Chapter 291: The Correct Path (Part 2)

"Cultivate the Green Wood Longevity Scripture as a secondary path?" A flicker of surprise flashed in Su Nai's eyes.

Clearly, Gao De's proposal was somewhat beyond her expectations.

"Yes," Gao De nodded, though he did not elaborate on the specific reasons. Instead, he changed the subject and asked Su Nai in return: "Is it true what Ryan said that day, that the power of the Ice-Born bloodline has decayed to the point where its upper limit is only the Fourth Circle?"

Su Nai fell silent for a moment upon hearing this before slowly speaking: "It is true."

"I am a pure-blooded Ice-Born. Theoretically, the power of the Ice-Born bloodline within me should be the most potent among all Ice-Born."

"Therefore, I was able to rise directly from the First Circle to the Fourth Circle in just two short years. But after reaching the late stage of the Fourth Circle, my power stagnated. No matter how hard I cultivated, it was to no avail; I had already reached the limit of my bloodline's power."

"The Fourth Circle should be the upper limit that the self-awakened Ice-Born bloodline power can reach today."

Su Nai's voice carried a hint of imperceptible heaviness.

Gao De pondered for a moment, then asked: "Is there any method to enhance the Ice-Born bloodline?"

"The only known method currently is to consume Ice Marrow and then use the 'Ice Condensation' ability from the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual* to elevate one's Ice-Born bloodline power." Su Nai gave an answer Gao De already knew.

"No other way?"

"Not for the time being."

Gao De continued: "If I remember correctly, you said that to enhance the Ice-Born bloodline, one needs at least 400 drops of Ice Marrow one rank higher. Just as a Third Circle Ice-Born mage needs 400 drops of Fourth-rank Ice Marrow to advance to the Fourth Circle."

"So, if you want to elevate your Ice-Born bloodline to the Fifth Circle, you need 400 drops of Fifth-rank Ice Marrow?"

"That's not how it's calculated," Su Nai corrected. "What I said earlier about advancing from the Third to the Fourth Circle referred to the rise from the early Third Circle to the Fourth Circle—a complete rank."

"I am already at the late Fourth Circle, so I should only need 200 drops of Fifth-rank Ice Marrow to elevate my Ice-Born bloodline power by another level."

"200 drops of Fifth-rank Ice Marrow—the quantity isn't actually the important part; the important part is..." Gao De pointed out the most critical core issue: "Fifth-rank Ice Marrow can only be condensed by Fifth Circle mages, and the current rank limit for Ice-Born mages is only the Fourth Circle, so at most, only Fourth-rank Ice Marrow can be condensed."

This was like an unsolvable dead loop: there are no Fifth Circle mages, so Fifth-rank Ice Marrow cannot be condensed; because Fifth-rank Ice Marrow cannot be condensed, there can be no Fifth Circle mages.

This was the predicament currently faced by Ice-Born mages.

"That day, Ryan said the Ice-Born bloodline was a dead end through and through. To go further, one must abandon the Ice-Born bloodline and seek another way. To take a step forward means one must discard some things—that is the correct path." Gao De repeated what Ryan had said that day.

"Looking at it this way, what he said makes some sense. The Ice-Born bloodline is indeed a dead end."

Su Nai's deep blue eyes gazed at Gao De, her gaze flickering, wondering what she was considering.

"However, I can only agree with half of what he said," Gao De paused, then continued: "To go further, one does indeed need to seek another way, but that does not mean one needs to abandon the Ice-Born bloodline."

He looked at Su Nai and smiled: "Do you understand now why I asked you to cultivate the Green Wood Longevity Scripture as a secondary path?"

Su Nai was stunned for a moment, then her pupils dilated sharply.

Seeing Su Nai's reaction, Gao De knew she had understood. "Yes, by cultivating an additional cultivation method, once that other method breaks through to the Fifth Circle, you can condense Fifth-rank Ice Marrow with your Fifth Circle mage rank, which in turn will drive the enhancement of your Ice-Born bloodline."

This was called 'the rich lead the poor.'

"In my view, you Ice-Born should be the mages most suited for secondary cultivation methods," Gao De continued.

"The biggest drawback of secondary cultivation is that the mage's mental power limits the daily cultivation time. To balance multiple methods, the progress in each one becomes slower than that of a mage cultivating only one."

"But Ice-Born mages are different. As long as your Ice-Born bloodline power is strong enough, your mage rank can rise rapidly, and there is no need to waste too much time on the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual*."

"This means that if you only cultivate the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual* and one other method, the difference between you and a mage cultivating only one method is actually not that significant."

"Indeed." Su Nai's eyes brightened a little.

"As for why it's the Green Wood Longevity Scripture..." Gao De continued: "The reason is also very simple. First, the characteristics of this cultivation method are extremely suitable for you."

The *Green Wood Longevity Scripture* possesses three divine effects: longevity, accelerated cultivation, and increased mental power. "First, the Green Wood Longevity Scripture can increase cultivation speed by absorbing the essence of plants and trees."

"For you, the strength of the second cultivation method itself isn't actually very important; the strength of the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual* is already sufficient. The greater significance of the second method is to raise your mage rank, which in turn drives the enhancement of the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual*."

"From this perspective, the feature of increasing cultivation speed is most suitable for you, as is the longevity... after all, condensing Ice Marrow requires a long time."

"Secondly, in my view, this path is not just suitable for you; it should be suitable for all Ice-Born mages."

"And the more people who cultivate the Green Wood Longevity Scripture, the more vigorous the essence of plants and trees will be, and the more obvious the effect of increasing cultivation speed will be."

"From this angle, the Green Wood Longevity Scripture is the most suitable cultivation method for Ice-Born mages."

"Although plants are difficult to grow in the northern realm, once Yujia Te Xila is planted and grows, this problem can be completely solved."

"Of course, this will still take some time, so I am not prepared to promote the *Green Wood Longevity Scripture* throughout the tribe just yet, but only recommend it to you."

"After all... there is already an extremely powerful magical plant in Phoenix that is suitable for you, which can serve as the sacred object for your cultivation of the *Green Wood Longevity Scripture*."

"It's the Guardian God Tree..." Su Nai was not stupid; on the contrary, she was very clever and had actually realized it long ago.

"Yes, it is exactly the newly advanced Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong. With a Sixth-rank magical plant as a sacred object, the plant essence that the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong can provide alone should be enough for you to quickly cultivate to at least the Fifth Circle, right?"

"And by the time the plant essence provided by the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong is no longer enough to bring much gain to your cultivation speed, the forest I envisioned centered on Yujia Te Xila might already be established." Gao De even considered things further into the future. "My King, I will cultivate this Green Wood Longevity Scripture." Without needing Gao De to say more, Su Nai responded without hesitation.

Having stagnated at the Fourth Circle for so long, seeing no hope ahead, how could Su Nai not be anxious? Now that Gao De had paved such a bright path before her, she naturally accepted it gladly.

"However, I am not sure if the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong will be willing to form a contract with you." Gao De raised his own concerns.

"It will." Su Nai was absolutely certain, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

"The Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong mother tree is inherently connected to the bloodline of Bo Rui A Si himself, which is why it became our tribe's Guardian God Tree. I am a pure-blooded Ice-Born, and the bloodline of Bo Rui A Si flows within me. There is a natural closeness and connection with the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong sapling. With this origin, it will not refuse me."

"That's good." The last bit of worry dissipated, and Gao De let out a long sigh of relief, handing the Green Wood Longevity Scripture to Su Nai.

"After memorizing the Green Wood Longevity Scripture cultivation method, you can try to form a contract with the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong."

Su Nai took the Green Wood Longevity Scripture and immediately began to memorize it.

With her powerful mental power as a Fourth Circle mage, memorizing the cultivation method did not require much time at all.

Subsequently, Su Nai sat cross-legged and, according to the cultivation method, ran the *Green Wood Longevity Scripture* once, achieving entry-level mastery.

"My King, I can go and form a contract with the Guardian God Tree now." She stood up, a faint look of joy on her face.

"Let's go, let's go together. I also want to see how it's done." Although Gao De had been cultivating the Green Wood Longevity Scripture for several months, he had yet to select a tree-planting site, so he was completely ignorant of the contract-forming process.

Phoenix, the core spiritual land, where the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong is located.

After advancing, the five-meter-tall Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong radiated the light of ice crystals, as if carved from glaze, dazzling and radiant, emitting a refreshing chill. "Then I'll begin." Su Nai walked slowly to the base of the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong and looked back at Gao De.

After Gao De nodded slightly, Su Nai extended her right hand, gently pressing it against the trunk of the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong, then closed her eyes, devoting herself entirely to communicating with the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong.

A mysterious and profound fluctuation rippled silently from the center of her palm, spreading toward the trunk of the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong.

That was the soul-communication method attached to the Green Wood Longevity Scripture, used for forming contracts and communicating.

In the stillness, Su Nai had already begun some kind of mysterious exchange with the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong.

A moment later, Su Nai's eyes reopened.

"The Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong has responded to my contract request. It is willing to become my sacred object and share its lifespan with me."

"Then let's begin." Gao De said.

Su Nai did not hesitate and sat cross-legged under the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong.

She operated the *Green Wood Longevity Scripture* while extending her mental power toward the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong, slowly injecting it into the deepest part of the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong, beginning to merge with its faint spirituality, completing the contract-forming process.

Gao De, on the other hand, opened his Mandella Magic Eyes with great interest, activating 【Insight】 to observe.

He saw strands of pure energy flowing continuously from the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong into Su Nai's body.

This must be the plant essence.

And within Su Nai's body, there was also a faint energy originating from the same source as the energy coming from the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong; it was the mana she had just cultivated through the Green Wood Longevity Scripture.

Because she had just started, it was still very weak, only the mana amount of a First-rank apprentice.

But now, with the help of the plant essence coming from the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong, this weak mana immediately began to strengthen.

The plant essence of a Sixth-rank magical plant was absolutely the best of the best for the mana of the Green Wood Longevity Scripture that had just been initiated.

This process lasted for about half an hour before Su Nai opened her eyes again and stood up.

"The Guardian God Tree has become my sacred tree. Thank you, My King, for bestowing the method!"

With Su Nai's Fourth Circle mage rank, she completed the contract-forming process very easily.

"With the assistance of the sacred tree, my cultivation progress in the Green Wood Longevity Scripture will not lag too far behind the *Enduring Zhenbing Secret Manual*."

And after establishing such a bond with the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong, she immediately felt the power and supreme potential of the Green Wood Longevity Scripture. While happy, she became even more convinced of Gao De.

"About how long will it take for you to cultivate the Green Wood Longevity Scripture to the First Circle?" Gao De couldn't help but ask.

Su Nai thought for a moment and gave an answer that almost made Gao De vomit blood: "About ten days should be enough."

Although the Enduring Zhenbing Bingyu Wutong was a Sixth-rank magical plant, and although Su Nai herself was a Fourth Circle mage with powerful mental power, making it easier to cultivate from high to low, no matter how many "althoughs" there were, ten days was still too exaggerated.

One had to know that it had taken him two full years to advance from a First-rank apprentice to a First Circle mage.

"Good..." In the end, Gao De could only offer a dry compliment, though he was happy in his heart, as he was also cultivating the Green Wood Longevity Scripture.

This further proved that his choice was not wrong.

"This is the correct path." Su Nai affirmed.

The next day.

The second day after Gao De and Su Nai returned to Phoenix from the Ice Plain Sanctuary, the two left Phoenix again.

Following behind them was a hunter squad of a hundred people, though Gao De and Su Nai were a step ahead and were not traveling with the main force.

The purpose of their trip was self-evident.

To inspect the tree-planting site recommended by Su Nai yesterday.

"That bay, we call it Walaer Bay. The straight-line distance from Phoenix is actually less than 400 li, but there is the Walaer Mountain in between, so it takes more time on the road."

"At our current speed, we should be able to arrive in about five or six days."

The two walked side by side.

Su Nai was riding a horse-like creature that seemed both real and illusory.

This was a product of the Third Circle spell 【Phantom Steed】.

Gao De was still riding the snow wolf pet of Elder Grant.

"400 li, which is 200 kilometers. If there were a sufficiently flat and wide road, riding a magical pet could fully allow one to travel from Phoenix to Walaer Bay within a day." Gao De muttered.

"Indeed, but if one wants to build a road in the northern realm..." Su Nai stopped mid-sentence.

Building a road was a major project, and it was even more so on the permafrost tundra covered in snow all year round.

The most basic requirement was to have a sufficient population base to undertake this major project.

And even though the Enduring Zhenbing Tribe was already the largest tribe in the northern realm, its population was only 500,000, which clearly did not meet the condition of a "sufficient population base."

To have a sufficient population base, one must have sufficient food and survival supplies.

Under the natural conditions of the northern realm, these seemed to be castles in the air, fundamentally unable to stand.

Gao De rubbed his temples and did not mention his ideas about food for the time being.

Things must be done one by one; let's implement the tree-planting matter first.

Three days later.

After climbing over the Dandong Snow Mountain, this Walaer Mountain, which had no fame in the outside world, seemed too easy in Gao De's view.

Not to mention that this time, they had snow wolves for transport and the Fourth Circle Su Nai traveling with them.

Therefore, he and Su Nai crossed Walaer Mountain smoothly without any waves.

Walaer Bay came into view.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 292 =====