Story 29,The Path Of Least Resistance. Chapter 3

I went straight home to my room in the townhouse and I obviously checked out the Cultivation Manual I had pilfered being the main opportunity Zhu Yuan would have gotten from the demon's loot... But I noticed that even as I took it, her Providence Halo didn't darken or weaken?

'Maybe her master or the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sword Sect will also give her an important reward that will keep her Providence Halo strong.' I mused as I began reading the cultivation manual depicting the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique.

[Feeding Yin with Yang. The primordial truth is that all is consumed. By fire, by time, or another living being, all is consumed. In the consumption of all things, wood which is life itself is made into fuel for the fire that is the creeping entropy of all things.]

The cultivation technique was definitely... Up there in how weird it was, but after a bit of thought, I realized that the cultivation manual went off the principle of the laws of preservation honestly.

All things exist in a state of being, and no matter how things are consumed, energy is lost in countless different ways. But the cultivation technique's purpose was that in a cycle of burning and growth, all the energy I absorbed would be absorbed without loss.

Or at least that was the point of the cultivation technique's point and goal.

"I wish I knew the ranks of treasures and cultivation manuals," I muttered to myself. As although I knew this cultivation manual was valuable to Zhu Yuan who was from apparently the largest Sect in the province of the Capital City of Shanghai.

That didn't give me a concrete measurement of how good this technique actually was frankly...

But either way within this Heavenly Sword Empire- Shanghai was the capital providence with this city being massive to the point of immortals apparently merging from cultivating within the city every few decades. 

If Zhu Yuan wasn't lying to my face about the Five Elements Sword Sect, then I was in for the long haul if I was joining the biggest sect basically in the Empire.

Either way, I kept reading the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique with my eyebrow-raising as I realized how it became the core of the future Zhu Yuan's perfect and extremely powerful supreme cultivation manual she made later in life.

The technique basically upgraded and forced someone who had fire and wood spirit roots to form a cycle of spiritual energy between themselves in a cycle that would endlessly feed one another as the Wood Spirit Root would be forced to evolve into a Sun Strangling Tree-Spirit Root.

Which... According to the immortals who had left the planet to return were very much a real thing according to the lore excerpts within the cultivation manual. 

'Does that mean this cultivation manual was made by an immortal?' I wondered as I read how the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique would then likewise force the Fire Spirit Root of the person to evolve.

But... Rather than the Wood Spirit Root which the technique would mutate on its own over time in various forms in its goal of becoming a Sun Strangling Tree emulation. The Fire Spirit Root had to be fed Beast Flames, Heaven and Earth Flames, or even Demonic Flames.

This played into the fact that the technique was perfect for Alchemists who would be around and seeking special flames anyway.

"Thankfully I don't need a special flame of any sort while my Wood Spirit Root hasn't evolved yet." I muttered as I flipped to the next page before pausing and my face twisted as printed clearly across the page was a blunt message.

[Reading further ahead is forbidden lest you try to work ahead and give yourself Qi deviation. Once the user has acquired Divine Sense's from reaching Golden Core the user may continue.]

I blinked as the message seemingly faded away from my view, but the pages remained blank making me sigh and then I continued scrolling through empty pages until I got to the end of the book and raised an eyebrow at seeing several pages that were very much filled with more information.

[Auxillary Techniques and in-built spells] 

[The burning of Wood is the core of Alchemy and like all alchemists they wield their inner flames with fury at those who deny their path.] 

Enclosed within the technique section were two techniques I could use when I filled my First Meridian with Qi. 

Which were the [Interal Flames Breathing] which allowed me to blow out the flames that made up my Fire Spirit Root. Which would scale with powers the flames I had absorbed.

And for the wood technique. I could use the [Rapid Wood Growth] technique which would apparently spawn roots and vines that coincided with the level that my Spirit Root had mutated to.

But both techniques required for me to have at the very least gotten my first meridian filled with qi. Hence I needed to start using the breathing technique of the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique.

Which was a bit weird... Although it was also a 'normal' breathing technique that would work like the vast majority of breathing techniques did in bringing Qi into my body. 

It had the added ability of allowing me to breathe in the qi of raw herbs that were set in flames. 

"Not something I can really take advantage of." I muttered before I began using the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique's breathing technique to bring Qi into my body.

As the Acupunction and Piercing the Heavens method had already allowed me to clear out my first Meridian, and already after more than half a day having passed. I could feel the next Meridian about to be opened.

And this led me to take another long bath... As my sweatbands had long since been saturated with the filth inside my body, so I set the sweatbands to be boiled in some water while I got cleaned up and let my body naturally leak more of the filth out into the bath.

"Grow wood to feed fire... the resulting ash, heat, and flames is the qi." I muttered as I shuddered feeling my Wood Spirit Root's offshoots being burned away by the flames of my Fire Spirit Root.

And as the offshoots burned away, I could feel the results of the burning moving through my body as it fused into and then merged into my first Meridian which contained the fiery yet life-filled qi that was the result of using the Everburning Tree of Transcendence Technique.

'I wonder how Zhu Yuan made her five elements, Yin-Yang ultimate cultivation technique... This one already has some ties to the immortal level, is her Purple Providence Halo at the level that it means she basically has a path to the level of immortals?' I wondered with a slight frown.

As I knew all too well for all the good luck and fortune in this universe. They would likewise face incredible trials that they may very well not be prepared for. And if I tried coasting off their achievements then that would mean I would be drawn into their nonsense.

In that vein, I looked at my own Providence Halo and saw how it was a bright green almost to the point of turning blue which was the next level.

But with myself having the second level of a Providence Halo, I took the leftover Moongrove herbs I had, and then I used my second cheat I got with my reincarnation with my vision going dark.

"Huh? So I actually got teleported?" I mused before I smiled brightly as I realized this could be a perfect escape for when I needed to run away. Though sadly it likely wouldn't work for Zhu Yuan, as I had no idea how to purge whatever qi mark she had on me.

Taking in my surroundings I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the void of pure darkness that was past my square of like twenty acres that was the farmland I was allotted for the having a green Providence Halo.

"Well, it's a good think I got some herbs from that demon as well." I muttered as I popped back into reality and I knew it was teleportation as a loud splash rang out as I was deposited back into a sitting position within my bathtub. 

Draining the tub and taking a quick shower to make sure I was nice and squeaky clean I got my newly cleaned sweat bands back on my leaking pricked pores that were leaking out the blockages within my meridians.

Then I went to my bedroom where I collected the still living alchemy materials and then I popped back into my Spatial Farm... At least that was what I was calling it.

And as I popped back into the Spatial farm I heard a loud buzzing noise ringing out with information filling my mind.

[Moongrove Herb- Use- Allows other qi sources to merge into another qi source.

 Formation time for general use, 5-45 years. 5-45 days within Spatial Farm to grow.]

[Green Ginseng Root- Use- Boosts vitality, minor rejuvenation for mortals, and restores stamina for low-ranked cultivators. With the Ginseng being able to collect a great amount of medicinal energy.

 Formation time for general use 10-1000 years. 1-100 days within Spatial Farm to grow.]

[Ironthorn Berry- Use- Enhances physical strength and can be used in body-tempering elixirs for low-ranked cultivators.

 Formation time for general use 1-10 years growth cycle per berry. Picking after five days is the optimal time.]

And so the list went on with the materials filling my mind with what they were and then listing their growth requirements. Most importantly then what I needed the Spatial Farm to grow more of the herbs and treasures.

Yes not just herbs were on here as there were natural treasures like 'Sun Dew Drops' 'Spirit Sand' 'Frozen Marrow Crystals' and a 'Pearl of Still Waters'

With each heaven and earth treasure has their own very specific circumstances it requires in order to be formed properly and the farm would help me deal create their needed environments!

'Well... The fucking farm would help, if I had Qi to spend to make special environments like lakes, rivers, mountains, and deep underground biomes with lava fixtures.' I thought flatly before I took a deep breath and I got to work doing what I could do.

Planting things like the Moongrove Herb that required it be planted in the shade where sunlight couldn't touch it, but the moon would shine on it each night. And then for the next hour I just worked planting the materials I could plant that didn't require me to have qi.

But once I ran out of those materials I left my Spatial Farm and just went back to cultivating with a bright smile as I could feel my second meridian was almost completely unclogged and ready for me to begin filling it with qi...

Once you know. I fucking finished absorbing enough qi to become a true Qi refiner with my first Meridian forming the start of my qi cycle.

But until Zhu Yuan got here... I had plenty of time to do exactly that in reaching at least the first level of Qi Refining.

-

Within one of the more lavish hotels within Shanghai, Zhu Yuan was kneeling in front of a white-haired woman who was sitting in a meditative pose and wearing a veil that obscured her expression and facial features.

"You are saying... A mortal stopped a Golden Core Demon with a brick after it captured you and was working to refine your essence into a tonic for it?" The white-haired woman asked with amusement in her tone.

Zhu Yuan however rolled her eyes and said flatly. "Master, just peer into my memories. The fact that a Golden Core Demon, no matter how trashy it was. Was running amok within the capital means a great many of people within the Justice Guardians are either criminally inept or already traitors."

The white-haired woman who was Zhu Yuan's master instead chuckled and waved her hand in honest joy. "No no... I want to imagine the scene play out before I have to see the reality. Tell me how dashing this mere mortal was, did he truly beat the demon... Hahaha! I can't wait to taunt the next demon that one was defeated by a mortal with a brick haha!"

Zhu Yuan sighed at the capricious nature of her master before she grumbled. "He has the Luck Dragon Physique or something similar according to the demon. And from my own inspection when I was treating his broken arm he does have a special body in any case." 

The white-haired woman merely shrugged and said. "And you marked him I assume?" At Zhu Yuan's nod the white-haired woman pulled off her veil showing a very beautiful and elegant face that looked like it was washed away of almost all imperfections so that she could take a large drink of some wine from an ornate bowl.

"Haa... In any case Zhu Zhu, I am rather irritated frankly, two hundred mortals had their souls devoured and the royal family is asking questions of everyone. The Buddhist temples especially are in an uproar with their warrior monks already starting a parade to beat holy hymns into the city to try to root out any demons." 

Zhu Yuan raised an eyebrow before she asked bluntly. "But you do not care one whit about the other factions raising a stink besides just the loss of the mortals." 

To which Zhu Yuan's master raised her bowl at her disciple in a salute as she said firmly despite a ruddy hue entering her pale cheeks from the high-grade elixir wine entering her system.

"Zhu Yuan, the screaming of ten thousand monkeys doesn't matter to the mountain, the only thing that matters is the foundation of the mountain... But some immortal monkey wine can be pretty damned good aha." She finished with a chuckle at herself.

There was a pause before Zhu Yuan asked frankly. "I have already forced Jake to accept joining the Five Elements Sword Sect due to his physique, what will his recruitment process be?" 

To which Zhu Yuan's master raised an eyebrow before shrugging and saying honestly. "I have zero idea haha! People with luck-based physiques are always getting into the most outlandish of things if that is truly what he has."

"Either depending on if he has any talent with a secondary profession like alchemy or blacksmithing. He will likely need to go through the sword trial like all other disciples go through, and then depending on his Spirit Root and path he will be sent to that matching mountain." 

After a moment Zhu Yuan's master took another hearty drink with steam gently coiling out of her nose and breath like the celestial breath of a dragon. Then she said more openly. "Either way, the Five Elements Sword Sect wins in having another Son of Heaven joining it."

The room went silent if not tense as Zhu Yuan grimaced at the title Son of Heaven but not out of disgust or anything like that. If Jake was an arrogant fool... The Five Elements Sword Sect would swiftly beat that out of him as the Sect was firmly within the Righteous side of Cultivation.

But there was just one small issue... "Master... Has the collapsed realm been seen yet?" Zhu Yuan asked quietly.

And her master closed her eyes and remaining silent before she finished off the bowl of elixer wine and put the bowl back away into her spatial ring. "No... That demon who collapsed the spatial realm truly seemed to be killing himself. The Sect Master has said that anyone that wasn't a Golden Core cultivator died in that dungeon." 

Zhu Yuan snorted and said spitefully. "That demon took on the form of one of the Royal Familie's princes... I am surprised-"

Zhu Yuan's master opened her eyes with the disciple silencing herself at the warning in the older woman's eyes. "The Royal Family... They are something for the Head Elder, The Sectmaster and the other sects need to worry about. You need to focus on refining your cultivation as your pillars aren't settling correctly in the Foundation Establishment." 

A wry smile was her master's response as Zhu Yuan said weakly. "I have the Five Elements spirit root... It's hard to make perfectly even Foundation pillars, when I have to cultivate all five primary elements with the cultivation manuals being of different ranks." 

After a minute Zhu Yuan took a soft breath and then spoke again. "So if Jake truly is a Son of Heaven as it were. Should we be directing him to the Sect in the morning Master Cai Xun?" 

The now-named Cai Xun gave out a hum of thought before she nodded and said. "Yes, that would be for the best... No, actually go now and take him to the Sect's interspatial portal. I don't want some other wandering old monster to pick him out and try to take a share of his fate hmph!"

Cai Xun then flicked her hand with a small crystal medallion floating over to her disciple and said. "Remember Zhu Zhu... He is still untried, drop him directly off into the intake section of the Outer Courtyard so he may prove his worth during tomorrow's Sword Trial."