Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3617: Aiming For A Peak

Xukong spoke again.

”Beast Qi is different from ordinary energies,” he said. ”It interacts directly with bloodlines. It nurtures them, strengthens them, and in some cases... alters them.”

Lin Mu’s mind began to move rapidly.

”This could work,” he said.

He began to piece it together.

The foxkin could not follow the path of beasts. But that did not mean they could not benefit from the essence of it. Beast Qi did not force transformation. Rather, it nurtured growth and enhanced what already existed.

”And I do not need to elevate their bloodlines to a higher tier,” Lin Mu said. ”I only need to adjust them slightly.”

His gaze returned to the black crystals.

”To weaken the shackle.”

”To restore balance.”

Xukong gave a low chuckle.

”Now you’re thinking correctly.”

The Saintess added quietly.

”Others would not be able to attempt this. They cannot gather or control Beast Qi to this extent.”

Lin Mu nodded.

”But I can.”

The realization settled firmly within him.

This was not an impossible task.

It was a surgical one.

He did not need to sunder a path to the heavens, but merely widen a path already paved.

”I am not aiming for the stars,” Lin Mu said quietly.

His eyes sharpened with determination.

”Nor the moon.”

He looked once more at the black crystal, now no longer an unknown enemy, but a defined obstacle.

”I only need to reach the peak of a mountain.”

Lin Mu remained standing in the center of the chamber for a long time after the discussion concluded, his gaze lingering on the suspended black crystals that now carried a very different meaning.

What had once been an unknown anomaly had become a defined obstacle, one that was deeply tied to the very limits of the foxkin race. And yet, even with that understanding, the path forward was far from simple.

He knew the method they had discussed might work.

But ”might” was far from certainty.

The process he envisioned would require careful balance, delicate control, and above all, time. There would be no immediate results. No instant breakthrough.

The kind of change required here would likely unfold slowly, perhaps across generations. It was entirely possible that even if he succeeded in laying the foundation, he would not be present to witness the final outcome.

Lin Mu did not find that discouraging.

Instead, he found it... appropriate.

The foxkin had not demanded a solution. The Guardian Beasts had not imposed a burden upon him. They had only asked him to try. That alone carried a different kind of weight. It was not an expectation of success, but faith in his ability to seek an answer.

”That is enough,” Lin Mu said quietly to himself.

He did not need to solve everything.

He only needed to take the first step.

With that thought, his mind settled.

”I will attempt it,” Lin Mu said.

Xukong’s voice echoed faintly, carrying a trace of approval.

”I look forward to seeing how you achieve it.”

The Saintess inclined her head slightly.

”As do I.”

There was no further exchange.

The Saintess’s form dissolved into the surrounding space, vanishing as silently as she had appeared. Her presence faded completely, leaving no trace behind. Xukong, too, withdrew into silence, returning to his own cultivation, his awareness no longer actively observing.

Lin Mu was alone once more.

The chamber returned to its quiet state, filled only with the faint hum of formations and the subtle presence of the crystals suspended around him.

He did not move immediately.

Instead, he closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to reorganize.

The path ahead was clear in concept, but vague in execution. There were too many variables, too many unknowns. If he proceeded without proper preparation, the results could be disastrous. Even a minor imbalance could collapse the bloodline, warping it beyond recovery or reducing it to something lesser.

”I cannot rush this,” Lin Mu thought.

Before attempting anything, he needed knowledge.

Not just theory, but experience and records of past attempts by experts.

Successes and failures alike.

Without hesitation, Lin Mu turned toward another section of the chamber and waved his hand. A series of shelves appeared, floating before him. From within them, he began retrieving jade slips, scrolls, and books. They stacked themselves neatly in the air, forming several organized clusters.

These were resources he had gathered over time.

Some he had read.

Many he had only skimmed.

Others he had not touched at all.

Now, they would all serve a purpose.

Lin Mu extended his immortal sense.

SHUA

The moment it spread, the stacks of texts opened simultaneously.

FLAP FLAP FLAP

Pages turned.

Scripts revealed themselves.

Information flowed directly into his consciousness. Threads of knowledge wove together, clashed, and reorganized into structured understanding. His mind processed multiple sources at once, categorizing, filtering, and analyzing as he moved through them at an incredible pace.

Time passed.

Three hours.

Within that time, Lin Mu had gone through over a hundred books.

The sheer volume of information was immense, yet his expression remained calm as he sorted through it all. Not everything was useful. In fact, much of it was only partially relevant, containing fragments of knowledge scattered across different disciplines.

Some texts came from alchemists, detailing methods of refining blood and inducing minor changes in its composition. Others were from beast tamers, describing techniques used to nurture and enhance the growth of various beasts, both spirit and immortal beasts.

There were also records from cultivators who specialized in blood arts, exploring the manipulation of lineage and inherited traits.

Among them were darker texts.

Forbidden works that should have never seen the light of the day.

Experiments conducted by those who had abandoned conventional morality in pursuit of knowledge. These contained insights into the extremes of bloodline manipulation, including methods that bordered on grotesque.

Lin Mu did not shy away from them.

Knowledge, in itself, was not good or evil.

It was the application that defined it.

As he continued reading, one particular category of information began to stand out.

Chimeras.