In the modified D&D game Qi Ping remembered, the Shepherd of Trees had a nickname: "The Production Machine."
This was because the Shepherd of Trees possessed a very powerful advancement talent: Tree-Spirit Contract!
[Tree-Spirit Contract: As a Shepherd of Trees, you can form contracts with trees and etch a Tree-Spirit Imprint upon them. (The number of contracted trees is related to your spirit-soul strength; the stronger your spirit-soul, the more trees you can contract.)]
[Tree-Spirit Imprint: You can etch a spell imprint that aligns with the tree's characteristics into the Tree-Spirit. A tree with an imprint will gain that spell ability...]
This talent sounded simple, but it was actually incredibly powerful. The upper limit of this ability depended entirely on the player's imagination.
For example, if someone etched a "Mineral Collection" spell imprint into a metal-attribute tree, the tree would continuously condense refined iron ores around itself. If they etched a "Lunar Essence Collection" spell into a moon-attribute tree, it would provide a steady supply of lunar essence.
Most crucially, once a tree was etched with a collection spell, it would work twenty-four hours a day without pause, producing a vast amount of resources.
Players had developed all sorts of bizarre ways to use this skill.
However, due to the nature of the game itself, there were many restrictions. After all, producing so many strange items was often useless—it was just overproduction.
'But I'm in a cultivation world now!' Qi Ping's heart surged with joy.
He had been unable to decide which advancement to choose, but seeing the Star-Spirit Wood seed today had instantly cleared his mind.
'It has to be the Shepherd of Trees!'
For instance, he was currently facing a shortage of spiritual land. But what if he etched a Spirit-Gathering Art into a Star-Spirit Wood?
With the Spirit-Gathering Art stacked on top of the tree's innate ability, its capacity to gather spiritual energy would skyrocket. If he then added a massive Spirit-Gathering Formation, wouldn't he be able to create his own spiritual land?
'Exactly. If I successfully etch a Spirit-Gathering Art into a Star-Spirit Wood, I could find a remote, desolate place in the depths of the Cloud-Mist Mountains and build a home where I won't be disturbed.'
'Then, by using the formation to slowly collect ambient spiritual energy, combined with some cheap spiritual materials, and finally aided by the Star-Spirit Wood with the imprint, I could create fertile, spirit-dense land!'
'As long as the spell, the tree, and the formation are strong enough, and I supplement it with spirit-rich materials, the upper limit of that land can keep rising...'
'Then I could use a formation on the outermost layer to completely hide the area...'
'That way, I can build a secret territory just for me without anyone else finding out!'
Thinking of this, Qi Ping couldn't help but get excited.
His greatest fear right now was that by planting various spiritual items on the Qingyuan Sect's land, he would be discovered or disturbed by strangers. Even if he learned and set up many powerful formations later, it would be hard to avoid the gaze of the sect or other high-level cultivators.
But a desolate place deep in the mountains was different. As long as it was hidden well, who would find a spiritual plot there?
Then, Qi Ping could grow whatever he wanted without any reservations. He wouldn't have to worry about people discovering his herbs, nor would he have to harvest everything before he went out.
'I would finally have a place that truly belongs to me!'
Thinking of this, he wasn't just excited; he felt like weeping with joy.
Since he began cultivating, he had been plagued by the lack of spiritual land. With his various abilities, it was impossible to survive without its support!
The Qingyuan Sect, and most other sects in the world, used spiritual land to control the vast majority of cultivators. Qi Ping was also trapped by this.
But now, he had found a way to manufacture his own spiritual land. One could only imagine his current excitement. He could finally break free from the sect's control!
For someone like him, who harbored so many secrets, this was even more crucial.
'Stay calm... stay calm...'
After the initial burst of excitement, Qi Ping took several deep breaths to steady himself. He was still far from building his secret territory.
First, he had to meet several conditions:
Advance his profession to Shepherd of Trees.
Obtain the Spirit-Gathering Art and master it to at least the "Small Success" stage, ideally perfection.
Achieve proficiency in formations, being able to set up Spirit-Gathering Formations and corresponding concealment formations.
'Only after meeting these conditions can I begin building my own land...'
'And if I want to keep improving my land later, I'll have to keep strengthening my formation skills and learning more powerful Spirit-Gathering Arts. I can't slack on my spirit-soul strength either...'
Even so, he was incredibly happy. Though it was a bit of a hassle, having a piece of spiritual land that wasn't controlled or discovered by others was infinitely worth it. The combination of Shepherd of Trees, Star-Spirit Wood, and the Spirit-Gathering Art directly solved one of his most fundamental problems.
Only now did he realize how powerful the Shepherd of Trees was in a cultivation world.
And that wasn't the only way to play. Using the Tree-Spirit Contract, he could also use trees to produce various rare resources to build his territory! Production was just one aspect; the contract could even be used for combat.
For example, he could etch an Explosive Flame spell into a fire-attribute spiritual tree. As the tree grew over time, the power of that spell would reach a terrifying level. At that point, he could control the tree to unleash a massive fireball that had been accumulating power for a long time!
'Yes, that's it. In two or three months, once my Druid level hits five, I'll choose Shepherd of Trees as my advancement!'
'Besides the imprint, the Shepherd of Trees also has more ways to gain Druid experience, which will speed up my leveling.'
'Once my level is higher and I gain the ability to nurture Treant Warriors, I can even create a battalion of them and set up formations to guard my territory...'
Having decided on his future direction, Qi Ping quickly sent a message to Meng Yan. He asked the man to help him acquire formation knowledge and various formations—Spirit-Gathering, defense, offense, and concealment. He also requested any insights or journals regarding formations.
Meng Yan replied quickly:
'Meng Yan: A small matter. You just need to wait, Brother Qi. I will definitely find the best formation cultivation knowledge for you!'