Kai glanced at Liu Wei, who was frantically trying to free himself from the roots. The young man's face was pale with fear.

"Liu Wei, stay calm," Kai said, keeping his voice steady despite the panic rising in his chest. "We need to think this through."

Suddenly, a translucent blue screen appeared before Kai's eyes, displaying information about their attacker:

Danger! Powerful Entity Detected

Name: Ancient Spirit Tree

Realm: Peak Nascent Soul

Age: 10,000 years

Special Abilities: ???

Warning: Extreme caution advised. Entity far exceeds current power level.

Kai's face went pale as he read the information. We're dead. We are so dead.

He glanced up at the massive tree looming before them. Its trunk was as wide as a house, with bark that seemed to shift and move like living skin. Countless branches reached towards the sky, their leaves a mix of gold and emerald. An aura of ancient power radiated from every fiber of its being.

As Kai stared at their impending doom, he recalled the cryptic warning from that strange, rabbit-squirrel creature they'd encountered earlier:

"Beware the guardian of the hollow tree. Its bark is worse than its bite, but its bite is still pretty bad."

Could this be what that creature was warning us about? Kai wondered. A Nascent Soul realm tree would certainly qualify as a formidable guardian, especially in the tutorial stages. If this is the guardian, we're in serious trouble. Its 'bark' - that initial attack with the roots - was definitely bad enough. I don't even want to imagine what its 'bite' might be.

Okay, think. There has to be a way out of this. Kai's mind raced through potential escape routes. Qi Condensation to create a blade and cut through the roots? No, a Nascent Soul realm entity's defenses would be impenetrable at my level. Swift Wind Step to outrun it? Laughable, it probably controls this entire forest. I probably move at a snail’s pace in its eyes. Maybe if I...

With each idea, Kai's hope dwindled. The power gap was simply too vast. He sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

I'm going to die. As soon as I respawn, I need to use the brief window of surprise to create qi platforms and escape into the sky. Please, PLEASE tell me this thing can't fly. Trees can't fly, right? He paused, remembering where he was. It's a xianxia world. Of course it can probably fly. Why wouldn't a tree be able to fly here? I'm so screwed.

Just as Kai was resigning himself to his fate, a familiar squeaky voice piped up.

"Mother! Mother, please don't hurt them!"

Kai's eyes widened as Zhi-Zhi's head popped out of his shell. The little tortoise was looking up at the massive tree with what could only be described as a pleading expression.

Mother? Did that little fibber just call that monstrosity 'mother'? Kai's mind reeled. Wait a second. Didn't Zhi-Zhi claim to be an envoy to a kingdom of trees? I thought he was making that up, but...

The roots holding Kai and Liu Wei suddenly stopped tightening. A deep, melodious voice resonated through the clearing, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Zhi-Zhi, my child. Are these humans bothering you?"

Zhi-Zhi shook his head. "No, Mother! I was just sharing some of my vast wisdom with them. They're my... my disciples! Yes, that's it. I've taken them under my tutelage."

The tree's branches swayed gently, and Kai could have sworn he heard a sigh rustle through its leaves. "Oh, Zhi-Zhi. Are you at it again?"

Zhi-Zhi's head retreated slightly into his shell, but he quickly popped back out. "Mother, you don't understand! This human, Kai, he helped when some bad humans wanted to capture me!"

The roots around Kai and Liu Wei's legs began to loosen. "Is this true, young human?" the tree asked, its voice softer now.

Kai nodded vigorously. "Yes, Ancient One. My companion and I found three rogue cultivators attempting to harm Zhi-Zhi. We... intervened."

Please let that be enough, Kai thought.

The roots retracted completely, freeing Kai and Liu Wei. The tree's voice took on an apologetic tone. "I see. I must thank you for protecting my son. Forgive my hasty actions."

"There's no need for thanks, Ancient One,” Kai bowed deeply, his heart pounding in his chest. “We were simply doing what was right."

And by 'right,' I mean 'trying to gain an advantage,' Kai thought. Let's just keep that part to ourselves, shall we? But if we hadn't made the choice to help Zhi-Zhi, we'd be dead right now. No amount of respawns would be enough to survive this.

Liu Wei, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until now, suddenly blurted out, "But how can a tree be a tortoise's mother?"

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Oh, for the love of… Liu Wei, you idiot! Kai nearly facepalmed. Didn't anyone teach you not to question the family dynamics of Nascent Soul beings? He shot a panicked glance at the enormous tree, half-expecting to be smited on the spot.

To his relief, a sound like gentle laughter rustled through the leaves. "An understandable question, young one. I am not Zhi-Zhi's birth mother, but I have raised him since he was nothing more than an egg. I found him abandoned in the forest and took him under my protection."

The tree's voice became a whisper. "His true parents... well, that is a tale for another time."

Kai felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly. Okay, crisis averted. Note to self: give Liu Wei some lessons on when to keep his mouth shut.

Zhi-Zhi, apparently eager to bring the attention back to himself, began recounting the battle with the rogue cultivators. Kai listened with growing amazement as the little tortoise spun a tale that barely had any similarity to reality.

"...and then, with my impenetrable shell, I deflected the ice witch's attacks! Young Kai here provided adequate support, distracting the earth brute while I delivered the finishing blow with my secret technique!"

Kai managed to keep a neutral expression, but internally he was torn between amusement and exasperation. Adequate support? I practically did all the work! But you know what? If it keeps us alive, Zhi-Zhi can take all the credit he wants.

The tree's branches swayed gently, and Kai got the distinct impression it was used to Zhi-Zhi's embellishments. Nevertheless, it praised the little tortoise.

"How brave you were, my child! Truly, you are growing into a formidable spirit beast."

Zhi-Zhi preened under the praise, puffing out his little chest as much as his shell would allow.

The tree's attention then turned back to Kai. "Tell me, young cultivator, what brings you so far from human settlements? Humans do not usually come out all this way…they know better.”

How much should I reveal? Kai hesitated for a moment, weighing his words carefully. If I lie and it catches me, we're done for. But the truth might not be much safer...

Taking a deep breath, he decided on honesty. "We were searching for a treasure, Ancient One. An old map showed something of value in this area."

The tree's aura grew serious, and Kai felt a subtle pressure bearing down on him. "A treasure, you say? Tell me, does anyone else know of this map? Have you spoken to others about your destination?"

Kai shook his head quickly. "No, I retrieved the map from a bandit's corpse. No one else knows we're here."

Please don't kill us for knowing your location. We'll leave right now and never come back. We'll swear a blood oath if that's what it takes.

To Kai's relief, the tree's aura relaxed once more. "I see. That is... fortunate."

Before Kai could figure out what the old tree meant by that statement, the ground before them began to shift. Small mounds of earth rose up, and from each one emerged a fruit. Kai counted five in total, each a different vibrant color.

The tree spoke again. "Humans, what you see before you are the true treasures of this forest. Once every century, I produce fruits imbued with elemental essence. Each has the power to increase one's affinity for an element."

Kai's eyes widened as system notifications began to pop up in his vision:

Item Discovered: Fruit of Blazing Flame

Effect: Permanently increases Fire affinity by 20%

Rarity: Legendary

Item Discovered: Fruit of Flowing Water

Effect: Permanently increases Water affinity by 20%

Rarity: Legendary

Item Discovered: Fruit of Unyielding Earth

Effect: Permanently increases Earth affinity by 20%

Rarity: Legendary

Item Discovered: Fruit of Howling Wind

Effect: Permanently increases Wind affinity by 20%

Rarity: Legendary

Item Discovered: Fruit of Blessed Lightning

Effect: Permanently increases Lightning affinity by 20%

Rarity: Legendary

Holy crap. Those fruits are insane! A permanent 20% increase to elemental affinity? That's the kind of power-up you'd normally have to complete an entire story arc to get!

Kai struggled to keep his composure as his mind raced with the possibilities. But why is the tree showing these to us? Is this a test? Or...