Chapter 283: Dao Seed Register
The Feather Book opened on its own, its pages flipping naturally to the second chapter, the Dao Seed Register, guided by Zhang Yu’s will.
On the page, a silhouette resembling Zhang Yu materialized, but the surrounding space remained blank, devoid of text, patterns, or symbols.
“What does this mean?”
Zhang Yu stared at the simple figure on the page, lost in thought.
He flipped through the pages repeatedly, trying to decipher how the Dao Seed Register functioned and what its effects might be, but to no avail.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Yu Xinghan beside him.
Previously, when Zhang Yu was practicing the Foundation Establishment Body Refinement Seventy-Two Forms, the cramped dormitory room had forced him to train outside.
But since advancing the Seventy-Two Forms to Level 20 and beginning the Foundation Establishment Mental Cultivation Technique, he had been practicing indoors with the others.
Now, as he looked at Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu noticed something he had never seen before:
“Third Eye Mystic Power? What’s this?”
Third Eye Mystic Power (Spirit Root)
The inscription appeared like a label affixed to Yu Xinghan’s chest.
When Zhang Yu focused his attention on this label, he sensed a profound and indescribable feeling — or rather, information — emanating from it.
“This must be the Dao Seed,” Zhang Yu mused, attempting to articulate the sensation. “In the Immortal Dao, all living beings possess varying degrees of potential and innate talent.”
“The Dao Seed can be considered the essence of a cultivator’s latent potential, symbolizing their inherent aptitude for the Immortal Path. However, it often remains dormant, awaiting full activation.”
“By assisting others in developing their Dao Seeds, the Dao Seed Register can replicate and record them, then transfer them to my own being.”
Zhang Yu concluded, “In essence, the Dao Seed represents a person’s innate talent for the Immortal Path. By helping others develop theirs, I can ultimately replicate it and acquire it for myself.”
With this realization, Zhang Yu’s anticipation surged. As he mentally summarized the Dao Seed Register’s function, his gaze shifted to Le Mulan and Zhang Pianpian.
On Le Mulan’s chest, he saw: Profound Cold Meridian (Magic Power).
Zhang Pianpian’s body, however, showed no signs of a Dao Seed.
Zhang Yu thought, “Given Elder Sister’s performance, how could she lack Immortal Dao talent? How could she not have a Dao Seed?”
“Perhaps a specific condition must be met to perceive someone’s Dao Seed.”
“And I haven’t yet fulfilled the requirements to see Elder Sister’s Dao Seed.”
Unable to unravel the mystery for the moment, Zhang Yu temporarily set it aside and focused on observing the Dao Seeds of Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan, sensing the profound aura they emanated.
Through this observation, he gradually gleaned more insights.
“Dao Seeds are categorized by type. Yu Xinghan’s Third Eye Mystic Power is a Spirit Root type Dao Seed, while Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian is a magic power type Dao Seed.”
“Only one Dao Seed of the same type can be active at any given time.”
A smile crept across Zhang Yu’s face. “But that means multiple Dao Seeds of different types can be active simultaneously.”
Continuing to sense the profound aura emanating from their Dao Seeds, Zhang Yu realized, “Yu Xinghan’s Third Eye Mystic Power requires him to enhance the fusion degree of his Spirit Root. It can only be unlocked once the fusion degree reaches at least 90%.”
“Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian works by synchronizing her breathing technique with the flow of spiritual energy, channeling magic power into her body. This high-quality magic power then enhances the quality of her own magic power.”
Zhang Yu recalled the instructions from his Magic Power Class, realizing that his own magic power quality needed to be sufficiently high before he could inject it into Le Mulan’s body.
“Once her magic power quality reaches 150% or higher, the Profound Cold Meridian can be developed.”
Despite gaining this understanding, Zhang Yu didn’t rush to find Yu Xinghan or Le Mulan for cultivation. Instead, he closed his eyes, first calming the turbulent emotions within him.
“The Dao Seed Register has essentially given me a new dimension for growth, allowing me to collect numerous Immortal Dao talents for myself.”
The mere thought filled Zhang Yu with indescribable excitement. He could almost see his path to immortality widening, his figure steadily climbing toward the peak.
“But… don’t get ahead of yourself, Zhang Yu.”
In truth, as he studied the Dao Seed Register, Zhang Yu had been overwhelmed by impulses, desperate to begin experimenting immediately. He yearned to develop the Dao Seeds within Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan at once, then replicate them within himself.
“But cultivation is something you can’t rush.”
“Besides, with my current abilities, I’m not even capable of developing their Dao Seeds.”
Zhang Yu gradually calmed his surging emotions and impulses, his mind regaining its composure and rationality.
“Given the current situation, my immediate priority is to master the basic cultivation arts, grasp the University Sacred Body, and enhance my future cultivation efficiency. After that, everything I do will be twice as effective.”
When Zhang Yu had obtained the High School Sacred Body, his greatest regret was that it had come too late.
He was determined not to repeat that mistake this time. He would first master the University Sacred Body to maximize his cultivation efficiency before embarking on any other cultivation endeavors.
“As the saying goes, sharpening your axe doesn’t delay your woodcutting…”
Having made up his mind, Zhang Yu suppressed all distractions and once again devoted himself wholeheartedly to practicing the Foundation Establishment Mental Cultivation Technique.
In the following days, Zhang Yu dedicated all his time outside of classes to practicing the basic cultivation arts of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
As his supply of synthetic food gradually ran out, Zhang Yu transitioned to consuming medicinal pills from the Second Layer.
One day, during mealtime, Yu Xinghan asked, “Who has discounts today?”
Le Mulan said, “I got a coupon for three-month interest-free installments.”
Yu Xinghan’s Bionic Eye cycled through images of various shops. “Which one should we choose?”
Zhang Pianpian chimed in, “Let’s go with ‘Capsules Worth Betting Your Apothecary Career On.’ Their potions are all original factory-made, with no secondary processing after entering the store. They’re not hand-mixed, so the quality is guaranteed.”
A moment later, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a delivery worker’s shout: “Compounded medicine’s here!”
Yu Xinghan quickly opened the door to retrieve the delivery, spotting the lightning-fast worker tossing the package of compounded medicine at dormitory entrances.
He didn’t mind the casual delivery; after all, the installment plan made the compounded medicine incredibly affordable.
Yu Xinghan thought to himself, “University students, it’s the perfect age to trade your body for money and binge on compounded medicine.”
Opening the package, he first retrieved the edible cement, a gift from the shop, before dividing the potions.
Zhang Yu grabbed a handful of Stamina Capsules, Nutritional Capsules, and Energy Capsules, swallowing them all in one gulp.
The Stamina Capsules replenished energy drained by cultivation, the Nutritional Capsules provided essential nutrients for the body, and the Energy Capsules, more comprehensive than Nerve Fillers, restored vitality while completely eliminating the need for sleep.
After swallowing the medicinal pill, Zhang Yu sighed, “It really is cheap.”
“Even with the massive energy expenditure from daily cultivation, requiring six pills a day, it would only cost about 0.02 Spirit Coins per month, or 0.24 Spirit Coins per year.”
Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan swallowed his pill and felt the medicinal power gradually dissolving in his stomach, sending waves of warmth surging through his limbs and organs.
But as this process unfolded, Yu Xinghan felt his digestive system accelerating wildly, like a ravenous beast devouring everything in its path. Lacking sufficient sustenance, it threatened to consume even his own stomach lining.
Yu Xinghan quickly stuffed a piece of concrete into his mouth, grimacing as he swallowed it. Only then did his digestive system gradually calm down.
With the concrete weighing heavily in his stomach, he glanced enviously at Zhang Yu beside him. “This kid’s got it easy, not needing to eat concrete.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s comment about the pills’ affordability, Le Mulan cautioned, “Long-term use of these pills puts a heavy burden on your internal organs, increasing the risk of liver and kidney damage, immune system suppression, and cardiovascular problems. The longer you take them… the higher the risk of cancer.”
“In the end, the money you save now will just be spent on medical bills later.”
Le Mulan knew this had nothing to do with medicinal or pill toxins; it was simply a side effect of long-term medication use, a fact the elders of the Le Family on the Second Layer had taught her.
Zhang Pianpian nodded. “Remember, take these for no more than five years. After that, switch to Grain-Abstaining Elixirs, or the risks will outweigh the benefits.”
Fu Ji chimed in, “If you can’t earn enough money while you’re young to afford Grain-Abstaining Elixirs, you’ll gradually develop all sorts of health problems. Then you’ll have to spend your savings on medical treatment, and to save money on treatment, you’ll have to keep taking these pills… Heh, the pharmaceutical companies on the Second Layer really get to double-dip. No wonder people from the First Layer can’t stay here.”
She turned to Zhang Yu. “Once your cultivation advances, you need to start earning money quickly and strive to get on Grain-Abstaining Elixirs as soon as possible.”
After taking his medicine, Zhang Yu immediately resumed his cultivation without a moment’s pause.
Several days later, he had not only raised his Foundation Establishment Mental Cultivation Technique to Level 20, but also his Foundation Establishment Breathing Technique to Level 20 and his Martial Dao Force Guide to Level 12.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Once I max out this Martial Dao Force Guide, I’ll have four of the cultivation arts required for the University Sacred Body. Only six more to go.”
Seeing Zhang Yu so engrossed in basic cultivation arts, Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but remind him, “It’s been over a week since classes started. Why are you still practicing basic cultivation arts?”
“Your data hasn’t improved at all. Your Comprehensive Points haven’t budged, and your ranking has dropped by one.”
Comprehensive Points were Myriad Laws University’s holistic evaluation score for students, based on academic credits, exam results, competition achievements, projects, and fundamental metrics like dao heart, magic power, and physical strength.
For freshmen in the Foundation Establishment Class, who had just started their studies, the Comprehensive Points were primarily determined by these fundamental metrics.
Zhang Yu glanced at his ranking, which had fallen to 14th in the class, but remained unconcerned. “Don’t worry,” he said nonchalantly, “I know what I’m doing.”
“If I can’t even accept temporarily falling behind to build up my foundation, how can I ever cultivate to become an Immortal? How can I refine my dao heart?” he thought to himself.
Standing outside his dormitory, Zhang Yu’s limbs twitched rapidly, leaving afterimages as he performed distorted, unnatural movements.
It was as if any technique, when executed by him, would warp and become unrecognizable, giving the impression of extreme perfunctoriness and laziness.
“Fast… but this is far too careless,” Yu Xinghan muttered, shaking his head. He couldn’t understand what Zhang Yu was doing.
The other student’s dedication to basic cultivation arts had already baffled him, but this sloppy practice made it even more incomprehensible.
“Whatever, do as you please.”
Zhang Pianpian also observed Zhang Yu’s cultivation but chose not to interfere.
“My younger brother’s mysterious talent shouldn’t be underestimated,” she thought. “His methods must have a reason.”
Instead of questioning Zhang Yu’s approach, Zhang Pianpian grew curious about the results of his unique cultivation.
Meanwhile, Le Mulan, who hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet, had no opinions on the cultivation arrangements set by the Foundation Establishment Ancestors.
That night, Bai Zhenzhen’s package finally arrived.
When Zhang Yu opened it, the rich aroma of meat wafted out, drawing the attention of Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and Zhang Pianpian, who all turned their heads.
Yu Xinghan exclaimed excitedly, “Did Bai Zhenzhen send you jerky?”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said to the group, “Want to share some?”
As the three took bites of the jerky, smiles of happiness spread across their faces.
After eating some himself, Zhang Yu felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
That night, when he connected with Bai Zhenzhen again, he asked curiously about the jerky’s origin. Bai Zhenzhen replied with a smile, “If you like it, I’ll send you more.”
“It’s called Happiness Jerky. Eating it boosts your mood, counteracts negative emotions, and makes studying and cultivating more enjoyable.”
“This is good stuff. Just the four of you should eat it. Don’t let anyone else see it.”
In the following days, Zhang Yu continued to immerse himself in basic cultivation arts. Before he knew it, several more days had passed, and he had finally accumulated six Level 20 cultivation arts for his University Sacred Body.
Beginner - University Sacred Body (6/6): Medicinal pill burden, absorption, and metabolism capabilities enhanced to Foundation Establishment Peak.