Chương 8: Spirit Stone Augmentation (III)

"Oh, Disciple~" Long Tao slowly opened his eyes and looked forward at his Master's descending figure. There was a bit of trepidation in his heart as he'd severely underestimated the Heart-Stitching Art. Though he assumed it would be extremely beneficial for his Heart-Curse, he had never considered the possibility of it doing what it did: making the curse go dormant.

It was almost unfathomable that there was a method on the entire Mortal Plane capable of doing that, as the Heart-Poison Curse was one of the most severely restricting taboos of the Immortal Plane, as evidenced by the fact that it had even followed him into reincarnation. And yet... It now lay dormant. Per his quick estimates, it had bought him 200-300 years of relative peace.

Though there would likely be occasional flare-ups, especially during breakthroughs, as his comprehension of Heart-Stitching Art grew, his ability to control it would, too. Until, of course, the Curse eventually became simply too strong. By then, however, who knew what realm he would achieve?

"Yes, Master?" he greeted back.

"Per your earlier inquiry, I have rummaged through my possessions and found something," the man said, taking out another tome.

"I'd forgotten it since it's been rotting in my belongings for years, and because I was nowhere near talented enough to covet it, but since you've understood the Heart-Stitching Art so quickly, I think you might understand this too!"

"... Spirit Stone Augmentation?" Long Tao casually picked up the tome and looked at the letters.

"Well then, feel free to peruse it. Ah! Please, do not disclose this to the Sect, he he. We are supposed to inform the Elders if we ever discover martial arts on the outside, but..."

"Don't worry," he said dismissively, already ignoring the figure at the front, too curious. Flipping the pages casually, by the time he finished even perusing the book, night had descended. Closing it, he took in a cold breath as a glint shot through his eyes; it was... precisely what he needed. And, in some minor ways, it was even more marvelous than the Heart-Stitching Art simply because, unlike the latter, it was universal.

There were no conditions--even at the barest minimum, this art would increase not just the speed but also the quality of one's cultivation exponentially. And the earlier they learned it, the better it would be. And for Long Tao, who was learning it before even cultivating, it was akin to adding yet another layer of talent on top of the existing ones.

This would allow him to save a lot of time and evade a lot of future headaches; there were several big thresholds in one's cultivation journey, and the first one came upon reaching the 'Shedding Mortality Realm'. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As the name implied, it was about forgoing the mortal vessel and creating one that could endure the Immortal Qi.

However, it was one of the most painful and arduous things a cultivator would ever endure--and one of the key reasons was that they'd have to expel every last bit of remnant toxins within them. The things that they accidentally breathed in when they were 13 and were now rooted in the depths of their dantian would have to be carefully disposed of. In his previous life, despite his rather solid foundation, Long Tao still spent over 400 years just to expel the toxins.

It wasn't merely the matter of using his own skill to do so, but he had to chase down countless rare herbs, then pay alchemists to create pills and elixirs, and then carefully ingest them all. And hope nobody came seeking revenge while he was doing that. Though Spirit Stone Augmentation was merely a borderline Sky-tier art, it would serve him essentially until Demigod Realm, where its efficacy would not be able to keep up with the sheer quantity of Qi that realm required.

In the span of essentially two days, his new Master had resolved two of the greatest issues he was facing; Long Tao couldn't help but look up at the ceiling and silently wonder... was it truly fate? Though fate was inscrutable and its many designs ever-changing, this felt... slightly different. In his past life, fate only ever 'helped' him when he was actively searching for something--and often after having searched for it for a long, long time.

It never simply delivered something he needed but wasn't actively looking for at his doorstep. This felt more like the workings of a person, discernible and understandable. He heard rumors that Elder Lu Qi of the Spirit Sword Sect was absolute trash, both in terms of cultivation talent as well as personality. The only reason he was an Elder was because karmic ties were being corrected, and he was about as likely to progress any further in cultivation as an ant was to ascend to heavens. However...

It seemed as though the Elder had hidden himself deeply. Anyone capable of producing two Earth-tier Special Arts so leisurely, especially in this godforsaken corner of the world, wasn't a simple figure. Long Tao wagered that the entire Sect he was in likely didn't have more than potentially one art that could marginally, at least for a moment, rival the two he was given.

"Interesting," he smiled. Just as he was a Reincarnator, he had no doubt that other people had their own opportunities; the world of cultivation was rife with mysteries, after all. He recalled there being a young woman that his previous Sect Master had taken in as a Disciple who could comprehend any martial art of any level in the span of an hour. However... she could not cultivate. She had Null Qi Physique, one of the cruelest fates of the Martial Arts World, but she struggled.

For the fifty-two years of her mortal life, she discerned countless arts for the Sect and eventually had a statue erected in her honor right alongside the Founding Ancestor. Perhaps his Master, as elusively 'hedonistic' as he was, was similar; though not endowed with talent of much note, he had the ability to discern, or perhaps even outright create, what was needed. If that truly were the case... Long Tao decided that he would not let the man rot here. Poor talent? Forget it.

As long as it wasn't something as cruel as Null Qi Physique, Long Tao had innumerable means of creating an Immortal. Perhaps, in the distant future, he'd be the blade, and this slightly pudgy master of his the book. But whether that was the reality... it remained to be seen. The next step is a simple test: he'd mention something offhandedly that this world does not have. And if his Master, once again, 'happened to have found it while adventuring outside', it would confirm his suspicions.

Even so, he would never voice them; just as he had a secret, he'd let the man keep his, too. Just as well--those without secrets were often the most dull yet arrogant bunch. Perhaps, in this life, he would learn to discern his friends better than in the last...