Chapter 122: My Heart
Chapter 122: Chapter 122: My Heart
Zhu Ge looked at the object before him and raised an eyebrow.
A handful of reddish soil appeared before his eyes.
The clump of soil was fist-sized at most, yet it stood out starkly amidst the pile of yellow earth, looking just like a fully ripened maple leaf.
’Wait, Poisonous Maple Soil?’
In Zhu Ge’s mind, the contents of the old man’s legacy flowed past.
The legacy he had obtained from the old man was far from systematic, like a tattered piece of clothing, full of holes.
He originally thought there was no such thing as Spirit Soil, but upon seeing the soil before him, Zhu Ge managed to find a corresponding item in the old man’s legacy.
Poisonous Maple Soil!
This type of soil was best suited for planting poisonous things. Whether eaten by humans or Gu Insects, what it grew could grant an ability.
Fire Poison!
In his memories, some women in that old man’s tribe specifically ate the fruit grown in this Poisonous Maple Soil, after which their fingernails could naturally secrete toxins.
’What a great find!’
Zhu Ge’s expression was joyous.
First, because he had obtained the Poisonous Maple Soil—even though, from its appearance, it looked no different from ordinary soil.
But Zhu Ge knew that this Poisonous Maple Soil could only release its spiritual nature when activated by blood.
It was like firewood, which only provides light and heat after being ignited.
That was why Hua Liusha hadn’t sensed anything when she went down earlier.
Moreover, this wasn’t what pleased Zhu Ge the most. It was about the old man’s legacy.
The old man’s legacy was originally incomplete, but Zhu Ge was now discovering that even this fragmented inheritance seemed to provide some sort of instinctual feedback when triggered by visual stimuli.
Just now, when he saw the Poisonous Maple Soil, he had naturally obtained knowledge and memories from the instincts of his Bone Monster Avatar.
Perhaps this meant that Zhu Ge could recover more memories through stimulation from certain scenes and objects.
In the future, he might suddenly see a Spirit Level flower and instantly recall its origins and uses.
"Let’s go. We’re heading home!"
...
Laden with his spoils, Zhu Ge returned with a grass-woven bowl full of his harvest.
He had also dug up some of the earth around the thorns. Now, instead of clearing away that ordinary soil, he used it directly at the valley entrance.
He dug a pit, buried the Poisonous Maple Soil, then covered it with this ordinary soil and planted the thorns on top.
At the same time, Zhu Ge took the other half of the Poisonous Maple Soil to the mulberry tree area in the valley.
The original three Spiritual Mulberry trees had pulled through and were gradually growing more spiritual. He estimated that, given time, they would become true Spirit Level mulberry trees.
On the other side were the demonic Blood Mulberry trees. These Blood Mulberries seemed to have blood flowing through their veins, cultivated by Zhu Ge with Demon Beast Blood.
Now, Zhu Ge buried the Poisonous Maple Soil on yet another side and transplanted a few more mulberry saplings on top of it.
Zhu Ge planted these three types of mulberry trees at the three points of a triangle to prevent them from competing for soil nutrients.
"Poisonous Maple Soil? What’s that?" Zhu Sisi was very concerned about anything related to the mulberry trees.
"If you plant mulberry trees in Poisonous Maple Soil, the plants will become toxic," Zhu Ge explained.
"Toxins?" Zhu Sisi was surprised. "Can I absorb all kinds of toxins?"
"Yes," Zhu Ge said with a smile. "However, while this toxin can enhance our abilities, it isn’t very potent. The Poisonous Maple Soil’s toxicity will only grow stronger after being irrigated with Spirit Blood for many years."
The intrinsic properties of the Poisonous Maple Soil were average.
That was why, in the memories from the old man’s legacy, this stuff was considered leftover material.
However, Poisonous Maple Soil could be strengthened by being irrigated with blood.
Just like those three Blood Mulberry trees, irrigating them with blood could make them closer to becoming Spirit Trees.
It was just that this kind of irrigation had to be done over many years.
These things weren’t Tree Spirits or Earth Monsters.
Tree Spirits and Earth Monsters possessed a degree of consciousness and could grow stronger by absorbing Spiritual Qi.
But the Poisonous Maple Soil and Blood Mulberry trees, which didn’t possess Spiritual Qi, could only strengthen themselves by instinctually absorbing blood.
Furthermore, this enhancement had its limits; it wasn’t infinite.
Just like Hua Liusha, who couldn’t get stronger just by devouring endless souls.
And Zhu Ge couldn’t get stronger just by eating nonstop.
Things that could get stronger just by being fed souls, food, or blood, like in novels, basically didn’t exist!
’Except for the Bone Monster...’ Zhu Ge thought of his own Bone Monster.
Perhaps the Bone Monster was the only exception he knew of so far.
After all, the Bone Monster could not only absorb bones but also refine them.
If Zhu Ge’s talent was to absorb food and then strengthen his physical body, perhaps his body could, at the very least, become infinitely stronger.
’But none of that really matters.’
"In any case, it should be enough for our needs," Zhu Ge said with a laugh.
"It won’t be dangerous?" Zhu Sisi’s cool tone carried a hint of excitement.
"Correct." Zhu Ge nodded. "The effects of this Spirit Soil are quite limited. Unlike other types of Spirit Soil that can continuously nurture Spirit Plants, this one can only imbue crops with poison. In other words, it enchants them..."
Zhu Ge explained patiently. After all, it would still be some time before they could eat the Mulberry Fruit.
And Zhu Sisi had to eat mulberry leaves every day.
However, although the properties of this Poisonous Maple Soil were considered mediocre and mere leftover material in the old man’s legacy, the fact that it was remembered at all meant it must have some merit.
In Zhu Ge’s view, its greatest merit was that its toxicity could be enhanced by irrigating it with blood.
He guessed that once his Poisonous Maple Soil was upgraded from its current low-grade Spirit Level to the Elemental Level, the added poison might actually become useful.
"I’ll allocate some of the Demon Beast’s blood to this area when the time comes," Zhu Ge said. "On a normal day, you should rotate between eating from these three types of mulberry trees. It will be good for you."
"Okay!" Zhu Sisi nodded her round little head. "Thank you, Master!"
Zhu Ge nodded, then immediately went off to the side to practice his martial arts.
He wasn’t far from a breakthrough, and now was the time to integrate all his Martial Arts.
"Great Python Constriction!"
"Ant Lifts Head!"
"Bull’s Horn Wrestle!"
"Dragonfly’s Wing Beat!"
...
Zhu Ge practiced these Martial Arts one by one.
At times, he was like a water buffalo, thrusting upward with both hands. At others, it was as if he had no bones in his body, moving like a serpent or a python.
Each experience, each observation of the myriad things in the world, flowed through his heart.
This, combined with his mastery of martial techniques like the "Raging-Eyed Vajra Palm" and "Waist and Horse Skill," allowed him to faintly touch upon his Martial Arts Heart.
’I know too much!’
This didn’t refer to the Martial Arts he currently knew, but to many, many other things.
Mathematics, physics, history, chemistry, biology...
That knowledge intertwined, forming his unique worldview, philosophy on life, and values.
And even his perspective on civilization.
A great civilization existed in his memory. How could his Martial Arts Heart be content to take just a single scoop of water from a river three thousand leagues wide?
Because of his greed, his breakthrough to the Mountain Shattering Realm, which he could have achieved long ago, had been delayed again and again.
But it was also because of this greed that his strength at the peak of the Anger Realm was enough to slay a Second Realm Transformed Demon Beast with his own hands.
And now, he finally had a clue about his own Martial Arts Heart.
"This realm is Senluo..."
"My heart is the myriad phenomena."