Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 45: The Spirit of Plants

The day after returning to Mingyue Community, Lin Yun did not go out.

The 10.4 billion yuan had arrived, and he had reached the two-star contribution point requirement. Any martial artist would probably rush to the Limit House for a shopping spree at this point. But Lin Yun's mind wasn't on that. His mind was filled with the plant he had brought back from the bottom of West Lake—six emerald green leaves, a red fruit, crystal clear, emitting a faint fluorescent glow.

What exactly is it?

Lin Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, took out a sealed box from his spatial ring, opened the lid, and examined the plant carefully once more. Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the plant. Its six leaves glowed even more brightly in the darkness, and the red fruit in the center pulsated slightly like a heart.

"The fact that the Devouring Python risked its life to protect it means its value far exceeds 12 billion," Lin Yun murmured. "But we need to find out exactly what it is."

He carefully put the sealed box away, turned on the smart computer on the bedside table, and logged into Extreme Home.

After entering the martial arts forum, Lin Yun entered several keywords into the search bar: "plants," "fluorescent," and "monster guardian." A large number of search results appeared, but most were irrelevant. He then tried "emerald green," "six leaves," and "red fruit," but still found no useful information.

Lin Yun frowned, then changed his approach. He searched the forum's information section for posts about "spirits of plants." "Spirits of plants"—this was a martial artist's general term for rare plants that could enhance strength and heal injuries. Occasionally, martial artists would discover such things in the deep forests of the wilderness; each one was priceless.

He flipped through many pages and read dozens of posts, most of which were unfounded rumors and photos of dubious authenticity. Some claimed they were the spirits of plants and trees, but were found to be just ordinary glowing mushrooms; others made extravagant claims, but didn't even have a clear photo.

Just when Lin Yun was about to give up, a post caught his attention.

The post, titled "A Strange Encounter in a Deep Pool in Sichuan," was published three years ago. The poster was a martial artist named "Mountain Eagle," and judging from the verification mark after his ID, he was a high-level war god.

Lin Yun clicked on the post.

"Last autumn, our team was exploring an unexplored ruin deep in the mountains of Sichuan. The place was remote and teeming with monsters. It took us three days to find a deep pool. The water was emerald green and bottomless, and strange plants grew all around it. Right there in a cave by the pool, we discovered a plant we had never seen before."

The post included several photos. The photos weren't very clear, but you could make out the general outline of the plant—it was entirely emerald green, translucent, with six leaves arranged in a circle around the top. The leaves were as thin as cicada wings, and you could see the green light flowing through the veins.

Lin Yun's heart suddenly raced.

He continued reading.

"There was a high-level lord-level mutated lizard guarding this plant, and it took us a lot of effort to kill it. The plant itself wasn't big, only about the size of a palm, with six leaves, and it didn't bear any fruit. At the time, we didn't know what it was, so we brought it back to the base and sent it to the martial arts school's research center."

"Everyone was shocked when the test results came out."

"The leaves of this plant can actually enhance a martial artist's mental strength!"

"The researchers at the research center say that the leaves of this plant contain an extremely rare active substance that can directly affect a martial artist's mental sea, strengthening their mental power. Moreover, its roots and stems have extremely strong activity and play a huge role in healing injuries—whether internal or external, or genetic damage, they can be repaired quickly."

"According to the research center's assessment, this plant is an extremely rare species among the spirits of plants, and they have tentatively named it 'Azure Spirit.' Someone posted on the martial arts forum asking for information about this plant, but no one has been able to find it since."

"The martial arts school later issued a mission to search for this plant, with a high reward. But as far as I know, no one has found it again. I guess even if someone did find it, they would probably use it quietly—after all, the spirit of plants that can increase mental power is something that no amount of money can buy."

At the end of the post, Mountain Eagle lamented, "It's a pity that the Bi Ling plant we found didn't bear fruit. The people at the research center said that if this plant could bear fruit, the efficacy of the fruit would be more than ten times that of the leaves. But they searched the database for a long time and couldn't find any record of Bi Ling fruit. Perhaps no one had ever seen it bear fruit before us."

Lin Yun stared at the screen, remaining silent for a long time.

Bi Ling. A plant spirit that can enhance mental power. Six leaves, entirely emerald green, arranged in a ring—exactly the same as the plant he found at the bottom of West Lake.

The only difference is that his plant has one more fruit.

"That's right." Lin Yun leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. "The Jade Spirit that Mountain Eagle found either hadn't borne fruit yet, or the fruit had already been eaten by that mutated lizard. But mine... just happened to be born when it was bearing fruit."

He looked down at the lush green plant in the sealed box, his gaze settling on the red fruit. The leaves' effect was to increase mental power, but the fruit's effect was more than ten times that of the leaves—what did this mean?

This means that the value of this Jade Spirit far exceeds his previous imagination. There's a reason why the Devouring Python risked its life to protect it.

"Let's try the leaves first," Lin Yun decided.

He didn't know if there were any risks associated with taking Bi Ling, but Mountain Eagle's post didn't mention any side effects. Furthermore, his mental strength had reached the intermediate level of War God, and his physical attributes had reached the advanced level of War General, making his endurance far exceed that of ordinary martial artists. A single leaf shouldn't be a problem.

Lin Yun carefully removed a leaf from the plant.

The moment the leaf detached from the plant, a few drops of emerald green sap seeped from the broken end, filling the air with a fresh, herbaceous fragrance. That aroma was invigorating, instantly refreshing the mind.

He put the leaf in his mouth.

The leaf melted instantly in the mouth, transforming into a warm liquid that flowed down the throat and into the body. Immediately afterwards, a cool and comfortable sensation spread from deep within, like a clear spring flowing through the meridians, cleansing every corner.

The feeling was hard to describe—not pain, not stimulation, but a comfort welling up from the depths of the soul. It was as if the whole body was being soaked in a hot spring, every pore opening up, every nerve relaxing.

Lin Yun felt his very soul trembling.

Then, that mysterious energy rushed straight into my consciousness.

His mental power—the sharp, blade-like strength accumulated through meditation and cultivation—began to change under the nourishment of this energy. Originally, his mental power was like a scabbardless blade, sharp and powerful, but too rigid and easily broken. Now, that mysterious energy, like a soft film of water, enveloped this sharp mental power, making it more flexible and harmonious.

Yin and Yang complement each other, and strength and gentleness are equally important.

Lin Yun's mental power was growing rapidly. From the mid-stage of the Intermediate War God realm to the late-stage of the Intermediate War God realm... he climbed all the way up until he reached the peak of the Intermediate War God realm before stopping.

At the same time, the feedback effect of his mental energy also took effect on his body. His genetic energy was running wildly in his body, nourishing every cell, and his physical fitness was also improving in tandem—from the initial stage of advanced warrior to the peak of advanced warrior before slowly stopping.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.

He raised his hand, and a throwing knife flew out of its sheath automatically, swirling and dancing between his fingertips. The knife was more than twice as fast as before, but it was much easier to control, as if the knife had become a part of his body. It didn't require conscious control; with a thought, it would act according to his will.

"Peak of Intermediate War God," Lin Yun murmured. "His physical attributes have also reached the peak of Advanced War General."

He silently sensed the changes in his mental power. Although he hadn't broken through to the advanced War God level, the qualitative change was more important than the quantitative increase. His mental power was no longer a simple, brute force, but a combination of strength and flexibility, freely controlled. He could unleash his full power in an instant, or compress it to its limit, achieving much more precise control. Moreover, the recovery speed of his mental power after consumption was more than twice as fast as before.

"A single leaf can have such an effect..." Lin Yun's gaze fell on the remaining five leaves and the red fruit, his heart beating slightly faster.

Without hesitation, he picked another leaf and put it in his mouth.

The same cool sensation, the same tremor in the soul, the same surge of energy.

His mental strength broke through from the peak of the intermediate-level War God to the early stage of the advanced-level War God, and then continued to climb until it stopped at the mid-stage of the early stage of the advanced-level War God. His physical attributes also finally broke through from the peak of the advanced-level War General to the initial-level War God!

The third leaf. His mental power has broken through to the mid-stage of Advanced War God, and his physical attributes have broken through to the mid-stage of Primary War God!

The fourth leaf. His mental power had reached the peak of the mid-stage of the Advanced War God realm, but his physical attributes were still at the mid-stage of the Initial War God realm; the effects were slowly fading! Without hesitation, Lin Yun consumed the fifth leaf!

The fifth leaf. His mental power finally broke through to the late stage of Advanced War God, and his physical attributes reached the late stage of Primary War God.

The sixth leaf. Mental power has climbed to the late-stage peak of the Advanced War God realm, only one step away from the peak of the War God realm. Physical attributes have also reached the peak of the Initial War God realm. Clearly, "Azure Spirit's" improvement in physical attributes is not as significant as its improvement in mental power!

He consumed all six leaves. His mental power advanced from the intermediate War God level to the late advanced War God level, just one step away from reaching the peak of War God. On Earth, a mental master at the peak of War God level is known as the "Invincible War God"!

Lin Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, feeling the surging power within his body. His mental energy surged like a vast ocean deep within his consciousness. His physical abilities also underwent a qualitative leap; he could feel explosive power contained within every cell.

A mentalist at the late-stage peak of the Advanced War God realm. A martial artist at the peak of the Junior War God realm.

This level of strength places him among the very elite in the entire Jiangnan Base City. There are only about 3,500 War God-level experts on the entire planet, and high-level War Gods are even rarer. And he, at the age of fifteen, already stands in that ranks.

More importantly, his mental power underwent a qualitative change under Bi Ling's nourishment. It was no longer simply fierce, but a blend of strength and gentleness, yin and yang. This change greatly enhanced his combat power—he could perform precise maneuvers that he couldn't do before, recover his mental power more quickly after it was depleted, and endure longer in battle.

"If we encounter that Devouring Python again..." Lin Yun opened his eyes, a confident glint in them, "I won't need a soul attack; I can handle it with just mental power."

Throwing knives danced in the room, nine knives like nine silver streaks of light, weaving together in the air into an impenetrable net. The trajectory of each knife was precise to the millimeter, and its speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow, yet they did not collide or interfere with each other.

He couldn't have this kind of control before taking Biling.

Lin Yun retracted his throwing knife and turned his gaze to the last remaining red fruit in the sealed box.

All six leaves were used up, leaving only this fruit lying alone in the center of the box. It seemed more vibrant than before, its red color more intense, like a ripe cherry or a solidified ember.

If the leaves are already so effective, the fruit must be more than ten times more effective—what does this mean?

This means that if he consumes this fruit, his mental strength could potentially break through to the peak of the War God level, or even surpass it. His physical attributes would also surge, reaching the peak of the Advanced War God level or even the peak of the War God level.

But Lin Yun did not rush to take it.

He was unaware of the fruit's potent effects. The leaf's energy had already taken him an entire night to digest; the fruit's energy was ten times greater. Consuming it rashly might be too much for his body and mind to handle. Furthermore, his mental strength had just undergone six consecutive breakthroughs and needed time to consolidate and adapt.

"No rush." ​​Lin Yun carefully put the sealed box into his spatial ring. "We'll consider the fruit after we've fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the leaves."

He switched his consciousness to the Panlong World.

In the grove behind Ernst Academy, his other body sat cross-legged on a blue stone. Moonlight shone on his shoulders, and the magical elements around him flowed quietly.

Lin Yun opened his eyes and sensed the changes in his body.

His mental strength grew in tandem. In the Swallowed Star world, his mental power surged from a beginner-level War God to the peak of the late-stage Advanced War God. In the Panlong world, his mental power naturally broke through the level eight bottleneck and reached the level of a late-stage level nine mage.

Level 9 mage.

They were only one step away from the sacred realm.

However, mental strength is only the foundation of a mage; the accumulation of magical power is equally important. He currently possesses the mental strength of a level nine mage, but his magical power remains at the peak of level eight, requiring time to refine and accumulate.

With the help of the small cauldron, the warrior's cultivation level successfully broke through from level six to the peak of level seven!

"In the coming days, I need to speed up the refinement of my magical power," Lin Yun murmured. "I'll try to break through to level nine before the end of the year."

Two worlds, two bodies, growing in sync. Bi Ling's six leaves allowed his strength to surge in the Devouring Star World, and also enabled him to break through the bottleneck of his spiritual power in the Panlong World. This advantage of dual-world resonance was once again proven.

Lin Yun stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The morning sun streamed in, warming his face. The villas of Mingyue Community stood in a picturesque arrangement in the morning light, dewdrops glistening on the lawn. In the distance, the spire of the Extreme Club shimmered in the sunlight.

A new day begins.

Billions of dollars arrived, two-star contribution points were obtained, the second level of the Nine-fold Thunder Blade was mastered, mental power broke through to the late-stage peak of advanced war god, martial arts cultivation reached the peak of primary war god, and mental power in the Panlong World broke through to level nine.

This trip to the wilderness yielded far more rewards than expected.