The night was tranquil, the moonlight pristine, and the sophora tree stood silent and withered.
"Tap, tap, tap!"
A series of light footsteps quickly roused Noah Ji from his deep thoughts.
Soon, two faint voices drifted from outside the ancestral hall.
"Is anyone there?"
A young voice was the first to break the silence.
"No one's around, we can go in!"
Another voice, deep and resonant, quickly responded.
"Thieves?"
Hearing their conversation, Noah's heart tightened with a hint of nervousness.
Now powerless, unable to move or speak, and lacking the strength to protect himself, if these were thieves, he was done for.
At this moment, Noah could only hope that these thieves were after the Chen Clan's elder ancestor, not him. After all, the only valuable things in the ancestral hall seemed to be those two items. They couldn't possibly be here to steal the spiritual position of the Chen Clan's ancestors, could they?
As their conversation ended, the sound of footsteps on the blue stone slab of the ancestral hall came in quick succession.
As the two figures climbed over the outer wall and entered the ancestral hall, Noah got a clear view of them.
They were two teenagers, around ten years old, dressed in coarse cloth.
One had a refined appearance with lively eyes, while the other had a simple, slightly chubby face.
Seeing the two boys, Noah's heart eased considerably.
He recognized them; they had knelt at the back during the day, likely younger members of the Chen Clan.
But what were they doing sneaking into his ancestral hall in the dead of night?
Were they here to steal offerings?
Or something else?
Noah, secretly observing, was quite intrigued, even forgetting the matters he had been pondering earlier.
To confirm their identities, Noah cast the Eye of Insight on each of them.
[Name: Lucas Chen]
[Age: 14]
[Realm: Early Body Tempering Realm]
[Introduction: Member of the 'Qing' generation of the Chen Clan]
[Name: Alexander Chen]
[Age: 13]
[Realm: Early Body Tempering Realm]
[Introduction: Member of the 'Qing' generation of the Chen Clan]
Indeed, the first to enter was Lucas Chen, and the slightly chubbier one was Alexander Chen, both from the 'Qing' generation of the Chen Clan.
Their nervous expressions suggested this was their first time doing such a deed, which only piqued Noah's curiosity about their intentions.
After landing smoothly, the two didn't rush into the ancestral hall but looked around to ensure no one was there before letting out a sigh of relief.
"Lucas, should we really be doing this? What if the Clan Chief or your father finds out?" the slightly chubbier boy asked with trepidation.
The older Lucas replied with a determined gaze:
"The clan is in such a state; why bother with such concerns?"
"The Sacred Tree should have been destroyed long ago! Think of how much effort our people have wasted on it over the years!"
"Consider the other clans without a Sacred Tree; they're still thriving!"
"I believe our clan's decline is because of this tree. If we cut it down, the clan will surely overcome this crisis! We're not doing wrong; we're saving the clan!"
"My father? He'll understand when he's our age!"
Hearing about saving the clan, Alexander's eyes hardened, and he nodded vigorously:
"You're right, it's definitely this tree's fault. Tonight, we'll rid the clan of this menace!"
With that, both drew their machetes and quickly approached Noah Ji, who stood isolated in the ancestral hall.
Curious Noah was stunned by their conversation.
So, these kids were sneaking into the ancestral hall in the middle of the night to chop him down!
He had just narrowly escaped Oliver Chen's axe, and now he faced the machetes of these two.
Watching them approach with machetes in hand, Noah felt an urge to cry but had no tears.
Especially since Ethan Chen, the Clan Chief, wasn't around, there was no one to speak for him.
Soon, they were at Noah's base, looking up at his withered form with resolute eyes.
"Lucas, where should we chop first?"
"Are you dumb? Of course, the roots!"
Lucas replied irritably.
As they prepared to strike at Noah's roots with their machetes, he let out a sigh of resignation.
No more thinking.
If he didn't bind to the clan and convert his vitality now, he'd likely never see tomorrow's sun!
As they raised their axes, Noah's consciousness acted faster, rapidly converting his Qi and Blood into vitality!
As Noah began the transformation, the familiar prompt appeared again, but this time he didn't hesitate and quickly affirmed!
While his Qi and Blood rapidly depleted to zero, Noah's vitality began to soar.
From 0.5, it climbed higher and higher.
0.6, 0.7… 1.5, 1.6.
When vitality reached 2.7, the growth slowed, finally settling at 3.0.
Five points of Qi and Blood had transformed into 2.5 points of vitality, a two-to-one conversion.
But before Noah could even experience the change, a sharp chopping sound rang by his ear.
Looking down, he saw the two boys' machetes had struck at the roots of his tree form.
It was over.
Noah's heart chilled, but then he realized he was unharmed, and the machetes had only stripped away a layer of bark.
Before he could ponder further, a surge of life-giving energy rapidly infused his desiccated form.
This vitality was like a light in the darkness, an oasis in the desert.
As vitality emerged, Noah's roots buried deep underground began to expand rapidly, soon spreading throughout much of the ancestral hall.
The spread of the roots seemed to extend his vision even further.
But the changes didn't stop there.
After the underground roots ceased their expansion, the previously withered trunk also transformed, shedding its old bark and sprouting a new layer. In the middle of the trunk, a green shoot rapidly grew.
Below, Alexander, who was about to strike again, noticed the changes in the Sacred Tree above.
Staring at the once-dry trunk now sprouting buds and young branches, he stood frozen, his machete inadvertently dropping to the ground.
The sight before him defied his understanding.
"Alexander, don't just stand there, keep chopping!"
"The bark is still tough!"
Lucas, ready to deliver a second blow, urged him on as he saw the tool drop.
"The tree, the tree is sprouting!"
Alexander tugged at Lucas's sleeve, pointing at the transforming Noah above, exclaiming in shock.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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