"So this is Soul Transformation. The path of immortality is truly wondrous!"
Qi Ping felt the surging power and skyrocketing vitality within him, offering his praise without hesitation. The one who first blazed this trail was an absolute genius of the ages! If one hadn't personally experienced and researched the usage of this power, it would be impossible to comprehend it from nothing.
After researching nearly a hundred Soul Transformation manuals, he appreciated the mystery and strength of this system. It could take a mortal and, step by step, increase their vitality, strength, and perception, allowing them to gradually comprehend and manipulate the power of the Great Dao. Most importantly, it offered a universal method for teaching. Such brilliance could not be described as anything less than extraordinary.
The Druid system was entirely different. It could not take a mortal and, through manuals and spiritual energy, transform them step by step from mortal to God and then to Immortal. Without an inheritance, a Druid could almost never awaken their power, let alone control natural forces out of thin air. The difficulty of gaining Druidic aptitude was higher than that of gaining cultivation aptitude. Comprehension of natural forces relied more on one's own savvy and affinity with nature. Even now, it was difficult for him to pass on the Druidic path to another, for he had not truly grasped the system's essence himself.
In contrast, the path of immortality was a precision system that could transform a human into a deity, one step at a time.
'But was this power system created from nothing by a mortal, or was it created by an innate celestial being who comprehended the world? And if this system can be popularized across the entire cultivation world, why is there not a single record of its creator?'
Qi Ping felt a trace of discomfort whenever he pondered this. His Druidic perception would send a faint, nebulous warning—as if the closer one got to the end, the closer one came to a terrifying existence. As his comprehension of the world's essence and the immortal system deepened, he felt this warning was not groundless.
This precise system of cultivating from mortal to immortal was, in a way, like preparing a magnificent feast. Practicing different systems and comprehending different Daos were like different flavors; power was merely a byproduct of the process. Qi Ping could not confirm the truth of this suspicion, just as he could not confirm who was behind the Druidic inheritance, his own transmigration, or the Chaos Evolution Space.
Between the Druid system and the immortal system, he did not know which was the true path to longevity and which hid a massive conspiracy. He loved the philosophy and power of a Druid, but he would not lower his guard because of that love.
Regardless of his caution, he would not abandon either path. The most direct reason was that if he lost either system, his combat power would plummet, and he would not survive the upcoming crisis. Furthermore, Qi Ping felt that letting both systems advance together—mutually supplementing and restraining one another—was the most important thing. This way, if either system proved to be a trap, he would have the other to fall back on. He already had the vision of using Druidic power to check immortal power, or vice versa. Even if both were traps, combining two toxins might produce something different.
The fact that both systems were advancing so smoothly for him was due to their mutual support. Without one, the other would be walking through mud. Now, he could use the strengths of one to cover the weaknesses of the other, allowing him to advance rapidly while leaving him with more energy to research the essence of power. Unless the same entity was behind both systems, he would not be without a chance to resist.
Even in the worst-case scenario, he had ways to survive. Some of his true spirit fragments were sealed in places even he did not know; if his main body perished, those fragments would wake up and devise a solution. He now had the luxury to think about a third cultivation system and let those below research new power structures to create a force entirely under his control.
The current systems were just stepping stones for him to stand on the shoulders of giants. Even if the 'gold fingers' were conspiracies, he would find a broad road out of the death trap. The two systems were his foundation, his understanding of the world was his foundation, and the collective wisdom of the continent was also his foundation. When all these powers converged, they would form a world-shaking torrent that would break through everything!
Qi Ping's greatest wish was to combine the philosophies of immortality and Druidry to walk a path of true, invincible longevity. He didn't know if his choice was right or wrong, but he was afraid of death; caution and the "Way of the Coward" were etched into his bones. As he learned more about this world, the more he felt the sense that "Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs." Since right and wrong could not be determined, he would walk this path.
Perhaps the world was not as dangerous or dark as he imagined. Perhaps there were indeed predecessors working tirelessly for the people... like the Nine Domains now. Qi Ping could say with certainty that without external threats, this was a truly good era! Leaders like Lin Yue, Wang He, and Meng Tianqi were truly caring predecessors. In this regard, he had succeeded, but he did not dare bet that everyone in the past was like this, nor could he bet that those ahead of him could defeat the darkness. He only believed in himself and the survival provided by caution and hiding.
'Perhaps reaching Soul Transformation and ruling the Star-Sea is just the first step toward the truth of the world.'
After his breakthrough, almost every cultivator in the Nine Domains sent their congratulations. Feeling their heartfelt reverence, Qi Ping felt gratified. He had slowly broken the shackles of cultivation resources; he stood at a higher position and did not act like those fools who only knew how to swallow resources to level up. In his eyes, a fool who only consumed resources was not only a locust but a pig fattening itself for the slaughter. It was only a matter of time before such people were butchered.
After completing his breakthrough, Qi Ping returned to his cultivation and meditation. Only his Treant Clone walked the outside world, handling affairs and using Plant Growth to continuously nurture spiritual herbs. Through years of practice, his Plant Growth could now draw upon a quality and quantity of life force far beyond the past, and it could cover multiple herbs at once. He had already researched the absorption efficiency of different herbs; only by accurately grasping the limits of each could the spell's effect be maximized.
Furthermore, the recovery ability provided by his Earth Immortal status had greatly reduced the restrictions on using Plant Growth. His current efficiency was many times higher than before. This was his greatest confidence when he had used herbs to trade for the manuals and resources of other factions.
From the moment he awakened as a Druid, Plant Growth had been one of the most fundamental spells of his cultivation journey. However, it seemed to have reached its limit; his Druidic inheritance could no longer offer much help in this area. The only difference now was how much power he could draw upon. Plant Growth was not his core ability; he still could not fully comprehend the animal companions, the Tree-Spirit Contracts, or the Life-Bound Contracts.
He had to admit that the Druid inheritance gave him access to many miraculous powers, but without the full inheritance, he couldn't comprehend their essence. He suspected that even at the Mahayana stage, his comprehension would be limited. But even if Plant Growth had reached its ceiling, it still provided immense help. He never stopped trying to comprehend it; if he could truly master the Great Dao of the laws behind it, it would be of great help in the future.
With Qi Ping's constitution awakening and breakthrough, the Nine Domains entered a new wave of advancement. Cultivators were breaking through constantly; the roar of lightning tribulations never seemed to stop. Most impressively, five new Soul Transformation cultivators had emerged since Qi Ping reshaped the spirit veins. Recently, another person had even broken through to the Void Refinement stage, becoming the third Void Refiner in the Nine Domains.
This person was known as the Wood Immortal Crone. She possessed the Wood Celestial Body and was a renowned female cultivator in the Star-Sea Continent. However, due to her special physique, her body suffered from various uncontrollable mutations, making her incredibly ugly. She was one of the "Eighteen Generals of the Star-Sea" who had followed Qi Ping early on. She was the first female cultivator to reach the Void Refinement stage in the continent for ages.
Qi Ping could see that she wasn't actually ugly; in fact, she was a peerless beauty. The special spirituality she possessed could not be described by mere looks; her mutations were merely a means of protection. However, except for Qi Ping, no one could see through the special mutations born from her Wood Celestial Body. He did not expose her, feeling a bit of pity instead. He understood why she chose this path.
In the history of missing experts on the continent, the number of female cultivators was lower than males, but that was only because female experts were fewer. Proportionally, the rate of disappearance for females was many times higher. In this cultivation world dominated by male experts, the survival of a female was difficult. Beauty did not bring suitors; it brought the covetous eyes of demonic and rogue cultivators. Beauty was a catastrophe.
Without absolute rule and suppression, power was everything. The weak had no right to speak. For a true expert, male or female, they were just resources. Beauty was a resource for climbing higher, but it was also a lure for wolves—it was never capital for being superior. The disgusting, mutated lumps on the Wood Immortal Crone's body had likely helped her reach the Void Refinement stage safely. She had clearly seen through the essence of the cultivation world.
Qi Ping saw that she was used to this appearance; she might have even forgotten her original face. He didn't mind; male or female, as long as they were useful to the development of the Nine Domains, he welcomed them. And her Wood Celestial Body combined with her Void Refinement strength made her the perfect choice for the spiritual agriculture industry. Her research into plant cultivation and development was even deeper than Qi Ping's. While he relied on Plant Growth to force growth, she relied on her understanding of herbs and spiritual fertilizers to reach the peak of Soul Transformation in a sect that lacked resources.
Qi Ping noticed her not just because of her breakthrough, but because she had contributed a wealth of research on spiritual agriculture. She said it was to thank him for his care; without him, she might never have found the chance to reach Void Refinement. Through this, Qi Ping realized that the potential of the Nine Domains had even more room for development, but the shadows in people's hearts were still too strong...