Our attacks slammed into the bird and it let out a cry of pain. The bird was missing chunks of flesh throughout its body including in two of its wings. I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be able to fly anytime soon. I formed a blade of compressed space and was about to shoot it at the bird when something odd happened. My connection to Manifestation of Perfection

  As soon as the pulse of energy passed over the bird it collapsed. The suddenness of it made me stop what I was doing. I wasn't sure if a bird could play dead or not. I gestured to stop Xerxes from rushing up to it. I knew it was still alive thanks to the energy that flowed through its channels which only amplified my confusion. I took a tentative step forward and then a burst of kill energy flooded my dantian.

  I glanced over at Xerxes and confirmed that it was the same for him. I wasn't sure what had just happened and I wasn't in the mood to investigate. Instead I formed a trio of psychic blades and launched them at the bird. Each blade landed and then the bird died. I waited for something to confirm the kill but nothing happened. After a few moments I walked up to the body and kicked it.

  "Alright, I guess it died or rather the System considered it dead after Manifestation went off." I ended my spells and took a seat next to the corpse. It wasn't hard to figure out that my proficiency with it had increased which let it unleash a stronger attack. Was that collapse what happened when someone's Tao heart was crushed? Once again I had questions and no one to ask.

  The lack of information was annoying but there was nothing to do. I gestured to Xerxes who bounded up and searched for the thing's beast core. I quickly pushed the situation out of my mind and started to cultivate. This was going to be our rest stop for now. The stench of blood made me want to puke but that was alright. I expanded my Soul sense to keep watch on the surrounding area and handed Xerxes the other beast core. Within a few minutes he was happily absorbing the energy.

  It took him several hours to fully absorb the cores but when he did his aura exploded. His aura flooded the nest and then out into the forest. It wasn't quite as dense as my own but it was very close. Based on it and the amount of energy coursing through him we were at the same level. He might even be a bit stronger than me. Furthermore his killing intent had grown thanks to the recent battles. It now felt like he was a literal apex predator as if he would rip the world apart.

  He tossed his head back and let out a howl of pride, fury and hunger. It was as if he was announcing himself to every monster in the forest. I couldn't help but laugh. When he finally calmed down I patted him on his back and handed him a few spirit stones. They wouldn't be enough to get him anywhere near a new level but every little bit helped.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "."

  I stared at my very blood thirsty companion and laughed. "I am sure we will find something to fight again soon. I want to look for some treasures though. If the last few battles have been indicative of things than I might need a power up."

  I stretched and rolled my joints and then looked at the bird. I considered carving it up or rather ripping it apart but decided against it. Honestly I didn't need more animal meat. Not only did not care much about cooking it all but we had plenty of food even with Xerxes' appetite. With my mind made up I decided that we would leave in a half hour. I wanted to do a search around the nest. My treasure sense and body hadn't told me about anything but better safe than sorry.

  "Do you smell anything?" I asked while I walked around.

  ""

  I cocked my head at the longer sentence. I wasn't sure if he had become smarter or if he had just didn't want to speak up before. "Uh lets avoid it for now. My wounds don't feel great and I would prefer to give it a few days."

  I did two circuits around the nest before I gave up. Xerxes and I leaped from the nest and onto the closest branch before we were off. I expanded my Tao field around us just in case. I wasn't sure how long we had been running when I felt a tugging to my left. The effect was so strong and sudden that I missed a step. I nearly fell of the branch when Xerxes caught me.

  "." He grumbled.

  I rolled my eyes and glanced toward the feeling. "Something's over there. You want to go and find out what it is?" I didn't bother waiting for his answer before I pushed spiritual energy into the soles of my feet and leaped forward. I shot through the air like a bullet. My laughter filled the air when I felt Xerxes chase after me.

  At this speed we found the treasure before I finished laughing. We several hundred feet above a tree with gnarled roots. At first I thought this was some kind slaughter grounds but I realized that wasn't the case. For some reasons the tree's roots had reached up out of the ground and wrapped around something that was about ten feet across. The object itself was completely obscured. All around the roots were dead beasts. The beasts had all been stabbed by the roots.

  This treasure had some kind of defense mechanism which made me leery of getting any closer. "I don't think this will work but why not give it a chance." I activated Apportation and tried to pull the object to me. The portal appeared but as soon as it tried to pull the object. The roots shot through it like a blades. Xerxes and I barely had the time to dodge before we were assaulted.

  I couldn't help but laugh and close the portal. "Stay here just in case I need you to blast it with fire." I leisurely walked down the tree until I stood a few feet behind the closest dead beast. I waited a few seconds just in case the plant continued the attack but when it didn't I formed six blades. Three were psychic and three were made of compressed space.

  I fired all three making sure not to hit the treasure. It turned out I didn't need to worry about that. As soon as the attacks passed the closest corpse more roots shot up. Most of them came from beneath the ground while several came from the bodies of the beasts. When the onslaught finished I let out an exasperated whistle. That was a pretty extreme reaction.

  I unleashed another set of attacks but the results were the same. Rather or not I used a spell or energy. I even tried the Tao of Lucidity but it didn't matter. I stared at the treasure and double checked my senses. Without a doubt I was being drawn to it which meant it was possible to get it. At least that was my assumption. I activated Psychic Aegis

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  My gut told me this wouldn't work. That this was some sort of bullshit trial that required me to get hurt. I did my best to silence that voice while I strode forward. As soon as I made it past the first beast corpse the roots started attacking. I tried to counter each of them with spatial attacks but there were too many. I wasn't sure if there a lot of roots that replaced themselves or if it was a few really fast roots.

  Psychic Aegis

  Its protective array was overrun almost immediately and I was forced to take each attack with my body. I bit back a scream as I reached out for the gnarled roots. As soon as I did spike shot out and skewered my hands. I screamed and fought the instinct to retreat. Spiritual energy flooded into my arms as I began ripping the roots apart. It felt like an eternity before I was able to see what I was suffering for.

  It was a heart? It looked like some dryad or treant's heart. Something that you would see in an old fairy tale. Roots slammed into my back and it felt like a giant was trying to rip my spine out. I bit back any further questions and reached for the treasure. When my fingers wrapped around it I cry with pleasure. I ripped it out with every last bit of strength I had left. It resisted for a second and another root slammed into the back of my knee.

  The pain made me scream. I reactivated Apportation and let the portal suck me away. I was forced out of the portal on the branch next to Xerxes. "Got it." I said weakly before grabbing a healing pill and swallowing it. The medicinal power of the pill slowly got to work while I laid there. I could tell Xerxes was talking to me but I didn't care. I wasn't sure how long I stayed there before the pain faded and I got up. I was about to place the ring in my ring when I thought better of it. I still wasn't sure what it would do but I did want boost.

  I slowly got to my feet and grinned at Xerxes. "You mind watching me for a bit? I am going to try and absorb this thing."

  "Of course not." I flashed him a teethy grin before I leaned against the tree trunk. I opened my robes and placed the heart against my bare chest. As soon as I did the heart started to beat. The sensation was strange but oddly calming. I took a minute to calm myself down before I got to work. I started circulating the Ethereal Codex.

  Pure life attuned energy powered into every part of my body. It ignored my channels in favor of the muscles, skin and bone. My wounds healed at a rate visible to the eye. Every cell in my body felt like they were starving and the heart was eager to feed it. Thanks to the Eye of Heaven it was child's play to direct the energy where I needed it to go. Once it was done with injuries I let it work from inside out. I directed into the muscles of my organs.

  I grimaced as it broke down and rebuilt everything. The sensation wasn't quite painful, it was more uncomfortable. Like having an itch that started in my organs only to slowly move throughout my body. No matter how I controlled it I couldn't make the sensation stop. Once it finished my organs I directed into my bones and muscles. It felt like the very power of the earth had infused itself into my body. My bones were becoming as dense as stone while my muscles were strong enough to rip mountains apart.

  The hearts energy was slowly running but there should be enough to finish its task. The heart slowly sunk into my chest as even more of energy surged into me. Once it finished with my bones and muscles it moved to my skin. Briefly it grew darker until it was the color of freshly tilled earth. I was consumed by the smell of plants, the smell of nature. The energy spread up toward the **Eye of Heaven** before it was repulsed. I wasn't sure if the eye needed different energy or if the heart was high enough quality for it.

  I wasn't too worried about it though. The heart had already reforged most of my body. Suddenly my mind was pulled away from my body and into the tree beneath me. I traveled down deep within the dirt until I was connected with its roots. A super high way that spread the length of whatever realm we were in was open to me. I reached a mental tendril out to the closest root and visions filled my mind. Visions of cultivators doing battle with a massive squirrel like creature.

  It was the size of a lion and its teeth contained enough power to split steel. I released that toot and searched for another. Each time I received a vision of different areas, different treasures and different monsters. I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that before I returned to my body. When I did the heart was finished and my skin returned to a normal shade. Albeit slightly darker.

  I was about to get up when I noticed something shocking. My heart was different. It was half as big as it used to be and looked more like the plant one. At first I was worried that the smaller size meant it would pump worse or that I wouldn't be as strong as I should be but that wasn't it. If anything the blood that came out was richer. It was brighter shade of red. I watched it for a few more minutes before I hopped to my feet. As soon as I did I let out a whistle of excitement. My body felt amazing. Not only did I feel lighter and stronger but I was also more energetic. It was like my body had evolved.

  I pulled up my status screen but there were no new changes. That made me pause. I had assumed the status screen was some sort of force of nature. That it told everything but if it didn't then I had to rethink. We there other benefits that wouldn't show clearly? I laughed and looked over at Xerxes who now laid down about ten feet away.

  "Now that was exciting. How long was I out?" Xerxes snorted and got to his feet.

  ""

  I rubbed my chin as if deep in thought and then looked down at the clearing where my new treasure used to reside. Part of me wanted to blow the whole thing away but I decided against it. Mostly because I didn't want to risk breaking space or something stupid. I also didn't want to risk the other trees coming alive and trying to fuck me up.

  "Alright, lets get going. I want to see what I can do now."

  When Xerxes confirmed he was ready I grinned and leaped away. I nearly slammed into the next tree as I overshoot my intended target by nearly ten feet. I pulled myself out of the imprint I made and felt a bit like a cartoon character. Only the wooden splinters poking into made it much less comfortable. I took a minute to adjust my strength as Xerxes laughed in my mind.

  When I was reasonably sure I wouldn't slam into anything else we took off. With my new speed Xerxes had to push himself to keep which was fine by me.

  "?"

  I nodded and expanded my soul sense to its maximum range. "The first beast isn't too far from here. I want to see if I am strong enough to take it."

  I felt dull pulls in nearly every direction but my gut told me that it wasn't a good idea to chase them all down. At least not yet from what I could remember not every root led to a place that would be safe for me to visit. That and I didn't want to risk anyone else killing any of the beasts before we got there. I was pretty sure it was a winner takes all situation and I was going to be first to claim the reward.

  After that I would get my fight and then I would go home. Home to a world that was still in chaos. The journey flew by as we passed several weaker creatures. Including another of the camouflaged mantis. None of them gave me a challenge worth stopping for so we kept going. When the trees started to look familiar I slowed us down and began to search. A short file later I found it. A massive multi armed gorilla. It was probably two or even three times as big as a silverback and twice as muscular. I was pretty sure I could bombard it with attacks from here but a part of me wanted to see just my body had changed. This guy would be a beautiful test.

  I pushed spiritual energy into all four of my limbs and once again marveled at how easy it was. It was almost like my muscles were made for energy now. I could take around twice as much energy as before. I even felt like I could push that limit about without causing too much damage. When I was ready I nodded to Xerxes who leveled his eyes on the ape. I then launched myself from the tree like a rocket. It was time to have some fun.