Ji Xia's consciousness stood before the colossal black-barked tree in his mindscape. The Shadow Army Nest and Vengeance Sword—fruits from its lowest boughs—had proven their worth. Now, he craned his neck at the higher branches, where distant celestial bodies orbited like ripe fruit.
"How long until the next harvest?" he wondered aloud.
The tree responded with a flood of data:
[WITHERBANE SACRED TREE
Tier Unlocked: Primary
Spirit Seeds: 230
Enter First Tier?]
Upon consenting, Ji Xia's vision shattered like glass, reforming into a starfield of floating orbs. Each contained treasures:
A thumb-sized Jorōgumo (絡新婦):
A black-haired beauty with eight spider legs coiled like scorpion tails.
[Demonic Entity: Venom Mistress | Cost: 600 Seeds]
A jade slip inscribed "Celestial Secret":
[Divination Artifact: One Fateful Revelation | Cost: 3,000 Seeds]
A battalion of silver-armored warriors:
[Celestial Sage's Right Garrison: 5,000 Elite Guards | Cost: 6,000 Seeds]
Ji Xia groaned at his meager 230 seeds—until three affordable options caught his eye:
[Spirit-Gathering Rune (180 Seeds)] - Accelerates cultivation.
[Radiance Armor (50 Seeds)] - Near-impenetrable defense.
[Soulkeeping Gourd (50 Seeds)] - Preserves recently deceased souls.
His fingers hovered over the gourd, its purpose clear: to house King Ji Shang's lingering spirit. Though the armor was pragmatic, the memory of the late king's selfless reign decided him.
Golden light erupted as the rune and gourd dissolved into amber-like fruits on the tree. One pulsed with a sapphire symbol; the other cradled an unassuming brown gourd.