Ye Yun activated the Art of the Nine Revolutions Essence and started to continuously absorb the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth. The Qi flowed around him and swirled into gusts of wind.
The light green glow on him that was usually only visible at night became more intense despite the daylight as his soul gradually condensed into a solid form. But Ye Yun wasn't aware of any of this as he was focused on his cultivation.
The flow of Qi around him started to expand further from him, intensifying into a mysterious concentration of Qi.
A few kilometers away, a child who was playing with a puppy after practicing his fist technique suddenly stopped and looked at the willow tree.
——
A pair of clear eyes blinked as the child's delicate porcelain-like face was turned towards the willow tree.
Strange, how could there be such a mysterious Qi flow that he had never come encountered before? Shi Hao was puzzled.
The energy of the Qi flow reminded him of the energy of the Bone Text he was first introduced to.
But, why was it being emitted from the willow tree?
No, it can't be... This village had been guarded by the willow tree guardian spirit for generations. How could it...?
Could something have happened?
The black-haired child with the delicate porcelain-like face slowly walked towards the willow tree in confusion, still staring intently.
Shi Hao carefully observed the willow tree and circled it many times, but he still could not find the source of the mysterious Qi flow.
It didn't seem like the guardian spirit had appeared abnormally. Nothing else about the willow tree seemed amiss.
Shi Hao became even more confused. Could he be wrong?
But the Qi flow seemed to be closer to him now.
Shi Hao sat cross-legged beside the guardian spirit and carefully observed it.
Little did Shi Hao notice that the emerald grass sprawled out under the tree was being enveloped by a light green glow and that the strange Qi flow he had been wondering about was coming from that glow.
The instant Ye Yun opened his eyes, he was almost scared out of his wits - he suddenly noticed a huge shadow covering him.
"How bad could being a blade of grass be?" Ye Yun complained sarcastically in a low voice.
After calming himself down, Ye Yun realized that the shadow over him was from a small child.
The child who was playing with the puppy earlier.
A child's body was not big, but for a blade of grass like Ye Yun's current form, the child was like a giant.
Enough with the distractions. The most important thing now was to cultivate and gain a human form.
Eventually, Ye Yun's form started to grow and the child did not seem as big as before.
Ye Yun couldn't see the child's face before, but now he could see the quasi-black hair draped over the shoulders; the fair and smooth skin; and the clear and bright eyes.
As he continued observing, he noticed that the child's weak and small body contained a surge of hidden energy.
Ye Yun stared at Shi Hao in confusion. He couldn't find a character like him anywhere in the novels he was usually familiar with.
Perhaps he was just another ordinary child character cultivating in this world.
Ye Yun did not think much about it as he kept on watching the child circle the willow tree and bury his head in all sorts of places to search. Ye Yun was filled with confusion, but he did not speak.
Right now, he was just a blade of grass, or maybe a medicinal herb.
If he suddenly made his voice heard by the child, the latter might think that Ye Yun was a spiritual herb with cultivated vitality and could be harvested and consumed as a tonic. Now, wouldn't that be dreadful?
He had to figure out what world he was in before making his next move.
It never hurt to be a little more cautious.
Ye Yun ignored Shi Hao and closed his eyes again to continue cultivating.
As Shi Hao was investigating, another child noticed his behavior and ran over, more curious about what Shi Hao was looking for than the mysterious Qi flow.
"Hey, little guy. I noticed that you have been circling the guardian spirit. Are you looking for something? Tell me, I'll help you."
One of the children spoke with a tender voice. But to Ye Yun, it sounded like thunder rumbling.
Little guy... guardian spirit... willow tree...
These keywords stuck out to Ye Yun and he felt like his worldview had just been shaken! An almost unbelievable thought appeared in his mind.
Could it be that he was in 'Perfect World'?
Could it be that the exquisite child beside him was the protagonist of 'Perfect World', Shi Hao?
The Shi Hao who once possessed the Supreme Being Bone; was deprived by the Stone clan's Shi Yi and abandoned by his mother; almost lost his life but then became the Desolate Heavenly Emperor?
Then wasn't the place he lived in Stone Village?
And the willow tree above him was the ancestral guardian spirit of the Immortal Ancient Era?
The guardian spirit that was the Immortal Ancient attacked by two immortal kings of the immortal realm before getting killed by lightning when it was in the state of Nirvana; had its dharma body destroyed and thus given no choice but to start all over again by turning into a seed; then becoming the Willow Deity of the lower realm's Stone Village?
Oh, shit...
Ye Yun was doing his best to come to terms with his recent realization of his reality.
He even doubted his ears' ability to hear properly.
Did he just grow next to the Willow Deity?
Unbelievable!
Ye Yun observed the willow tree again as his thoughts tried to organize themselves in his head.
Wood struck by lightning... guardian spirit... willow tree...
This was indeed the Willow Deity, and he was indeed in 'Perfect World'!
Ye Yun's thoughts finally became less chaotic as he verified his reality.
Shi Hao did not reply, but the child spoke again. "Shi Hao, tell me!"
Oh, shit! This second kid just confirmed it! The first child was Shi Hao! The protagonist of 'Perfect World'! The Desolate Heavenly Emperor that ruled the sky!
Ye Yun was so excited that he became speechless!
It was simply unbelievable! He actually met the future Desolate Heavenly Emperor!
He was even lucky enough to grow next to the Willow Deity! If this wasn't luck, he didn't know what was.
Knowing that he was in Stone Village of 'Perfect World', Ye Yun's worried heart slowly settled down.
He ignored the children's conversation and smoothly resumed his cultivation.
As for Shi Hao, when he was still unable to find the source of the mysterious and unfamiliar Qi flow, he helplessly sighed and left.
However, he had not given up. The mysterious Qi flow was still there and he continued his search daily at the willow tree.
Why couldn't he figure out the source of the mysterious Qi flow?
Could it be another indication that the guardian spirit was healing?
Shi Hao had once heard the village chief talk about the origins of the willow tree guardian spirit.
The towering ancient willow tree was from the heavens, its branches intertwining with the sky and reaching far and wide beyond the distant mountain ridges.
One day, it pulsed with bright golden light during a thunderstorm. Its branches trembled and moved as if the tree was fighting with an unknown being in the sky. With a sudden bright flash, as if it had been struck by lightning, the towering branches crumbled and the tree fell to where it now stood, replacing the Stone Village's previous sacrificial stone.
Years later, a branch grew from its charred bark, and that was when the guardian spirit revealed its presence. The villagers speculated that it was an indication that the guardian spirit had been healing.
Shi Hao no longer wanted to dwell on the mysterious Qi flow or the willow tree's branches. He had better things to do than to expend his energy on than this.
Moreover, he had already made plans with his friends to check out the nest of a Green Scaled Eagle today after they heard the elders talking about it.
————
An egg rolled toward the willow tree and stopped among the grass.
The huge ferocious Green Scaled Eagle had been perching elsewhere outside the village with its sharp eyes, staring at its three eggs that had been stolen and were now sitting on the grass. The demon beast started to emit a cold aura.
Another egg was leaning on Ye Yun, but he did not have the time to pay attention to it
He was now in an important stage of breaking through.
The quasi-purple light returned as it enveloped his body and intersected with his light green glow.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a strange mark appeared on the Green Scaled Eagle egg leaning on Ye Yun, and it started to glow with vitality.
At the same time, the willow tree's only branch slowly swayed and suddenly emitted a bright green light.
The branch eventually drooped further to the ground and slowly touched the other egg.
With two independent magical touches, the two eggs suddenly emitted a dazzling light and the system's notification echoed in Ye Yun's ears.