Chapter 133: The True Seed of the Law Decision

Compared to the vastness of nature, the individual is unimaginably insignificant. Therefore, where do ordinary cultivators get the confidence to believe that after practicing for a mere moment, they can possess the power to manipulate nature? If it were truly that simple, where would that leave the immense entity of nature, which has evolved over billions of years?

To master nature and command the power to stir rivers and seas, one must first elevate oneself to a level comparable to nature, and then, through countless eons, perhaps attain its majestic power. Alternatively, if one wishes to bypass such vast spans of time, one must elevate oneself to a level even greater than nature itself; naturally, the time required would decrease accordingly. This is the essence of it.

The loss incurred during the transformation of mana varies from person to person. According to statistics from Peerless Island, it is generally a fifty-fifty split—a fifty percent loss. Furthermore, depending on one's level of strength and the purity of one's mana, the amount of mana successfully converted will shrink accordingly. Generally speaking, when refining ten years' worth of mana into one's own body, the less that is successfully converted, the higher the talent, the greater the strength, and the purer the mana. Conversely, the more mana that remains after conversion, the worse the talent, the lower the potential, and the weaker the foundation—essentially signifying a lack of future. After all, one cannot expect a person using a spoon to draw water for a year to match the volume a machine can pump in a single day. Over the same duration, the resulting amount of water is vastly different. The same logic applies to mana.

Of course, the mana contained within mana crystals is neither a spoon nor a machine; it is averaged out based on the six stages of strength, representing the mean. If a ten-year mana crystal, after a fifty percent loss, leaves five years of mana to be refined into one's own body, it means your overall standing at the current stage is average. If it is higher than five years, you are below average; if it is lower than five years, you have exceeded the average standard.

This data, accumulated over many years on Peerless Island, rarely fluctuates. Generally, gaining ten years from ten is considered trash; nine years is poor; eight years is barely passable; seven years is acceptable; six years is decent; five years is average; four years is good; three years is great; two years is strong; and one year is the mark of a genius. For years, almost no one has exceeded these bounds, because if one's conversion rate were higher than ten years, one would typically fail to form a False Core and never reach this level. Those who achieve less than one year are rare—only a handful exist, and these individuals are usually referred to as monsters.

Dugu Shang, who cultivates sword-attribute mana, is overall quite decent. Out of ten years of mana, he obtained four, which is considered quite good at this level—placing him just slightly above the overall average.

However, no matter how high the talent or how low the conversion rate, it cannot withstand the high output of these resources. In other words, the drop rate is high; as long as one is willing to risk their life, there is no shortage of mana crystals. Therefore, on Peerless Island, mana is never the issue; the focus is on the purity of that mana. If your mana is such that one year of your cultivation equals two years of another's, you are naturally stronger. Thus, on Peerless Island, one does not fear high talent and a low conversion rate; what is feared is low talent with a high conversion rate, because there is a finite limit. Once that limit is reached, the difference in mana purity will result in a vast disparity in strength.

Beyond mana crystals, there are technique manuals and artifacts. Technique manuals on Peerless Island are also known as "True Seeds of Technique." What is a True Seed of Technique? It is a seed used to nourish and cultivate the acupuncture points. Generally, only those who pursue the "Acupuncture Point Growth Path" require these seeds. Each True Seed, depending on its profundity, can enhance the strength of an acupuncture point until it advances. This is the only path for those following the growth method. With enough True Seeds, acupuncture points can continuously grow and advance until they reach their limit: the sixth stage of the False Core.

Does that sound simple? In reality, it is not. The name "True Seed of Technique" is incomplete. A true, full explanation is that it is a seed that manifests only after a technique has been perfected. Only this seed is the true "True Seed." Indeed, with enough of these, there are no obstacles between the six stages of the False Core, and one could potentially advance from the first to the sixth stage in one go. But that requires an immense number of seeds. A technique only condenses into a True Seed once it has been mastered to perfection. While the exact number of seeds required to advance through the six stages of the False Core is unknown, one can imagine it is not a small figure. A technique only yields a seed upon perfection! How much energy is required to perfect just one technique? How many such seeds are needed to ascend a stage?

Zhou Yi suddenly understood why he had almost never heard of anyone reaching the end of the Acupuncture Point Growth Path.

"However..." As this thought crossed his mind, Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat. For others, no matter how talented, the effort required to master a technique is immense. But he is different. As long as he has enough energy points, he can use his "adding points" method to achieve perfection in an instant! Therefore, for him, as long as he has sufficient energy points, the True Seeds of Technique are not an issue. And if they are not an issue, it means he has the potential to reach the legendary sixth stage of the False Core—a feat no one has ever achieved using the Acupuncture Point Growth Path—in an extremely short time.

"So, the only thing I need to worry about now is energy points!"

Zhou Yi’s brow smoothed. Compared to the difficulty of perfecting a technique, the difficulty of obtaining energy points was almost negligible.

"Though, while the True Seeds of Technique may no longer be a problem for me, they remain an insurmountable challenge for others!"

As he exhaled in relief, his thoughts drifted again. Cultivating techniques is not something one can do at will; techniques require nourishment from mana. Generally, a technique requires the mana within a space to nourish it. One should avoid using a technique while it is being nourished, because as it sits within the space, it gradually forms a connection with the mana, allowing the technique to slowly improve and reach perfection. The purer and more abundant the mana, and the longer the time, the faster it improves. Those on the Acupuncture Point Growth Path only possess one such space: the Dantian. Thus, they can only cultivate one technique at a time.

Those who follow the "Acupuncture Point Infusion Path" possess three hundred and sixty-five acupuncture point spaces plus one Dantian, allowing them to cultivate three hundred and sixty-six techniques simultaneously. Due to the sheer quantity of mana, they might not necessarily be slower than someone cultivating a single technique via the growth path. However, the True Seeds of Technique are meant to enhance acupuncture points. For those on the infusion path, what use would they have for so many seeds?