I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

In the center of the royal city, on the altar.

The ancient tree, towering and majestic, stretched its branches into the night, the light between its leaves flowing gently and warmly as always.

The guards on night watch changed shifts twice, and the night patrollers went through three rounds. No one noticed that the will that looked down upon all living beings had quietly sank.

Yu Su's spiritual consciousness spread out silently, sweeping across the main street of the royal city, past the shops and workshops that were still bustling with activity—

Finally, it landed in that secluded stone alley in the northeast corner.

A gentle breeze rustled through the branches, carrying with it a sigh-like echo.

The stone house had its doors and windows tightly shut, and from the outside it looked no different from an ordinary dwelling, but a restless fervor slowly seeped out from the cracks in the door.

Inside the door, a dozen or so young people sat in a circle.

They were among the most prominent descendants in the Xia Kingdom—grandchildren of the council elders, nephews and nieces of the provincial governors, and direct descendants of powerful cultivators in the Seeking Law stage.

Because of their bloodline, they have been pampered since childhood and have access to cultivation resources that are difficult for ordinary people to obtain.

But at the same time, they are also the most disillusioned group of people in this country.

Selection through competition.

This ancient system, which has been passed down since the birth of the Xia clan, has given the Xia clan members the opportunity to strive for progress.

The sons of farmers in the north can stand on the royal city's training ground and receive cheers from thousands, while the sons of fishermen in the south can become army commanders based on their strength.

Fairness—this is the cornerstone of the Xia Kingdom, and also the nightmare of these second-generation descendants.

"Brother Yu, why did you call us all here in the middle of the night? What's the matter?"

"I'm packing my things; I'll be reporting to the border in a few days..."

"Sigh, my father gave a strict order long ago: as soon as the grand ceremony is over, I must immediately go to the northern border to patrol the frontier."

The cacophony of voices clashed fiercely in the cramped space, and everyone wore a gloomy expression.

Having grown up in the rich and prosperous capital, who would want to go to the border to suffer hardship and poverty?

Yu sat in the middle of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the faces of his playmates.

He smiled slightly, raised his right hand, palm facing up.

A ray of light seeped through the gaps between the fingers, converging into a flowing radiance that danced like a flame in the palm.

In an instant, the noise inside the stone house stopped abruptly.

"The dawn period..." someone murmured to themselves, their voice trembling.

"Brother Yu, you... you've advanced to the Bright Spirit realm?!"

"My goodness, it's only been a short time..."

Once everyone recovered from their astonishment, they excitedly bombarded each other with questions.

Yu slowly withdrew the spiritual light, the ball of light swirling twice in his palm before dissipating into nothingness.

He didn't explain, but simply turned his head and looked at the inconspicuous ceramic pot on the table.

Everyone's gaze followed him as he turned, only then noticing the plant that was about half a person's height—

The stems are emerald green and almost transparent, the leaves are layered, and the flower buds at the top are tightly closed.

The entire plant had a dark purple sheen, as if it were covered with a layer of old rust.

Yu walked to the ceramic pot and gently touched the surface of the flower bud with his fingertips.

The flower bud trembled slightly, like a sleeping baby having its face touched.

"Worry-free grass." His voice was very soft.

"Its power... can help people break through bottlenecks."

There was a moment of silence inside the stone house, then it erupted into chaos.

"Really?"

"You're not kidding us, are you?"

"You broke through using that?"

"You'll know once you try." Yu stepped back, making room for him.

Someone leaned forward, bent over to look left and right, and then took a deep breath.

The moment the sweet fragrance seeping from between the petals entered his nostrils, his pupils dilated slightly.

The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned upwards, and he stood frozen in place as if he had been seized by something.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" The person next to him nudged him, and he snapped back to reality, panting heavily.

"I...I saw myself standing on the training ground..." He rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling, "A divine light shone through me, and everyone was looking at me..."

Seeing this, the others also crowded around and took deep breaths around the flower.

One after another, they fell into a brief daze, and then one after another, they woke up.

The expressions on everyone's faces changed from shock to longing, and from longing to fervent enthusiasm.

Yu raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

His gaze swept across the faces, and he was all too familiar with the madness in their eyes—

Not long ago, he was the same.

Suddenly, the door of the stone house was pushed open from the outside.

A figure wrapped in a dark gray cloak walked in silently, his arms empty.

"Mr. Forget-Me-Not." Yu nodded slightly.

Everyone shut up and turned their attention to the visitor from another race.

The tree-man walked to the corner and stood still. The shadow under his hood covered most of his face, revealing only a crooked wooden jaw.

"Good evening, esteemed nobles."

It spoke, its pronunciation still stiff and awkward, but its words remained gentle and polite.

"The Worry-Free Grass can indeed grant people special powers."

"However... each time it blooms, it consumes a large amount of life energy."

"The last time it bloomed, it exhausted the essence of plants I had collected over the past five years."

"Five years?!" someone exclaimed. "Doesn't that mean we have to wait five years?"

"No, absolutely not!"

"That's so long, I can't wait..."

Wangyoulang raised a hand wearing a linen glove and made a soothing gesture.

"There's another way to make it bloom again, but..."

"What's the plan? Tell me quickly!"

The tree-man tilted his head slightly, his gaze beneath his hood looking out the window into the distance.

Everyone followed his gaze—

In the darkness of night, the tree branch on the altar radiated a warm, spiritual light, like an ever-burning lamp.

"The tree god splits its branches?" Someone gasped.

"You mean... moving the branches?" the other person asked in a low voice, like a fly buzzing.

"Not too much..." Forget-Me-Not finally revealed its true purpose, "Just one branch will do."

The air inside the stone house suddenly froze...

That was a branch of the tree god, the core of the Xia Kingdom's beliefs, and a totem that countless people worshipped day and night.

"No, that's impossible!" someone spoke first, their tone hesitant. "What if it gets found out..."

"If they find out? Our whole family is finished!"

"If my dad finds out, he'll break my legs..."

The crowd spoke in a jumbled, disorganized manner, but their words could not suppress the deep-seated fear in their hearts.

Yu didn't speak, but you could tell that his eyes had darkened a bit.

Wangyoulang stood quietly in place, watching the struggle and fear on the faces of these young people, and spoke softly:

"In our Land of Wood, life is already determined at the seed stage."

"The noble will always be noble, and the lowly will always crawl on the dust."

"This is the fundamental principle, the ethics, and the law."

Its words seemed to possess a certain magic, easily stirring up the strong desires in everyone's hearts.

"On another note, you all recite prayers regularly."

"But which of you... has truly seen God?"

A frozen silence fell over the stone house, and those two sentences were like nails stuck in their hearts.

It can't be pulled out, and it can't be pressed down.

No one dared to approve of that insane plan.

However, no one dared to object anymore...