Chapter 105: Accumulation Not Mutant, Mutant Equals Accumulation

"Take the Many-Eyed Snake's Golden Vertical Pupil as an example; a typical cultivator who wants to refine it basically relies on his own magical power to forcibly grind away the Mutant Force within, which is also the safest method. Using magical power to disperse the Mutant Force, but if one is not a great magical power wielder, the time required increases multiplicatively, and it gets harder the later you go."

"Precisely for this reason, the price of Abnormal Beast materials remains sky‑high. Even a First‑Tier Mutant Material costs five times the price of an equivalent First‑Tier Spiritual Material! Moreover, it is priced but not sold; you simply can't find it in the market," Boss Zhao said with a smile.

"Oh… then what advantages do these Mutant Materials have for cultivators compared to Spiritual Materials?"

"That's the crucial reason. Mutant Materials differ from Spiritual Materials; Spiritual Materials can be refined into an Accumulation Device, and that 'Accumulation' assembled into an Accumulation Device will never exceed its inherent limit. Mutant Materials, however, are powerful because they can Devour each other and fuse, unbound by any limit! The stronger the Accumulation Device, the higher the ratio of Mutant Materials needed to form an Accumulation, even surpassing the ratio of Spiritual Materials."

"That is precisely the meaning of 'Mutant Equals Accumulation' on the Hundred Mutant Spectrum!"

"Huh? Mutant Materials can also be refined into an Accumulation?"

"Wrong, Mutant Materials absolutely cannot be refined into an Accumulation! To retain the unbounded nature of Mutant Materials, one must preserve some—or even all—of its Mutant Force. In daily practice this requires massive magical power and spirit to suppress the Mutant Force, and at critical moments one must beware the Mutant Force rebounding on oneself. That's the principle of 'Accumulation Not Mutant', so…"

"The prerequisite for harnessing the great traits of Mutant Materials is whether you dare to bet that you can absolutely suppress the Mutant Force! Otherwise, Mutant Materials that have lost their Mutant Force are just waste, and you'd be better off simply using Spiritual Materials instead—why take that risk?"

Yan Buji's face twitched.

Moreover, only a cultivator with a daring heart would dare to use Mutant Materials; an ordinary person who gets Mutant Materials would probably just think of exchanging them for some Spiritual Stones and not risk using them.

"So, according to the boss, magical power can suppress and wear down the Mutant Force?"

"Yes, otherwise how would cultivators dare to use materials from Abnormal Beasts to strengthen themselves?"

"So that means it's not possible to rely solely on pure magical power to wear down the Mutant Force, right? Some techniques should be able to do it…"

"Hey, you actually hit the nail on the head; for cultivators with strong foundations, Mutant Force is hardly an issue—they have ways to handle it. Still, one must not cross the line; the amount of Mutant Force a cultivator can endure is fixed. It's just that those with stronger foundations can endure more Mutant Force, but it's certainly not a free pass to use Mutant Materials to infinitely amplify oneself."

"If anyone could truly accommodate Mutant Materials without limit, they'd be invincible, right? The same logic applies to Spiritual Materials; no one can accommodate Spiritual Materials without limit to refine them into an Accumulation. Even a Lianqi Phase cultivator, no matter how talented, can at most use three Accumulation Devices, can't they?" Boss Zhao sighed.

"I see, thank you for the clarification, boss."

"You're welcome. If you're truly interested in that Many-Eyed Snake, I happen to have a cultivation method concerning spiritual perception protection, you…"

"Never mind the cultivation method; can't you see my strength, boss?"

"I can't see it; something on you is blocking my spiritual perception, unless you're willing to let me probe your dantian."

Yan Buji rolled his eyes, waved his hand: "I'll be going now."

"Come often, Manager Yan."

Yan Buji returned to the Hundred Treasures Shop, went up to the second floor, and began to think carefully.

Mutant Materials, Spiritual Materials—both are just materials, only their origins differ.

But Mutant Materials are more dangerous; using them requires consideration of the Mutant Force's impact.

Accumulation Device!

Come to think of it, Yan Buji has two Accumulation Devices on him, one broken and one intact, both brought from the mortal world.

The small wooden square hammer's purpose is unknown; even after channeling magical power to test it, nothing happened.

But the short sword can be used; after infusing magical power it forms a razor‑sharp blood‑light that slices through green stone as easily as tofu!

"But my combat power lies in the Martial Dao Profound Skill; this short sword doesn't match my Blood Heaven Ascension Degree."

Although the Blood Heaven Ascension Degree is Yan Buji's primary Profound Skill for entering the cultivation world, the path of Martial Dao has been cut off, and during this time Yan Buji has been researching the Plant‑Wood Decision, hardly studying it.

"Eh? I wonder if True Essence can be infused into the short sword."

When I originally slashed Liu Chuan, I used it as an ordinary weapon and never tested whether True Essence could activate the Accumulation Device, and this Accumulation Device also has a connection to the Former Sect Leader of Xue Liu Zong, so maybe it could?

Yan Buji flashed the ring on his finger, and a blood‑red short sword materialized in his hand.

The Storage Accumulation Device is truly convenient!

The Storage Accumulation Device differs from combat and auxiliary cultivation Accumulation Devices; it belongs to the category of Exotic Accumulation Devices. Normally worn on the body it requires no magical power for nurturing, but a short sword of this sort demands that Yan Buji perform daily magical‑power rituals to maintain a faint connection.

Otherwise it always feels clumsy to use.

Yan Buji tried injecting True Essence; instead of the imagined repulsion, it actually harmonized better than magical power!

The blood‑red edge still flickered, but the consumption was a full fifty percent less than using magical power!

"That's not bad! True Essence uses less energy for the short sword; even if it doesn't fit my combat style, it can still yield unexpected results at crucial moments!"

For example, when I truly cannot break the enemy's defense, the importance of the Accumulation Device becomes evident.

Even though this short sword is probably only a First‑Tier Accumulation Device, using True Essence consumes far less energy, so why not make good use of it?

It seems that ancient warriors also used Accumulation Devices, or rather, they wielded unique weapons made from them. The style of this Accumulation Device in my hand likely imitates the distinctive blades assembled by ancient warriors, since Yan Buji can see the condition of each component within the short sword through spiritual perception.

The magical‑power ritual nurturing is also needed to ensure the short sword's durability doesn't degrade too much.

Any use inevitably incurs wear, which cannot be avoided.

This short sword will most likely only endure a few high‑intensity battles, but if used solely for a one‑hit kill, it should last a bit longer.

Yan Buji weighed the pros and cons; that Abnormal Beast might be a one‑off battle for him. With his spiritual perception bolstered by the Blood Heaven Ascension Degree, he knows he differs from ordinary Lianqi Level cultivators, his strength likely ranging from Lianqi Fourth Layer to the fifth layer.

But the Beast's innate techniques and true power remain unknown, and even if he can withstand its Illusion Art, failing to pierce its defense would be futile.

"If I could find someone to go slay that Abnormal Beast together, that would be great, but my current overt identity cannot be exposed." Yan Buji thought carefully, and still plans to investigate whether nearby wandering cultivators have formed groups seeking fortune in danger.