Chapter 305: You and Your Unorthodox Ways Almost Led Me Astray

'The encryption technology is truly extraordinary. It actually uses gene-based encryption, requiring a corresponding gene sequence to open it.'

'And it also has a phased information access mode.'

'You have to verify the gene first, then the evolutionary stage, before you can open the corresponding information valve.'

Qi Suian spent about three days studying the Amber Jade before he finally figured out its operating principles.

This was largely thanks to his research on the Low-Grade Spirit Root·Mountain Monarch Order; after all, that thing was made from the corpse of a revived Spiritual Root.

With that previous foundation, this was naturally much simpler.

'Of the two verification steps, the gene sequence isn't difficult. It can be bypassed in one go. The phased information access, on the other hand, is a pain.'

Qi Suian looked at the Amber Jade in his hand. Using some samples from the Zhuang Family, he quickly overcame the first hurdle.

When it came to biology and genetics, Qi Suian had considerable skill.

However, for the subsequent phased information, he didn't understand the makeup of a Mage.

He only knew one Mage, Yuan An, and he hadn't dissected him yet, so his knowledge was a complete blank.

'I should find a chance to get Yuan An... Never mind, I'll find a Mage outside.' Qi Suian had considered using Yuan An as a test subject, but on second thought...

'My strength is limited, so I'd better not get trigger-happy. If I spill a Mage's blood in Vermilion Town and wake up the sealed Spirit Demon underneath, it'll be bad news.'

As for being kind-hearted? Not a chance.

He was simply considering his own safety.

'A Mage shouldn't be hard to find. I'll leave Vermilion Town first.'

Since he had a plan, Qi Suian didn't linger.

There was no benefit to staying. He could only look at the Spirit Demon below but couldn't use it, and the more he looked, the more he coveted it.

He packed his things and left immediately.

There was no need to bid farewell to Yuan An. They had only met by chance; he was just a local. If he hadn't been so tough...

...he wouldn't have survived.

He traveled at high speed, gradually leaving Vermilion Town far behind.

Only then did Qi Suian breathe a sigh of relief. He was afraid some protagonist's halo would force a fateful opportunity on him, causing the Spirit Demon to break its seal.

With his smart brain navigating via satellite projection, he soon found another... Bandit Stronghold.

The leader of the Bandit Stronghold was a Mage, apparently of the Eighth Grade.

His strength was average. Qi Suian didn't even need to use the Tai Sui God; he easily took care of the entire stronghold with Fei alone.

Because Qi Suian needed a Mage for his experiments, the leader was left alive.

Once he was on the operating table, Qi Suian interrogated him about the current situation while dissecting him.

The intel from Yuan An wasn't a lie, but he had underestimated the cruelty of the outside world.

The Yunhan Dynasty had already fallen three months ago due to the backlash from a failed reform.

After that, a period of Warlord fragmentation began.

It was said that Mage Families were pulling the strings, orchestrating the large-scale slaughter of Spirit Demons and the persecution of Mages who weren't affiliated with them.

This bandit chieftain was one of the victims. He wasn't a Mage from a major family and had no status or background.

He was also unwilling to become a retainer for a Mage Family, so he had no choice but to gather some followers and become a bandit.

On the surface, it looked like Warlord fragmentation, but in reality, it was the Mage Families cleaning house.

Previously, Spirit Demons had entered the imperial court as officials, allowing a great deal of power to fall into their hands.

Now, reclaiming that power wasn't something that could be done with just a few words. They also had to kill the Spirit Demons to take their Spiritual Roots.

Therefore, this Mage was no significant figure and didn't know much.

After understanding the situation, Qi Suian indirectly asked about Vermilion Town.

The Mage had heard the name but knew nothing about it, other than that it was a poor and remote place.

He only knew that much because he had paid attention to his surroundings after becoming a bandit. A little further out, and practically no one would have heard of it.

Seeing this, Qi Suian proceeded with the dissection.

'It seems the parasitism of a Spiritual Root can vary.'

'But I can confirm that it's always within the internal organs.'

'That said, the human body has eleven major internal organs. Why can one only transplant nine Spiritual Roots?'

'There's a limit at the entry-level, but that might not be the case after subsequent enhancements.' Qi Suian looked at the two Spiritual Roots in the bandit Mage's lungs and stomach.

Qi Suian recognized them both as Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots: Green Eyes and Flying Bird Leaf.

He had read through the *Spirit Seeking Atlas* from Yuan An's collection. The two Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots this man possessed were not good ones.

They ranked rather low among Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots, each providing only a single skill.

The stronger a Spiritual Root's potential and aptitude, the higher its rank, and the more skills it could provide.

For example, the Mountain Monarch Order he had seen before, with its three skills, would rank in the upper-middle tier of Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots.

The most exceptional Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots could have five skills.

As for Middle-Grade Spiritual Roots, their quality depended on treasured artifacts, while Top-Grade Spiritual Roots were based on the contents of Taoist Scriptures.

Unfortunately, in the *Spirit Seeking Atlas*, the section on Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots was relatively complete, the section on Middle-Grade Spiritual Roots still had physical descriptions and the names of the treasured artifacts, but the section on Top-Grade Spiritual Roots only listed the names of the Spiritual Roots themselves.

Clearly, the Yunhan Dynasty had intentionally monopolized this information.

'If I want more intel, I'll probably have to get it from a Mage Family.'

As for the Yunhan Dynasty, according to this bandit Mage, its predecessor was also a Mage Family.

Its strength was not to be underestimated, but unfortunately, it was later plagued by constant turmoil. After events like Princes fighting for succession, powerful imperial relatives, eunuchs meddling in politics, and regents ruling from behind the curtain, the situation became irreversible.

Qi Suian couldn't care less about these things. 'So what if the world is in chaos? Could it be more chaotic than the Sacred Artifact World?'

The number of people who died there every day could probably wipe out the entire Yunhan Dynasty in a month.

'Wait, these two Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots seem to be in the process of fusing with his organs?' Qi Suian discovered that the two Spiritual Roots were already adhering to the bandit Mage's lungs and stomach.

'So, is this because he's a human Mage, or because he has reached the Eighth Grade?'

Although Qi Suian easily cut away the adhesions, the change was clearly visible.

So, he had to figure out the reason.

If it was the former, it would mean that Spirit Demons and Mages used different Extraordinary systems.

The simplest explanation would be that Mages are not the original hosts for Spiritual Roots, but were forced into the role.

If it was the latter, it would mean that as a Mage's grade increases, they gradually fuse with the Spiritual Root, taking the initiative in the process.

Of course, it could also be a combination of both.

It was just that Qi Suian had too few samples on hand to be certain.

To get new samples, he would have to go to a more prosperous or more chaotic place, where there would be enough Mages.

For a Mage to grow, they needed not only Spiritual Roots and a lineage of techniques, but also corresponding resources.

Once a Spiritual Root enters the body, you definitely have to nourish it.

The required nutrients are indispensable.

Only when the Spiritual Root grows can the power and effects of the skills it grants become stronger.

Secondly, the Spiritual Root will give back to the host, but this "giving back" only happens after you've nurtured the Spiritual Root to maturity. Only then will the Spiritual Root strengthen you.

During this strengthening process, nutrients will definitely be consumed, and you have to provide those nutrients yourself; the Spiritual Root won't give them to you.

Therefore, for a Mage, resources are essential.

This whole thing is just like practicing martial arts or cultivation; without resources, it's impossible to advance.

The only difference is that instead of practicing a Cultivation Technique, you're raising a parasite.

However, the barrier to entry for a Mage is much lower than for martial arts or cultivation. As long as you can survive the rejection response, you can become stronger with money.

Of course, this applies to Mages of the lower three grades, for whom aptitude requirements are not high.

The middle three and upper three grades are likely different.

'So, the "refining a Spiritual Root" that Yuan An mentioned isn't just about letting the Spiritual Root complete its parasitism, but about completely fusing it with an organ, turning that organ into an Extraordinary organ?'

Qi Suian suddenly had this thought.

'No, that's not right. How could he... I get it. You're self-taught, aren't you?' Qi Suian's gaze fell on the bandit Mage.

"I... I just happened upon a Mage's legacy, and it's incomplete," the bandit Mage said with difficulty.

Mainly, his body had been cut wide open, and Qi Suian was leaning over him, working on his stomach and lungs.

'No wonder. That explains everything.' Qi Suian had finally figured out what was wrong.

It was an information gap.

He had originally thought that simply getting the Spiritual Root to parasitize an organ counted as a successful refinement.

But Yuan An, who possessed a Seventh Grade legacy—even though the seventh-grade content was gone and the eighth-grade was incomplete—still had the Ninth Grade content.

So, the "refinement" he spoke of was actually the fusion of the Spiritual Root with an organ. This explained why he had been so slow to advance to the Eighth Grade.

It was because his second Spiritual Root had only completed its parasitism. It was usable, but unstable, and had not yet fully fused to become an Extraordinary organ.

"Does your legacy include a method for refining Spiritual Roots?" Qi Suian continued to ask.

"It does, but it's incomplete," the bandit Mage said numbly.

After enough torture, he would answer whatever he was asked.

'Damn it, you son of a bitch, you misled me.' Qi Suian couldn't help but curse.

'It's a good thing my research progressed and I discovered the discrepancy.'

'Being self-taught is one thing, but to not have even mastered the key parts... The fact that he hasn't practiced himself to death yet really means he's tough as nails.'

Fortunately, Qi Suian wasn't too angry. He couldn't blame the man, since it wasn't like he'd done it on purpose.

'Well, you're not completely worthless.'

'Your condition should be classified as a pseudo-Eighth Grade, but that's good enough.'

Qi Suian's fundamental reason for studying the man was to obtain the informational data from his body, which he needed to unlock the phased information access mode of the Amber Jade from the Zhuang Family.

So, the man's specific situation wasn't that important. Even if he was misled, he could just capture and dissect a real Mage later and would be able to spot the differences.

"S-Spare me... I can give you the legacy. There's a Top-Grade Spiritual Root there..." the bandit Mage heard this and hurriedly added.

"A Top-Grade Spiritual Root?" Qi Suian paused. "Tell me about it first."

"No, you have to let me go first, then I'll..." The bandit Mage continued to bargain.

"Then forget it. It's not like I really want it," Qi Suian refused outright.

A Top-Grade Spiritual Root was something for later. Qi Suian had to get the path right in front of him sorted out first.

Otherwise, if he couldn't use the Spiritual Root system as a resource for his own improvement, then it wouldn't matter if it was a Top-Grade, a Divine Grade, or even an Emperor-Grade root; it would all be useless to Qi Suian.