Soul-Nourishing Wood

Chapter 171 Soul-Nourishing Wood

For the next two days, Zhou Ding neither cultivated nor handled any affairs, and did not even step out of his cave.

He spent all his time with Xin Ruyin.

It was as if the two of them wanted to make up for the twenty years they had been separated.

They enjoyed tea and discussed philosophy in the courtyard.

Xin Ruyin brewed a pot of her newly developed spiritual tea. The tea was clear and green, with a sweet and mellow taste and a faint orchid fragrance.

She recounted to Zhou Ding her insights and questions from her twenty years of studying the "Qiankun Array Manual".

Zhou Ding then shared with her his insights from his time as a mortal, as well as his new understanding of the great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

The two sometimes argued, sometimes resonated, their thoughts colliding and blending amidst the aroma of tea.

They sat side by side on the rooftop, watching the magnificent sunset over Tianxing City.

The sunset painted the entire sacred mountain in a magnificent golden-red hue, and the glazed tiles of thousands of pavilions shimmered brilliantly in the setting sun, like a fairyland from a myth.

Xin Ruyin leaned gently on Zhou Ding's shoulder, pointing to a strangely shaped cloud in the distance, saying it looked like a phoenix spreading its wings. Zhou Ding, however, said it looked more like a giant dragon soaring through the sea of ​​clouds.

The two of them childishly argued about the shape of the cloud for a while, and finally looked at each other and laughed.

As night falls, thousands of lights illuminate the sacred mountain one by one, like stars falling to earth.

Xin Ruyin leaned against Zhou Ding's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and suddenly felt that the twenty years of waiting had been worth it at this moment.

In the stillness of the night, the two revived their long-lost dual cultivation method.

In the quiet room, the candlelight flickered, casting two overlapping shadows.

Yin and Yang intertwined, their energies merged, and their magical powers flowed, blended, and sublimated in each other's meridians.

Zhou Ding's pure and powerful magic power, like the mighty Yangtze River, nourished Xin Ruyin's meridians with the vast magic power of the Nascent Soul realm.

Xin Ruyin's magical power, which contained the profound mysteries of array formations and the sharpness of metal, was like a clear spring, carrying the sharpness of the "Nine Treasures Wonderful Gold Technique" and the mystery of the "Heaven and Earth Array Classic," cleansing Zhou Ding's dantian and making his magical power more harmonious and transparent.

After one night, Xin Ruyin's complexion was noticeably rosier, and even her breathing became more refined. She seemed to have been rejuvenated, like parched plants finally receiving sweet rain.

On the morning of the third day, the sun was shining brightly.

Zhou Ding was instructing Xia Xiaoxing in basic swordsmanship in the courtyard. The child practiced each move with precision and skill.

Xin Ruyin walked out of the quiet room, her steps lighter than usual, her face filled with an undisguised excitement and confidence.

In her hands, she held a black box about the size of a palm.

The box was completely black, as if it could absorb all light. Even in the bright morning sunlight, the light around it seemed to dim.

The surface is covered with layers of dark gold runes. These runes, like living things, slowly flow across the surface of the box, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. This is the "Forbidden Yuan Black Box".

Zhou Ding's gaze was instantly drawn to the black box.

He stopped instructing Xia Xiaoxing and slowly straightened up.

He has had this black box for over twenty years.

He bought it at the Xuanhai Pavilion auction years ago for 180,000 spirit stones, and has since entrusted it to Xin Ruyin for research.

More than twenty years have passed, and he has almost gotten used to its existence, sometimes even forgetting that he has such a mysterious treasure.

But at this moment, when Xin Ruyin took it out with a confident and composed smile on her face that he had never seen before, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Ruyin, you—"

Zhou Ding's voice carried a hint of anticipation, and a touch of nervousness he himself was unaware of: "Could it be—"

Xin Ruyin walked up to him and gently placed the black box on the stone table in the courtyard.

The box made a slight, dull thud when it hit the stone surface, as if it were much heavier than it looked.

She looked up at Zhou Ding, the morning light streaming in from behind her, bathing her in a golden glow. A confident yet gentle smile graced her lips—the smile of someone who had poured countless efforts into their work and was finally about to see the results.

"Zhou Lang, what about the restrictions on this 'Forbidden Yuan Black Box'?"

She paused, as if savoring the anticipation and joy of the moment: "I'm confident I can open it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ding felt a sudden jolt in his heart, as if an electric current was rising from his spine and rushing straight to the top of his head.

An overwhelming surge of joy welled up in his heart, causing him to momentarily lose his composure!

"Really?!" His voice was tinged with excitement, an emotion that rarely appeared in him, almost to the point of losing his composure.

He strode to the stone table, his eyes fixed on the black box, as if trying to see through its dark surface to uncover the secrets hidden inside.

Xin Ruyin nodded, her eyes sparkling with wisdom.

It was a kind of enlightenment that came after countless days and nights of research, deduction, failure, and restart: "For the past twenty years, I have devoted myself to studying the 'Qiankun Array Canon' and combined it with the method of breaking the restrictions in the 'Tianyuan Array Canon' to repeatedly deduce the restrictions on this black box."

I discovered that although this restriction was exquisite, its core followed a variant of an ancient, lost spatial locking array.

This formation, based on the power of space, locks in the internal vital energy, isolating it from the outside world, ensuring it remains incorruptible for eternity.

However, as long as the key point of the formation is located and guided by the corresponding method of breaking the seal, it can be temporarily disabled, thereby opening the black box.

She paused, her gaze carrying an undeniable confidence: "I'm over 90% confident. The remaining 10% is for unforeseen circumstances. After all, with ancient restrictions, no one can claim to be 100% certain."

Zhou Ding took a deep breath to calm his excited emotions.

He walked to the table, looking at the black box lying quietly on the stone table with a deep gaze.

This box has been a mystery ever since the day he got it.

What exactly is hidden inside it?

Is it some kind of earth-shattering treasure?

Or is it some kind of secret he can't even imagine?

Twenty years have passed, and the time has finally come to reveal the truth of this mystery.

He raised his head and looked at Xin Ruyin.

In her eyes, there was confidence, anticipation, and a hint of nervousness.

After all, this is a work she has poured twenty-two years of effort into, and it is about to face its final test.

He reached out and gently took her slightly cool hand, feeling the barely perceptible tremor in her fingertips.

He squeezed her hand tightly, as if to tell her: it doesn't matter what the outcome is.

Then, he looked into her eyes, his voice calm but carrying an undisguised expectation: "Then—open it."

On the stone table, the pitch-black "Forbidden Yuan Black Box" lay quietly, like a sleeping ancient beast, having concealed all its aura and sharpness.

The morning light fell on its surface, but was completely absorbed by that mysterious black layer, as if the light itself had been swallowed up by it.

Xin Ruyin stood in front of the table and took a deep breath. Her gaze was focused and calm; twenty years of research and waiting had condensed in this moment.

She stretched out her hands, her ten fingers flitting like butterflies among flowers, and began to trace profound incantations in the air. Pale golden threads of magical power flowed from her fingertips, like nimble golden snakes, weaving and coiling in the air, gradually forming an intricate array of runes.

The array of runes slowly rotated, emitting an ancient and mysterious fluctuation that resonated subtly with the dark gold runes on the surface of the black box.

The runes on the surface of the black box began to slowly wriggle, as if awakened by the external force, emitting a faint, buzzing sound.

Xia Xiaoxing stood at a distance, watching this scene with bated breath, her little hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.

Although he couldn't understand the meaning of the runes, he could feel the vast, boundless power they contained. He had a vague feeling that he was witnessing something extraordinary.

Zhou Ding stood beside Xin Ruyin, his gaze fixed on the black box. His divine sense had been raised to its limit, closely sensing every subtle change in the restrictions on the black box.

He could sense that the restrictions, which were originally as solid as iron and perfectly formed, were beginning to loosen slightly under Xin Ruyin's exquisite method of breaking the restrictions.

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment.

Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Xin Ruyin's forehead.

Her face paled slightly, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if two flames were burning within them. Her fingers flew faster and faster, and the pale golden rune array became more and more complex and solid, as if it were about to break free from the void and transform into a physical form.

"open!"

Suddenly, Xin Ruyin let out a low shout and pushed forward with both hands!

The pale gold rune array, like a key, was precisely embedded in the layers of dark gold runes on the surface of the black box!

"Buzz!"

A long, ancient-sounding hum suddenly emanated from inside the black box!

The sound was deep and resonant, like a giant bell that had been sleeping for thousands of years being struck anew!

The dark gold runes on the surface of the black box lit up simultaneously at that moment, bursting out with dazzling light!

The light did not spread outward, but collapsed and contracted inward, as if all the energy was being sucked into the black box!

Then, all fell silent.

The light dissipated.

The black box still lay quietly on the stone table, looking no different from before.

But Zhou Ding could sense that the restrictive aura that had enveloped the black box, like an impenetrable wall of bronze, had receded like the tide.

At this moment, the black box is like a prisoner whose chains have been broken, finally revealing its true nature.

"Click."

A soft, click-like sound, like a mechanism clicking, came from inside the black box.

Immediately afterwards, the tightly sealed box lid slowly popped open a tiny crack along an almost invisible seam.

An indescribable aura emanated from the narrow crevice.

The aura wasn't strong, yet it possessed a power that struck straight to the soul.

It was as if a wind from ancient times had traveled through the long years and gently brushed across the faces of everyone present.

Xin Ruyin was slightly out of breath, her face a little pale, but her eyes were filled with the joy and anticipation of success. She took a half step back, looked at Zhou Ding, her voice tinged with fatigue, yet unable to conceal her excitement: "Zhou Lang, it's open."

Zhou Ding nodded, but did not step forward immediately. He stood in front of the black box, took a deep breath, and calmed his slightly accelerated heartbeat.

Then, he reached out and gently lifted the heavy box lid.

The moment the lid was opened, an even stronger aroma wafted out.

It was an aura that blended the passage of time, the presence of plants, and a certain indescribable spirituality.

Zhou Ding's gaze fell on the box.

Inside, a piece of wood lay quietly.

It was about three feet long and as thick as an arm. Its entire body was charred and rough, with pits and cracks and holes all over its surface. It looked like a piece of dead wood that had been struck by lightning and burned, or like carbonized material that had been buried underground for countless years.

At first glance, it is so ugly that no one would give it a second look if it were left on the roadside.

But Zhou Ding's gaze froze at that moment.

He noticed that faint fluorescent light emanated from those seemingly ugly cracks and holes.

The glow was so faint that it was almost invisible, like the most distant star in the night sky, easily overlooked if one did not look closely.

But once you notice it, you will be deeply attracted to it; it is an indescribable light that seems to penetrate the soul.

He bent down and took a closer look.

The fluorescent light was not static, but flowed slowly, like tiny streams of starlight flowing through the wood grain.

Each flow carries a strange rhythm, as if breathing, or as if whispering.

He took another gentle sniff.

A faint, delicate fragrance wafted into the nostrils. The scent was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect, but once inhaled, it went straight into the mind, instantly calming the spirit.

All worries, anxieties, and distracting thoughts are washed away in this instant, as if the whole person is immersed in clear spring water, becoming clear and transparent from head to toe.

Zhou Ding's heart skipped a beat!

A name flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning!

Soul nourishing wood!

One of the three sacred trees!

Legend has it that wearing Soul-Nourishing Wood can nourish the soul and spirit, gradually strengthen the divine consciousness, and also calm the soul and resist the invasion of inner demons!

Especially for cultivators who are trying to break through bottlenecks or tribulations, Soul Nourishing Wood is a treasure they dream of!

It can protect your mind and spirit at the most critical moment, and resist the invisible and intangible, yet most dangerous, inner demons!

He had read about the Soul-Nourishing Wood in ancient books, but it was just a legend. He never thought that one day he would actually see it with his own eyes!

"Could it be—this wood is the legendary Soul-Nourishing Wood?!" Zhou Ding's voice was filled with an incredulous excitement.

He didn't immediately draw a conclusion, but carefully reached out with both hands and gently lifted the charred piece of wood from the box.

It feels warm and smooth to the touch, not as rough as it appears on the outside, but rather has a delicate, jade-like texture. The wood is much heavier than it looks, as if it has an extremely high density and contains some kind of solid power.

He closed his eyes and gently placed the Soul-Nourishing Wood between his eyebrows.

A warm and cool aura, like a gentle stream, slowly seeped out from the Soul-Nourishing Wood, seeping into his sea of ​​consciousness through the skin between his eyebrows.

The energy was neither hurried nor slow, yet it flowed continuously, like an ever-flowing stream, nourishing the primordial spirit in his sea of ​​consciousness.

He could clearly feel his consciousness being nurtured by this aura. It was a comfort he had never experienced before, as if he were soaking in a perfectly warm hot spring, every pore opening up, or as if he were under the warmest spring sunshine, feeling cozy and drowsy.

The subtle fatigue and hidden injuries accumulated in the mind due to long-term simulation and battle were slowly soothed and repaired in this gentle aura.

He slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy and excitement.

"It really is Soul-Nourishing Wood!"

He gripped the charred piece of wood tightly, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

With this item, he had a better chance of resisting the most dangerous and unpredictable inner demon tribulation when he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage!

Those inner demons and illusions, those disturbances of the soul, are no longer insurmountable barriers with the protection of the Soul-Nourishing Wood!

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