199: Chapter 199 Two Paths, Born with Dual Element? Greed.....

"Ahem..."

Eventually, The Skinny Old Man withdrew his hand first and let out a dry laugh to break the silence. "Master, there is no need to be wary. Although the complete master-recognition process has not been finished yet, this servant's core programming is hard-coded. It is absolutely impossible for me to cause any harm to Master."

"Ah... is that so."

Lu Qingyun scratched the back of his head. Although he was still a bit suspicious, he took a large stride and walked back.

Standing straight, he said, "Alright, then continue."

The Skinny Old Man did not dare to say more and tapped his fingertip lightly once again.

A gentle yet massive stream of information flowed slowly into Lu Qingyun's mind through his glabella.

[Micro-level Lifeform Basic Transformation Cultivation Technique, Seventh Stage]

The Mind-Cultivation Technique formulas, circulation paths, and various keys to life transition unfolded clearly.

Almost at the same instant, the System notification sound rang out simultaneously:

[Ding! Fusion of Cultivation Technique "Basic Transformation Cultivation Technique, Seventh Stage" complete. After reaching Perfection in Cultivation, the Rank cap will be unlocked to LV69!]

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyun frowned.

Seventh Stage? The Rank cap is only 69? That corresponds to the level just above the Dharma Aspect Realm, around the Saint-Entering Realm? That's it?

He had thought that by obtaining the complete Legacy, he could go all the way to the Stellar-level.

"Is this what you call the complete Legacy?"

Lu Qingyun's tone instantly turned cold. He looked up at The Skinny Old Man with a hint of impatience in his eyes. "Are you trying to fool me here?"

"Oh, Master! This servant is wronged!"

The Skinny Old Man panicked instantly, his small body even jumping up. He waved his hands and explained repeatedly, "The complete Legacy left behind by the Former Master is certainly more than just this! To put it bluntly, this Basic Transformation Cultivation Technique is the most common garbage in the Universe; it doesn't count as a proper Legacy at all!"

"The true core Legacy is the natal technique cultivated by the Former Master at the Stellar-level! It's just... this must wait until you, Master, reach the Peak of a Micro-level Lifeform before it can be passed on to you."

He made a bitter face, his tone very sincere. "It is not that this servant is holding back; it is truly that the amount of information in a Stellar-level Cultivation Technique is too vast. With your current Soul strength, if it were forced in, you would be instantly obliterated, Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, without even leaving any residue behind!"

"Furthermore... before you can access the core Legacy, you must first select your future path of Cultivation for your Dao."

"Dao path?"

Lu Qingyun raised an eyebrow.

"Correct."

The Skinny Old Man nodded, a solemn expression appearing on his small face. "The Universe is vast, and the paths of Cultivation are ever-changing and all-encompassing, but tracing back to the source, they ultimately return to two great Daos."

"The first is the Dao of Flesh and Blood, which the Former Master cultivated. Using the Physical Body as the Foundation, tempering it to the extreme, one can traverse the Void Realm with their body, withstand Stellar-level storms, remain eternal, and exist alongside the world. When taken to the extreme, one can shatter stars with just their Physical Body and suppress an entire realm with their presence."

"The second is the Dao of the Soul. Using the physical shell as a vessel, one primarily Cultivates the Soul Origin, treating the Physical Body as merely a skin bag. The strong can traverse the Star Domain with a single thought and manifest thousands of Divided Souls. As long as the Origin is not extinguished, one is undying and indestructible, free and unfettered."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qingyun's voice rang out: "Then which Dao path do you think is stronger?"

"That would naturally be the Dao of the Soul!"

The Skinny Old Man blurted it out almost immediately, his eyes brightening. His tone carried unmasked pride. "Flesh and blood are weak; the physical shell is ultimately a shackle! Rather than painstakingly cultivating a shell, it is better to specialize in the Soul Origin. With one thought, one can traverse the endless Star Domain; with one thought extinguished, one can destroy thousands of living beings. In such a vast world, where can one not go?"

He spoke with such fervor, praising the Dao of the Soul to the high heavens, as if this were the only Righteous Path in the world.

But halfway through, he suddenly realized what he was doing, and his voice came to an abrupt halt.

The Skinny Old Man secretly glanced at Lu Qingyun. Seeing that his expression was normal, he quickly coughed twice and awkwardly changed his tune: "Ahem... of course, this is just a little bias of mine as an intelligent lifeform. After all, we intelligent lifeforms naturally yearn for the Dao of the Soul."

"However, the Former Master spent his life cultivating the Dao of Flesh and Blood, and the core Legacy left behind is entirely matched to the Dao of Flesh and Blood. In my opinion, Master, it would be best for you to choose the Dao of Flesh and Blood; the Foundation is solid, and the path ahead will be smooth."

After finishing, he quietly scanned Lu Qingyun twice more. Seeing that the other party did not suspect anything, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But just at this moment, Lu Qingyun frowned and spoke up: "Can't I just Cultivate both Daos together?"

He rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "I remember someone seeing me earlier and shouting something about 'Soul-Body Unification'; it sounded quite impressive."

"Pfft—" The Skinny Old Man laughed out loud on the spot, his white beard twitching high. His tone was filled with undisguised ridicule. "Master, you are joking. A Micro-level Lifeform talking about Soul-Body Unification?"

"People who Cultivate both Daos naturally exist in the Universe. Those who Cultivate both Daos indeed have combat power far exceeding those who only Cultivate one, but the cost is obvious: their Cultivation speed will be forcefully slowed down by many times!"

He shook his head, looking like an experienced veteran. "So, even for a heaven-sent genius, they would at most balance both Daos in the very beginning to build a Foundation. Once they step into the Stellar-level, they will inevitably choose one Dao to specialize in. The principle that biting off more than one can chew is universal across the Universe."

"As for the Soul-Body Unification you mentioned..." The Skinny Old Man waved his hand dismissively. "That is just another way of describing cultivating both Daos. When the Physical Body and Soul strength are maintained at the same level, the compatibility between the Soul and body is higher, and the power that can be exerted is naturally greater. This is the reason many people choose to Cultivate both Daos."

"But in this regard, you had better not think about it. Perhaps in the endless starry sky, there are indeed beings who walk the path of cultivating both Daos, but such beings are either heaven-sent holy beings born in harmony with the Origin, or they possess terrifying backgrounds and are born overlooking the endless Star Domain."

Lu Qingyun rubbed his chin and didn't speak. In his heart, he secretly muttered.

Is that so? The key is... after I level up, I don't need to additionally Cultivate other Cultivation Techniques or anything. My Physical Body attributes and mental attributes are both upgraded simultaneously. In that case, this should count as... being an innate dual-cultivator?

However, he didn't argue about this with The Skinny Old Man. As long as his combat power could increase, that was fine.

"Alright, got it." Lu Qingyun waved his hand, not dwelling too much on the matter of choosing a Dao, and instead asked, "Besides Cultivation Techniques, aren't there any other tangible benefits? Like some exotic treasures of the Universe, Sharp Weapons, or things like that? Your Former Master was so capable, surely he didn't leave nothing behind, right?"

The Skinny Old Man: "..." He had finally figured it out. This new master of his, if nothing else, was truly greedy. ...