My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

"Yes, this foundation is the equivalent of Inner Strength from martial hero novels! And this cycle is like using a Cultivation Technique to train..."

Understanding dawned in Chu Bamboo’s eyes. ’So that’s the key reason my energy increased by fifty percent, isn’t it?’

’But why didn’t it increase the fifth time? Don’t tell me I’ve already reached the peak of the First Realm... No, that can’t be, right?’

Chu Bamboo started to sweat. ’If that’s really the case, just how low is the ceiling for this First Realm...?’

"As for Divine Techniques, you just... develop them! But every realm... must have a key core for the Divine Technique!"

"...A core?"

"I have a friend!" After a moment’s hesitation, Ning Linglong put up a disclaimer.

"..." Chu Bamboo struggled to keep a straight face. ’This "friend" of yours... is it...?’

"She, ahem, possesses a very rudimentary Water Control Divine Technique! Her keyword for the First Realm is Vortex! Her keyword for the Second Realm is Tsunami! Vortex is a Control Technique, and Tsunami is an Attack Technique!" Ning Linglong explained patiently.

Chu Bamboo’s gaze sharpened. He noticed Li Kang’s expression was strange; he looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back. ’Clearly, Li Kang thinks this Divine Technique belongs to Ning Linglong...’

Besides, based on what Chu Bamboo had once seen in his own home—the scene of Ning Linglong fighting an assassin—he could confirm that she did, in fact, wield the power of a water vortex.

But at this moment, this only made Chu Bamboo more certain that Ning Linglong’s Divine Technique was absolutely not mere Water Control—the Water Control Divine Technique was just a front she presented to the world!

’Besides, in the past few reset timelines, Ning Linglong looked a little strange when she heard the term "noun-based Divine Technique"!’ Chu Bamboo thought, piecing things together.

’So, there are two possibilities... Either her Divine Technique is also a noun-based one, or it belongs to someone close to her... her master, for instance... But considering that one would probably hide their Divine Technique even from their closest friends and family, it’s more likely Ning Linglong herself!’

’The probability... is over fifty percent!’ Chu Bamboo concluded.

Meanwhile, Ning Linglong had no idea she was being read like an open book. She continued to talk with confidence.

"The core for each realm of a Divine Technique is crucial! You have to follow this core and continuously develop it... Plus, choosing the initial core is also very tricky!"

"If you choose a poor core, your path forward will be very difficult... You also have to consider whether each realm’s core leans toward offense or defense! You need to coordinate them as much as possible."

"Most importantly, the core must be compatible with the Divine Technique... For example, Vortex and Tsunami are both related to water! So they can serve as core words..."

"Anyway, it’s just really important! And a huge hassle... You have to figure this stuff out for yourself! Otherwise, you can only follow the paths of those who came before you..."

"I get it. You have to use your own brain! Use the Divine Technique as the foundation, set different routes for each realm, accumulate different Skills, and ultimately build a logical Skill Tree!" Chu Bamboo nodded seriously, summarizing Ning Linglong’s explanation.

"?" Ning Linglong fell silent for a moment. She didn’t actually understand some of his words, but she had a feeling that Chu Bamboo understood what she meant?

Chu Bamboo was now thinking. ’Barring any surprises, my current core word for the First Realm must be Rewrite.’

’Rewrite is actually pretty strong! This is good.’ Chu Bamboo was at peace with this. Rewrite could reset his own state and that of others, making it arguably the most powerful healing technique.

At the same time, it could also conceal his aura, making him appear to be a mortal—it had even fooled the Golden Dawn’s old surveillance devices, so maybe it could fool Nuwa too?

If it could fool even Nuwa, then perhaps the only people in the world who could see through it... would be Cultivators who had met him before, specialized in Divine Techniques that countered concealment, and possessed a higher Cultivation level than him—

In other words, Rewrite was also an extremely powerful aura-concealment Divine Technique... and it might even have many other uses?

’But thinking about it from this angle...’

’For the Second Realm, perhaps! I’ll have to consider... an offensive Divine Technique keyword.’ Chu Bamboo’s thoughts raced. Even if he didn’t specialize in offense, he needed some ability to fight his enemies. He couldn’t reach the Second Realm of Cultivation and still be relying on his Body Refining Skill for a brawl, could he? ’What am I, Gandalf? Putting all my points into support magic, then just picking up my magic staff to go beat people up...’

’If my enemies saw that in the future, they’d die laughing!’

"Then what about the last part, the Celestial Mandate?" Chu Bamboo asked.

"No idea!" Ning Linglong said, utterly unabashed.

"?"

Seeing Chu Bamboo’s incredulous gaze, Ning Linglong spread her hands. "I’m really not hiding it on purpose! Celestial Mandate... as the name implies, you leave it to fate."

"It’s just like I said before. When the digestion and accumulation period is over, you’ll get a feeling that you’re ready to break through!" Li Kang added from the side.

Chu Bamboo was at a loss for words. ’So, both Cultivators and Body Refiners face this problem?’

"Isn’t there a detailed, precise path?" Chu Bamboo finally couldn’t hold back. "By that logic, what if someone gets stuck in the First Realm and can never advance!"

"Then that’s his fate," Li Kang said with a deadpan expression.

"Of course," Ning Linglong added cautiously, "I heard my master say that there are certain medicines that can help you forcibly find your Celestial Mandate! But you can only use them to force the issue after you’ve been stuck in one realm for a very long time... It’s not like you can just pop pills to keep leveling up quickly!"

"Right. And refining those elixirs requires the top-tier Alchemists from the Fengrao Agricultural and Medical Education to perform Alchemy!"

Chu Bamboo fell silent for a moment. "Then do you know what the ingredients for their Elixirs are?"

"No idea!" Li Kang chimed in. He scratched his head, looking a bit perplexed. "They’re very good at keeping secrets... Besides, those Fengrao people are too hard to find! You know, even our Jinghai City doesn’t have a base for that sect. Or rather, you might find one of their disciples in some random clinic on the street... They’ve broken up into smaller units and scattered!"

"Luckily, our Daqian officials seem to cooperate with the Fengrao lineage! So it’s not impossible if you earn enough merit points..."

A look of joy spread across Li Kang’s face as he talked about this. "But, thanks to you, I’ve finally accumulated enough merit points to trade for a Third Grade Pill! It wasn’t easy. It took five years, a full five years, plus the points from helping you, to finally save up enough... The thing I said I was waiting for before? It’s this third-grade Fruitful Pill!"

"I’ve already put in the exchange, I just don’t know when the Elixir will be delivered... Ah Zhu, don’t give me that look! The Elixirs have to be refined on demand... I think that’s how it is, right?"

"...Oh!" Chu Bamboo nodded, his face a blank mask. ’Familiar... This is all too familiar!’

He was already guessing what the Elixir’s raw materials were—or rather, seeing how secretive everyone was, it was clear this was just like the Fushui and Radiant Stones.

’I’d guess it’s a pile of supplementary herbs, plus a Third Realm Cultivator. If you’re lucky, it’s a non-human Extraordinary Creature. If you’re not... a living elixir... Hmph!’

Chu Bamboo glanced at the overjoyed Li Kang and couldn’t bring himself to burst his bubble. He just sighed internally. ’In the Extraordinary World, it seems Transcendents are the real hard currency—’

’They’re needed to derive Cultivation Resources, needed for Alchemy, needed for creating Artifacts... and who the hell knows what other bizarre uses there will be in the future!’

’No wonder they have to be refined on demand! No wonder they can’t be sure when the Elixir will be delivered after you buy it... It seems that after Uncle Li exchanged his merit points, the officials got the order and now have to go find a Third Realm Extraordinary Creature! I just wonder if they go out and catch one now, or if they pull a Third Realm Cultivator out of a prison or some kind of containment facility, then find a Pill Master to do the job... All I can say is, no wonder it’s so damn expensive!’

’No, on second thought, being able to save up enough in five years, even with my boost, means it can’t be that expensive!’ Chu Bamboo belatedly realized. Truly expensive things should be on par with real-world housing prices. He clicked his tongue in amazement. ’In fact, I should be saying it’s really cheap... The Daqian Dynasty’s official benefits are incredibly generous!’