Aksai had resolved the problem of having to carry the Everwood oil painting by refining it as his natal treasure.
Earlier, he had many doubts regarding refinement. Cultivators had to carefully consider choosing the right kind of natal treasure for themselves, taking into account the treasure’s attributes and their spiritual compatibility with them. Aksai even doubted if the oil painting could indeed be refined into a natal treasure by him.
After all, the rank of the natal treasure had clearly exceeded Aksai’s imagination. He couldn’t even figure out who had left it behind or for what purpose. There was a chance he would have to face backlash from the treasure itself for refining it while he was merely a late-stage Spirit Refiner.
As such, Aksai conducted numerous tests regarding the refinement of the oil painting as a natal treasure. Only when he confirmed that the painting could be safely refined did he proceed with the plan.
When Aksai used the weapon refinement method on the oil painting to refine it as his natal treasure, something magical happened. The painting not only failed to produce any adverse reactions but also helped Aksai carry out the refinement by providing him with spiritual support.
In the end, the oil painting disappeared from his hand and appeared right inside the Elixir Field, which was referred to as Dantian by the Spirit cultivators.
After refining the Everwood painting, Aksai no longer needed to summon it outside to enter or exit the Enchanted Everwood farm. With just a mere thought, he could appear in the Dadangar five-kingdom subcontinent or retreat into the isolated domain of the Everwood farm, allowing him to feel a little carefree.
After all, Aksai had to take many precautions to ensure that the oil painting would not be stolen while he was out and about. There was a reason behind his paranoia.
There was one time when a thief entered his house to steal the ration of Spiritual rice and Spirit seeds stored inside his dilapidated house.
Thankfully, they only stole the ration and paid no attention to the seemingly useless oil painting. This incident had occurred long before Aksai understood the true potential of the Everwood painting. At that time, he had not taken any precautionary measures to hide the Everwood painting. So it had been kept as the only decoration available in the Everwood household.
Although Aksai couldn’t figure out who had stolen his ration back then, he thanked his lucky stars that the Everwood painting was not taken by the thief. In the thief’s eyes, the only thing worth stealing in Aksai’s dilapidated house was the grains and seeds.
During that period, Aksai had to work long hours on his Spirit farm to compensate for the deficit.
After all, it was rental farmland, and no matter what kind of tragedy struck him, he had to fulfill the annual quota of Spiritual rice and other crops for the Lakir family, as well as pay taxes. Aksai had resolved that if he ever caught the thief, he would skin them alive.
After learning about the Everwood family inheritance, Aksai started carrying the oil painting with him all the time, not letting it leave his side unless absolutely necessary. He would store the painting in the inner pocket of his robe so that it could be used whenever required.
Aksai had used the oil painting while dealing with Nesha, retrieving it from his inner robe pocket at a crucial time. However, he had to admit that he didn’t feel comfortable carrying such a prestigious trump card in such a primitive fashion.
When Aksai acquired the storage ring, things became a bit easier for him. However, when he refined the Everwood painting as his natal treasure, he felt that it was the best decision of his life.
Aksai also learned the official name of the treasure once he had refined it—Myriad Worlds Painting. The name just appeared in his mind like a random thought.
Although he still couldn’t discern its exact nature, he speculated that the treasure surpassed the level of a 3rd-order artifact. Even Core Formation lords could only dream of possessing such a treasure.
Aksai discovered that the Myriad Worlds Painting had been slightly altered by its previous owner to accommodate the Enchanted Everwood farm inside it. Its true function remained a mystery, as Aksai wasn’t qualified enough to harness its full powers.
What Aksai appreciated about his natal treasure was its passive nature; it didn’t consume his Spirit essence and remained dormant inside his Elixir Field. It allowed him to get in and out of the Everwood farm without consuming any Spirit essence in the process.
Typically, Spirit cultivators needed to invest heavily in nurturing their natal treasures, but thankfully, Myriad Worlds Painting exceeded Aksai’s current capacity and didn’t require his support. Alternatively, it could be that it refrained from using Aksai’s Spirit essence due to his low level and mediocre status.
Most importantly, Myriad Worlds Painting didn’t seem to drain its owner’s resources like other natal treasures commonly did. Unlike offensive weapons or defensive artifacts, the Myriad Worlds Painting fell into a support-type category.
The ability to identify Spirit seeds and learn about their unique characteristics was bestowed upon Aksai by his natal treasure after he had refined it. It was the most convenient ability Aksai could have asked for in his current situation.
This was why Aksai had started purchasing Spirit seeds that explorers risked their lives to obtain from the inheritance ground. Few Spirit farmers could make use of these Spirit seeds due to their complex cultivation processes.
Moreover, they couldn’t even identify these Spirit seeds, as they differed significantly from the Spirit seeds currently used by Spirit farmers in the Rokur kingdom.
Only powerhouses like the Purple River Sect dared to purchase these mysterious Spirit Seeds from drifting cultivators. Even the Wilben and Lakir clans refrained from investing too many resources and efforts into studying these mysterious Spirit seeds unless they were certain of their identity and cultivation methods.
However, Aksai was different. He could identify Spirit seeds as soon as he obtained them within the Enchanted Everwood farm.
Additionally, he could learn various cultivation methods and techniques to improve the quality of the produce based on external factors introduced during the plant’s growth.
Lastly, the Everwood farm also provided him with additional information about various harvesting methods according to the plants’ nature, as well as ways to store them.