Chapter 31: The Tree of Beginnings
Recap: Fang Yuan planted the Seed at the Moonlight Gu pond, where it grew into a shimmering Tree of silver and gold. Creatures gathered around it, and Fang Yuan felt a new purpose: to grow.
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The Tree did not stop growing.
Fang Yuan watched it for three days and three nights, its branches reaching higher, its roots spreading wider, its light pushing back the shadows of the forest. By the end of the third day, it was taller than the oldest oak, its trunk wider than a wagon, its canopy casting a gentle glow over the entire pond.
And the creatures kept coming.
Moonlight Gu, Vine Gu, Rock Skin Gu—the same species he had captured in his first days. But also new ones, creatures he had never seen: a Crystal Wing Gu, its wings translucent, its body refracting light into rainbows; a Mossheart Gu, its body a pulsating mass of green that seemed to breathe; a Starlight Fox, its fur silver, its eyes twin galaxies.
They did not fight. They did not flee. They gathered around the Tree, their heads bowed, their bodies still. They were paying homage.
Fang Yuan sat at the Tree's base, his back against its trunk, his Subjects' spheres scattered around him. The Moonlight Dragon lay curled in his lap, its silver light mingling with the Tree's glow. The Spring Autumn Cicada hovered above him, its wings buzzing softly.
"What are you?" he asked the Tree.
The Tree did not answer with words. It answered with feelings—warmth, safety, belonging. It was not a Gu. It was not a Subject. It was something older, something the system had tried to contain and failed.
You are the opposite of the First One, Fang Yuan realized. The First One was destruction. You are creation.
The Tree's leaves rustled in agreement.
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On the fourth day, the first human came.
It was a girl—the same girl who had asked him to help her sick Moonlight Gu, months ago in the capital. She was older now, her robes cleaner, her face brighter. She carried her Moonlight Gu in her arms, its light steady, its wings strong.
She stopped at the edge of the pond, her eyes wide. "Mister? Is that you?"
Fang Yuan opened his eyes. "You followed me."
"I didn't mean to. My Gu—it led me here. It said there was something important." She looked at the Tree. "What is this place?"
Fang Yuan stood. "I don't know yet. But I think it's a beginning."
The girl stepped closer. Her Moonlight Gu chirped, flying from her arms to the Tree. It landed on a low branch and began to glow—brighter than before, its light merging with the Tree's.
[Moonlight Gu – Evolution Imminent]
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed. The system was still there, dormant but present. And the Tree was interacting with it.
The girl's Moonlight Gu transformed. Its body grew, its wings spread, its light shifted from silver to gold. When the transformation was complete, it was no longer a Moonlight Gu. It was a Sunbeam Moth, its wings golden, its body radiant.
The girl gasped. "What happened?"
Fang Yuan looked at the Tree. Its leaves were pulsing, its roots glowing.
"It evolved," he said. "Without a stone. Without a battle. The Tree did it."
The girl stared at her new Gu, then at Fang Yuan. "Can it do that for others?"
Fang Yuan smiled. "I think that's the point."
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Word spread.
Not quickly—the forest was remote, and the girl had no reason to tell anyone. But the Tree's light was visible from miles away, a beacon in the darkness, a promise of something new.
Within a week, the first pilgrims arrived.
They were Gu Masters, mostly—low-ranked, desperate, seeking power they could not find through traditional means. They came with their sick Gu, their weak Gu, their dying Gu. And the Tree healed them. Evolved them. Made them stronger.
Fang Yuan watched it all from the Tree's base. He did not interfere. He did not help. He simply observed.
The Tree is doing what I could never do. It's giving without taking. It's creating without destroying.
But he knew it could not last. Power attracted attention. Attention attracted enemies. And there were still those who remembered the fragments, the door, the demon who had closed it.
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On the twelfth day, they came.
Not pilgrims. Not Gu Masters seeking help. Soldiers. Dozens of them, their armor black, their Gu hovering above their shoulders. They surrounded the pond, their weapons drawn, their faces hard.
Their leader stepped forward. He was tall, his hair white, his eyes gold. He wore the robes of the Dragon Lord's court, but the Dragon Lord was retired. This man was something else.
"You are Fang Yuan," he said. "The one who broke the system. The one who sealed the door."
Fang Yuan stood. "I am."
"I am General Wei of the New Imperial Army. The Council of Clans has declared you a threat to the stability of the Gu world. You are hereby ordered to surrender the Tree and submit to judgment."
Fang Yuan looked at the soldiers. Their Gu were Rank 2 and 3, their training mediocre, their morale uncertain. He could defeat them all in seconds.
But that was not what the Tree wanted.
"No," he said.
General Wei's eyes narrowed. "No?"
"I will not surrender the Tree. I will not submit to judgment. And you will leave this place, or you will face the consequences."
The general laughed. "You're alone, demon. Your Subjects are tired. Your power is spent. What can you do against an army?"
Fang Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out the Spring Autumn Cicada's sphere. He did not release it. He simply held it.
"I can rewind time," he said. "I can undo everything you've ever done. I can make it so you were never born."
The general's smile faltered.
"But I won't," Fang Yuan continued. "Because the Tree doesn't want violence. It wants growth. So I will give you one chance. Leave now. Tell your council that the Tree is not a threat. Tell them that it is a gift."
General Wei stared at him for a long moment. Then he raised his hand.
"Stand down."
The soldiers lowered their weapons. The general turned and walked away, his men following.
Fang Yuan watched them go. The Tree's leaves rustled, and he felt its approval.
You handled that well, it seemed to say.
Fang Yuan sat back down. "I've had practice."
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That night, he dreamed of the Tree.
But it was not the Tree in the pond. It was a forest—endless, green, alive. Creatures of every shape and size moved through it, their bodies glowing, their eyes peaceful. And at the center, a figure stood—a woman, her skin silver, her hair gold, her eyes the color of the sky at dawn.
You have done well, she said. You protected the Tree. You protected the future.
Fang Yuan approached her. "Who are you?"
I am what the First One could have been. I am the spirit of the Tree. I am creation.
She reached out and touched his chest. Warmth spread through him, and he felt the Seed—no, the Tree—pulse in response.
You carry a piece of me now. A seed of your own. Plant it where you will. Let it grow.
Fang Yuan looked down. In his hand, a small seed appeared—silver and gold, pulsing with light.
"What is this?"
Your future. Your purpose. Your choice.
He closed his hand around it. "Where should I plant it?"
Wherever you want. You are free.
He woke with the seed in his hand.
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End of Chapter 31