Emperor of Soul Pets

Chapter 37: How Beasts Cultivate

On the way back, Denuchi and the party hunted a few soul monsters for their cores. They then stopped by the dig site to pick up the rest of the suicide squad. Fortunately, the dig crew confirmed that the digging was going according to schedule. As long as they did not alert the beastkin, it should take roughly four days to a week to connect to Lazuli Caverns.

Pleased by the report, Denuchi smiled and then led the group to Fort Drakon. "Good work today, guys. Akeme, distribute the cores. Everyone cultivate, and then get some rest."

Rao Wu watched Akeme hand out cores to the squad. The experienced vice-captain already knew which cores suited which monsters and handed them out accordingly. Surprisingly, however, aside from the soul monsters, Akeme also appeared to give out cores for each soul trainer.

Ramy confirmed Rao Wu's suspicions when she swallowed a core, and then started shadowboxing, exerting her muscles to aid in her cultivation.

The ever-watching Denuchi noticed Rao Wu's confusion and walked over. "You've never seen a hybrid cultivate before?"

"I don't know." Rao Wu shook his head. "I think I can do it too, but I'm not sure. What's the benefit, anyway? Isn't it enough to train your soul pets?"

Denuchi sighed. "Have you heard the phrase, Soul Apprentice by 5, Soul Student by 10, and so on?"

"I don't know where I heard it, but I remember it. Hybrids are always in danger of losing their minds to their beast side, right? So, they need to strengthen their souls by those ages to counteract their beast instincts."

"Mm. Exactly." Denuchi nodded with appreciation. "But, do you think hybrids can actually accomplish that? Maybe, through some sheer luck, they could achieve Soul Apprentice and Soul Student, but the rest are impossible. You would need god-tier talent to achieve those."

Rao Wu frowned. "But you look old. You must have done it ri—Ow!"

"I'm only thirty-two, thank you." Denuchi smiled as he blew on his knuckles. "And, I just became a Soul Soldier, so by common sense, I should have long turned into a mindless monster."

"But you haven't."

"No, I've not. And that's thanks to cultivation." Denuchi waved for Rao Wu to sit down with him, and then continued. "Most beastkin cultivate to suppress our monster side. It's not easy, and takes a lot of hard work, but in the end, it is worth it to protect our lives. You're a pretty talented kid, and one day you'll have to find a cultivation technique for yourself. Let me give you some warning before you choose one."

Even though Rao Wu already had his Trickster cultivation technique, he was not one to refuse free information. So, he nodded and said, "Okay."

Denuchi smiled, evidently pleased at having an eager student. "Alright listen beastkin cultivation techniques are classified into three major grades, Suppression, Balance and Augmentation." He further explained, "Suppression covers cultivation techniques that aim at pushing down the beast side as much as possible. These expand the time-limit the longest, and can even allow a regular hybrid to live as long as sixty-years. Balance cultivation techniques do not increase the time-limit as much as suppression. But, in return, they give benefits like increased strength, speed, and some even have special abilities."

Denuchi glanced at Ramy. "Most beastkin use suppression cultivation techniques, but every member of my suicide squad used balanced techniques. There's no point extending the time-limit if we're too weak to survive our missions, after all."

Rao Wu nodded along as Denuchi spoke. Judging by Denuchi's description, the Trickster Cultivation Manual was certainly not a suppression technique. Eager to learn more, the youngster quickly asked, "What about Augmentation techniques."