chapter 23
23. Innate Dao Body
“If Junior Sister Bai wants to tell me, she naturally will,” Lin Dongming said. “If you don’t want to, no amount of forcing from me would be useful.”
“Is this the experience of a playboy?” Bai Zhiqing teased.
Lin Dongming shrugged, “Sort of. What about it?”
“Nothing,” Bai Zhiqing said. “I’m just a bit surprised you admitted it so frankly.”
“Because explaining is too troublesome,” Lin Dongming spread his hands. “Even if I said I had nothing going on with those senior and junior sisters, you wouldn’t believe me, right? Rather than try to explain something that can’t be explained clearly, might as well just admit it.”
“How do you know I wouldn’t believe you?” Bai Zhiqing raised the corner of her mouth. “Maybe Junior Sister Bai is very easy to fool.”
“Easy to fool, my foot,” Lin Dongming rolled his eyes. “Have you ever seen anyone successfully deceive a fox?”
“Then…” Bai Zhiqing’s eyes rolled around. “Maybe if senior brother tried harder, Junior Sister Bai would believe you?”
“Forget it,” Lin Dongming didn’t buy it. “I might have tried in earlier years. Now I’m old and lazy—I just want to lie flat.”
“Then… Senior Brother Lin doesn’t care about not knowing what dao body I have?” Bai Zhiqing pressed her index finger to her lower lip.
Lin Dongming picked up the mixed-colored cat and put it on his lap, then picked up the water beside him and took a sip, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”
—As long as I can collect spirit stones, that’s fine.
But Bai Zhiqing heard it differently: He’s willing to stay by my side without asking anything? Does he like me that much?
So Bai Zhiqing said honestly, “Then I’ll reluctantly tell you.”
Lin Dongming: “???” Did I ask?
“It’s not entirely that I didn’t want to say it—mainly because I don’t know what dao body it is either. Elder Tuoba can’t tell either,” Bai Zhiqing said. “Senior Brother Lin must have seen quite a few naturally dao-bodied cultivators and should know that some dao bodies haven’t been confirmed or named yet.”
“Is Junior Sister Bai one of them?” Lin Dongming thought for a moment. “Then what characteristics does Junior Sister Bai’s dao body have?”
Bai Zhiqing thought for a moment, “Many characteristics. For example, fast cultivation speed, clear sword heart, and five-element compatibility.”
Lin Dongming had a massive headache after hearing this, “Sounds like she knows a bit of everything. Five-element compatibility… means you can use all five-element techniques?”
“Correct,” Bai Zhiqing said. “And all five elements can be used quite well without conflicting with each other. More broadly speaking, not just five-element techniques—most techniques in this world, as long as I want to, aren’t difficult to learn to proficiency.”
Lin Dongming was deeply frightened, “…I somewhat understand why the demonic path wants to capture you.”
The techniques in the world weren’t limited to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. There were many special techniques, such as sword control, yin-yang arts, formations, alchemy, and the hundred arts of cultivation.
But no one could possibly master them all.
First, time and energy were limited; second, individual talents and aptitudes varied.
But many powerful techniques came from mixing different techniques. For example, combining earth and wood systems, or water and fire systems.
In other words, if someone had Bai Zhiqing’s dao body, the probability of developing and learning hybrid techniques would be incredibly high—she might achieve invincibility within the same realm, or even kill across realms.
Even without cultivating hybrid techniques, who would mind having more talents and fewer weaknesses? Whether in cultivation or combat, being completely countered wasn’t a good thing.
Moreover, heavenly tribulations were mainly thunder tribulations. If there existed techniques in the world that countered thunder spiritual power, Bai Zhiqing would definitely be the most suitable person to cultivate them. This would greatly increase the success rate of surviving heavenly tribulations!
“…So the reason demonic cultivators want to capture you is for possession?”
“Correct. Most of them are,” Bai Zhiqing said. “So if I fall into demonic cultivators’ hands, there’s no way out. I have to rely on myself for everything.”
Just as Lin Dongming was thinking about how to comfort Bai Zhiqing, she suddenly added, “By the way, the possession success rate for my type of dao body might be relatively high.”
Lin Dongming asked in surprise, “How do you know?”
Bai Zhiqing smiled helplessly, “Although not many, there are records of this type of dao body in ancient texts. There are even accounts by possessors. He called this dao body the Supreme Dao Body, believing only the chosen ones were worthy of possessing it.”
“What an arrogant fellow,” Lin Dongming rolled his eyes. “But the original owner of the body didn’t become supreme either, did they? Wasn’t they still possessed?”
“Others call it different names. The elder and I provisionally call it the Innate Dao Body,” Bai Zhiqing said. “The Innate Dao Body is one of the few dao bodies with successful possession records, so the possession success rate might indeed be relatively high.”
Possession was risky.
First, possession might not succeed. Even with higher cultivation than the opponent, you still had to compare spiritual consciousness and mental strength. Even without mentioning the failure risks of possession itself, very few possessed bodies could have higher compatibility than the original body. If the physical compatibility wasn’t as high as the original, it would be a waste of effort.
“In addition,” Bai Zhiqing hesitated, then said, “That person’s records also mentioned that Innate Dao Body blood recovers quickly and can obtain a considerable portion of the Innate Dao Body’s advantages through blood exchange. It’s just that if handled poorly, the original body owner might die directly.”
“All the essence is in the blood?” Lin Dongming thought for a moment. “So the demonic path doesn’t necessarily need to possess you. They could also choose a lower-risk option and directly exchange blood with you. Although that way they might not obtain the complete Innate Dao Body, they wouldn’t need to bear too much risk and trouble.”
“Now you understand why the demonic path is so persistent about me, right?” Bai Zhiqing smiled calmly. “I haven’t told many people about this. But the demonic path should have ancient texts about Innate Dao Bodies.”
“But how does the demonic path know you’re an Innate Dao Body?” Lin Dongming wondered. “You’re still so young and haven’t fought many times in front of the demonic path.”
“I don’t know about that,” Bai Zhiqing shook her head. “I have indeed gone down the mountain several times and fought with the demonic path. Perhaps the Innate Dao Body has some identifying characteristics I haven’t discovered.”
“But why are you telling me so much?” Lin Dongming stared at Bai Zhiqing and asked. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll make a move on you, possess you, or exchange blood with you?”
“Senior Brother Lin wouldn’t do such a thing,” Bai Zhiqing said calmly, as if stating something obvious.
Lin Dongming was somewhat surprised, “You trust me that much?”
“Half is intuition. Besides, I trust my judgment,” Bai Zhiqing tilted her head. “If Senior Brother Lin were really that kind of person, you wouldn’t have risked going to Duyuan Peak that night.”
—After all, you like me so much, you definitely wouldn’t betray me.