The Programmer Cultivator

”To think a mere Tier Two Technique could force out my innate Talent. I must admit, your Human Race is truly blessed by the heavens.”

The Chenghuang Alien Species trod on the snow, approaching step by step.

The Water Dragon returned to Zhang Buyi’s back. Man and dragon stood on high alert.

This Mirror Image Incarnation possessed no Pupil Skill, no Mind Technique. Against a Spirit-type Bloodline Talent Technique, it was almost completely outmatched.

Zhang Buyi looked at the Chenghuang Alien Species and said, ”Oh, is that so? In that case, since you admire me so much, why not spare a section of the lotus root for me? We could both go our separate ways peacefully. Wouldn’t that be for the best?”

”Hmph. In your dreams.”

The Chenghuang Alien Species snorted. The moment it spoke, identical figures began to emerge from the surrounding snow.

A dense swarm of Demon Beasts completely surrounded Zhang Buyi. The biting wind from the sky even penetrated the defense of his Shield, sending a chill straight to his bones.

He knew this was because the Shield’s tier was too low. Against this kind of mental assault, its defenses were inadequate.

As the surrounding Chenghuang Alien Species appeared, they began to charge at Zhang Buyi one by one. He raised a hand, and a stream of water emerged from his palm.

But before the water could even leave his hand, it froze into an icicle and dropped to the ground.

”Heh. No matter how refined your Techniques are, they’re still just Tier Two Techniques. Before my Law Level Talent, all your skill is useless,” the surrounding Chenghuang Alien Species mocked in unison.

As the Chenghuang Alien Species charged forward, slamming into the Shield, it began to tremble violently.

At the same time, the body of the Water Dragon behind Zhang Buyi began to stiffen, showing signs of freezing over. White beads of frost started to form on Zhang Buyi’s eyebrows.

”Sigh... Must you insist?”

After several failed attempts, Zhang Buyi found all his Low-Tier Water Techniques were useless. He gave up and let out a faint sigh.

”What? Regretting it now? Too late!” the swarming Chenghuang Alien Species declared in unison. The sight of hundreds of Demon Beasts speaking at once was rather eerie.

Zhang Buyi murmured, ”What I meant was, why force my hand? If you’d just given me a section of the lotus root, we could have gone our separate ways. Wouldn’t that have been nice?”

The moment Zhang Buyi finished speaking, a strange aura abruptly rose from his body.

Before the countless Chenghuang Alien Species could react, they all stumbled and fell flat on their faces.

All the illusions vanished. The world of ice and snow disappeared in an instant, and the scene shifted back to the surface of the lake.

A single stumble was all it took. The illusory space, constructed by a Spirit Bloodline Talent of at least the Tier Four Magic Level, had miraculously vanished.

”Experience Points -5,000”

Feeling the drain on his Cultivation, Zhang Buyi’s expression couldn’t help but twitch.

”BLESSED! FORTUNE! PATH!!!”

The Chenghuang scrambled to its feet. Sensing the complete transformation of Zhang Buyi’s aura, it spat out three words, enunciating each one.

Zhang Buyi’s expression was calm. With his hands clasped behind his back, he turned to the scrambling Chenghuang and said:

”Weren’t you curious? Why would a dignified Celestial Realm Cultivator such as myself only know a few Tier Two and Tier Three Water Dao Techniques? Are you satisfied with this answer?

”I didn’t want to resort to overpowering a beast with my arts, but you simply had to force my hand. Was it really necessary?”

”Hmph. So what if it’s the Blessed Fortune Path? You were so hesitant to use it, which obviously means the cost of your Blessed Fortune Path is severe. That being the case, why would I be afraid of you!”

With that, it opened its maw and spat out a crystal-clear Demon Pill the size of a ping-pong ball.

Spirit Bloodline: Dao Heart Space!

Spiritual Light surged from the crystalline Demon Pill as a strange ripple spread outward.

The Chenghuang vanished before his eyes. As the ripple expanded, the lake disappeared once more, and Zhang Buyi found himself in an unfamiliar valley.

The valley was deep and secluded, with babbling springs and fragrant, flowering plants. Butterflies danced in the air, creating a picturesque scene.

Most importantly, the entire scene perfectly matched the aesthetic deep within Zhang Buyi’s heart; it was the ideal place he envisioned for his retirement.

An inexplicable wave of apathy washed over him. Suddenly, he had no desire to struggle anymore; he just wanted to live out his days here in idle tranquility.

’No, I can’t let this drag on. If it does, I’ll be the one taking a massive loss.’

Zhang Buyi’s brow furrowed as he struggled to rally his Heart Spirit.

Rune Technique: Blessed Star!

”Experience Points -10,000”

Zhang Buyi winced at the cost, but still decisively cast the buff on himself.

Great Daos like Blessed Fortune, Marriage, Karma, and Fate had abilities that were exceedingly strange, but their power was always balanced by drawbacks.

Take the Blessed Fortune Path cultivated by the Dragon Turtle for example. When it uses the Power of Blessed Fortune, it consumes Cultivation.

Zhang Deming had it easy with Experience Points. An ordinary Cultivator consuming Cultivation would suffer injuries, and an excessive loss could even damage their very foundation.

For Zhang Deming, 10,000 Experience Points was equivalent to just 1,000 Spirit Stones. He could treat it as paying to cast a spell. At most, it just stung a little! Besides, if he managed to snatch the item, it would all be worth it!

Furthermore, the path of Blessed Fortune could be used to injure, but not to kill.

This meant that using the Power of Blessed Fortune to trap or injure a target was deceptively easy. However, attempting to kill an enemy with it was not only highly inefficient, but one would also be extremely susceptible to a backlash, an effect known as ”damaging one’s fortune.”

Of course, the trade-off for these numerous restrictions was an art of extreme strangeness and power.

Some Great Cultivators of Blessed Fortune, upon reaching a high level of mastery, could briefly bypass the Cultivation drain to strike once or twice. But often, those one or two strikes were all they needed to achieve their goal.