I ran through everything I'd witnessed and caused during my time in the forest, piecing together my way out. To start with, every tree in the forest was sickly with yellow leaves and withered roots. I had believed that was the main trial, but in actual fact it was only a symptom of the real problem.

After discovering how my qi was sucked into the sky when I attempted to heal a tree, I had mistakenly believed the problem was with the forest as a macroorganism or perhaps some unseen hand pulling the strings from beyond the reach of my spiritual senses. Again, it was another wild goose chase.

The third piece of the puzzle had been the discovery that the mycelial network running beneath the forest was actually sentient. Not only that but it was constantly absorbing qi from the trees in order to cultivate.

Of course upon witnessing that I had believed the mycelium was the main root of the problem, but that was another mistake. Well, not exactly a mistake, but my reasons for believing it were misguided.

However, it was impossible to realise that until I observed the final part of the problem—the purplish-black veins on the trunks of the trees. I hadn't noticed them earlier while healing the trees because they didn't register to my spiritual senses—there was no energy in them.

It was only with my plain old mortal eyes that I had witnessed the strange phenomenon. That had given me the final clue I needed. Rather than the mycelium draining the life from the trees to fuel its own cultivation, what was actually happening was that the oppressive heat of the sun had interrupted the normal symbiotic relationship of the forest and the mycelium.

I was no biologist, but I knew enough to understand the basics. Then my knowledge of cultivation and my experiences in the Blossoming Heavens had filled in the gaps.

As a mere Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, affecting the sun was impossible. Even if it was only an artificial one created for the trial, such feats were beyond my reach.

What I could do instead was what I had always done—be a doctor. I would heal the root of the problem and hope it was enough to restore the balance and thus complete the first part of the trial in the Gate of Spring and Autumn.

If not, then I had no idea what I would do. I believed I was on the right track, however, so I would pursue it to the end. First things first I needed to understand the nature of the purplish-black veins.

My spiritual senses were useless here, which meant one of the greatest tools in my arsenal wasn't available. Instead I had to rely on simple observation and my understanding.

The task was made easier by the similarity between what I saw and the typical methods of cultivation. Knowing the mycelium was cultivating was the key.

The dead forest we'd first arrived in clearly wasn't near the realm of this place, because it had yet to achieve this level of symbiosis and cultivation. Rather than a predatory relationship, the cultivation was actually beneficial for both the trees and the mycelium.

However, because of the overwhelming heat, the trees were suffering and unable to benefit from their part of the relationship. Those purple veins were carrying the impurities released by the mycelium during its cultivation, which I realised benefited the trees in many ways.

Unfortunately due to the heat, the trees were unable to process them and that had caused the balance to shift. In order to fix the problem all I needed to do was heal the trees to a point where they could once again process the impurities themselves and the cycle would resume.

Simple.

Except it was far from it. On a single tree it was as easy to do as turning my hand, but I had to heal the entire forest in a single breath.

Fuck.

This wouldn't be something I accomplished immediately. In order to do that, I would need to possess a healing technique on par with that of the Celestial Jade Emperor. Perhaps a lesser version, but such a feat was still far out of my reach and would be for a long time.

Instead I would simply have to work my way up from where I was now and hope that I could make an impact before I failed the trial. All improvements to my technique were valuable, even if I failed to gain any true rewards from the Gate of Spring and Autumn.

I had already used my healing technique on more than one patient at a time before. That was before I had become able to use it at a distance, however, so I would need to see how capable I was.

I chose two trees that were of similar size and shape at first, wanting as few variables as possible that might influence the outcome. I closed my eyes in order to focus better, needing every scrap of willpower for what I was about to do.

The qi cycled through my veins as it left my dantian, gathering in the tips of two outstretched fingers on each of my hands. I spread my spiritual senses, focusing on the trees I intended to heal.

When I healed with contact, using the technique on multiple patients at once wasn't much harder than on a single target. However, the difficulty had exponentially increased while attempting to do it at a distance.

The moment the technique began and the qi left my fingers, I felt the same struggle as I had the first time I attempted this process on a single tree. My mind felt as though it was being pulled in two directions, as if each instance of the technique was fighting a tug-of-war with my mental capacity.

My dao fragment in my spiritual sea started to hum, easing the pressure. However, it was like a drop of rain falling into the ocean. I managed to maintain the technique's integrity for about five metres before the first one collapsed.

The other technique lasted longer once the pressure of using two at the same time faded, but it also dissipated a few metres further down the line. My first attempt had resulted in failure, but that was fine.

Failure was the greatest teacher. This trial reminded me of cramming for my medical exams at university. The solitude was relaxing. All that mattered was me and what I was learning.

Only this time, I could see my improvements in real time. Every time I used my healing technique I refined my control and reached a little further than before, compared to revising for an exam where I just had to hope I'd done enough.

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Another long session of cultivation ensued. It took me around a hundred repetitions to finally succeed in healing two trees at once over a distance of ten metres. To my surprise, increasing the distance was much easier once I'd mastered dual-casting the healing technique.

Fifteen metres, then twenty. Thirty. Fifty.

At that point the increases became somewhat pointless in regards to healing the forest, but I was certain it would benefit me in the long term. I stopped there, knowing that in order to succeed with my current goal I had to focus on increasing the number of healing targets, rather than the distance I could heal them at.

After a short break to recover my qi, which didn't take long with the efficiency of my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. I could have tapped into the qi stored in my refined liver, but I felt that saving it for a true life-or-death situation was smarter.

It had continued to accumulate energy ever since it had been refined and the amount stored within was equal to around half my dantian's maximum capacity. That would allow me to pull out a powerful technique when I needed it most.

Before jumping straight into healing three trees at once, I did a few more experiments. I chose various trees with different sizes and shapes, healing two of them at once to check if it affected my focus or the effects.

It required minor adjustments, but nothing too complex for me to handle. Next I attempted healing two trees at differing distances. One ten metres away, one twenty. That barely increased the difficulty as well, so I felt confident in taking the next step.

I started with three trees at roughly the same distance, though I wasn't too bothered about their size or shape. Those characteristics didn't increase the demand on my focus that much and finding such a perfect setup in the forest would waste time.

I prepared myself before beginning. With only two hands, I wondered how to best focus the three instances of the healing technique.

The solution was simple. I simply extended a second finger on my right hand. I cycled my qi, splitting it into three streams that each flowed through one of the outstretched fingers.

Easy does it. That was what I told myself as the technique took hold and the qi left my fingertips. I felt my intent slipping the moment it did, but I clenched my teeth and focused.

A sharp spike of pain dug into my skull. My dao fragment started to hum. Gently at first, building into a shrieking whine as the three streams of qi travelled further.

Another spike of pain. The spiritual sea in my mind began to ripple, waves travelling outwards from the centre.

The last thing I felt before passing out was an agonising sensation biting through my head, as though someone had thrust a spear into my skull and out of my spine.

****

Bing Xueqin thought about the strange cultivator she'd met as she followed his instructions and walked around the wall of the Spring and Autumn Palace. He said that if they activated these two inscriptions at the same time, it should solve the puzzle and allow them entry to the palace's inner sanctum.

Her own experimentation hadn't resulted in much success, so she decided to trust him and go along with it. She usually didn't get along with others. Back on Razor Frost Peak, she only spent time with her grandfather and occasionally her parents.

The fact that her grandfather was also her master meant most of that time was spent giving her pointers, rather than on familial bonding. Xueqin didn't dislike the company of others, but she found it tedious to constantly fend off the flirting of the male disciples and either jealousy or creepy admiration from the women.

Her aloof and frosty nature had garnered her a reputation as the Biting Frost Sect's princess. That she was the patriarch's granddaughter only sealed that moniker in stone.

It had already been difficult finding friends before that, but the title pushed away anyone who might have been a candidate. Once she realised it was futile attempting to find lasting companions, Xueqin turned all her focus to cultivation.

A punishing cycle ensued, where her single-minded focus isolated her and further fueled her reputation. Even so, it wasn't a bad thing. She had become one of the most accomplished and talented cultivators in the Biting Frost Sect for generations, exceeding even her grandfather's speed in his youth.

She was sixteen years old and had reached six-star Foundation Building Realm. That was unprecedented. The closest cultivator in her generation to her, Duyin Fang, was only a nine-star Qi Gathering cultivator.

When her grandfather kicked her out of the mountain and sent her into the world to explore, she was immensely upset. Bing Xueqin spent the first day crying and wondering what she had done to make him hate her.

A wandering traveller had encountered her and offered to escort her to the nearest town. She'd accepted, although remained confused at his act of kindness.

Why would anyone do so without reward? Nobody sacrificed their own resources for another unless there was profit. That was how she had been raised and how the sect operated.

In truth, she had no reason to travel with him. Xueqin possessed a flying sword and could cover in an hour the distance that old geezer travelled in an entire day. However, he reminded her of her own grandfather.

Many other events like that had slowly shifted her perspective. Her cultivation didn't improve for months, but she broadened her horizons and learned a lot about the world as she ventured through the Celestial Jade Empire.

It wasn't all positive. Many times she had been attacked, for various reasons. Some wanted to rape her, others simply to rob her. Each time she slaughtered them coldly and without a struggle.

Only once had her life truly been at risk. A raging inferno eagle had attacked her when she stumbled into its nest. An enlightened beast near the pinnacle, it far outmatched her. Not only that, but its flames were a perfect counter to her Eight Breaths Blizzard Arts.

One of the life-saving treasures her grandfather gave her was consumed in the battle, lost forever. She still had four more, but knowing that without her heritage she would have died truly woke her up.

In the end she defeated the beast and made a breakthrough in her techniques, which had stagnated for a while. She thought back to her grandfather's parting words and realised he had been right.

A greenhouse flower will not survive the harshest blizzards. Bing Xueqin was unsurpassed on the Razor Frost Peak, but without the experiences in the world below she would never have reached this point.

Between that battle and arriving at the Blossoming Heavens, she had also broken through and reached seven-star Foundation Building. Unfortunately, despite her repeated attempts she had still failed to make any friends.

Cultivators either lusted after her beauty, allowed greed to blind them and try to rob her artifacts, or disdained her for her nature. It was frustrating and upsetting, the only lingering heart demon that plagued her.

However, the cultivator in green robes was different. He'd spoken to her as if she was just another person on the side of the road. He seemed to ignore her appearance and only focus on the problem they faced together.

It was refreshing.

Thus she found herself walking towards the inscription of a tree in bloom, preparing to activate it with her qi. A smile crossed her face as she thought back to her sudden request to be friends. He'd accepted without a second thought.

I did it, master. The most difficult challenge you'd posed to me so far. I wonder what you'll say when I return to the sect, she thought to herself as she activated the carving.

Xueqin barely had time to appreciate the way the branches glowed in an almost lifelike way before she was whisked away by an impossible powerful spatial technique.

When it ended, she immediately checked her body and dantian. Everything was in order. Looking around, she found herself in a corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. It was the same in front and behind her. There was no sign of the cultivator in green robes.

Hopefully I can meet him again. He was an interesting fellow. Now I must advance alone once more, she inwardly sighed as she started to dissect her surroundings.

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