Aksai understood that he now held the power to ask for something truly valuable—something that could solidify this exchange as a major turning point in his cultivation.
But he also recognized that there was a delicate balance here. Haitin had been fair, and Aksai didn’t want to come across as greedy or push the limits of their budding alliance.
After a few moments of silence, Aksai finally spoke, his tone measured and thoughtful.
Aksai continued with a calm, measured voice.
“Brother Haitin, if your sect has them, I would like some body cultivation techniques. Of course, I’m looking for those suitable for my current Foundation Building realm.
That means techniques that would allow me to progress further in the second realm of body cultivation. If those aren’t available, I can accept techniques for the first realm as well, just as a reference.”
He paused, allowing Haitin to absorb the request. Aksai knew that body cultivation techniques were rare, especially in Dadangar Subcontinent, where Spirit cultivation dominated.
Few pursued paths that deviated from the mainstream, but that didn’t mean other paths didn’t exist. It was just that they were more obscured.
Perhaps, only the Big Five Sects from the righteous faction and the three major demonic sects from the demonic sects would have some knowledge of the techniques that used something other than Spirit essence as their foundation. Aksai wanted to see if Haitin’s sect was in possession of these techniques.
He had a hunch that Haitin’s sect might possess some valuable knowledge in this area, and now was the perfect opportunity to find out.
Of course, Aksai would still use the Martial Compendiums he had obtained from Martial World Sharang as the foundation for his body cultivation path. However, it was said that the Argent Body realm was the last realm in Sharang and there were no body cultivators who had broken through that realm to unlock the 3rd realm.
As such, it would be foolish to depend on Martial World Sharang too much. Dadangar subcontinent wasn’t that developed when compared to the other regions of the world. However, it was still more powerful than the entire Martial World Sharang.
Thus, Aksai decided to dig for some information in his homeworld– information that wasn’t on the surface. Something only in the hands of someone like Haitin. Perhaps, he could find a way to progress in the Argent Body Realm.
Of course, Aksai wouldn’t have dared to use two different techniques to progress in his body cultivation path. He wasn’t that desperate yet. Doing something like this would leave many hidden dangers in his body. Going crazy or crippling himself physically or otherwise were the least of his worries. In extreme cases, he might lose all forms of cultivation bases and become a mortal.
However, Aksai had one unique advantage that probably nobody else in the whole of Dadangar possessed– the neural link fabric. Aksai could make use of this cheat-like ability to derive a technique that was completely suitable for him.
For this to happen, Aksai needed more data– all kinds of data. If the data he had obtained from Martial World Sharang on Argent Body Realm was not enough, he would make use of the information in Dadangar to compensate for it.
Of course, Aksai knew that data collection was important. However, he had never taken the initiative to look for it because he knew that gathering information in his homeworld wasn’t that easy. First of all, the righteous faction treated such forms of information as a way to control people. Plus, it was only available for the core members of some big organizations.
Even the three demonic sects weren’t that different from the righteous faction in this regard. As such, Aksai preferred staying low instead of getting into any kind of trouble here.
***
Haitin’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the odd request.
“Body cultivation techniques, huh?” He took a moment to compose himself.
“Brother Aksai, do you practice those heretical body cultivation techniques? No wonder your body contains some energy I couldn’t quite place earlier. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve mistaken you for a special bloodline holder like me.”
Aksai simply smiled, letting the statement hang in the air without confirming or denying anything. He knew that by staying quiet, he allowed Haitin’s imagination to fill in the blanks.
By not explaining too much, Aksai made it easier for Haitin to believe that he had stumbled upon some ancient, hidden legacy. And in a way, it made him seem even more fitting to practice the Heretic Dao.
***
Why the body cultivation techniques when he was about to get his hands on an Aether Beast in Duya Forest?
Aksai had his reasons for asking about body cultivation.
Aksai realized that he had been too passive regarding many things. He waited until there were no risks before making any moves. It ensured his safety. However, it also halted his progress in various aspects.
It was time to change that approach a bit. He needed to take some calculated risks.
His Spirit cultivation hadn’t progressed as quickly as he’d hoped due to his inferior Spirit Root, and his Aether cultivation lagged even further behind because he still hadn’t obtained an Aether Beast.
Focusing on body cultivation felt like the right move—one that might give him an edge.
In the Spirit Refining realm, Aksai’s body cultivation had acted as his trump card. As his cultivation base increased, his enemies also kept getting stronger and more cunning than before. This was a linear progress that he could do nothing about.
No matter what he did, Aksai’s progress in the Foundation Building realm would always be relatively slow. If that was the case, he needed to make progress in Qi cultivation and Aether cultivation.
The previous strategy of concentrating on one cultivation path at a time was not right. He had to change the way he did things.
Aksai needed to open multiple fronts at the same time. It would be a lot more taxing for him. Relatively speaking, it would also expose him to some risks.
However, as long as he did some risk management, he would not only be fine but also make multifaceted progress.