"It blossoms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and ripens once every three thousand years, producing a total of thirty-six peaches. This second-generation flat peach tree is comparable to the purple-veined, amber-kerneled flat peaches in the Flat Peach Orchard."
The Xiantian Yin-Water Flat Peach Tree was still in the possession of Hongjun. Once Haotian and Jade Pool became the lords of the Heavenly Court, Hongjun would bestow the Xiantian Yin-Water Flat Peach Tree upon Jade Pool.
Jade Pool transformed the Xiantian Yin-Water Flat Peach Tree into three thousand six hundred flat peach trees.
Among them, twelve hundred trees bore smaller flowers and tinier fruits, ripening every three thousand years.
Another twelve hundred trees had distinct layers and sweet fruits, ripening every six thousand years.
The remaining twelve hundred trees were the purple-veined, amber-kerneled variety, requiring nine thousand years to ripen.
In Zhang Tianchen's view, Jade Pool's actions were a complete waste of heavenly treasures.
Although the number of flat peach trees increased after the transformation, their potency was greatly discounted, offering almost no significant benefit to those with higher cultivation levels.
If one needed a large quantity of flat peaches, it would have been enough to simply wait for the Xiantian Yin-Water flat peaches to ripen and plant their pits, with no need to sacrifice the original Xiantian Yin-Water Flat Peach Tree.
Zhang Tianchen plucked a second-generation flat peach, swallowed it down, and immediately began refining it.
Ten years later, the energy of the flat peach was completely absorbed by Zhang Tianchen, increasing his cultivation by a thousand years.
"The effect of these second-generation flat peaches falls far short of the first-generation ones."
Zhang Tianchen was somewhat disappointed; after all, this fell far short of his expectations.
Yet he reasoned that even so, the speed of advancement was still somewhat faster than pure, arduous toil.
Zhang Tianchen plucked another second-generation flat peach to consume.
This time, his cultivation increased by nine hundred and eighty years.
"The effect is actually diminishing?"
Zhang Tianchen swallowed a third second-generation flat peach, and his cultivation increased by nine hundred and fifty years.
Confirming that the effects were indeed diminishing left Zhang Tianchen even more disappointed.
However, the actual speed was no less than the first two times.
Three hundred years later.
Zhang Tianchen had completely refined all thirty-six second-generation flat peaches on the tree, increasing his total cultivation by twelve thousand years.
By now, the second-generation flat peaches were of little help to him, and they were far less swift than his own dedicated cultivation.
Outside the house, that second-generation flat peach tree had now turned into a grove of flat peach trees.
Zhang Tianchen planted the pits of the second-generation flat peaches, cultivating third-generation flat peach trees.
Since even the second-generation flat peaches were ineffective for Zhang Tianchen, the third-generation ones naturally proved even more useless.
Yet the reason Zhang Tianchen cultivated the third-generation flat peach trees was not for the sake of the third-generation flat peaches themselves, but for the utility of the trees.
The Xiantian Yin-Water Flat Peach Tree ranked among the top ten Xiantian spiritual roots. Although the second- and third-generation flat peach trees fell short of it, they still counted as top-tier artifact-refining materials.
Lacking various auxiliary heavenly treasures, Zhang Tianchen had no choice but to rely on his own diligent cultivation.
Unawares, three tens of thousands of years passed.
These thirty thousand years of arduous cultivation brought an enormous boost to Zhang Tianchen's strength.
Name: Zhang Tianchen
Origin: Acquired living being
Cultivation: 6 kalpa periods
Realm: Early Mythological True Immortal Realm
Divine Powers: Five Thunders (Minor Accomplishment), Golden Light to Cover the Earth (Minor Accomplishment), Standing Invisibility (Minor Accomplishment), Five Elements Great Escape (Minor Accomplishment), Womb-Transformation and Shape-Shifting (Major Accomplishment), Swordsmanship (Major Accomplishment), Pot-Heaven (Major Accomplishment), Clones (Perfection), Body-Fixing (Perfection), Demon-Slaying (Perfection), Invisibility (Perfection)
Array: Immeasurable Sword Array
Zhang Tianchen's cultivation had risen to six yuanhui, and he had broken through from the Mythological Celestial Immortal Realm to the Early Mythological True Immortal Realm. The Mythological Daluo Law—True Immortal Chapter had also been comprehended and successfully deduced by him. If cultivated to its peak, it would grant as many as five hundred yuanhui of cultivation, rivaling the level of an ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortal.
Over these past thirty thousand years, apart from cultivation, he had also mastered two major divine powers and one minor divine power:
Five Elements Great Escape: Alongside recording the five elements immortal arts, it also encompassed the five elements escape techniques, cleverly utilizing the principle of mutual generation and restriction among the five elements;
Womb-Transformation and Shape-Shifting: Unpredictable in transformation, allowing one to assume the form of a man or a woman, an elder or a youth, or even transform into various divine birds and exotic beasts or any of the myriad things in nature;
Invisibility: This skill allowed oneself or any living creature to turn invisible while simultaneously concealing one's own aura.
Currently, Zhang Tianchen's strength was equivalent to the level of an early-stage Golden Immortal with six yuanhui of cultivation, possessing basic self-protection capabilities and fully capable of venturing out to explore. The three new divine powers provided immense help when he went out to train through experience.
Having no intention of disturbing anyone, Zhang Tianchen left Kunlun Mountains alone.
Go greet Master Tongtian? What a joke!
As outer disciples like them, how could it be so easy to see Master Tongtian? If every outer disciple needed to report to the sect master whenever they went out to explore, Master Tongtian would likely be overwhelmed by the nuisance.
"Where should I go first?"
He asked himself inwardly. This trip, ostensibly for practical experience, was actually aimed at gathering rare treasures, and he had to return before the start of the Three Teachings Grand Assembly. Since time was precious, places with the greatest treasure-hunting value must be prioritized.
Soon, he made up his mind: "Let's go to Buzhou Mountain first."
This Buzhou Mountain was formed from the spine of Pangu, the very first being who split heaven and earth, and it resided in the center of the wilderness. Many handed-down mythological stories mentioned that some rare magic treasures came from within Buzhou Mountain, such as the Xiantian Gourd Vine, among others. However, the seven gourds on that gourd vine had long since been divided up by figures like Sanqing and Nuwa.
Even so, as the very first mountain in the world, its interior had not yet revealed the aura of holy spirits, offering an extremely high chance of harboring treasures.
Coupled with the later Wu-Demon War, this great mountain would be knocked down by Gonggong, so if he didn't go now, there might not be a chance in the future.
Transforming into a streak of golden light, Zhang Tianchen advanced toward his destination.
In the current wilderness, the Wu Clan and the Demon Race held the main rule: the Wu Clan occupied the land and managed the territories, while the Demon Race governed the skies. Most of them gathered in the Heavenly Court within the heavens, with only a small faction on the ground. This group of demons usually hid in the mountain forests so as not to become sacrificial offerings for the Wu people.
After about five hundred years, dodging many people from different tribes along the way, he finally reached his target—the base of Buzhou Mountain.
Located in the middle of the wilderness hinterland, towering straight into the clouds and refusing to decay with mortal soil, was this sacred mountain.
Zhang Tianchen stood at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, his inner shock beyond description.
Kunlun Mountains were called the ancestor of all mountains, yet compared to Buzhou Mountain, they still seemed somewhat inferior.
Surrounding Buzhou Mountain on all sides was Pangu's indomitable will.
Although Great God Pangu had long since transformed into all things, this will still persisted.
At the dawn of the universe, even a Daluo Golden Immortal found it difficult to climb to the summit of Buzhou Mountain, and an ordinary Golden Immortal couldn't even approach it.
As time passed, Pangu's will gradually grew weaker.
Zhang Tianchen's cultivation had only reached the level of an ordinary Early Golden Immortal, but he already possessed the qualifications to climb Buzhou Mountain.
Step by step, he slowly moved up the mountain. Each time he stepped onto a higher stair, that Pangu will grew stronger.
At first, Zhang Tianchen still felt relatively at ease.
However, a hundred years later, he began to find the going somewhat strenuous.
Three hundred years later, he needed to muster all his strength just to move a single step upward.
By five hundred years, his back had been bent slightly under the pressure, as if he might collapse at the next moment.
...
Zhang Tianchen gritted his teeth and persisted, unconsciously entering a subtle state of mind.
The surrounding scenery gradually faded, leaving in his field of vision only that single flight of stairs stretching forward, seemingly endless.
With every step forward, he felt his spiritual state undergo sublimation.
How long this lasted, he did not know.
Perhaps ten years, perhaps a hundred years, or even a millennium.
Zhang Tianchen finally reached the very last step.
At that exact moment, he felt his spirit undergo a leap in transformation.
Even though, upon exiting that subtle realm, his cultivation remained right where it was without improvement,
the insights he gained this time were immense.
Such comprehension, though difficult to express in words, would bring him boundless assistance in the future.
Zhang Tianchen looked around, surprised to find that he had already arrived at the summit of Buzhou Mountain.
This peak reached straight up to the starry expanse of the Primordial, and further up lay the location of the Heavenly Court.
Legend had it that the Primordial land was vast and boundless, yet compared to the oceans, it was much smaller.
And the oceans of the Primordial were far smaller than the starry sky in the heavens.
The Primordial starry sky, known as the "Inner Chaos," was filled with countless celestial constellations; its breadth and mystery surpassed everything beyond human imagination.
Zhang Tianchen figured he did not yet have the ability to explore that sky, so he decided to retrace his steps along the path he had come.
When he reached the mountainside, a flash of precious light suddenly appeared ahead.
Seeing such brilliance, his eyes lit up.
Usually, this kind of radiance only appeared when supreme treasures were born.
During this journey, although he had gained quite a few insights, he hadn't reaped any treasures, leaving him somewhat disappointed.
Yet, he hadn't expected to make up for this regret on his way down.
Zhang Tianchen quickly arrived at the place emitting the precious light.
The glowing object turned out to be a Xiantian spiritual tree—a banana tree.
Originally, this tree should have been protected by a defensive barrier, but at the moment the fruit ripened, that barrier automatically opened.
Thus forming the "Four Phenomena": earth, water, wind, and fire.
When Pangu split heaven and earth, the Pangu Axe transformed into the Pangu Banner, the Taiji Diagram, and the Chaos Clock. Pangu used the Taiji Diagram to suppress earth, water, wind, and fire.
A portion of the power of earth, water, wind, and fire was absorbed by the Xiantian banana tree, nurturing four banana leaves.
Each of these four banana leaves became a top-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure.
Yet at this moment, on this Xiantian banana tree, only a single banana leaf remained, the other three having been taken away by others.
According to what Zhang Tianchen had heard, the wind-attribute banana leaf was possessed by Ancestor Styx, who bestowed it upon Rakshasa, known as Princess Iron Fan in *Journey to the West*.
The fire-attribute banana leaf was in the hands of Taiqing Laozi, used as a fan for the Eight-Trigrams Furnace.
The leaf remaining on the Xiantian banana tree now was the water-attribute banana leaf, while as for where the earth-attribute banana leaf had gone, Zhang Tianchen had no way of knowing.
Zhang Tianchen gently plucked this water-attribute banana leaf, and the banana leaf instantly transformed into a fan.
This was a top-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure containing thirty-six layers of restrictions—the water-attribute Banana Fan, which could summon raging winds and torrential rain with a light wave, possessing the might to overturn rivers and seas.