After spending a few minutes getting used to the changes in his body, Ren finally calmed down enough to check his status screen again.
With a thought, the familiar translucent panel appeared in front of him.
NAME: Ren Valis
Age: 18
Talent: Bloodline Plant Lord
Lifeform Tier: 1
Evolution Pathway Level: Germination Stage
Skills: Basic Fist Technique (Not Started), Basic Footwork Technique (Not Started), Basic Evasion Technique (Not Started)
Ren stared at the screen for a few seconds.
There were not many changes.
His Lifeform Tier was still the same, and his Talent naturally hadn't changed either. The only real difference was that his Evolution Pathway Level had advanced from None to Germination Stage, and the three skill manuals sent by the school had now appeared on the panel.
Still, that alone was enough to make him grin.
The change might look small on the status screen, but Ren knew very well that the difference in his actual body was far from small.
He had truly stepped onto the path of cultivation now.
A real cultivator.
Not just someone who had awakened a rare talent.
Ren closed the status screen, then rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Alright…"
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Now let's see how broken this thing really is."
With that, he summoned the interface of his cheat treasure.
The familiar panel of the LifeForm Tier System (1) appeared in front of him.
His eyes moved straight to the OPTIMIZE section.
This time, instead of just one technique, there were several options waiting for him:
An Energy Meditation Method
Basic Fist Combat Training
Basic Footwork Training
Basic Evasion Technique
Each one had the familiar (+) sign behind it.
Ren's eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, he clicked the (+) sign one by one.
A faint blur passed over each technique name as the treasure began its work.
For a few seconds, the screen remained silent.
Then the optimization completed.
The updated results appeared in front of him.
OPTIMIZE:-
Energy Meditation Method (Ren Valis Version)
Effects:
Increases energy accumulation speed by 200%
Basic Fist Combat Training (Ren Valis Version)
Effects:
Decreases learning time by 300%
Increases strength gain by 3 times(Without optimization, strength increase would only be 1 time)
Basic Footwork Training (Ren Valis Version)
Effects:
Decreases learning time by 300%
Increases speed gain by 3 times(Without optimization, speed increase would only be 1 time)
Basic Evasion Technique (Ren Valis Version)
Effects:
Decreases learning time by 300%
Increases evasion effect by 3 times(Without optimization, evasion increase would only be 1 time)
Ren read everything once.
Then he read it again.
A few moments later, he let out a low whistle.
"…Okay."
"That's insane."
He had expected the optimization to be useful.
After all, the very first optimized cultivation technique had already shown him how ridiculous this treasure could be.
Still, he had not expected all three combat techniques and the meditation method to receive such strong improvements.
Especially the meditation method.
A 200% increase in energy accumulation speed was already enough to make any normal cultivator jealous.
And the three basic combat techniques were no joke either.
A 300% decrease in learning time meant that techniques which took others months could be learned much more quickly by him. And the threefold increase in effectiveness made them even more outrageous.
Ren leaned back and thought for a moment.
His first optimization—the Special Cultivation Technique for the Bloodline Plant Lord—had clearly been even more monstrous. But that made sense.
That one had probably benefited from what he called his newbie bonus, allowing the treasure to perform allowing a Tier-2 level optimization using reserve energy.
Compared to that, this batch was weaker.
But only in comparison.
For any ordinary person, even this level of optimization would already be absurd enough to change their destiny.
Ren shook his head and laughed softly.
"Yeah… no wonder cheat abilities are broken."
After calming down, he began reading through all four optimized techniques carefully from beginning to end.
He didn't just skim them.
He read every detail.
Every breathing pattern in the meditation method.
Every stance in the fist technique.
Every step and shift of weight in the footwork.
Every angle, timing, and evasive movement in the evasion technique.
Now that he had entered the Germination Stage, these techniques were no longer just things he could study on paper. He could actually start using them.
By the time he finished reading, a full plan had already formed in his mind.
He glanced at the calendar.
There were still ten days left before school reopened.
That was enough time.
After thinking it through carefully, Ren made his decision.
"For the next three days, I'll focus on cultivation."
He nodded to himself.
"Energy meditation first. I'll use the Energy Cores Mom and Dad sent to build up energy as fast as possible."
"On the fourth and fifth day, I'll go to the Explorer Guild and rent a practice room. That should be the best place to train the combat techniques properly."
"And the last five days…"
A small spark appeared in his eyes.
"I'll enter a Secret Realm."
The idea sounded bold, but to Ren, it made perfect sense.
His pathway required resources.
Real resources.
And from everything he had learned so far, Secret Realms were one of the most important places for cultivators like him.
Of course, he wasn't planning to jump into a high-level realm and seek death.
He would first see what kind of beginner-level options the Explorer Guild had.
Still, the thought alone was enough to make his heart beat a little faster.
Ren stood up and walked over to the side table in his room.
With a small thought, he accessed the space ring on his finger and took out a few items.
Several Energy Cores appeared in his hand.
The space ring itself had only arrived yesterday as part of the delivery, and he had been a little surprised when he first saw it.
Even though space rings weren't especially rare in this era, they were definitely not something cheap that anyone could casually buy.
They were still valuable items.
For a moment, Ren had wondered why Alex would include something like that.
But then the team leader had sent him a message.
The explanation was short and straightforward:
"Consider it an investment in you."
That was it.
Simple.
Direct.
No fake kindness.
No vague words.
No mysterious hidden meaning.
At first, Ren had been surprised.
But after reading that message, he had actually felt relieved.
A deal like that was much easier to understand.
Alex wasn't pretending to be some selfless saint. He was investing in Ren because he believed Ren might be worth investing in.
That honesty made things much easier.
And to be honest, Ren preferred it that way.
He had seen way too many annoying characters in novels from his previous life—people who always wanted to "help" the main character, but instead of speaking clearly, they talked in riddles, kept acting mysterious, or stayed silent for no reason at all.
Compared to those people, Alex's straightforwardness was refreshing.
Ren looked down at the space ring and smirked.
"At least one person in this world knows how to speak normally."
He put the ring aside and carried the Energy Cores back to the bed.
The cores were beautiful in a strange way.
Each one was smooth, round, and crystal clear, with faint energy currents moving inside like trapped mist.
Just holding one in his hand, Ren could already feel the pure energy contained within.
It was much cleaner than the ordinary energy in the air.
Much denser too.
"No wonder these things are valuable."
He sat down cross-legged on the bed once again.
This time, however, the purpose was different.
Before, he had cultivated to fuse his soul and bloodline with the seed.
Now, he was going to cultivate with the optimized Energy Meditation Method.
Ren took a deep breath.
Then he began cultivating according to the optimized Energy Meditation Method.
The process was different from the earlier seed fusion.
Now that he had reached the Germination Stage, the focus had shifted.
First, he had to absorb energy—either from the atmosphere or directly from an Energy Core.
Then, after absorbing it, he had to mix that energy with his blood and guide the energy-filled blood toward the seed. In this process, the blood acted as the ground for the seed, while the energy acted as water. Once the seed absorbed it, it would continue growing.
Once the seed absorbed it, it would continue growing.
At the same time, it would begin sending out roots.
These roots were not physical roots in the normal sense, but spiritual and biological channels created by the seed.
As they spread further and further throughout his body, they would improve him in every way:
Strength, Energy Reserve, Regeneration, Speed & Vitality
And according to the manual, the Germination Stage would only be considered complete once those roots had spread through his entire body.
Ren followed the method step by step.
At first, he focused on the energy in the atmosphere.
Thin strands of natural energy floated around him, scattered and light. He slowly drew them inward using the meditation method.
Compared to the energy in the air, however, the Energy Core in his hands felt like a small reservoir.
The moment he adjusted the technique and drew from it directly, a much richer stream of energy entered his body.
Ren immediately noticed the difference.
"Damn…"
Even with his eyes closed, he could tell how much more effective it was.
The energy flowed into him, warm and pure.
Then, under the guidance of the meditation method, it mixed with his blood.
That part felt strange.
It was as if his blood itself was becoming slightly heavier, slightly denser, carrying something new within it.
Carefully, he guided that energy-filled blood toward the seed inside him.
The moment the seed absorbed the first portion, Ren felt a faint tremor deep inside his body.
Then came warmth.
Not the same warmth as before during the soul-blood fusion.
This one was softer, more gradual.
Like something buried under the earth was beginning to sprout.
He stayed focused and continued the process.
Absorb.
Mix.
Guide.
Absorb.
Mix.
Guide.
Again and again.
Time passed slowly.
As more energy-filled blood was fed into the seed, Ren could feel the changes beginning.
From the seed, something thin and subtle started extending outward.
The first roots.
They were tiny for now, barely noticeable, but he could feel them.
They moved through his body slowly, like living threads searching for a place to settle.
Wherever they passed, a faint surge of vitality followed.
His muscles seemed to grow warmer.
His heartbeat steadier.
Even his breathing deepened slightly.
Ren didn't stop.
He continued cultivating in silence, focusing on the method and keeping his mind as stable as possible.
The optimized technique made everything much easier than it should have been.
The energy moved smoothly.
The mixing process was stable.
The seed's absorption was efficient.
Even so, the process still consumed mental focus.
(Author Note: If you enjoyed the chapter, please Vote, Rate, and Leave A Comment if you can. Thank you for reading!)