Among the almost 100 residents in the village, only eleven could use divine sense. The rest were ordinary mortals. Yet, for Evergreen, it was more than enough. Its life suddenly became much more intense, filled with newfound companions and endless dialogues. What the humans once saw as merely natural treasure they flocked around, turned overnight in the heart of the community.

  Communication was a two-way process, so Evergreen was also inundating the humans with questions. It started to learn a great deal about the world, things that it could not physically experience. Humans, it discovered, had a remarkable system of knowledge, exchanging information with each other to build a collective understanding of the world. However this system was not without flaw. Sometimes the information would become distorted or lost, wether by accident or on purpose. Evergreen was surprised and fascinated to discover about the behavior known as lying, where and individual would deliberately spread false information, usually stemming from a selfish position.

  As it continued absorbing more knowledge, Evergreen discovered that they inhabited a vast planet. The elder explained that, although no one knew the exact number of humans living in this world, it was presumed to be in the hundreds of billions. Other planets existed in the world, but the humans only heard stories about them. One needed an extremely high level of cultivation to be able to visit other planets. A strong desire to explore the world ignited in the tree’s mind, alas it was bound to earth. It could not roam free. Perhaps if it would succeed growing to a much higher level like the cultivators from the humans tales, it might be able to leave this planet and wander freely.

  A lingering thought was born into its mind, eventually posing a question to the Elder.

  “Brother Hamas, why did you come to this place? If you are free to roam the world why decide to live in only one place?“

  Elder Hamas sighed deeply, a sound heavy with sorrow.

  "Ah..." he began,”we were once part of a much larger clan. That time has passed though. All we had is now lost, except our lives. Yes we should be thankful for our lives.”

  He then started recounting a tale of their once flourishing sect, located far away in a distant country.

  “We were many back then as big as a small city, but our enemies were stronger. In a single dark and bloody night they nearly obliterated us all. The few who survived fled in all directions in hope of finding safety. With almost nothing left, we ran for days fearful of our enemies pursuit. Until one day when we stumbled upon this place. It was you dear brother Evergreen, we were drawn to you. You have to understand even though we can roam free, we humans long for a place of our own, a place we can call home.“ After listening to the elder’s tale, Evergreen made a vow to itself that it would always protect its newfound family.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  As the years passed, the village continued to grow steadily. It was Evergreen’s 69th year since it gained awareness when Elder Hamas died of old age. In that same year that Evergreen witnessed a significant event. The young boy, now a man named Dedalus, the first human to ever speak to Evergreen made a breakthrough in his cultivation journey, reaching the stage humans referred to as a Core Formation cultivator.

  “Haha, now our shitdog clan will thrive again.“ Dedalus laughed. Indeed his prediction came true. Dedalus was merely the first to break through, and in the years that followed few others also broke through to Core Formation.

  The entire process was closely observed by Evergreen. When breaking through the cultivator had to be able to condense qi to such a degree, until it became liquid. A small drop would form in a specific area, right below the navel, referred to as dantian by the humans. This feat triggered an evolution of the body and soul, tempering the cells and came with significant increases in strength and resilience. The soul was also nurtured, Evergreen could feel it in their divine sense becoming sharper and broader.

  Humans relied on cultivation manuals passed down from generation to generation to harness qi, but for a tree cultivator, no such thing existed. Evergreen would have to find its own path.

  Undertaking such a monumental task demanded a lot of patience, something Evergreen possessed in vast amounts.One might say patience was its most defining attribute.

  Employing the same approach it had used to grew ear shaped leaves, Evergreen turned its focus inwards on its own body and cells.Slowly it began altering its own structure. Midway up its trunk, it chose the perfect spot and began constructing a formation identical to the human dantian. It then carefully drew meridians throughout its body linking them with its dantian. Its cultivation progressed more slowly compared to humans, partially because its soul and qi capacity were much larger requiring much more energy to be able achieve a break through to Core Formation. Its divine sense was already extending more than 100km in every direction, a feat that only human Core Formation cultivators barely managed.For the next half a century Evergreen remain committed to its slow and steady cultivation process. Meanwhile, the humans grew stronger and their small town continued to prosper, eventually becoming a bustling city.

  Time marched on, the days and seasons performing their eternal dance. Evergreen had already reached the age of 119 years old, when its break through finally occurred. A small drop of liquid qi finally condensed in its dantian. A profound change surged through every cell in its body, infusing them with vitality and vigor, while its soul was being tempered at the same time by waves of natural energy.

  Everything changed in an instant. Its divine sense savagely expanded, almost tripling in seconds. The world became more detailed to its sense, more vivid and it could feel a never-ending flow of vitality coursing through its body. Yet, it remained as immobile as ever. The breakthrough increased all of its aspects, but it didn’t change the fact that it was still a tree, rooted to the ground.

  Evergreen’s breakthrough rippled through the entire surrounding city like a shockwave.

  Mortals and immortals alike felt the sudden fluctuation and understood its meaning. Many had noticed the tree’s efforts over the years and now its struggle finally borne fruit. There was joy among many of those who revered their ever present protector.

  “Old friend Evergreen you’ve finally done it! I knew you would succeed. You possess an immortal spirit within.“ Dedalus proclaimed joyfully.