"It's close, really close."
From a high vantage point, Yu Ziyu gazed at the mist-shrouded Ten-Thousand Great Mountains, his heart filled with deep anticipation.
Transcendent Tier 3—it was still out of reach for now.
After all, he was a tree, a spirit entity walking the most extreme path, needing immense accumulation in all aspects.
But it was different for other mutated beasts.
They were ultimately a group of beasts with limited intelligence. Given some opportunity, they would evolve recklessly, and through brute force and accumulation, some might forcibly break through to Transcendent Tier 3.
And once such a Tier 3 mutated beast emerged, the conflict between humanity and mutated beasts would fully erupt.
By then, a true Transcendent Era would descend upon the world.
Of course, even if these wild beasts managed to break through, they would likely regress shortly afterward due to their lack of foundation—leaving fatal weaknesses or severely shortened lifespans.
No matter which, they would be sacrificing inevitabilities in exchange for speed of evolution.
Beasts like these posed no real threat to Yu Ziyu—but to humanity, they were a catastrophic danger.
So yes, Yu Ziyu was looking forward to it.
He eagerly anticipated the emergence of such a "Calamity-Class" mutated beast.
Because its presence would draw the eyes of all humanity.
The first to stick out gets shot—simple truth.
Given the choice, Yu Ziyu had no intention of becoming the first Transcendent Tier 3 entity.
After all, facing all of humanity, even the mightiest Tier 3 would likely fall and become a research specimen.
As for how humanity would even know when a Tier 3 emerged?
That didn't need much thought.
When he himself had broken through to Tier 1, the spiritual energy fluctuation—over 17,000—had already alerted them.
A wave as massive as one with a million spiritual energy units? No fool would miss that.
Thus, breakthrough among Transcendent beings was supremely dangerous—not just because of natural tribulations, but because of human ones as well.
Letting out a bitter laugh, Yu Ziyu also thought about his upcoming breakthrough to Tier 2.
If he couldn't find a proper way to mask his energy signature in time, then shortly after breaking through, a nuclear missile might just drop on his head.
Of course, ordinary mutated beasts didn't have to worry about this.
Can't win? Run.
But he…
"Heh."
With an awkward smile, Yu Ziyu's gaze shifted deep into the earth.
Before his eyes was a web-like structure stretching kilometers, roots weaving through rock fissures and burrowing deep into the earth.
This was his trump card.
If pushed to the brink, he could upheave several kilometers of terrain in an instant—an actual Earth Dragon's Roar.
And if he was truly desperate, Yu Ziyu could channel the main root buried hundreds of meters deep into the earth to trigger the underground spiritual river, unleashing a cataclysmic earthquake that would engulf countless mountains and even cities.
Of course, doing that would probably cost him his life.
A trump card, indeed.
And an utterly terrifying one.
Its power might rival a full-force strike from the peak of Tier 2 entities.
But it was also his greatest limitation.
Roots.
The very foundation of a tree's life.
Just thinking about it made Yu Ziyu want to cough up sap.
If only he were just a mutated beast—even an average one—life would be so much easier.
Not like now, where he had to constantly worry about being discovered by humans.
"Ahem."
He coughed dryly, resignation in his tone.
Before he could say more, however, a voice echoed nearby:
"Master, do you like snow?"
Following the sound, in the vast whiteness of snow-covered ground, stood a long-haired girl in silence.
She was dressed in a red gown, her silhouette faint and ghost-like.
Her eyes stared at the snow-covered land, calm and captivating.
The red-clad figure stood graceful and alluring, with a mysterious charm.
He Qing'er.
Rank Nine Entry-level—just one step away from breaking into Transcendent Tier 1.
Compared to before, her figure had grown even more defined. But within that clarity was a faint ethereal quality—like she could shift between states at will.
What stood out the most, however, was how truly enchanting He Qing'er had become.
Not just in appearance, but in aura.
"In the north, there lives a beauty, unmatched in the world."
This line flashed through Yu Ziyu's mind as he beheld the scene before him.
"I don't particularly like snow," he replied, eyes fixed on the distant girl.
After a moment's pause, he added, "As a plant, winter's hardly a favorite season."
"I suppose that makes sense,"
He Qing'er nodded playfully, smiling gently. Then she lifted her red dress slightly and walked toward Yu Ziyu's main body, taking delicate steps across the snow.
As always, she gently placed her hand against his thick trunk.
Her expression… complicated.
Respect, admiration, yearning, and perhaps something more…
Yu Ziyu couldn't quite tell, and that alone made him sigh inwardly.
These past few months, it wasn't just him growing.
He Qing'er was growing too—both in power and in mind.
But there was no helping that.
During the day, she wasn't "He Qing'er" at all—but rather someone called He Ling'er.
A name now known across several major spiritual energy institutes as one of the most brilliant talents.
So young, and already Entry-level Rank Eight—among the top-tier of humanity.
Some called her the Flame Princess.
Others, Blazing Empress.
Every title she bore carried the weight of extraordinary talent.
But in truth, her core remained a ghostly remnant. To conceal that, she wore the mask of "Ling'er" ever more skillfully.
And as Yu Ziyu had once told her—wear the mask too long, and you can't take it off.
In time, the mask had begun to change her. Her original personality, too, had been altered—infused with traces of humanity.
Yes, humanity.
In other words—her thoughts grew more intricate. Her feelings, more nuanced.
This kind of complexity, appearing in a wandering spirit, was... strange.
Perhaps, for He Qing'er, Yu Ziyu had become her sole anchor—her one connection to stability.
Because of that, her feelings toward him had grown increasingly complicated.
So complicated, in fact, that even Yu Ziyu could tell—something wasn't quite right.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。