"50,000,000 Karma Points to get Fire Qi nature... is that high or low?" Ethan asked.
This was Ethan's first plan with the Codex of Creation.
Everything was going smoothly.
His Path of Domination was already the most powerful cultivation path for him.
Plus, he was a Dual Qi nature cultivator.
He was already on the path to becoming a very powerful cultivator, but now, with the Codex of Creation in his hands, he could become the best among the best, the most powerful of all cultivators.
Since he had already begun cultivating Qi, he might as well get the most out of it.
Right now, he possessed the Qi natures of Ice and Lightning.
He wanted to acquire the Qi natures of the remaining seven elements, starting with Fire Qi.
If he could acquire all Nine Qi natures, the bonuses and physical attributes he gained from each cultivation level would increase significantly, far more than what he received now.
Not just that, he had already reached Domination Seed Creation (Level: 4).
Once he gained affinity for the remaining seven Qi natures, he would instantly gain the physical attributes he would have received at each level if he had possessed all Qi natures before he began cultivating.
"Hmm..." Ethan nodded.
"Do it."
As soon as Ethan gave the order, the Codex flipped its pages once again, landing on another section as a new set of unique, more complex-looking characters began to inscribe themselves in black ink on its golden pages.
As soon as creation began, the Codex released an intense golden light. More and more mysterious symbols appeared on the pages and constantly shifted.
Within a few minutes, the golden light receded back to normal.
In the next instant, an orangish-red orb of faintly glowing light manifested between Ethan and the Codex, floating in midair.
The orb of light shot toward Ethan and merged with him.
A cold sensation spread through his body; within seconds, it turned scorching hot, and then finally, his body returned to normal.
"Did I really gain Fire Qi nature?" Ethan muttered, looking at his hand.
In the next second, he felt himself growing weaker, as if all the strength he had gained from cultivation had vanished.
Then, a system prompt appeared before him.
[You have awakened Fire Qi nature]
[As a result of awakening a new Qi nature, your established cultivation has become incomplete]
[Your cultivation is temporarily sealed]
[Reassemble your cultivation to regain your sealed power]
[Your Strength Decreased: 15.5 → 10.3]
[Your Dexterity Decreased: 17.8 → 12.6]
[Your Stamina Decreased: 18.8 → 13.6]
[Your Perception Decreased: 21 → 17]
[Your Vitality Decreased: 16 → 11.6]
[Your Qi Reserves Decreased: 20 → 0]
[Your System Level Decreased from Level 16 to Level 12]
"This is ridiculously amazing..." His excitement could not be contained; even Kagetsu woke up, looking confused by the way her master was acting.
He didn't care that his cultivation was sealed and his physical attributes had been significantly reduced.
Not that he needed to, since it wasn't anything problematic.
All he had to do was rejuvenate his cultivation base by absorbing Qi once again with his newly awakened Qi natures.
It didn't mean he had to start cultivating from the beginning.
It was like removing the top slice of bread, adding another layer of cheese, and then closing the sandwich again.
His cultivation had simply been disassembled.
He just needed to add his newly awakened Qi natures to the mix before reassembling it.
It was a simple process, one that shouldn't even take half a day to complete.
With the same excitement, Ethan took out six more crystals, each containing a different Qi nature: Wind, Water, Earth, Wood, Light, and Darkness.
"Dex, can you create the Qi natures of Wind, Water, Earth, Wood, Light, and Darkness all at once?"
"Go ahead," Ethan said with an excited smile.
The same process unfolded once again.
After several seconds, just as before, six globes of shining, growing light appeared before him.
The six globes of light shot toward Ethan and merged with him.
As before, waves of cold and heat spread throughout his body, though this time the sensations lasted for several minutes.
Then, the system prompt appeared in front of him.
[You have awakened Water Qi nature]
[You have awakened Earth Qi nature]
[You have awakened Wind Qi nature]
[You have awakened Wood Qi nature]
[You have awakened Light Qi nature]
[You have awakened Darkness Qi nature]
"I now possess all nine Qi natures… With this, I'll be able to double the effects and the increase in physical attributes for every cultivation level." Ethan tightened his fist.
"This is just the beginning," Ethan muttered as his eyes drifted toward Kagetsu, who tilted her small, round head adorably, noticing her master watching her.
"Come, Kagetsu," Ethan called out.
"Mu!" Kagetsu jumped onto her master, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Use Creation to create Attunement to Shadow Essence, and then use the Integration function to integrate it with me," Ethan ordered.
"Whoa, that's a lot of Karma... Even with Kagetsu and my knowledge of Shadow Essence as references, it costs so much more than when I created Qi Nature?"
"Yes, do it."
A few minutes passed before a globe of dark, shadowy light manifested in front of him.
The integration process began.
The dark, shadowy globe shot into his chest, instantly being absorbed into his body.
In the next moment, a lifeless coldness began to envelop him, spreading through every cell of his existence.
Unlike when he gained Qi Natures, this time the process took much longer, around fifteen minutes before the integration was complete.
Kagetsu's eyes widened in confusion.
She saw something very familiar emanating from her master.
"Hmm... Now that I have Attunement to Shadow Essence, it's time to create the Shadow Essence Core," Ethan muttered.
He walked toward one of the hundreds of rooms within the Dome of Energy labeled [Shadow Essence Room].
Once inside, the entire room was coated in dark energy seeping from dozens of small, palm-sized gates that directly drew Shadow Essence from the shadow dimension.
Sitting in a lotus position, Ethan began to use the [Boundless Sky Mind Sutra].
It took him a few minutes to synchronize with the Shadow Essence in the environment.
Once he did, he began pulling it into himself through his meridians, circulating it according to the technique.
However, he didn't use the Shadow Essence to enhance his mental capabilities because that wasn't its purpose.
Like every other form of energy, Shadow Essence possessed unique properties.
It couldn't be used for standard cultivation, nor did it increase physical attributes.
Instead, Ethan used the technique's circulation effect to gather the Shadow Essence freely at the base of his Dantian.
Once he had gathered enough, he activated the [Sacred Heart Lotus Formation] to circulate the energy for a few minutes.
Hours passed, and just as he had previously created a Qi Core in the shape of a lotus, he now formed a Shadow Essence Core in the same form.
Inside his inner world, many changes began to unfold.
The light-blue sky turned a shadowy blue, and beside the already blooming Qi Lotus, another lotus manifested, this one pitch black.
As soon as the Shadow Essence Lotus appeared, an invisible yet invincible connection formed with the Incomplete Dominion Seed, which began releasing faint, ethereal waves.
"Interesting… It seems there's still much I don't understand about the Path of Domination. I only intended to use Shadow Essence as a support power, but the Shadow Essence Lotus has become part of my cultivation base," Ethan muttered as he opened his eyes.
[You have formed the Shadow Essence Lotus]
[Your Shadow Essence Reserves Increased: 0 → 20]
"So, the Shadow Essence limit is connected to my cultivation base as well… That means if I want to increase my Shadow Essence reserves, I'll have to raise my cultivation level," Ethan sighed.
"I wonder what aspect of my cultivation the Shadow Essence influences… Well, I'll find out soon enough," he murmured.