Soon, the two who had left returned once again.
In their hands, they each carried a rooster weighing about ten pounds, its tail feathers a reddish-brown hue.
It seemed these were the Spirit-Tailed Chickens they had mentioned.
Upon seeing this, Ethan Chen once again faced Noah Ji and offered a prayer before instructing the two to sacrifice the chickens.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Sensing their peril, the Spirit-Tailed Chickens let out frantic cries.
As the sharp blade sliced through the necks of the chickens, blood gushed forth, splattering into the soil beneath the Sacred Tree. The chickens' cries grew fainter until they ceased altogether.
Feeling a surge of longing, Noah Ji no longer hesitated. He stretched out his roots buried beneath the ground, absorbing the blood that had seeped into the soil.
While absorbing the blood, Noah Ji kept his information panel open, paying close attention to the changes.
[Qi and Blood: 1 (can be converted to Vitality)]
[Spiritual Power: 2]
The Qi and Blood, which had previously been depleted, began to rise rapidly from zero as Noah Ji's roots absorbed the blood.
1, 2, 3…
The same was true for Spiritual Power, although its increase was slightly slower compared to Qi and Blood.
However, judging from the rate of increase, the Qi and Blood gained from this sacrifice were more than the last time.
Soon, Qi and Blood had broken through to five points, and Spiritual Power had reached four points.
As the blood was fully absorbed, the growth rate of Noah Ji's Qi and Blood and Spiritual Power gradually slowed. When he looked at his information panel again, it had changed.
[Name: Noah Ji]
[Species: Weak Sophora Tree]
[Vitality: 3]
[Supernatural Power: Eye of Insight]
[Technique: None]
[Combat Skill: None]
[Qi and Blood: 14 (can be converted to Vitality)]
[Spiritual Power: 6]
[Deduction Points: 28]
[Deduction Available!]
[Status: As a worshipped Sacred Tree, you've barely regained a bit of vitality, but it's not very useful.]
Indeed, the previous annotation had disappeared, and the 'Deduction Not Available' had changed to 'Deduction Available.'
Overjoyed, Noah Ji did not hesitate any longer.
【This Deduction will consume 10 Qi and Blood, 5 Spiritual Power, and 5 Deduction Points. Do you wish to continue?】
【Yes? No?】
Noah Ji unhesitatingly chose yes, and both his Qi and Blood and Spiritual Power sharply decreased.
In the next moment, the world before Noah Ji's eyes transformed.
The Ancestral Hall around him vanished, replaced by a dense, enclosed forest.
Noah Ji was surprised and spread his consciousness, only to find that not only was he in a strange place, but his trunk had also thinned considerably. At first glance, he was nothing but a frail Sapling!
Before he could understand what was happening, a line of text quickly formed before his eyes.
[You were born in a dense forest! In order to grow into a towering trees, you start to strive for growth!]
As the text slowly faded, the timeline before Noah Ji's eyes seemed to accelerate.
The sun rose and set rapidly, days and nights interchanged, and seasons changed around him.
Time seemed to fast-forward, and in just a moment, he had grown from a Sapling to a tree as thick as an arm.
Time slowed, and a second line of text quickly appeared before Noah Ji.
[A Spring and Autumn Cicada has chosen to rest on your trunk. What do you choose?]
[Drive it away] [Ignore it]
Noah Ji spread his consciousness and quickly detected a cicada the size of a thumb resting on his trunk.
Was this the Spring and Autumn Cicada?
What surprised Noah Ji was that he could actually make a choice!
Quite interesting!
After pondering for a moment, Noah Ji chose to ignore it.
The timeline stretched again, and Noah Ji's trunk grew taller and his body thicker.
After a while, time stopped again, and a new line of text emerged before him.
[Due to the presence of the Spring and Autumn Cicada, you gradually developed sentience. To accelerate your growth, you decide to?]
[Absorb the essence of the sun] [Absorb the spiritual energy of the moon]
Noah Ji was taken aback. So, he didn't have sentience before this.
But what was the difference between these two choices?
After hesitating for a while, Noah Ji chose to absorb the spiritual energy of the moon.
No particular reason, just a random choice.
After Noah Ji made his choice, time accelerated once more.
Before long, another line of text appeared before him.
[Your sap has been drained by the Spring and Autumn Cicada, and you have died!]
Below the text, Noah Ji's robust trunk visibly withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and soon, only a dry bark and yellowed, withered leaves remained.
Is this death?
Damn Spring and Autumn Cicada!
No manners!
***
Noah Ji's consciousness quickly blurred, and the world before him collapsed in an instant.
When Noah Ji regained consciousness, the members of the Chen Clan inside the Ancestral Hall had already begun to rise and leave.
Noah Ji spread his consciousness and found that his branches remained unchanged, and everything he had just experienced was like a dream.
As Noah Ji pondered, new text emerged before his eyes:
[Deduction Complete!]
[You have comprehended a new Technique: Lunar Eclipse]
[You have comprehended a new Supernatural Power: Reversal Pill]
Lunar Eclipse: Swallow the essence of the moon and convert it into Vitality!
Reversal Pill: You can actively dissipate Vitality to aid others in healing!
Looking at the newly acquired Technique and Supernatural Power, Noah Ji was contemplative.
Both the Technique and Supernatural Power were not without reason.
If his guess was correct, they were related to the choices he made during the Deduction.
The Technique Lunar Eclipse was acquired from his choice to absorb the essence of the moon.
As for Reversal Pill, Noah Ji was puzzled.
Could it be because his sap was drained by the Spring and Autumn Cicada?
This left Noah Ji somewhat speechless.
Overall, Noah Ji was extremely pleased with his gains.
Lunar Eclipse would allow him to gain Vitality without relying on the sacrifices of the Chen Clan, though it required absorbing the essence of the moon, meaning it could only be done at night, and the effects were still unclear.
As for Reversal Pill, based on its description, it seemed to be a supportive Supernatural Power.
This power was useless to Noah Ji himself, but it was extremely beneficial for the current Chen Clan.
However, Noah Ji still had to consider whether the dissipated Vitality and gains were proportional.
While Noah Ji was contemplating, the other people in the Ancestral Hall had already dispersed, and the hall once again became empty and deserted.
The Clan was facing great difficulties, and they had many other matters to attend to.
Noah Ji looked up into the sky; there was still some time before nightfall.
With this idle moment, Noah Ji could only lament in solitude.
Why was he a tree, after all?
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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