Chapter 1684: The Starry Fruits That Matured Early

After hearing Shang Xia's plans, Kou Chongxue simply nodded. He offered no words of caution or advice.

Over the decades, both of them were key figures in the rise of the Tongyou Institution. Both of them had developed a deep sense of understanding with each other. Kou Chonxue knew that Shang Xia was neither reckless nor arrogant. Since he decided to visit them, he would have prepared adequately.

Moreover, Kou Chongxue was equally curious about why the Spirit Thistle World and Spirit Tinkle Worlds took the initiative to break the alliance.

After leaving the Jiao Continent, Shang Xia’s clone did not immediately reunite with his true body. He hesitated slightly before turning to the You Continent. He decided to make the detour because his true body just received a transmission from Yuan Qiuyuan and Yan Ming.

As soon as he returned, he didn’t alert anyone and discreetly approached the back mountains of the Tongyou Institution and entered the Elysium.

The moment he entered, a certain presence was alerted. As Ge Qingzhu’s divine soul swept across the Elysium, he was quickly discovered and recognized. Ge Qingzhu’s divine soul soon retreated.

Shang Xia’s clone smiled. He knew that there was only 1 person who could discover him.

After the invasion of the 3 Sages, the 9 Elysiums weren’t the only ones left in a fragile state. The Elysium True Immortals guarding them were also exhausted. Each of them was recuperating in their Elysiums, including Ge Qingzhu.

Shang Xia’s clone wasn’t obstructed by anyone or anything, and he appeared at the Star Observatory with a single movement.

Upon his arrival, his attention was immediately drawn to a robust tree shimmering with dim starlight.

"During the time around your ascension to the Seven Star Realm, the starlight gathered in our You Continent was exceptionally bright. The abundant world origin caused the tree to mature as if it experienced over a hundred years of growth in a few days. Now, it looks like this...”

Yan Ming's voice came from the other end of the observatory. Despite seeing it more than once, he was still inevitably shocked by the lush and vibrant Starry Tree.

"Hmm," Shang Xia’s clone grunted. “Do you think it became this way because of my breakthrough to the Seven Star Realm?”

"To be precise, it was the appearance of the Big Dipper in the void that attracted the Power of the Stars. That caused the tree’s rapid growth." Yuan Qiuyuan explained while rubbing his eyes unintentionally.

He had previously made eye contact with a Sage, which left him with a psychological scar. He developed a habit of rubbing his eyes, especially so when he was looking at a Sage.

After thinking for some time, Shang Xia’s clone asked, "So, you think this can be replicated?"

"It's difficult unless you undergo an identical ascension process to the Seven Star Realm again," Yuan Qiuyuan replied. Seeing as Shang Xia’s clone didn’t respond, he quickly added, "However, while a significant shortening of the Starry Tree’s growth period in a short time is impractical, abundant and high-quality world origin can promote its growth and shorten its production cycle..."

Realizing why Yuan Qiuyuan had informed Shang Xia's true body of this, the clone understood that while it was no secret that collecting the Power of the Stars could promote the growth of a Starry Tree. The Big Dipper Star Origin Shang Xia produced during his breakthrough provided an even higher form of the Power of the Stars, offering greater benefits to the tree.

Shang Xia’s clone fell into thought for a moment before transmitting everything that he learned in the Tongyou Elysium to his true body.

Soon, his clone looked up and smiled. “Alright. My true body is already aware of what happened.”

As Yan Ming began to speak again, Yuan Qiuyuan gently tugged at her sleeves, signaling her to look up.

Confused, Yan Ming stared at what he was pointing at, and her eyes widened in shock.

Above them, the projection of the starry void outside the Elysium started to draw close. It appeared as though the sea of stars was crashing down on them.

Despite knowing it was Shang Xia's doing, the majestic scene still placed immense pressure on them.

As the void drew closer, the essence of the stars seemed to double, and it continued to grow.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Bathed in the dense starlight, the Starry Tree’s branches swayed. It seemed to be expressing its joy while it was growing.

"From now on, observing the void outside will be much easier for us...” Yuan Qiuyuan gasped in awe.

Shang Xia’s clone stared at him with a smile that wasn’t really a smile. “Well, the risks are also greater.”

Yuan Qiuyuan chuckled awkwardly. “I... I’ll be careful. I won’t stare at a Sage again... Moreover, I’ll soon be a rank six Grand Stargazer...”

Shang Xia’s clone nodded in understanding before looking at the Starry Tree, which looked a lot more lush than before. “Wait... Is it fruiting?”

Yan Ming smiled before stepping to the side to avoid the Starlight Essence that gathered beneath the canopy of the tree. Walking closer to the trunk, she revealed 3 fist-sized fruits bathed in dense starlight. “There are 3 mature Starry Fruits. It’s enough for our institution to produce 3 more True Immortals!”

Having once consumed a Starry Fruit during his breakthrough to the Six Direction Realm, Shang Xia knew the significance of the fruit during the process.

"These 3 Starry Fruits are important, but I would advise against you guys consuming them." Shang Xia’s clone said suddenly.

Both Grand Stargazers were shocked by his revelation, and Yan Ming started to protest first. “Why? We’ve been caring for the fruits all this time, and even if we can’t take 2 of them, the institution should leave 1 for us, right?”

Shang Xia’s clone chuckled at her reaction. “Relax. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that you guys aren’t qualified to get the fruit. I’m saying that there’s no need for you 2 to eat the fruit to break through.”

Seeing their puzzled looks, he continued, "Our world is on the brink of ascending to an Essence World. The moment we succeed, the World’s Will’s blessing will descend immediately and reward everyone who played a part in the process. When that happens, there will definitely be a batch of Martial Dipper Realm cultivators in our world stepping through the gates of the Martial Void Realm. In the face of the blessing of the World’s Will, the benefits a Starry Fruit will give you will be minimal at best.”

“Moreover, with your foundations, your breakthrough to the Martial Void Realm should be pretty much set in stone. The Starry Fruit won’t be able to help you much anyway. It would be better to leave them to the future generations of the institution.” Shang Xia’s clone concluded.