The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 257: Affinity with Woodsmithing

“Gentlemen, behold,” a man wearing dark green robes declared as he held up a seed the size of a coin for all to see. “After a year of hard work, I’ve had the fortune to complete this masterpiece.”

A good portion of the people in the room craned their necks over to get a better look. A sharp-eyed individual would notice they consisted predominantly of members with lower cultivation. That was because the stronger individuals were often more experienced, so they weren’t as eager to lay their eyes on every single item presented. In clear contrast to those composed individuals, one of the young men in the room slipped through his peers to get a front-row seat.

Everyone within the room stayed silent for a few moments as they busied themselves trying to analyze their colleague’s work

“This shouldn’t be a Skyrunner,” a man sporting a long ponytail muttered. “It is material devised for the handle of brushes used in brushweaving? No, perhaps for alchemy reagents?”

A heavyset man sitting right next to the previous speaker scoffed. “Anyone with a bit of skill can see that.”

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The haughty attitude of the large man amused the presenter in green robes.

“Oh, does this friend here see something more?”

“Of course. After all, I’ve done something similar in the past. Accelerating the growth cycle is hardly a rare goal to pursue. You did a decent job at it, but it seems the drawbacks of these types of improvements remain.”

“You’re correct in that, but the quality drop once my Truesoul Ginseng matures isn’t nearly as severe as most cases. I made sure of that.”

The debate continued, with most of the audience staying silent. Most of them simply observed, while the more fervent among them circled the seed the man in dark green robes presented.

Of course, Li Lang was part of the fervent party. He ignored the strange looks he received from a few of the younger experts in the room, taking in every detail he could. It was obvious to all how engrossed he was.

I should’ve learned Woodsmithing sooner! The basics Wei Ping taught me should’ve hinted at what it could do earlier, but it took attending this informal seminar for me to realize the possibilities.

Heck, woodsmithing is the closest aligned with my study of biodefense compared to all the other professions.

Having recently tested his poisons that aimed to damage the DNA of its target, Li Lang’s passion for his old field of study was reignited. Now that he was exposed to higher-level woodsmithing, he found numerous similarities with his old work.

His main focus was on helping humans adapt to the alien ecology of various worlds they planned to colonize. He had at some point chosen to focus more on cultivation science as that was the most relevant field for him, but now that he had a reason to dip his toes into his old field of study, the lock he had put within his mind was quickly thrown out.

Just by seeing the seed of the supposed Truesoul Ginseng the man held, dozens of ideas filled his mind. He couldn’t wait to sample its DNA and start modifying it right away. The only thing stopping him was the lack of equipment. Without access to even the most basic system, such as CRISPR/Cas9, he couldn’t perform any genetic modification.

However, he didn’t lose hope because he was listening in on an alternative that excited him. It was naturally woodsmithing techniques that experts around him employed. Many of them presented their works, and from the discussions, Li Lang could tell they were doing something similar to gene editing, whether they knew it or not.

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It made Li Lang almost want to race to the nearest Woodsmith Guild and find a mentor. While he didn’t doubt the addition of Qi into the equation complicated things, he only lamented at the fact he wasn’t even at the start line yet. After all, among the five crafts, this was the one he was most confident in!

Still, I can’t rush things. I have to hold it in. The gathering to discuss Earth-grade cultivation techniques is starting soon. Legs move! It’s time to leave.

With much regret in his heart, Li Lang soon exited from the private room in one of the restaurants within Sword Saint Isle. Wei Ping had somehow managed to track him down, sending a messenger to relay the various discussion groups happening. He was clear on his objectives when attending this event, so he forced himself to go through with it.

Woodsmithing wasn’t the only craft he needed to learn. Formations was another one he had yet to learn. Mastering the five crafts was his utmost priority for the moment, as his cultivation would only stagnate without an Earth-grade cultivation technique to practice. If he continued to get sidetracked, he would inevitably fall behind his students again.

Nevertheless, Li Lang didn’t fail to make several new entries on his computer about perspective new projects. As his need for resources increased as he expanded his nascent organization, he needed new methods of making wealth. Relying on only a few streams of revenue would only make him vulnerable, but that wasn’t all. Woodsmithing had a tremendous affinity with all his future research.

If the art of woodsmithing worked on other biological materials other than plants, his options would be limitless. Even if it didn’t, Li Lang believed he could still get around it somehow. The most attractive project he had in mind currently was to create clones. He didn’t want fully sentient clones, but simple ones without any cognitive functions just so he could use them as test subjects.

If he could realize that, he wouldn’t need to subject his students to as much danger as he currently did. He would be able to do some preliminary trials first, and this would also enable him to carry out more radical tests.

With so much going on in his mind, time went by particularly swiftly, and the next day soon arrived.

The trio returned to the venue of the Dark Sea Arena and awaited the start of the second day. While they waited, the chatter among the participants was even more lively than the previous day. They had the chance to get acquainted with their peers, and there was just too much to learn.

Even among big factions, their disciples seldom left their home territory. Even when they did, it was often with a clear purpose in mind, with little time for any social activities. The Dark Sea Arena provided exactly that. The event itself was to decide the strongest among them, but simply allowed various cultivators to flex their abilities. It was to create talking points while the exchange was the main purpose.

“Hm, is it still not starting?” Long Yi muttered as he surveyed the venue.

The trio had been chatting up their neighboring participants, some of who they recognized from one of the sessions last night, but even those conversations started to die down.

“From the looks of those elders in the stands, they don’t seem to know what’s going on either,” Li Lang answered. “Even if something was wrong, it wouldn’t be our place to help anyway. Just relax and let our hosts handle it. With the famous Sword Saint leading them, they’re more than capable. I wonder if we can get an audience with him, anyway?”

“Um, B-Boss, I don’t think that w-would work out. Publicly, w-we’re nobodies.”

Li Lang almost wanted to ask if revealing their ownership of the Crucible would help, but he quickly caught himself. Talking with an expert in the Spirit Divide was a special experience, but it wasn’t worth revealing their cards. Even he knew being in the spotlight too much would only cause trouble for them. For that, he had to thank Nightmoon Valley for shielding them. They were currently nowhere close to being able to fend for themselves.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of being captured for all his secrets the moment he revealed the truth about the Crucible. It was just that he would need to spend a lot of time politicking with the various sects and organizations. Time that would cut into his research and his peaceful life. He valued his research too much to shoot himself in the foot.

As he mulled about the implications of going public with his pocket realm, the breeze intensified. In a short span of time, it became strong enough that it broke him from his musing. It was only then that he realized almost every single person around him was staring in one direction—toward the west, where looming dark clouds swiftly drifted their way.

The scene was so eerie that no one among the tens of thousands of experts present made a sound.