The fusion and derivation of cultivation methods were extremely slow, but Lu Luo wasn't in a hurry.
There was still half a month until the start of the East Ring Alliance University, so he had plenty of time.
"I should go home and check on things.
I have an older brother and a younger sister.
According to my memories, my older brother, Lu Yang, has already completed two years of university and joined an organization with decent benefits.
My younger sister, Lu Yu, is in the same year as me and got into the Mechanical Engineering Department at East Ring University.
She's quite playful and mischievous, and didn't quite get along with the original Lu Luo."
Although Lu Yang was often away, he provided Lu Luo and Lu Yu with a standard two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment.
Inside the Wall, such residences were incredibly expensive.
A monthly rent of over 500 yuan could even cripple two ordinary families, so Lu Yang was truly a good older brother.
Lu Luo returned home according to his memories.
He had long since lost his key, so he could only ring the doorbell and knock.
"Lu Yu, open the door!"
Lu Luo knocked for about five minutes before some faint footsteps were heard from inside the room.
"Are you crazy, Lu Luo?
You've been running around all these days, and you don't even have your key?"
Lu Yu, dressed only in a camisole nightgown, opened the door.
Her slightly curly hair was dyed chestnut, and beneath her sleepy eyes were traces of unwashed makeup.
It was clear she had been out having fun last night and hadn't even washed her face, now sleeping in.
When Lu Yu saw Lu Luo at the door, she was clearly stunned.
Lu Luo was still wrapped in many bandages, and the scars on his face were very obvious, which made Lu Yu a little flustered.
"What happened to you?
What did you do?!
I'll go tell big brother."
[Wow! That look of concern, that flustered tone.
Lu Luo, you and she aren't biological siblings.
If… this doesn't count as German incest, does it?]
The panic in Lu Yu's eyes was real, and the tension in her voice was also real, but Lu Luo still stopped her and began to explain.
"Hey! No, no, no!
I'm fine.
I bumped into an iron lump when I was going downstairs at the zoo.
I slid and kicked it into a trash can, and also picked up some kelp along the way.
Then a crocodile suddenly pounced on me and struggled with me for a bit.
There was nothing I could do, so I just let it go home.
I was just about to go to the hospital when I suddenly encountered a Bizarre, a few dogs, and a big scorpion, the poisonous kind.
I cleaned them up, and now I'm like this, but I'm fine now."
"What a terrible story, it makes no sense at all.
If you're going to make an excuse, at least make it a believable one.
If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
Lu Yu looked disbelieving, but she scrutinized Lu Luo up and down.
Seeing that he was truly fine, she relaxed, turned, and walked back to her room to continue her nap.
"Sigh, in this day and age, when you speak falsehoods, people take them as truth, and when you speak truth, people take them as falsehoods.
It's really too difficult to be human."
After changing his shoes, Lu Luo finally returned to the place he could call home.
By the door was a shoe rack, followed by a living room with only a sofa and a TV, a small round table that was cramped with three people, and on the right was the bathroom.
The first bedroom was Lu Yu's room, with some stickers and graffiti on the door.
Lu Luo hadn't been inside to see what it looked like in a long time.
The second was Lu Luo's own, which could be summed up in one word: messy.
Randomly placed books, a haphazardly arranged potion rack, and a simple experimental table—that was the entirety of the room.
The overall decor was very minimalist, and there weren't many things, but Lu Luo was already very satisfied with a stable nest.
It was much better than those fellow transmigrators who "start with a bowl and earn their income by shouting."
Lu Luo lay on his bed, quietly waiting for the moment his exclusive cultivation technique would successfully fuse.
[Fusing Life Advancement Method, 99.98%, 99.99%, 100%]
[The fusion and derivation of the Strength Path and Qi Path have been completed.
This fusion consumed 283 energy points.
Would you like to name your cultivation technique?]
"Two Paths."
[You fused two paths, so you're calling it Two Paths?
How perfunctory!
Host's exclusive cultivation technique, "Two Paths," is ready for use.
Friendly reminder: To break through to the first-order life essence with Two Paths, any attribute must reach 5 points, accumulate 100 Qi, and open the first Qi aperture.]
When the Observer prompted completion, the content of the Two Paths cultivation technique automatically appeared in Lu Luo's mind.
"I finally have cultivation aptitude!
Using the Devourer as a component of my aptitude is truly an outrageous method.
Let's try it."
Lu Luo sat cross-legged, and as described in the fused cultivation technique in his mind, he began to use the Devourer as a guide to attract free dark energy.
This process was somewhat difficult, and Lu Luo tried dozens of times without grasping the knack.
"What's wrong?
Is there a problem with the Devourer?
Or do I need to activate it directly?"
[The Devourer is now the starting point of your cultivation.
Please release the Devourer during cultivation.]
So that's it!
Lu Luo prepared himself slightly and began to activate the Devourer for his first cultivation session.
Just as he started this time, Lu Luo exhibited a shocking phenomenon: Devourer tentacles extended from his chest and back, respectively.
They swayed chaotically in the air like kelp.
"Smash!" The potion rack was knocked by a Devourer tentacle, shattering on the floor, causing Lu Yu next door to roar again.
"Lu Luo, what are you doing?
Are you deliberately trying to keep me from sleeping?
Are you crazy?!"
"I accidentally broke the potion rack, and I'm already heartbroken.
What are you yelling about?
Alright, alright, go back to sleep, I won't disturb you."
Lu Luo looked at his current state.
He probably couldn't show himself like this in front of others, he'd likely be captured as an Dissimilar (variant/aberration) .
"Do I have to maintain this state for my cultivation?
It feels a bit strange, not quite human."
[When have you ever been human?
Whose fault is it that you don't have transcendent aptitude?
The Devourer not only gave you transcendent aptitude, but also bestowed upon you extremely excellent cultivation talent.
What more do you want?]
Lu Luo nodded.
"You're right.
At most, I just won't cultivate in front of others."
Lu Luo continued to sit cross-legged, feeling the process of the Devourer attracting dark energy.
Perhaps this process shouldn't be called attraction; this guy was completely devouring it directly, very domineeringly.
"What I should do now is to maximize my limited physical fitness, then condense qi, break through the first qi aperture, and become a first-order Transcendent."
It was at this point that Lu Luo finally understood the Observer's reason for making him focus on the Strength Path.
The core of the Strength Path was to enhance the Transcendent's physical fitness, and his physical fitness could be directly improved by devouring energy, with no bottlenecks to speak of.
Without the limitations of physical fitness, Lu Luo's only bottleneck was the qi aperture.
After breaking through to become a formal first-order Transcendent, Lu Luo would have both strength and the ability to use Qi Harmony, which would be quite comfortable.
According to the advancement standards of the Six Harmonies Strength Path, one of the attributes—Strength, Agility, or Constitution—needed to reach 5 points.
Lu Luo already met this qualification.
However, since he had the conditions and resources, he naturally had a better choice at this time.
"Increase Strength."
4.1, 4.2, 4.3… 5.0
[Strength attribute increased to 5.0, automatically awakened Sequence D-11 - Martial Prowess]
Sequence D-11 - Martial Prowess
Effect - Martial Prowess: Physical damage increased by 10%
Description: Martial prowess is physical power.
[Martial Prowess Advancement: Continue to increase Strength + break through Strength limits.]
[Alright, I'm not surprised by your awakened sequences anymore.
You, fellow, have problems!]