Chapter 556
Chapter 556 - 536: Level 3
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6 min read
The third-tier, an apex, most professionals will never touch in their lifetime.
What differs fundamentally from the second-tier and first-tier is the so-called "self-cursing".
Becoming a third-tier professional means casting a curse on oneself, thoroughly changing something....
"I don’t want to be human anymore."
Perhaps that’s the idea, bones become lighter, beast’s blood mingling in every corner of one’s flesh, body turns wooden, shadows become the avatar, short-term elementalization...such permanent "changes" allow humans to break their own limits, start their real dehumanization, and unlock an upper echelon.
The Parasitic Tree has three layers of self-cursing.
The first curse aims to transform the Gardener from a physical perspective, granting him a half-wood and half-human constitution.
The second curse modifies at the "sense" level, granting them the communicative abilities of the plants.
"Universal perception communication", or so-called "Seventh Sense".... would in academic terms, mean a large-scale external Mental Perception targeted towards plant species.
After completing these two self-curses, Lu Ping’an truly entered the threshold of the "third-tier".
At this moment, Lu Ping’an can be considered as a "comrade" for any Magic Plant and begin the process of symbiosis.
However, the last self-curse must have an object of the spell.
"....You and I, live and die together."
Straightforward words, yet they serve as the most profound binding and ritual.
The seed soaks in fresh blood, a light red hue circulating on it, seemingly responding to an anonymous voice.
If one uses Spirit Vision, they can see Lu Ping’an’s spirit body boiling, a portion even starting to separate.
In front of him, the "Taboo item" on the table has turned into fly ash, the last thing in the "Parasitic Tree Package" regarding the soul’s secret rite.
Symbiosis? Parasitism? Or simply piling up? It’s meaningless to merely put the human body and Magic Plants together.
What needs to be truly accomplished is to make the parasitic Magic Plant also become a part of the Parasitic Tree, whereby two individual entities become one... which is why it’s most optimal to start cultivating from infancy!
At this moment, with the opening of a spiritual link, Lu Ping’an experienced a similar state of spirit drift as Zhi Xi. A vast amount of spirit body rushed into the seed, then returned to his own body.
The "seed", which had not yet been born, has been repeatedly scrubbed after the absence of a spirit perception, completely obliterated.
Although this is a "Fusion", when one individual possesses 99.99999%, and another individual is infinitesimally close to zero, it’s equivalent to directly washing the other individual into a "vegetative state".
Even though theoretically it’s "living and dying together," how could professionals genuinely surrender their lives to a demon plant without higher intelligence.
With the end of the secret ritual, everything returns to tranquility.
Lu Ping’an can feel a sudden twitch in his right hand, followed by a bizarre feeling, as if...
"...as if an additional sixth finger has grown."
This is probably what is known as a phantom limb. Lu Ping’an can feel an extra limb.
At the same time, the blood-colored seed also completed the ritual hatching, with small vines twining around Lu Ping’an’s right hand.
He could feel that as long as he wanted, these young vines could move.
But he did not try, for he sensed an undercurrent of feebleness and powerlessness....
"...it feels as though I’ve suffered an injury, I really don’t want to touch the wound, it’s truly peculiar."
The first curse allows the seed to have the cornerstone for blood and flesh symbiosis, continuously drawing nutrients and fresh meat from Lu Ping’an to grow.
The second curse links the Magic Plant and Lu Ping’an, truly becoming a part of the flesh.
The third curse, the last curse, completed the "Symbiosis" thoroughly, making it become an additional limb of Lu Ping’an, but at the same time, forming a life-compatible entity that lived or died together.
"From here on, it’s just a matter of spending time nurturing it. It supposedly takes several months or even more than half a year to somewhat form...."
Symbiotic Demon Plants, in the initial stages, are best not cultivated outside the body. This would cause the fragile flesh, spirit energy, and spirit network to break again.
The best way to cultivate is through "parasitism", drawing nutrients from the host to grow.
The higher the level of the demon plant, the slower its growth. As Lu Ping’an estimates the rating of his own seed, he feels somewhat subtle.
[Ding, detected Life gadget, evaluating.]
The connection of soul and survival, however, activated Lu Ping’an’s Life Bank.
[Unnamed Magic Plant (current state Lower Black Iron) : Hybrid Magic Plant, it owns many characteristics of the father and mother bodies, Lamplight Grass and Bloodvine, including features like tentacles, light-emitting organs, chloroplasts, vampire-hole, and more, and owns Divine Bloodline.]
A straightforward explanation, but it signifies that Lu Ping’an indeed got what he wanted.
[Note: The current state of this Magic plant is Upper Black Iron, adult body potential upper limit estimated to be Lower Gold.]
Such a result undoubtedly delights Lu Ping’an.
This means its growth can be expected, and the true power of the Parasitic tree profession lies in continuously boosting the upper limit of "Parasitic Demon Plants" via "symbiosis".
For instance, his instructor’s outrageous "Banyan Tree Network" that spans tens of kilometers would never naturally exist.
"Start with a Lower Gold? Nice, nice, is it the result of having a good father."
Lu Ping’an was very satisfied, all that’s left, likely only requires time, but...
[The spirit body, physical body of this Life gadget exceeds 99% ownership of the host. It is deemed a wholly-owned subsidiary, and it can be enhanced by ’injecting capital (life points)’ such as accelerated growth, life repair, revival, etc.]
"My, you can do this as long as I spend money?!"
Immediately, Lu Ping’an gave it a try...and found the investment to be reasonably affordable! The Life Bank surprisingly conscientious for once.
After some thought, he abandoned the idea of hurrying its maturation.
His instructor had once reminded him that "cultivating a symbiotic Demon Plant" is a prolonged process, it’s not only because it requires nutrition cultivation, but also because the two limbs have to constantly cooperate to achieve balance.
Straightforwardly, it’s like a "prosthetic", you need time to adapt to it, allowing this "foreign body" to fully become a part of you.
The process of growing from a young age is like a child gradually growing, starting to learn to walk, run, grasping the balance and use of power, where patience and training are needed.
"Since I have time now..."
Lu Ping’an decided to give this little guy some time, just like waiting here, should be nothing to happen.
Idle, lets it grow while training.
— End of Chapter 556 —