Chapter 3087: Upgrade

After securing the Earth Core Flame, Emery returned to his room. The past twenty-four hours had been a torment for both his mind and body, and although his powerful physique had allowed him to endure the ordeal, he still needed time to properly recover from the strain.

As for the Earth Core Flame itself, precious as it was, Emery had no immediate use for it.

With the dwarf master already promising to refine it into an artifact, he decided to give the high-grade material to Soltz instead.

The Tier 8 core was exactly what the old man’s Tier 7 gauntlet needed, giving the artfact a potent earth-elemental enhancement, something that would greatly benefit Soltz and provide an immediate, significant boost to their combined fighting strength and overall chances of survival.

"You are the best, Boss"

Soltz was ecstatic when Emery handed it over, his eyes practically lighting up as he already making plans to keep the dwarven masters busy for the next several days.

Emery, meanwhile, had gained plenty from the ordeal himself.

Nearly half of the Earth Core Flame’s power had been devoured by him during the extraction process, and the energy that flowed back through their connection had left a noticeable mark on Emery.

His understanding of both the Law of Nature and Law of Gravity had deepened considerably, while his soul had also grown stronger from absorbing such profound energy.

He took a slow breath, allowing the surge of natural energy still circulating through his body to gradually settle.

A rare smile appeared on his face.

The lingering wound from creating his Undying True Clone—the injury he had expected to take another year to fully recover from—had finally closed.

For the first time in months, Emery channeled his energy without feeling even the slightest strain. The familiar discomfort that had accompanied the circulation of his power was gone, leaving his foundations feeling stable and whole once again.

A full day of quiet recovery passed before Emery noticed something else beginning to change.

The Elysian Tree.

Most of the energy he had devoured during the extraction had flowed directly into the Heavenly Tree itself, and now he could sense that something within it was finally awakening.

Emery made his way into the inner domain and sat down in lotus position before the enormous tree.

Twik stood nearby with one small hand pressed flat against its massive trunk. A faint golden-green glow pulsed beneath his palm, spreading through the ancient bark like veins of light.

"Ku ku... ku.." the little plant creature murmured, clearly delighted by the change.

Then the Natural Energy within the tree ignited.

A powerful wave spread through the trunk, causing countless branches to tremble as new growth rapidly emerged from them. The Elysian Tree began to climb higher, its trunk becoming thicker and more imposing while its canopy expanded outward, filling more of the inner domain with dense, vibrant foliage.

Emery watched in silence as the change continued.

His inner domain began to tremble in response.

The entire Elysian Forest seemed to grow alongside the Heavenly Tree, the ground beneath them slowly rose, first forming gentle hills before the terrain continued to shift and expand.

Then the earth began to shake.

Low tremors rippled outward across the domain as cracks spread through the ground, followed by deep rumbling from beneath the surface. Sections of land rose higher and higher until an entirely new range of rocky mountains tore free from the earth, forming a natural boundary between the Elysian Forest and the southern Golden Desert.

The transformation continued for miles.

The boundaries of Emery’s inner domain slowly pushed outward, expanding as though the entire world were breathing for the first time. Thick Natural Energy flooded every corner of the space, becoming so concentrated that Emery could almost feel its presence against his skin.

Even the air seemed different.

It carried a refreshing vitality that made every breath feel lighter.

Emery sank into a deep trance as he watched the transformation unfold, his mind becoming immersed in the tremendous surge of energy surrounding him. Beneath the overwhelming power, however, he gradually sensed another layer to the change.

This transformation hadn’t come entirely from the Earth Core Flame.

Part of the energy came from something else that had been quietly accumulating within the Elysian Tree.

The final traces of the precious Tier 8 material contained from the mysterious rattan mat had finally finished being processed. The ancient material, which had been slowly absorbed over time, now released its remaining essence directly into the Heavenly Tree, merging with the energy from the Earth Core Flame.

The profound earth energy provided immense stability and depth, while the ancient natural essence strengthened the tree’s vitality and growth. Together, they ignited a transformation far greater than either source could have produced alone.

Emery remained completely focused, unable to pull himself out of the trance.

The surge of insight continued to unfold deep within his mind, with one piece connecting to another as though he were watching an impossibly complicated puzzle assemble itself.

One day passed.

Then another.

Then a third.

Throughout the process, his soul force continued to climb steadily, becoming denser and more powerful with every passing hour. The natural energy surrounding him flowed through his body almost effortlessly, while his consciousness remained completely immersed in the strange process of comprehension.

On the fourth day, the scattered pieces finally began to converge.

By the fifth day, everything suddenly clicked into place.

A profound tremor passed through Emery’s soul, and a powerful sense of understanding washed over him as the countless insights he had accumulated finally connected into a complete picture.

Immediately afterward, he felt that familiar sensation—the unmistakable pull of comprehension.

Something Ancient

Profound.

The Origin.

But this time, the feeling came from an entirely different root.

The Origin of Nature

[You have comprehended the Law of Origin]

[Law of Origin: 3%]

Emery’s soul seemed to expand for a moment as the notification appeared, and the sensation that followed was unlike anything he had experienced before. ℯ

He slowly raised one finger.

A gentle breeze brushed against his skin, yet instead of simply feeling the wind, he could sense its movement as though it were an extension of his own body. He could feel the subtle flow of energy within the surrounding plants, the movement of every blade of grass beneath him, and the deep vitality running through the earth as clearly as he could feel the blood moving through his own veins.

For a brief moment, there was no clear boundary between himself and the world around him.

He simply was nature itself.

The realization left Emery sitting quietly for several moments as he absorbed the profound change in his understanding.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

For months, he had been quietly wrestling with the balance between his light and darkness.

This breakthrough didn’t completely solve the problem, but it eased the tension considerably.

Emery could feel that absorbing further essence from the spatial shard would be far less of a gamble.

In fact, he now felt confident enough to consider pushing through to the Three Cosmos realm.

The thought crossed his mind.

But not yet.

Not here.

This wasn’t the time.

Emery rose to his feet and took a moment to properly examine his surroundings. The transformation of the Elysian Tree had changed the entire domain, making the space feel immeasurably richer than before. The Natural Energy was noticeably denser, filling the air with a refreshing vitality that could be felt with every breath.

He quietly spread his Divine Sense outward, following the expanded boundary until he could finally grasp the full extent of the change.

It had grown by roughly a third.

[Domain size: 33,500 square miles]

Emery nodded in satisfaction before his attention was drawn to a familiar presence nearby.

Twik.

Even the little plant creature had undergone a remarkable transformation. He had grown to nearly Emery’s own height. His cultivation had also risen steadily, settling firmly at the peak of one cosmos Grand Magus realm.

"Fantastic."

He spent the next several hours testing his newfound strength, moving through the expanded domain and experimenting with the changes in his abilities. His nature-based spellwork had become noticeably more refined, with his control over earth-affinity techniques showing the greatest improvement.

With a thought, he could now summon a dozen high-grade stone golems at once, each one carrying enough strength to serve as a formidable combatant, while the defensive walls he created were significantly denser and more durable than anything he had managed before.

The most obvious improvement, however, could be felt through his Elysian Roots.

The roots that had once possessed the density of a Tier 7 material had now climbed another level, reaching the mid-grade of the same tier. Emery tested their strength carefully, watching as the dark-green tendrils moved with greater speed and stability while their natural energy became considerably more potent.

His root-based techniques would undoubtedly hit much formidable from now on.

Satisfied with what he had seen, Emery spent another full day consolidating his gains rather than rushing into anything else. The sudden increase in his comprehension, soul strength, and domain had given him plenty to digest, and he wanted to make sure every change settled properly into his foundation before continuing the mission.

The following morning, a knock came from outside his room.

He opened his eyes and glanced toward the door.

"Is it time already?" he wondered.

All in all, it had been a month since he arrived at this settlement. The much-awaited desert storm should have arrived by now.

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