Chapter Two: Blood Sacrifice and Resurrection

Driven by a curiosity for the unknown and a fascination with primitive tribes he had never seen before, Ji Yu now completely assumed the role of an observer. As for the discomfort of the pig-slaughtering blood ritual, Ji Yu could tolerate it well enough. After all, he grew up in the countryside, and the scenes of butchering pigs for the New Year were nothing new to him.

Adjusting his mindset slightly, he settled in to quietly watch the ceremony unfold. Under the ancient oak, the tribal elder sang and danced, giving the entire scene an uncanny and surreal air. Yet, this strangeness was real and tangible, existing right here on Blue Star. The ritual itself did not last long—scarcely more than ten minutes—before it concluded.

As the wild men gradually dispersed and the elder remained seated cross-legged under the tree with eyes closed, Ji Yu couldn't help but marvel inwardly. "This game really knows how to pick a spectacle! It immediately throws you into something that grabs your attention. A withered oak, a primitive tribe, and a blood sacrifice—now that's certainly novel."

Muttering to himself, Ji Yu began to survey the primitive village more thoroughly. It wasn't a large settlement; counting the wooden huts scattered among the forest, there were scarcely more than a hundred. A rough estimate told Ji Yu the population must be around five hundred people.

After the ceremony, these scantily-clad savages busied themselves—some preparing food, others working with unknown herbs, while a few took up spears and bows, heading off toward the outskirts of the settlement. After a curious and attentive inspection, Ji Yu reined in his thoughts and refocused on his purpose. There was no doubt this game was anything but simple. For now, Ji Yu’s task was to follow the guidance and see what unfolded next.

He glanced at the guidance bar at the top of his panoramic interface, hesitating slightly. "Imagine a tree striving to absorb nutrients from the soil to gain a reward? That doesn’t sound too difficult." Ji Yu was a man of action—serious and decisive—so as soon as he had the thought, he put it into practice.

And so, Ji Yu began his attempt.

A few minutes later—

[Ding! Congratulations. Through your efforts, your avatar has successfully entered a meditative state for the first time. As a result: Oak Life Force +0.05.]

When this message appeared on his information panel, Ji Yu immediately sensed a subtle, refreshing comfort as the oak tree. It was a sensation he had never known before—a blend of curiosity and anticipation for the unknown. Encouraged by his successful meditation, Ji Yu pressed on.

Five minutes later—

[Congratulations on successful meditation. Oak Life Force +0.02.]

Ten minutes later—

[Congratulations on successful meditation. Oak Life Force +0.03.]

Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes...

As an oak tree, Ji Yu now experienced the strangest sensations. The pleasant feeling from meditation was akin to drinking honey grapefruit tea: sweet and tangy, uplifting and soothing to both body and mind. And throughout the process, there was no sense of satiety—only pure delight. It was as if his roots were straws, endlessly drawing nutrients from the great cup of milk tea that was the earth.

With each meditative experience, the oak tree that Ji Yu had become was subtly changing. An hour passed. The once withered, almost-barkless tree began to show a faint sheen of life, a subtle moisture and color returning to its form.

Three hours later, the dry grey bark gradually regained its dark brown hue, and the mostly rotted roots began to sprout fresh new roots, their growth accelerating as if in a time-lapse.

After eight hours, countless new rootlets had emerged beneath the tree, and even the bare branches at the crown now bore tiny, unremarkable brown buds.

Night deepened.

Though Ji Yu had been utterly absorbed in his meditation, a sudden prompt in his mind roused him. "Has it really been nearly twelve hours already?" He ‘opened’ his eyes, and the sudden onset of night vision brought a fresh wave of amazement. It was akin to perceiving heat with infrared, but far clearer and more real.

Yet, more intriguing than this newfound night vision was the transformation of the oak itself. In Ji Yu’s panoramic view, there was no longer any trace of the withered, dying tree.

Where once the ancient oak was dry and lifeless, now sparse, tender new leaves had sprouted. These leaves were few, small, and curled, but compared to its previous state, the tree seemed vastly revitalized.

"At this rate of recovery, it’s hardly slow at all. Fortunately, this avatar exists in an uncivilized, primitive tribe—if it were in a modern city, things might be far more complicated."

Ji Yu felt a sense of relief, but his curiosity made him look once more around the oak. Outside, a fine misty rain had begun falling in the night. The rainforest was silent, save for the sounds of wind and rain. In the distance, two wild men tasked with night watch dozed on the tribe’s crude lookout, while Ji Yu, with a faint smile, began to log out of the game.

[Player logging out…]

[Game character entering autonomous mode]

[Oak status display]

[Weak]

[Life Level: 1]

[Life Force: 3.21 (average: 10)]

[Height: 49.23 meters (average: 25)]

[Age: 392 years (average: 400)]

[Inherent Trait 1: Size Doubling (Low)] (Growth rate slightly increased; maximum size doubled.)

[Inherent Trait 2: xxx (Damaged)] (…)

[New Trait 1: Powerful Absorption (Low)] (Efficiency and effectiveness of nutrient absorption from the earth greatly improved.)

[New Trait 2: Vigorous Life Force (Low)] (Extreme resilience, rapid recovery from adverse conditions, and a moderate increase in natural lifespan and growth potential.)

[Note 1: Traits are rare. Under normal circumstances, low-level life and objects rarely produce such features—akin to genetic mutation.]

[Note 2: To view your avatar or personal status, summon the status bar at will.]

[Special Notice: The next available login time is 12:00 noon 'Lyon Federation Time.' Thereafter, daily game access unlocks at noon Lyon time. Sessions may be paused and resumed, but unspent playtime does not roll over to the next day.]

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