Chapter 1

Tahe Kingdom, Gulan Temple.

A willow tree had taken root deep within the temple.

Its trunk was straight, its color a brownish hue, and its bark was rough, but its branches hung gracefully, each one smooth, adorned with green leaves, a vibrant green. The leaves were like undulating boats, and a gentle breeze caused the branches to sway lightly, the leaves dancing at the tips like boats on the water.

However, what caught the eye was a single willow branch that emitted a soft green light.

Under the night sky, it was particularly dazzling.

"Did I really become a willow tree?"

With a somewhat astonished voice, Muzi'an fell silent.

He had been transported.

And he had become a willow tree.

Instinctively, he moved, and the branches swayed in the night, as if dancing.

It wasn't the night wind that caused this.

It was Muzi'an controlling the branches.

...

Muzi'an wasn't too concerned about being transported.

After all, in his previous life, he had been bedridden for a long time, and being transported was a fortunate event for him.

But why a willow tree?

Even if he had become a monkey or a pig, it would have been better than a willow tree.

"Sigh."

With a sigh, Muzi'an began to study the glowing branch.

This world seemed different from his previous one.

In the air, there were some glowing particles.

Absorbing these particles, Muzi'an could clearly feel the branches becoming lighter and more resilient, as if evolving.

Like now, the longest branch, the one that glowed.

"Swish..."

Suddenly, it broke through the air, moving sharply in the sky, creating a whistling sound.

"It's like a whip striking."

As he murmured to himself, Muzi'an was startled.

His current abilities seemed extraordinary.

Without mentioning other things, just being a tree and being able to control the branches freely was strange.

Moreover, his senses.

Even though he was a tree, Muzi'an could easily see the surroundings, and even in 360 degrees.

His perspective kept rising, and he seemed to be looking down at the entire scene, an old, dilapidated temple coming into view.

"The branches extend my vision; it's as if my eyes are on the branches, no, more than that..."

Murmuring softly, Muzi'an pondered.

This was somewhat like the legendary divine consciousness.

Without physical eyes, one could still perceive everything.

Specifically, Muzi'an didn't fully understand yet.

But such a 360-degree, unobstructed view was quite enjoyable.

Nothing could escape Muzi'an's sight.

"Could I have become a legendary tree spirit?"

With a somewhat astonished voice, Muzi'an was surprised.

A spirit—supernatural beings existing in the world, which people, due to cognitive limitations, could not explain scientifically, hence calling them 'spirits.'

And now, he was likely a spirit.

Though a tree, he had human consciousness.

"If there are spirits in this world, then..."

Murmuring softly, Muzi'an's face showed anticipation.

If spirits existed, then the existence of immortals and deities shouldn't be strange either.

So, he still had possibilities.

Other possibilities.

With a smile, Muzi'an began to study his current body.

"Swish, swish..."

One after another, the branches whipped through the air.

This particular branch was quite interesting.

Like a whip,

it repeatedly struck, creating a whistling sound in the night sky.

It looked quite powerful.

However, unfortunately,

he only had this one branch that could do this.

The other branches, though controllable, were far less flexible and convenient.

In Muzi'an's words, controlling the other branches felt stiff and required a lot of effort.

But this one branch was like an extension of his arm.

"Swish..."

Another whistling sound, and a white wave of air appeared in the night sky.

This gave an idea of how powerful Muzi'an's strike was.

At this moment, as if noticing something, Muzi'an's gaze suddenly focused.

He saw,

a creature that looked like a mosquito nearby.

"Slap..."

With a sudden swing, creating a whistling sound, the branch struck the mosquito hard.

However, in the next moment, Muzi'an's body trembled.

"What is this?"

With a somewhat astonished voice, Muzi'an felt a strange sensation in this branch.

It was as if a warm current had entered his body.

Though small, it was very clear.

"There's no mistake; something has entered my body."

Thinking this, Muzi'an began a more in-depth study.

...

Time slowly passed, and it was already late at night.

At this moment, if one looked from Muzi'an's perspective, they would see a blue panel floating in front of him, like a game character's status screen.

【Name: Muzi'an.

Race: Mutated Willow Tree.

Rank: Unranked.

Evolution Points: 0.1 (Can be used to strengthen the body or upgrade abilities.)

Innate Talent: Plunder—Can plunder the flesh of living beings to gain energy.

Ability: Whip—Can make the mutated branch strike like a whip.

】

Looking at it quietly, Muzi'an fell silent.

This sense of déjà vu was strange.

But this should be his "golden finger."

Not bad.

At least, Muzi'an was familiar with it.

Especially this panel, which introduced his abilities in great detail.

"The warm current just now must have been my talent activating, plundering a certain amount of energy."

"And this energy, under some mysterious force, turned into evolution points, which can strengthen me."

After pondering for a while, Muzi'an roughly understood his "golden finger."

In simple terms, it was about killing enemies and plundering.

Then growing.

But how could a tree kill enemies?

Would he have to wait for them to come close one by one?

That would be a slow way to level up.

Moreover, what did "Unranked" mean?

Could it be the cultivation level in this world?

Confused and puzzled,

he was, after all, just a tree, with no "previous life" to speak of.

And no "memories of a previous life."

His understanding of this world was very vague.

Even now, he didn't know what this world was like.

But just looking at the dilapidated temple,

with its green tiles and the stone well not far away,

it didn't seem very modern.

"Maybe it's because it's deep in the mountains, isolated from the world."

With a glimmer of hope, Muzi'an stopped delving deeper.

Where he was now didn't seem to matter.

After all, he was just a tree.

What could a tree do?

Even if he could control some branches, it was hard to change anything.

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Muzi'an suppressed his thoughts.

Compared to these, Muzi'an preferred to look to the future.

"If this world really has cultivation..."

"If this world really has immortals and deities..."

"Then..."

Murmuring softly, Muzi'an's gaze turned to the starry sky, different from before.

The stars here were particularly brilliant.

Particularly dazzling.

"Let's become a willow deity first."