and molten lava of the world's hottest place? Venerate Maurice had done all those tasks before. However, the Tree of Illusions was a different beast.
No matter how hard he tried, the Empyrean Wonder refused to show itself to the Spirit Venerate. He'd scoured the area at least a hundred times over his long career, but all he had to show for it were some cursory knowledge about the safe regions. At this point, Venerate Maurice had all but given up about meeting the infamous Empyrean Wonder anymore.
And yet… Shizen had felt the enigmatic Wonder all by himself.
"Yes, I did..." Shizen smiled affirmatively. "I felt the Tree of Illusions!"
"YOU'RE KIDDING!!!" Venerate Maurice burst out in absolute joy. He held up the nature boy by the arms and shook him rapidly. However, the Spirit Venerate didn't use too much force, as if he were afraid of breaking the gem that was Shizen Dundlewoods. "HAHAHA!!! How long has it been?! A hundred, two hundred years?! I've been searching for the Tree of Illusions for sooooo long!!! To think that you'll be my lucky star!!! The heavens hadn't abandoned me!!! HAHAHAHA!!! The heavens haven't abandoned me!!!"
Venerate Maurice was tempted to kiss Shizen, but the disgusted face of the young man pushed that urge right back into the pit of his stomach. Not willing to waste any time, the Spirit Venerate immediately placed the cuffs back on both their arms. He hadn't forgotten his original objective. No… Now that Shizen had discovered the Tree of Illusions, Venerate Maurice would spend even more care in protecting the nature boy. "Lead the way! Don't worry about the way back. I'll keep track."
Shizen scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. Looks like he'd rekindled a flame that the Master Explorer had lost. The phantom of the Adivinar Tree floated above Shizen's head as they slowly made their way into the thick, ethereal mist. There were no signals, nor was there any signs of life. No prominent waypoints such as big boulders or trees. Basically, the duo was walking into the Illusory Canyon blind.
However, Shizen didn't look lost for a single second. He took short but confident steps as if there was a map drawn within his brain. Connected by the chain, the nature boy led Venerate Maurice through the thick mist and in just one minute…
A gorgeous sight was presented to the pair of explorers. A white weeping willow tree stood silently amid the barren rock surfaces. Small patches of grass filled the land around the mystical tree and sweet nectar, akin to that of honey, entered the lungs of those who ventured near. It was said that the Tree of Illusions took many forms. It could morph into a terrifying bear that rips its enemies to shreds. Or it could transform into a vast ocean that drowns any living being that came too close. However, one thing's for sure. When the Tree of Illusions wanted to reveal itself, it would take the shape of what it deemed most beautiful. And in this case, it was the heavenly, white weeping willow tree.
"N-No way!" An exasperated cry shrieked out in the canyon. Venerate Maurice almost stumbled on his own weight. His knees felt weak, and his knees were creeping down closer and closer towards the ground. In the end, the man could take it no longer. Tears and snot dripped down all of his holes as he kneeled down to praise the Lord. "I finally did it… I finally found the Tree of Illusions!!! HAHAHA!!! I am the world's greatest explorer!!!"
The outpour of emotions from Venerate Maurice significantly pushed Shizen away. Even though they were connected by a chain, the young man still had some leeway in movement. A small smirk crept up the nature boy's smile. Though Shizen didn't have the same amount of love for Empyrean Wonders, he did want to experience the Tree of Illusions. That was why he joined Kanari's faction in the first place.
Letting Venerate Maurice do his thing, Shizen sat right in front of the ethereal tree, taking some time to feel its bark. Everything in his Spectre Soul… His Adivinar Tree… They were all crying out for the Tree of Illusions. One could say that it was the mother of all nature. A concentrated form of pure spiritual energy that all trees would look towards. That's why Shizen felt a primal calling, deep down into his veins. If Shizen could even take a portion of the Tree of Illusions, he could instantly promote into the Spirit Lord realm, traditional cultivation methods be damned.
However, there was one thing that Shizen needed to do first… He needed to gain the approval of the Empyrean Wonder.
"It is unfortunate..." Shizen gently thought out loud. "The Tree of Illusions is the world's most enigmatic Empyrean Wonder. The mother of all Mind-Elements, the progenitor of trees. The lifeblood of the Terre Continent… Every single Earth and Mind Elemental cultivators would kill just to gain an audience with the Tree of Illusions. So… How did you, a Water-Elemental Spirit User, become its champion?"
Shizen turned around and for the first time since entering the Illusory Canyon, talked to someone other than Venerate Maurice.
A blur in the distance quickly furled up. One dark-robed figure emerged from the mist, both his hands occupied by two swords. One was a two-metre-long hiltless Odachi with a crystal imbued at the top of its handle while the other was an obsidian blade, which had the flow of a river hidden within it. Putting his Black Masks to the side, Junius took three steps onto the Tree of Illusions territory and even ignored the Spirit Venerate that leapt to protect Shizen.
"How did you know?" Junius asked the nature boy.
"The Tree of Illusions told me..." There was no point in lying. "If I wanted its recognition, I must first defeat its champion." Shizen looked at the handsome viridian-haired man and let out a huge sigh. Shizen had only seen Junius once, back during the days where he'd adventured with Shin and rest. Back then, none of them could even touch Junius' feet, and it took Shin's ignited shard to finally push the monstrous Black Mask back. Over the years, Junius was bound to become stronger. Not to mention, he has been recognised by the Tree of Illusions. There was no guarantee that Shizen could win against Junius…
"I see… Honestly, that plays right into my element as well..." Junius snapped his finger, and numerous shadows emerged from the mist. At the same time, a blue-haired man who boasted serpent eyes lazily walked into the region. Venerate Maurice eyes immediately landed on that unassuming man as his senses were tingling.
"See… I need you to die for me now… So, don't resist please?"
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