Chapter 218 – The Dao Seed of the Golden Core
"What, my master has returned?"
The moment Gu Mo returned to Shennong Valley, he immediately learned of Qi Chunde's return. Without delay, he headed straight to the small courtyard among the leaves where Qi Chunde resided.
"Disciple greets Master!"
Gu Mo bowed with proper disciple etiquette. Although Qi Chunde hadn't guided him much directly, the help he had given Gu Mo was by no means small.
There was the Greenwood Sutra, which allowed him to step into the Golden Core Realm, and also the identity of being a disciple of Shennong Valley. Without that, how could Gu Mo have ever entered Shennong Valley at all?
"Good, good, good!"
Looking at Gu Mo, Qi Chunde's eyes brimmed with delight. With such a talented disciple, what more could a teacher ask for?
In fact, his disciple was almost too outstanding, to the point that even he, the master, felt pressured.
"My disciple, your cultivation and your accomplishments as a spirit-planter are already no less than mine. In this regard, I can no longer teach you anything." Qi Chunde drew in a deep breath. Though reluctant to admit it, reality was reality: in many areas, he was already surpassed by his own disciple.
His only true trump card now was the entirely new cultivation method he himself had created.
"These years, your teacher has forged a new path of cultivation. Listen well—but don't attempt to practice it yet. Once I refine it further, then you may try." After some thought, Qi Chunde decided he had to at least tell Gu Mo about this new method he regarded as his life's work.
After all, Gu Mo was his sole disciple. Such a path needed an heir.
He knew the method wasn't perfect yet, but the framework and principles were already complete. Qi Chunde was personally walking this new road; once he blazed it through, Gu Mo would be able to follow safely behind.
"Thank you for transmitting this method, Master!"
Gu Mo had already heard a little about it from his grandmaster, and was deeply curious. Just what kind of cultivation method could make Qi Chunde—a once-promising genius with hopes of becoming Shennong Valley's true disciple—abandon everything to plunge into it?
"My disciple, you know that sword cultivators devote their entire heart and spirit to refining a single life-bound flying sword?" Qi Chunde began, leading the topic toward sword cultivators.
"Your disciple knows!"
Naturally, Gu Mo was well-versed in matters of sword cultivators—his avatar was one. But why was his master suddenly bringing this up? Could it be that this new method had something to do with sword cultivation?
"Then why is it that sword cultivators can devote themselves to refining a life-bound flying sword, but spirit-planters cannot do the same with a life-bound spiritual plant?" Qi Chunde finally revealed the principle of his new method.
"Ah!"
Gu Mo froze—not because the idea itself was shocking, but because it wasn't new at all.
This notion had been proposed long ago. Some spirit-planters had even tried it. All had failed.
Refining a life-bound flying sword and refining a life-bound spiritual plant were utterly different. A sword was lifeless; even if a sword spirit emerged later, it was still merely a tool spirit.
But a spiritual plant was alive. To make a living being into one's life-bound essence came with countless complications. It had already been confirmed by others that such a path was impossible.
"Seems you've read the relevant records too."
Seeing Gu Mo's reaction, Qi Chunde understood. He himself had also studied those failed proposals and experiments. That was precisely what had given him the idea for his new path—because, by chance, he had glimpsed a deeper layer of power within spiritual plants, convincing him that making them life-bound was possible.
"My disciple, you know that what we call the veins of a spiritual plant are only the surface. Deeper still, there is something more." Qi Chunde now spoke with the air of a true teacher.
"Something deeper…"
Gu Mo fell into thought. He had never seen anything beyond the vein patterns. Anything further would enter the microscopic realm.
Scientifically, he could explain it. But in terms of cultivation, he could not frame it.
"Exactly. The most primal force from which a spiritual plant is made." Excitement flickered in Qi Chunde's eyes as he spoke. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a watery screen.
"Hiss!!"
Seeing the pattern upon the screen, Gu Mo sucked in a sharp breath. His master had actually reached the genetic level.
That familiar double-helix structure—it was none other than what Gu Mo recognized as genes.
"This primal force exists in every plant, and each has its own unique form. Refining an entire plant is extremely difficult. But if one starts from this primal form, there is no problem at all." Qi Chunde watched his disciple's stunned face with satisfaction.
"Master, how far have you gotten?" Gu Mo couldn't help but ask after recovering from his shock.
His master was a monster of genius. To have discovered the genetic layer! Gu Mo himself had tried before, attempting to probe spiritual plant genes with his divine sense. After all, true integration of plants lay in genetic fusion; merging vein patterns was merely the most superficial level.
But divine sense could only reach as far as the cell layer, no deeper. To probe further would require divine sense on a much higher tier.
"Your teacher has already condensed the Dao Seed of the Golden Core." Qi Chunde's lips curved into a smile.
For years he had wandered widely, seeking rare and unusual plants, fusing their primal forces into his Dao Seed. Thus, his Dao Seed now contained a multitude of plant abilities.
So while Qi Chunde's cultivation realm wasn't high, the methods he possessed were astonishingly diverse. This was why people like Hou Chunyu said his ability to save his own life was unmatched: unless one could restrain all of his means, he was nearly impossible to pin down.
"Now, I need only continue refining this Dao Seed. Once it sprouts, I will step directly into the Nascent Soul Realm. By then, your teacher will possess a tree—the Ten-Thousand-Arts Tree—fused with the powers of countless spiritual plants." Expectation burned in Qi Chunde's gaze.
This path already gleamed with hope before him. Though his cultivation progress had been slow, it was because nearly all of his focus had gone into nurturing that Dao Seed.
But to him, it was worth it. Once the Dao Seed sprouted, he would ascend to Nascent Soul instantly, without the need for bottleneck-breaking opportunities or Nascent Soul Pills. The Dao Seed itself would carry him upward.
"Do you have any questions?" After laying out his new method, Qi Chunde looked at Gu Mo.
"Disciple indeed has many, and begs Master's guidance."
Gu Mo's mind was bursting with questions, all of them framed by his own scientific understanding of genes.
"Mm?"
Qi Chunde's expression grew solemn as he listened. Gu Mo's questions struck straight at the heart of the matter. Was his disciple secretly researching the same thing? Otherwise, how could he be so familiar with the concept of primal forces in plants?
…
What began as Gu Mo asking questions soon turned into true discussion.
Gu Mo explained from the perspective of science; Qi Chunde from that of cultivation. Their two systems collided and sparked brilliant insights.
"Stop!"
Suddenly Qi Chunde raised his voice. "Enough for now—I must go into seclusion to digest this!"
The torrent of inspiration flooding his mind could not be ignored. He had to withdraw and absorb it before continuing further.
Gu Mo too needed time to sort through what he had gained. After this exchange, he realized his master's new method truly held immense promise.
Not only could it be compatible with Shennong Valley's existing methods, but techniques like the Taiyi evergreen Sutra could refine the Dao Seed even better. With the Shennong Materia Medica, it would be even greater still—though Gu Mo had yet to fully enter that path.
But it was only a matter of time. The Taiyi Evergreen Sutra he already cultivated would help him enter it. He had merely been preoccupied with developing his cave-heaven, which took priority.
Now, however, he would have to devote some focus to this new method. If it succeeded, it would be an extraordinarily powerful path.
For example, if he implanted the genetic fragment of Sword-Heart Bamboo into his Dao Seed, he would gain its abilities. Then, whenever he used sword arts, their power would rise dramatically.
Perhaps this method could even allow him to combine different plant genes to create entirely new species.
Of course, the method wasn't yet perfected. That was for Qi Chunde to pioneer; Gu Mo would merely assist until the road was opened.
But one aspect could already be studied: the special divine sense technique that allowed one to perceive genes.
Qi Chunde had stumbled upon it by chance. At a glance, Gu Mo had understood its principle: simply put, it was like reshaping divine sense into a microscopic lens.
Through this structure, divine sense could leap a tier, reaching the genetic level.
Crude though it was—only sufficient to observe plant genes—if refined further, and used in concert with soul-attack techniques, it could become a deadly weapon.
Even so, with this technique, Gu Mo now already possessed some methods of a fourth-tier spirit-planter.
Qi Chunde likely had such ability long ago, but had poured all his energy into his new path instead.
From this, Gu Mo could tell: his master's talent and comprehension were terrifying, surpassing even many true disciples.
After all, none of them had ever created a brand-new cultivation method of this magnitude.
But truly understanding Qi Chunde required knowledge of genetics—knowledge Gu Mo alone possessed. To ordinary cultivators, this was almost incomprehensible.
…
"Good grandson, come here a moment!"
No sooner had Gu Mo left Qi Chunde's leafy courtyard than Hou Chunyu called him over.
"Greetings, Grandmaster!" Gu Mo saluted.
"Ahem!"
Hou Chunyu coughed lightly. "Good grandson, don't go listening to that master of yours spouting nonsense. His new method is still uncertain. You mustn't throw yourself into it recklessly."
Seeing how often Gu Mo had been visiting Qi Chunde's courtyard, Hou Chunyu worried his disciple would fill the boy's head with strange notions. So he came to remind him personally.
"I understand. I was only keeping Master company in conversation," Gu Mo replied. For now, he truly had no intention of practicing the new method.
After all, though Qi Chunde had succeeded in forming a Dao Seed, whether it could sprout and lead to a Nascent Soul was still unknown.
Other cultivators' cores birthed Nascent Souls. His master's would birth a tree—a tree infused with countless plant genes. Who knew what kind of anomaly that might produce?
"Good, good, good!"
Satisfied by his sensible response, Hou Chunyu relaxed. This child was far more obedient than that wayward disciple. With Qi Chunde's gifts, had he stayed on the proper path, he would already be a true disciple by now.
After he left, Gu Mo walked back toward his own courtyard, mind still turning over the problems discussed with his master.
The greatest issue was the Dao Seed's slow growth. Though sprouting would bring instant Nascent Soul, the process took far too long, and a Golden Core's lifespan was limited.
If one reached the end of their allotted years before the Dao Seed sprouted, this so-called path would be nothing but a joke.
"I've got it!"
Suddenly, a thought struck Gu Mo. At once, he turned back toward Qi Chunde's courtyard.
"Disciple, did you forget something?" Qi Chunde, still immersed in digesting his insights, looked up as Gu Mo returned…
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