Chapter 193: Taking On Light Shaking

“Didn’t you say that any vasculature destroyed by the Origin Energy Temple’s baptism can still be used for cultivation once they regenerate? Why are you still conducting so much research?”

Danba chatted with Su Chen as they continued with their research.

Su Chen pulled out a mid-tier Origin Crystal and extravagantly used it on a mouse as he replied, “That’s true in theory, but it’s not actually that simple. You know that the reason why Ravagers can’t cultivate Origin Energy isn’t because you can’t sense Origin Energy but rather because your bodies automatically convert Origin Energy into lifeforce, which in turn strengthens your physiques. The method I invented operates on the theory that suppressing this innate conversion ability of yours will allow your body to store Origin Energy without converting it in any way. Like this, it can then begin to gradually accumulate in your bodies.”

Danba didn’t understand. “So what does that mean, then?”

“This method actually has a price — your physical strength will decrease. However, this decrease is very much worth it for you and the Ravagers. If we quantify an unbaptized Ravager’s potential strength with a hundred hypothetical units of strength, then by sacrificing twenty or so units, they can gain the ability to control Origin Energy. This will allow them to control the elements and develop new combat styles. Even though the total amount of Origin Energy they possess is the same, the combination of Origin Energy and raw physical strength is much stronger and flexible than just having a powerful lifeforce.”

“I understand this principle.”

“However, the Origin Energy Temple relies on brute force to infuse the target with Origin Energy. In this process, a large quantity of Origin Energy enters the Ravager’s body faster than it can convert it to lifeforce, essentially overloading its conversion capacity to forcibly create an Origin Sea in the Ravager’s body. This is a simply barbaric and unreasonable way of doing things, and it actually adversely affects your lifespan.”

“So you want to decrease the impact on our lifespan?” Danba understood somewhat.

Su Chen nodded.

“How much will it save?”

“That depends on how well our research goes,” Su Chen said as he patted the little mouse. “Everything must be done methodically. The better the method we develop, the more lifeforce we will be able to conserve.”

“I don’t have too much time.”

“The same goes for me,” Su Chen chuckled. “Don’t worry, it won’t take that long.”

“I don’t know why, but I feel even more anxious when I hear you say that. I can’t help but feel like there’s something that you’re keeping from me,” Danba warily said.

Su Chen shrugged. “You think too much. Smart people are always overly suspicious.”

“Is that so? Then can you tell me why you care so much about the Ravagers?” Danba asked. “Aren’t the Ravagers just a bunch of dogs you want to control in the future? Isn’t this just a business transaction? You help increase my strength, while I help increase your knowledge. Since we have already achieved our goals, why would you care so much about extending our lifespans?”

Su Chen’s hand remained firmly pressed on the small mouse. He said, “I am just trying to fulfill my end of the bargain as best as I can.”

Danba continued airing his doubts, saying, “Your end of the bargain was just to help me break through the limitations of the baptism. As for what price I would need to pay, that isn’t something that you should be concerned about. If I were you, I wouldn’t go so far. Unless......”

“Unless I have ulterior motives for doing so?” Su Chen finished Danba’s sentence.

Danba nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Whoosh!

The light from the Origin Crystal shone on the small mouse, causing it to squeak loudly.

Su Chen sighed. “It really isn’t easy to pull the wool over your eyes.”

“So you do have something else up your sleeves after all.”

Su Chen didn’t say anything. A small mote of Origin Energy appeared on his hand and shone on the small mouse, drawing out the Origin Energy in the mouse’s body and causing it to transform and congeal outside of its body.

“That is......” Danba’s gaze shrank.

“As you can see...... a Lotus Platform,” Su Chen replied.

“You’re forming your Lotus Platforms?”

“I’m just trying to figure out the proper way to form Lotus Platforms, is all,” Su Chen said.

Danba stared at him fiercely.

So this guy was indeed up to something.

He wasn’t researching a way to preserve the lifespan of Ravagers using this technique at all. Instead, he was trying to research his own bloodline-less Light Shaking Realm cultivation technique. No wonder he wasn’t willing to tell the truth; he was using Danba to accomplish his own goals.

Danba asked, “So there’s not really a way to decrease our lifespan loss?”

Su Chen chuckled and replied, “It does help a little, but the effect is not really significant. As you said, I don’t really care, and even you might not care about the little effect it does have.

“You’re a right bastard, you know that?”

“I hope you don’t mind. This is very important to me.”

“Of course. How could developing a technique for reaching the Light Shaking Realm without a bloodline not be important?” Danba sighed. “If you can find the time to research it even now, it means that you’re very close to succeeding, right?”

“The truth is that I’ve already succeeded,” Su Chen replied.

Danba was taken aback.

What? He already succeeded?

Countless humans had dreamed about accomplishing something like this and have tried to achieve it for almost the entirety of recorded human history, but he had succeeded just like that?

Then, an idea surfaced in his mind, and he suddenly realized what had happened. “The Origin Energy Temple?”

Su Chen nodded.

Su Chen had been facing two main obstacles when trying to reach the Light Shaking Realm in the past. The first was a way to condense Origin Energy so that the liquid Origin Energy would solidify. The second was to use some kind of extreme external pressure to shape, engrave, and mold the Origin Energy to produce specialized techniques.

After creating the Immaculate Cultivation Technique, Su Chen had managed to resolve the first issue, but he had never figured out how to resolve the second.

This external pressure needed to be extremely powerful — there had to both be enough Origin Energy present, and all of that Origin Energy needed to obey Su Chen’s every will completely while being compatible with the Origin Energy in Su Chen’s body. There was no way that Su Chen could just find any old expert to try and top him off with Origin Energy.

However, when Su Chen saw the Origin Energy Temple’s method of infusing an individual with excessive amounts of Origin Energy, everything became clear.

Wasn’t this a kind of external pressure that was actually the most suitable for charging into the Light Shaking Realm?

The Origin Energy Temple’s powerful, berserk surge of Origin Energy and the fact that nothing was actually controlling the Origin Energy made it a perfect solution to the second problem. Su Chen couldn’t help but try to analyze and find a way to practically implement this surge of Origin Energy into his advancement process.

Of course, the mouse and rooster wouldn’t form Lotus Platforms. Su Chen was just borrowing their bodies to get experience and data on the cultivation method and make ample preparations.

Unexpectedly, Danba had managed to see through him before he had been able to accomplish everything.

“So that’s how it is.” Danba seemed to suddenly be enlightened when he heard Su Chen’s explanation. “In other words, if you want to reach the Light Shaking Realm, you have to use the Origin Energy Temple?”

“At the very least, that’s true for me. I cultivate the Immaculate Cultivation Technique, so my Origin Energy is many times more powerful than most other cultivators of my level, so normal techniques won’t do much for me. Only an enormously powerful infusion of Origin Energy like what the Origin Energy Temple has will meet my needs.”

“So you haven’t managed to create a technique for reaching the Light Shaking Realm yet. After all, you cannot possibly have everyone come to the Origin Energy Temple before they can reach the Light Shaking Realm.”

That was true. Even though Su Chen had found a way to break through, this method was not available to anybody else. As such, it didn’t have any practical use for the human race.

Su Chen nodded. “But if I can reach the Light Shaking Realm, I might be able to resolve this problem. You should know that only when I truly reach the Light Shaking Realm will I be able to fully understand how Lotus Platforms work. I will first develop the technique to work for myself, and then figure out how to have it work for everyone else. This might actually become one of the ways that I develop new techniques in the future.”

“That is not something that I care about.”

When he heard this, Su Chen laughed. “So it sounds like you’re willing to help me?”

“Do I have a choice?” Danba shot back.

“You help me get stronger, and I help you get stronger. That’s very fair.”

The two of them stared at each other for a quick moment before bursting into laughter.

Getting Su Chen into the Origin Energy Temple and having him undergo a baptism was much easier than trying to sneak him in — all he had to do was assume the form of a Ravager, and then Danba would request an appointment for him.

Three days later, Su Chen entered the Origin Energy Temple confidently under the guise of a Ravager.

As the large doors to the temple shut, Su Chen once again saw the familiar light beginning to gather above his head.

Su Chen sat in the pool, his palms to the sky as he began to embrace the Origin Energy rushing at him.

The oncoming streams of Origin Energy penetrated his body like dragons formed of wind.

If it were a Ravager, right now was when they would begin opening their pores to allow the Origin Energy in.

However, Su Chen did not. As the Origin Energy surged into his body, the Origin Energy in his body responded and pushed back against it.

The Origin Energy being blocked out by Su Chen began to accumulate, turning into a massive wave that began to fill the entire Origin Energy Temple, shimmering with piercing light like an array of fragmented stars.

Su Chen, however, ignored this and continued to release his own energy underneath this flood, causing it to start to condense and solidify.

The large number of Origin Energy strands were like long squiggles drawn on a piece of paper. At first, they seemed jumbled and incoherent, but upon closer inspection they actually contained the profundities of the universe. The strands continued to wiggle and dance, gradually forming a platform.

The faint image of a Lotus Platform was beginning to appear.

The Origin Energy Temple’s power acted like massive Origin Energy hammers under Su Chen’s guidance, constantly tempering and hammering Su Chen’s Lotus Platform. Slowly but surely, it was solidifying and taking form.

It would have been impossible for him to fully solidify his Origin Energy with just the power that he possessed. As such, he needed some kind of external pressure to temper and hammer his Lotus Platform together.

Su Chen was not idle during this hammering process either.

Even though everyone’s Lotus Platforms were similar to some degree, there were still some differences in the details that made each unique.

There were many uses for Lotus Platforms. One of them was to solidify Origin Skills.

Put simply, some of the more complicated and unique Origin Skills could be directly branded onto a Lotus Platform, allowing them to be activated much more quickly than usual. The more powerful an Origin Skill was, the more complicated it usually was, and the more restrictions there would be on its use. Lotus Platforms could help mitigate these issues immensely as any Origin Skill directly activated from a Lotus Platforms would be stronger, cost less energy, and be much easier to unleash.

These Origin Skills released from Lotus Platforms would then be labeled as Natural Origin Skills.

Because of this, choosing which Origin Skills to turn into Natural Origin Skills was incredibly important.

Su Chen had already chosen his first Natural Origin Skill.

As his Lotus Platform was forming, unique lines representing the transportation of Origin Energy began to crawl up the platform, gradually forming an interwoven, profoundly complex inscription. Faint void fluctuations seemed to pulse from the inscriptions.

Whitetower Teleportation.

This was the first Natural Origin Skill that Su Chen had chosen.

There was no Origin Skill that could possibly compare to this one both in terms of complexity and combat practicality.