Chương 540: Accidental Touch With Another Realm.

After that day, there were no new opposing movements. Even those dedicated to spreading news and information about the Arborarchy's moves didn't blindly criticize the actions of the Arborarchy's leadership. Liu Shu didn't care. As long as the law she wrote was maintained, whatever happened was not much of her concern. She wouldn't micromanage her population, just set the direction and borders. On matters that were much more important for Liu Shu, enough time had passed for the <Rumbling Earth Domain> to open.

'To think that it coincided with my 50th birthday after I gained the World Tree title… Quite a coincidence.' Over a decade has passed since she took over, and her roots have already covered around 17% of the entire world. Not the surface area, but Ceperet itself. In comparison, for a world the size of Ceperet, the surface volume was comparable to 0. 05%. So, while surface-area-wise, Liu Shu covered around 45%, her roots had dug deeply into the world and were becoming part of it.

'The world gets so hot the deeper you go…' After she crossed the hundreds of kilometers in depth, the molten metals of the underground bore extreme temperatures that would have been difficult to resist even for her current strength.

"Thankfully, I have <World Embracing Endless Roots> to help with that. My roots seem to be immune to environmental extremes… At least, to a certain degree. In the end, the skill is A Rank, so it has a long way to go." Among her skills, there have not been many changes. Only <Cerulean Bloodsap>, <World Tree Eye>, and <World Tree Calling>, the three skills that were not at A Tier, had been improved through the use of Experience Points.

"<World Tree Calling> was currently at B- Tier. Nothing much has changed from when it was D- Tier. If I have to say something, it feels much more comfortable to summon higher-tiered summons." Liu Shu was honestly taken aback by the extent of her summoning capabilities. In the past, she could sustain about 150 A- Tier Arboreal Winged Serpents indefinitely, though only by sacrificing every other ability.

For a decisive clash lasting three to four hours, she could raise that number to around 1, 000—already enough to rival the entire <Fourth Energy Cycle> population of Ceperet on her own. Yet as her mastery deepened, the efficiency of her summoning grew to staggering levels.

"I haven't even pushed my absolute limit, but I should be able to double that… perhaps even more. It feels unreal. Summoning might very well be my greatest strength. How would others react if I told them that I can call forth enough <Fourth Energy Cycles> to overwhelm every superpower in Ceperet combined with just numbers?" It showed how outrageous her accumulation and innate talent for summoning had become. The <Temple Of Summoning> was part of her achievements, though.

Her gaze moved toward the <Dungeon> and noticed that it was still in the process of opening. So, she continued checking on the other two skills.

"Similar to <World Tree Calling>, <Cerulean Bloodsap>'s changes have focused on efficiency and quality—nothing too outrageous. With the new purification strength and nutritional value, all flora and fauna have benefited from the side effects of my sap's quality increasing." The effects were not exceptional. Meanwhile, <Cerulean Bloodsap> was at Level 5 of the B+ tier.

'At this rate, I'll only need around two more months for <Cerulean Bloodsap> to reach Level MAX. The amount of proficiency she needed to collect had been arduous. Just to increase from Level 5 to Level Max of the B+ Tier, Liu Shu needed 49, 392, 100 proficiency points! Thankfully, her size and ability to multitask and interact with millions of creatures daily helped when collecting proficiency points. Even if she just got a point per ten interactions, she would fill the fifty million needed in a short time.

"Finally, <World Tree Eye>." The skill that helped her observe the world through vision similar to that of a human.

"When it was in the C Tier, I could barely look beyond my root net. The limits felt like a black wall that you couldn't peer through. Then, when it reached B Tier, those walls became blurry. Now, I can distinguish the time of the day, whether it is cloudy or not… It's like having water in your eyes and trying to look into the distance." As she muttered to herself, Liu Shu paused.

"Will I finally be able to look into the distance like a normal human when my eye skill reaches A- Tier? It's currently at Level 4 of the B+ Tier." Remembering the amount of Experience she used to boost all the skills to the B Tier, Liu Shu's heart ached.

'In total, I've spent 4, 313, 108 Experience Points. And, if I want to push all my skills to A- Tier, the experience I will need is 3, 938, 881… Ugh. Over 8 million experience points to push a D- Tier, a C Tier, and a B- Tier skill to A- Tier…" Thinking on the Experience, she will need to push things in the S Tier and beyond. Liu Shu almost started crying.

'So much Experience needed… No wonder some higher-level people prefer to give up on old skills and relearn higher-tiered ones. It takes time, but not compared to the Experience Points they would need otherwise; it is a worthy sacrifice.' You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Thinking of that, Liu Shu became curious.

"Speaking of relearning skills… Wasn't there a Skill Trading group I heard about roaming the world? Or are they also otherworlders that come from time to time?" She had wished that those people had arrived during her previous Sylvan Quest. That way, she would've been able to create even stronger combinations.

"Well. You can't cry over a matured fruit that hit the ground."

"The rest of my skills have increased one level or two during the last few years. In the A Tier, as levels increase, I can see their numbers growing very marginally. For example, the 250% comprehension rate for learning in <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> is now 260%... It has increased by 10 points when the total was 250 points. It's basically nothing worth mentioning." After confirming the changes to her skills during the last few years, Liu Shu focused on the <Dungeon System>.

[Time until <Rumbling Earth Domain> opens: 00: 00: 23: 54…]"23 minutes left…" She was a bit nervous. After all, in the center of this <Dungeon>, there was a genuine Dragon. A species comparable to World Trees in terms of strength and growth potential. Moreover, this beast was S Tiered.

"If we fought… who would win?" She was honestly curious. Even if she could summon a legitimate army of powerful creatures, the defense of an Earth Dragon was ridiculous. Skyflower had lent her a few books on bestiaries of monsters beyond Ceperet, and she knew that normal Earth Dragons were true monsters that could grow to the point that they fed on worlds.

'Ugh… Outer space is a bit scary. There are so many monsters that can chomp me and Ceperet if they feel like it. QAQ!' During the last 20 minutes, the spatial fluctuations of the area had become visible to the naked eye.

'There are a few people over there… But who told them not to listen to me? I've already told everyone not to be in the <Origin Water Continent> until I allow it, but they don't listen.' She was indifferent to people like this. They believed that she was hiding something special, and that if they got their hands on even a part of it, they might reverse their fortune and destiny and leap to the sky in a single jump.

'If there was such a convenient treasure, I would be attacking them so that they don't approach, no? I mean, I would be stupid to not deal with those trying to steal such a precious treasure.'

"Spirit Of The Lake, have you moved your consciousness away from where I told you?" The lake spoke with a relaxed tone.

"I have. Moreover, with my new skill, as long as my <Origin Water> remains, I will not die. You can just drop ten drops on the ocean, and I will eventually take over and wake up again."

"Eventually…" Liu Shu muttered.

"For someone like you, 'eventually' means a few centuries or millennia, so I'd rather you didn't go to sleep for so long." The spirit spoke, confused.

"Isn't that a short time? Just a century won't even change the paths of a river, nor will new mountains be born. A lake takes much longer to appear, so you need to understand that time is on your side, Liu Shu. You, as a being of everlasting lifespan, can't always rush forward like intelligent beings." Liu Shu smiled when she heard that. The lake was not the first person who told her that. And, if she were a normal World Tree, she would stick to that philosophy. Nevertheless, time was far from being on her side.

Not when her opponents were overwhelmingly stronger than her.

"Thank you for the advice." The spirit didn't answer; it flowed her waters around Liu Shu's roots, as if caressing her. After the twenty minutes had passed, the center of the <Origin Water Continent> wobbled. Not metaphorically, but the space itself began fluctuating on a tremendous scale. Liu Shu thought that the roots inside the Dungeon forming area would be destroyed. Nevertheless, the opposite happened. As the spatial fluctuations rippled through her complex root network, Liu Shu's mind entered into a trance.

In her powerful mind, she could process many things about what was happening.

'What is this… film in space?' [Temple Of Destiny Triggers!] A flash of inspiration appeared in her mind.

'Is it… a <Dimension>?' [<Title: Touched By Dimension> is resonating with your current feat.] Liu Shu's roots, instead of breaking, mixed with the space, interlocking not with the earth, but with the dimension itself. [<Passive Skill: World Embracing Endless Roots> allows for the World Tree's roots to survive within the extra-dimensional environment.] Liu Shu felt her body draining, and when she looked at her reserves, she noticed over 20, 000 Aether Mana and Anima Energy cores evaporating.

Her mind sharpened, and her heart thumped as she stopped pouring all her ternary essence into the skills.

'W-What is happening? Why can I feel the <Dungeon>'s dimensional structure? That almost drained my soul in just a few seconds of contact! If I didn't stop… I could've died.' Everyone sensed the sudden weakening of the World Tree, and then, a spatial ripple swept not only <Ceperet> but the entire solar system. [<Dungeon System> has completed <Rumbling Earth Domain>.] [You've become part of the <Dungeon>!] [Your <Title: Touched By Dimensions> has evolved into <Title: Fledgling Dimensional World Tree>.] <Fledgling Dimensional World Tree>: You have been influenced by sub-dimensions and have even become interwoven with them. From now on, your existence can interact with other dimensions both physically and spiritually. You can also swallow other dimensions into your domain. Space efficiency and affinity +1000%. Stats +10%. [<World Embracing Endless Roots Level 2 (A Rank)> has evolved into <World Embracing Dimensional Roots Level 1 (S- Rank)>.] <World Embracing Dimensional Roots (S- Rank Level 1 [0/839, 900])>: Your roots now entangle not only the world but also the dimensions around you with superficial influence. You can traverse both the material and immaterial. They've gained immunity to natural extreme locations and can feed on all essence. The feeding will never disrupt the balance as long as the World Tree doesn't intend to. Your roots can extend as long as your root net can maintain its integrity, making your reach potentially endless.

Liu Shu read the messages, and her mind short-circuited.

"Huh? What happened!? QAQ!"