Chapter 118: Origin Seed Transformation
Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Origin Seed Transformation
Lin Changheng focused his mind, sinking it into his sea of consciousness. The Primordial Cauldron stood there, a golden Treasure Seed already formed at the center of its Tripod Mouth.
It pulsed with a rosy glow.
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]
...
[Origin Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]
[Can continue to Refine into Human Race Lifebound Talent: Enhanced Enlightenment]
"Refine it directly."
Lin Changheng could no longer wait. The next instant, the golden Treasure Seed slipped into his Divine Soul, washing over it like a clear spring, and his entire being underwent a profound and mysterious transformation.
[Acquired: Celestial Gifted Enlightenment·Cave Source]
[Utility: Transcendent comprehension to blaze new trails; perceive truth in the finest details to turn the mundane into the miraculous.]
"OMMM—!"
Suddenly, a distant, mystical sound echoed in Lin Changheng’s ears. It was like the chime of a bell, the hum of a sword, or the first whisper of wind at the turn of day and night.
It resonated endlessly, its echo piercing his Divine Soul.
This sound did not come from the Outer World; it reverberated directly within his sea of consciousness. Each toll was like a clear spring cleansing his marrow, filling him with a sense of comfort and clearing his mind.
"Hah!"
An unknown amount of time passed. Lin Changheng felt as if sweet dew had fallen into a spiritual lake, his mind becoming empty, bright, and limpid—clearer than ever before.
This transformation made Lin Changheng involuntarily recall the difficulties and stagnation that had hindered his progress in the Upper Grade Alchemy Dao.
He could now faintly perceive clues to those problems and grasp their general outlines.
He could follow these leads and gradually solve them.
This feeling was like finally finding a construction line for a geometry problem from his past life that he had wracked his brains over without finding a solution...
"So that’s how it is!"
Lin Changheng was overjoyed. With such assistance, he could slowly master the Upper Grade Alchemy Dao, and the time it would take him to refine an Upper Grade Masterpiece pill would be drastically reduced.
But the next moment, the weakness in his body brought him crashing back to reality.
After swallowing an Upper Grade Blood Creation Pill, Lin Changheng felt a warmth spread from his abdomen. The weakness was replaced by a sense of fullness, and he felt much more comfortable.
From the initial Lower Grade Blood Replenishing Pill, to the Middle Grade Blood Recovery Pill, and now the Blood Creation Pill—as his Cultivation progressed, he had been taking them monthly for nearly thirty years, amounting to a huge expenditure of Spirit Stones.
’Right, what comes next? Does the Origin Treasure Seed have a continuation?’
’Will a Sixth Layer appear? Or will there be a Metamorphosis? Or does it just stop here?’
This was a major question!
The sudden realization made Lin Changheng’s eyes flicker, and he immediately focused his mind to check.
But inside the Primordial Cauldron, the central position was now completely vacant. No Treasure Seed was visible, and nothing else occupied the space.
’Will I have to wait until next month to find out?’
Lin Changheng frowned.
...
After using Spirit Stealing on the Fifth Layer of the Origin Treasure Seed, Lin Changheng’s Fire Spirit Root finally reached a total of twenty-eight strands.
It was approaching the threshold of a Middle Grade Spirit Root.
His other Spirit Roots were as follows: the Wood Spirit Root had nineteen strands of Spiritual Charm, the Earth Spirit Root had twelve, the Metal Spirit Root had eight, and the Water Spirit Root remained unchanged at five.
「One month later.」
「At the usual time.」
The extraction of his Essence Blood occurred once again.
Lin Changheng was waiting for this exact moment.
[Origin Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 4/100]
[Utility: Spirit Stealing successful. You may continue to select and Refine into one of the following Human Race Lifebound Talents: Clear Heart, Wisdom]
[Currently Refined: Celestial Gifted Enlightenment·Cave Source]
"Hiss... what’s this?"
"The Origin Treasure Seed doesn’t stop at the Fifth Layer, it can go even further!"
"But it seems Celestial Gift of Enhanced Enlightenment can’t be advanced any further. Instead, I can choose one of the two Human Race Lifebound Talents I passed on before and use Spirit Stealing to enhance it."
A gleam appeared in Lin Changheng’s eyes, and he fell into deep thought.
’Clear Heart and Wisdom both seem good, but if I have to choose one...’
"Clear Heart!"
’After all, there’s a saying that cultivation is the cultivation of the heart. Future breakthroughs even involve the Great Heart Demon Tribulation, and the Dao Heart itself is related to one’s state of mind.’
Thus, Lin Changheng made his decision without hesitation.
At the same time, he also discovered that even though he had switched to a new Talent, the accumulated progress carried over instead of resetting.
This made him sigh in great relief.
A single extraction of Origin Essence Blood still provided four points of progress.
He would only need twenty-five months—just over two years—to harvest a fully formed Treasure Seed and experience the Utility of Clear Heart.
...
Time flowed by slowly.
Another year passed. It had now been two years since Lin Changheng arrived to oversee the Cyan Spirit District.
Just as Lin Changheng stepped out of the Alchemy Room, he saw Xu Fugui’s seventh son, Xu Qi’an, waiting at the door with an anxious look on his face.
Something had clearly happened, but he hadn’t dared to disturb Lin Changheng during his Alchemy.
Xu Qi’an, who was making good progress in his Alchemy studies, knew very well that interrupting an alchemist was a great taboo. It could easily cause a lapse in concentration or emotional fluctuations, increasing the risk of the cauldron exploding.
Unless it was a matter of life and death, one must never recklessly interrupt.
Under the care of this Chief Alchemist, his uncle, he was thriving. The Pill Master he apprenticed with held nothing back in his teachings, giving him a solid foundation in the theory of the Alchemy Dao. Furthermore, he was given many hands-on opportunities to practice Alchemy, allowing him to identify and correct his weaknesses.
What excited him the most was Uncle Lin’s assessment: "Keep working hard, and reaching the Entry Tier is within your grasp."
After all, a rumor was circulating in the Pill Shop that Uncle Lin had already broken through to become an Upper Grade Alchemist.
After all, the sheer volume of Upper Grade Medicinal Materials being brought in couldn’t be completely hidden from prying eyes and ears.
These clues had given rise to speculation and rumors.
This was partly because the Xu Family and Lin Changheng had relaxed their control, letting the rumors spread instead of issuing a gag order.
A while ago, the Golden Light Array Shop had announced that Jin Geng had become an Upper Grade Array Master, which really boosted their reputation and business. The Xu Family’s upper echelon was quite envious.
So they approached Lin Changheng to discuss a plan to gradually release the news and build the reputation of the Xu Family’s Alchemy Shop.
With Jin Geng setting a precedent, it wouldn’t make him stand out too much.
Lin Changheng was initially hesitant, but the Xu Family pleaded earnestly and finally persuaded him by promising a significant reward.
He gritted his teeth and nodded.
But inwardly, he was quite pleased.
Because what the Xu Family offered was an Upper Grade Body Refining Technique!
It was a technique that the family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Xu Xujun, had found on his travels and was kept as part of the family’s hidden reserves.
It was called the "Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood."
Why practice Body Refining?
Because three great mountains block the path to Foundation Establishment: the Mountain of Essence, the Mountain of Qi, and the Divine Mountain.
The Mountain of Essence, also called the Origin Mountain, is where a Cultivator’s Power of Origin resides—their very Root of Life. It is both the material basis of life and the physical cornerstone for Foundation Establishment.
Body Forging strengthens the body, which acts as a vessel. It secures one’s essence, making it flawless and without leakage, so that when nature’s spiritual energy floods the body in the future, not a single drop is wasted.
This is beneficial for Foundation Establishment.
If one’s Qi and Blood are deficient, their origin unsustainable, and their physical body in decay, then the Tao Foundation cannot be condensed. The result is—
Foundation Establishment becomes an impossible dream!
Foundation Establishment is not achieved overnight. Lin Changheng was already starting his preparations, and it was only by deliberately guiding the situation that he obtained this Cultivation Technique.
...
"My good nephew, why are you waiting for your uncle?"
Lin Changheng was in a good mood and teased the young man with a smile.
"Uncle, there is terrible news!" Xu Qi’an said, not forgetting to bow, his expression turning grim.
"What is it?" Lin Changheng’s brows knitted together.
"Uncle Bai... he’s fallen in the Wilderness!"