‘It can’t be that difficult, right?’
Aksai thought to himself when he heard about Laairo’s circumstances. He had stress lines on his forehead thinking about the possibility of spending that much time in a single realm.
As reality struck Aksai, he kept believing that he was special– that the cheats he had were more than enough to make his cultivation journey easy and worry-free.
Why did Aksai think he was special from the rest of the Spirit farmers? He had already broken through the 7th stage of the Spirit Refining.
Plus, he had a neural link fabric he could rely on. With the kind of resources, he could produce with Everwood farm he has obtained through his inheritance, it was completely possible for him to achieve Spirit Refining Perfection before the deadline of 50 years.
At least that’s what he had believed.
However, Aksai also had to admit that he hadn’t paid attention to what happens after one breaks into the 7th stage of Spirit Refining.
Firstly, the information related to the late stage of Spirit Refining was very limited and was not meant to be given to someone like him who was supposed to be a low-level Spirit farmer. He was practically a nobody in the societal hierarchy of the cultivation world. This was why the last three layers of even the most crude forms of Tantras were not distributed freely to the Spirit farmers by the Lakir family.
The control of information was a way for the established powers to control the masses. They could have their pick, giving the last three layers to someone supportive of their cause. This way, the drifting cultivators would not stay drifting anymore and be tied to an organization they couldn’t leave.
Secondly, Aksai basically lived alone with nobody to count on. His father had died so he lost the only mentor he ever had.
The Basic Greenwood Tantra, which was given to him by the Mongoose so that he could act as a Spirit farmer, wasn’t taught to him by anyone. He had learned it by himself after referring to the steps, concepts, and diagrams written in the Tantra book copy he received from the Lakir family.
Lastly, Aksai had just recently been promoted to the late stage of Spirit Refining. He hadn’t bothered to go outside and strike up a conversation with the rest of the late-stage cultivators. He just spent his time tending to his farm and cultivating in silence, leaving an ascetic life from his early adolescent age.
So it was only natural that he wasn’t aware of the horrors of difficulties faced by veteran cultivators who had achieved semblance of success.
Of course, Aksai was smart enough to understand that there was some truth to Laairo’s statements. However, he couldn’t help deriving his own conclusions from them.
‘The only thing that should hinder me in my cultivation journey is my low-grade Spirit Root aptitude,’ Aksai pondered, seemingly lost in his thoughts with a vacant look on his face.
‘I know that the aptitude of the Spirit Root plays a major role in determining one’s speed of cultivation progress. But there are two grades of Spirit Root Aptitudes below me. I am not worse off if I am to compare my Spirit Root with those who have lesser-grade or inferior-grade Spirit Roots.
This Uncle Laairo might have a Spirit Root that has poorer aptitude than me,’ Aksai thought to himself and nodded at his own conjecture. He felt that he had successfully decoded the mystery behind the slow cultivation progress of the late-stage Spirit Refiners like Laairo.
“Uncle Laairo, what is your Spirit Root Aptitude if you don’t mind me asking?” Aksai asked in a low tone. He wanted to test his own hypothesis. Unfortunately, the man decided to speak the truth, which was completely opposite of Aksai’s self-derived conjecture.
“My Spirit Root Aptitude? It’s been a long time since I have been asked that question,” Laairo shook his head and sighed before responding to Aksai’s question in a sad tone.
“Why do you want to rub salt on your uncle’s open wounds, boy? I… I have only a mid-grade Spirit Root,” he said as if he was not particularly proud of his own Spirit Root Aptitude.
Laairo wasn’t trying to come across as modest. Technically speaking, a mid-grade Spirit Root was indeed not something to be proud of.
The aptitude of the Spirit Root was divided into seven grades. From the best to the worst, these aptitude grades were as follows: celestial, stellar, high grade, mid-grade, low grade, lesser grade, and lastly inferior grade.
Each of these grades was further divided into five-star ratings. However, for cultivators with poorer aptitude than mid-grade, these five-star ratings didn’t mean much.
The mid-grade Spirit Root was placed just in the middle of the aptitude scale, deeming it to be seen as insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The cultivators with this aptitude had a small chance of establishing their foundation if paired with the right elixirs, environments, and opportunities.
As for the cultivators with even poorer aptitude than the mid-grade Spirit Root aptitude?
It was considered a blessing if they managed to break into the late stages of the Spirit Refining realm in their life. Aksai belonged to this category. He could be considered the king of people with poor Spirit Root Aptitude.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Aksai felt like his throat was dry and he needed some water. His eyes couldn’t hide the dreadful shock he felt in his heart after doing some simple calculations.
‘If what this poor chap Laairo says is true, then all the advantages I have are negated by the low-grade Spirit Root Aptitude I have,’ Aksai had a dreadful thought, his face turning solemn.
‘Doesn’t that mean I might end up like this guy in my late 40s? Will I have to risk my life and fight for my chance in middle age? I… I don’t want to hold a sword in my hands when my joints are creaking, damn it.’
Laairo, on the other hand, had a smile erupt on his face when he saw the teenager Aksai, shocked by his revelation. He patted his shoulder and chuckled before speaking further.