Chapter 78 - 33: Forest Spirit Heart Scripture, Divine Tree·Jianmu

Chapter 78: Chapter 33: Forest Spirit Heart Scripture, Divine Tree·Jianmu

Xia He’s promise made Jiang Xuan raise an eyebrow. The ordinary students who hadn’t yet left were filled with envy, their breathing even growing a little softer.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Xia He’s status in the Four Seasons Valley was far from ordinary. She was most likely a Sect Elder, or perhaps even the Valley Master’s own daughter and direct disciple. A personal promise from her was practically a guarantee of an Inner Sect Disciple position for Jiang Xuan.

And no matter how much the Four Seasons Valley had declined, it was still a legitimate Middle-Class Dharma Vein of the Shenxiao Sect. To secure an Inner Sect position so easily—how could the other students not be green with envy?

Jiang Xuan, however, did not answer right away.

One’s perspective grows with their Cultivation. Previously, Jiang Xuan’s sole ambition was to enter the Inner Sect.

But now, with a surge of good fortune, his Gourmet class had advanced to the Treasure Level. He had also obtained the Feast Ceremony, an ability perfectly suited to his current situation. Naturally, Jiang Xuan’s ambitions had grown as well.

"We..."

Seeing Jiang Xuan hesitate, the lively yet impatient Xia He was about to press him further, but the words had barely left her lips before she was interrupted by Meng Yingyue, who was strolling toward them.

"Hehe, don’t be hasty. Just as the great Dharma Veins choose their disciples, so too do disciples choose their Dharma Vein. Why don’t you first show Young Master Jiang Xuan around our Four Seasons Valley and tell him all about it?"

Meng Yingyue had always held a certain authority over Xia He. At her words, the young woman immediately nodded. "Sister Yingyue is right! I’ll take Junior Brother Jiang Xuan on a tour of our Four Seasons Valley right away."

This time, Jiang Xuan didn’t refuse.

And so, following Xia He, the two of them first arrived at the Valley of Spring.

WHOOSH—

The moment he entered the valley, the scene before Jiang Xuan opened up dramatically, as if he had stepped into another world.

Outside, it was late autumn in the ninth month, and the wind already carried a biting chill. But here in the valley, a pleasant warmth washed over him. It was the very picture of mid-spring, when the winter cold has just scattered and all of creation is reawakening.

This familiar essence of spring also resonated with the Spring Revival Dao Rhyme he had personally experienced during the Feast Ceremony, causing his Heart Spirit to tremble slightly.

Just as his Heart Spirit was stirred, Xia He began to chatter excitedly beside him, proudly explaining the wonders of the Valley of Spring as if showing off her family’s treasures:

"This Valley of Spring is a special blessed land that the past sages of our Four Seasons Valley created. They used the Eternal Spring Array along with countless Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Marvels, and Spiritual Treasures. Not only is it always spring in the valley, but the Spring Dao Rhyme is also amplified to its absolute limit here."

"Here, it’s not only easier for Cultivators to practice the Forest Spirit Heart Scripture, but we also grow many spring-season plants. Furthermore, the valley’s spring rain has restorative properties, and its spring thunder can temper the soul..."

"Oh, right! The Forest Spirit Heart Scripture is the main Cultivation Technique for the Valley of Spring. When you practice this Cultivation Technique, you first condense a Spirit Seed in your Dantian. Then, depending on your physique, visualization, and comprehension, that Spirit Seed can evolve into various types of Spirit Wood. It can even evolve into the legendary Divine Wood! Our Four Seasons Valley’s founder, the Tongxuan Daoist, once evolved a seed of Jianmu and could commune with Heaven and Earth with a single thought! Back then, our Four Seasons Valley was a renowned Upper Vein within the Shenxiao Sect..."

With Xia He as his guide, Jiang Xuan toured the entire Four Seasons Valley.

He soon discovered that the Four Seasons Valley was a Dharma Vein with a long and profound history, having put down roots here when the Shenxiao Sect was first established.

Thousands of years of history had endowed the valley with a profound heritage that was difficult for outsiders to fathom:

The four great blessed lands, constructed with a Grand Array and various Marvels, served as both exceptional training grounds and as nurseries for the Dharma Vein’s Spirit Plants.

The Sect also boasted a vast collection of Techniques. In addition to the Main Cultivation Method for each of the four seasonal veins, the sages of the Four Seasons Valley had used the Twenty-four Solar Terms as a basis to develop twenty-four different Techniques, Swordsmanship styles, and Secret Techniques that could draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth. These arts were balanced for both offense and defense, adaptable to almost any combat situation.

By the end of the tour, Jiang Xuan was deeply impressed. ’A Middle-Class Dharma Vein is a Middle-Class Dharma Vein, after all. The richness of its heritage far surpasses my expectations.’

Even the seemingly ordinary Huangni Village, he realized, held its own secrets.

However, after touring the Four Seasons Valley and combining his own insights with past rumors, Jiang Xuan had also begun to vaguely guess at the lineage’s core secret.

This realization prompted him to turn to Xia He and ask directly, "The Qi Cultivation Technique of the Four Seasons Valley isn’t standalone, is it?"

"..." The moment he spoke, Xia He knew that Jiang Xuan had figured something out.

At this, Xia He’s expression fell, but in the end, her honest nature won out. She didn’t hide anything, laying all their secrets bare. "You’re right. The Forest Spirit Heart Scripture should, strictly speaking, be called the Spring Chapter of the Forest Spirit Heart Scripture. The Flame Splendor Supreme Profound Chapter is the summer Chapter, the Three Elements Dao Fruit is the autumn Chapter, and the True Understanding of the Netherworld’s Guicang to Storage is the winter Chapter."

After hearing this, Jiang Xuan now had a complete understanding of the full Cultivation process for the Four Seasons Valley’s Core Cultivation Method, as well as the dangers hidden within.

"’Sow a seed in spring, use the power of Flame Splendor in summer to reach a state of perfection, and condense your entire Cultivation into a Dao Fruit in autumn. Then, you use the art of Annihilation and Guicang to endure the trial of winter’s death, and when spring returns, you are reborn from the husk—a withered tree blooming anew... This Cultivation Technique is incredibly profound. Completing a full Four Seasons Reincarnation must provide immense benefits, right?’"

"Yes." Xia He nodded and sighed. "It’s a Cultivation Technique that can completely transform a person. A young person who practices it can reshape their Dao Foundation, raise their Spirit Root Grade, and even awaken Innate Talents and Special Physiques. Even an Elder Cultivator nearing the end of their lifespan has a chance to defy fate and live a second life."