Chapter 17: Unlocking the Divine Codices

Althaea, who was still drawing intricate symbols in the air, paused as Ajitha completed the offering of his life force. Her hands stilled, and she began to chant, her voice resonating with a divine melody that seemed to intertwine with the very essence of the Yggdrasil realm. The air around them shimmered, and the glow emanating from Yggdrasil's roots intensified, climbing up the great tree and illuminating the sky above. The stars, already bright, blazed even more fiercely in response to the sacred chant.

Ajitha stood silently as one of Yggdrasil's roots detached itself from the soil, moving with a deliberate grace towards him. The root transformed before his eyes, its end reshaping into a hand that extended its palm towards him, silently requesting his blood.

Althaea's voice, gentle yet commanding, filled the space. "Offer it a drop of your blood, Ajitha. This will allow Yggdrasil to create your incarnation, which will then absorb mana and begin the formation of the cultivation techniques."

Without hesitation, Ajitha pricked his finger and allowed a single drop of his blood to fall into the waiting palm of the root. The moment his blood touched the root, a surge of energy rippled through Yggdrasil. The root absorbed the blood instantly, drawing it deep into its network. Ajitha knew that Yggdrasil was now deciphering his genetic code, preparing to craft an incarnation in his likeness.

The root began to morph, slowly taking on a humanoid form that closely resembled Ajitha. It was an unsettling sight—watching a part of Yggdrasil shape itself into a mirror image of him, down to the smallest detail. This incarnation wasn't just a physical copy; it held within it the potential to master and perfect the flow of mana in ways that Ajitha could only dream of.

As the incarnation took shape, it began to absorb mana from the surrounding environment. The process was supposed to be straightforward—absorb, circulate, and store mana to build strength, gradually developing the cultivation techniques that Ajitha sought. But something was amiss.

Ajitha watched with growing unease as the incarnation absorbed more and more mana, its form glowing brighter and more intense. Yet, despite the vast amounts of mana it was taking in, the cultivation cycle wasn't completing. The mana simply dissipated within the incarnation, failing to circulate properly. The flow of energy was erratic, unstable.

Althaea noticed the disturbance as well. Her serene expression shifted to one of concern as she observed the phenomenon. "This shouldn't be happening," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ajitha's heart sank as he realized that something had gone terribly wrong. Despite all the preparations, despite the immense power of Yggdrasil, the cultivation cycle was incomplete. The incarnation, instead of becoming a powerful vessel for new techniques, was faltering under the pressure.

"This is impossible," Ajitha thought, his mind racing. "With Yggdrasil's power and the blood essence of countless beings, this should have worked. Why is it failing?"

Althaea, equally perplexed, reached out with her own power, trying to stabilize the process, but it was clear that the cycle was not going to complete as intended. The mana was absorbed, but without the necessary flow and circulation, the entire process was unraveling before their eyes.

The light surrounding the incarnation began to flicker, the once promising aura now unstable and fragile. Ajitha and Althaea exchanged a look of disbelief. This outcome was beyond anything they had anticipated, leaving them both stunned and uncertain about the implications of this unexpected failure.

Althaea's thoughts were swirling, her mind wrestling with the implications of Ajitha's situation. The air around them felt heavy, as though even the trees of Yggdrasil were holding their breath, awaiting the outcome of this revelation. She gazed up at the towering, ancient tree, its branches weaving through the sky like the arms of a god, and then back at Ajitha, who stood with a look of desperate curiosity.

"The failing of Yggdrasil to create cultivation techniques can only be for two reasons," Althaea declared, her voice firm as she stepped closer to Ajitha.

Ajitha, who had been grappling with confusion and frustration, felt a spark of hope ignite within him. If they could pinpoint the reason behind Yggdrasil's inability to create his cultivation technique, perhaps they could find a solution. His eyes locked onto Althaea, his voice edged with urgency, "What are the two reasons?"

Althaea turned to face Yggdrasil, her expression contemplative. The massive tree seemed almost alive, its leaves rustling as if whispering secrets. "The first reason," she began, "is that Yggdrasil, being a being above even an Omniscient Overlord, cannot create a cultivation technique for someone who is incapable of absorbing mana and cultivating. But that is clearly not the case with you."

Ajitha listened intently, his brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of her words.

Althaea continued, her gaze piercing as it shifted to Ajitha, "The second reason is that Yggdrasil cannot create a cultivation technique for someone who is a half-variant."

Ajitha's confusion deepened. The term was foreign to him, something he had never encountered in all his years of cultivation. "Half-variant?" he echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "What are half-variants?"

Althaea's expression turned grave as she explained, "Variants are individuals blessed by the universe itself. They are born with a true spirit physique, an innate ability that grants them extraordinary potential. However, in rare cases, the energy required to unlock this physique before birth is insufficient. These individuals are known as half-variants, their potential locked away, waiting to be unleashed."

Ajitha's eyes widened as he pointed to himself, shock reverberating through his words. "You mean I'm someone with a true spirit physique that hasn't unlocked yet?"

Althaea nodded slowly, though her thoughts remained tangled in a web of uncertainty. Internally, she mused, *Even if it's a sealed physique, Yggdrasil should still be able to create a cultivation technique for it, one that could help unlock its potential. Yggdrasil has access to genetic information from countless beings who have unlocked their physiques.*

Her mind raced as she considered another, far more unsettling possibility. *Does this mean Lord Ajitha possesses a physique whose genetic information is not recorded by Yggdrasil? Or…* Her thoughts trailed off as a realization struck her, one that sent a chill down her spine.

She recalled ancient documents she had once studied, texts so old that even the elders of her realm spoke of them with reverence. They mentioned a physique of unparalleled power, one that was said to be beyond even the knowledge of Yggdrasil: the Heavenly Constitution. The mere thought of it made her heart race. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea as impossible. The Heavenly Constitution was a myth, a relic of a bygone era, unseen for countless ages.

Ajitha, lost in his own thoughts, snapped back to attention and pressed, "So, you're saying my physique hasn't fully unlocked yet, and that's why a cultivation technique can't be made for me. Do you know how I can unlock it?"

Althaea sighed, the weight of her knowledge pressing heavily upon her. "Being born with a physique like this is considered a blessing, but unlocking it after birth is another matter entirely. It's a rare and difficult process, one that can only happen when a cultivator reaches a specific threshold of power. Even then, there's no guarantee. Sometimes, even after reaching that level, the physique may remain sealed if there's insufficient energy to unlock it."

Ajitha's hope wavered, but his resolve hardened. He knew his path was fraught with challenges, but the revelation of his potential stirred something deep within him. He would find a way to unlock his true spirit physique, no matter the cost. But as he stared at the massive tree before him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his destiny than even Althaea could comprehend.

Ajitha stood in thoughtful silence, his mind racing as he considered the implications of what had just transpired. After a moment, he turned to Althaea and asked, "Isn't a sealed physique a commonly occurring phenomenon? After all, who can precisely determine how much energy is needed by an unborn child to unlock its physique?"

Althaea met his gaze, her expression softening as she prepared to explain. "The mother carrying the child can usually sense when the mana in her body is being absorbed by the fetus. To support the child's development, she would typically gather mana from spirit herbs, fruits, and occasionally, from spirit pills—though only those that release their energy gently. However," she paused, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice, "sometimes the energy required by the child is beyond what the mother can gather. This often happens when she lacks the wealth or resources to acquire such potent spirit herbs, fruits, or pills."

Ajitha's thoughts drifted back to his own origins. "It would have been impossible for my mother to obtain such resources," he reflected inwardly. "When I was born, the concept of cultivation didn't even exist on Earth. Mana only appeared after I turned thirty-five, when those harbingers removed the seal that had kept Earth dormant for so long."

A plan began to take shape in Ajitha's mind. He decided that when he opened the temporal stargate and traveled back in time, he would ensure that his physique was unlocked before his birth. This way, he could maximize his potential from the very beginning, altering the course of history with his newfound strength.

Resolving to set this plan in motion when the time was right, Ajitha snapped back to the present. "What about the cultivation techniques?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Althaea reassured him, "Don't worry, you'll still receive the cultivation techniques. All you need to do is provide a drop of human blood. If you don't have any on hand, you can go and fetch it whenever you're ready."

Relief washed over Ajitha as he retrieved the vials of human blood he had brought along. Holding them out, he said, "I anticipated the possibility of needing this, so I came prepared with extra."

Althaea's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the vials. "Did you somehow know this would happen?" she asked, her tone a mix of intrigue and admiration.

Ajitha offered a wry smile. "No, I didn't foresee this exact outcome. But I always consider the worst-case scenario and prepare accordingly. It's a habit I've developed over the years."

Althaea nodded in understanding and resumed her chanting, her voice weaving the ancient language of the elves into the air. As she chanted, another root of Yggdrasil emerged from the ground, mirroring the previous event. The root extended towards Ajitha, forming a hand that opened its palm expectantly.

This time, Ajitha carefully uncorked the vials and let a few drops of blood from each fall into the palm. The blood was absorbed instantly, and Yggdrasil began to process the various genetic information it had just received. The air around them thrummed with energy, charged by the ancient tree's efforts to craft new techniques from the diverse human blood samples.

Ajitha watched intently, knowing that this step was crucial for the future he intended to shape. Althaea stood beside him, her chanting growing more intense as she guided Yggdrasil through this complex process. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, the very fabric of the realm seeming to hold its breath as the ancient tree set to work.

The air in Yggdrasil's realm was charged with an ancient energy, a palpable tension that seemed to echo through the roots of the great tree itself. Ajitha watched intently as the roots of Yggdrasil began to shape themselves into a human form once more. This time, the figure resembled an ordinary human, but with a striking difference—the being was a living conduit for the immense power of Yggdrasil. As the roots coalesced into flesh and bone, the figure began to absorb mana from the air around it, drawing in the pure essence of the realm.

The mana flowed into the figure's dantian, circulating through the meridians and acupoints with an almost mechanical precision. Ajitha's eyes narrowed as he observed the process. Unlike the previous attempt, the circulation cycle completed itself, and then another cycle began, only to finish flawlessly as well. The figure, now fully formed, exhibited all the characteristics of a human, including organs, bones, and even the subtlest nuances of a living body. Every particle of mana it absorbed was used to strengthen these components, reinforcing the very foundation of the figure's existence.

Ajitha, his curiosity piqued, turned to Althaea and asked, "What is the main difference between these cultivation techniques and those designed for the true spirit physique?"

Althaea's gaze remained on the figure as she replied, "A person with a true spirit physique can cultivate using these techniques, but they won't achieve the results they need. True spirit physiques often have an elemental affinity, which means the cultivation cycle must include the absorption of elemental energies from nature."

She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in, before continuing, "In some cases, a true spirit physique empowers a specific organ with heavenly energy. The cultivation technique must be tailored to circulate mana in a way that accounts for this, allowing the organ to gain strength along with the entire body. From what I can tell, you seem to have awakened an organ, but your physique hasn't fully unlocked yet, so it's difficult to determine which one it is."

As she spoke, Ajitha's attention was drawn back to the Yggdrasil-created figure. The basic circulation cycle was identical to what he had seen before, but as the figure continued to cultivate, the mana began to surge through different meridians and acupoints, eventually settling in the dantian. The complexity of the process intrigued him, and he couldn't help but wonder at the intricacies of the techniques being developed before his eyes.

Sensing his curiosity, Althaea added, "Yggdrasil creates multiple cultivation techniques during this process. The one most suited to the seeker's needs is provided, while the others are collected by us."

She walked toward the figure, her steps purposeful, and pointed to it as she explained, "Yggdrasil can create techniques up to the supernal tier, but we have a strict policy of withholding any techniques above the radiant or mystic tiers. Those are collected by us, and only the radiant or mystic tier techniques are given to those who seek them."

She looked at Ajitha, her expression softening slightly. "I agreed to provide you with a supernal tier technique because you've helped strengthen Yggdrasil. But since Yggdrasil couldn't create a technique specifically for you, due to your half-variant nature, I'll allow you to take all the supernal tier techniques it generates."

Ajitha considered this offer for a moment before responding. "Can you give me all the cultivation techniques that Yggdrasil creates?"

Althaea raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need the lower-level techniques when you have access to the supernal tier?"

Ajitha's mind raced. He couldn't reveal his true intentions, so he quickly formulated a plausible explanation. "Even if they aren't useful for me directly, I want to study them. They could provide valuable references for me to create a cultivation technique that might help unlock my physique."

Althaea nodded, accepting his request. "Very well. You may have them."

With the agreement reached, both Ajitha and Althaea turned their attention back to Yggdrasil, watching as the ancient tree continued its work. The human incarnation crafted by Yggdrasil was still present, tirelessly absorbing mana and refining it. The intricate process of creating cultivation techniques was unfolding before their eyes, a spectacle of unparalleled beauty and complexity.

As the figure cultivated, Ajitha couldn't help but marvel at the sheer efficiency and precision of Yggdrasil's methods. The tree's roots, steeped in the knowledge of countless eons, were creating something truly remarkable. Yet, there was a lingering sense of anticipation in the air—an unspoken tension that hinted at the challenges still to come.

Inwardly, Ajitha was already planning. The techniques he would gain here would be instrumental in shaping the future, not just for himself but for all of humanity. With these techniques, he would create a system that rewarded contribution and dedication, ensuring that those who sought power would have to earn it. And when the time was right, he would unlock his physique and tap into the full potential that lay dormant within him.

For now, though, he focused on the present, on the incredible process unfolding before him. The future would come soon enough, and when it did, Ajitha would be ready.