The cauldron was only palm-sized, yet it felt incomparably majestic.
Its entire body gleamed with a deep blue-green luster. Dao resonance flowed around it, faintly exuding an ancient, weighty aura that seemed to bear all living things.
Its three legs, shaped like dragon claws, stood firmly rooted in the void of his sea of consciousness.
As Lin Changheng watched, he could faintly make out all manner of strange, ancient beast designs engraved on the cauldron through the blue-green light.
Rendered in simple strokes, they densely covered this side of the cauldron.
On the other side was an enormous humanoid design occupying the center, its head reaching the rim and its feet planted against the belly, as though it stood tall enough to hold up heaven itself!
Around it crowded figures that resembled neither humans nor beasts, or were combinations of both: human faces with snake bodies, human bodies with bird heads, fleshy wings sprouting from their backs...
But the longer Lin Changheng watched, the more each design seemed to ripple slowly, breathing out a mysterious aura as though alive.
[Origin Cauldron]!
The name inexplicably slipped into Lin Changheng's mind, making itself known to him!
"Is that the name of this little bronze cauldron?"
His expression shifted slightly. Lin Changheng was about to investigate further when he saw blue-green light sparkling within the cauldron's mouth. Clouds of radiance began to churn and billow, as though something lay wrapped inside.
It exerted an immense attraction, impossible to resist.
Lin Changheng instinctively wanted to reach out and touch it. Before he could, the little bronze cauldron seemed to sense his intent and trembled gently.
Suddenly, a cluster of wondrous runes turned into a streak of light and plunged straight into the depths of his soul.
At once, Lin Changheng understood their meaning.
[Cauldron master: Lin Changheng] [Origin treasure seed · Spirit-Seizing Transformation in progress] [Spirit Seizure: 100/100]
[Blood essence fully absorbed. Spirit Seizure complete!] [Origin treasure seed · First tier] [Choose one innate human talent to refine into: clear heart, bright wisdom, enhanced comprehension]
"Is this my cheat?"
"After almost thirty years, my cheat finally arrived?"
After his memories awakened, Lin Changheng could step outside himself and look back on the past thirty years with an entirely different mindset,
But all the bitterness, hardship, despair, and everything else remained vividly clear. He had endured it all himself!
"Wait! It mentioned Spirit Seizure and absorbing blood essence... could this be why I was frail as a child, and why my body deteriorated after I began cultivating?"
"This little cauldron absorbed it all, then used it to nurture this 'origin treasure seed'?"
"And was it the treasure seed's completion that activated the Origin Cauldron and made it appear?"
The deductive reasoning Lin Changheng had developed from solving problems in his previous life was exceptionally strong. Drawing directly on the available information, he made his deductions and instantly gained some understanding.
"[Origin treasure seed · First tier]? Does that mean there are second and third tiers too?"
"Human... I wonder whether it can absorb demonic beasts' blood essence as well? Refine it into treasure seeds for my use, to strengthen me?"
"If there's Spirit Seizure, what is life transformation?"
Without letting his thoughts wander too far, Lin Changheng reined them in at the right moment, focused his mind, and stared fixedly at the cauldron's mouth,
What lay inside should be the so-called [treasure seed].
At the same time, the blue-green radiance at the mouth actually drew back slightly in response to his intent, revealing three illusory golden seeds that bobbed up and down.
A single glance told him that these three represented [clear heart], [Bright wisdom], and [enhanced comprehension]!
After a moment's consideration, Lin Changheng made his choice. "Enhanced comprehension!"
Right now, only [enhanced comprehension] could put out the fire burning at his brows.
With stronger comprehension and a deeper understanding of alchemy, once he became a ranked alchemist, he could remain safely with the Xu Family. He would not need to open up the wilderness and would have enough time to cultivate in peace!
Decisive as Lin Changheng was, once he had chosen, he hesitated no further and directed his intent toward it.
The other two treasure seeds withered instantly. Their hazy energies and Dao resonance flowed into the seed representing [enhanced comprehension]. It grew even rounder and fuller, its golden light blazing several degrees brighter!
The next instant, the treasure seed left the cauldron's mouth and settled within his soul.
It was as though wisdom had been poured straight into his head. A profound transformation began to brew.
[Refined: Gift of Insight · General Knowledge] [Effect: Gain deeper insight into elementary spells and reproduce basic skills more quickly]
As the treasure seed fully merged into his soul,
"Hsss..."
An exquisite sensation of comfort pierced through his soul and spread throughout his body, like eating chilled watermelon in the height of summer, or having the softest feather brush through his very marrow.
Lin Changheng involuntarily began recalling the low-grade cultivation method, the Flowing Flame Art, which he had once needed to ponder over and over before understanding. Now, it seemed remarkably transparent to him.
Every detail of magical power circulation, every crucial point along the meridians, became clearly visible, as though the method had been taken apart. Most of the problems that had blocked his cultivation fell away like bamboo splitting before a blade.
"Just as I thought!"
Lin Changheng murmured inwardly. He understood without a teacher, grasping it without even a hint!
Was this the power of comprehension?
"No wonder those heaven-favored geniuses can master a cultivation method as soon as they pick it up. Only powerful comprehension could make that possible!"
Lin Changheng's spirits soared!
He was confident that within half a year, he could thoroughly unravel the Flowing Flame Art and advance from the practiced level, where he had been stuck for ten years, to mastery!
And this was only the initial boost to comprehension from a [first-tier treasure seed]. What would happen if he kept accumulating treasure seeds?
Standing shoulder to shoulder with those prodigies no longer seemed so difficult-or so far beyond his reach!
Nearly thirty, his edges worn smooth by the years, Lin Changheng felt his long-dead blood begin to boil and surge once more. A heroic spirit swelled within his chest!
With this, he might yet have a chance to fight for a life of unfettered longevity, become an immortal, and stand as a venerable ancestor!
Rumble!
A sudden thunderclap roared outside the window.
Something stirred in Lin Changheng's heart. He looked up and saw lightning tear through the heavy black clouds,
Just as a crack had been torn in his bleak future, letting light shine through!
"Unfortunately, this body's spiritual roots are too poor. They're mixed spiritual roots. Otherwise, with the Origin Cauldron's help, my progress would be faster and my Dao path smoother."
Lin Changheng suddenly remembered the foundation of every cultivator-spiritual roots!
They were innate and unchangeable! They were also the basis for classifying cultivation aptitude.
A trace of helplessness involuntarily crossed his face.
According to the accepted rules of this cultivation world, they were divided into mixed spiritual roots, low-grade spiritual roots, middle-grade spiritual roots, high-grade spiritual roots, earth spiritual roots, and heavenly spiritual roots!
This was because every cultivator in this world possessed spiritual roots of all five elements!
Thus, their grade was determined by the Spirit Resonance contained in their strongest elemental root.
With less than one wisp of Spirit Resonance, a person could essentially neither sense spiritual energy nor cultivate and embark upon the Dao path. Such a person was a mortal.
No more than ten wisps of Spirit Resonance meant mixed spiritual roots!
More than ten wisps, but no more than thirty, meant low-grade spiritual roots!
More than thirty wisps, but no more than fifty, meant middle-grade spiritual roots!
For instance, the results Lin Changheng had obtained at the spiritual root testing assembly back then,
His fire spiritual root was the strongest, with eight wisps of Spirit Resonance!
His earth spiritual root came next, with only seven wisps!
His wood spiritual root followed, with just six wisps!
His metal and water spiritual roots both had five wisps!
In such a case, his fire spiritual root was the one that mattered. Its Spirit Resonance did not exceed ten wisps, so he received only a rating of "mixed spiritual roots," losing his chance to enter a sect, an aristocratic clan, or a Foundation Establishment lineage.
Only Qi Refining lineages were willing to accept him.
The reason was that poor spiritual roots made cultivating methods and spells difficult. The end of one's Dao path was visible at a glance, with little hope of traveling far.
They could not catch the eye of major powers that had no shortage of low-level cultivators.
Qi Refining lineages, however, had lower requirements. Their main approach was to seek quantity and gamble on the future. They would offer several mortal women as wives, taking a chance on offspring with spiritual roots.
If such a child was born, they would reap a windfall.
Lin Changheng instinctively used the [Spirit-Sensing Technique] to probe the spiritual roots within his body, only to receive a sudden shock,
He discovered-
[Fire spiritual root: nine wisps of Spirit Resonance]!