CHAPTER 536: CHAPTER 527 INNATE CREATION SKILL (3RD UPDATE, SEEKING SUBSCRIPTION)

Between changes in the void, Lu Xuanji arrived at the border area of Chu Country.

A massive marshland appeared before his eyes. In the marshland, venomous gas was emitting, and fierce beasts were lurking, often ambushing cultivators.

The concentration of venomous gas here was so intense that only a Nascent Soul could resist it somewhat.

Taking out an antitoxic pill, Lu Xuanji consumed it on the spot, then stepped into the marshland.

With Qi restrained, he cautiously advanced.

This marshland extended for a hundred thousand miles, and circumventing it would be extremely time-consuming; crossing straight through is the only option. Fierce beasts roamed within the marshland, but unlike demon beasts, which after reaching Foundation Establishment mostly develop wisdom comparable to humans, enabling interaction and exchange of benefits.

Yet, fierce beasts, even upon reaching Nascent Soul or Divinity Transformation, remain muddle-headed, with hearts clouded by evil Qi, driven only by thoughts of slaughter and incapable of communication.

After traveling a hundred miles or so, suddenly a giant crocodile emerged from the marsh, opening its jaws to attack. This crocodile was only at Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet it dared to attack a Nascent Soul True Monarch, which could be considered extremely bold.

Lu Xuanji could slap the crocodile to death with a single palm but chose not to attack it, instead turning and running. If he were to kill the crocodile, it might attract a siege from oppressive fierce beasts, which would be unwise and best avoided by retreating first.

After a while, the crocodile gave up pursuit.

Lu Xuanji continued onwards, slowing his pace and trying to avoid strong fierce beasts along the way, choosing paths through the territories of weaker ones. Along the journey, he encountered thrills without danger; about a month later, he finally exited the marshland.

Opening the Hundred Map, he confirmed his general location and proceeded to move towards Chu Country.

Activating the golden light, he flew high in the sky, resting when fatigued. After flying continuously for five years, he finally reached the border of Qi Country.

Upon entering Qi Country, Lu Xuanji felt the country’s prosperity. Large amounts of spirit rice were cultivated in the wilds, along with plentiful spirit medicines; fields and medicine fields abounded one after the other, with some regions left fallow to nurture the soil’s fertility.

His divine thought flickered as he observed a small town, finding mostly traveling cultivators and numerous martial artists.

Each of these martial artists had powerful Qi and blood, akin to burning magma, with combat power comparable to low-level cultivators.

"Interesting!"

Lu Xuanji flickered his steps and descended here.

He concealed his aura, appearing as a Purple Mansion Cultivator.

A Purple Mansion Cultivator, neither weak nor strong, would not attract attention from the strong, nor would anyone come to oppress him.

Lu Xuanji approached the city gate, seeing cultivators coming and going, all drawing out tokens.

At the city gate, he spent ten Spirit Stones to purchase a token and entered through the gate.

The city was quite prosperous, with various shops displaying spirit pills and medicines, among other items. Street stalls also had items for sale, with customers haggling intensely.

At a nearby inn, Lu Xuanji rented a cave mansion to reside temporarily.

The duration was set for one year.

The next day, he went to the street, searching for a guide to inquire about information.

He also visited some teahouses, listening to the conversations of passersby.

Gradually, he gained a certain understanding of Qi Country’s situation.

In Chu Country, there were distinctions between mortals and cultivators; those who awakened spirit roots became cultivators, while those without could only remain mortals.

Mortals and cultivators were usually segregated, living in different worlds.

Cultivators must not disturb mortal lives; if cultivators, relying on their strong cultivation, slaughtered mortals en masse, they would face pursuit and arrest. Likewise, it was extremely difficult for mortals to come into contact with cultivators; other than the annual spirit root testing, they could not encounter cultivators, even during tea times.

But Qi Country was different.

In Qi Country, there were two classes: warriors and cultivators. Awakening a spirit root meant becoming a cultivator. If one cultivated martial arts techniques, they became a martial artist, also known as a warrior.

In the fields, cultivation was mainly done by warriors.

Soon, a commonly found and free cultivation technique fell into Lu Xuanji’s hands, called the Innate Creation Skill.

Despite being commonplace, the Innate Creation Skill was not inferior in quality and was actually very high in standard.

It’s said to be a martial arts technique founded by an immortal, capable of supreme creation when cultivated to the extreme, attracting some cultivators’ favor. Its drawback was simple initiation and easy early cultivation, but with difficulty escalating in the later stages.

The Innate Creation Skill is divided into twelve layers; the first three layers have low difficulty, allowing even those of foolish talent to start cultivating, understanding and advancing in it. But reaching the fourth to sixth layers, the difficulty increases; from the seventh to ninth layer, the difficulty rises again. Beyond the ninth layer, few have successfully cultivated it.

Cultivating the Innate Creation Skill to the third layer reaches merely the level of the first layer of Qi Refining; however, reaching the fourth layer equates to the mid-stage of Qi Refining; the fifth layer equals the late stage; the sixth layer matches the peak.

Yet, reaching the seventh layer allows one to condense an impervious body, directly transitioning postnatally to the innate, with innate Qi within converting into a spirit root, directly becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

In Qi Country, warriors had low status, merely serving as servants of cultivators, responsible for miscellaneous tasks.

However, if one cultivated to the seventh layer, they would directly become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Once becoming a cultivator, one could no longer continue cultivating the Innate Creation Skill.

In some respects, the Innate Creation Skill belongs to the realm of mortal techniques, suitable for mortals to cultivate.

In the long history of Qi Country, many cultivators have used this technique to develop a spirit root and directly become Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"The Innate Creation Skill, suitable for mortals to cultivate, is fundamentally untrainable by spirit root cultivators. Similarly, for martial artists who spontaneously evolve a spirit root, it becomes untrainable!" Lu Xuanji reviewed this martial arts cultivation technique, continually analyzing its essence and mystery.

This technique contains only thirteen hundred characters, and after one reading, it is almost memorized.

Simple and straightforward.

But the more he comprehended, the more he sensed its profundity.

This world is a cultivation world, and martial arts techniques have no future.

This technique, however, opens the path to evolving spirit roots from a martial arts foundation.

As it progresses, the difficulty persistently rises the further it goes.

"At the seventh layer, I can still deduce somewhat, but upon reaching the eighth layer, I can’t deduce further!" Lu Xuanji frowned, realizing more of the technique’s mysteries as he comprehended it, "Could it be that the cultivator who founded this martial arts technique truly was an immortal?"

Retracting his divine thought, Lu Xuanji also inquired about other matters.

He continuously gathered intelligence, investigating how many Divinity Transformation entities and major forces there were in Qi Country.

Not seeking extreme detail, but at least to gain a general idea to avoid suffering losses.

Simultaneously, he analyzed the styles of various factions, gradually determining his next steps.

And began learning the dialect of Qi Country.

...

PS: The third update has arrived; sorry for today’s delay. Tomorrow will see an earlier update.