(Book 3 Complete) Cultivation is Creation [World-Hopping & Plant-Based Xianxia]

I was about to dive back into technique preparation when my vessel suddenly gave up on me.

One moment I had been casually walking back to my meditation pillow, the next I was swaying on my feet like a drunk cultivator after his first spirit wine binge. My knees actually buckled slightly, and I had to grab onto a nearby desk to keep myself from falling over completely.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"Master," Azure said with what sounded suspiciously like amusement, "I believe your vessel requires sustenance."

"Here I am trying to prepare for a life-or-death battle, and I nearly pass out from hunger," I replied internally, embarrassed that I'd made such a rookie mistake.

It had been three days since I took over this vessel. I'd been so caught up on preparing for the breakthrough and researching techniques that I'd completely forgotten Mo Yuhang's body needed actual food.

Back in the cultivation world, once you reached a certain level, food became more of a luxury than a necessity. My original body, now at Peak Qi Condensation, could go weeks without eating, sustained purely by qi circulation and spiritual energy absorption.

But Mo Yuhang's body was still relatively weak, and harmonic essence, while similar to qi in many ways, apparently wasn't as efficient when it came to replacing basic nutrition.

I slowly made my way to the sanctum doors, moving carefully to avoid another dizzy spell. The heavy doors opened with that familiar bell-like chime, and sure enough, Ling Shuyi was still stationed outside on her cushioned bench. She immediately jumped to her feet when she saw me, dropping into that respectful bow.

"Divine one," she said, "how may this humble servant assist you?"

"I need food," I said simply. "Whatever the local cuisine is, and enough of it for someone who hasn't eaten in three days."

Her eyes widened slightly at the three-day mention, though she was too well-trained to comment on a divine being's eating habits. "Of course, divine one! I will arrange a feast immediately."

As she turned to leave, I remembered something else I'd need. "Wait. Do you have storage rings available in this realm?"

She paused and bowed again. "Yes, divine one, though they are less sophisticated than what divine beings might be accustomed to. I can procure one for you within minutes."

"Perfect. Bring both as quickly as possible."

She bowed again and hurried off down the corridor, her robes rustling behind her. I leaned against the doorframe and waited, trying to ignore the way my stomach was making increasingly demanding sounds.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long.

Ling Shuyi was true to her word and returned within minutes, carrying a wooden tray laden with covered dishes and a small storage ring inscribed with unfamiliar formations. The aromas wafting from the tray made my stomach growl so loudly I was genuinely concerned it might be audible to her.

"I've brought a selection of our finest dishes, divine one," she said, setting the tray on one of the nearby tables. "I wasn't certain of your preferences, so I included several different preparations."

I gestured for her to uncover the dishes, curious to see what passed for cuisine in a world where music was the foundation of everything.

The first dish was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It appeared to be some kind of grain, but instead of regular rice or wheat, each individual kernel was a different color. And when Ling Shuyi lifted the cover, the grains actually produced a soft, harmonious humming sound that was almost like a very quiet choir.

"Harmony Rice," she explained. "Each grain is cultivated to resonate at a specific frequency. When prepared properly, consuming it helps stabilize one's spiritual energy and enhances natural resonance with harmonic essence."

The second dish was even more unusual. It looked like strips of meat, but the surface had a strange quality that reflected light in rainbow patterns. And just like the rice before it, I could actually hear music coming from it, but this time the music was louder and seemed to be made up of multiple genres.

"Resonant Beast strips," Ling Shuyi continued. "From creatures that naturally absorb and store musical energy in their flesh. The music you hear is actually the accumulated melodies the beast absorbed during its lifetime. Very nutritious for cultivators, and it provides temporary enhancement to harmonic manipulation abilities."

The third dish appeared to be vegetables, but they were moving. Not like they were alive, exactly, but more like they were swaying in rhythm to some unheard beat.

"Rhythm Vegetables," she said. "Grown in fields where music is played constantly during cultivation. They naturally absorb the harmonic patterns and convert them into spiritual nutrients. These particular specimens were grown to a Fourth Scale agricultural song, so they should provide excellent nourishment for someone of your... caliber."

I had to admit, the creativity was impressive. Leave it to a world built around musical cultivation to turn even food preparation into an art form involving sonic manipulation.

"This all looks excellent," I told her, which earned me a bright smile. "Thank you."

She bowed again and departed, leaving me alone with my musical meal.

The first bite of the Harmony Rice was a revelation. Each kernel seemed to dissolve on my tongue while releasing its stored harmonic essence directly into my spiritual pathways.

It was like eating music; I could actually taste the different frequencies as distinct flavors, from deep bass notes that tasted rich and earthy to high soprano notes that were light and almost citrusy.

The Resonant Beast strips were even more intense.

The moment I bit down, a wild blend of folk melodies, tribal drums, and what sounded like street musician ballads all woven together played inside my head. But rather than being overwhelming, it was deeply nourishing in a way that went beyond simple nutrition.

Just as I reached for the Rhythm Vegetables, I felt Mo Yuhang's consciousness practically vibrating with emotion. There was such intense longing and wonder radiating from him that I paused mid-motion.

"Mo Yuhang?" I said internally. "What's wrong?"

"Divine one," his voice whispered, thick with awe and something that might have been tears, "I... I've never seen food like this. The Harmony Rice alone costs more than I earn in three months at the warehouse. And Resonant Beast strips... those are served at the City Lord's banquets, at celebrations for advancement to Fourth Scale or higher. I've only heard stories about what they taste like."

The raw emotion in his voice hit me harder than expected. Here I was, treating this meal as an interesting cultural experience, while for Mo Yuhang it represented luxuries he'd literally dreamed about but never imagined he'd actually taste.

"The Rhythm Vegetables," he continued, "those are grown in the palace gardens. Each one probably costs more spirit stones than my family has ever seen. Xiaoxiao and I... we eat grain porridge and whatever vegetables we can afford at the market. Nothing like this. Nothing even close to this."

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It was easy to forget, when you possessed the body of someone from a different background, just how different their life experiences had been. Mo Yuhang had spent twenty years struggling with poverty, watching other people enjoy luxuries he could never afford.

"Would you like to try it?" I asked gently.

The explosion of joy and gratitude from his consciousness was almost overwhelming. "Divine one, could I really? I know I don't deserve such generosity, but..."

"Of course you deserve it," I cut him off firmly. "This is your body, and you've been helping me this entire time. Besides, I want you to experience this."

I released control of the body to him, settling into the observer role. Mo Yuhang's hands were actually shaking slightly as he reached for the spoon, overwhelmed by the luxury of food he'd only ever dreamed about.

"I can't believe this is real," he whispered aloud, savouring every bite like it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I stayed quiet, letting him take his time. When he finally finished eating, I took back control over the vessel while he continued to thank me.

"Alright," I said, turning my focus back to the battle. "Now that I'm not about to collapse from starvation, let's get back to business. We need to figure out what other techniques we can animate with blue sun energy."

"Master, I've been analyzing the data I gathered from the Grand Archive," Azure said. "Unfortunately, there just isn't enough blue sun energy available through your spiritual link to animate Fourth Scale techniques and above. The power requirements increase exponentially, and you're already pushing the limits with Third Scale applications."

I nodded, not entirely surprised. The blue sun energy had to travel through the dimensional connection to my main body, then flow through Mo Yuhang's spiritual channels. There were bound to be efficiency losses at every step.

"So, we're limited to a few uses of Third Scale techniques. What do we have to work with?"

"Quite a few options, actually. The Grand Archive contained hundreds of high level Third Scale techniques across dozens of different specializations. Combat techniques, defensive techniques, utility techniques, healing techniques, movement techniques; the variety is impressive."

"Let's focus on what I can actually use effectively," I said. "Movement techniques are probably out, right? Those usually require the energy to flow through the cultivator's own meridians rather than external manifestations."

"Correct," Azure confirmed. "Movement techniques like your Blink Step rune require precise timing and internal energy circulation. Trying to animate that through a scroll would be like trying to perform surgery with oven mitts, theoretically possible, but practically useless."

I laughed at the comparison. "Fair enough. What about healing techniques?"

"Also unnecessary. Blue sun energy has natural healing properties that are more efficient than anything we could replicate through harmonic essence manipulation. Better to rely on what we know works."

That made sense. I'd been using blue sun healing for months now, and it had never let me down. No point in reinventing the wheel, especially when I was working with limited energy reserves.

"So that leaves combat and defensive techniques. And given my natural affinity..."

"Plant and wood-based applications," Azure finished. "I've identified several techniques that should work well with your existing skill set and cultivation foundation."

This was why I appreciated Azure. He understood my strengths and limitations better than I did sometimes, and he never suggested techniques just because they were flashy or impressive. Everything he recommended was practical and suited to my specific situation.

"What did you find?"

The first technique he showed me was called the Whisper Vine Serenade. It was designed for stealth and surprise attacks, allowing the user to create nearly invisible vines that could emerge from any plant matter within a significant radius. The vines moved silently and could strike with tremendous speed, making them perfect for catching opponents off-guard.

"The beauty of this technique," Azure explained, "is that it doesn't require large plants to work. Even grass or flower petals can serve as anchor points for the vines. In a natural environment, you'd be able to attack from virtually any direction without warning."

The second technique was the Guardian Grove Aria, a defensive measure that could cause any nearby plant life to rapidly grow and interweave into a protective dome. The dome would be incredibly strong, capable of withstanding even a few Fourth Scale attacks, and would regenerate damage automatically as long as the song continued.

"This gives you a mobile fortress," Azure noted. "Unlike traditional defensive formations that lock you in place, you can maintain this technique while moving. The dome will shift and adapt to follow your movements."

The third technique was perhaps the most impressive: the Titan Fist Harmony. This allowed the user to manipulate a tree, any tree, regardless of size, and transform it into a massive wooden fist that could strike with devastating force.

"Imagine turning a hundred-year-old oak into a battering ram the size of a building," Azure said with obvious enthusiasm. "The technique channels the tree's accumulated life force into a single devastating attack."

I studied each technique carefully, memorizing the harmonic patterns and energy requirements. They were all Third Scale techniques, which meant they were within Mo Yuhang's capabilities to understand and write out, but they would require significant blue sun energy to animate effectively, and likely wouldn't last more than a few seconds.

"Alright," I said, opening my eyes and looking towards my neighbor's consciousness. "Mo Yuhang, I need you to write out musical scores for these three techniques."

I carefully shared the knowledge with him, transferring the harmonic patterns, timing requirements, and notation details.

"Divine one," his voice whispered in awe, "these techniques are... they're masterworks. The complexity and elegance of the harmonic structures... I've never seen anything like them."

His reaction didn't surprise me, after all, these were high level Third Scale techniques that were usually locked away in the Grand Archive, far away from the reach of most cultivators.

"Can you write them out accurately?" I asked.

"Absolutely. It will take some time to ensure every note and marking is perfect, but yes, I can transcribe them."

I relinquished control of the body to him, settling into the passenger seat of our shared consciousness as he took up the scribing materials and got to work on the musical scores.

It was time to shift my focus to the much trickier problem of red sun energy.

How exactly do you weaponize a power that the world itself rejects?