Chapter 2545: Elegant Lines

In the Arboreal Sanctuary, many people witnessed a surprising scene; Xu Ji was engaged in a fierce battle with someone else. At first glance, it appeared that they were fighting over a great tree, and yet there was no great tree to be seen near them. Even more shocking was the fact that Xu Ji was actually fighting against Xu Ji.

The spectators were dumbfounded. Xu Ji was fighting against himself, and the two’s fighting styles were perfectly identical. What in the world was going on?

"It's the Replication Tree, the Replication Tree!" a little girl shouted excitedly.

Someone asked, "Little girl, what is the Replication Tree?"

The child was one of the three who were from the Arboreal Realm. She answered in a well behaved manner, "It's a powerful tree in this Arboreal Sanctuary that can replicate anyone who approaches it. It can copy their appearance, their cultivation, and even battle techniques. It’s one of the most formidable trees in the entire Arboreal Sanctuary, and very few people have ever managed to obtain an innate gift from it. That big brother is incredible have even provoked the Replication Tree."

"That’s Xu Ji, the only person from the Sixverse Academy to obtain a tetra-chromatic fruit," someone replied.

The little girl's eyes sparkled. "A tetra-chromatic fruit? That's amazing!"

As the battle between Xu Ji and his replica moved further away, the watching crowd quickly followed, eager to see the final results.

Across the Arboreal Sanctuary, everyone sought out the trees they wanted, all the while seeing the various bizarre trees that existed there.

Lu Yin saw the enormous tree again, as unlike most of the other trees, the giant tree was constantly on the move and did not remain in one place.

Seeing this, Lu Yin decided to chase after it.

Luo Zang watched as Lu Yin moved after the giant tree, only to grow puzzled. What was Xuan Qi planning?

Lu Yin quickly arrived at the base of the enormous tree, and then leaped onto one of the tree's limbs. The tree continued to move, not paying any attention to Lu Yin.

Luo Zang's eyes flickered, and he imitated Xuan Qi, approaching the giant tree. Perhaps, he would be able to witness something extraordinary in the Arboreal Sanctuary by traveling with the tree.

However, Luo Zang did not receive the same treatment as Lu Yin. The enormous tree shifted its branches and effortlessly flicked Luo Zang away. He was completely unable to put up any resistance at all. If not for a defensive power vessel he pulled out at the last moment, he might have even died from that single flick.

Luo Zang smashed through several mountains that hung in the sky, coughing up blood the entire way. By the time he recovered, the massive tree was already far away.

Bang!

He punched the Cliffside resentfully. He was seeing the advantage of a penta-chromatic fruit. However, it was possible to act recklessly in the Arboreal Sanctuary, and Luo Zang would not let Xuan Qi off.

After climbing onto the giant tree, Lu Yin settled down onto a limb and sat cross-legged. There was no longer any need for him to search on his own. He intended to let the tree’s path determine what he would encounter.

The giant tree did not move fast, yet each step covered a tremendous distance.

As it moved along, Lu Yin saw many people. Some hid from the tree, while others stared blankly, afraid to approach.

He saw Jiang Xiaodao, whose body was surrounded by streams of water. At first glance, it looked quite similar to Shang Qing's Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique.

Jiang Xiaodao was laughing hysterically to himself.

Lu Yin also saw Shao Qingfeng. It was not possible to determine if Shao Qingfeng had obtained any innate gift, but he did notice Lu Yin from the mountaintop where he stood, and for a moment, their eyes met.

The Arboreal Sanctuary was vast, which meant that people rarely saw each other after parting ways. Eventually, from his perch atop the giant tree, Lu Yin saw one tree that surprised him.

It was a tree that held up three vast skies, and each held an entire world of its own. The tree was at least the same size as the lightning tree, if not even taller. However, this tree also did not meet Lu Yin's desires.

He saw a tree that gave off ripple-like patterns in the shape of gourds. He touched the ripples, and at that moment, felt as though space itself was spinning, and enemies appeared before his eyes one by one.

This tree intrigued him, and he made a note of its location. Despite not knowing what sort of innate gift he would receive from the tree, it might be a good idea to try to give it a try.

He saw a tree that did not quite look like a tree, but instead resembled tears that hung in the void. Both the branches and the trunk were crystal clear.

Over the course of several days, Lu Yin saw all kinds of strange trees from atop the giant tree. It was almost as if he had encountered a whole new world.

He took note of several trees, and prepared to choose from among them.

He noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. A blur darted past. Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and he turned to investigate. Without hesitation, he leaped off of the towering tree and pursued a massive shadow. He did not even notice that he started using Inverse Step, which allowed him to swiftly close the distance. He firmly grabbed hold of the figure and exclaimed, "Why are you here?"

The large figure that Lu Yin had caught turned out to be the large tree that had continuously tried to escape from him in the past. It was the large tree that Sapling loved so much. Lu Yin had ordered his people to search the entire Fifth Mainland for this tree.

He never would have imagined that the tree would appear in the Arboreal Sanctuary, of all places.

The tree continued to struggle and escape Lu Yin's grasp, which was exactly the same as before.

Lu Yin held the tree and asked, "Do you have any intelligence at all? Why are you here?"

The tree writhed, determined to escape. Nothing would restrain it.

"Sapling misses you," Lu Yin shouted.

The tree paused for a brief moment, and then started struggling again, resuming its attempts to flee. Lu Yin grabbed hold of it with both hands, and at that moment, an inexplicable, strange sensation came over him, startling him. This was bad. He had just obtained an innate gift from the tree.

Mu Sanye had warned Lu Yin that after he had eaten the Wood Fruits, he should not carelessly touch any trees, as he would most likely obtain an innate gift from the first one he touched. However, that should only apply to trees from the Arboreal Realm. It should not have been possible to acquire any innate gift from a tree from other universes. Otherwise, he would definitely have gone to touch the Mother Tree.

In that case, what was the deal with the big tree? Was the fleeing tree actually from the Arboreal Realm?

Lu Yin felt terribly confused, however, he had already obtained an innate gift from the tree.

What kind of innate gift could such a tree give him? Some sort of ability to escape?

Suddenly, Lu Yin's vision changed. He saw lines bisecting lines that ran through the void, forming squares and circles. The lines twisted and stretched out. Unconsciously, he let go of the tree, which immediately lifted a branch and vanished. Lu Yin instantly reacted and tried to grab hold of tree again, but it was completely gone.

The tree had vanished from the Arboreal Sanctuary, yet to Lu Yin's vision, the tree had not simply disappeared. Instead, it had opened up lines with the movement of the branch, as though it had unlocked countless portals that it could continuously flee through.

Was this… spatial visualization?

Lu Yin slowly extended a hand, his fingers gradually approaching a line. Finally, he touched it. He was overcome with a strange sensation. The line could be manipulated. His vision changed to a completely different scene, and he felt as though he could understand space.

His touch firmed, and he plucked at the line. The void twisted, and with a single step, Lu Yin's body disappeared. He instantly reappeared, but he was already far away from his previous location.

Lu Yin looked back, overcome with exhilaration. The sensation he had just experienced was undoubtedly a form of spatial manipulation. The tree had given him heightened control of space, and it far surpassed what he had previously been capable of, even with his void god domain. This newfound ability had manifested so unexpectedly that Lu Yin was overwhelmed by a profound sense of mystery and wonder.

Could this be the legendary realm of a domain that was above even the Wielder realm? The level of domain that Gu Yizhi had always sought to reach?

No, Lu Yin had simply obtained an improved sense and control of space. The next level of mastery of his domain would theoretically allow him to expand and shrink space, and even pursue the elusive power of time. He was still far from that level. However, the fact that he had become able to visualize space, he would eventually be able to control the void, so long as he continued cultivating. The day would come when he would experience another breakthrough with his domain.

Lu Yin looked down at his hands, his heart overflowing with excitement. He had managed to obtain such an incredible innate gift out of nowhere. Once again, his future prospects had been changed. In the future, even his method of fighting would change.

Still, what in the world was that large tree? It was able to control space, and yet it could still be captured?

In the remaining time he had in the Arboreal Sanctuary, Lu Yin no longer wandered around. Instead, he would walk one step at a time while observing the spatial lines he could observe. The lines were intricate and elegant, and when he touched them, there were times that they would make the void warp. If he stretched them, sometimes they would expand space.

He was immersed in his own world as played with his newfound powers.

Before long, it was time for everyone to leave the Arboreal Sanctuary. Everyone was enveloped in green bubbles and taken back to the mountain peak where they had first arrived.

"Xuan Qi, what innate gift did you receive?" As soon as Lu Yin arrived on the peak, all eyes were on him.

Mu Sanye took a few steps forward and stood in front of the crowd. He gently asked, "Xuan Qi, which innate gift did you receive? Which trees did you see?"

Jiang Xiaodao, Luo Zang, and the others also moved closer.

Lu Yin was the only person who had obtained a penta-chromatic fruit. He should not have encountered any obstacles in the Arboreal Sanctuary, which meant that he could essentially have chosen any tree he wished.

Xu Xiangyin started to grow nervous. He did not know himself whether he wanted Xuan Qi to have acquired a good innate gift or not. The man felt terribly conflicted.

Xu Yue was also nervous, as she was worried that Xuan Qi would tattle on her.

Lu Yin said, "I saw a tree that held three worlds."

Mu Sanye’s eyes grew wide, and excitement filled them. "You obtained the innate gift of three skies?"

Everyone tensed up and held their breath. Just by Mu Sanye's reaction, it was clear that the three skies innate gift was absolutely incredible.

Lu Yin shook his head. "This junior only saw that tree, and I didn't try to obtain an innate gift from it."

Mu Sanye felt disappointed. "What else did you see?"

"I saw a tree that created ripples that were shaped like gourds," Lu Yin replied.

Once again, Mu Sanye became excited. "You obtained your innate gift from that tree?"

Lu Yin shrugged as he answered, "I didn't have a chance."

The crowd was speechless and felt an urge to hit him.

Mu Sanye's face twitched. "Just tell me what innate gift you obtained from a tree."

Lu Yin said, "I don't know how to describe it, so let me draw it."

He raised his hand and drew an image in the air of the large tree that had fled.

He had no idea if Mu Sanye would recognize the tree or not. Lu Yin was quite curious about that large tree.

Everyone stared at the tree that Lu Yin had drawn, their astonishment filling their faces.

Mu Sanye blinked. "So… that's it?"

"That's it."

"There was no sign of any sort of phenomena?" Mu Sanye asked unwillingly.

Lu Yin shook his head.

"What about your innate gift?" Mu Sanye pressed.

Lu Yin had already decided on his answer for this. "Faster speed."

Mu Sanye's face twisted as a mix of disappointment, anger, and reluctance flickered across his features.

There was no doubt that he did not recognize the large tree.

"Just faster speed?" Mu Sanye asked, clearly unhappy.

"It feels like the wind wraps around my legs, and I can move at least twice as fast as before."

"Mu San, what kind of tree did he encounter?" Xu Xiangyin asked.

Mu Sanye gritted his teeth. "I don't know."

Xu Xiangyin was surprised. "You don't know?"

Mu Sanye explained, "There are countless different trees in the Arboreal Sanctuary, and more are constantly being added. How could I know? But-" He glanced at Lu Yin. "If the tree doesn’t show any phenomena, it should be rather ordinary. Xuan Qi, why did you choose that tree?"

Everyone else was asking the same question. After all, Lu Yin’s image showed a tree that looked so common that any random tree in the Arboreal Sanctuary seemed like it would have been a better choice.

Lu Yin shrugged. "There was nothing I could do. It suddenly bumped into me. I wasn’t even looking for it. It was a complete accident, but the tree moved too fast for me to move out of the way."