“Forget it. Let’s set aside the nature of this book and focus on its content.”
Aksai thought to himself before pulling up the wooden chair placed beside the study table. He sat on it and positioned the book on the desk.
As the moonless silvery light entered the farmhouse through the window, it provided Aksai ample illumination to read the book’s content.
Aksai didn’t waste any time and began reading the book more quickly than would be humanly possible for mortals. He simply activated the data recording function of the neural link fabric and instructed it to analyze the content in the background.
The book contained information on various Spirit herbs, plants, and trees. It delved into processes to extract various forms of elixirs from them and offered methods to identify different properties of Spirit ingredients.
These methods enabled one to understand the elemental profiles of the ingredients, their age, quality, Spirit accumulation, method of planting and cultivation, and their place in the botanical hierarchy.
While some of the ingredients and plants mentioned were familiar to Aksai, a significant portion of them were entirely novel. Aksai wasn’t certain if these plants existed in the cultivation world he inhabited.
Furthermore, all the information in the book was primarily focused on 1st Order ingredients, making it perfectly suited for Aksai’s current rank. It was as if someone or something had shown him only the necessary things he wanted to know.
The last chapter of the book delved into an intriguing topic—it discussed how one could extract bloodlines from Spirit plants and use them to transform into non-human cultivators.
What added to the fascination was that these bloodlines would be bound to the individual’s soul, not just their flesh. This meant that potential non-human cultivators couldn’t necessarily pass on the acquired bloodline to their descendants.
According to the book, most plant-based creatures were considered nature spirits, lacking a fixed genetic code binding them to their vessels. As a result, those following this Path could transcend their human limits, but their descendants would still be ordinary humans.
“Interesting,” Aksai murmured as he closed the book and entered contemplation.
“Could it be that an ancestor of the Everwood family or one of its scions infused these plant-based bloodlines into their veins, reached a high cultivation level, and created this mysterious place?
Perhaps to allow their descendants to continually harness the power of the Nature spirits? How else can an ordinary Spirit farming family be in possession of such a mysterious painting?
It would also explain why the descendants of the Everwood family have remained human even after one of their scions reached such great heights,” Aksai pondered, looking around the farmhouse with a newfound respect.
Closing the book after recording its contents, Aksai instructed the neural link fabric to display the number of bloodlines explained in the book and the methods to extract and plant them in one’s own body.
The neural link fabric processed the book’s content, presenting the information in a summarized, easy-to-read format.
At Aksai’s request, the neural link fabric displayed a list of the plant-based bloodlines mentioned in the book on a Spectral Screen.
[ Corpse flower bloodline
Wood woad bloodline
Assassin vine bloodline
Myconid bloodline
Creeperhulk bloodline
Treant bloodline
Kelpie bloodline
Shrieker bloodline
Demon spore bloodline
Bodytaker plant bloodline
Violet fungus bloodline
Lonefire blossom bloodline
Hangman tree bloodline ]
The list included various other bloodlines, but Aksai eliminated them one by one after reading their descriptions. Some of the bloodline descriptions also contained pictorial references to the bloodline transformation, which allowed Aksai to judge the bloodline’s effects visually as well.
Aksai had to say that most of the bloodlines mentioned in the book would make him come across as an abomination or a monster rather than a Nature spirit. He wasn’t particularly fixated on the visual appeal of the bloodline transformation. However, he didn’t want to select a bloodline just because it was destructive or defensive in nature.
As for why Aksai was even reading the descriptions related to the bloodlines even when he had no foreseeable plans to start the bloodline transfusion? Although he wasn’t sure if he wanted to tread the path of a non-human cultivator, he deemed it essential to learn more about the pros and cons of this path.
Aksai delved into the descriptions of each shortlisted bloodline and, in the end, decided to explore the peculiar bloodline of Woodland creatures, often depicted as druids and dryads. They were nature spirits found in fairy tales.
Aksai held a keen interest in the druid bloodline, as he perceived it to offer a balanced set of benefits while maintaining his human essence. Since the bloodline energy would integrate into the soul after transplantation, he would appear and be detected as human by immortal cultivators.
Moreover, the ability to trigger the bloodline transformation at will would provide him with flexibility, preventing potential issues in the world of immortal cultivation.
Aware of the dangers in the cultivation world, Aksai recognized that suddenly appearing as a non-human could lead to severe consequences. Being deemed a demonic or heretic cultivator for crimes he didn’t commit was a risk he aimed to mitigate through the druid bloodline’s adaptability to control his supernatural powers.
“Although the cultivation requirements for this druid bloodline aren’t stringent, the book emphasizes the need for a decent-quality main ingredient,” Aksai rose from his seat, exploring the farmhouse while contemplating. As he surveyed the common and unique items within, he continued his thought process.
“The higher the main ingredient’s position in the botanical hierarchy, the more potent the bloodline will be.
A superior druid bloodline could enhance the transformed cultivator’s power, possibly improving their Spirit Root aptitude as they progress through cultivation realms. I guess I need to select the peak of the 1st Order plants if I want to really go with this method.
It would be even better if the plant’s quality surpasses 1st Order and enters the realm of the 2nd order.
Could it help me elevate my low-grade aptitude if I choose this path?” Aksai mused aloud, shaking his head in uncertainty.
“No. Stay steady. I shouldn’t make assumptions just yet.”
Aksai didn’t want to take any wrong step in overexcitement. He acknowledged the necessity of live experiments to draw some conclusions of his own rather than relying solely on book knowledge.
What if the bloodline transformation had a certain set of limitations on cultivators? What if they cut short his immortal path? A cautious cultivator, he didn’t want to limit his journey by opting for quick and easy methods.
Still young, with ample potential and the aid of the neural link fabric, he saw no urgency to resort to desperate measures to break into the next realm.
The standard criterion for a Spirit refiner to enter the foundation realm was before the age of 50, after which the chances for building a foundation and stepping into the 2nd cultivation realm would drop significantly.
Aksai’s young age offered him ample time to explore various immortal arts as leisure or a way to make a side-income. As long as he keeps on accumulating things and experiences using the neural link fabric, he won’t have to worry about making money and obtaining cultivation resources. They will all eventually come to him.
At just 16 years old, Aksai, though not a genius by conventional standards, leveraged his automated cultivation to compensate for any deficiencies. This approach not only saved time but also assisted him in other fields.
“I made a promise to my old man that I’d continue treading the immortal path. However, I didn’t commit to rushing along the journey using desperate methods. I won’t take unnecessary risks.
If others wish to risk their lives in some secret realms, achieving rapid progress overnight, let them.
If they opt for advancement by encountering risks, accumulating countless enemies and grievances on the cultivation road, let them.
Battling with young masters for some treasures in mysterious caves? No, thank you.
What’s so special about a ring containing an old sage’s trapped soul? I’ll just toss it away.
Becoming a direct disciple of some big expert with many enemies? Count me out.
I’ll flip the bird to the pointless struggle in prestigious sects that only attract calamity.
What I have here, this opportunity I’ve seized, is plenty for me.
I’ll choose safe and steady methods of progress, even if they’re slow. After all, I’m just a simple farmer seeking peace through cultivation. I’ll rely on myself to pave the way.”
Aksai contemplated, chuckling to himself as he stepped out of the farmhouse, gazing upon the farmland he had unwittingly become the owner of.