The Tree of Life

A towering giant tree stood before them. Its colossal form stretched so high that even straining one's eyes to the limit could not reveal the outline of its canopy, as if it alone held up the entire space.

A gentle, warm green light flowed through the entire divine tree, giving it a bizarre, semi-transparent texture. It looked like a massive green crystal sculpted by heaven and earth.

Its majestic presence dominated almost the entirety of Xia Lun's vision, exuding an overwhelming aura.

Xia Lun felt a strange palpitation in his chest, accompanied by a faint heat. The beating heart within him rightfully belonged to the divine tree before his eyes, but Aina had refined it to become a part of his own body.

Yet, Xia Lun did not sense any weakness from the Divine Tree of Life. Its gnarled roots plunged deep into the earth like coiling dragons, and its proudly standing trunk resembled an unyielding spine. Its branches were lush and verdant, practically dripping with emerald hues and coursing with a surging, boundless life force...

Xia Lun knew that the Divine Tree of Life had lost its heart.

Then again, a tree possessing a heart was a bizarre concept to begin with.

This inevitably reminded Xia Lun of the Holy Anthem of Nature, the evil god from another world that Aina had mentioned before. The life forms in their world seemed somewhat similar to the Divine Tree of Life.

Aina did not offer Xia Lun any explanation.

While Xia Lun marveled at the divine tree before him, Aina slightly furrowed her beautiful brows. She slowly leaned in and pressed her hand against the rough bark of the Divine Tree of Life. "Compared to the last time I was here, this big guy seems to have weakened quite a bit."

That was to be expected, considering she had personally ripped out its heart.

Or rather, instead of a heart, it was more like a crystallized core formed from the life force of the Divine Tree of Life.

"Is that so?" Xia Lun was quite surprised. In his eyes, the current Divine Tree of Life was already an unfathomable existence. It was hard to imagine the terrifying scale it must have possessed at its peak.

Mimicking Aina, Xia Lun curiously placed his palm flat against the ground near the roots of the divine tree.

The moment he made contact—

An indescribable, pure, and majestic surge of life energy rushed into him. As if finding a floodgate to release its pent-up power, it poured endlessly through the contact point between his palm and the earth, flooding into Xia Lun's body in a gentle yet irresistible wave!

Xia Lun could not help but let out a groan of pure comfort, feeling as though his very soul was soaking in a warm spring.

He felt... as if his control over his own soul had become much more refined and solid than before.

If it were now, even if Aina decided to play her usual pranks and get handsy with him, he was confident he could maintain the clothing manifested by his soul. He wouldn't suffer the embarrassment of them morphing into strange, awkward shapes again.

Xia Lun looked at Aina, but before he could even open his mouth, she answered his unspoken question. "It's probably because its heart is inside you. The divine tree might be treating you as an extension of itself... Though that's just my guess. I can't think of any other reason. The divine tree lacks an independent consciousness, so logically, it shouldn't be capable of taking any 'proactive' actions toward you."

Xia Lun nodded slowly and turned his focus inward.

Through his chest, he could feel his heart beating joyfully. With every contraction and expansion, it resonated with the colossal tree outside.

Since the divine tree was a creature of the Spirit Realm, the form its heart took was quite unique. It was not as simple as just being a physical heart beating inside Xia Lun's body in the outside world.

The heart within his physical body acted more like an anchor connecting him to this place. Its function as an actual biological heart in reality seemed more like an incidental bonus.

However, without Aina to guide him, Xia Lun wouldn't even know how to enter the Spirit Realm. Having this heart in his possession without that knowledge was like buying a precious pearl only to keep the box and throw the pearl away.

"Aina, when we get back, teach me how to explore the Spirit Realm." Xia Lun raised the hand of hers he was holding and pressed a gentle kiss to it.

Aina's gaze turned somewhat flirtatious. "I can do that."

Noticing the peculiar look in her eyes, Xia Lun asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Aina replied, twirling a strand of her beautiful hair around her finger. "If you want to enter the Spirit Realm on your own, it's no easy task... You should know that even witches have to set up elaborate rituals and make extensive preparations beforehand just to explore it."

Yet Aina had simply pulled him along and entered, making it look completely effortless.

"I just think there's no need for you to learn it, Xia Lun... After all, I'll never leave your side," Aina said softly. "Whenever you want to enter the Spirit Realm, you just have to say the word... Besides, the Spirit Realm is incredibly dangerous. Even I can't guarantee absolute safety here..."

"Aina, I want to learn." Xia Lun's firm words cut off her rambling.

"Alright, I'll teach you when we get back." Aina stood on her tiptoes with a doting smile and affectionately ruffled Xia Lun's hair.

"Just don't regret it once the lessons begin."

Xia Lun was somewhat taken aback. "Will it be painful?"

"No... but if you want to enter the Spirit Realm purely on your own without setting up a ritual, just like I do, the difficulty is extremely high. In the early stages of your practice, it's best to find a powerful spiritual source to help you sense the Spirit Realm's existence." Aina explained it all logically and smoothly.

"A powerful spiritual source?"

Aina did a little twirl in front of Xia Lun. "That would be me."

Xia Lun nodded. "Uh-huh. And then?"

"And then... the closer the physical contact you have with the spiritual source, the better. Ideally, the two should completely merge into one." A faint smile graced Aina's lips.

Xia Lun tilted his head. Aina's phrasing sounded a bit peculiar...

Feigning perfect composure, Aina continued, "That's right. Just like what we do at night... you need to come inside as deeply as possible."

Xia Lun cast a highly suspicious glance at Aina. "Really?"

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like Aina was just making up an excuse to sleep with him.

"Of course it's true," Aina nodded with utter seriousness. "That method definitely yields the best results. In the very beginning, sensing the Spirit Realm on your own is the hardest step. Even my body can only serve as a supplementary aid for you... So, Xia Lun, do you still want to learn?"

Xia Lun pondered for a moment before giving a nod. Aina's chest heaved slightly, and a distinctly different sort of smile spread across her lips.

"Don't... don't worry, Xia Lun. I know how to control myself. I won't just move around recklessly." Aina wiped the corner of her mouth, ensuring she wasn't actually drooling.

Xia Lun still couldn't shake the suspicion that he was being tricked, but surely Aina wouldn't lie to him.

After all, if Aina really wanted to be intimate, all she had to do was ask. She didn't need to go through all this convoluted effort to set out bait and slowly reel him in.

To Xia Lun, Aina's very existence was a hook he would willingly bite every single time.

"Then shall we go back and practice right now?" Aina placed a small fist over her mouth and let out a light cough, conveniently hiding her eager smile.

"Not just yet. Let's walk around a bit more first."