Chương 392: Seed Of Temptation

I was pulled from my morning meditation by a series of enthusiastic knocks on my door. The rhythm was familiar: three quick raps, pause, two more, pause, then a final decisive knock. Only one person I knew had that particular pattern.

"Coming," I called out, rising from my cultivation mat and stretching muscles that had grown stiff from sitting in lotus position for the better part of two hours. The morning light streaming through my window suggested it was still early, maybe an hour past dawn. Most outer disciples would still be asleep, but Wei Lin had always been an early riser. I opened the door to find my friend practically vibrating with excitement, his eyes bright and alert despite the early hour.

His usually neat appearance was slightly disheveled, as if he'd thrown on his robes and rushed over here the moment an idea struck him. Knowing Wei Lin, that was probably exactly what had happened.

"Ke Yin!" he said, stepping into my quarters without waiting for an invitation.

"I know what you're going to say, and I know you told me to forget about those red and blue energies, but hear me out." I closed the door behind him, already feeling a familiar headache beginning to form.

"Wei Lin—""No, listen," he interrupted, pacing around my small room like a caged spirit beast.

"I've been thinking about this all night. Those energies you used against the clone, they're unlike anything I've ever encountered. Not qi, not elemental essence, not even demonic energy. They're something completely different." I watched him pace, noting the way his spiritual pressure fluctuated slightly with his excitement. Since his breakthrough to tenth-stage Qi Condensation, Wei Lin's control had improved dramatically, but strong emotions still caused minor variations in his energy output.

It was actually reassuring to see, it meant he was still human beneath all that cultivation advancement.

"Wei Lin," I tried again, but he was already deep into what seemed like a prepared presentation.

"Think about it," he continued, gesturing animatedly.

"My Merchant's Path is designed to convert and trade different types of energy. I've got stalls for fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, sound, void, death, demonic qi, and even a Black Market. But those red and blue energies you used? They don't fit into any category I know." He stopped pacing and turned to face me directly, his expression intense.

"That means they represent entirely new categories of energy that I could potentially incorporate. Imagine what that could do for my cultivation! New stalls mean new trading options, new combinations, new techniques I've never even considered." I sank into my desk chair, watching my friend's enthusiasm with a mixture of fondness and growing concern. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of when I'd first displayed those energies.

The cultivation world was full of ambitious people who saw opportunity everywhere, and Wei Lin was certainly no exception.

"And the applications!" Wei Lin continued, apparently taking my silence as encouragement.

"Red energy seemed to enhance your physical capabilities significantly, while blue energy provided some kind of healing or restoration effect. If I could replicate those properties through my marketplace method..."

"Azure," I thought inwardly, "any advice on how to handle this without crushing his spirit?"

"Your friend is remarkably persistent," Azure replied with what sounded like amusement.

"Though I have to admit, his approach is quite thorough. He's not wrong about the potential applications."

"That's not helping," I muttered mentally. Wei Lin was still talking, outlining various theoretical combinations and potential breakthrough scenarios. I found myself sighing inwardly as I listened. This was just how cultivators were, when they saw a path to advancement, they struggled to let it go. And honestly, I couldn't blame Wei Lin for his interest. After all, I was exactly the same way.

Despite Elder Chen Yong warning me about the dangers of accessing the Celestial Trade Nexus, telling me that attempting to connect to it would drive me insane, I hadn't been deterred. I'd found an unconventional way using the blood statue of a former Civilization Realm expert as a medium, accepting significant risks because the potential rewards were too valuable to ignore. And now it seemed I was the one doing the warning, trying to convince someone else to abandon a potentially powerful advancement opportunity.

The irony wasn't lost on me, and I wasn't completely sure I could convince Wei Lin, who could be quite stubborn when he found something he wanted. Just like me.

"—so you can see why I think this could work," Wei Lin concluded, looking at me expectantly.

"The risk-to-reward ratio seems incredibly favorable, especially with my marketplace's built-in safety mechanisms for handling foreign energies." The silence stretched between us for several moments. Wei Lin's expression remained hopeful, but I could see the underlying determination in his eyes. This wasn't just casual curiosity, he'd clearly spent considerable time thinking about this, working out theories and approaches. The kind of deep consideration that made abandoning an idea particularly difficult.

I sighed, the sound heavier than I'd intended.

"Wei Lin, I'd love to give you access to those energies and help with your breakthrough. I really would. But it's too dangerous." His face fell slightly, but he gestured for me to continue.

"The red and blue energies," I explained carefully, "they can drive users insane. Not just cultivation deviation insane, but fundamentally alter someone's personality and moral compass. I've seen what happens to people who absorb them without proper protection." That was putting it mildly.

The Skybound cultivators I'd encountered in the Two Suns world had been twisted into bloodthirsty monsters by red sun energy, while Lightweavers exposed to blue sun energy became fanatical zealots willing to burn entire cities for their 'just' cause. The corruption was gradual but inevitable for anyone without the Genesis Seed's purification abilities. Wei Lin looked confused, his brow furrowing as he processed my words.

"But how come you're not insane? I mean, you seem perfectly normal to me. Maybe slightly more mysterious than when we first met, but definitely not crazy." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I had to smile at that.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. The reason I'm not affected is that the World Tree Sutra has some purification properties built into it. The cultivation method filters out the corrupting influences while preserving the beneficial effects."

"Purification properties?" Wei Lin leaned forward.

"Could those properties be replicated or transferred somehow?"

"No," I said firmly, though I felt a pang of guilt at the disappointment that flashed across his face.

"The purification is intrinsic to the cultivation method itself, not something that can be extracted or shared. It's woven into the fundamental principles of how the technique operates." Wei Lin looked like he wanted to argue, his mouth opening as if to present another angle or theoretical workaround. But something in my expression must have convinced him that I wasn't just hoarding valuable resources for myself. The competitive gleam in his eyes faded, replaced by resigned acceptance.

"I see," he said quietly, sinking into my room's other chair.

"So, it's not that you won't help me, it's that you literally can't without risking my sanity."

"Exactly." I felt relieved that he understood.

"Trust me, if there was a safe way to share those energies, I would. You're my best friend, Wei Lin. The last thing I want is to see you twisted into something unrecognizable." The silence that followed was more comfortable than before, though I could see Wei Lin's mind still working, probably filing away information about purification techniques and energy corruption for future research. His merchant mindset made it difficult for him to completely abandon any potentially profitable avenue.

After a few moments, he stood up, apparently ready to leave. But just as he reached the door, he turned back with an expression that didn't quite hide his continued interest.

"Just out of curiosity," he said, "how did you get access to those energies in the first place? They're not qi or anything I've ever encountered or even read about before." I felt my mental shields snap into place automatically. Despite many of my secrets having already been revealed to the sect's leadership, there was no need to share details about my world-walking abilities.

While someone like Sect Master Yuan would understand, and probably already knew, that the energies came from a different world entirely, lower-tier cultivators would struggle to comprehend the implications. The less people who knew about world-walking, the better. A weak, defenseless world walker would be an easy target for those who wanted to exploit dimensional travel abilities.

And as much as I trusted Wei Lin, a slip of the tongue was all it took for us all to become targets of forces far beyond our current ability to handle.

"It's a product of the World Tree Sutra," I said, which wasn't technically a lie. After all, it was the Genesis Seed that had absorbed the energies and purified them for my use.

"The cultivation method occasionally produces unusual energy types as side effects of its growth-based principles." Wei Lin's smile returned, bright and knowing.

"Beyond Heaven cultivation methods really are overpowered, aren't they? My Merchant's Path gives me incredible versatility, your World Tree Sutra produces exotic energies, and Wu Kangming's method... well, whatever he's cultivating clearly puts him leagues above normal cultivators." I found myself smiling back.

"We're definitely not following conventional paths, that's for sure."

"Makes the tournament more interesting," Wei Lin said with a grin.

"Regular disciples with their standard techniques won't know what hit them." As he moved toward the door again, I felt compelled to add one more safeguard.

"Wei Lin, before you go, I need you to promise me something." He paused, hand on the door handle.

"What is it?"

"If we end up fighting each other in the tournament, promise me you won't try to absorb the red and blue energies from me during combat. Don't attempt to use your marketplace method on them, even if you think you can handle it safely."

"Of course," Wei Lin said quickly, but as he spoke, I caught something in his expression that I couldn't quite identify. A flicker of... calculation? Uncertainty? It was gone too quickly for me to be sure, but it left me with a nagging sense of unease.

"I mean it, Wei Lin," I pressed.

"Promise me." Wei Lin's expression grew serious as he considered the request.

"You're really that worried about the corruption risk?"

"I am," I said honestly.

"Those energies are unlike anything in this world, Wei Lin. Your marketplace method is incredibly sophisticated, but it's designed for qi. I can't predict how it would interact with something completely foreign."

"I promise," he said more firmly, meeting my eyes directly.

"I won't try to absorb those energies if we fight." I studied his face for another moment, then nodded.

"Good. I'll see you later." After he left, I remained sitting in my chair, staring at the closed door with growing unease. Wei Lin had given me his promise, and I believed he meant it sincerely. But I also knew how powerful the temptation for advancement could be in the cultivation world. The red and blue sun energies represented an entirely new category of power, something that could potentially revolutionize his Merchant's Path technique.

"Master," Azure said quietly, apparently sensing my troubled thoughts, "you're worried about your friend's promise."

"I am," I admitted.

"Wei Lin is honorable, but he's also ambitious. And those energies... they represent exactly the kind of breakthrough opportunity that cultivators dream about their entire lives."

"So, what will you do?" I stood up and walked to my window, looking out at the sect's morning bustle. Disciples were moving between buildings, heading to breakfast or early training sessions. The normal rhythm of cultivation life, peaceful and predictable.

"The temptation for Wei Lin is too great," I said finally.

"Even with his promise, the opportunity is right there in front of him. It would be like putting a starving man in a room full of food and asking him not to eat."

"You think he'll break his promise?"

"I think he'll try to find a way around it," I said carefully.

"Wei Lin is a merchant at heart. He's probably already working on theoretical approaches that would technically honor his promise while still attempting to access the energies somehow." I turned away from the window, my decision crystallizing.

"Which means it would be up to me to not use the red and blue sun energies against Wei Lin if we fight. That's the only way to completely prevent my friend from going down a dark path."

"That seems... limiting for your own combat effectiveness."

"Maybe," I said with a shrug.

"But I've got plenty of other techniques to work with. I don't need to rely on the red and blue energies to win fights."

"And if removing those options from your arsenal causes you to lose?" I was quiet for a moment, considering the implications. The tournament's prize, access to the Elemental Chamber for guaranteed breakthrough to Elemental Realm, was incredibly valuable. Potentially life-changing. But not worth risking Wei Lin's sanity over, especially when I was confident in breaking through without the chamber's help. It would definitely take longer, but I'm sure it would still happen.

"Then I lose," I said simply.

"I'd rather face defeat knowing I protected my friend than achieve victory by enabling his corruption."

"That's very noble of you, Master."

"Or very stupid," I said with a rueful smile.

"The cultivation world doesn't generally reward noble gestures."

"Perhaps not. But maintaining your humanity while gaining power is its own form of cultivation advancement." I had to admit Azure had a point. Sect Master Yuan's lesson about dao philosophy had emphasized the importance of not losing yourself to your path. Protecting Wei Lin from his own ambition seemed to align with that principle, even if it meant sacrificing potential tournament advantages. But dwelling on philosophical principles wouldn't change the practical reality of our situation.

I'd given Wei Lin the warning, explained the dangers as clearly as I could, and secured his promise. That was the extent of what I could control. Whether he honored that promise or found some loophole around it was ultimately his choice to make. Now it was time to focus on my own preparation.