Floating Island - Triple S Talent

While people were busy discussing the Ascension Stairs, Lein was inside the Life Source Tree chamber. The place was filled with a gentle yet powerful natural aura, where every corner radiated life. With his extraordinarily sharp senses, Lein could feel everything happening outside, including at the Ascension Stairs.

"Hana truly is a perfect fit to oversee the Ascension Stairs, just as I expected," Lein murmured with a slight smile. He could imagine how Hana was imparting valuable lessons to the rulers attempting to conquer the stairs.

Lein shifted his gaze upward within the tree chamber. There, three new branches had grown, sprawling with strength and forming a large, sturdy, and magnificent structure. A soft green glow emanated from the branches, giving the impression that the flow of life energy was unending.

"I still have two more orbs to upgrade to level 100," Lein said lightly before stepping toward the guardian panel column. The remaining two were the Energy Quality Branch and the Luck Branch.

Calmly, Lein opened the guardian panel and selected the "upgrade" icon under the Energy Quality Branch. His movements were swift and confident. Without hesitation, he confirmed the system's prompt to upgrade the branch to the next level.

[Congratulations, upgrade successful! (Energy Quality Branch) has been upgraded to Level 11.]

- Upgrade: Nature Energy +100

- New Feature: (Breath of Nature Tree)

Lein paused the upgrade process momentarily and directed his gaze toward the description of the new feature. Without delay, he walked toward the orb of the Energy Quality Branch, wanting to learn more details about the newly acquired feature.

Lein carefully read the panel information:

[Energy Quality Branch]

- Level: 11

- Nature Energy: 1,210

- Talent Limit: Tier D

- Feature: (Breath of Nature Tree)

"Breath of Nature Tree?" Lein murmured, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. A glint of curiosity shone in his eyes. "Is this another giant tree?" he thought to himself.

Lately, Lein had often acquired giant trees as a result of his upgrades. Each of these trees had extraordinary effects, such as enhancing the strength of an area or providing additional protection. His curiosity grew, imagining the impact this tree might bring. Without hesitation, he chose to view the feature details.

The feature description appeared in detail:

(Breath of Nature Tree)

A mystical tree that exhales the pure breath of the universe, enveloping the surrounding area with a freshness that restores both soul and body. Its presence enhances the quality of life and energy in its vicinity.

- Crystal consumption: 100 high-tier crystals/tree

- Duration: 1 year

- Total trees: 0

[Activate Tree]

Lein read the description with a neutral expression. There didn't seem to be any particularly extraordinary effects, just notes on the number of trees and their duration. Even so, his mind remained filled with questions.

"Duration? What for?" Lein wondered, his brow slightly furrowed. "Does the tree die after one year?" He tried to guess, but no clear conclusion about the function of the duration came to mind.

Without dwelling on it further, Lein immediately chose the option to activate the tree.

As soon as he pressed "activate tree," the crystal energy within his body drastically decreased. A notification appeared on the panel, showing that the "Total Trees" count had changed to 1.

"Damn, one tree costs 100 high-tier crystals," Lein muttered with a wry smile. He imagined that if he were just an ordinary human, losing that many crystals would surely be a lifelong heartbreak.

***

City Hall - Life City

In front of City Hall in Life City stretched a vast square surrounded by gardens filled with vibrant flowers of various colors. The fresh aroma mingled with a gentle breeze, creating a calming atmosphere. Not far from the garden lay a large pond reflecting the sunlight. Its clear water revealed beautiful fish swimming freely, their scales shimmering like jewels.

At the edge of the pond, the green grass seemed slightly torn, as if something was pushing from beneath the ground. Slowly, a green sprout emerged, moving calmly yet steadily. Within seconds, the sprout grew rapidly, revealing its sturdy stem. It reached one meter in height, then continued to grow swiftly.

A park guard standing at a nearby post noticed the unusual change. Narrowing his eyes, he observed something unusual near the pond. On high alert, he watched the sprout—which had now grown to five meters tall, with a trunk as thick as an adult's thigh.

"Eagle, there's a strange anomaly. Notify the center," the guard said seriously to his colleague standing a few meters away.

"I'll investigate," his colleague replied, walking quickly toward the pond to observe the phenomenon directly.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

A minute passed, and the sound of vehicles whirring began to fill the air. Several flying patrol cars landed in the City Hall garden, carrying a squad of guards. A slightly larger vehicle landed first, its door promptly opened by a uniformed officer.

From the vehicle, a woman in a black fur jacket stepped out gracefully yet firmly. She walked slowly, her sharp eyes scanning the garden before finally focusing on the majestic tree by the pond.

By now, the tree had grown to twenty meters tall. Its trunk was massive, with a diameter of one meter, appearing robust enough to support the sky. The bark was adorned with green fibers that glimmered faintly under the sunlight, exuding an extraordinary sense of vitality. Its lush leaves swayed gently in the breeze.

"How long has that tree been there?" Nita asked one of the guards standing beside her. Her voice was calm, yet carried an unmistakable authority.

"About five minutes ago, Miss. Its growth is extremely fast, and the origin of its appearance is still unknown," the officer replied firmly but cautiously, providing all the information he had.

Nita nodded slightly, then her body disappeared from where she was standing. In an instant, she reappeared right in front of the tree, which continued to grow at an extraordinary pace.

(Breath of Nature Tree)

A mystical tree that exhales the pure breath of the universe, enveloping its surroundings with a refreshing aura that restores the soul and body. Its existence is believed to significantly enhance the quality of life and energy in the area.

"Breath of Nature Tree?" Nita murmured, her eyes studying the details of the tree.

"Is this also a result of branch enhancement?" she thought, trying to connect the tree's presence with the newly discovered features. She quickly opened her personal communication system, typed a brief message, and sent it to Lein for confirmation.

It didn't take long for a reply from Lein to appear on the screen.

"No need to worry, this is part of the enhancement of the Life Source Tree branch," Lein wrote in a relaxed tone.