He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Chapter 77 Planting Trees, Initiating!

"bud"

The mysterious first step, the beginning of the ascent.

Dissolve the nutrients you absorb and use them as a fulcrum for moving forward.

And so the seed of desire sprouted anew: "You disappeared without a word, and you even kept it a secret from me before you came back—if I hadn't come out to look for you, how long were you planning to sit at the door?"

While tormenting Ai like a doll, Dodo muttered angrily, "You damn fox!"

Still seemingly unsatisfied, or perhaps feeling her wording was inappropriate, Dudu took a deep breath and buried her head in her bushy tail again, muttering indistinctly, "Bad fox—"

Dudu was actually quite helpless.

He came back crying and ran into my arms. How could I bear to scold him?

Therefore, we can only try to compensate from other angles.

On the other side, Ai Yi felt even more helpless, accompanied by a strange sense of guilt.

Although it has just undergone an upgrade, it seems to have encountered some kind of nemesis now—its ambitions have nowhere to be expressed, so it can only sit there obediently and let the stupid bird touch it.

—Until you can't take it anymore!

So Ai awkwardly changed the subject: "The sea—do you want some seafood?"

"————What is this? It tastes delicious."

The food relieved Dudu's resentment, and it also helped her break free from the control of the face wash when she wasn't paying attention.

Ai Yi resumed her usual arrogance, saying haughtily, "Just eat, one at a time, without making a sound—"

"If it weren't for me, you stupid bird with wings would never have eaten anything from the sea in your entire life."

"Little Ai is so amazing!"

The silly bird spoke with its wings slightly spread, its tone so sincere that Ai hesitated for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. He shrank his neck and cautiously asked, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

In fact, the fox had already made preparations to deal with sensitive issues.

For example, the next second, Dodo might casually ask, "What have you been doing all this time?" — that silly bird only needs to ask, but the fox has to consider many things: when to lie, when to pull, when to hide — all of these are hardcore answers that consume brain cells.

So Dodo tilted her head, initially a little confused, but quickly seemed to understand, and smiled as she spoke—

Is it coming?

Ai swallowed hard, then heard Dudu's carefree voice: "Oh yeah, did you just finish up and rush back? You haven't even combed your hair, it's such a mess—"

As before, she took out a mirror and a comb from beside the sofa, and said softly, "Let me braid your hair."

After only half a month without a haircut, her light gray hair had already fallen below her shoulders. Back in Beihe, every time she came to the convenience store, Dudu would drag Aiyi to comb her hair into a new style. Otherwise, given the fox's lazy nature, she wouldn't usually bother to tie her hair up.

But the silly bird's aesthetic sense only takes care of itself—completely ignoring Ai's opinions, and always styling his hair in a feminine way.

For example, ponytails, twin ponytails, and the taboo triple ponytail.

This time, for convenience, Dodo ignored the fox's objections and took off his coat, revealing a thin white shirt underneath. Then, just like two weeks ago, he placed a mirror in front of Ai Yi, telling him "Don't move around," while starting to do his own thing.

The fox, meanwhile, began to let its mind wander.

Whenever he spends time with this silly bird, things tend to go in a very strange direction—although it may seem inappropriate at times, Ai Yi actually enjoys this way of getting along.

After the seed sprouted, Dodo became a complete "fulcrum" for him—a former companion and a subsequent witness.

The bait that allows the seedling to break through its shell is not some desire—but rather that initial "goodwill".

Ai squinted, enjoying the sensation of the comb running through her scalp, and then began to recall her recent "ascent".

.

The most direct feeling after the sprouting was that his "vessel" was further immersed in that red pool - insight seemed to have become a permanent skill, no longer needing to be actively activated.

Ai finds it difficult to describe her current state:

Even though his feet were firmly planted on the ground, his perspective seemed to possess an inherent "height." To him, the world seemed to have an extra "z-axis," and beneath his feet, it was as if an invisible step had appeared. When he looked down upon ordinary people standing on flat ground, his gaze was entirely one of "looking down."

Ai Yi was on a high platform.

The previously blurry images became clearer and clearer, so he carefully turned his head and secretly glanced at Dodo behind him, which elicited an annoyed "Don't move."

Her hair was clearly pulled, and it hurt terribly. Ai grimaced as she turned her head, silently pondering the scene she had just witnessed:

Through the stupid bird's body, via a crystal-clear outline, he saw a "vessel" even clearer than before, and a series of luminous dots floating in the red liquid—

At this moment, these spots of light are all leaping and flowing, revealing a certain obvious emotion.

Is this—joy?

—Can I see emotions in the red liquid?

Ai pondered.

The fox was able to use its insightful skills to detect the flow rate of the red liquid, thereby discerning the other party's emotional fluctuations and further manipulating psychological states such as "fear".

But it's clearly not as "clear and intuitive" as it is now.

The concept of a soul seems more transparent to the fox—it may not be of much use at this stage, but in the future—who knows, it might evolve into "mind reading"?

That truly is "manipulating people's hearts" in the literal sense.

"This is the suppression of mysticism. You can now look down on mortals with great disdain. This is a difference in the essence of the soul. Those ordinary people without mystical power or backing can now be unconditionally eliminated by you with a single curse."

—You have officially stepped into the "Extraordinary".

The door began to explain to him: "The sprouting is the first step of mystery. The choices you make and the tilting that follow are merely to perfect your own mysterious system, and do not involve any further essential ascent."

"Pathways, ritual objects, skills, secret arts, modules—all can be viewed as 'software' in a computer. Pathways may be important for amplifying your abilities, but in terms of overall importance, they can only be considered 'operating systems.'"

"And the 'budding' stage is the 'hardware' that supports all of this."

The doorman explained to him, "The next real leap forward will come after the 'germination' stage, which is called 'growth.'"

The second tier: "Growth"

"There's no rush for this."

Ai squinted, trying to understand the changes happening to her—

If previously it required subjective consciousness to condense and utilize the secret essence, then at this moment, the seedling rooted in the vessel, its roots spreading into the Great Gift Pool, has become Ai's "mysterious core."

While drawing upon the secret essence of the red pool with its roots, it also oversees the flow of all the red liquid in the vessel: this newly born "tree" is the "central hub" where body, mind, and spirit are interconnected, subtly transforming the form of the soul and reshaping the structure of the mind.

As time passed, the sensation of "seedlings sprouting" in the container gradually ceased, and the growth brought about by the sprouting seemed to have come to an end.

Ai tilted her head.

Behind her, Dodo had styled her hair in a very complicated way, and it probably wouldn't be finished in a short time, so Ai also had some free time to study the "tree" she had planted.

The next moment, he activated his insight, his perspective piercing through the present world and sinking into the realm of the red liquid.

The land of vessels.

The reality beneath her feet was palpable, and a familiar scene came into view—Ai Yi shuddered. The last time she came here was when she lost control, and it always left a psychological scar.

This realm belonging to the soul remains desolate, but Ai Yi always feels that something has changed: right below him.

He looked down and saw a "seedling".

A seedling—only about two fingers tall, looking pitiful—was a vibrant, lush green, bare of any leaves, with only a slender, easily broken main stem and two horizontally extending details, resembling an upright cross.

Ai shifted his gaze to the main trunk: the meaning already engraved on it floated on his pupils: "First Foundation: Understanding."

The door whispered in his ear: "The foundation of ascension: the bedrock born of your red liquid, the mold that outlines your vessel. Your vessel now is just an invisible ball of light, chaotic and crude, which is why the land of your soul is so desolate."

"And you have planted the sapling and are waiting for it to grow. Your vessel will also grow into the shape of a base. The ascent of the soul is like sinking to the bottom of the pool. The shape of your vessel determines where the path of ascent will end and whether your foundation is firm."

"understand----"

Ai frowned, savoring the meaning of the word. Finally, under the influence of a certain thought, he gained some insight: "The rationality of execution, the root of creation, the medium between light and pupil: knowledge can only flow into intelligence through the channel of radiance; this process is the trace of the flow of 'understanding'."

Just as the teachings of radiance state: the path of light is invisible, yet within it flows all that is knowable; when the path of light dissipates, only the unknowable remains in the darkness.

As a chosen one of light, having personally written the original texts, and as the representative of the pinnacle of the principles of light, one is destined to wield the power of reason.

"Understanding" is indeed a very good foundation for the field of standards.

Ai took a deep breath, her gaze penetrating the surface of the vessel to see the roots buried deep within.

Next are his three anchored desires: "transformation," "control," and "exploration."

—Three desires have become your fulcrum: seedlings will rise from them, penetrating your three cavities, until they take the form of a magnificent tree, building a passageway from the "present world" to the "bottom of the pool".

"Next, what you need to do is continue to nourish your desires—germination is the bait, growth is the answer—when you channel your three desires into your roots like flowing marrow, the 'tree' that grows to the next stage will become the second step on your ascent."

Next, we'll plant trees.

Aiyi squatted on the ground, looking at her seedling, gently touching its thin trunk, watching the "tree" sway in the barren desert.

He smiled.

Of the three desires, the easiest to cultivate is "control." Waiting for the establishment of Tantric Buddhism and playing the role of an ruthless king would allow him to quickly cultivate this desire.

Exploration is the development of secret histories, and reading the book also helps to mature desires.

As for reform, perhaps we could try to promote it under a different guise—for example, the righteous Lot.

The fox felt a long-lost excitement.

Such a future is something I can't wait to see!

"Okay!"

A joyful shout brought him back to reality. Ai slowly opened his eyes and looked at the mirror in front of him.

"Why is it always a ponytail?!"

He sighed helplessly, already used to seeing Dodo dressed up like a doll. He stood up and shook his head—this hairstyle was much more complicated than before. The smooth hair was braided into an exquisite rice stalk shape, strand by strand, forming a ponytail that fell over his shoulders, elegant and gorgeous.

Looking at the silly bird behind her, Dodo, with its expectant face clearly saying "Praise me!"—Ai Yi's lips twitched, but she still muttered casually, "It's pretty."

Seeing that the guy was indeed all smiles, Ai shook her head helplessly, wondering to herself.

—How can I sleep like this?

Lost in thought, Ai suddenly frowned.

His senses were noticeably sharper, allowing him to hear subtle sounds that were previously inaudible. Even without the urging of the Vibration spell, he still turned his gaze toward the stairs not far away.

This convenience store has more than one floor, but because of Dudu's health condition, most of the daily necessities are placed downstairs. Normally, after Nana left, no one lives on the second floor.

"What strange creature have you brought back this time?!"

Ai said helplessly.

The silly bird always likes to bring back things from outside. Sometimes it's a bird that has just climbed up from the bottom of the nest, sometimes it's a lost child, and sometimes it's the fox itself.

—What is it this time?

Ai Yi watched expressionlessly as a small figure walked upstairs, holding onto the handrail without making a sound.

None of that mattered; Ai's gaze toward the girl was also vacant.

This was the first time he had ever seen such severe sexual characteristics.

A robe covered her body, and the exposed skin was almost entirely covered with light gray fur. On her head were a pair of soft rabbit ears, her fingers had turned into hard horny nails, and soft pads were faintly visible in her furry palms. Her naturally curved lips always seemed to be smiling, like a friendly young animal.

"Completely deteriorated——"

Ai frowned.

—Deterioration, as a curse on the world, has a tragic "preference" for different individuals, and when the consequences of deterioration are pushed to the extreme, yet "death" has not yet arrived—this mercy becomes a new calamity.

Inchu: Also known as the completely degraded species, or the super-highly beastly subspecies, a group whose "beastly" characteristics have completely overshadowed "human" characteristics.

The girl in front of us, covered in fur, can already be called "Inchu".

Ai watched the scene unfold silently before her:

The girl staggered downstairs and took on the task of greeting people without a second thought. Her movements were practiced and natural, and her animalistic limbs did not cause her any trouble. After handing the freshly brewed coffee to the three people at the table, she gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

"Wait—" Ai suddenly called out.

The girl seemed not to hear and took a step forward until Ai grabbed her right arm.

She turned around, her gaze and attitude unchanged in the slightest. She still had the same expression as when she first appeared, her pink eyes unblinking.

"Is there something you need?"

Her speech also had an inorganic quality, rigid and inflexible. Ai frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Your vessel is clearly intact—"

Ai's slender, bony hand climbed up the girl's furry cheek and then gently stroked her eyes, which were as clear and bright as molten glass, flowing with liquid stars.

Such beautiful eyes!

Ai carefully touched the eyeball with her fingertips; it was completely hard, and it made a crisp sound when she scratched it with her fingernail.

It really is just a glass bead.

Why are you alive? And why are you here?

Ai took a step closer and asked, "A secret essence enveloped the words and entered the body before me, conveying the meaning to her."

Two inorganic eyeballs stared at her without moving, and after a moment, Ai heard an echo from the same "mystic" source, a voice that came from the vessel of Inchu: "Lord of Darkness."

She said, "Welcome back."

Ai took a deep breath. Although he had sensed the "mysterious power" the girl carried when she first appeared, he now confirmed that she was indeed related to "Grey".

The fox was a little annoyed.

—How much more is hidden in the gray?—

Thinking this, Ai carefully lifted the girl's sleeve, revealing the familiar spherical structure at the joint, as well as many joint marks distributed throughout the limbs. If she was not mistaken, this body could move like a normal person, all thanks to these extremely precise man-made objects.

Dodo, watching the two perform a silent act in front of her, was a little confused, but the fox quickly covered it up with a soft voice: "Sister Dodo, I might have seen her before—let me confirm first."

He pondered for a moment, then said softly, "Did Nie send you?"

The beast-like girl nodded.

-really.