Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 52: Curse

For once, Liam wasn’t completely lost. He had learned that the cultivation journey was split into stages. He was at the foundation stage, which had to be completed before advancing to the next.

As for what that next stage implied, Liam had no idea.

"What?" The Alchemy Elder snorted at Liam’s silence, lowering his icy-blue eyes to glare at him. "Don’t believe me? See for yourself."

"I can see my foundation?" Liam questioned.

"Are you even a cultivator?" The Alchemy Elder cursed, pointing at Liam’s waist. "Use the first part of the circulation technique, but don’t stop at the Qi. Delve deeper and force your mind to visualize it."

Liam blinked but soon did as told. He adjusted his sitting stance, closing his eyes to follow those instructions. He even relied on the odd breathing pace, quickly managing to contact the Qi in his core.

However, Liam didn’t stop there now. Instead of interacting with the Qi, his mind delved to its very source, wanting to obtain an image of the magical organ that made the cultivation journey possible.

And, just like when the Qi reached Liam’s brain, something lit up, albeit in a far dimmer manner. A picture he had already seen popped into his mind, lacking the stillness the sphere from the test had featured.

There, Liam finally saw his dark-green core immersed in a reddish, pulsating canvas. Roots also grew from that spherical item, confirming what he had already guessed and dreaded.

Even after counting multiple times, the result didn’t change. Liam’s core featured ten spiritual roots, just like the Dragon King before him.

"How are your roots?" The Alchemy Elder’s voice resounded in Liam’s ears while he remained immersed in that visualization of his foundation. "Dried up? Healthy? Quivering?"

Liam pushed aside the shock of confirming the existence of his tenth spiritual root to focus on his foundation’s state. Everything looked livelier than ever, quivering alongside the pulsating canvas, while featuring an additional detail.

"They are quivering," Liam said, "But there’s something on their tips. Are those cracks?"

"Come out," The Alchemy Elder ordered, and Liam complied, interrupting his visual immersion and reopening his eyes.

"After completing the foundation," The Alchemy Elder explained, "There’s the rooting stage. New, lesser roots have to grow and expand to their fullest. You just need to break through to get there."

Liam was pleasantly surprised, albeit slightly in disbelief. Lucy and the other outer disciples were also foundation experts, but they had spent far longer than he had in the Sect and as members of the cultivation world in general.

It felt odd for Liam to have completed what people with more experience and time were still working on, and he could only find one explanation for that.

And to Liam’s surprise, he wasn’t alone in that realization.

"Don’t look so confused," The Alchemy Elder snorted, seemingly annoyed. "You abused that thing inside your robe, didn’t you?"

Liam’s eyes went wide. The Apothecary Elder hadn’t given him the time to change, so he was still wearing his pouch and torn, bloodied robe, as well as the container with the Divine Cult’s drug.

"Did you think I wouldn’t have smelled it?" The Alchemy Elder angrily asked. "How could I miss something so potent? It’s a miracle you haven’t lost your mind!"

Liam lowered his gaze, wary, but also in acknowledgement. He had lost his mind for a while due to the drug. He had simply become immune to it at some point.

’Is that why it stopped having any effect?’ Liam wondered. ’Was it because it completed my foundation instead?’

"But well," The Alchemy Elder groaned, lazily glancing past the balcony. "Everything about you is a miracle, isn’t it? Nine spiritual roots. What a joke."

That was Liam’s first time hearing someone speaking ill of his nine, actually ten, spiritual roots, so he couldn’t help but grow curious. He also hoped he could move the conversation away from the drug.

"Is having nine spiritual roots bad?" Liam questioned.

"It’s an insult to anyone who is not a genius like you," The Alchemy Elder scoffed. "The difference in Qi that nine spiritual roots can amass is immense. It’s like comparing a vast lake to a puddle."

’How is ten then?’ Liam thought. ’And how is that bad?’

The Alchemy Elder didn’t turn, but his following words addressed Liam’s worries, albeit missing their source. "Stop squirming. I won’t tell anyone about your little secret. The Heavens have cursed you enough already."

For a second, Liam thought his ten spiritual roots and bloodline had been made out, but the Elder reassured him with not-so-reassuring words.

"Fewer roots are easier to develop and require fewer, less potent nutrients," The Alchemy Elder explained, "But such a smaller foundation risks crumbling under the weight of higher cultivation stages."

Lucy had already mentioned that point, but the Elder had added a new detail. Liam had never considered that more roots would demand more nutrients to grow, but it made sense in hindsight.

"Instead," The Elder continued, "More roots will require more, better nutrients to grow, and the process is usually slower. However, there lies the danger."

The Alchemy Elder diverted his gaze from the balcony, lowering it before pointing it at Liam, almost wearing a tinge of pity.

"I hope you have realized that your poison core doesn’t make you immune to poison," The Alchemy Elder pointed out. "You might possess a higher tolerance, but it can still kill you."

Liam’s brain began to catch up with that topic, but the Elder left nothing to chance.

"Nine spiritual roots are a miracle of the Heavens," The Elder stated. "They represent perfection. As such, they demand an immense amount of nutrients to develop, and not your ordinary nutrients, either."

The Divine Cult’s drug might have developed Liam’s foundation in record time, but he had paid a hefty price for that. He had been lost for months, compelled to do his cruel jailer’s bidding.

"The required quality spikes at the breakthrough," The Elder continued. "It’s why your little secret hasn’t made you a rooting expert yet. Your miraculous foundation needs something stronger to push past the bottleneck."

And Liam finally understood what the Elder was talking about, but the latter made sure to paint an even grimier picture.

"That worsens with every higher stage," The Alchemy Elder declared. "You might survive a poison powerful enough to overcome this bottleneck, but the next might kill you. You might even die before getting there."

Liam didn’t know what to think. He had just accepted how valuable his talent truly was, but the Elder had made it sound like a curse, and his words had felt undeniable, except for one detail.

"But, Alchemy Elder," Liam muttered, diverting his gaze. "Why haven’t I died yet?"

If what the Elder had said was true, Liam should have already been done for with the Divine Cult’s drug. Even that thing he had just smoked had failed to match the Elders’ expectations.

"Because cores have different levels of affinity," The Alchemy Elder revealed. "Your affinity to poison appears to be as incredible as your talent, and that might give you a chance."

Obviously, there was something else the Elder couldn’t have possibly considered. Liam didn’t deny the whole affinity speech, but he was also aware of another incredible trait.

Liam was the son of the Ancestral Snake, and probably no one knew how much he could endure. If anything, only the Dragon King and Crazy Uncle might have.

"Is the choice mine?" Liam asked, scratching his itching forearm. "Can I take this chance?"

"Kid, do you realize what you are asking?" The Alchemy Elder wondered. "Your cultivation journey will be an endless succession of deadly poisons that will make you wish you were dead, and that if you survive them."

Those words were supposed to scare Liam, but he had been there. He already regretted so much. He hated his weakness and would hate himself even more if he dared to give up at the first hurdle.

Moreover, there was something Liam hated far more than everything else, highlighted by the intensifying itch. The auditory hallucination even filled his ears, confirming his resolve in the matter.

"I’m fine with pain," Liam promised. "Please, Alchemy Elder, make me strong."