The ability to tap into the druidic form was a game changer for a few demonic cultivators. However, it was not for everybody.
Aksai processed the memories of the demonic cultivators, finding that the druid transformation in the Holy Land Torel was indeed a double-edged sword for them.
Despite having access to Torel’s array formations, the demonic cultivators faced a severe obstacle: bloodline incompatibility.
For many of them, attempting the transformation carried a high risk of failure, with a success rate of less than ten percent.
Only those who remained in the Spirit Refining realm had even a slim chance of survival. And for Foundation Building cultivators, the odds were grim—failure often meant death. The memories showed flashes of those who had dared to try, only to be left crippled or worse.
Even those who did succeed in triggering a partial transformation couldn’t maintain it for long. They also had some other serious problems with their physiques.
Aksai could picture their strain, their struggle to hold onto the druidic form for even a minute. The transformations were unstable, flickering like dying embers, yet these rare few were still treated as leaders among their peers.
The memories showed reverent glances, obedience from others who looked to these transient druids as leaders with privileged access to Torel’s deeper, more fortified regions. After all, the holy land treated these bunch of demonic cultivators with druidic transformation a lot better than their human counterparts.
As long as the druid transformation was active, the demonic cultivators with druidic transformation were invisible when pitted against their regular human peers. After all, the holy land had suppressed the regular humans heavily.
Even a few seconds of transformation was enough for the demonic cultivators to bully their peers in actual combat. As such, one could say that this hierarchy was set by the holy land itself.
“These druidic transformations somehow feel different than mine but at the same time they have similar kind of effect. Interesting,” Aksai murmured, mulling over how these fleeting transformations had somehow elevated the cultivators.
The druidic transformation was enough to earn them a temporary status among their people. But from what he could tell, this status didn’t offer true access to Torel’s core facilities. It felt as if there was something missing in their transformation. Or it could be that they simply weren’t able to completely assimilate with their druidic lineage.
Perhaps only true druids, those able to fully embody their forms without breaking down, would be able to interact freely with the holy land’s higher structures? Aksai wasn’t sure. But it felt that way because of the way the demonic cultivators were treated by the holy land in the last few years.
He could see in the demonic cultivators’ memories that a lot of facilities that they had found in the holy land simply didn’t even let them enter. Only a few demonic cultivators who had unlocked druid transformation for themselves were able to get somewhat close and obtain some benefits but that was it.
The memories painted a clear picture of frustration and failure. Even with their partial transformations, these demonic druids were still kept from the core treasures and secrets of the holy land.
The most critical factor in accessing these facilities was the amount of time one could hold a druidic transformation continuously. No one among the demonic cultivators had yet displayed the level of ability needed to qualify as an inner disciple of Holy Land Torel.
Aksai understood these limitations all too well, feeling the familiar soul exhaustion that came with sustaining his druid form. Years of refining his abilities allowed him to extend his transformation for hours, but even he eventually had to revert.
Aksai pondered his newfound understanding, then voiced his thoughts.
“Yelia, why would these demonic cultivators still face difficulties in accessing the core facilities in the holy land, even after transforming into druids?” he asked, glancing at her as he considered the implications. “Do you think I’ll face the same limitations?”
Yelia’s voice was soft yet certain.
“My lord, Torel’s requirements go beyond simply assuming a druid’s form. Druidic transformation is more than physical—it involves a profound harmony with Spirit and nature, as well as matters of the soul.”
“Am I the same kind of druid as these demonic cultivators?” Aksai asked.
“Yes and no,” Yelia replied.
“You and these demonic cultivators both harness nature’s energies, as the foundation of your transformation is still that of a druid. And like them, you are not a complete druid.
After all, it is only a Spirit bloodline that you possess.
Your transformation may be stable, but Torel’s holy land might demand more than stability. It likely assesses the quality and depth of each cultivator’s connection to druidic powers.
At this point, both sides are not True Druids.”
Aksai listened intently, his curiosity piqued. The idea of vessel and Spirit bloodlines both leading to the possibility of becoming a True Druid was new, even for someone who had steeped himself in the mysteries of Spirit cultivation.
“So, vessel bloodlines adjust the body, while Spirit bloodlines rework the soul. That’s the fundamental difference?” he asked, processing the implications.
Yelia nodded.
“Exactly, my lord. Vessel bloodlines operate by modifying the genetic structure, realigning it with a specific lineage—such as that of the druid—while still allowing the body to maintain its human roots.
Spirit bloodlines, however, go deeper, altering the soul and creating a complete spiritual transformation. This type of transformation doesn’t need a physical connection to the original bloodline because it reconstructs the very essence of your existence.”
Aksai glanced at his hands, feeling a subtle awareness of his own Spirit bloodline awakening within. “So, by having a Spirit bloodline, I’m essentially a step closer to being a True Druid than the demonic cultivators with their vessel bloodlines?”
“Not exactly,” Yelia shook her head.
“Given enough time and refinement, both paths can lead to the same destination. For you, with your Spirit bloodline, the transformation will eventually affect your physical form as well, resulting in a vessel bloodline that’s naturally aligned with your Spirit.
It’s an internal-to-external process.
For the demonic cultivators, it’s the opposite—they start by transforming the body, and if they can refine it enough, they’ll reach the soul level, giving them a Spirit bloodline.”
“Fascinating,” Aksai mused. “The process seems to allow humans this strange flexibility, doesn’t it? Like…they’re the origin point, the blank canvas.”
“Precisely,” Yelia replied.
“Human existence is an adaptable template, born from what’s known as the Existential Concept of the cosmos. It’s a form so inherently flexible that it appears in countless worlds, regardless of their origins.
Even when new races were created—by modifying this Concept to give birth to elves, dwarves, and others—humans retained their existence as a kind of cosmic standard. Other races can hardly transform into humans because their templates are more fixed, more specialized.”
“Which explains why a human’s path to transformation into another race is much easier,” Aksai concluded, a sense of clarity dawning. “It’s less about abandoning humanity than it is about reshaping it.”
Yelia inclined her head, a faint smile on her face.
“Exactly, my lord. In the case of becoming a druid, whether through vessel or Spirit bloodlines, one’s human nature is gradually refined rather than erased. You’ll remain yourself even as you draw closer to the druidic essence. But at the same time, you would feel like you were born anew.”
“That means Torel’s core might recognize me differently from these temporary druids but not as a native. As long as I don’t have a vessel bloodline in me, I won’t be considered a True Druid by this place,” Aksai muttered, realizing the implications.
“So, whatever advantages I thought I had might not be as straightforward here.”
Yelia nodded.
“Yes, my lord. But you shouldn’t discourage yourself. After all, even during the peak of the Holy Land Torel, there shouldn’t be many True Druids of your age. After all, it is not easy to reconfigure the template set by the Existential Concepts across the boundless cosmos. It takes time. A lot of time and refinement of one’s existence.
Anyway, you should be fine as long as you perform better than these demonic cultivators who clearly haven’t assimilated with their druidic lineages completely.
Torel’s core likely has intricate, ancient criteria. Even if you’re in druidic form, Torel might test the intent, the purity of that transformation. But that’s just it. It shouldn’t be something that is completely impossible to acheive for you.
You are leagues ahead of these demonic cultivators because you have already assmiliated with your Spirit bloodline completely. As long as you keep on refining your Spirit bloodline, it would eventually unlock the vessel bloodline for you. From then on, you shall be a True Druid.
The druidic transformations unlocked by the demonic cultivators are weak, fleeting. Most of them would die in a few years due to faillure to assmiliate with a foregin bloodline.”
“I see,” Aksai replied before sighing. “I guess I do have some advantages. But even I’m only a visitor here.” He let the idea linger, considering his next steps. It would mean he’d have to approach Torel’s central region with caution, relying on experience and subtlety, not just raw power.
“Well,” he said, looking up and stretching. “Guess I’ll just have to improvise when I get there.”
A glint of determination flashed in his eyes.
===
Author’s note: The term ‘vessel bloodline’ was first used in the chapter 321.