What did this result represent?
It meant Yang An's previous judgment might have been off!
Before this, Yang An had always believed that since it was purification and the removal of costs, then naturally the external object was what had been affected by the purification.
But now, it seemed that was not the case.
The contents recorded on the scroll had not changed in any way. In other words, even if someone else took this scroll and cultivated according to the technique written on it, they would still have to bear the corresponding cost.
The only reason Yang An did not need to bear that cost was because the purification ability had erased the cost that the technique would have imposed on him.
What had changed was himself, not the object he had touched.
So, did that mean he had been purified instead?
No!
Yang An vaguely felt that something was wrong. It did not seem to be that either, but he could not put his finger on what the problem was.
After all, he had not felt any changes in himself after using this special purification ability.
Since neither had changed, then where had the real change occurred?
Could there be some invisible medium between him and these objects?
The more Yang An thought about it, the more confused he became. He had originally wanted to test whether purified objects could be used together with others, yet the result had plunged him into a puzzling dilemma.
After pondering for a while without reaching any conclusion, Yang An simply stopped thinking about it and temporarily cast all those chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind.
At any rate, based on the current situation, he did not need to bear any costs after using his purification ability. It was an ability with every benefit and not a single drawback.
As long as this ability could make him stronger faster, there was no need to overthink it.
His most urgent goal was to improve his strength and survive more effectively. As for the future, he could consider it later.
Once he had enough strength that no one could threaten him, he could research it however he pleased.
Very soon, after making his mental preparations, Yang An officially began his first attempt at cultivation.
According to the records of the technique, once one had passed the Resonance Stage, one could begin cultivating the False Eater Realm—the first and simplest step.
Choose one technique as the Fate Dao Technique for the first solution of the early False Eater Realm.
Then use that Fate Dao Technique as the core to begin condensing Mana, ultimately merging it into one's body and forming a unique acupoint!
Thereafter, every time one advanced a realm, one would use this acupoint as the foundation and continuously fuse new Fate Dao Techniques into it.
Once one successfully entered the early False Eater Realm, binding the Fate Dao Technique to oneself and forming an ability similar to an innate divine power, one could release it directly through Mana, unleashing it at will with even more terrifying power.
This method of cultivation was completely different from what Yang An knew.
Novels often said that cultivators took the dantian or qi sea as their foundation, but that seemed not to work here. He did not know whether it was because of the technique, or whether the cultivation systems of the two worlds were fundamentally different.
This world also had no concept of Spirit Qi. Instead, one condensed and absorbed an invisible power from the outside world, forming Mana within the body. That was the foundation of cultivators.
Yang An actually had no choice for his first Fate Dao Technique. Even if Old Man Fate Crane had not explained it beforehand, he only knew the Lighting Method.
He did not know whether it was thanks to his understanding of the Lighting Method, the fact that there was no longer any cost to bear, or perhaps because Yang An was naturally gifted and possessed exceptional comprehension.
When Yang An officially began attempting cultivation, he had already prepared himself for possible failure, but the result exceeded his expectations.
With just one attempt, Yang An successfully completed the conversion from an ordinary technique to a Fate Dao Technique. After attempting to condense Mana, he successfully formed the core acupoint.
The acupoint was located above his heart. In other words, from this moment onward, the acupoint at his heart became his most vital weak point.
Originally, Yang An had intended to fix the acupoint at the location of his dantian.
But after searching for a while, he discovered that his body did not have a dantian at all. There was nothing there—only ordinary flesh and blood.
From this, Yang An arrived at a conjecture: perhaps this was precisely why this world's cultivation system had no concept of a dantian or qi sea.
After the acupoint formed, it would autonomously begin condensing Mana. Yang An did not need to actively circulate the technique, though the speed was much slower by comparison.
The first Fate Dao Technique had been completed. This also meant that from this moment on, Yang An had truly become an early-stage False Eater Realm cultivator.
Once the Mana within the acupoint was thoroughly filled to the brim, he could fuse and condense the Fate Dao Technique of the second solution, at which point he would enter the next minor realm.
Buzz!
A cluster of flames suddenly appeared out of thin air in Yang An's hand. The dim stone chamber was instantly illuminated, and the scorching heat warped the surrounding air.
Compared to the Lighting Method released using blood, the firelight of the Fate Dao Technique had changed from red to dark crimson, and the energy contained within had become even more terrifying.
This was the change that occurred after the Lighting Method became a Fate Dao Technique.
It could be driven directly by Mana, making the technique's power even more terrifying. Nor did it require the coordination of chants and hand seals; he could unleash it at will.
Besides releasing techniques, Mana could also bolster one's physical body, making it stronger under Mana's enhancement.
It was precisely because of Mana that cultivators could wield power beyond the imagination of mortals.
Feeling the acupoint above his heart absorb and condense Mana as though it were breathing, seemingly synchronizing with his heart's rhythm, was an incomparably exquisite sensation—intoxicating.
Though he was only at the early False Eater Realm, Yang An already had the illusion of being incomparably powerful. This showed that mastering greater strength was every cultivator's greatest desire.
Having completed the first step, and with the Mana in his acupoint still requiring time to fill, Yang An began considering his choice of subsequent Fate Dao Techniques.
Yang An had always believed himself to be a very timid person. If he could avoid confronting an enemy head-on, he would never choose to face them directly.
From that perspective, a technique like the Lighting Method, which made demons and monsters unable to approach easily once released, truly suited his tastes.
Thus, after learning the cultivation method of the Mysterious Dao Solution Method, an irrepressible thought arose in Yang An's mind.
Just imagine: if his cultivation reached a very high level in the future and he fused ten or even more techniques like the Lighting Method.
Once such aura-like presences were unleashed, provided their range was broad enough and their combined power strong enough, enemies would not even be able to get close.
Would that not fundamentally achieve the kind of combat style where he did not want to face enemies head-on?
If one was not enough, then use ten. If ten were not enough, then use twenty. At worst, aside from Fate Dao Techniques, he could learn more techniques of the same type and release them all together.
Yang An could already seem to envision that scene, and his heart was filled with yearning.
After all, for other cultivators, mastering more techniques meant bearing more costs, but that did not apply to him.
Cultivators in this world focused more on having few but refined offensive methods, rather than winning through quantity.
But Yang An could do exactly that. He did not need to worry about anything.
Of course, doing so still meant facing two problems.
First, his Mana might not be sufficient to sustain the consumption of so many techniques.
Second, if an enemy truly was powerful enough to get close, how should he deal with them?
Yang An thought about it, and these two problems were easy enough to solve.
If his Mana was insufficient, then he would find more ways to increase it until it was enough!
After all, he did not need to bear any cost.
If an enemy got close, then he would learn some close-range methods to subdue them, or simply take pills until, even if the enemy broke through his aura, they still could not defeat him.
After all, he did not need to bear any cost.
In short, it came down to one sentence:
What others dared not learn, he would learn!
What others dared not cultivate too much, he would cultivate!
The pills others dared not take, he would take!
Win through quantity, defeat enemies through quantity, and suppress all invaders through quantity.
After all, he did not need to bear any cost whatsoever!
With that, the path he should take in his future cultivation had become perfectly clear.
Yang An's heart surged with excitement. He put away the scroll and tossed it into the stomach pouch of the Flesh-Buried Talisman, then immediately rose from the ground and stretched.
Out of seclusion!
Before you continue