In the past, Aksai had only used the Brain Bonsai Formation as a support tool to help him comprehend complex concepts.
The Brain Bonsai trees were originally something he had obtained from a Bloodfiend Art user. Later, he acquired another, more detailed Bloodfiend manual.
Furthermore, Aksai had come across a collection of books and scrolls related to the Bloodfiend Art after defeating the Lakir clan’s Foundation Building old ancestor. After the entire Lakir clan decided to leave the Dadangar Subcontinent behind, Aksai could be said to be the only user of the Bloodfiend Art in the region.
Of course, the Spirit farmer didn’t let this knowledge gather metaphorical dust. Instead, Aksai delved deeply into it, forming new ideas inspired by the concepts outlined in the manuals.
Using these ideas, he refined the Brain Bonsai trees even further, and from that, the Brain Bonsai Formation was born.
The formation became a solid base for unlocking various applications for the trees. It was modification-friendly—like customizing one’s gaming rig using a DIY component set as a base.
Although the Bloodfiend Art had a sinister reputation, it was still a profound field of study, and part of the Dao.
Through years of study and access to the deductive powers of the neural link fabric, Aksai had unlocked numerous uses for the fundamental techniques described in the Bloodfiend manuals.
At this point, the Brain Bonsai Formation had evolved. He no longer needed to manually search through his enemies’ memories with tedious techniques. The formation could now take over, breaking down and processing memories for him.
Aksai took out the severed heads of the two enemies he had killed earlier. Using a black meteor dagger, he expertly removed the brains from their respective skulls, doing so with practiced precision—without making a mess.
The residual gray water and blood, which should have splattered during the incisions, were instantly absorbed by the formation before they could even settle.
He carefully placed the freshly extracted brains of the two Foundation Building experts at the base of two trees within the formation, like offerings at an altar. As soon as he did, faint lines of light began to glow from the base of the bonsai trees, connecting them in an intricate web of patterns.
Aksai then activated the modified Brain Bonsai Formation. The trees twitched, their branches swaying gently despite the lack of wind.
Slowly, the brains hanging from their branches began to glow, pulsing softly in sync with the growing power of the formation. It was as if the setup was awakening, feeding on the memories of the severed heads like a living entity.
Yelia remained silent, her gaze fixed on Aksai. Lini stood frozen, her mind racing. This was far beyond anything she could have expected from a mere “farmer.”
Aksai closed his eyes, fully immersed in the process. The modified Brain Bonsai Formation would now sift through his enemies’ memories, extracting every scrap of useful information.
With this, Aksai would uncover all their secrets, plans, and hidden strategies—without the need to experience the memories himself.
In the past, using the Soul-searching method on someone with a similar cultivation base had always been a difficult task for Aksai. He had to dive deep into their memories, experiencing them as if he were living the person’s life—like speedrunning their most important moments in a strange, disorienting mental state.
It wasn’t just exhausting; it made him unable to participate in a battle for a relatively long time. Worse still, some memories inevitably slipped through the cracks.
The process didn’t just wear him out mentally but also spiritually, leaving him feeling as if a part of his soul had been stretched too thin. And the memories? They weren’t always clear.
Take the case of the demon lady, for instance. Aksai had seen the bald elder in her memories, but he couldn’t identify him immediately. He had subconsciously let go of some details, and there was always the nagging risk that foreign memories might subtly alter his own personality over time. The chance was slim, but it wasn’t zero.
But with the modified Brain Bonsai Formation? That was a game changer.
Aksai didn’t have to personally sift through the chaotic mess of memories anymore. The formation did all the heavy lifting. It was like a firewall, protecting his core mind while processing the data, or in this case, memories, of his enemies.
The array, powered by the brains of past Core Formation experts, took the brunt of the work. Aksai was simply a viewer now, a spectator with complete control over what he saw.
He didn’t have to fear overload, and he certainly didn’t have to worry about losing himself in the memories of another. The process was faster, more thorough, and—most importantly—safe.
The only downside was that the brains in the formation were perishable. The more he used them, the quicker they deteriorated, until eventually, they’d be useless.
But that was a small price to pay for such a powerful advantage. Exceptional safety in exchange for a little inconvenience? Aksai could live with that.
Furthermore, Aksai had a feeling that he wouldn’t lack disposable brains in the future. It was very easy for him to encounter enemies in a cultivation world.
In a matter of minutes, Aksai stabilized the formation after giving it a few commands.
As he opened his eyes, several translucent screens floated before him, displaying key moments from the lives of the bald elder and his ally. It was like watching multiple TV channels across multiple displays, each one a window into different points in time.
The formation gave him complete control. He could speed up certain scenes, freeze pivotal moments, zoom in on a particular memory, or even ignore mundane ones entirely. With built-in filters and screening algorithms, Aksai could easily sift through everything to find the most important information.
In modern terms, he was like a typical viewer with a remote, flipping through channels, searching for the right content. The array worked like a smart AI algorithm, sorting out the fluff and highlighting the crucial moments for him. He didn’t have to waste time reliving mundane routines or pointless conversations.
Aksai felt like he was watching a certain reality show from his previous world. Shifting through various perspectives, he felt like a Big Boss overseeing it all.
This was just the beginning of the evolution his Bloodfiend Art was undergoing. As time passed, he was bound to unlock even more uses.