Chapter 371: The Mystery of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo

Chapter 371: The Mysteries of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo

As yet another cultivation technique surpassed thirty hours of practice, the divine root within Zhang Yu trembled, as if it had devoured the technique as mere sustenance.

It was at this precise moment that Zhang Yu watched as the Dao Seed known as the Green Lotus Sword Embryo finally manifested upon the pages of his Feather Tome.

Green Lotus Sword Embryo (Divine Root) Level 2

"Finally, success."

Seeing this, a surge of excitement rippled through Zhang Yu. This divine root, inherited from Bai Zhenzhen, was the first piece of military-grade power he had ever possessed, igniting a boundless sense of anticipation within him.

He began to continuously commune with the information contained within the Dao Seed, testing the functions of this divine root in his dantian, bit by bit, to form a comprehensive understanding of its profound mysteries.

In truth, although he had not deeply probed the capabilities of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo over these past few days, the constant circulation of techniques to nourish the root had allowed him to perceive its effects, however faintly.

Now, by communing directly with the seed, he found his efforts twice as effective, gradually unraveling the various enigmas of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo.

"A Level 2 Green Lotus Sword Embryo is still defined by adaptation, but an adaptation far more potent than the one I possessed during my time with the Heavenly Root."

"This adaptation, or rather, enhancement, is a long-term adjustment of the body. For instance, when Ah Zhen diligently practiced the art of sword control, the Green Lotus Sword Embryo constantly adjusted her physique, incrementally sharpening her reflexes, the speed of her cognition, and the efficiency of her mana mobilization, thereby refining her swordsmanship until she progressed by leaps and bounds."

"But if one were to adapt to everything—to let the flesh adapt to the effects of every drug, the tempering of every external force, the influence of every Daoist art..."

"Then, gradually, medicine would cease to affect the cultivator, rendering it useless. If the body suffered no wear during cultivation, then no method could ever truly transform it. If Daoist arts could not exert their influence, then their power could never be channeled through the self..."

"To adapt to everything is to ensure that one's cultivation slows to a crawl, perhaps even leading the practitioner down a path of ruin."

Zhang Yu mused to himself: "The adaptation of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo is by no means a blind, all-encompassing process; it is a selective one."

"The direction of this selection is determined by the state and the intent of the user."

"For example, when Ah Zhen wished to conceal her root, the embryo, day after day, forged within her an increasingly powerful ability to hide."

"Later, when she focused on martial arts, the Green Lotus Sword Embryo began to reinforce her martial aptitude."

"And in high school, when Ah Zhen awakened the deduction ability of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo, it was merely another manifestation of this adaptive enhancement. It allowed her to deduce techniques, alter the effects of Level 10 skills, and tailor them to her own needs."

"Now that I am the one wielding the Green Lotus Sword Embryo, in what direction will it push me?"

Initially, Zhang Yu had assumed that as he labored and worked overtime, the embryo would gradually enhance his civil engineering techniques.

But he soon realized he was mistaken.

"The Green Lotus Sword Embryo... is it enhancing my Chain-Method Diagram set?"

At first, Zhang Yu was puzzled, but the reason soon became clear.

"The Green Lotus Sword Embryo performs adaptive enhancement in the direction the practitioner focuses their efforts."

"And does my Chain-Method Diagram set, in the process of switching, violently alter my physique and various innate endowments?"

"These drastic changes triggered by the suit-switching have led the Green Lotus Sword Embryo to believe that I am growing in that direction. Thus, it adjusts my body to reinforce the effects of the suit."

"The old True Root seemed incapable of this. Is this a feat only possible after evolving into a divine root?"

"When I switch to the University Saint Body, the divine root begins to reinforce my ability to practice techniques..."

"When I switch to the Civil Engineering Saint Body, it reinforces my resistances and reduces the toll on my lifespan..."

"When I switch to the Qi Pulse Flow, it enhances my mana recovery speed and reduces wastage..."

Zhang Yu could feel that, although the process was subtle and slow, the Green Lotus Sword Embryo was indeed adapting and enhancing him in accordance with the suit he wore.

Realizing this, a wave of pleasant surprise washed over him; he understood that the help the Green Lotus Sword Embryo would provide would be unprecedented.

Because the adjustments and enhancements the embryo made to his body were permanent.

"Does this mean that even if I switch from the University Saint Body to the Civil Engineering Saint Body, the enhancement to my learning ability will remain?"

"Doesn't that mean... with the existence of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo, I can retain a portion of the suit's effects at all times?"

Zhang Yu had always placed great importance on the effects of his Chain-Method Diagram sets.

However, the greatest drawback of the set was that he could only use one at a time, and they were difficult to reconcile.

But if the Green Lotus Sword Embryo could allow his body to retain a portion of these effects in his normal state, it would be a qualitative leap for his strength.

Zhang Yu exhaled deeply, suppressing his excitement, and began to summarize the effects of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo.

"For me, its greatest effect is the enhancement of my suit's capabilities."

"Secondly, it allows me to retain a portion of those effects even after I have shed the suit."

"But how much can be enhanced, and how much can be retained... that remains unknown. It will take months, perhaps years, of slow cultivation to see the final result."

"Hmm, there are also some abilities that reach the Foundation Establishment limit after switching suits, which the embryo seems unable to enhance further."

"For instance, the drug-loading capacity and digestive efficiency at the peak of Foundation Establishment brought by the University Saint Body—the Green Lotus Sword Embryo seems unable to push these any further." Zhang Yu could sense that because of the sheer variety of the suit effects, the results of the embryo's adaptive enhancement would vary wildly, all of which he would have to slowly familiarize himself with and comprehend in his future cultivation.

Yet, a smile played on Zhang Yu's lips. Is not the process of unraveling one's own profound mysteries a happy sort of trouble?

"With the Feather Tome and the Green Lotus Sword Embryo in my possession, to what heights will I reach in a few years?"

"It is truly something to look forward to."

Of course, there were also the concealment and deduction abilities of the embryo; the former brought formidable combat and stealth prowess, while the latter elevated his techniques to a higher plane.

There was another matter that piqued Zhang Yu’s curiosity and anticipation: the next upgrade of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo.

"To raise the Green Lotus Sword Embryo to Level 3, I need the nourishment of ten Level 30 techniques."

"Phew... that is something only possible at the Golden Core stage, isn't it?"

Zhang Yu shook his head. Though filled with anticipation, he understood this was not something to be achieved in the short term.

Besides, without sufficient strength...

"To let Ah Zhen’s Green Lotus Sword Embryo evolve again too early, exposing it to the eyes of the Seven Emotions God-Monarch, would likely not be a good thing."

...

At the simulation construction site.

As the end of class arrived, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and the others slowly departed.

Gongshu Jin scanned the crowd, feeling curious: "Zhang Yu has been asking for leave for days; what has he been up to?"

"And at yesterday’s banquet, he only cared about eating; he didn't even take the opportunity to get to know any friends from other schools."

"Though eating is important, yesterday was a rare opportunity..."

Gongshu Jin felt that Zhang Yu’s behavior seemed somewhat decadent.

"Yesterday’s banquet was filled with top-tier university competitors, each a scholar among scholars, holding rare resources from other universities. Many were even more formidable than Zhang Yu or Ji Yuan-shu."

In Gongshu Jin's view, every such friend gained was an increase in one's potential for the Immortal Path.

Not to mention exchanging resources between schools, it even meant having more people to borrow money from.

He himself had added over a dozen friends yesterday, a small but significant growth in his Immortal potential.

Just then, Gongshu Jin’s gaze sharpened, fixing on a figure standing outside the simulation site.

"That person is..."

He remembered him. It was Wen Wuya from Heavenly Sword University, a top student who had participated in the Flying Sword Competition just like Bai Zhenzhen, and the successor to another Transformation God-Monarch.

Although his popularity on the Spirit Realm network was not as high as Bai Zhenzhen's, Gongshu Jin remembered clearly that his competition ranking had been even higher than hers.

"It seems to be fifteenth place, isn't it?"

"What is he doing at the simulation site?"

Wen Wuya had come in search of Bai Zhenzhen.

Just before the Heavenly Sword University delegation was set to depart, Bai Zhenzhen had vanished once again.

Thus, he sought out the location where Zhang Yu held his lectures, hoping to see if she might be lurking nearby.

As Wen Wuya’s gaze swept across the students of the Foundation Establishment class, a figure stepped before him—it was Ji Yuanshu, hailing from the sixth level.

As the student with the highest academic standing and the most distinguished lineage present, Ji Yuanshu deemed himself the most suitable person to engage with Wen Wuya.

Moreover, he hoped to seize this opportunity to forge a connection with a disciple of the Soul Formation stage from the tenth level.

"If I could add him as a friend, or perhaps even snap a photo to post on my social feed, my fortune would surely see a significant boost."

Ji Yuanshu recalled the practices of the Daoist arts of fortune.

There was once a senior from the Finance Department who had made a habit of seeking out powerful figures for photographs, leading many to believe he possessed vast connections and knew many wealthy individuals; consequently, his fortune had soared, and his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds—the only tragedy being that he eventually failed to withstand the backlash.

Ji Yuanshu spoke up: "Greetings, I am Ji Yuanshu of the Civil Engineering Department at Wanfa University. Is there something you require?"

In the eyes of Wen Wuya, however, whether it was Ji Yuanshu, Gongshu Jin, or even Ying Xin standing to the side, there was no distinction; once they entered the Civil Engineering Department, they were nothing more than mere laborers.

Even if Wen Wuya were aware of their so-called origins from the second, fourth, or sixth levels, he would not care.

To him, a man from the tenth level, were they not all merely from the lower strata?

Whenever he heard these people from the lower levels distinguishing themselves from one another, he found it amusing, lamenting how severe the hierarchical discrimination was among them.

By comparison, those from the first level seemed slightly more peculiar to Wen Wuya, possessing the quality of rare beasts, an exotic sensation born of a primitive wilderness.