X-Dragon Era-Chapter 522 - s 376-378: Choices and Sacrifices_4

If Xin Yun decided to take out the Giant Pine now, he could obtain the Dragon-Escaping Stake and the Supreme Cane Reduction, but it would consume a massive amount of time to refine them. By the time these two magical treasures were refined, who knew how long it would take? This was a craft that demanded respect and could not be underestimated. Although he was certain they could be refined, the process could take years—how many years?

After a rough estimate, Xin Yun realized that even if it didn't take one hundred and eighty thousand years to refine the Supreme Bamboo Cane and the Dragon-Escaping Stake, it would take at least ten thousand and eight hundred years. They would be unusable until fully refined, monopolizing all of Xin Yun's spare time, and the result would only be two ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures!

However, if he spared the Giant Pine and found a way to mine the red copper here to refine the Heaven and Earth Seal, everything would be different. The Heaven and Earth Seal was already a formed magical treasure, ready for use at any time. Moreover, it would grow stronger with each refinement, without hindering its use.

Moreover, once the Heaven and Earth Seal was truly refined, it had the potential to become an Innate Supreme Treasure—a formidable existence. Between two ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures and a Heaven and Earth Seal that could potentially become an Innate Supreme Treasure, everyone would choose the latter.

And most importantly, before the Supreme Bamboo Cane and Dragon-Escaping Stake were refined, they were just pieces of useless wood, completely unusable. The Heaven and Earth Seal was different; it would become stronger with each refinement and was always ready for use. Xin Yun certainly didn't feel like waiting one hundred and eighty thousand years to use two ordinary magical treasures.

After quickly contemplating for a moment, Xin Yun decisively made his decision. Quality, not quantity, was what mattered most in magical treasures. One hundred ordinary magical treasures couldn't compare to a single Chaos Bell—that was an undeniable fact!

During his reflection, Xin Yun pulled out the Red Gourd and opened its mouth. At his beckoning, a green spiritual energy emerged, twisting and surging toward the Giant Pine.

Feeling the pure Wood Series energy, the Giant Pine was initially stunned, then overjoyed. It opened its massive mouth wide and inhaled vigorously, drawing the green Yimu Spiritual Qi into itself without end.

For months, Yi Luo had been practicing alchemy, not only producing a large number of elixirs but also accumulating a substantial amount of Yimu Spiritual Qi. Now, all released at once, there was more than enough to heal the pine's wounds.

Indeed, after absorbing a large amount of spiritual energy, the distant cave entrance began to heal gradually. By the time Yi Luo finally released the last stream of spiritual energy from the Soul-scattering Gourd, the cave entrance had completely vanished.

Satisfied, the Giant Pine closed its gaping mouth and laughed heartily, "Such pure Yimu Spiritual Qi! Just this stream of Qi has healed my wounds by eighty percent!"

Hearing the Giant Pine's words, Xin Yun couldn't help but feel elated. He had worried that what he had accumulated was too little and wouldn't suffice, but now, judging from the Giant Pine's words, the hundreds of miles of passage had already healed by eighty miles. The thought of someone else trying to dig through that again seemed like an endeavor that wouldn't happen overnight, and anyway… Xin Yun would never allow anyone else to do such a thing!

While contemplating this, the Giant Pine expressed its longing, "This… I don't know where you got this Yimu Spiritual Qi from, but do you have any more? It's incredibly effective for me. If possible, I'd like to exchange some pine cones for it!"

"Pine cones?" Hearing the Giant Pine's offer, Xin Yun's eyes couldn't help but light up. These were the fruits borne by an Innate Spirit Root, and not a single one of the pine cones produced by an Innate Spirit Root was ordinary.

Among the more well-known is the Flat Peach, which, legend has it, the Queen Mother's Flat Peach Garden contains three thousand six hundred peach trees. The first twelve hundred trees bear small fruits; they mature every three thousand years, and those who eat them become immortal and enlightened. The middle twelve hundred trees mature every six thousand years, and those who eat their fruit ascend to the heavens and enjoy eternal life. The last twelve hundred trees have purple-veined, fine stones and mature every nine thousand years, and those who eat them enjoy a lifespan as long as that of heaven and earth, as enduring as the sun and the moon."

In folklore, people use peaches to pray for blessings, and longevity buns are called longevity peaches. They are an indispensable part of longevity banquets. In traditional New Year paintings, longevity peaches are a common theme, such as peaches combined with lingzhi mushrooms representing immortal longevity, or with bats representing fortune and longevity, often seen in "Flat Peach Presenting Longevity Paintings," symbolizing the extension of life. Peaches are always associated with immortality and longevity, attributed to their rich nutritional value.

Having finished talking about the Flat Peach, let's talk about the Ginseng Fruit. In the Wu Zhuang Temple at Mount of Longevity, there is a Ginseng Fruit, also known as the Grass Returning Pill, "It flowers once every three thousand years and bears fruit once every three thousand years, and only after another three thousand does the fruit mature, taking a short ten thousand years to be edible. In these ten thousand years, only thirty fruits are produced, and the fruit looks just like a small child not yet three days old, with complete limbs and all facial features. If one is fortunate enough to smell this fruit, they will live three hundred sixty years; if one eats one, they will live forty-seven thousand years."

The two fruits mentioned before are both born from Innate Spirit Roots, and this Five-Needle Pine is also an Innate Spirit Root. I do not know, however, how many years the pinecones require to mature and what their effects are?

Seeing Xin Yun's ecstatic look, Yi Luo Xiang and the others were very curious. After all... Xin Yun was not someone who would easily be overjoyed, and even when he acquired Innate Spiritual Treasures, he didn't seem that excited. So why was he now so happy about this old pine producing pinecones?

In the case of ordinary items, Xin Yun wouldn't be so thrilled, powerful as the Innate Spiritual Treasures were, they were still external possessions, but this pinecone was different—it was a treasure that enhanced oneself!

Xin Yun was extremely eager for Spiritual Treasures yet, by comparison, he craved personal enhancement even more. It was the same phrase again, if he had to choose between becoming a saint and obtaining an Innate Supreme Treasure, Xin Yun would not hesitate at all, and would immediately choose to become a saint. As the saying goes... without sainthood, one remains but an ant, and even wielding the Chaos Bell, one is merely a stronger ant. Only a saint is truly powerful!

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Swallowing hard, Xin Yun, trembling, asked, "This pinecone, I wonder how many years it takes to flower, to bear fruit, and how many years to mature? Also, what exactly are the pinecone's functions?"

Faced with Xin Yun's question, the old pine was initially surprised, and then praised, "It seems that you are quite knowledgeable about Innate Spirit Roots. Since that is the case, you should know the answer."

Hearing the old pine's words, Xin Yun was momentarily startled, but then he came to a realization. Upon careful thought, whether it was the Flat Peach or the Ginseng Fruit, both required nine thousand years to mature! With that logic, could it be that the pinecones were the same?

Perhaps some people do not understand, but if one thinks about it carefully, doesn't the finest purple-veined, fine-stoned Flat Peach need to mature every nine thousand years? The Ginseng Fruit flowers once every three thousand years, bears fruit every three thousand years, and then requires another three thousand years to mature, so doesn't that add up to nine thousand years as well?

Indeed, after Xin Yun's inquiry, the old pine gave a positive answer: the pinecones also flower once every three thousand years, bear fruit every three thousand years, and only after another three thousand do they mature!

Unlike ordinary pine trees, the pinecones of this Five-Needle Pine are quite special. Each pinecone contains only five seeds, in red, yellow, blue, green, and purple, each color representing a different seed. After eating them, one can achieve immortality; the Spiritual Energy contained within them can also directly enhance the strength of the user! As for how much they enhance, since nobody has eaten them, it remains unknown. (To be continued... For further details, please visit . More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)