Following the principle that the shorter the name, the more powerful the skill, after acquiring the Wood Style, a massive amount of life energy surged into Gu Jue's body, almost doubling his chakra.
“Whew… this feeling…”
Gu Jue's eyes shone brightly as he looked at the plus sign after the Wood Style skill on the system panel, he did not hesitate to spend one thousand Wish Power to upgrade it.
Boom!!
All skills from lv1 to lv2 only cost one thousand Wish Power each, lv2 to lv3 requires ten thousand Wish Power, and so on.
The Wood Style upgraded to lv2, Gu Jue's life energy became even more vast, but it did not cause a qualitative change. lv3 should be the watershed.
“However, it's enough.”
Gu Jue's gaze shifted towards the direction of Miyamoto Shrine.
…
Miyamoto Shrine, located at the foot of Inari Mountain, not far from Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, is a typical hereditary shrine, jointly run by a family.
By the time of Miyamoto Yumi's generation, only she, her younger sister, and her grandmother remained.
They usually rely on selling amulets and providing accommodation to maintain the shrine's income, a life that is predictable at a glance.
Therefore, Miyamoto Yumi, a quasi-shrine maiden, worked hard to pass exams and landed a job at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Traffic Division, becoming a glorious policewoman.
However, today seemed a bit off.
Seeing those bigwigs who usually only appeared on TV, all visiting her family shrine, Miyamoto Yumi was filled with question marks, confused and bewildered.
“Yumi, serve tea for the guests.”
Miyamoto, her grandmother, who was already over seventy, exuded an unruffled aura. On her wrinkled face, one could faintly see the shadow of a beautiful woman in her youth.
“Haruko.”
This time, Ito, the priest of the neighboring Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, also came along. He was also an old man in his seventies, rumored to have admired Miyamoto's grandmother when they were young, but he was rejected.
At this moment, looking at his old friend, he felt a sense of deep emotion.
To think that, everyone is pretending to be a spiritual being, but you actually have the real deal hidden away.
When Ito found out about this news, he almost twisted his waist.
This was too sudden.
Their Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, with a history of thousands of years, overseeing more than 30,000 Inari shrines across the country, has never been blessed by a deity.
Yet, this Miyamoto Shrine, a hereditary shrine, actually has a divine tree?
This… is too enviable!!
Ito's mind was filled with many thoughts at the moment, but he chose to stand on the same side as Miyamoto's grandmother.
He looked solemnly at the Chief Cabinet Secretary opposite him, putting on his air as the head priest of Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine and said:
“Chief Cabinet Secretary Kumagai, it's inappropriate to disturb the dwelling of the gods, you've stationed too many people nearby.”
“I apologize, there is an international criminal organization that is very enthusiastic about supernatural events. I did this only to protect the safety of the shrine, please forgive me.”
The Chief Cabinet Secretary is equivalent to the Secretary-General of the Japanese government, responsible for coordination, communication, and public statements.
Therefore, aside from other abilities, Kumagai Hiro's interpersonal skills were undoubtedly maxed out.
With a smile that made people feel comfortable, he first explained the reason for his actions, then assured them that the security personnel would only be stationed outside the shrine and would not disturb Miyamoto's grandmother's life.
Well, with that said, Ito had no reason to continue criticizing.
And Miyamoto’s grandmother also nodded slightly and said: “Thank you for your concern, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kumagai. But I don't know anything about the divine tree either, please forgive me.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay…”
The adults were scheming in the reception room, while the children were outside in the courtyard, surrounding the lush ancient tree, making exaggerated exclamations.
“Big Sister Ran, did the divine tree grant you power?”
Miyamoto Kazuko's eyes sparkled, envy almost overflowing.
“Yes.”
Ran was a little embarrassed.
She felt that she had no talent. If she wasn’t a shrine maiden in her previous life, the divine tree probably wouldn’t have chosen her either, would it?
“So amazing.”
Miyamoto Kazuko exclaimed again, imitating Ran's previous actions, praying in front of the divine tree.
“Divine Tree, my name is Miyamoto Kazuko, I am twelve years old, I just graduated from the sixth grade of Kyoto Elementary School, Class B…”
“It’s not like that.”
Ran couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to rub Kazuko’s head.
“It’s because…”
Ran was about to explain the reason, but her consciousness was once again pulled upward, reaching the cloud sea that looked like a fairyland.
“Divine Tree.”
It wasn't her first time here, Ran had adapted a lot. Looking at the towering giant tree that pierced the ground and the sky, she bowed respectfully.
“Ran, have you made your decision?”
A disembodied voice came from above, and many scenes appeared in the cloud sea.
Among them, there were terrifying scenes of the eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent, Yamata-no-Orochi, awakening from Mount Fuji, causing volcanic eruptions, and ancient demons reviving from their slumber, triggering massive tsunamis…
“Divine Tree, this, this is…”
Ran clasped her hands in front of her chest, her face filled with tension.
“The pathways to the world are about to open again, the ghosts and deities slumbering on this land will awaken one after another.”
“Ran, you need to make a decision, will you, like your previous life, make a pact with me and become a shrine maiden who guards the peace of this land?”
“Is that so?”
Ran took a deep breath upon hearing this. In the end, she nodded resolutely: “Divine Tree, I’m willing, I’m willing to make a pact with you and protect everyone's safety.”
“Then, the pact is established.”
A disembodied voice laughed from above.
Boom!!
In the outside world, the divine tree, which was only a few tens of meters tall, suddenly rose from the ground, its branches extending towards the sky.
Looking out, the lush canopy seemed to pierce through the sky, with clouds swirling within it.
“This, this is…”
The Chief Cabinet Secretary, Ito, and the others who were talking in the reception room heard the commotion and came out. Seeing the towering ancient tree, which had grown to hundreds of meters tall in the blink of an eye, they all stared in shock.
…