Chapter Seven: The Limit

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

During this week and more, remarkable changes had come over Ji Yu. If one glanced at his status panel, the improvements were clear to see:

[Player Status]
[Good]
[Life Level: 1]
[Constitution: 0.56 (Average: 0.5)]
[Height: 1.76 meters (Average: 1.67)]
[Age: 26 years (Average: 77)]
[Acquired Trait: Robust Vitality (Low)]

Even the numbers alone made it evident that Ji Yu’s body had undergone a transformation for the better. In truth, his recovery was complete. Examination at another hospital showed his lungs as healthy as if they had never been afflicted with tuberculosis—no calcified shadows, no trace of damage.

At last, a longstanding worry in Ji Yu's heart was laid to rest.

But apart from his recovery from “consumption,” there was another pleasant surprise: Ji Yu had grown taller. In just ten days, he had gained two centimeters in height, rising from 1.74 to 1.76 meters. Such a change delighted him for quite some time. Though 1.74 meters was not short, Ji Yu had always felt a tinge of regret. Now, with this renewed growth, he saw hope for mending that regret.

In just over a week, Ji Yu was cured, had grown taller, and even the slight belly he once had now showed the faint outline of abdominal muscles. With all these changes accumulating, he could hardly contain his joy.

Yet the greatest transformation was not within himself, but in his game avatar.

The oak tree's development had reached its pinnacle half an hour ago.

[Oak Tree Status]
[Good]
[Life Level: 1]
[Vitality: 19.99 (Average: 10)]
[Tree Height: 99 meters (Average: 25)]
[Tree Age: 392 years (Average: 400)]
[Trait 1: Enlarged Form (Low)]
[Trait 2: Sacrificial Boon (Low)] (Can only grant spiritual and physical benefits to the chief priest; effects are faint and barely perceptible, but long-term ritual ensures the priest remains free of disease and lives with clarity of mind to the natural limit of lifespan.)
[Trait 3: Powerful Absorption (Low)]
[Trait 4: Robust Vitality (Low)]

All aspects of the oak tree had reached their peak. Even the once-damaged innate trait had been fully restored. With the Sacrificial Boon, the oak tree truly lived up to the name of “sacred tree.” Small wonder the tribe, though capable of living in the civilized world, maintained their “traditions” so steadfastly.

From this restoration of the Sacrificial Boon, Ji Yu realized that this supposedly materialist world still harbored mysterious phenomena.

But beyond the return of this trait, the oak’s growth over the past ten days was nothing short of astonishing. In just ten days, it had shot up over fifty meters—nearly five meters per day—like a time-lapse played at high speed.

The people of the primitive tribe were visibly exhilarated, and the number of armed “outsiders” in the area increased as well. On the outskirts of the tribe, armed guards patrolled constantly, as if bracing for some impending event.

Ji Yu estimated that the number of these patrols had already surpassed that of the local “natives.” With the oak tree now towering as it did, he could easily see, with a distant gaze, a large gathering of camouflaged vehicles and tents three kilometers away in a cleared area.

As this tribe’s “holy land” forbade many modern objects from entering, the outsiders’ base and rest area were set up beyond its bounds.

Counting carefully, nearly seven hundred outsiders had gathered in these ten days, each one armed. Such an extraordinary show of force spoke volumes about the oak’s importance to the tribe.

As the foundation of their faith, the oak tree’s significance was undeniable, but Ji Yu suspected its economic value must also be considerable. Otherwise, such intense security would seem unwarranted.

But what, then, was the oak’s economic value? The tribe did not develop tourism around the sacred oak...

The only possibility Ji Yu could think of was the mistletoe growing on the oak.

Given the extraordinary nature of this tree, how could its parasitic mistletoe be ordinary?

Mistletoe had immense medicinal value, and mutations were possible. According to information online, mistletoe had anti-tumor properties, and Ji Yu had good reason to suspect that a mutated form could even combat cancer.

If this mutated mistletoe truly had anti-cancer effects, then the tribe’s stringent security was entirely justified.

So even with nearly seven hundred armed modern guards surrounding him, Ji Yu began to feel concern for his avatar’s safety.

But upon reflection, his worries quickly dissipated.

The reason was simple: his own illness was cured. Even if the oak avatar were destroyed and all the special traits lost, it would not much affect him personally.

Besides, with such strong armed forces, as long as interests could be exchanged, who would risk so much to seize it by force? And as a tree, did his avatar really need to worry about being targeted? After all, he was the object being contested, not one of the contending parties.

Thinking it through, Ji Yu soon set aside these unnecessary concerns.

He gazed out over the green mountains, watched the occasional birds and small animals flitting above the rainforest canopy, and his mind calmed.

At this moment, he was prepared to devote himself to the next phase of meditation, as guided by the game system’s newly issued stage two quest.

As for other considerations, he temporarily cast them all aside.

[Guided Quest (Stage Two): In your thoughts, imagine as vividly as possible an image of a tree absorbing sunlight and performing photosynthesis. Accumulate experience orbs in this stage; once experience reaches 100%, you may break through the current growth limit of the oak tree.]
[Current Progress: 0.00%]
——————

“Professor, I’m a bit confused. Are we really here just to purchase so-called rare medicinal herbs? Now that we’ve come this far, shouldn’t you at least share some real information with me?”

Anderson frowned as he looked at the two fully armed men seated at the front of the helicopter cabin, his perplexity evident.

He had held back his questions all this way, but now, unable to contain himself, he spoke again to the elderly man before him.

As an academician at the renowned Banna Federation Medical Academy, Anderson was growing dizzy from his mentor’s persistent secrecy.

After all, no matter how rare the herbs, procurement should not fall to research staff like them. What’s more, his mentor’s status was even loftier—his pharmaceutical expertise enjoyed international acclaim.

For such a figure to personally acquire herbs? If that wasn’t strange, then nothing was.