A Farmer's Journey To Immortality - Chapter 416

Chapter 416: Selecting Three Rewards
A choice to skip the 8th stage?

While tempting for the sheer convenience and potential time-saving, Aksai felt an instinctive resistance towards the last reward.

Would skipping a stage truly benefit him, or would it rob him of valuable experience and rewards?

Aksai ran a hand over his face, smearing away the sweat and grime that had accumulated during the trial.

“I can only choose three, huh?” he murmured, the reality pressing on him like the residual pressure of the trial. The timer ticked down in the corner of his vision, urging him to act.

Aksai’s eyes scanned over the glowing options, each outlined with faint runic inscriptions. He bit the inside of his cheek as he mentally weighed his choices.

“The first option is really not suitable even though it is attractive,” he muttered. “I can always depend on my own abilities to get better weapons with my Heretic Dao Art. Even if I don’t end up producing Soul Weapons right away, I should be fine in the near future.”

With a quick mental command, he dismissed the image of Vortex Edge, the Whispering Sword. The spectral sword shimmered and vanished from the display as if it had never existed.

The second option, the Verdant Rebirth Codex, caught his eye. But after a moment’s thought, Aksai sighed and waved his hand. “Just like what I said, no point in choosing a technique that doesn’t suit my Spirit Root Aptitude.” The codex faded out of existence as he moved on.

When he reached the 3rd Order Snakeskin Armor, he paused. Its ability to turn invisible and hide one’s presence was intriguing. Aksai’s eyes flickered with interest, but he set it aside for now. “Might come back to it,” he whispered.

His attention shifted to the Qi Sense Technique. Before he could even finish reading the description, Yelia’s voice resounded in his mind, clear and urgent. “Choose that, my lord. Trust me, you’ll need it.”

Aksai blinked, taken aback. “What’s so special about this?” he mumbled, eyes narrowing.

Yelia remained silent, but Aksai knew better than to question her instincts. She was far more knowledgeable about the Holy Land Torel and its hidden secrets than he was.

“Alright.”

Without another thought, he mentally selected the Qi Sense Technique, feeling a strange warmth ripple through his consciousness as it locked in.

Next, he was considered the Beast Core of a 4th Order Stormclaw Direwolf. This time too, he decided to trust his initial judgment. It was tempting, but he knew it would serve an alchemist far better than him. The beast core shimmered and then faded as he dismissed it.

His gaze fell on the Anaadi Soul Nourishing Pill, labeled as celestial-grade, a level above heaven-grade.

Aksai felt a shiver run down his spine as he read its effects: expanding one’s Soul Space and empowering soul-based cultivation. Furthermore, it didn’t have any known or hidden limitations in terms of Spirit Root Aptitude. Anyone could take the pill.

“This… this could be perfect for me.” He felt the pull of desire and selected it, knowing the impact it would have on his future cultivation path. Especially in the Aether cultivation path.

Finally, he examined the 3rd Order Spirit Vein Diagram. The potential to create a cultivation region suitable for Core Formation realm cultivators and below was something Aksai wanted to have at all costs.

He could transform Emerald Cove to new heights with this reward. It could be invaluable, a foundation to build a stronghold or a place of retreat. “This is a long-term investment,” he said with conviction and selected the diagram.

Aksai made his choice in 2 minutes and 50 seconds, barely making it before the time ran out.

[ The challenger has chosen: Qi Sense Technique, Celestial-grade Anaadi Soul Nourishing Pill, and 3rd Order Spirit Vein Diagram. Rewards will be granted momentarily. ]

The rewards appeared in front of Aksai the next moment. They looked just like their spectral versions that he had seen in the list.

Aksai carefully stashed away the tome detailing the Qi Sense Technique and the intricate, rune-covered 3rd Order Spirit Vein Diagram into his storage ring. Each item shimmered briefly before vanishing.

His gaze shifted to the small, ornate vial containing the celestial-grade Anaadi Soul Nourishing Pill. The vial glowed faintly, etched with protective talismans that ensured the pill’s potency remained intact.

“There’s no point sitting on a treasure like this. I might as well consume this pill right away,” he whispered, uncorking the vial with a flick of his thumb.

The pill’s scent wafted up, a blend of sweet and spicy. It also had a peculiar glow, as if laced with the essence of a star.

Without hesitating, Aksai tipped it into his mouth. The moment the pill touched his tongue, it melted and sent a warm, searing energy rushing through him.

Aksai’s eyes widened as he felt a jolt deep within, an electric pulse that resonated through the very core of his being. His vision swam, and he felt as he someone had shook him. He sat in a cross-legged position as his consciousness expanded.

There were big changes happening within his soul at this point, which were not seen in the outside world.

His Soul Space surged outward like an unbridled flood. The boundaries stretched, cracked, then reformed, larger and more intricate than before.

The sudden expansion pushed against the limits of his awareness, making his breath hitch as if he were drowning in an endless ocean of power.

His soul power surged in tandem, each wave hitting harder than the last. The energy coursed through him, crackling and volatile, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

Even Aksai’s clone, stationed in the Aether World Acarnis, felt the ripple as though a powerful wind had swept through the ethereal plane.

The clone shuddered, eyes glowing with a mirrored intensity as the resonance between them deepened. It was as if an invisible tether tied them tighter, amplifying both their strengths.

Aksai gasped as memories flared to life, vivid and sharp.

His childhood spent in the Lakir Clan’s estate, the painful days when he first cultivated, the first battle he had barely survived—it all came back in a torrent, mingling with the current surge of power.

Time felt distorted, past and present folding into one. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms to anchor himself. The flood of memories subsided, leaving behind clarity, a sharpened sense of who he was and what he was becoming.

Minutes turned into hours as Aksai sat immobile, eyes closed, aura thrumming with newfound energy. When the final tremor of the pill’s effect settled, a profound silence fell over the cave’s space. Or rather, the cave’s already existing silence was highlighted even more.

Aksai opened his eyes, now gleaming with a subtle luminescence. His breathing evened out, each inhale and exhale laced with a deeper, revitalized spirit.

He flexed his fingers experimentally.

The energy within him felt denser, more refined. And then there was the shocking realization—his Aether Cultivation, which had stagnated for so long, had surged forward, aligning closely with the progress of his clone.

Soul Resonance had bridged the gap, their shared power harmonizing like two notes of a perfect chord. It was as if Aksai had eaten the fruits of his clone’s painstaking efforts without doing much work.

“Well, that was… something,” Aksai muttered, a grin spreading across his face. He stood up, rolling his shoulders as if shedding an old skin. The aches and fatigue from before were gone, replaced with a vibrant hum of vitality.

Of course, his body was still fatigued. However, his soul felt so refreshing that it overwhelmed the bodily fatigue.

“My lord, quickly start studying the Qi Sense Technique while you are in your current condition. It would help you a lot,” Yelia spoke again.

“Oh? You want me to learn the Qi Sense Technique even before checking out the 8th stage?” Aksai was a bit surprised by Yelia’s eagerness.

“Hmmm… alright.” he agreed after thinking for a second or two.

With a deep breath, Aksai retrieved the Qi Sense Technique tome from his storage ring. The book was ancient, bound in dark leather and embossed with symbols that shimmered faintly as he touched them. It was in a language developed by a civilization that was far different than that of the Spirit cultivators.

Thankfully, Aksai had studied the language Martial World Sharang. As such, he could read the booke with a bit of difficulty. Of course, he needed the help of his neural link fabric to decipher the contents completely.

He flipped the tome open, and a thin, silvery light outlined the pages, almost as if the tome was alive and responding to his touch.

“This… this is definitely not a civilization from Martial World Sharang even though it has some similarities,” Aksai murmured to himself. Perhaps, Martial World Sharang was a part of a larger civilization that he didn’t know about. He then let go of the distracting thoughts and decided to focus on the task at hand.

“Alright, let’s see what’s so special about you,” Aksai murmured, settling into a comfortable cross-legged position. He began to read through the script, carefully parsing each line.

The technique was detailed, filled with diagrams and instructions that emphasized the subtle balance between the body’s physical essence and the energy it could harness.

It was a cultivation approach designed to merge seamlessly with those who walked the path of body refinement.