Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Fully trusting that Flor and the rest would deal with the town, Liu Shu focused on her system page and started planning. 'Do I go slowly, or do I spend everything and then control the energies?'

Liu Shu pondered, and as she thought, she remembered the book Verdantia gave her about <Cores>. 'Hm… The main reason that people usually fail in creating their <Core> is the lack of the big burst of stats they receive through the <Second Energy Cycle> breakthrough.' 

The book didn't say this explicitly. Still, after reading it and analyzing it for a while, Liu Shu managed to guess what the problem was with creating <Ternary Cores> before Level 25. It was a solution that many overlooked because of how rare it was to fulfill. Even if someone suggested it in the past, they would've probably been either ignored or silenced, as it would make the creation of <Ternary Cores> unavailable for the grand majority of people.

Still, Liu Shu was not held back by those thought limitations or even in the same situation. She was a World Tree, full of energy and with incredibly profound reserves. 'If that's the case… I should be able to create the <Ternary Cores> with my current stat burst. I doubt it will be as big as the <Second Energy Cycle>. However, it should be large enough to let me compress my <Ternary Shards> into <Ternary Cores>.'

With that in mind, the World Tree chose to make a burst Level Up.

Accumulated Experience: 158,485 

Level: 14 [0/19,950] -> [19,950/19,950]

Accumulated Experience: 138,535 

Level: 15 [0/22,710] -> [22,710/22,710]

Accumulated Experience: 115,825

Level: 16 [0/25,630] -> [25,630/25,630] 

Accumulated Experience: 90,195

Level: 17 [0/28,720] -> [28,720/28,720]

Accumulated Experience: 61,475

Level: 18 [0/31,970] -> [31,970/31,970]

Accumulated Experience: 29,505

Level 19: [0/35,380]

Liu Shu eventually poured almost everything she had into her Level, nearly reaching Level 20. What followed was a surge of energy comparable to what Liu Shu felt during the <Initial Cycle>. 

Having already felt this surge, she was not overwhelmed. Instead, she cut most of her connection with the outside and focused her entire being on the torrents of energy rushing at her. 

Instead of absorbing them as she usually did when the ternary essence from other Level Ups arrived, she tried to gain control over them. The stream of Phoer, Anima, and Aether rushed through her roots and made Liu Shu feel bloated. 'Ugh, I feel like my trunk is going to burst.'

However, she didn't give up and remembered the information that Verdantia gathered about <Ternary Cores>. 

'To create a <Ternary Core>, I need to use the energy and focus it on a single point. Squeeze everything as if I was trying to concentrate it to a dot!'

The World Tree's aura surged, and she increased her spiritual pressure on the gathering energies. The aura around her body was heavy enough to be felt all around the Town, leaving many residents in awe during the time that it lasted. 

Some people even climbed on top of the tree houses to look over them with reverent eyes. Powerful trees could usually manipulate such large energy quantities that they looked like superior entities to the rest of the creatures. 

World Trees were not the only type of plant life that received adoration from others. If any creature was strong enough, especially plant life, it would become somewhat of a special existence.

As the essence condensed in Liu Shu's core, Liu Shu felt some changes and a connection. 'Hm?'

Her mind focused on that very faint connection, following it and reaching deep into her being. When she arrived there, she saw a dark place with a small seedling popping on a small mound of light. The white light in the dark space was the mixture of three streams of essence: one red, one blue, and one yellow. 

Liu Shu curiously looked at sapling, which was absorbing the streams and transforming them into strange objects. 'Are those… <Ternary Shards>?'

Her gaze focused more, looking at the sapling attentively, and then, instead of letting the energy flow through it, she controlled it so that it was nourished by them.

The second she started doing that, Liu Shu's mind awakened, and her entire body felt as if it was submerged in a soothing bath of nutrients. 

'I want to feed it faster.' 

Instead of allowing the energies to flow through, Liu Shu condensed them below the sapling into three different-colored orbs: one blue, another red, and another yellow. 

'More. I want more.' 

The streams of essence condensed, and thanks to the tremendous energy flow, three more orbs were created. Liu Shu looked at the six orbs with satisfaction. The blue and yellow streams had become thin and stable, unable to condense further. Yet, when Liu Shu looked at the red stream, she realized that she could continue condensing that one.

'Condense.'

With her thoughts, the third red orb formed below the sapling, feeding it much purer energy. When the pure energies seeped into the sapling, they nourished it and allowed it to grow. Its stalk slowly thickened, the branches above it separated, and leaves began growing. The changes didn't stop there, as it went from a small plant to a very tiny tree with five branches. 

To Liu Shu's disappointment, one of those branches was leafless. Four of them were growing perfectly fine, yet the last one did not get enough nutrients. 'Ugh… Why don't you grow?' 

However, her questions went unanswered because her mind was pulled out of that space while several notifications popped into her mind. 

[Accessory Level Up!] x5

[Level 19 Sylvanium Branch (Low-Grade Flawed Level)] 

+3800 Aether Mana

+3800 Phoer

+3800 Anima Energy

Aether (+190), Physique (+190), Anima (+190), Willpower (+190).

Skill: You can use it to gain 2 Sylvanium Shards a day. 

[Level 19 Celestium Branch (Low-Grade Flawed Level)] 

+1900 Aether Mana

+3800 Phoer

+190 Anima Energy

Aether (+95), Physique (+190), Anima (+95), Willpower (+95).

Skill: You can use it to gain 2 Celestium Shards a day. 

[Level 19 Ascendium Branch (Low-Grade Flawed Level)] 

+1900 Aether Mana

+1900 Phoer

+3800 Anima Energy

Aether (+95), Physique (+95), Anima (+190), Willpower (+95).

Skill: You can use it to gain 2 Ascendium Shards a day. 

[Level 19 Cognium Branch (Low-Grade Flawed Level)] 

+1900 Aether Mana

+1900 Phoer

+1900 Anima Energy

Aether (+95), Physique (+95), Anima (+95), Willpower (+190).

Skill: You can use it to gain 2 Cognium Shards a day. 

Liu Shu looked at the new numbers and asked. 'I want a summary version! Also, I want to hear the Level Up notifications!'

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Aether +125, Phoer +150, Anima +150, Willpower +150, Aether Mana Shards +4250, Phoer Body Shards +5150, Anima Energy Shards +5150]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Aether +35, Phoer +45, Anima +40, Willpower +50, Destiny +500]

Liu Shu giggled. 'Level Up! Level Up! Hahahah. Nice! Bigger numbers! Show me my ternary essences and stats!'

***

Level: 19 [0/35,380]

Aether Mana Cores: 2.61/2.61 (260,711) (+9,386/Hour)

Phoer Body Cores: 3.76/3.76 (375,100) (+13,504/Hour)

Anima Energy Cores: 2.79/2.79 (278,679) (+10,033/Hour)

Attributes: Aether 974 (358+616), Physique 1282 (471+811), Anima 1076 (377+699), Willpower 1079 (490+589), Destiny 1900 (1900)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (34), Physique Refinement (47), Anima Affinity (29)

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (54), Physique Resistance (60), Spiritual Resistance (54), Mental Resistance (59)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-59%), Summon Enhancement (+20%), Summoning Invoking Time (-59%), Summon Upkeep (-59%).

***

'Eh?' Liu Shu looked at it again and exclaimed in her head. 'Ehhhhhh!? H-How!? When?? I have <Ternary Cores>!?'

She suddenly remembered how she had been creating those small spheres below that sapling and was stumped. 'Was that me?' Liu Shu remembered what she read about the <Shadow> in the book and pondered. 'Was that my other me? In that imaginary <Shadow> world they talked about?'

She was confused, and she didn't really have an answer. Moreover, asking the system or wisdom wouldn't give her any answers. She had tried in the past when she read the book, only to receive silence.

'Let's look closer. I almost forgot to check everything else with the <Ternary Cores> appearing! Hmm~. My stats are almost all above 1000, hehehehe. Oh? The summoning thingy got better! Now I have a fifty-nine percent reduction instead of fifty-seven!... Why? WISDOM! HELP! QAQ!' 

[Wisdom: <Summoning Affinity> scales with a creature's <Willpower>. As your <Willpower> increases, the summoning costs will reduce, and eventually, even the summoning stat increase will become more significant.]

'Even that? But… If I ever reach, like 10,000 <Willpower>, won't it just become free?' 

[Wisdom: It is a logarithmic increase. Meaning it will never reach 100% summoning cost efficiency regardless of how much <Willpower> you have. As additional information, as the Level of creatures increases, their costs will increase exponentially as well. Maintaining a <Initial Cycle> creature is much easier than keeping up a <Second Energy Cycle> creature.]

'<Initial Cycle> must be the pre <First Cycle> levels…' Liu Shu read attentively and hummed. 'I see~. That's good to know! Also, you say my buffs to my summons will become larger. How much larger?'

[...]

'Tsk. No answer.' 

Liu Shu pouted in her mind and opened her <World Tree Eye> to look at everything around her. 

'WOAH!'

Liu Shu saw a large number of people in the surroundings. At least five times more than before she went to Level Up. 'What happened? Oh… Are Flor and the rest okay?'

She swiftly expanded <World Tree Eye> and her other senses, spotting the people she cared about one after another. 'Flor is in her office. Her face looks a bit haggard, but she looks fine overall. Ignatia is… sleeping. Verdantia and Tempestria are working. Meanwhile, Cinderielle is… Hm? What is she doing?'

She saw that Cinderielle was on her bed, squirming around, but she didn't understand much of the situation. 'Hmm… Fever? No… Oh!' Liu Shu realized and said proudly. 'This was called masturbation! I saw other Explorers doing the same in the forest!' 

Liu Shu was curious about Cinderielle's situation. However, she decided not to peek closely or listen. Somehow, she felt that doing so would be dangerous for her. 'Hm… I feel a bit strange now, so if I look closer, it will be bad… Moreover! I read that peeking in this situation is inconsiderate!' 

She decided to observe the rest of the Sylvans and saw them working for a little while. Their demeanor had slightly changed, becoming more commanding compared to the past. They looked much more comfortable when giving orders and moving people around. 

Liu Shu suddenly heard a loud knocking coming from Flor's door and looked over. 'Who is being so rude?'

She saw a blue-haired Sylvan opening the doors and entering quite angrily. "Queen Flor! You've already delayed my wishes for two months! Do you think I am playing around!?"

Flor looked up with a sigh and said. "I told you, City Lord Delia, that no one can get close to the Life Tree before it completes its Level Up." 

Delia pointed at Liu Shu and exclaimed, her face pale but anxious. "She has been leveling up for three months since my arrival. THREE months. You told me to wait one month, and I did, but you've been moving back the date again and again and again!"

Delia's aura increased, showcasing a powerful <Second Energy Cycle> pressure, and she said coldly. "One more week. ONE! After that, I'll go near it even if your entire city gets in the way! And if you still stop me, we will go to WAR!" 

Then, she turned around without leaving Flor a second to answer and slammed the door on the way out, making the Town Hall lose a few Phoer Body Shards from the impact. 

Liu Shu complained to Flor. 'What's that woman's problem? She is so noisy!'

Flor's tired face lit up, and she exclaimed. "Liu Shu! You are awake! Thank the branches above, I was starting to worry!" 

Liu Shu looked at Flor's expression and giggled. With a soft tone, she spoke. "I am back, Flor~. Everything was successful~."