Origin Treasure Seed

The cauldron was no larger than a palm, yet it felt immensely magnificent.

Its entire body shimmered with a deep, cyan luster, with Dao rhythms flowing across its surface, faintly exuding an ancient, heavy aura that seemed to carry the weight of all living things.

It stood on three legs shaped like dragon claws, firmly rooted within the void of his sea of consciousness.

Lin Changheng merely watched, peering through the cyan light to see various strange, ancient beast patterns engraved upon the cauldron's surface.

They were sketched in simple strokes, densely packed to occupy that entire side of the vessel.

On the other side, a massive humanoid figure occupied the center, its head pressing against the rim and its feet planted on the belly of the cauldron, giving the impression that it could hold up the heavens and support the earth!

Surrounding it were various figures—some human-like, some beast-like, others a fusion of both—including human faces with snake bodies, human bodies with bird heads, and backs sprouting fleshy wings...

Yet, as Lin Changheng stared for longer, every pattern seemed to ripple slowly, breathing out mysterious auras as if they were living creatures.

[Origin Cauldron]!

The two words drilled into Lin Changheng's mind, and he knew them instinctively!

Is this the name of the small bronze cauldron?

His expression shifted, and just as Lin Changheng prepared to investigate further, he saw cyan light shimmering within the cauldron's mouth. Clouds and mist began to churn and billow, as if something were wrapped within them.

It was an immense attraction, impossible to refuse.

Lin Changheng subconsciously reached out to touch it, but before his hand could extend, the small bronze cauldron seemed to sense his intent and gave a gentle tremor.

Suddenly, a patch of profound runes transformed into a stream of light, plunging directly into the depths of his soul.

Instantly, Lin Changheng understood its meaning.

[Cauldron Master: Lin Changheng]

[Origin Treasure Seed: Spirit Snatch and Life Transformation in progress]

[Spirit Snatch: 100/100]

[Essence and blood fully absorbed, Spirit Snatch complete!]

[Origin Treasure Seed: Level One]

[May choose one human innate talent to refine: Clear Heart, Wisdom, Enlightenment Boost]

Is this a cheat?

It's been nearly thirty years; has my cheat finally arrived?

After his memories awakened, although he could step back and view the past thirty years with a completely different mindset, the bitterness, hardship, and despair he had endured remained crystal clear—he had experienced them himself!

Wait! It says Spirit Snatch, absorbing essence and blood... Could this be the root cause of my frail health in childhood and my subsequent failures in cultivation?

Was it all absorbed by this small cauldron and then cultivated into this "Origin Treasure Seed"?

And it was only because the treasure seed reached maturity that the Origin Cauldron was triggered and revealed?

Lin Changheng's deductive reasoning skills, honed from his past life, were formidable. After making inferences based on the available information, he gained instant clarity.

[Origin Treasure Seed: Level One]? Does this mean there are Level Two and Level Three versions?

Human... I wonder if the essence and blood of demonic beasts can also be absorbed? Can they be refined into treasure seeds for my own use and to empower me?

Since there is Spirit Snatch, what exactly is Life Transformation?

Without letting his thoughts wander too far, Lin Changheng reined in his focus and concentrated, staring intently at the cauldron's mouth.

The so-called [Treasure Seed] should be inside.

At the same time, the cyan mist at the mouth of the cauldron receded slightly at his will, revealing three illusory golden seeds that bobbed up and down.

A single glance was enough to know that these three represented [Clear Heart], [Wisdom], and [Enlightenment Boost]!

After a moment of deliberation, Lin Changheng made his choice: "Enlightenment Boost!"

Currently, the only thing that could solve his pressing crisis was [Enlightenment Boost].

With enhanced comprehension, his understanding of alchemy would deepen. Once he reached a higher tier, he could stay in the Xu Family with peace of mind, without needing to venture into the wilderness, and would have enough time to cultivate steadily!

With Lin Changheng's decisiveness, once the decision was made, he did not hesitate and cast his intent upon it.

The other two treasure seeds withered instantly, their hazy energy and Dao rhythms pouring into the seed representing [Enlightenment Boost]. The seed then became rounder, and its golden light grew three times more intense!

The next instant, the treasure seed detached from the cauldron's mouth and settled within his soul.

It felt like a sudden enlightenment, a profound change brewing within him.

[Successfully refined: Enlightenment Boost innate talent · Universal Knowledge]

[Effect: Deepen comprehension of primary techniques, accelerate the replication of basic skills]

As the treasure seed fully merged with his soul, "Hiss..."

An incredibly refreshing sensation pierced through his soul and spread throughout his entire body, like eating a chilled watermelon in the height of summer, or being brushed from within the bone marrow by the softest of feathers.

Lin Changheng couldn't help but begin to reflect; the low-grade cultivation method, Flowing Fire Art, which he once had to ponder repeatedly to understand, now appeared completely transparent in his eyes.

Every detail of the mana circulation within the technique, every critical point of the meridian pathways, was as clear as if it had been dismantled before him. Many of the obstacles that had blocked his practice were now easily resolved.

"So that's how it is!"

Lin Changheng muttered to himself in his heart, self-taught and enlightened without a single hint!

Was this the power of high comprehension?

"No wonder those heaven-favored children can master a technique the moment they receive it; only with the support of powerful comprehension can such a thing be achieved!"

Lin Changheng was invigorated!

He was confident that the proficient level of the Flowing Fire Art, which he had been stuck at for ten years, could be fully grasped and mastered within half a year!

And this was only the initial comprehension boost from the First-Layer Treasure Seed. What would happen as he continued to accumulate more seeds?

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those heaven-favored geniuses no longer seemed like such a distant or impossible dream!

Approaching thirty, with the sharp edges of his character smoothed away by the passage of time, the blood in Lin Changheng's veins—long thought dead—began to boil and surge once more, a heroic spirit rising within his chest!

In this way, the possibility of striving to stand proud in the pursuit of immortality and becoming an ancestor was not entirely out of reach!

"Rumble!"

A sudden clap of thunder roared outside the window.

Lin Changheng felt a stir in his heart and looked up; the thick, dark clouds were torn apart by the lightning, just like his own dim future—a rift had been torn open, and light was shining through!

"It is a pity that the spiritual roots of this body are so poor; they are miscellaneous spiritual roots. Otherwise, with the assistance of the Origin Cauldron, my progress would be even faster, and my path to the Dao would be much smoother."

Lin Changheng suddenly remembered the foundation of a cultivator—spiritual roots!

They were innate and unchangeable! They were also the basis for classifying one's aptitude for cultivation.

He couldn't help but reveal a trace of helplessness.

According to the accepted rules of this cultivation world, they were divided into miscellaneous spiritual roots, low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, earth-grade, and heaven-grade spiritual roots!

Because all cultivators in this realm possessed all five elemental spiritual roots, the grade was determined by the spiritual essence contained within the strongest elemental root.

If the spiritual essence was less than a wisp, one could basically not perceive spiritual energy, could not cultivate, and could not embark on the path of the Dao; such people were mortals.

If the spiritual essence did not exceed ten wisps, it was a miscellaneous spiritual root!

If the spiritual essence was higher than ten wisps but did not exceed thirty, it was a low-grade spiritual root!

If the spiritual essence was higher than thirty wisps but did not exceed fifty, it was a middle-grade spiritual root!

For instance, the result of the spiritual root test Lin Changheng had taken at the assembly in the past:

His fire spiritual root was the best, possessing eight wisps of spiritual essence!

His earth spiritual root was next, with only seven!

His wood spiritual root was after that, with no more than six!

His metal and water spiritual roots were both five wisps!

In such a situation, the assessment looked at the fire spiritual root. Since the spiritual essence did not exceed ten wisps, he only received a rating of "miscellaneous spiritual root," losing the opportunity to enter sects, great clans, or Foundation Establishment families.

Only Qi-refining families were willing to accept him.

The reason was that those with inferior spiritual roots found it very difficult to practice techniques and arts; their path was short and easy to see to the end, making it hard to go far.

They could not catch the eye of major powers that were never short of low-level cultivators.

Qi-refining families, however, had lower requirements and focused on quantity, gambling on the future by promising multiple mortal wives in hopes of producing offspring with spiritual roots.

If one was born, it would be a massive gain.

Lin Changheng subconsciously used the Spirit Inspection Technique to deeply perceive the spiritual roots within his body, but he was suddenly shocked.

He discovered—

[Fire spiritual root, nine wisps of spiritual essence]!