The Innkeeper

Lex's mind was spinning as he considered the implications of his physique. The projection had spoken about it simply, but he was curious to the scale and extent of the evolution he could cause. What were triggers for such an evolution? Could he specifically target someone, or did it happen randomly? How could he hide this ability, or prevent it from showing?

Did… did his parents know about his physique? But that would still not explain why they kept cultivation a secret from him! Did they… perhaps want to use his physique for themselves? But if they had, they would have kept a closer watch on him, and probably already used it already.

Then again, there was no proof they knew about it at all. Even Lex had no idea about his own physique until right now, so how could they have learnt about it?

"Then comes the ability of your second physique," said the projection, disturbing Lex's thoughts, and restoring his attention to the matter at hand.

"Soulforge Unity is also exceptionally rare, but it has its benefits and drawbacks. If you don't have an appropriate cultivation technique, it could be harmful for you! But if you do, you will almost always be superior to your peers! It basically means your soul has fused with your physical body and spirit.

"Right now, you may already be enjoying some of its benefits, such as increased strength and defense, as well as a higher intellect and memory - basically a boost in performance in all aspects. But you have not even begun to touch upon the true benefits such a physique offers. At the Nascent realm you will unlock a few more abilities, but it truly comes into play at the Immortal level!

"This is one of the few physiques that stays relevant regardless of your level, and actually becomes more effective as you grow stronger. Other physiques gradually weaken in effect as you yourself grow stronger. We can evaluate your cultivation technique later. This is one of the reasons why I said we will have to make do with your Golden core cultivation. If you need to transition to a different one that suits your physique, you will have to recultivate from the beginning."

"No need," Lex said, having already collected himself. It did not matter how dangerous his first physique was as he was going to lock the Inn for the foreseeable future. He did not intend on interacting with others any time soon. He could slowly come up with a solution to his problem.

Moreover, he suspected that his Soulforge Unity physique was originally supposed to be Regal Physique, but since he changed cultivation techniques, it settled into this. What truly intrigued him was when the projection said that he may have even more physiques, but that the scanner could not detect them. This was because typically, one person could only have one physique. Having two or more should result in their fusion, which would more than likely produce an adverse effect rather than a beneficial one.

But due to his cultivation technique, Lex served as an exception to this rule. Or maybe his original physique played a part in it as well. Maybe it helped him evolve in such a way that he could maintain the benefits of multiple physiques without losing them.

"My cultivation technique can cater to the situation with my soul. I will have no problems progressing further."

The projection paused, and studied Lex once more. He knew just how difficult it was to get one's hands on such a technique, since even the temple had only a few of them. It seemed this baby's background was not simple. But then again, considering his companion and his own qualifications, it only made sense.

"The next is your bloodline. The scanner detected mutations within your bloodline, but also that your bloodline is unknown. That is not something unusual. New bloodlines form all the time, and the temple has been hidden for too long. But even so, we have the means to study your bloodline and design the best possible training for it, so you do not need to be concerned on that front.

"Instead, it's the next section that will cause an issue, your affinities. One, two, maybe even three affinities is something you can deal with. But with so many affinities… child, the issue is not even if you can master them anymore. You can ignore them, and study them one by one with time. If a year is not enough then 10, if that is not enough then a 100, if that is not enough then a 1000! As a cultivator, your lifespan will not trouble you, especially once you become an immortal.

"But the issue is… with so many affinities, your tribulation will be magnified for each affinity you contain. As of right now, that's 125 affinities! Your tribulation will be 125 times more difficult than ordinary! I'm not saying it's impossible to overcome, but it will be a huge headache! The reason for the increased difficulty has to do with laws, and is not something you should think about right now. Although it's troublesome, the temple can help you. The reason I'm mentioning this to you is that… I strongly suspect you have a method to gain affinities on your own! If so, I strongly recommend you to stop, at least until you become an immortal first! Each new affinity will increase the difficulty of your tribulation!"

Lex, who was completely ready to feel smug, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. What was this nonsense? His tribulation would become more difficult for each affinity he had? That was absurd! What kind of rule was this?

"That… that doesn't make sense. How is that fair?" Lex could not help but mutter. He was planning on absorbing more items with laws during the Inn's lockdown. Now his plans had been thwarted.

The projection could not help but click his tongue. The baby could pick up affinities on a whim, but the increased difficulty in the tribulation was the unfair part?

"Nonetheless, your affinities are still useful for you now, especially since you even have one for divinity! This will play a big role in aiding you to kill the deity inside the temple. I plan on focusing your immediate training in this direction. If youhave any other affinities you would like to focus on, you can suggest them now, but I recommend that you do not focus on too many. The fewer you focus on, the more time you will be able to give each one."

"Space affinity," Lex said immediately. "Everything aside, I need to increase my mastery of space as much as possible."

Although space would be useful in combat, he needed to improve his mastery of it for other reasons. When going out to save the battalion, he already considered that he may get stuck outside of it. He had already made plans if such a thing should happen, but the better his mastery of space, the greater confidence he would have in completing his plan.

"Alright, focusing on Divinity and Space is still manageable. By the way, once the matter with the deity is resolved, I would suggest you also focus on Regeneration or Healing. It's not a bad thing to be able to heal or recover quickly. But since we are pressed for time, we can ignore it for now.

"Next up are your innate abilities. These all come to you innately, and can be practiced simultaneously. They will not slow you down, and in fact, the gains you receive will be tremendous for the amount of effort. Herculean strength, especially, seems so ordinary and mundane, but is, in my opinion, one of the best abilities to unlock!

"Prophetic Intuition will also be an incredible asset in combating the deities' more elusive and mystical techniques. Such an ability, should I say that you're lucky or that you're tremendously lucky? If you ever decide to become an oracle, you could casually pick any random divination art and get better results than most! But I don't recommend you go down that path. It comes with too many drawbacks.

"Your skills are quite diverse. I will have to see your proficiency in them before picking which one to focus on, as they could all be beneficial in your hunt. Or, if you have a preference you can mention it yourself."

Lex thought for a minute. While he had many thoughts on the matter, he thought now was a good time to further expand his swordsmanship since it could help him suppress that sword in his soul. Speaking of which, that sword had also not been detected by the scan. Was there a specific reason for that?

"Swordsmanship," he said simply without elaborating.

"Alright, not a problem. Moving on, it's no surprise that you have no Universal Blessing. Those are not so easy to come by. It's also fortunate that you are not suffering from any curses. But your affiliated divinities… they may as well be curses as well."