PS: Three chapters yesterday. Recommendation votes! Does everyone have them! Don't you have any! Dying of embarrassment, if I don't ask for recommendation votes for one day, I'll slip out of the category recommendation list!

~At almost the same moment, a mass of dark green blood emerged from Nie Kong’s brow.

Like two magnets with opposing poles, the blood shot out from both their foreheads the instant it appeared. Nie Kong’s blob of dark green blood was as large as an infant’s fist, while Mu Xueyi’s scarlet blood was several times smaller. The two masses of blood hurtled toward each other with lightning speed.

“Pop!”

With a faint sound, like a water bubble bursting, the two masses of blood collided between Nie Kong and Mu Xueyi. Upon contact, a splash of crimson instantly spread out, and in the blink of an eye, it completely enveloped Nie Kong’s blood, allowing no more dark green color to show through.

Seeing this bizarre scene, Qing Yue muttered something under her breath before settling down quietly, floating lightly beside the dark green sphere of Mu Zu. She widened her eyes in excitement, not daring to blink as she watched. This process of bloodline awakening was also a first for her.

“Whoosh!”

As if a breeze had sprung from nowhere, the small space within the tree heart subtly undulated, and wisps of green vitality began to sprout. In an instant, this space was not only covered in faint, ethereal green light on the uneven, jutting walls surrounding them, but the entire void itself became saturated with greenness.

“Boom!”

A deep, muffled roar sounded from within the blood, immediately followed by a subtle force, like expanding water ripples, propagating outward from the blood mass as its center.

“Ah!” Qing Yue slightly parted her small mouth and let out a curious, low gasp.

Before her sound could fade, an even stronger wave of force surged out from the blood, then a third, a fourth, a fifth…

The waves of force, increasing rapidly in speed and intensity, struck out but were blocked by the surrounding walls, rebounding back. Gradually, the fluctuations within this tree-heart space grew violent. After a minute or two, the space seemed to be churned by a hurricane, with immense, powerful forces raging wildly.

At first, Qing Yue, suspended in mid-air, could maintain her balance, given that she still possessed the soul power of the Void Spirit Realm. But after the fluctuations continued for over ten minutes, Qing Yue’s small, delicate body began to sway unsteadily, her little skirt fluttering wildly.

Qing Yue grew more curious; the power contained within that mass of blood was unexpectedly immense.

“Oh dear!”

After enduring for a while longer, another wave of power swept over her. Qing Yue’s small body could no longer hold steady and was violently thrown back against the wall behind her. At this critical moment, a thread of dark green aura suddenly shot out from the sphere, wrapping around the little one’s waist and dragging her back.

Qing Yue patted her small chest, looking at Nie Kong and Mu Xueyi, who remained seated and motionless. She gestured animatedly with her hands while exclaiming softly, “Grandfather Village Spirit, this is too unbelievable! Nie Kong’s bloodline power actually pushed me away! Does that mean he’s even stronger than me now?”

As she said this, the little one felt somewhat dejected. If Nie Kong was stronger than her, she wouldn’t have the leverage to demand that spiritual treasure essence from him.

“Of course not,” Mu Zu’s aged voice dropped to an extremely low, almost thread-like whisper, accompanied by a faint smile. “The way my children awaken their bloodlines is somewhat different from the Spirit Clan. The mother’s bloodline power must first ignite and stimulate the child’s bloodline power, which then serves to draw upon a small portion of my own bloodline power.”

Qing Yue suddenly understood, beaming happily. “I get it! The power surging from that mass of blood combines the bloodlines of Nie Kong, his mother, and you, Grandfather Tree Spirit—all three of you!” The little thing let out a sigh of relief and brightened up again, climbing onto the dark green sphere with a broad smile.

“Precisely,” Mu Zu chuckled. “Although the bloodline power isn’t solely his, the strength of this power relates to the potential of his Xinxian (Mind Aspect). The longer this process lasts, and the more powerful the energy, the higher the starting point for the Xinxian he will cultivate, granting him limitless prospects in the future. The opposite is also true.”

“So, Nie Kong’s Xinxian will be very formidable,” Qing Yue said with a sly smile.

“Indeed. It has already been nearly fifteen minutes. Few among all my children have been able to sustain this level for such a duration,” Mu Zu praised.

Qing Yue became even more ecstatic. The more powerful the Xinxian, the stronger Nie Kong was now.

It was fine if Nie Kong wasn't overly powerful right now, but the stronger he became in the future, the better. If he could break through to the Spirit God realm, that would naturally be even more wonderful, as it would mean Nie Kong would achieve eternal life, and she wouldn't have to worry about dying along with him if he suddenly perished. Of course, the best outcome would be for her to break through to Spirit God first, which would cause the constraint of the “Life-Death Spirit Seal” to dissipate automatically sooner.

The little thing chuckled to herself as she pondered, while the power emanating from that mass of blood continued to undulate ceaselessly, showing no signs of slowing its ascent.

About half an hour later.

The smile on Qing Yue’s little face had long vanished, replaced by stunned disbelief as she sensed the power fluctuating around her. The colossal power was surging more fiercely, and the ripples in the void had begun to condense into substance. Even this small space seemed to be torn into countless fragments by the sharp, piercing energy.

After a long pause, Qing Yue’s two ethereal green eyes blinked once. She gently stroked the dark green sphere and couldn't help but mumble, “Grandfather Tree Spirit, this power might have reached the level of Celestial Spirit, don't you think?”

If Mu Zu hadn't been protecting her, and she had remained outside, her soul power would likely have dissipated already.

“Not far off now.”

Mu Zu’s voice also carried undisguised astonishment. “Among all my children, he is the first to summon such power during the bloodline awakening process. Could it be because the spiritual energy he cultivated has completely transformed into ‘Spiritual Treasure Essence’? The Xinxian cultivated by my Yin Xu Half-Spirit race can encompass nearly all the flora and fauna in the world. These plant Xinxian are divided into three grades based on potential: Celestial, Earth, and Mortal. Even the Xinxian potential of Xueyi and Qingyi is only Celestial grade. Is this child Nie Kong surpassing even them? How should this Xinxian grade be classified?”

“Divine Grade?”

Mu Zu murmured the two words.

“Yes, Divine Grade!”

Qing Yue excitedly shook her small fist. “A Divine Grade Xinxian! Grandfather Tree Spirit, looking at this, Nie Kong will definitely be able to break through to Spirit God in the future, right?”

“Spirit God?”

Mu Zu chuckled dismissively. “Although this child’s Xinxian potential is astonishingly high, and his future achievements are hard to estimate, cultivation is fraught with variables, making definitive conclusions difficult at times. However, barring unforeseen events, it should not be a problem for this child to reach Celestial Spirit.”

“Oh!”

Although she hadn't received the exact answer she wanted from Mu Zu, Qing Yue’s enthusiasm was undiminished. Just as she was about to say something else, she suddenly noticed that the blood mass was no longer emitting stronger power, and the crimson layer enveloping the blood was rapidly seeping inward.

A brilliant, dark green glow radiated outwards!

It was then that Qing Yue abruptly realized that Nie Kong’s dark green blood mass had become utterly translucent, as if it were no longer flesh and blood, but a crystal-clear jewel. Witnessing this strange transformation, Qing Yue’s small eyes widened roundly, and a sharp gasp of amazement escaped her lips.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion erupted within the mass of blood between Nie Kong and Mu Xueyi, making Qing Yue’s ears ring deafeningly. For a moment, she could hear nothing else around her; it seemed as though this entire tree-heart space had instantly fallen silent.

Within the space, the surging power became even more violent and chaotic, and the suspended blood mass had shattered in the great blast. The dark green luminescence scattered like myriad stars, slowly coiling around Nie Kong’s body. Immediately after, the power surging in the space also converged toward Nie Kong.

The moment that bloodline power touched the scattered motes of energy, it solidified on Nie Kong’s surface. Gradually, more and more solidified power gathered around Nie Kong, causing his figure to blur. After several minutes, Nie Kong’s body was entirely obscured by a large, dark green cocoon.

With the rampaging power gone, the space gradually calmed, and Qing Yue’s hearing finally recovered.

“Phew!”

Qing Yue rubbed her ears and patted her forehead, letting out a breath of relief. Then, she stretched out her arms like a bird preparing to fly, lightly drifting over to the green cocoon, curiously circling it before suddenly extending a finger to touch it. A fierce surge of power sprung out, and the little thing yelped ‘Ouch!’—her finger was nearly broken. Blowing on her finger to soothe it, Qing Yue’s small face was filled with astonishment.

Mu Xueyi slowly opened her eyes, looking at the green cocoon that had completely enveloped Nie Kong’s figure across from her, a joyful smile playing on her brows. Although neither she nor Nie Kong had shown any movement or been impacted by the bloodline surges, the sensation of that power was exceptionally clear to her.

Nie Kong might not fully grasp what it meant for the summoned power to reach the Celestial Spirit level, but as someone who had experienced it, Mu Xueyi understood perfectly: the potential of the Xinxian her son was about to cultivate had surpassed the scope of the Celestial, Earth, and Mortal grades. It might truly only be described by what Mu Zu had called “Divine Grade.”

This was a first in the history of Yin Xu! Even the “Ancestral Celestial Divine Net Tree” Xinxian was only a Celestial Grade Xinxian! At this moment, Mu Xueyi was filled with curiosity about her son’s Xinxian. Which flora Xinxian on the Celestial Spirit Continent could possess Divine Grade potential?

The Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring?

Mu Xueyi shook her head inwardly.

As the ancestor of the Flower Spirit race, that miraculous flower capable of cultivating to Spirit God through its own power certainly possessed Divine Grade potential if it could become a Xinxian. Unfortunately, while the Yin Xu Half-Spirit race could adopt almost any flower or tree as a Xinxian, the Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring was an exception.

Mu Xueyi mentally scanned the Xinxian she knew of that possessed extremely high potential, but none surpassed the Celestial Grade. Could it be an extremely common Xinxian? The Mu Zong of the ‘Spirit Imperial City’ lineage that circulated in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range back then only had the very common “Snow Qilin Tree” Xinxian. By the classification standards of that time, this Xinxian didn't even reach Earth Grade, yet she eventually achieved Celestial Spirit.

Such occurrences were exceedingly rare, and perhaps her son was one of them! Mu Xueyi smiled softly, content to just watch the green cocoon without dwelling further on the issue.

“Thump! Thump…”

Suddenly, a sound resembling a heartbeat, amplified countless times, resonated from within the cocoon…