Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Ancestor Demon Technique

「Two months later.」

Xu Fugui finally returned with useful information.

The Xu Family had a caravan preparing to travel to the Ruins District, and it could take him along.

As its name suggested, the Ruins District was connected to the Wilderness—a land of ruins.

The region had once been part of the Wilderness, but it was later reclaimed. The Demon Beasts were cleared out, the land was razed, and a Marketplace was built.

It was now managed as tightly as a fortress, having become wholly human territory.

The Marketplace was a moderate distance from the Wilderness Frontline. While not as prestigious as the border Mutual Market Points—which top-tier influences controlled as their private domains—it was still quite prosperous. Many Cultivators and various influences passed through.

It was an ideal destination for Lin Changheng’s needs.

Xu Fugui had been discreet. He hadn’t mentioned Lin Changheng’s name, simply using his connections to slip someone into the group.

And he had actually succeeded. The caravan was set to depart in five days.

As for the potential reward Xu Fugui had been so fixated on—for luring the Sixth Layer Qi Cultivation member of the Chen Family into the poisonous miasma—the Xu Family never brought it up again.

Xu Fugui sighed over this for a long time. He even apologized to Lin Changheng, since he had made such grand promises before.

Lin Changheng, however, simply shook his head, unconcerned.

...

No one knew of Lin Changheng’s plans to leave, aside from Xu Fugui.

To that end, he specifically requested a month’s leave from the Xu Family, claiming he felt an inkling of inspiration and planned to enter secluded cultivation to break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation.

The Xu Family had no reason to refuse. After all, Lin Changheng was a Named Honored Guest, not one of their workhorses.

They were even less inclined to be harsh with him, especially given his considerable talent in the Alchemy Dao and his potential to become a Middle Grade Alchemist.

Lin Changheng was confident of this.

In fact, after Xu Xuzhong, the Vice Hall Master of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, reported the matter to the family’s higher-ups, they not only approved his request for leave but also waived his alchemy quota for the month.

Lin Changheng thought, ’Just as I expected.’ He made sure to thank Xu Xuzhong and even said, in a very responsible tone, "As for processing the Wasted Pills, I’ll finish that up before I take my leave."

Xu Xuzhong was filled with emotion. ’This young man is truly devoted to the family and so talented. He’s a rare find indeed.’

’It’s a pity he has no emotional ties here. Otherwise, he would have fully integrated into the family, which would be a great blessing for our Xu Family.’

’Perhaps we could arrange a marriage with the daughter of one of the higher-ups. Using that bond to strengthen this one wouldn’t be a bad idea.’

With this in mind, he had someone retrieve the Wasted Pills that had accumulated over the past half-month and hand them over to Lin Changheng.

...

Lin Changheng, of course, had no idea what was going through Xu Xuzhong’s mind.

He was only doing it because he didn’t want to waste the Essence Blood within these Demon Beast’s Wasted Pills.

He extracted the Essence Blood from the Wasted Pills using his standard procedure.

[Fire Crow Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

[Metamorphosis: 0/10]

[Utility: Mixed Grade Demon Beast Bloodline, Innate Fire Attribute. With Perfect Spirit Stealing and Life Nurturing Dao, can be refined into the True Intent of the ancestral Divine Ability: "Fire Manipulation".]

’Spirit Stealing is perfected, but I still have no clue about Metamorphosis,’ he thought. ’On this trip out of the Marketplace, I’ll have to run some experiments.’

After all, he deeply coveted the "Fire Manipulation" True Intent that this ancestral Divine Ability promised.

...

Meanwhile, his Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed had also achieved Spirit Stealing Success, reaching the Fifth Layer.

[Acquired: Poison Transformation Technique - Transformation]

[Utility: Allows the body to temporarily coexist with poison, slowly refining Middle Grade Poisons.]

This meant that no poison, however potent, could kill him instantly. Furthermore, Middle Grade Poisons were now essentially harmless to him.

The first part of that was crucial.

In the Cultivation Realm, many poisons didn’t kill directly. Instead, they caused effects like dazedness or paralysis to create an opening for a killing blow.

The poison didn’t kill you; the Magical Artifact did.

Therefore, the ability to "temporarily coexist with poison" would allow him to suppress its effects, preventing him from being blindsided during Magical Combat. Once he was free, he could then refine the poison.

His ability to survive had increased once more!

...

However, to Lin Changheng’s surprise,

He had already braced his Heart and Spirit, preparing for the transformation of the Primordial Cauldron that should have been triggered by a Fifth Layer Treasure Seed’s new Spirit Stealing cycle.

But in the end, nothing happened. The Primordial Cauldron merely trembled slightly.

There was no tolling of bells or clanging of tripods. The ancient, beast-like patterns on its surface didn’t squirm to life. And there were certainly no heaven-shaking roars.

"Huh?"

Lin Changheng was stunned.

At the mouth of the tripod in his sea of consciousness, where the emerald-green Treasure Seed had been, an illusory True Core now flickered in and out of existence amidst cyan clouds.

[Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]

[Spirit Stealing: 3/100]

[Metamorphosis: 0/10]

[Utility: Mixed Grade Demon Beast Bloodline, Innate Wood Attribute. With Perfect Spirit Stealing and Life Nurturing Dao, can be refined into the "Poison Transformation" ancestral Demon Technique.]

’An ancestral Demon Technique? Not a Divine Ability?’

Lin Changheng immediately seized on the key points.

’And it’s still just called ’Poison Transformation’? The name is unchanged?’

The lack of any major change in the Primordial Cauldron had prepared Lin Changheng for this, but he still couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’I guess not everyone comes from a prestigious lineage...’

It was true for humans, and it was true for Demon Beasts.

The Cyan Wood Snake clearly came from common stock.

The name "Demon Technique" alone told him it couldn’t compare to a "Divine Ability." As for the actual difference in power, he would have to wait until he succeeded at Metamorphosis to find out.

...

By now, the state of Lin Changheng’s Spirit Roots had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

Fire Spirit Root: fifteen wisps of Spiritual Charm! The latest wisp came from raising the Origin Treasure Seed to the Second Layer.

Wood Spirit Root was next, with a full twelve wisps! This was thanks to the Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed reaching the Fifth Layer.

After that came his Earth Spirit Root, which he had long since raised to eight wisps!

His Gold and Water Spirit Roots remained unchanged, both still at five wisps!

He now possessed a true dual-attribute Lower Grade Spirit Root of Fire and Wood.

...

The appointed time finally arrived.

It was Lin Changheng’s first time leaving the Xu Family’s estate in nearly five years, and his heart was filled with a myriad of emotions.

In the interim, Lin Changheng paid a special visit to Princess Tantai. He gave her a few Masterpiece Elixirs and explained that he was about to enter secluded cultivation, so he might be difficult to find.

"Congratulations, Brother Lin."

Upon hearing his words, Tantai Feiyue studied Lin Changheng for a few moments with her star-like eyes, then suddenly broke into a smile.

There was something unusual in her expression. Lin Changheng noticed it but couldn’t puzzle it out. Not staying for long, he bid her farewell and left.

...

By the time he crossed the river and boarded the packhorse carriage, Lin Changheng had already completely changed his appearance. Dressed in a loose-fitting robe, wearing a bamboo hat, and with a Human Skin Mask on his face, he was utterly unrecognizable.

The Xu Family’s caravan was small and streamlined, consisting of just four carriages and a little over a dozen people.

Lin Changheng sat in the rearmost carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

Two other people shared the carriage with him: a woman wearing a veiled hat and an old man who also wore a bamboo hat.

All three had their faces obscured to some degree, making them difficult to see clearly.

The three of them didn’t speak, each feigning sleep.

The journey was uneventful. Six days later, after crossing through a mountain range, a massive, dust-caked Marketplace appeared before the weary travelers.

"We’ve reached the Ruins District!"

The cheerful, slightly relieved voice of one of the caravan’s Cultivators drifted in from outside the carriage.

Lin Changheng stepped out of the carriage and looked. The city felt like a colossal beast, prostrate between the vast expanse of heaven and earth.

The surrounding area bore the clear scars of shattered mountain peaks.

They had been violently smashed flat,

to create this level ground for the Marketplace.