Chapter 212: Eating Meat

Chapter 212: Eating Meat

Despite the distance and time to get to the slums, I dont actually encounter any problems on the way there.

As I get closer and closer to the slums, one thing that I knew from before had simply increased to where I couldnt ignore it.

The stench.

As would make sense for a slum, there isnt that much infrastructure supporting the people that live here. Including a place to wash or use the restroom. As I was searching the area before, I was subconsciously avoiding areas that smelled too horribly and also I didnt have improved cultivator senses.

The large jump in senses makes what I had already realized even more potent.

Luckily for me, my body filters anything that may become a problem for me just by breathing the air. Which unfortunately there are a few.

It appears most people that live here already have some exposure to such things. But if they have health issues, this would likely be one reason.

And so, I move closer and closer to where my scan is telling me the items for sale are.

Keeping in the shadows, almost no one can see me pass through. Though even if they did, they would quickly turn away. A cultivator out here is never a good sign.

The reason I am hiding is that even though it may not be a good sign, it is good information. Something I definitely dont want to deal with while trying to gain such a valuable item.

It is not long after I get deep into the slums that I find a man packing up what he had on a mat.

Disappointed and discouraged, he walks down the alley near to where he was sitting with his wares. I can already tell that if I didnt catch him here, this may be the last time I would have seen these items without taking drastic actions.

I quickly rushed into the alleyway, silently.

Just as hes about to turn another corner, I call out to him.

Excuse me Sir, I couldnt help but notice that you were selling wares. Are you still looking to sell?

Obviously, he is on guard and turns towards me carefully.

I can see him glance down at my attire, and his tense face turns respectful but still wary.

Hello, young master. May I ask if there was anything in particular you were looking for?

Well, I caught a glimpse, but it caused me to pause, just as you were leaving. If possible, could I take another look?

He looks around cautiously, clearly wondering if this is a set up.

But in the end, it is clear his need for money has overridden that, and he lays out his mat once again before me with multiple items laying on it.

As he does so, I use my scan to probe at him. As Ive already gotten into some bad situations lately, I want to make sure I know who Im dealing with.

I feel its safe enough to do so, as he appears poor and also is not a cultivator.

I quickly find that His name is Xing Hu and that he used to be an extremely successful merchant.

As is unfortunately common, the intense politics and power struggles within the merchant class had caused him to plummet to his current status. All through a series of betrayals and failed deals.

But there is one thing about it that is even more important than most other methods.

It allows the user to hide their cultivation level and protect it. Even against higher level beings.

This can lead to a person being able to Turtle against higher tier beings and come out on top. The ones fighting such a user might even assume that they are of a similar level as them.

This is how the creator of this technique survived and passed down his teachings (powerful defense, absorbing power, and hiding their strength). This cultivation technique has the added ability of concealing all the other generational benefits, even to its descendants.

Now, in order to unlock the jade slip and thus the technique, the user must drip the blood of a member of the bloodline onto the slip three times, while saying the creators name. The user doesnt need to be of the bloodline.

Unfortunately for me I already have a method. So, I cant use it.

The last item seems to be powdered dust of a worn and weak spiritual tree, contained within in a jar.

When a certain type of wine, common to this area (and actually being from the original land of the creator) is poured on the powder, it turns into a tiny tree with glowing roots. Also known as the Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Heavenly Spirit Roots are widely known to have the rare ability to increase the quality of your spirit roots.

However, this tree is special.

It is an ancestral tree, passed down through their bloodline and intricately tied to it. It is automatically recreated after time for the bloodline to use in the future.

When used by a member of their bloodline, it will fortify and increase their spiritual roots to genius levels. Additionally, it increases the lifespan of the user by hundreds of years (on top of the cultivation lifespan). Each time it is passed down and used, the successive generations will have an increased affinity with the roots and it will have a stronger effect for them, as long as they grow in cultivation.

An ethereal, symbiotic relationship of sorts.

As it has been countless generations from the creator, the effect would have an absurd effect on their spiritual roots.

Not only that, but the effects from consumption of the roots are retroactive. If they eat it now, they will increase the benefits for their daughter/future grandchildren, even if they are now alive. Even now, their spirit roots only need to be unlocked to access the baseline of what it has already been within their bloodline.

Sadly, the effect is not stackable for individuals. It also operates like a normal Heavenly Spirit roots for anyone else that uses it.

However, there is only enough for two people.

Once they reach the Nascent Soul stage, the roots should reach a level where they can condense more from it via the symbiotic relationship.

Obviously, in the right hands these are powerful items. Things that my group could use.

But each of these are clearly meant for this family.

I could take these right now. And they would never know.

Itd be more effective in my hands. With my scan, I could use them optimally. Even with some downsides.

I could easily get everything I need to activate them, too.

but is that the right thing to do?

Im seriously tempted.