Plant Person

Legend had it that at the dawn of the Great Yu Dynasty, there lived a genius who possessed a natural affinity for magic arts. He could learn any technique in no time, blessed with a talent bordering on the immortal. His speed of growth surpassed everyone's imagination. In the shortest time possible, he advanced through realms other cultivators spent lifetimes pursuing, reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage with the Daoist title Perfected Lord Wanfa. Ancient records recounted that in his youth, Daoist Wanfa had studied the Tree Planting Art. It took him a mere hour to master a technique that took others days or even months to grasp. Daoist Wanfa had planted a willow seed. It took root upon touching the soil, grew into a sturdy tree, blossomed, and bore fruit. For a time, it was praised far and wide, remembered through the ages, and even today, the story continued to circulate. Tao Yao compared Daoist Wanfa to Lu Yang and felt Lu Yang was still superior. Lu Yang had comprehended the art in a mere hour, then planted the tree using an Earth Escape Art, causing the willow to grow rapidly, blossom, and bear two Lu Yangs. "Senior Brother Lu really is more impressive." There were two people on the willow tree: one was Lu Yang, and the other was also Lu Yang. One Lu Yang was the true body, while the other wore clothes woven from willow leaves—at the cost of stripping the willow tree bare, every single leaf having been turned into clothing for Lu Yang's clone. "Which step did I mess up?" Lu Yang searched doggedly for the root of the problem. As before, he couldn't find any explanation. "Lu Yang, you've become a plant person!" the Immortal Fairy shouted, gloating with glee. "Shut up." Lu Yang's face darkened. "Forget it, let's get down first." Lu Yang flexed his limbs; everything seemed in working order. He severed the willow branch behind his neck and landed on the ground with a soft heave. Looking toward his other self, he tried using his spiritual force to control him. To his surprise, the clone's fingers actually twitched. Under Lu Yang's control, the plant person severed the branch behind its neck as well and landed safely. Once both Lu Yangs detached from the tree, the willow rapidly withered and shrank back into a willow seed. However, the seed had completely lost its vitality and could no longer grow. Lu Yang directed his clone to move. Clumsy at first, he grew more adept over time until he could split his mind in two—moving his own body while simultaneously controlling the clone. "Heh-heh, you have me to thank for this!" the Immortal Fairy took credit. "You can control another clone because you opened up a spiritual space, making your spiritual force far stronger than an ordinary cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage. Think about it: how did you open up that spiritual space in the first place?" Lu Yang pondered for a moment and said earnestly, "It was because you tried to seize my body, Fairy, forcing your way inside and opening the spiritual space." The Immortal Fairy's pretty face darkened as she insisted, "I was faking it! I told you, I was only pretending!" Lu Yang figured that given her intellect, she really must have been pretending. Lu Yang continued experimenting with the clone. It could only operate within a range of twenty meters; beyond that distance, he lost all connection to it. Twenty meters happened to be the exact reach of Lu Yang's spiritual force. Within those twenty meters, precise control was limited to ten meters. Between ten and twenty meters, his control decayed as the distance increased. Furthermore, Lu Yang's clone wasn't very durable—it was only as sturdy as willow wood. *Is it fragile because willow wood is just an ordinary material?* Lu Yang wanted to test it with a genuine spiritual plant, but he had never collected tree seeds before and had no suitable materials on hand. "Senior Brother Lu, why not try this peach tree seed? It's no ordinary item," Tao Yao said, seeing his predicament and kindly handing him a seed. Tao Yao watched Lu Yang with keen interest. She loved exploring novel things and unsolved mysteries, and right now, the mystery that fascinated her most was Lu Yang. "That wouldn't be right. How many contribution points is it? I'll buy it." Going undercover in the demonic cult had earned him a mountain of contribution points, which he still hadn't managed to spend. "No need. This is a peach tree seed from Dustless Peak. It's free." Lu Yang kept her kindness in mind and prepared to plant the peach tree. He buried the peach seed in the soil and channeled the Tree Planting Art, but nothing happened. *Do I really have to use the Shrinking the Earth technique?* Lu Yang wondered. He had used Shrinking the Earth when planting the willow seed earlier. "Shrinking the Earth." Lu Yang sank into the ground and channeled the Tree Planting Art. Sure enough, it worked. A thick, sturdy peach tree burst through the ground before Tao Yao. Hanging from its branches were two Lu Yangs: one real Lu Yang, and one plant-person Lu Yang whose cheeks were dusted with pink rouge. Lu Yang's eyelid twitched. "Why does this peach tree come with makeup?" "Whatever, as long as it works." Lu Yang commanded the plant person to move and felt a surge of joy. He could distinctly tell that its physical toughness had improved, reaching roughly seventy to eighty percent of his own body. This was already incredible. Just imagine: casting the Tree Planting Art in the middle of battle to spawn a second self with seventy to eighty percent of his strength, operating in seamless coordination. His combat power would skyrocket in an instant, catching the enemy completely off guard. Tao Yao realized this as well and felt deep admiration for Senior Brother Lu. Daoist Wanfa might have been a genius, but he had merely followed the footsteps of his predecessors and dutifully mastered the Tree Planting Art without innovation. But look at Senior Brother Lu! He had forcibly cultivated it into an offensive technique—and an exceptionally potent one at that! Up in the air, the Sixth Elder watched Lu Yang silently before turning to leave. She had originally thought that if Lu Yang encountered anything he didn't understand that Tao Yao couldn't answer, she could step in and explain, fulfilling her duty as a senior. Seeing this now, she thought better of it. Best leave the explaining to Xiaoyun; there was no need to meddle where she wasn't needed. *Xiaoyun said Lu Yang's talent in Daoist arts is enough to found a sect...* The Sixth Elder remained skeptical. His talent was undoubtedly immense, but as for founding a sect, would any disciple ever be able to learn this? Lu Yang immersed himself in practice, growing increasingly adept at controlling the plant person. Tao Yao observed from the side, gaining deeper insights into the Tree Planting Art. Into the normal Tree Planting Art, of course. As dusk approached, Lu Yang felt awkward overstaying his welcome on Dustless Peak. He bade Tao Yao farewell and headed for the Mission Hall to exchange for some supplies; he couldn't keep relying on her seeds and needed to stock up on some of his own. The Immortal Fairy supported this with both hands raised, eager for a massive shopping spree at long last. After Lu Yang left, Tao Yao's expression shifted. She felt an inexplicable pressure—a suffocating weight bearing down on her. Danger! Helpless, she turned her head and sent a voice transmission to her master: "Master, could you give me a heads-up before you approach? Holding my breath every single time really isn't easy." The Sixth Elder stood behind Tao Yao with an innocent look on her face. "I forgot you aren't in the Golden Core stage yet." The Sixth Elder had subconsciously assumed all her disciples were Golden Cores. Tao Yao was speechless. Was this karmic retribution? In the morning, she had teased Senior Brother Lu about his low cultivation, and by evening, the tables had turned on her. The Sixth Elder had not forgotten her purpose in coming. "Do you have feelings for Lu Yang?" Tao Yao's cheeks flushed red instantly. Though she was usually carefree and open, when it came to a matter like this, whether she liked him or not, she didn't want to discuss it with her master. "Master, what are you talking about? Senior Brother Lu and I are just ordinary acquaintances." The Sixth Elder continued via voice transmission, "A few days ago, Hongxia kept asking me what kind of person Lu Yang is. I suspect she heard how outstanding he is and wants to introduce her prized disciple, Lan Ting, to him. If you have feelings for him, you'd better watch out." The Sixth Elder looked thoroughly convinced that her deduction was spot-on. Luo Hongxia—the Palace Master of Moon Laurel Immortal Palace. Tao Yao rolled her eyes and said nothing. To an outside observer, master and disciple staring at each other in protracted silence would make for a truly bizarre picture. Then again, viewed from another angle, one could also take it as a profound mutual understanding between master and disciple, where everything was understood without words.