Chapter 753: The Fused Primordial Beast
"This orb," she began, "is called the [Spirit Crystal Marrow]."
A flicker of pride crossed the Emperor's Daughter's face. "It's one of the Empire's most recent breakthroughs."
"Over a century ago, we discovered that certain alien beasts possessed cores that cultivators could absorb to advance their training."
"Somehow, the raw power of their flesh and blood was forming spiritual energy crystals inside their bodies. The purity was low, but the phenomenon caught the attention of the previous emperor."
"After more than a century of tireless research, we have gained a rudimentary grasp of a technique to [Synthesize Spiritual Energy]. It requires vast quantities of flesh and blood as raw material, but the crystals we now cultivate have a purity nearly matching the high-grade spirit stones of the Xuanhuang Realm."
A glint of surprise flashed in Xu Bai's eyes at her words.
He studied the [Spirit Crystal Marrow] closely, then slowly nodded. "Impressive. With this kind of technology, given enough time, you could likely transform this place into a small world perfectly suitable for cultivation. But if that's all it does, it won't be much help in the current situation. Forget the Federation of All Worlds—any respectable power in the Xuanhuang Realm has no shortage of spirit stones." Xu Bai's tone was tinged with disappointment.
The Emperor's Daughter seemed to have anticipated his reaction. "Of course, I know that. If the [Spirit Crystal Marrow] only provided spiritual energy, I wouldn't have ranked it as second in importance only to the Positioning Instrument."
"In truth, the primary function of the [Spirit Crystal Marrow] is to transfer the unique abilities of alien beasts to humans—without any side effects."
"This one was created from a species of alien beast called the [Inferno Tiger]. Why don't you test its effects for yourself?" she offered, handing him the red orb with an air of absolute confidence.
"Inherit a beast's abilities?" Xu Bai was instantly reminded of the rare treasure Dongfang Yao had once described. The effect was similar, except that treasure awakened latent abilities within one's own ancient bloodline.
Xu Bai closed his hand around the red Spirit Crystal Marrow and squeezed lightly.
It shattered like a glass bead. In an instant, countless tendrils of red flame, like miniature fire dragons, surged up his arm and burrowed into his body.
"ROAR!"
An image of a ferocious tiger, forged from pure flame, flashed before his mind's eye, letting out a furious, defiant roar.
Xu Bai snorted coldly, and the illusion shattered into nothingness.
A current of heat flowed through his body, circled once, and finally settled between his brows.
Xu Bai closed his eyes to process the change. A moment later, a flicker of red flame appeared in his palm.
It danced and pulsed, the heat distorting the air around it.
A serious expression settled on Xu Bai's face.
He hadn't channeled any spiritual energy or used any technique to create the flame. It was as natural as breathing—a physical instinct.
It manifested with a mere thought.
The flame shifted and morphed into different shapes at his command.
And as he manipulated it, memories flooded his mind—an innate understanding of how to control this new fiery power.
The Emperor's Daughter looked astonished. To absorb a [Spirit Crystal Marrow] for the first time and so skillfully master the beast's innate ability was unheard of.
Fearing he might get the wrong impression, she quickly added, "I should clarify that inheriting an ability this way isn't always successful. It depends on a person's own aptitude and talent, as well as the inherent power of the ability itself."
"Our research shows that the more powerful and rare the ability, the harder it is for a human to master. And if the process fails once, the chances of success on subsequent attempts decrease dramatically."
"There's also a limit to how many abilities a single cultivator can inherit. The more powers you already possess, the lower your chances of successfully acquiring another."
...
The Emperor's Daughter continued to detail the intricacies of using the [Spirit Crystal Marrow].
Xu Bai, however, cut to the heart of the matter. "What about manufacturing difficulty? How many alien beasts does it take to produce a single [Spirit Crystal Marrow]?"
The Emperor's Daughter's torrent of words came to an abrupt halt.
A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she answered with some embarrassment, "It takes the flesh and blood of nearly a thousand alien beasts to create a single one. However," she added quickly, "the Empire's breeding techniques are quite advanced. With sufficient resources, production volume won't be an issue."
Xu Bai nodded slightly. "That certainly qualifies as a valuable bargaining chip. An alien beast's power is practically a lesser divine ability. In a life-or-death battle, using one unexpectedly could produce miraculous results."
"And what else?" Xu Bai pressed. "Are there any more surprises?"
The Emperor's Daughter hesitated.
After a long moment, she finally spoke, her voice low. "This next technology... it isn't mature yet..."
"That doesn't matter. The Federation values potential. If its prospects are truly boundless, we won't be stingy with our support," Xu Bai assured her.
The Emperor's Daughter didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned and looked past the treasury entrance, her gaze falling on Xiao Qing.
Only after Xiao Qing gave a silent nod of approval did she take a deep breath and lead Xu Bai into the deepest part of the treasury.
There stood an enormous metal furnace.
Its surface was covered with carvings of thousands of different alien beasts, each one startlingly lifelike.
There was no visible fire, yet the furnace radiated an intense heat.
Even from several paces away, a cultivator of Xu Bai's power could feel a faint, searing heat.
"Bang! Bang!"
Violent collisions occasionally echoed from within the furnace.
Listening closely, he could just make out the intertwined wails of countless alien beasts.
It was a deeply unsettling sound.
The Emperor's Daughter seemed to hold the furnace in great awe, standing even farther from it than Xu Bai.
She explained in a hushed voice, "This is the [Myriad Phenomena Furnace]."
"Its creation was born from a theory—or perhaps, a fact."
"In the primordial past, all the demon beasts and alien beasts in the world were once part of a single entity."
"That being was the origin of them all, a vessel of unimaginable power."
"Over countless eons, an incalculable number of individuals have split off from Its body."
"So, we wondered, could we reverse the process? Could we fuse all the alien beasts in the world back together..."
"...into that first, original being?"
An inscrutable light gleamed in the Emperor's Daughter's eyes.
"Even if we can't find every species of beast that ever existed, if we gather enough different kinds, we should be able to create a weaker, but still viable, fusion."
"It should be possible."
"In fact, ten years ago, we briefly succeeded in fusing a terrifying beast into existence."
"The aura it projected felt even more terrifying than the nine-headed bird beneath our feet. Everyone present—even Saint Teachers Qing and Hong—was paralyzed with fear."
"Unfortunately, it didn't survive for long. It simply dissolved and vanished on its own."
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