Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos. Chapter 670. [Shadow] and Sixth Energy Cycle

As the levels increased, Liu Shu broke through so many barriers that the feedback beca strenuous to even accept. As Liu Shu reached Level 150 from Level 100, she had to go through four , two , one , and one .

These extra eight layers that separated Level 100 and Level 150 were not easy to walk through effortlessly. Thankfully, Liu Shu had an advantage. Her were all 100% perfected. They flowed within her without any obstruction, each one giving her power in a complex yet perfectly functional net of ternary essence.

Liu Shu’s levels increased quickly.

Level 110… 120… 125… 130…

Along the years she spent Leveling Up, her body grew exponentially. Her height of 12,000 ters at Level 101 basically exploded, multiplying over and over again.

However, even as she advanced her levels, Liu Shu could feel a barrier of sorts. This barrier was the barrier.

“For the , I needed to complete the from the . I did it perfectly, so I achieved 100% Cycle perfection even without relying on my own .”

Within her mind’s eye, Liu Shu could see how her strength evolved and multiplied. At her current pace of growth, enemies like Altherion already felt… too weak.

After all, Liu Shu’s stats didn’t just grow by themselves. She was a powerful A Tier World Tree, but that didn’t give her the biggest difference maker.

What set her utterly apart from others, leaving any competition in the dust, were her and . These “equipnts” were not really equipnt, as calling them part of Liu Shu’s existence would be more accurate.

After all, they were linked to her being, Leveling Up with her, and giving her unrivaled strength in the sa .

The Sylvans had gained two such powerful pieces of equipnt with their , so they were all monsters of their own kind. But compared to Liu Shu’s six pieces of equipnt, they all fell sowhat short.

‘Let’s focus on the .’

Her accumulated knowledge flashed through her mind, making clear what was needed for this step. Even then, she was not dependent on them. ‘These thods don’t assure a 100% Cycle Completion.’

Like always, Liu Shu would not be satisfied with anything less than perfect. So, she just gathered enough knowledge of the concept that this cycle covered.

“To complete this cycle, I need to develop my… .”

This elusive concept that she encountered so long ago was now much more familiar. The of a being is like the other side of the coin. It didn’t really exist, as it was similar to a soul. There, one was able to develop their strength, body, soul, and even link with equipnt.

In a way, the was a creature’s “True Self.”

Liu Shu didn’t really believe that was the case. While the information all pointed at that, being so definitive about it felt wrong. ‘Our existence is a mix of both, our selves and our .’

If the body was made of body, mind, and soul, the was made out of existence, presence, and essence.

“Hm…” Liu Shu asked Wisdom and the system for a little more information. “What can you tell about the ?”

[System Hint: It’s sothing unreachable. A part of one’s being that shows what they are and what they aren’t. Even if a tree managed to beco a humanoid, their will always remain a tree.]

Liu Shu was faintly surprised. “Oh? System, did sothing happy occur? You are awfully communicative today! I even feel that asking Wisdom is sowhat redundant!’

[...]

[Wisdom: The system spoke what we are allowed to expose. The only thing you need to focus on and know now about the is that it’s sothing that represents you as an individual. There are arts that can mimic bodies, mories, and even souls. However, there exists nothing that can mimic a being’s .]

Liu Shu nodded to herself, her mind’s eyes flashing with many profound thoughts. Unlike in the past, she was now incredibly inford. The number of books and information she has absorbed would probably make any humanoid’s mind collapse.

Liu Shu, therefore, didn’t ask further. After all, she didn’t really want to always rely on these two. She would always ask them, and she would always listen to what they said. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to follow what they said like a mindless drone.

Instead, Liu Shu wanted full autonomy over her powers.

A strange thought appeared in her mind. “...What if the disappears in the future?” The was sothing that was an integral part of their lives. Having been born with it, her current thought was nothing but ridiculous.

It would be like a person asking themselves. “What if I suddenly lose motor skills?”

Still, Liu Shu couldn’t help but linger on it. With all her accumulated knowledge, and knowing that the didn’t really exist since the very beginning, it made it not an inherent quality, but one that developed.

This was very different. After all, gravity was an inherent quality of the universe, and no one would ever think of it disappearing. Yet, sothing that suddenly developed could, in the sa manner, un-develop or vanish.

If it had a start, it would most probably have an end!

Liu Shu’s thoughts didn’t go unnoticed by either the System or Wisdom. The , being an observer, didn’t answer. Wisdom, on the other hand, decided to speak up.

[Wisdom: You are too weak to even think of things like these. When you reach higher realms, you should focus on them more. Nevertheless, before you can start sensing the origin or source of the with your own senses, thinking about these things will only do harm.]

“Source…” Liu Shu chewed that word and savored it. “The is a collective of information that gained semi-sentience. It doens’t have wants, but it follows so rules.” A touch of deep interest flashed in her eyes. “So interesting. When I get stronger, I’ll have to dissect this information better.”

The felt a strange chill.

“Either way. To complete my , I must develop my soul… wrong, my and allow it to mature and influence more actively, right?”

[Wisdom: That’s the gist of it.]

With that in mind, Liu Shu relaxed and sank her consciousness to the deepest part of her existence.

First, she saw her body and mind. Her overwhelmingly massive self, encompassing several worlds, was nothing short of magnificent. Since her main body was so diminutive in comparison, she looked more like a bunch of intertwined filants pulsing with endless vitality and strength.

Liu Shu found it quite funny. This was like having a peanut-sized head and a normal-sized human body. It was extrely disproportionate.

“Will my body’s size ever catch up?”

[Wisdom: In higher levels, it will. A True World Tree’s growth is exponential, not linear.]

“Wow~, what will happen when I am bigger than the solar system?”

When that thought crossed her mind, Liu Shu felt weird. Still, due to her translucent body, she might not bother those living within, as they will be able to see as if she were air. Only once soone zood out enough would they probably manage to “see” her as a whole.

“Sigh…” Liu Shu felt a bit… dazed. “The stronger I beco, the less… connected I am.”

It felt as if her path was pushing her toward pure loneliness as a being that encompassed everything. Together with being an being, Liu Shu once more feared for her future.

“My .”

She spoke up, refocusing her thoughts one more ti. When she was in these situations, she couldn’t help but linger on her worries. However, now it was not the ti.

After observing her outer existence, she dug deeper and soon found her soul. Her soul was massive as well, but it was contained within her main body. This part of her own self was equally vibrant, showing incredible vitality.

Her senses dug deeper, though. She focused, trying to pierce through that abstract veil and see her .

After zooming in for a while, she saw her . The center of her existence.

She didn’t linger, though. Instead, she pushed her senses further, and soon, the world twisted and shattered.

BANG!

“...Here I am.”

In this space, Liu Shu saw a beautiful white tree. The tree was identical to her, but the roots of this tree did not extend far. It felt as if soone took her core being and ripped it out of the complex root network.

The Liu Shu inside held up the canopy in the sa way, and the five all glead with their individual colors. The glead green; the