Chapter 718
Chapter 718 - 704: The Big Pot
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Lu Ping’an’s third pet slot had been left vacant for quite some time.
As time went on, he became increasingly certain of the importance of "pets" to him.
They were no longer just mere tools, but also his companions, and even his most trustworthy... flesh and blood offspring.
"...maybe, from the beginning, it was the foundation for my ascension to godhood."
When Lu Ping’an caught a glimpse of the truth, the words of the giant cat back then were vaguely confirmed.
As the two main paths of the Life system, they intersected during the "Ascension Ceremony" against the odds.
The giant cat, a Beast Tamer facing challenges, encountered Lu Ping’an, a Gardener whose path was also not smooth, and yet, he came across a book on the path of Beast Taming (Healer).
"Does the path of Beast Taming really conflict with that of the Gardener?"
Lu Ping’an used to think that this was a definite ’standard answer,’ but later on, he found that it might not necessarily be the case... To be precise, it was an answer that could change depending on different situations.
Even according to his "theory," the materialization of spirit and the spiritualization of matter should conflict... but the world model he built was based on wave-particle duality.
There was simply no fixed state between the two...
In Lu Ping’an’s "cognition" of the world, there was no such thing as "eternity." All were just fragments of vibrating frequencies.
"However, in a low-end environment, it is definitely conflicting."
Noobs shouldn’t think about such high-end theories and unification fields, just focus on their own single pathway.
Lu Ping’an estimated that it would not be necessary to consider the "other end" until he reached the eighth or ninth order.
Before that, it’s better to just stick to one path.
Lu Ping’an suspected that at the level of a deity... or even at a higher level, "existence" would be the only thing that mattered.
The materialization of spirit or the spiritualization of matter was just the two ends of the "transformation" of the same existence.
It was just like the "Ever-changing Ten Thousand Spirits" he had visualized, which constantly switched their forms.
He actually had evidence for this—the giant cat.
When they first met, the giant cat’s body had many plant-like characteristics, and the "origin" it imagined was the "Mother Tree"... That state looked like flesh transitioning towards a tree, animal bodies giving way to plant forms.
The form of the Mother Goddess’ "Tree of Life" was half tree, half human—neither here nor there.
According to the characteristic whereby Quasi-Gods became gods and evolved towards their "origin," perhaps the giant cat would become a real flesh-and-blood divine tree after a successful ascension and undergo further "plantification."
If that was just a conjecture, there was even more irrefutable evidence.
"Deities, especially deities of the Life system, can often provide both the Beast Tamer and Gardener’s paths. Although they usually have priorities, they are not mutually exclusive."
The Lady of the Forest was the most obvious example. She was the fellow disciple and sister of the giant cat, which meant they both came from the Beast Taming path.
However, she provided not only the Beast Tamer and Healer paths but also a highly potent "Gardener’s Path."
It was like two ladders, eventually merging at some point.
Lu Ping’an theorized that probably not all deities needed to reach this level...perhaps just solo-path Quasi-Gods would be sufficient for ascension.
The state of the Lady of the Forest was likely higher than ordinary noobs-turned-new-gods. The giant cat had always compared itself to the Lady of the Forest, seemingly deliberately raising the difficulty of its own ascension.
Yet, fate can sometimes be so intriguing. It was precisely because of the giant cat’s emphasis on "gardening" that it recommended without hesitation that Lu Ping’an choose this path.
This was a sign of fate or perhaps a warning.
After the collision at the crossroads of the ascension against the odds, perhaps only the victor can inherit everything and reach even greater heights.
Perhaps, as the giant cat was still fooled by its fate, it did not give up. It was waiting for the moment Lu Ping’an ascended, and then attempted to complete itself by absorbing him... At least, the giant cat had definitely considered this before.
Ah, I digress. Judging from the results, Lu Ping’an survived his own ordeal of death, obtained his "key items" ahead of time, and laid the foundation for his future ascension to godhood.
However, because it was obtained too early, and the provider’s strength was relatively weak, its ability was also weak.
However, as Lu Ping’an’s capabilities gradually developed, he increasingly valued this path. It could be said that 90% of his combat power was closely related to it.
Lu Ping’an’s All Things Breathing ability could turn a "magic pet" into a part of his own flesh, which coincided with his understanding of "Eternal Moving Spirit" and his path.
In a sense, the product of "fusion" is the real Lu Ping’an, the one attempting to ascend to higher realms.
From the very beginning, the Codex was locked to Lu Ping’an as its sole user. The three slots in it, in a sense, represent the upper limit of the burden that Lu Ping’an’s flesh and soul can bear.
Blood Essence, Flesh and Bone Foundation, and Core of Wisdom may not only refer to the components, but also to the complement of Lu Ping’an’s innate deficiencies and catalysts for his evolution.
Those three magic pets are the completion of his abilities, part of his flesh, and even his physical body.
This third slot is very important to Lu Ping’an, and naturally so. He vaguely realized that he could change his magic pets, but each time would cost him a great deal of pain and injury.
Little Flame lacks intelligence, and Zhi Xi lacks flesh; the two are somewhat incomplete, but when combined with Lu Ping’an, they seem perfect.
On the contrary, Little Flame’s "purity" gives it "infinite" potential, while Zhi Xi’s "wisdom" provides her with a high ceiling and room for improvement.
"The third magic pet doesn’t need to be too ’well-rounded’; that’s not necessarily a good thing. Like Zhi Xi and Little Flame, it needs to make up for my shortcomings."
What is Lu Ping’an’s biggest shortcoming? It’s quite simple; his flesh is fragile. As a Life system professional, he lacks a solid foundation.
Although he is a Life system professional, the presence of Zhi Xi, in some sense, gives him a high level of defense. However, his own vitality is only considered average.
Moreover, as a life, the fragility of the "root" also limits his attack output ceiling.
"I need a simple and powerful magic pet, especially a powerful one. In the hierarchy of life, it would be best if it could carry me to fly."
When this thought appeared, Lu Ping’an’s intuition gave a warning, indicating the answer to his needs.
He needs a "ferocious beast" to merge with himself, to evolve with his own flesh and with it, step into a higher life level quickly.
He vaguely sensed that perhaps when he once again reaches wholeness, it would be the moment to break through the third-tier.
"The fact that Zhi Xi can enhance my spiritual power is not accidental."
Therefore, Lu Ping’an diligently collected materials along the way, but always hesitated to start "alchemy".
"Vitality, I need stronger vitality..."
At this point, when the flesh of a mythical bloodline giant beast appeared in front of him, all conditions were finally met.
At this moment, in front of Lu Ping’an, a large amount of "giant turtle" flesh had fused into mud, as the biological foundation "Flesh and Bone Foundation."
But merely "meat" is not enough; it cannot support the "framework" of a life form.
Lu Ping’an clenched his teeth, painfully throwing the divine bones he had finally acquired into the mix.
This time, the divine bones were still stubbornly resisting fusion.
But Lu Ping’an was already prepared.
"Put it in."
A large number of "slimes" were thrown into it, instinctively eroding the "divine bones" and fusing them into their own flesh.
And the flesh of these slimes can be fused.
At the same time, more divine beast flesh is merged into the mixture, floating pieces of flesh separating and merging together in a chaotic stew.
This scene reminded Lu Ping’an of the "Ten Thousand Spirits" he had seen before...
"Life, fusing and dividing in the flesh pot, is newborn and dying."
— End of Chapter 718 —