Chapter 498 - 315: Enlightenment First Layer Perfection, Trait: Plundering Vitality, Creating the Dao-Borrowing Seed

But the moment he relaxed, thoughts began to race through his mind even faster.

His recent promotion to Sword Master had opened up a brand-new path for him, prompting him to think more deeply about his future plans.

’Is cultivating on my own fast enough?’

’It’s very fast! With the system’s help and my Innate Sword Body, my Cultivation speed is tens, even hundreds of times faster than others.’

’But is it fast enough?’

’It’s not!’

The ten-year countdown was like a great mountain weighing on everyone’s minds.

Within ten years, he had to break through the realms of Enlightenment, Divine Containment, and Celestial Being, and also cross the threshold to Tier Five—a barrier that had stopped all the experts of this world.

The sheer difficulty of it was staggering to even contemplate.

Besides Time, his biggest problem was resources.

Just opening Thirty-six Acupoints had already cost him over a hundred thousand Contribution Points, equivalent to the same amount in Spirit Coins.

’What about opening three hundred and sixty in the future?’

The amount of resources required would be an unimaginable figure.

And that was just for Tier Three.

At Tier Four and Tier Five, High Tier resources would become even rarer, all of them firmly controlled by the top experts of the major factions.

’How will I compete with them then?’

’Relying on taking Artifact Refining commissions alone, I could work myself to death and still not earn enough.’

So, going it alone was not a viable option.

Fortunately, the system had given him a way to break the stalemate: Sword Seed Dao Transmission.

’Make all the geniuses in the world work for me. Use the wisdom of the masses to forge my supreme sword.’

’That is the true path to supremacy!’

Still, he needed to carefully consider the specifics of how to execute this plan.

Planting the Divine Soul Sword Seed in Zhao Tianlan and suggesting he cultivate the Three-Inch Heart Sword Observation Method had merely been a preliminary experiment.

The method worked for a one-on-one "investment."

But if he wanted to "invest" in bulk, the difficulty was far too great.

His previous idea of using the Black Market had been too naive.

Trying to control the thoughts and actions of thousands, making them all follow his script...

...was a task even more difficult than breaking through to Tier Five himself.

Han Feng sat on a bench by the lake, dismissing his initial plan.

He needed a more efficient, more covert, and more "foolproof" method of operation.

It would be best to do what the Child of the Mist did: disguise the Sword Seed as some kind of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and let people fight over it.

All he would have to do is sow the seeds and wait for the harvest, with no need to interfere in the process.

’This is the perfect model for propagation!’

’So, the question is, what "Dao" should I transmit?’

If he continued to infuse the Sword Seeds with insights from the Three-Inch Heart Sword Observation Method, then compatibility would be a major issue.

After all, not everyone was like Zhao Tianlan, suited for such a domineering Spiritual Secret Technique.

There were countless Cultivation Techniques in the world. What was honey to one person could be poison to another.

If a recipient’s Cultivation Technique clashed with the "Dao" in the Sword Seed, the investment would be a total loss.

His purpose in transmitting the Dao wasn’t to cultivate successors for the Three-Inch Heart Sword, but to steal the fruits of others’ Cultivation to strengthen himself.

The thought gave Han Feng a headache.

’If the harvested Sword Fruits are all different, containing a jumble of miscellaneous insights, won’t I have problems absorbing them?’

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck. He remembered a system function he had long overlooked.

Performance Technique!

It was one of the system’s most basic functions, capable of deducing and optimizing Cultivation Techniques.

"I’m such an idiot!"

Han Feng slapped his thigh. ’I have a cheat system! Why am I still thinking about this like a normal person?’

’With Performance Technique as my super-furnace, what’s there to fear from a bit of clutter?’

’When the time comes, I’ll collect thousands of different cultivation insights and just toss them all into the Performance Technique furnace to be smelted.’

’Keep the essence, discard the dross.’

’The new Technique that is ultimately deduced and fused will be countless times more powerful than the Three-Inch Heart Sword alone!’

Having figured this out, Han Feng felt his mind clear, his thoughts flowing freely.

He didn’t need to limit which path others took at all!

All paths lead to the same destination. As long as the goal was "getting stronger," the final fruits could all become his nourishment.

In that case, the "Dao" he transmitted should be as fundamental, essential, and universally applicable as possible.

For example, with a Sword Seed of the Divine Soul path.

He didn’t need to infuse it with the complete Three-Inch Heart Sword.

He only needed to imprint the most fundamental "principles" and "techniques" inside: "how to strengthen the Divine Soul," "how to condense Spiritual Power," "how to temper one’s Will."

These most basic, universally applicable principles and techniques would be enough.

It would be like providing them with a highly efficient "toolkit."

Whether they used that toolkit to build a house or a spaceship would be entirely up to them.

And in that process, all their innovations, all their insights, every flash of inspiration...

...would ultimately be recorded and absorbed by the Sword Seed, forming the sweetest Sword Fruit.

"To cultivate the true by means of the false, to perform the Dao externally... so that’s what it meant."

Han Feng muttered to himself, having reached a complete understanding.

At that moment, the confusion in his heart was swept away, and his mind became incredibly clear.

[Ding! Host has comprehended the essence of power, perceived the future Dao, achieved mental clarity and purity of Will...]

[Talent: Heart Clarity and Nature Seeing (Middle Level) Skill Proficiency +2000!]

[Current Progress: 9550/10000]

The system’s notification chimed in his mind.

"Just a little bit more to go." Han Feng’s mood soared as he felt the changes in his Sea of Consciousness.

Then, another practical problem occurred to him.

How could he spread these Sword Seeds far and wide at the lowest possible cost, and get those "high-quality customers" to come to him and use them willingly?

The method of sowing had to be sufficiently covert, and also sufficiently efficient.