Panel 133: It’s not about nurturing!

"It was a success," Sangsang said, sinking into her chair and leaning back. "So-called Profound Grade is nothing more than this. It was too easy to obtain; there’s no sense of accomplishment. Did I overestimate those from advanced civilizations, or is the Saintess of Hundred Flowers a special case?"

"The Saintess of Hundred Flowers is a special case. Sena’s intelligence is higher than yours," Little Jin replied. The emotion system suddenly triggered an alert, noting that while the previous statement was a fact, it carried a derogatory implication regarding Sangsang’s intelligence. It tilted its head, processed the thought, and added, "You should thank Ye Xiu. He provided you with the specific data on the Saintess of Hundred Flowers’ soul fluctuations, which allowed you to influence her without being detected."

"True. Without Ye Xiu’s 'cheat sheet,' this internship wouldn't have been so successful." Sangsang set aside her disdain, settled her restless mood, and reflected on what she had gained. "Her gestation origin is remarkable, but it has significant flaws; it seems to only affect males."

She wondered what the Saintess of Hundred Flowers had been thinking when she condensed her origin. It appeared she had used special means to force the condensation while her Law of Life was barely at the fifth stage, which had resulted in the mutation of her origin.

While at the Palace of Hundred Flowers, Sangsang hadn't dared to study the Law of Gestation, fearing that the space-time barrier might be pierced by unknown artifacts or technology, revealing the aura of the Law of Gestation and exposing her talent for stealing laws. Now, however, she had no such concerns.

Sangsang closed her eyes in meditation. Her complete soul consciousness grasped the gestation star, probing deep into the rune arrays that formed it to study its principles. To her astonishment, she discovered that the Saintess of Hundred Flowers’ Law of Gestation was not gestation at all; in fact, among the rune arrays decomposed from the law, there was no gestation whatsoever!

Among all the rune arrays, half overlapped with the cultivation-nourishing law arrays of Master Yuanmo, while the other half involved soul traction and devouring. They utilized stellar energy fusion and carried hidden aphrodisiac properties, capable of suddenly erupting with extremely potent pheromones.

"It’s not gestation at all—it’s longevity nourishment! No wonder she could disguise it as the Law of Life without being detected!"

Sangsang felt cheated. A month of dissembling and playing the fool had resulted in this disgusting realization.

"Sangsang, you’re saying the Saintess of Hundred Flowers’ origin isn't gestation? Did Sena lie to you?" Little Jin’s eyes spun in circles. "That’s not right. My projections show that Sena couldn't possibly have lied to you about this. Your talent allows you to absorb others' laws; a lie would be pierced instantly. There is an eighty percent chance that he was also deceived by the Saintess."

Sangsang nodded. "Sena likely didn't know. How could the Saintess of Hundred Flowers tell anyone that her origin’s primary function is to nourish her body to reach an optimal state for gestation, then release pheromones to obtain the seeds she desires, and finally use soul traction to keep the fetus's soul connected to the sea of origin while in a state of ignorance, ultimately devouring the fetus to obtain a vast amount of primordial energy for herself?"

Little Jin said, "Reaching the origin realm through longevity nourishment—while it cannot directly make someone pregnant, it does increase the probability of conception. To those in need of descendants, it would still be highly sought after."

"If that were really the case, she wouldn't be so impatient," Sangsang said, having gradually calmed down. "Her nourishment only achieves an optimal state for herself. When applied to others, the effect on males is passable, but for females, it’s about the same as her nourishing incense—only somewhat useful for those with cultivation levels lower than hers."

Even Little Jin hadn't expected an origin that behaved so unlike an origin. Since it could be called a Law Origin, it naturally wasn't restricted by level; even a Profound Grade individual's origin could influence an Origin Grade or even a Universe Grade, provided the opponent's origin did not resist.

"If the Saintess’s nourishment origin only targets herself and males, it must be because when she condensed her origin, her rejection of all things of the same gender was extremely strong. Thus, the formed origin reflects her will and likewise rejects the same gender," Little Jin reasoned. Having worked at the Pavilion of Myriad Stars for several months, its understanding of laws and origins was quite deep.

This was the first time Sangsang had heard that condensing an origin was so deeply linked to one's own will and desires. She made a mental note to be careful in the future, lest she accidentally make the same mistake as the Saintess of Hundred Flowers and end up with a deformed origin that wouldn't work on certain people.

"No wonder the Saintess of Hundred Flowers once said she didn't want to be a 'gestation machine.' I was wondering—if the gestation origin was so good, how many believers could she have attracted by applying it to a medium of faith? It should have at least elevated her status. Why was she only worried about becoming a vessel for great powers to reproduce? It turns out she lacked the ability to create a gestation medium."

"Let’s see how she manages to cover up such a monstrous lie. Besides, it’s impossible for the child of Holy Son Jiankong to ever be born."

Little Jin was puzzled. "Why? The data is excellent. I checked it myself; the child is very healthy, especially after being influenced by your painting—the speed at which it absorbs primordial energy has increased. Its health value is rising. Once born, it could reach the peak of the Sky Grade, perhaps even the Star Grade."

"It has nothing to do with health values," Sangsang shook her head. "Her soul traction is extremely peculiar. The child's soul has a deep connection to the sea of origin, so she can sense the sea of origin directly through the child's soul. If that thread isn't severed, the child will be born as nothing more than a shell; its soul will return to the sea of origin through the traction. The Saintess isn't doing this for the sake of the child—she simply doesn't dare let the child be born."

"She has plenty of petty tricks. Knowing her own comprehension is lacking, she ties the other end of the traction to the father of the seed. As long as the person she chooses has high enough comprehension, she can hitch a ride and share in a portion of their insights into the laws. I wonder if the child’s father could sever the traction through this connection."

"That is truly playing with life. And she actually had the audacity to play the victim and accuse you of not respecting life!" Little Jin put its hands on its hips. "Should we expose her? The 'Anti-Counterfeiting Expert' is worried about not having a big scoop for the next issue."

"No," Sangsang refused without hesitation.

How could she expose her? An origin is equivalent to one’s privacy. Even the Temple only performs basic attribute checks when necessary; no one tells others the specific composition and principles of their origin. The Saintess of Hundred Flowers’ nourishment falls under the life branch, so it technically isn't a lie.

If she published the details of the Saintess’s origin, while the Saintess might be reviled, she herself wouldn't fare any better for having exposed someone’s private information. Furthermore, how could she explain how she knew the attributes of the Saintess’s origin? It certainly couldn't be that the other party had told her voluntarily; the secret that her synchronization could inversely steal others' combat experience and insights into laws would be exposed.

However, she was truly unwilling to let the Saintess of Hundred Flowers off the hook just like that.

Sangsang thought for a moment and said, "Tell Sena that the Saintess’s origin is not gestation and that the child has health risks. He has connections with Holy Son Jiankong; let’s see what they think."

There were too many hidden experts with exotic origins on the StarNet; who knew if someone might peel back the layers based on the 'Anti-Counterfeiting Expert's' report and expose her as well? Reality was different. Sena had a multi-century relationship with the Saintess, and during this month-long internship, he had been entangled with her both on and off camera. It wouldn't be strange for him to know her specific attributes; others might even assume he discovered them during their intimate encounters.