The transfer of blood qi and soul force lasted for a long time. It was only after a full day that a weakened Qi Ping finally stopped.
'Whew! No wonder the Sun-Blaze Wood can serve as the foundation for my resurrection. This process is literally shaping a new body and soul for me inside the tree.'
He could now clearly feel a body that belonged to him inside the Sun-Blaze Wood. With a single thought, he could wake it up. However, this body was not yet fully matured; it was like a blank sheet of paper. Only if his current body died would the one in the tree trigger the pact, waking up with his consciousness intact.
'And I'll have to renew the pact every time my strength increases significantly, otherwise, the resurrection won't bring me back at my full power...'
As he felt his weakened state, he realized the downside of the Life-Bound Pact: his current body and soul felt completely hollowed out. He was incredibly frail. At this rate, it would take him about a month to fully recover.
'But regardless, this is an extra life—one that can be remade even after it's used!'
He was thrilled. Who wouldn't be overjoyed at having a repeatable extra life?
'I'll wait until I'm fully recovered before I try to condense the Treant Clone.'
He didn't know how much energy the clone would consume, but in his current state, it was likely too much to handle. He suppressed his curiosity and focused on his recovery.
A month later, just as he was nearing full health, the Bee Queen flew over and landed on his shoulder.
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, the honey research you ordered is done! We've found 372 different combinations. Take a look and see which ones you want us to mass-produce...)"
"372? That many?"
"Buzz buzz... (Yeah, those Medic Bees love making weird stuff. But some of them have really strong auras; the effects should be great.)"
"Excellent, let's go have a look!"
Qi Ping was eager to see what the bees had brewed.
Shortly after, he arrived at the Golden Marrow Bee hive. The 372 samples were neatly arranged before him. At first glance, he was already stunned by a few of them.
Some samples radiated a dense aura of both the sun and spirit herbs. Just by looking, he could tell that the ratio of solar essence to herbal essence was perfectly balanced. It was a heavy, harmonious scent. These were clearly the highlights of the batch!
He began to test them carefully. With his Brewing Artisan talent, he could easily distinguish the medicinal properties of each sample. It took him quite some time to finish the testing.
By the end, his smile was so wide it almost reached his ears. These Medic Bees really were something else!
"You've all done a fantastic job!" he praised them sincerely.
"Buzz buzz... (Hehe! As long as Boss is happy!)"
"Buzz buzz... (We'll keep working hard!)"
"Buzz buzz... (You can leave all the honey to us from now on!)"
Hearing his praise, the Medic Bees buzzed with excitement. The Bee Queen watched silently, but it was internally very satisfied with its growing kingdom. Ever since following Qi Ping, the tribe had grown at a speed it never could have imagined. Its admiration for him grew even deeper.
Qi Ping compared the samples he had just tasted and picked out several standouts.
The first was brewed using a small amount of solar essence, Green Moon Fruit, Fire Spirit Grass, and Firefly Fruit, then balanced and enhanced with eleven other spirit herbs. Its effect on boosting fire-attribute spiritual energy was almost unbelievable, and it also had a powerful effect on tempering and strengthening the physical body.
This was easily the best of the bunch!
Qi Ping named it the 'Sun-Blaze Green Spirit Honey.'
'The effect of this honey is countless times better than simply consuming the ingredients separately!'
'The path of medicine and refinement is truly profound!'
There was a reason Alchemists were the most popular and indispensable profession in the cultivation world.
Beyond the Sun-Blaze Green Spirit Honey, several others were very useful. There was the 'Green Moon Spirit-Replenishing Honey,' which was excellent for restoring spiritual energy. Then there was the 'Green Spirit Honey,' a balanced variety for general spiritual growth and body nourishment—perfect for the Spirit Fox and the Three-Colored Deer.
As for the honey used to nurture the different bee types, he left that to the bees themselves. They knew their own needs better than he did.
"From now on, focus on the Sun-Blaze Green Spirit Honey. Your own growth honey comes next, and we'll brew small amounts of the others as needed..."
"Buzz buzz... (Understood, Boss! Consider it done!)"
After arranging the honey production, Qi Ping spent some time nurturing the Green Moon Fruits. The tree had passed its initial stage, so the harvest cycle should now be around three to four months. This meant that he, Yaya, and the bees were about to enter a period of rapid growth!
A few days later, once his body and soul were completely restored, Qi Ping began the process of condensing the Treant Clone!
The Sun-Blaze Wood, radiating the brilliance of the great sun, now housed a body with an aura nearly identical to his own—his second life. In the future, he would only need to renew the pact when his strength took a major leap, and since the foundation was already there, it wouldn't be as draining as the first time.
'Let's begin!'
'I hope this Treant Clone is strong and has a high degree of autonomy!'
If it did, his main body could stay safely in the territory, focused on cultivation, while the clone went out to earn spirit stones and gather resources.
It would be even better if he could find a self-destruction technique that could completely incinerate blood energy and the physical form. If he encountered an unbeatable enemy, he could just blow up the clone, wounding the foe and erasing all traces of his existence.
After all, if the clone was destroyed, he could just make a new one...