172: Chapter 172 Change is Coming!

...

However, changing one's path, though it sounded simple...

...that baleful blood power within his body had already merged with his Bloodline; trying to strip it away was no different from crippling his own cultivation.

His Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation would be beaten back to its original form.

With good luck, he might still keep his Foundation Establishment Stage Foundation.

With bad luck, he would drop straight back to Qi Refining.

A Qi Refinement Stage rat yao wouldn't even have the qualifications to be a gatekeeper in this Northern Mountain Range.

"Elder Rat, what are you thinking about?"

The second-oldest Treasure-Seeking Spirit Mouse crawled into the cave, holding a pile of freshly picked spirit fruits. He looked worried as he saw Elder Rat's distracted state.

"It's nothing," Elder Rat waved his paw.

"Big brother, I just came back from the south. I heard that fellow Kuang Dou has broken through another minor Realm. His pack of Black Dog brats are shouting it everywhere, their tails are practically wagging in the sky."

Number Two said indignantly, slamming the spirit fruits onto the ground.

"On what basis? Just because he has a Chijiang Pool? Our Spirit Rat Lineage has followed the Old Ancestor for so many years; have we done any less dirty or tiring work than anyone else?"

Elder Rat didn't respond.

"Big brother, say something!"

"Number Two."

Elder Rat looked up, a rare seriousness showing in his small eyes. "Tell me, if it's for the future of the Spirit Rat Lineage, do you think it's worth it for me to cripple my cultivation and start over?"

Number Two was stunned.

The cave remained silent for a long time.

"Big brother, have you gone mad?"

Elder Rat didn't answer. He closed his eyes again and fell back into silence...

...

A few months later.

Elder Rat went to Zixiao Peak. He wasn't there to ask Shi Jian for help; he didn't have the face for that.

When the Old Ancestor bestowed the heaven and earth qi, he said, "You decide for yourself." Since he was told to decide, he shouldn't be running back every few days to ask for directions.

That would only diminish his own status and lower his standing in the Old Ancestor's heart.

He went to Leixiao Peak to search through ancient records.

Many of these ancient books and scrolls were handwritten or transcribed by the Old Ancestor himself, though much of the content was extremely ancient.

He didn't know how the Old Ancestor knew all this information.

Although Elder Rat didn't know, whenever he thought of the Old Ancestor, he automatically assumed that the Old Ancestor's wisdom was peerless throughout the ages, so knowing these things was only natural.

If Zixiao were to find out about this, she would probably have some choice words for Shi Jian.

In a cave halfway up Zixiao Peak.

Elder Rat crawled into the depths of the cave, where many bookshelves were lined with the Cultivation Techniques of various lineages or ancient books.

"I remember the Old Ancestor once wrote a book on Bloodline enhancement..."

"Where is it?"

Elder Rat searched for a long time before finally finding a complete set of transformation methods for the Yao Race Bloodlines, along with a wealth of information regarding Bloodlines.

"Abandon the Blood Path and switch to another Dao."

"The price is to disperse half of one's cultivation, but this path is indeed viable..."

"While the path is viable, one must bear the cost themselves, and it depends on whether one can withstand the burden..."

"There are even cases recorded here. As expected of the Old Ancestor, to know these ancient secrets in such detail."

"Ten thousand years ago, there was once a Blood Bat among the Yao Race..."

"It cultivated based on the Blood Path until reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, then accidentally entered a Way of Thunder Secret Realm. It underwent Lightning Tribulation tempering, and its baleful blood energy was incinerated by the lightning."

"That Blood Bat didn't die; instead, it found a blessing in disguise. Using its remaining Yao Core as a Foundation, it absorbed the lightning-attribute Spiritual Qi in the Secret Realm to rebuild its Foundation."

"In the end, although it fell to the level of a Rank One Yao Beast, it had switched to the Way of Thunder. Later, it even formed a Golden Core and even a Nascent Soul, becoming a Transformed Demon King of a region..."

Seeing this, Elder Rat's ears perked up instantly.

"However..."

"The reason this Blood Bat survived was that bat-type Bloodlines have a certain natural affinity with the Way of Thunder, even if it is extremely weak..."

"Secondly, although the Lightning Tribulation tempering process was violent, it helped burn away all the Impurities in its body, acting as an external force to help it complete the most painful stripping process."

"But I most likely won't have any external help. Relying entirely on myself to actively strip it away will only make the process longer and more agonizing..."

Elder Rat swallowed hard. Without even thinking, he knew the process wouldn't be easy.

"Extracting the bones one by one to re-temper the skeletal Foundation, then putting them back in..."

"..."

Elder Rat was silent for a long time before cursing, "What kind of bullsh*t method is this?!"

"Three years if fast, ten if slow, depending on the depth of the baleful blood power in one's body and one's tolerance for pain..."

"Old Ancestor, is this record of yours really reliable?"

Assuming a three-year limit.

Throughout the stripping process, his cultivation would continuously decline, dropping from Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to Early Stage, then to Qi Refining Peak, and even lower.

During this time, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

He couldn't Cultivate or use spiritual power; even the daily affairs of the Spirit Rat Lineage might have to be handed over to Number Two...

Just as he was pondering, Shi Jian, who had been secretly watching, let out a light "tsk."

"Elder Rat."

Shi Jian's voice suddenly rang in Elder Rat's ear, making him shiver and fall to his knees on the spot...

"Old Ancestor!"

"If you've made up your mind, then do it. If not, then don't."

"Stop dawdling here in my presence. With your meager ambition, you could dawdle here for a hundred years and still achieve nothing."

Elder Rat: "..."

The Old Ancestor's scolding was as blunt as ever.

Seeing that the Old Ancestor didn't say anything more, Elder Rat breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left Zixiao Peak, returning to the Spirit Rat Lineage's cave.

In his heart, he had already made up his mind.

He called Number Two and several of the highest-ranking rat yao in the tribe. Over a dozen gray-furred rats sat around a stone platform, the atmosphere solemn.

"From today onwards, the Spirit Rat Lineage will fully switch to the Wind Path."

Elder Rat scanned the room, giving none of the rats a chance to speak up in opposition.

"Number Two, starting tomorrow, you and all the rat yao with Qi Refining cultivation will go to the vicinity of the Way of Wind Blessed Land in the valley to Cultivate."

"I have already set up Small Wind-Gathering Formations on both sides of the valley entrance. Although the concentration of wind-attribute spiritual power isn't high, it's enough for you."

"All the cubs that haven't yet awakened their intelligence will be moved to the caves at the bottom of the valley to be raised."

"Let them be immersed in wind-attribute Spiritual Qi from birth. Through constant exposure, their Bloodlines will slowly shift..."

"Even if there are deaths and injuries over generations, as long as we make it through, for our race, it will be like clearing the clouds to see the light!"

Number Two bit his paw. "Big brother, what about yourself?"

Elder Rat stroked his whiskers.

"I'm going into secluded cultivation."

He explained his entire plan to cripple his Blood Path Foundation and switch to the Wind Path. The cave was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The dozen or so rat yao looked at each other.

"Big brother!" Number Two was the first to jump up. "Are you crazy? Giving up a perfectly good Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation? If you drop back to Qi Refining, how will those bears and dogs outside look at us?"

"How will they look at us?"

Elder Rat snorted coldly. "They already look down on us. To those of the Bear Clan, what difference does one more or one less Foundation Establishment rat yao make?"

Number Two opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

The facts were plain to see.

Although the Spirit Rat Lineage had a large population, its high-end combat power was too weak.

In the overall layout of the Northern Mountain Range, the Spirit Rat Lineage's position was awkward; they could only serve as scouts, laborers, and handymen.

Not a single one of them could fight.

Elder Rat's own combat power didn't even rank among those in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage; he mostly got by on his wits and silver tongue.

"Everyone, we must learn to change!"

"The change is coming!"

...