Chapter 304 - 202: Condensing the Divine Wood Seal
A Tier Four Spirit Wood was a Spiritual Object on the Nascent Soul Level, considered one of Heaven and Earth’s Wondrous Treasures.
It was exceedingly difficult for even a Golden Core True Monarch to obtain one, let alone a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Wei Tu suppressed his curiosity and didn’t ask further. After all, this was his first visit to Bao Siyan, and they were not close.
"The copy of the Divine Wood Origin Technique I possess is the first volume, containing only seven layers. You are in the Foundation Establishment Realm. If you switch to this Cultivation Technique now, once you reach the Third Layer, it will increase your chances of Core Formation by ten percent."
Bao Siyan added.
’A ten percent increase in the chance of Core Formation?’ Wei Tu was tempted. Among Tier Three Cultivation Techniques, that wasn’t a low probability.
The Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell could also increase his chances of Core Formation by ten percent, and it was only a Tier Two Technique, but... the difficulty of Body Refining was plain for all to see.
Besides, the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell was also a Top Tier Two technique.
It was just a hair’s breadth away from being a Tier Three Cultivation Technique.
"Master Bao, how long would it take to switch to this technique?"
Wei Tu took the initiative to ask.
Although his foundation was important, the current situation was precarious. The benefits of breaking through to a higher Cultivation level sooner were also plain to see.
Hearing this, Bao Siyan glanced at Wei Tu and gave him a definite answer.
"Cultivating this technique requires a good Spirit Root and Comprehension. Your Spirit Root is a bit lacking—it’s a Lower-Grade Spirit Root—but your Comprehension is decent... You should be able to complete the transition within twenty years. Within fifty years, you can reach the Third Layer."
Wei Tu was speechless.
Twenty years just to switch over, and fifty years to reach the Third Layer.
If that was the case, he’d be better off spending those twenty years cultivating and preparing for Core Formation instead.
’However, that’s the time required for someone with a Lower-Grade Spirit Root. I have a Middle-Grade Spirit Root. My Cultivation time for this technique should be much shorter,’ Wei Tu thought.
When he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, his Spirit Root aptitude had reached the level of a Middle-Grade Spirit Root under the effects of his "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart and the marrow-cleansing properties of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Now, after more than sixty years of Cultivation, his Spirit Root aptitude was considered average even among those with a Middle-Grade Spirit Root.
Bao Siyan was unaware of Wei Tu’s thoughts. Seeing his hesitant expression, she smiled and said, "I have some Wood Essence Pills on hand, which can shorten the time needed to cultivate this technique. However, these Wood Essence Pills are quite valuable, and they are also useful for my own Cultivation..."
After saying this, she fell silent, seemingly waiting for Wei Tu to ask about the price of the Wood Essence Pills.
Wei Tu was already wary of Bao Siyan. Coupled with the fact that he generally avoided taking Elixirs from unknown sources, he naturally held no hope for these Wood Essence Pills.
’First, I’ll return to my Cave Mansion and get started on the Divine Wood Origin Technique. Then I’ll use my Destiny Chart to see how long it will take to cultivate...’ Wei Tu secretly formulated a plan.
With that decided, Wei Tu looked at Bao Siyan, a wry smile appearing on his face at just the right moment. "Master Bao, although this junior has some skill in Talisman Making and can earn a decent amount of Spirit Stones, reaching my current level with my meager aptitude has required consuming a great deal of Elixirs... My current wealth is stretched thin, far less than that of my peers..."
In fact, Wei Tu wasn’t entirely lying. He had indeed exchanged for a large number of Elixirs at Jingshui Pavilion before.
Without the help of these Elixirs, he would not have been able to break through two Small Realms in just a few decades to reach the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.
In terms of wealth, if his Talisman Making speed hadn’t surpassed that of other Talisman Masters at the same Realm, allowing him to maintain a steady output, and if he hadn’t received patronage from wealthy clients like Si Qing, Alchemist Shu, and Lü Yuanli, he would have been bankrupted by the cost of those Elixirs long ago.
Therefore, when Wei Tu pleaded poverty to Bao Siyan, she didn’t grow suspicious and accepted his explanation.
"A Wood Essence Pill costs two thousand Spirit Stones and can save you four years of hard work. If you save up enough Spirit Stones, you can come to me to exchange for one."
Bao Siyan said after a moment of thought.
Originally, she had intended to give Wei Tu a Wood Essence Pill directly, but on second thought, she realized it might arouse his suspicion, so she dismissed the idea.
What Bao Siyan didn’t expect was that the naturally suspicious Wei Tu had already become wary of her from the moment she started probing him.
"As for teaching you the Secret Skill, I will do so after you have finished switching your Cultivation Technique."
Bao Siyan added.
...
After finishing his consultation with Bao Siyan, Wei Tu did not linger in Yangxin Pavilion. He bid her farewell and immediately returned to Yunyan Residence to enter Seclusion and cultivate the Divine Wood Origin Technique.
Switching to the Divine Wood Origin Technique was not easy, but with Wei Tu’s current Realm and Cultivation, achieving the initial stage of the technique was not difficult.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Inside the Cultivation Room, Wei Tu sat cross-legged on a cushion, his eyes tightly shut.
With each breath he took, the Spiritual Qi gathered in the Cultivation Room by the Spirit-Gathering Array gradually took on a faint cyan glow.
Just then, Wei Tu suddenly formed a strange hand seal. The surrounding cyan-tinged Spiritual Qi was instantly drawn to it, converging inside his Dantian.
The cyan light poured over the Geomagnetic Wood Spirit Seed within his Dantian.
In that instant, an illusory image of a tall, verdant ancient tree suddenly appeared above the Spirit Seed.
The illusory tree swayed gently and began to frantically absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
Half a day later, the illusory tree transformed into a Cyan Wood Mark and branded itself onto the Geomagnetic Wood Spirit Seed.
’Tier Three Cultivation Techniques all have a True Seal of Magical Power. This Cyan Wood Mark must be the Divine Wood Seal of the Divine Wood Origin Technique. Condensing this True Seal of Magical Power means I’ve finally reached the initial stage of the Divine Wood Origin Technique.’
Wei Tu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
At this moment, besides the Divine Wood Seal from the Divine Wood Origin Technique, he also possessed the Demon Slayer Seal from the Tier Three Body Refining Technique, the Demon Slayer True Skill.
Both of these marks were the True Seals of Magical Power for Tier Three Cultivation Techniques.
Only by condensing a True Seal of Magical Power could a Cultivator be considered to have truly reached the initial stage of a Tier Three Cultivation Technique.
’I wonder how long it will take me to cultivate the Divine Wood Origin Technique...’
Wei Tu sank his consciousness into his mind, examining the text on his Golden Purple Destiny Chart.
Soon, he found the entry for the Divine Wood Origin Technique.
"Divine Wood Origin Technique (1/100): Refine once every three days. Completion in one hundred seventy years."
’The first volume of the Divine Wood Origin Technique has seven layers, and it takes one hundred seventy years to cultivate it to completion. But right now, I only need to cultivate it to the Third Layer before Core Formation.’
’In other words, reaching the Minor Success stage of this technique will probably only take thirty to forty years.’
’The time to switch over will take five years at most.’
Wei Tu’s heart filled with joy when he saw this timeframe.
—Having awakened his Destiny Chart for so long, Wei Tu had long since understood that the time required to reach the Minor Success stage was far shorter than the average time needed for each of a technique’s three major stages.
Wei Tu could afford the five years needed to switch Cultivation Techniques.
As for why... Wei Tu also had an answer for the large discrepancy between the time Bao Siyan had given him and his actual cultivation progress.
He was different from an Ordinary Cultivator. With the "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart, he faced no cultivation thresholds for techniques... The warm current that flowed from his Golden Purple Destiny Chart would transform him into the person most suited to cultivate that specific technique.
’Waiting five years to strengthen my foundation and gain another ten percent chance at Core Formation is a worthwhile trade.’
’Besides, the Breathing efficiency of a Tier Three Cultivation Technique is much higher than that of a Tier Two Technique. These five "wasted" years will be made up for in my future Cultivation.’
Wei Tu thought to himself.
...
Time passed.
In a flash, four years had gone by.
Wei Tu emerged from his Seclusion. With a thoughtful expression, he transformed into a streak of cyan Escape Light and flew toward True Monarch Che’s mansion.
When he had become his disciple, True Monarch Che had said that he would hold a lecture on the Dao every five years as a benefit for his new disciples.
But a benefit was still a benefit, and Wei Tu didn’t dare stand up his master, True Monarch Che, on the very first occasion.
Arriving at the front hall of the mansion, Wei Tu glanced around and saw that the older disciples, like Gao Chen, had not yet arrived. Only a few of the new disciples, including Master Qingmei, were present. His eyes flickered as a few guesses formed in his mind.
Five years ago, True Monarch Che had hinted that he was the real one to follow, and that Wei Tu should keep his distance from the older disciples like Gao Chen.
’It might not escalate to a full-blown conflict between master and disciples, but a rift forming between Gao Chen’s group and True Monarch Che is almost inevitable,’ Wei Tu thought.
The older disciples like Gao Chen were all now at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Their relationship with True Monarch Che was one of dependency, forming a "faction within a faction."
After all, True Monarch Che could now offer very little assistance to the cultivation of Gao Chen and the others.
Normally, by becoming True Monarch Che’s disciple, Wei Tu would have also been considered part of Gao Chen’s faction.
But True Monarch Che did not tolerate a "faction within a faction." Instead, he took the new disciples directly under his wing to teach them separately.
In a sense, True Monarch Che had directly reaped the rewards of the older disciples’ efforts.
After taking his seat, Wei Tu’s gaze shifted, and he took a closer look at Master Qingmei and the others.
Among the new disciples, besides him, the "Eldest Senior Brother," was the Second Disciple, Hua Xianlong, whose face was pale, and who clearly carried a Hidden Injury. It was a wound he had sustained while helping Nanzi subdue the Thunder Horned Rabbit.
Wei Tu had heard that when Nanzi and Hua Xianlong were subduing the Thunder Horned Rabbit, the creature had a last-minute breakthrough to the Peak of Tier Two, causing both of them to suffer significant injuries.
Because of this, Nanzi had written to him, postponing the matter of breeding the Sky-Splitting Carving from three years to seven years from now.
In her letter, Nanzi had complained that Hua Xianlong was all show and no substance, with an unstable foundation, and that he had ruined her important task and gotten her injured.
She wrote that if she had known, she wouldn’t have changed her mind and would have invited Wei Tu instead.
However, Wei Tu saw things differently.
He was secretly glad that he hadn’t taken the risk of following Nanzi to Xinghua Village to subdue the Thunder Horned Rabbit just to curry favor with a Celestial Pride from the Beast Taming Sect.
Otherwise, he would have put in the effort and received no gratitude for it.
Wei Tu’s gaze shifted again.
It landed on his Third Junior Sister, Mu Die, and his Fourth Junior Sister, Master Qingmei.
Compared to five years ago, Mu Die and Master Qingmei were now much closer. The two of them were whispering to each other, clearly enjoying their conversation.
’It seems Mu Die has found an ally in Master Qingmei to counterbalance Hua Xianlong.’
With a moment’s thought, Wei Tu understood the reason for their alliance.