Chapter 686 - Cultivation

The ancient couple could only watch on as their disciples spent the entirety of the next week refining hundreds of gobs of Origin Essence. It was only once they reached about 500 each that their Martial Spirits began to turn a bit pale. 

At this point, the two Old Ancestors had grown numb. Their eyes were glazed over as their horizons were forcibly broadened, their hearts and souls merging to form a stronger Dao Heart. 

It might seem random, but if they didn't, they would likely collapse in madness henceforth. As such, the two could only tremble in their corner while they forcibly fought for their sanity. 

Draco and Eva eventually stopped at around 1,000 gobs of Origin Essence each, as their Martial Spirits had grown so thin and wane by that point that the two children were worried about them dissipating if they didn't stop now. 

Nevertheless, the Evil Duo were so satisfied with their gains that they even felt like the Martial Spirits were lovely things. Those gobs of Origin Essence were used by the other inheritors to fortify their bodies and mold them in preparation for the future merge. 

However, Draco and Eva were the actual thing, Divine Beasts wearing human skin. The blood that flowed through their veins 100% of the time was the same as the Divine Beast. 

A blood infusion from Draco could turn a normal man into a True Dragon, True Devil, or True Demon depending on their luck, with no repercussions either. Eva, could do the same, naturally. 

So the gobs of Origin Essence did fortify their bodies, but not in the same way. Rather, it specifically increased the activation of their Serpent God/Goddess of Light Inheritance and also strengthened it. 

To simplify the boons, each gob of essence reduced the cost of abilities of that Inheritance by 0.01% and increased their power by the same amount. 

So in digesting 1,000 for the first time, Draco and Eva enjoyed a 10% boost in power and 10% decrease in Bloodline Energy cost for all Serpent God/Goddess of Light Inheritance abilities. 

For Draco especially, this meant a lot. The cost reduction was crucial to him, as his Serpent God Inheritance abilities cost a dime a dozen to use. 

For Eva, the power boost was great, because her raw light was stagnant without the Inner Sun. Her training to acquire different spectrums didn't increase her raw power, only made her more versatile. 

However, this wasn't the limit of their joy. As you probably guessed, this benefit extended to even their real bodies through some strange connection with the pod. 

If one looked at their bodies, they would see golden streaks all over their blood vessels, indicating that a part of them was being refined by something. Their staggered 1st Grade NuSmoothies were being rapidly consumed to facilitate this. 

Luckily, in preparation for occurrences like these, they had acquired and stockpiled a lot, so there was no danger. 

Back to the duo in the game, they rose from their seats and patted their bums before gazing playfully at their masters. The two Old Ancestors gulped but put on a strong front. 

"Brat, not bad. You actually achieved half of what I did back then. With this, your future should be bright, though it doesn't live up to my standards." The Dragon Ancestor stated with a nasty smile. 

"You, Eva, are truly special. You have done very well, and I'm proud of you. But ah, there is more room for improvement." The Phoenix Ancestor added glibly. 

Draco and Eva's eyes narrowed. It should go without saying that they were unable to read the minds of their mentors due to the power difference, so they couldn't tell if they were lying or not. 

In truth, after their stunt just now, the Evil Duo had been planning to go all out and begin torturing these two for, at least, a hundred years, but now they were wary. They decided to wait until they got stronger before they beat up this pair of masters. 

If the two Old Ancestors knew the bullet they had dodged by being dishonest, how would they feel? 

"Gefum. Now that you have been initiated, you should know how to continue from here. You can either cultivate using the energy of the Heaven and Earth from the surroundings, or use energy sources like Qi Stones to progress." The Dragon Ancestor explained. 

"Tianzi, you're forgetting about Tradeskills again." The Phoenix Ancestor reminded her husband with a gentle smile. 

The Dragon Ancestor slapped his forehead and spoke. "Right, right. In this world, there are other paths that a cultivator can follow to either generate money for their cultivation or to improve themselves. There are many, but the most crucial are Artifact Refiners and Pill Makers." 

"Artifacts make all the difference in battle, as they can bring out the best of your Martial Arts or techniques. Since they can accept Spirit Qi better than mortal weapons, they can also amplify your power greatly." 

"Pills have a variety of uses, from healing, to detoxifying, to strengthening you temporarily or permanently, to even boosting your cultivation level. There are many types of pills under the sun, and no cultivators can make without them." 

"The two groups of people who make such items are usually wealthy and treated with no less importance than people like us, because they are the backbone of the cultivation world. They have their own unions and groups where they are protected and certified." 

The Dragon Ancestor rubbed his chin as he gazed at Draco and Eva. "If you two brats want, we can send you there to practice and learn some Tradeskills to help your path after you reach the Blood Pulsation Realm." 

Draco and Eva shared a look of amusement before Draco took out Pair Dadeni, and placed it before him. Eva moved to the side and folded her arms, watching casually. 

Seeing this, how could the two Old Ancestors not understand? They could even tell that Pair Dadeni was an Immortal grade artifact! 

(Author's Note: You'll understand something soon about the Immortal Realm, so don't worry.) 

This shocked them greatly, but what left them even more stumped were the strange reagents that Draco pulled out of his Inventory and tossed into his cauldron. They sensed each of them, but none of them had even a hint of Qi. 

In other words, they had originated from a world devoid of Qi. Instead, they could sense that it must be filled with some other strange energy. It seemed similar to Qi in its simplicity and all-purpose nature, but it was slightly stronger and purer than Qi. 

Yes, it is official. 

Worldly Energy is stronger than Spirit Qi. Then again, this was merely a fake world created from the Tower for the purposes of a Unique Quest, not the real deal from Eastern Fantasy section, so it would be hard to judge on an objective scale. 

Whatever the case, Draco and Eva marveled on their side as all the reagents that were thrown in morphed from what they were to something slightly different. 

They dissipated their Worldly Energy and absorbed Qi, becoming materials local to this world. The Old Ancestor couple saw this, and their eyes narrowed as they were beginning to understand something. 

Draco used the Fire of War to work on the materials, along with his other abilities that guaranteed 100% success and above, so it was no surprise then his cauldron lid smashed open and four pills hovered in the air. 

They were golden-colored and radiated intense vitality and refreshing energy. Around them were clouds that seemed like they were hovering over a planet, and soon the crackle of lightning appeared above the group. 

"Impossible! Impossible! Pill Clouds are one thing, but Pill Tribulation?! That is an Immortal Grade pill!" The Dragon Ancestor roared with madness. 

The lightning struck the four pills over and over, and some of their clouds thinned greatly. These clouds turned into black mist that dissipated, and the remaining clouds fused together to become something closer to a thick fog. 

"P-Pure Pill Fog…" The Phoenix Ancestor mumbled stupidly. 

Draco himself was watching everything with interest. He parsed through what the two fogies were saying and had a rough idea of something that had been bothering him since he came here. 

To make 100% sure, he took out a low-grade Aether Crystal from his Inventory, something leftover from when he had upgraded Vita Kingdom. As for his number of top-grade crystals, they had already reached billions and above. 

Luckily, the AI pampered him, so it had pulled all Aether Crystals in a currency slot instead of in the inventory, so he could hold an infinite amount of them. 

The reveal of the Aether Crystal was the straw that broke the camel's back. The two Ancestors dumbly gazed at the greenish-blue crystal that glowed impurely in Draco's hands, their minds reeling with shock. 

It was so thunderous that Draco and Eva had to lower their range of control and psychic domain, because it was giving them a headache. 

Draco tossed the crystal over, which the two Ancestors caught and thoroughly inspected. He then tossed two of the pills over, but not before checking their stats. 

｢Unnamed – Consumable   

Rank: Immortal (100% effectiveness)   

Effect: Restore 100% Health, Qi, Stamina, Focus, Lifespan, and all organic energies. Increase Health, Qi, Stamina, Focus, Lifespan, and all organic energy regeneration by 100% for 1 day.｣   

You guessed it. This pill was styled after his Legendary Rank Goddess' Kiss potion which was the upgrade of the Epic Rank Angel's Kiss potion, which was number 1 for healing. 

It had retained all its characteristics in this world, only that 'mana' had been swapped for 'Qi'. However, it was new in this world because this world was cut off from the Immortal Realm, so even if it did exist above, it was treated as a novelty in this realm. 

He casually named it Goddess' Kiss Pill, but got no rewards from the AI. After all, it could smell the bullshit and wouldn't be tricked like a little maiden, not after how often Draco had tricked it in the past. 

Draco could only tsk. After bullying an innocent maiden enough times, even she would become wise to certain tricks. 

Draco had also noticed that its Rank was Immortal. This fed into his assumption that the Immortal Rank equated to the Legendary Rank out there, yet he wanted the two Old Ancestors to confirm. 

Soon, they did. With a sigh of defeat, the Dragon Ancestor gave the Aether Crystal to his woman and stared at Draco with a complicated look. 

"…Brat, where did you find an Immortal Stone?" He asked tepidly. 

Alright, this confirmed it for Draco. He finally could rank things using the outside standard. 

The trash-tier grade was waste products, as usual, Common items were mortal items or non-cultivator things, Uncommon corresponded to the Human Stage, Muscle Tempering, Tendon Refining, Blood Pulsation, Bone Cleansing, Flesh Hardening most likely. 

Rare were the first four stages of the Mortal Realm, Qi Condensation, Sublimation, Crystallization, and Formation. Epic was likely the Integration Realm, since its power level was so far above the Formation Realm that it formed its own pseudo category. 

And above that, the Immortal Stage, which equated to Legendary. 

Was there a Divine realm or its equivalent? Probably. Maybe the God realm or something. Gods, Highgods, and the like. 

Anything related to the Origin Realm? On paper, yes. But this Tower could not emulate it, because it was limited to Divine Grade. So there was no need to think that far ahead. 

"Find it? Hehehe. Old shit, do you dare underestimate this Dragon God?" Draco stated coldly, with endless arrogance on his face. 

Eva smiled derisively. "He shits them out, one at the peak grade per quarter-hour. It should be enough for you two to use to cultivate, among others, right?" 

The words of the Evil Duo left the two Ancestors floored. After taking deep breaths, the Dragon Ancestor suddenly smiled and wore a gently, grandfatherly expression. 

"Hahah, bra- *cough* dear lad Draco, how are you today? Are you feeling good? Have you shat ten times? Have you drunk 3 gallons of water?" 

Draco's face warped. "Damn, old thing, my body is perfect and produces no waste! Also, who drinks 3 gallons of water a day?!" 

The Dragon Ancestor simply laughed uproariously. "Bwahaha, who else but Ancestor, I? Brat, forget sucking up to you, I will do things the hard way." 

Immediately, Draco's face changed as he felt an aura of pressure emerge from the Dragon Ancestor, who smiled calmly. 

"Brat, this is a robbery! Hand over all… no, about 10%… maybe 1%?… of your Immortal Stones this instant!" The Dragon Ancestor roared with evil. 

"Fuck, old man, you dare to rob your disciple in broad daylight?!" Draco cried out in indignation. 

"Hehe, what you think I don't dare?" The Dragon Ancestor's menacing aura disappeared as he folded his arms proudly. 

Draco's eyes glittered with starlight despite himself. "Old man, you are kinda cool! I wish I had thought of that! Robbing my mentor would be so fun!" 

Eva and the Phoenix Ancestor shared a look and slapped their foreheads. They had to forcibly accept that there was something fundamentally wrong with their Soulmates. 

Clearly, two troublemakers would not see things how a normal person would. The Phoenix Ancestor turned to Eva and didn't have to pretend, showing a gentle expression. 

"After witnessing your talent for myself, I wholeheartedly want to raise you, Eva. I hope to pass on everything I know and make you reach heights even I have not been able to reach." The Phoenix Ancestor shared, honestly. 

Hearing this and sensing her general intentions, Eva's animosity towards her master greatly diminished as she nodded in understanding. 

Then, while the Dragon Ancestor and Draco were still farting about and making noise, they sat down and began discussing key details of the Phoenix Race. 

Draco didn't much need that, as his clones with his Dragon lineage were unparalleled. Eva, who only just got hers, would have to put in some work in order to reach Draco's level of compatibility. 

After about three days, the group finally got down to cultivating. Draco provided their mentors with top-grade Aether Crystals, or Immortal Stones as they called them, to cultivate with. This made them emotional, as their cultivation had become stagnant over the millennia due to a lack of resources. 

Immortal Stones could be sent down from above, but their world was blocked. So unless someone from another world entered here with Immortal Stones in their pocket, there was no supply. 

They could also send those below Qi Condensation to other worlds to bargain, but why bother? If the seller was evil, they would kill the buyers, keep the funds and their stones and there was nothing the ancestors could do as they could not leave. 

Even if the seller was nice and actually gave it, there were plenty of dangers throughout the journey, and the chances of coming back were next to nil. 

Hence, they had sealed themselves for so long and opened themselves after sensing the two monsters that were Draco and Eva. Technically, they were shortening their lives by coming out, but it couldn't be helped. 

They were obligated to pass on the Dragon and Phoenix methods to the suitable inheritors, not to mention that they hoped Draco and Eva could be the ones to shatter the blockage and open a path upward. 

However, they had now gotten a lot more than they had bargained for, and they couldn't help but lament their luck. 

As for Draco and Eva, they settled in to increase their realm. According to their Cultivation Methods, they were to use their Martial Spirit to absorb Qi then transform that Qi into Dragon Qi or Phoenix Qi. 

As you could imagine, this had a poor conversion rate. This was an Immortal Grade Cultivation Methods, so its benefits were great. Dragon Qi and Phoenix Qi would allow Draco to empower all their Martial Arts with the force of a Dragon or Phoenix, which was incomparable to anything that a normal human could manage, regardless of their Martial Spirit. 

It was not for fun that the Dragon and Phoenix Palace was the number 1 on this continent. With such power, the old couple could beat up all the other Old Ancestors hiding in the other top 10 sects at once. 

Naturally though, Draco and Eva were given 9th grade Qi Stones by their masters in exchange for the Aether Crystals. The two Ancestors had tonnes of the Qi Stones, but no Aether Crystals. 

As such, the trade was perfect in the eyes of both parties. However, what Draco and Eva forgot was the initiation ceremony. They had drained their Martial Spirits of their essence, so they needed to recover it before they could even think about cultivating. 

This could only be done by absorbing Qi, so they had to use their stockpile to replenish the two. As one could imagine, having their Martial Spirits spit out so much Origin Essence was impressive and magnificent, and it yielded many benefits. 

But paying the cost of that feat too was high, as thousands of the highest grade Qi Stone in the world were consumed within four days. If they had used the natural energy in the air, they would have been at it for centuries. 

.. Yep, this was the cultivation world, alright. Without money and resources, your progress would be mediocre, no matter how talented you were. 

It was not this bad in the Western Fantasy section. One only needed a good class, good skills and good tools, and they could make money and grow easily by killing monsters and gaining loot as well as experience. 

Here, nothing dropped coins for you after death. If you wanted to gain anything you would have to make sure to leave a corpse intact and make the best out of it. Every step you took to increase power required an investment of time, resources, and concentration. 

No wonder, the ecosystem was much more brutal! 

After finally correcting and paying their debt to their Martial Spirits, Draco and Eva felt their bodies filling with a strange form of energy that was actually easier to control than their bloodline energy, and felt somewhat similar. 

What shocked them was that this energy could be used to pay for the activation of Bloodline Techniques, which was the only energy they had discovered so far that could achieve this. 

___________________ 

Author's Note: Thank you Master of Chaos, Pedro Sousa, Hunter101bomber, and CentoEDezMontauk for your donations!