Chapter 149: The Withered Little Twig
The three of them soon reached the small mountain village.
“Look, why is there a little sapling here?”
Zhu Xiaoyuan spotted the small tree lying on the ground, seemingly dead.
The courtyard was only a few steps farther ahead. Yet the sapling looked terribly frail, its entire body bare of even a single leaf. Its roots had split open, whether from thirst or some other cause. It was a pitiful sight—a once-healthy sapling now barely clinging to life.
Ruofeng glanced at the sapling in her master's hands, and an expression of utter horror appeared on her face.
Shock. Utter shock!
“This… this is the World Tree of the Heavenly Martial Realm!”
Ruofeng's eyes widened in disbelief.
When the Ten Profound Immortals had acted earlier, she had personally channeled energy into the World Tree, so she could naturally recognize it. But she had never imagined that the World Tree would appear right outside her own home!
It was obvious that Huanyue had recognized the sapling lying at the entrance to the courtyard as the World Tree as well. Yet she could not understand how it had come here.
“Wasn't the World Tree being hunted by unknown assailants earlier? I think it learned that Master is stationed in the Southern Barbarians and came here seeking protection!”
After a brief moment of thought, Ruofeng immediately voiced her speculation.
Zhu Xiaoyuan was thinking too, though he was wondering who had placed the sapling here. Could it have been someone from the village?
But even if it had been a villager, no one would give him a withered sapling that was on the verge of dying.
Zhu Xiaoyuan was puzzled.
Still, since it had been delivered right to his doorstep, it had to be fate.
“Never mind. I'll take you inside and plant you first.”
With that, Zhu Xiaoyuan bent down and picked the World Tree up from the ground.
The group pushed open the courtyard gate and entered.
The moment Zhu Xiaoyuan stepped into the yard, he called out, “Lu Ran, come here! Today, your master is going to teach you how to plant a tree!”
Hearing Zhu Xiaoyuan's shout, Lu Ran, who had been digging the earth with a hoe, slung the tool over his shoulder and came running.
He carried a hoe and worked the fields every day, and his body had grown considerably sturdier as a result. His cultivation had also advanced at an astonishing pace. He had already reached the level of a Quasi-Immortal.
When he saw the sapling in Zhu Xiaoyuan's hands, he could not help looking surprised.
“Master, what kind of tree is this?”
In an instant, all of Zhu Xiaoyuan's disciples gathered around.
“Although this sapling is withered, it feels so extraordinary…”
“Could it be some kind of sacred herb?”
“I don't know, but since it was brought back by Master, it certainly can't be an ordinary object!”
The disciples chattered among themselves.
Xinjing came over as well.
The moment she saw the sapling, her eyes widened.
If she was not mistaken, this was the World Tree!
How had the World Tree ended up in such a small place?
“Could it be that the World Tree has developed intelligence of its own and knows that Senior's residence is the safest place in the entire Heavenly Martial Realm? But there is no Mysterious Yellow Cloud Sea here!”
“Even if no one dares to attack it while Senior is here, there is no guarantee that it won't wither from a lack of nourishment from the cloud sea!”
Xinjing could not help thinking this to herself.
While everyone was still perplexed, Zhu Xiaoyuan had already taken the hoe from Lu Ran.
He casually chose an empty patch of ground beside the Flat Peach Tree, then began digging.
“Come over and watch carefully. Lu Ran, you especially must pay close attention. Planting a tree and arbitration are two entirely different matters!”
“When digging a hole for a tree, you must make it deep enough!”
With that, Zhu Xiaoyuan began lifting the soil from the ground with his hoe.
Everyone felt as though the heavens had changed in an instant. The sky trembled.
With the hoe in his hands, Zhu Xiaoyuan brought down an overwhelming intent of the Great Dao that shook heaven and earth, driving its blade straight into the soil.
With a single strike, it was as if a small world had been born!
The next moment, a hole appeared in the ground as gray soil was turned over.
“Remember this. Once the hole has been dug, don't rush to plant the tree. First, water the hole thoroughly!”
“Moisten the entire pit before doing anything else!”
Zhu Xiaoyuan walked to the side, scooped up a ladle of water, and poured the well water into the hole.
Everyone held their breath. The ladle of water Zhu Xiaoyuan had just poured out was sacred water!
And he had emptied it so casually.
“Next, place the sapling inside and cover it with soil.”
Zhu Xiaoyuan carefully set the sapling upright in the hole.
He supported it with one hand to keep it from falling, while using the other to push all the soil he had dug out back around its roots.
Once enough soil had been added to keep the sapling from moving in the hole, he released it and poured another ladle of water over it.
He then covered the roots completely with the remaining soil and tamped it down firmly.
Only then was the planting finished.
“And there you have it. The tree has been planted.”
“You must remember that the most important part of a tree is its roots. Only when the roots grow deep does it have a chance to grow tall.”
“If the roots are not firmly established, then no matter how tall the tree grows, a single strong gale will be enough to snap it!”
“So whenever we plant a tree, we must help it establish a solid foundation!”
Zhu Xiaoyuan earnestly taught his disciples the techniques of planting trees.
At that moment, the disciples before him were all listening intently to his explanation.
But they were not listening to a lesson about planting trees.
They were listening to a lesson about cultivation!
“Is Master warning us that no matter how quickly our cultivation advances, it will be useless unless we firmly establish our foundations?”
Long Ruxuan pondered Zhu Xiaoyuan's words.
“It seems I should properly consolidate my foundation. Thank you for reminding me, Master!”
Ruofeng understood at once.
Through Zhu Xiaoyuan's words, every person present gained something different.
“The foundation is the root of everything!”
Xinjing blinked her large eyes and repeated the sentence.
Inwardly, she murmured, “When I was once the Heavenly Saint Demon Lord, I tried to break through to the Undying King Realm, only to suffer a disastrous failure. Wasn't that precisely because my foundation was not firm enough?”
“Thankfully, Senior reminded me this time!”
“I understand now! In this lifetime, I will remain by Senior's side, cultivate diligently, and constantly improve myself until I reach the Origin-Full Realm!”
Xinjing secretly made this vow to herself.
“Why do I feel as though this tree is already overflowing with life? It was only planted a moment ago!”
Lu Ran suddenly spoke.
Everyone hurriedly returned from their thoughts.
Sure enough, the little sapling that had previously looked like a dead tree was now beginning to unfurl its branches, as if it were growing before their very eyes.