Time in Green Mist Village no longer flowed as it once did. Seasons passed like turning pages, and under Tian Yuan's guidance, seven seeds began to sprout into mighty roots.
Morning after morning, the sun rose to find them training in the mist-covered fields, their breaths steady, their movements shaped by the soil itself. Tian Yuan taught them not as a sect master would, with rigid manuals, but as a farmer tends to his crops—individually, patiently, giving each the care it needed to grow in its own way.
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The First Years – Breaking the Soil
The early years were brutal.
Tian Yuan refused to allow them to use high-level cultivation techniques until they understood the basics of balance. For the first three years, they worked as farmers—tilling the soil by hand, planting crops, and learning how the land responded to touch, temperature, and spiritual flow.
Mei Lin worked tirelessly, her small hands blistered but never stopping. Tian Yuan often found her whispering to the plants, and by the second year, sprouts began leaning toward her as if listening.
Tian Long practiced his sword after every fieldwork, his strikes slow, deliberate, each one guided by the feel of roots beneath his feet. Tian Yuan corrected him only with a single phrase:
> "A sword that does not understand the soil will never stand firm."
Shen Huo, impatient as always, tried to sneak spear training during planting, earning a sharp flick of Tian Yuan's Hoe on his forehead. Yet, by the fourth year, his spear thrusts moved with the rhythm of sprouting roots, unpredictable yet natural.
Wu Fang often carried the heaviest loads, his muscles growing like tree trunks. Tian Yuan once tied him to a boulder and made him plow a field with his bare hands—by the time he broke free, his strength flowed with the patience of stone itself.
Lan Xue and Ruo Ying spent hours studying herbs, Tian Yuan often making them grow medicinal plants instead of harvesting wild ones. Lan Xue learned to enhance soil for poison-brewing, while Ruo Ying learned how to keep roots alive even when the plant should have died.
Han Luo wrote endlessly, recording every observation Tian Yuan muttered. He even began mapping spiritual soil veins across the village, earning a rare approving nod from his master.
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The Middle Years – Branching Out
By the tenth year, their cultivation had taken root.
Tian Yuan began teaching them techniques that merged their specialties with soil cultivation.
Mei Lin could now call vines and flowers to life with a whisper. Her life force control became so refined she could make a single wilted seed sprout into a blooming flower in seconds.
Tian Long fused his sword with soil essence, creating a style known as "Rooted Flow Sword," where his strikes curved unpredictably, like roots spreading underground before piercing upward.
Shen Huo developed the "Sprouting Spear," his thrusts starting slow before bursting forward explosively, mimicking seeds breaking through soil.
Wu Fang learned to infuse weapons with soil strength. His hammer strikes caused tremors in the ground, earning him the nickname "Iron Root."
Lan Xue mastered balance in her concoctions. Her potions glowed with green-gold essence, able to either heal grievous wounds or rot flesh instantly, depending on intent.
Ruo Ying advanced so far in life cultivation she could mend torn meridians by guiding spiritual roots through the body. People already whispered of her as a "Divine Doctor."
Han Luo wrote the first draft of "The Roots of Balance," a cultivation manual blending Tian Yuan's teachings with his own insights.
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The Later Years – Trees Rising
Decades passed. Their power grew to levels unseen in the continent.
By the fortieth year:
Mei Lin's life cultivation allowed her to revitalize entire farmlands in days.
Tian Long's swordsmanship rivaled the strongest sect masters.
Shen Huo became nearly untouchable in battle, his laughter echoing with every unpredictable strike.
Wu Fang's strength surpassed even sect elders, his strikes causing earthquakes.
Lan Xue's potions became priceless treasures, sought by nobles and cultivators alike.
Ruo Ying could bring back people on the brink of death, her reputation spreading far and wide.
Han Luo's written works circulated secretly among smaller villages, inspiring countless to adopt balance-based cultivation.
Tian Yuan watched all of this quietly, his golden-red eyes soft whenever they trained in the fields.
Yet he never praised them openly.
One evening, as the sun set, Shen Huo grinned, sweat dripping as he collapsed into the grass.
> "Master… do you ever smile when we're not looking?"
Tian Yuan looked at them, his expression calm as always, but his voice, for the first time in years, carried warmth.
> "I smile every day. The soil is growing well."
The seven froze, exchanging surprised glances before breaking into laughter.
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The day of their departure would come soon, but for now, they trained under their master's quiet gaze, roots growing stronger beneath the soil, preparing to spread across the world.
End of Chapter 35