Wanderer's Realm, somewhere...

“So, does that mean that, if we waited long enough, Earth could Grade up on its own?” [Yes, but also not necessarily. Similar to other cultivators, planets have lifespan and talents, or potential if you will. That means that some planets would never Grade up unless they met a lucky encounter, like me for example.] I nodded and mumbled. “Right. Otherwise, there would be an infinity of high graded planets in every Realms.” After contemplating the idea of a living planet, I refocused on what was important. “So what about me then? How should I cultivate?”

[By using Chaos energy, of course.] She said with what I perceived as schadenfreude as if she didn't just tell me that I would explode if I used that same energy, a few minutes ago. “Fuck me!” I just couldn't help myself.

[Language Lucas!] She said, obviously hiding a small chuckle. “Oh come on Ali! You can't expect me not to react after your explanation, can you? Of course, I'm sure that you wouldn't kill me after the time and energy spent on me, but still! *Sigh* Can you at least explain to me how I am supposed to absorb that supposedly unabsorbable energy which is supposed to turn me into a living red and white colored firework?” I looked at her with my arms crossed, clearly waiting for an answer. Although I knew she was messing with me, the thought of a potential violent and fiery death was, not surprisingly I might add, not really to my liking. I started to find myself contemplating death more and more often the more time I spent with Ali.... That was a disturbing realization. Death by explosion for cultivating a powerful energy, death by soul refining by a cosmic entity, death by... Alright, let's stop thinking about all that fun stuff and let's stick with the first type of de... I mean the way to become more powerful. Without dying. The best way to become powerful, that one.

[It is just too amusing to tease you Lucas. But you are right in the sense that I would not play with your life now that our objectives are aligned with each other. Although cultivating Chaos energy would be lethal for any cultivators below the Chaos Layer, there is a way to bypass that restriction.] Since she proposed that method, I could guess as much. The problem was that, usually, alternative methods had a cost. The question was: How much would I have to pay to do it. I could just ask her I guess.

I narrowed my eyes and asked in a serious tone. “Since it's a better method, what are the downsides?” [Good reasoning. Actually, I would not call it a better method since the end result is the same as the general path followed by most cultivators in this Realm. The upsides are multiple and it is true that there are also a few major downsides. Mmmhh... I think I should start by presenting the method first before moving to the advantages and disadvantages.] I nodded my head without saying anything, letting her continue her explanation without interrupting.

[First, the method is called the chaos raising scripture. It is a very widespread scripture that many descendants from chaos Layer cultivators who were not born as Chaos Layer cultivators themselves use.] Wait what?! “Did you just say that some people can be born as Chaos Layer cultivators themselves?! What the he...*Cough* Heck! I mean what the heck?!” Ali then replied with some surprise in her voice. [I thought you read cultivation novels? In some of those, you can find the same thing.] I stayed silent for a few seconds thinking to myself how lucky those bas... people were. It was even better than being the child of a billionaire, since you would get literal power, unlimited lifespan and I'm guessing pretty much whatever you wanted otherwise. *Inwardly sigh* It was true that there was always someone better out there. Even me with my magic bar's grandma spirit I could not do anything against those chaos spoon people.

Let's just forget about that last part of the conversation or I might die from jealousy. “Okay, let's move on then. You said it was a scripture very widespread up there. Isn't that supposed to be bad? Usually, the powerful people keep the good stuff for themselves on Earth. Isn't it the same in the Multiverse?” [You are right. However, this mostly applies to things on their level. That scripture is utterly useless at their layer and since it can help many people reach the minimum power to travel the Multiverse, then it spread out very quickly. However, relatively to the number of cultivators in the multiverse, and including those in baby universes like this one, only a few have access to it. That is also due to the requirements.]

“Makes sense. And those requirements are?” I asked, curious. [There are three if you wish to play it safe and two if you do not. However, you would have an almost 100% chance of dying if you followed the latter. Anyway, the first requirement is pure chaos energy. That may sound pretty obvious, but you cannot cultivate with an energy that you do not possess. And mana would not work since it is too weak to induce the change in your body.] I mumbled. “Chaos energy. Got it. What's the second one?”

[The second one is either a cultivator or a spirit that is at least at the Chaos Layer to guide the transfer of energy and the transformation of your body in case something goes wrong. After all, the smallest mistake will result in the complete annihilation of a cultivator's body and soul if they are below the Chaos Layer. That is the condition to make it safe. Or at least as safe as it can be.]

I pondered for a bit, while my mind started to get numb to the consequences of reckless cultivation. I was glad that Ali did not drown me in information and instead let me absorb everything she told me bit by bit. I needed time to think, time to process what could be considered as madness by some, but which had become my reality. Fun times, I'm telling you.

“So, from what you explained so far, there is no mention as to how the cultivators are supposed to directly absorb the Chaos energy. I'm guessing it has to do with the third requirement?” Not too hard of a guess this one. I was a bit nervous for the answer though since I could anticipate that it would be the 'fun part'. [Exactly! The third one is chaos affinity. The higher your affinity, the easier it is to cultivate with it. Of course, there is a limit, since you would not be at the right Level, so even those with a very high affinity would need to suffer some pain to succeed. And they would also have the risk of death in case of failure.]

When I heard her answer, something came to my mind. “Wait a second! I thought yous said that I had not talent for cultivation, which, unless I'm mistaken, should include affinity of any kind. If so, then how am I supposed to fulfill this freaking requirement? Wouldn't that mean that I'm not able to cultivate at all? Then, what if...” I started to spiral a bit until I was stopped by the warm voice of Ali who said. [Calm down. You should have been able to guess that the reason why I am sharing with you that method is that I have a way to bypass that requirement. So take a few breaths to relax.] After a few seconds of following her advice, I noticed that my brain seemed to switch to moron everytime I panicked. Not the best way to resolve a stressful situation if you asked me. Something to absolutely work on beside my cultivation. After all, unlike many other earthlings, I had the time necessary to correct what I considered as a flaw. As the bad guy in Batman, scarecrow, said 'There is nothing to fear but fear itself'. Mmhh... I felt like I heard that quote from someone else before but... I'm probably mistaken...

As she probably noticed that my mind had recovered its calm, she continued. [So the method to bypass the requirement is to simply remodel your body to fit the energy by using that same energy.] “Using chaos to create chaos... What's the catch?” I asked, doubting that it would be that easy. [Pain. An unfathomable amount of pain.] “But if you can control my body enough to remodel it, wouldn't you be able to shut off my pain receptor so that I wouldn't feel anything?” Why are you looking at me all surprised? I am a man of culture, good sir! In the pure sense of the way, I might add. Very pure. Nothing to do with that meme, of course.

[If it was only a normal transformation, then yes. However, it is not. I need to help remodel your body, your soul and your energy channels. Those three being linked to your sea of consciousness, will help the latter transform as well.] “That still doesn't tell me why I have to suffer without you doing anything?” I realized that I sounded a bit aggressive due to my nervousness, but I just couldn't help it. [Because I'm not supposed to transform your being myself, but only guide the transformation. Otherwise, it will fail. Such a remodeling had to be naturally done by yourself and I would only be there push you back on the right path if I see you fall from it.]

I wanted to protest, but I asked a question instead. “Is it really impossible? I'm not really good with pain, you know.” She declined. [No, there is no other way. Others have tried before, and either the cultivator was stuck at a certain level in the best case or died in the worst. Most cultivators think it has to do with a kind of contamination of the sea of consciousness. You can think about it as what fits someone else may not fit you since you are different.]

I nodded, completely defeated by her explanation. “So pain it is, I guess... Great!” I mumbled. [Also, you need to stay awake, or it will also fail. It is also due to the sea of consciousness linking to the rest of yourself. If you faint for too long, then I will have to reverse the remodeling, and we will have to restart it at a later date.]

I facepalmed myself and replied. “Fine... Since those are the downsides of that scripture, could you cheer me up with the upsides? That way I may avoid crying on the floor for a few hours.” She chuckled at my clumsy attempt at perking myself up. [As the quality of a cultivation scripture goes up, the higher the disadvantages, the higher the advantages are. And in this case, they are massive.] She faked a cough as if to prepare herself for a formal speech and then continued.

[First, you need to know that, as the normal cultivation path in the Divine realm, the chaos raising scripture is divided into three Layers. The first is the Fetus Layer, which corresponds to the Mortal Layer of the normal cultivation path. The Child Layer, which is similar to the Immortal Layer. And the last is the Teenager Layer corresponding to the Divine Layer. The following being the chaos Layer which is not included into the scripture, since one would need to change scripture at that time. The three Layers are divided into three phases, namely the Early Phase, the Middle Phase and the Late Phase. Those three are similar to the Ranks from 1 to 3 in the Mortal Layer, from 4 to 6 in the Immortal Layer and from 7 to 9 in the Divine Layer. Well, the normal cultivation path is more complicated since it induces a softer transformation of a cultivator over a longer period of time.]

I caressed my chin, thinking about all the new information. “It does sound complicated, but I think I got the gist of it. Three Layers divided into three Phases. As for the normal cultivation path, I don't need to twist my brain about it too much. After all, I would meet the different cultivators as I got more and more powerful. By the way, does the fact that the names of the Layers have to do with a person's growth mean something?” [Yes, since any cultivators under the chaos Layer are not considered as true cultivators and are associated to children, they decided to name those Layers like that. Only in the baby universes like this one would one call themselves an Immortal or a Divine cultivator. *Sigh* The ignorant are fearless. Although with that man's protection, they would be fine, I guess.] She mumbled the last sentence but I could barely catch it. It was intriguing to think about, but I kept my curiosity in check. After all, if life had no surprises, what was the point of living, right?

[I talked about how it is split, and now onto the characteristics of that method. The first and probably the most important is the fact that as soon as you reach the next Phase of a Layer, then your strength reaches the Half-step of the next Rank. For example, once you reach the Early Phase of the Fetus Layer, your strength will automatically be more or less equal to Half-step Rank 2.] I raised my left eyebrow in surprise. “So, stronger than a Rank 1 Cultivator, but not exactly as strong as a Rank 2?”

[Exactly. It is a perk of using Chaos energy to cultivate. And the only thing you will need to reach a higher rank is to absorb Chaos energy, survive the pain of the breakthrough and also survive the Tribulation Lightning. Although that last one would basically be a joke for you thanks to the higher level of energy you use to refine your whole body.] I mumbled. “Tribulation Lightning, uh?” I then asked in a clear tone. “Is it because it's made for normal path cultivators?”

She confirmed my speculation by saying. [You guessed correctly. It is both used to test cultivators and help them refine their cultivation if they successfully pass it. But since your body, soul, energy and consciousness will be refined to the limit of your phase, then it will be useless to you.] “I got it. At least, the pain will help me avoid much danger and make me stronger too.”

[Not only that, but your lifespan will be a 100 time what a normal human cultivator possesses at the same Level. Also, as long as you bear the pain, you will absolutely reach the Chaos Layer. As for your understanding of the Laws, thanks to the Chaos energy changing your very essence, it will be ridiculously easy to comprehend the Laws of each Layer, despite the restriction on normal path cultivators.] “That sounds very overpowered... But I like it!”

[It can be considered overpowered if one views it from a mortal point of view. However, for Chaos Layer cultivators, it is simply considered as the basics. Chaos is the beginning and the end of everything, so everything else becomes trivial. Of course, that is only my understanding of it and I am far from having reached the top of what is known. Let alone going beyond.] I clicked my tongue in wonder and said. “A mountain behind the mountain, isn't it?”

[In a way, yes. I have shared with you what you needed to know, so, shall we proceed with the remodeling?] I sighed and said in a fake shy voice to tease her. “Please be gentle with me!”