Within the luminous sphere, the figure of black robes stood before the colossal Bodhi ancient tree, suddenly launching an assault upon it. In response, the Bodhi tree radiated waves of terrifying energy, powerful enough to cause the very heavens and earth to crumble beneath the intensity of their clash. Xiao Yan stared in awe at the fierce confrontation within the sphere, utterly stunned—how could it be that this Bodhi tree had once faced off against a Supreme Emperor-level warrior? Within the glow, the image did not cease merely because the black-robed Emperor had fallen. Suddenly, thin streams of black energy emerged within the void, swiftly rushing into the Bodhi ancient tree. As these streams entered, the clear qi that had long enveloped the tree subtly took on a faintly cold, shadowed tone. Xiao Yan gently closed his eyes, absorbing this unusual flow of information. After a while, he slowly opened them, now filled with a deeper understanding, as he learned many things from this information. The ancient bodhi tree before him had existed for countless ages, yet one thing was certain—it had always been there since ancient times. What surprised Xiao Yan slightly was that, despite this vast span of time, the bodhi tree had not evolved into a fully developed spiritual intelligence. Perhaps due to its extreme longevity, its intelligence had actually become incomplete. Regardless of the reason, the bodhi tree lacked true wisdom; it merely possessed basic functions of spiritual beings—such as autonomous protection or defense. Xiao Yan gazed at the ancient green tree before him, thoughtfully speaking. "Whoosh!" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the ancient tree swayed vigorously, as though nodding in agreement. Seeing this, Xiao Yan found himself somewhat taken aback, saying, "You're too generous with me. That's something left behind by a Battle Emperor—something I absolutely can't resolve..." Xiao Yan wasn't exaggerating. Even the resilient Bodhi Tree, under the weight of the Battle Emperor's negative emotions, had been left utterly devastated. With only his current nine-star Battle Sovereign strength, what could he possibly do? If things go wrong, he might just be overwhelmed by all those base, negative emotions—then he’d truly be in for a certain death. "Hush... hush..." As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, another luminous sphere emerged within the ancient tree. Inside the sphere, a flame appeared, then a lotus seed materialized. The flame engulfed and transformed the seed, releasing a stream of clear qi that flowed into the ancient tree’s body. With the influx of this qi, the previously pervasive cold and dullness of the tree seemed to gradually lighten. "Using a lotus seed to dispel those negative emotions?" Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. He glanced at the lotus seed in his hand, hesitating. "Could just this one, not particularly pure, lotus seed really do the trick for you?" "Hooosh…" The ancient tree swayed, and then one by one, green luminous dots drifted out from within its body, hovering before Xiao Yan. Their glow gradually dimmed, leaving him utterly stunned—each dot was a bodhi seed, and the clarity of their translucent hue was far more pure than the one he held in his hand. "One, two, three… twenty-four." As Xiao Yan scanned the glowing dots, a subtle twitch formed at the corners of his mouth. While bodhi seeds weren't as powerful as bodhi hearts, they significantly increased the chances of reaching the realm of Supreme Battle Saint. Outside, even these exceptionally high-quality seeds would command fierce competition—let alone his own, slightly weathered one, which would surely draw relentless pursuit from countless strong contenders. Yet now, the bodhi seeds—so rare outside—appeared in no less than twenty-plus before Xiao Yan, and at this very moment, he even felt a strong impulse to grab them all and bolt. Fortunately, Xiao Yan remained composed. Though the bodhi tree lacked full spiritual intelligence, its subtle, instinctive movements were enough to exhaust and overwhelm it repeatedly—mere hundreds of times over. The vivid illusion he had previously witnessed had already revealed just how formidable this ancient tree truly was. Had it possessed complete spiritual awareness, it would likely have been matched only by a handful of true titans across the Qi Continent. "Shh-shh..." As Xiao Yan winced in pain, the ancient tree swayed again, as if urging him on. Seeing this, Xiao Yan chuckled bitterly and nodded. He spread his hands, and a flame of purple-brown tinged with pale hues rose gently. Then, he picked up a lotus seed and tossed it into the flame. The lotus seed contained an exceptionally strong energy; even with the aid of the unusual fire, it proved quite difficult to fully refine. The refining process lasted approximately one hour, after which the lotus seed gradually transformed into a translucent, liquid form. Another half-hour passed before this liquid slowly evaporated, turning into a delicate stream of fresh, emerald-hued vapor. This vapor seeped through the flames and fully penetrated the bodhi tree's jade-like trunk. As the vapor entered, the bodhi tree trembled slightly, then a thin, faint black mist quietly emerged, dissolving into nothingness. "Shh-shh..." Upon seeing Xiao Yan go on strike, the Bodhi ancient tree began to sway, and then a sphere of green light radiated out from its trunk, forming an ancient, emerald-colored cushion at the base of the tree. The tree then extended a branch, lifting Xiao Yan and seating him upon the cushion. "Thud!"