Chapter 514 - 468: Celestial Tier Upper Grade

Chapter 514: Chapter 468: Celestial Tier Upper Grade

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Amid the ravines of the undersea mountain range, the rippling, blood-red light had slowly begun to dim.

The churning waters of the Blood Pool were nearly exhausted. In its center, a massive, brownish-red cocoon had quietly formed. Billowing Evil Qi surged from it, transforming into illusions of various fanged and clawed abominations. They were so ferocious and terrifying it was as if the cocoon were gestating some monstrous, world-ending demon.

Wangcai was already on high alert, its beastly eyes locked on the giant cocoon in the Blood Pool. It carried an air of vigilance, ready to unleash a Thunderous Strike at the slightest unusual movement.

Chu Mu sat cross-legged on the seabed, his eyes closed. Faint surges of Magical Power rippled around him, seemingly completely unaffected by the billowing Evil Qi.

After a moment, Chu Mu slowly opened his eyes. The Light Curtain Panel flashed in his vision and then vanished, the cultivation progress of his Great Sun True Spirit clearly displayed.

After several years in the Demon Suppression Islands, he certainly didn’t lack Elixirs to support his cultivation, at least not in the Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm.

But once a cultivator reached the Golden Core Realm, they were undeniably considered a High Tier Cultivator, even in the vast Cultivation Immortal Realm.

At this level, every single step forward was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Even with ample support from Elixirs, and with his current lack of fear for the side effects of Erysipelas, it was no longer as simple as it once was. He couldn’t just swallow a few Elixirs and have his cultivation shoot up rapidly.

It was more a matter of patient, grinding effort.

Even with the aid of Elixirs, it only served to speed up this grinding process.

After all, cultivation at the Golden Core Realm was no longer a simple matter of accumulating Magical Power. Magical Power was only one part of it. The larger part involved the synchronous cultivation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and their further fusion to nurture the growth of the Immortal Embryo.

His Top Grade Golden Core granted him a greater chance of achieving Nascent Soul Formation and stronger Combat Power within the Golden Core Realm, but it also naturally meant that his cultivation would be that much more difficult.

At the Golden Core Realm, the importance of one’s Spirit Root Talent had become increasingly prominent.

Although he’d had a great stroke of fortune in the past, his Spirit Root Talent had never overcome its fundamental nature as a Pseudo Spirit Root. Relative to his current Cultivation, a Pseudo Spirit Root was proving to be a serious hindrance. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

’What a pity.’

Chu Mu sighed. ’If only I had saved that Fire Spirit Root Supplement Pill from all those years ago.’

’With my current Alchemy Skill, I could surely uncover some of its secrets. I might even be able to figure out a way to improve my own Spirit Root Talent.’

’Perhaps I can approach this from another angle?’

The sudden thought struck Chu Mu, and his gaze fell upon Wangcai, who was currently feasting with gusto.

He had studied Demon Beast Bloodlines for a long time. His greatest breakthrough had been confirming his theory of bloodline genealogy, which allowed Wangcai’s bloodline to evolve and its cultivation to jump from Tier Two to Tier Three.

’If this theory holds true,’ he thought, ’Wangcai’s cultivation path will likely be much smoother than mine.’

After all, Wangcai had always had an ample supply of resources while with him, at least for the time being. Now that its bloodline had evolved, its own natural talent was already considered outstanding. Coupled with the fact that he meticulously planned its cultivation down to the smallest detail, Wangcai had a considerable advantage over him and his paltry Pseudo Spirit Root.

If all went well, and if he had the good fortune to acquire a superior bloodline from Wangcai’s lineage, it wasn’t impossible for Wangcai’s bloodline to evolve yet again.

The Vajra Wolf King was already a Celestial Tier beast. Another evolution, and it would probably become the stuff of legends.

His other major finding, of course, was the existence of Bloodline Divine Techniques.

However, compared to his well-researched and factually supported theory of bloodline genealogy, the concept of Bloodline Divine Techniques remained as illusory as a flower in a mirror or the moon’s reflection in water.

He had predicted, however, that after reaching the Golden Core Realm, he should be able to perceive some faint traces of these techniques. And indeed, that was the case. The gestation of a Bloodline Divine Technique was an extremely secret process, yet the moment he saw Wangcai, he immediately sensed something was different.

If things proceeded as expected, once its Bloodline Divine Technique manifested, he would surely be able to glimpse some of its mysteries.

Although he himself possessed no special bloodline, his research suggested that the so-called Bloodline Divine Techniques operated on similar principles to a cultivator’s own Magical Techniques and Divine Techniques.

The only difference was that Bloodline Divine Techniques were far more advanced than ordinary Magical Techniques and Divine Techniques; both their Mighty Power and potential were vastly superior.

They were similar to a Lifebound Treasure, roughly equivalent to a... lifebound Divine Technique that could grow along with one’s cultivation!

To use a simpler analogy, it was as if the system of Magical Techniques and Divine Techniques used by cultivators was built in imitation of Bloodline Divine Techniques.

’With the endless variety of Demon Beast Bloodlines and the sheer strangeness of their Bloodline Divine Techniques,’ he mused, ’it’s possible there’s a technique out there that could affect my Spirit Root Talent.’

Chu Mu pondered for a moment, then suddenly recalled the Longevity Sect’s Scripture Pavilion, its collection as vast as a sea of smoke.

He suddenly realized that perhaps there was no need for him to try and reinvent the wheel, struggling to figure everything out on his own.

In the past, he had no choice but to struggle alone because he lacked access to such resources.

But now, things were clearly different.

Groping in the dark and struggling on your own was one thing; standing on the shoulders of giants and walking a well-trodden path to the heavens was something else entirely.

’I’ll see...’

In the end, Chu Mu simply shook his head and sighed.

’Every good thing comes with a price. The only question is how high it is.’

’The title of Ninth True Inheritor is a privilege, but it is also a price.’

’And it’s a price that involves every aspect of my life.’

’If I don’t reach the Nascent Soul Realm, I’ll never be one of the players moving the pieces.’

’I’ll inevitably be a pawn, arranged and manipulated by others.’

His thoughts shifted as his gaze returned to the Blood Pool. In just a few short days, the blood-red cocoon had gone from plump to withered. Its skin was now just a thin layer, so translucent that one could even make out the shape of the Corpse Puppet within.