Chapter 3262: Means to Interface
The dark elves clearly did not expect Rui to succeed, which was likely one reason that they had agreed to teach him the Nature Path and some of their secrets. They had no idea about what Rui intended to do to overcome this impossible hurdle of not having the genes that allowed for nature manipulation to whatever extent.
Unfortunately for them, Rui had already come up with several options.
"I could just alter my genes to become partially elven," he murmured. "That is feasible and would even save me on having to use my immortality technique."
’...That sounds disturbing. Is your attachment to humanity that low?’ Mother Alicia asked with a touch of concern.
"It is that low," Rui replied. "You may already know this, but I’m technically not of the same species as the other human beings in the Panama Continent. I am of a different, evolved species. A Martially evolved descendant of human civilization. If not for the fact that my reproductive DNA is still that of when I was human, I would even be able to spawn a new species with my offspring as long as I was reproductively compatible."
He didn’t mention that this had happened with the Blood Goddess. The blood children were too revolutionary to let the true world know of. While it was impossible to hide in the long term, Rui wanted to delay that for a less critical time in history.
’...So you don’t think of yourself as a human being at all?’ Mother Alicia asked with a hint of curiosity.
"I am a Martial Artist," Rui replied. "That is my most central identity. My body exists to serve my Martial Art. That is what a Martial Body is. If I have to include elven DNA into my Martial Body to master the Nature Path, then so be it. However..."
He shook his head. "...I probably will not do that unless it is the last resort."
’Why not?’
"Well, the simple truth of the matter is that you elves are weak," Rui replied. "Weak in your body. And even your Inner Realm does not really compensate for that. You are so weak that if I add eleven cells to my body, my body will break the next time I throw a punch. I can withstand the recoil of my own attacks because I have a honed constitution, among other reasons, and elven cells will comprise my Martial Art. I can’t have that."
’Your reasoning is not pleasant, but I cannot deny the truth. We elves are not physically gifted like the giants. Our power lies in our manipulation of nature,’ she admitted without too much of an issue. ’If not for integrating elven biology in your body, what do you have in mind?’