100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods

Chapter 430: 430. Eternal Spring Physique (Ancient)

William sat alone in complete silence, allowing the bustle around him to fade into the background as everyone occupied themselves with their own affairs.

There was no immediate task demanding his attention, and for the first time since everything had settled down, he finally had the opportunity to carefully inspect the physique that Sera had awakened within him.

During the fight in the dream world, he had only gained a vague understanding of what she had awakened. Now that there was enough time to think without interruption, he wanted to examine every detail and understand exactly what kind of power had become a part of him.

He leaned back slightly and let out a slow breath before speaking in a calm voice.

"Show me the effects."

[Alrighty.]

Orion replied instantly, and a translucent status window materialized before his eyes without even the slightest delay.

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Eternal Spring Physique (Ancient)

A legendary physique born from one of the first World Tree saplings that emerged during the dawn of life. It was revered by the ancient elves and countless nature spirits alike. This physique once belonged to the Yakshini of the Eternal Spring.

Ancient Nature Affinity: Grants Nature Element Affinity (SSS Rank).

Verdant Life Sovereignty: Grants authority to connect and communicate with forests, plants, flowers, vines, roots, and natural ecosystems. The host may manipulate or create vegetation so long as nature related beings around her favors the individual.

Ancient origin blood: The host possesses one of the purest ancient-origin bloods. Greatly enhances beauty, agility, perception, and longevity and possesses a healing and calming nature.

Eternal Spring Regeneration: The host may borrow life force from surrounding vegetation and the World Tree to accelerate regeneration and recovery, provided the forests willingly lend their strength.

Nature’s Blessing: Allows the host to temporarily strengthen allies through life force borrowed from natural constructs.

Spirit Grove Authority: Grants authority over lesser nature spirits, dryads, treants, forest beasts, and ordinary plant life. Weaker beings instinctively acknowledge the host’s command.

World Root Manipulation: The host may summon enormous roots capable of restraining enemies, draining vitality, and reinforcing allies.

Seed of Evolution: Plants, beasts, and spirits nurtured beneath the World Tree flourish rapidly, remain exceptionally healthy, produce greater yields, and possess a slight chance of evolving into superior forms.

Ancient Forest Domain: The host may manifest a vast woodland domain where allies receive continuous healing while enemies suffer an unceasing drain on their vitality.

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William quietly read through every line without rushing himself. The amount of information contained within the description was surprisingly extensive, and each ability seemed more extraordinary than the last. Even so, genuine surprise never appeared on his face. His expression remained calm as he absorbed the details one after another.

The abilities were undoubtedly absurd, but absurdity had slowly become a normal part of his life.

After all, this was not the first extraordinary physique he possessed.

Compared to the divine physiques he had already awakened, this powerful physique did not seem to make him extraordinarily shocked or surprised. If anything, it just barely met the unconscious standards built around him related to abilities.

Even so, one particular detail caught his attention almost immediately.

Ancient Nature Affinity — SSS Rank.

He stared at those words for several seconds before quietly narrowing his eyes.

"So even an Ancient Physique grants an SSS affinity..."

His divine physiques had also granted SSS-ranked affinities, and now this ancient physique had done exactly the same. That alone suggested something important.

If both Divine and Ancient Physiques naturally stopped at SSS rank, then anything beyond that had to be unimaginably difficult to obtain. the absolute affinities were truly he had only seen with himself.

William immediately thought of Tamasya, who possessed a Tenet level of element, which was even higher than the affinity realm of elemental compatibility; it was the next stage of affinity itself.

"Seriously... sometimes I completely forget just how absurdly talented Tamasya really is." He let out a small laugh before shaking his head.

Compared to SSS, that was an entirely different realm.

If even Divine Physiques did not casually grant something higher than SSS, then reaching Tenet could not simply be explained by talent alone. It represented something exceedingly rare, perhaps something that only a handful of beings across countless ages had ever achieved.

The realization only made Tamasya’s abilities and potential seem even more monstrous.

His attention gradually shifted downward toward the historical description beneath the physique’s title.

"Yakshini of the Eternal Spring..."

He quietly repeated the name to himself before looking away from the panel.

"Orion."

"[Yes?]"

"Do you think this Yakshini is the spirit who sent Vaan?"

The question was not random.

Earlier, during his confrontation with Vaan, Orion had confidently concluded that the spirit did not possess an Ancient Physique. If Vaan truly possessed one, there would have been unmistakable signs. Ancient physiques always gave their hosts unique abilites. They dramatically elevated elemental affinity while also granting characteristics that ordinary beings simply could not imitate.

Vaan had certainly been powerful.

However, nothing about him suggested he stood at the level of an Ancient Physique bearer.

That conclusion had not been based on guesswork either.

After William’s resurrection, Goddess Nir had entrusted him with an enormous encyclopedia that documented almost all the information about the scarred realm.

While William himself had only skimmed portions of it, Orion had effortlessly memorized the entire book within a single second.

For Orion, recalling information from that encyclopedia was no more difficult than opening a book to the correct page.

According to those records, Vaan belonged to an ancient race known as the treant.

The treants were old forest spirits who had once flourished throughout the ancient world before eventually disappearing from history. Their extinction had left behind little more than fragmented records and myths preserved within forgotten civilizations.

The encyclopedia never once mentioned anyone of the Treants possessing an Ancient Physiques. And all of vaan

That discrepancy had bothered William ever since the encounter.

If Vaan himself lacked an Ancient Physique, then how exactly was he connected to Sera’s Eternal Spring Physique?

The more William considered the situation, the more one conclusion naturally emerged.

Vaan had never been the mastermind.

He had merely been carrying out someone else’s orders.

A rogue spirit acting solely for personal gain would have chosen a far simpler solution.

It would have killed Sera.

Trying to possess her body made very little sense.

The Vriksh were essentially giant living trees. Their original forms were already perfectly suited for them, making an elven body considerably less attractive. There was little reason for such a spirit to abandon its own natural vessel unless another objective existed.

That left only one reasonable explanation.

Vaan had been acting on behalf of another individual.

William’s Omniscient Eyes had only strengthened that theory.

During their conversation, William had casually mentioned the possibility of Vaan serving a master. Although the spirit had desperately attempted to conceal its emotions, the subtle fluctuations within its soul had betrayed it completely.

The reaction had been impossible to fake.

[It is certainly an interesting name,] Orion replied thoughtfully.

"According to Nir’s encyclopedia, Yakshini is not the name of a single individual but rather a race. They belong to the primordial spirit species known as the Yaksh. The males are called Yaksh, while the females are known as Yakshini.]

William listened quietly without interrupting.

"[The records also mention that the Yaksh were born in a manner similar to the ancient elves. Unfortunately, no surviving texts explain the exact process of their birth. The only consistent detail states that they originated from the saplings of the World Tree.]"

William slowly nodded.

"That matches the description written here."

His gaze drifted back toward the status panel.

"It specifically mentions that this physique originated from one of the first World Tree saplings."

The pieces fit together almost perfectly.

At least the historical portion seemed consistent.

Even so, countless questions remained unanswered.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose while exhaling quietly.

"There are honestly too many things happening all at once."

A helpless smile appeared across his face.

"Sometimes I feel like I’ll forget half of everything I learn. Every answer leads to three more questions."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"I’ve actually started thinking that I should document everything somewhere."

Orion laughed softly inside his mind.

[Well... that’s exactly why you have me.]

William chuckled.

"Yeah..."

The lazy reply carried genuine agreement.

As overwhelming as the accumulated knowledge had become, Orion remained an irreplaceable companion. No matter how much information William encountered, Orion would never forget a single detail.

That alone made everything considerably easier.

William finally raised his hand and dismissed the status panel.

His thoughts had settled.

There was still one final matter left to deal with.

"I’ll claim the hundredfold feedback from this physique."

[Alright.]

Orion’s tone became noticeably more serious.

[Simply say ’commence’ to begin the awakening. However, I strongly recommend entering the Infinite Domain first.]

William raised an eyebrow.

"Hm?"

"Why?"

[Because if this awakening behaves anything like your previous Divine Physiques, the resulting phenomenon is going to be extremely flashy.]

William’s expression twitched.

[If your goal is to show off to everyone, then feel free to awaken it outside.]

"Nah."

William immediately shook his head.

"I’m perfectly fine without attracting that kind of attention."

Without wasting another moment, he activated the Infinite Domain.

The familiar space unfolded around him almost instantly, isolating him from the outside world. Silence returned once again as limitless emptiness stretched in every direction.

Standing alone inside the boundless domain, William slowly steadied his breathing.

He did not know exactly what would happen.

If the previous awakenings had taught him anything, it was that acquiring overwhelming power always came with an equally overwhelming price.

He fully expected unbearable pain.

Everything else was secondary.

Taking one final breath, he calmly spoke the command.

"Commence the awakening."