Chapter 139: The Completion of Innate

Joe left the research camp shortly after sunrise, carrying his spear toward the western ridges. He had spent the previous evening examining the remaining mortal structures without finding a satisfactory transformation sequence. Another morning studying the same records would accomplish little, so he followed an abandoned hunting trail and practiced Unbroken Step along the way. His movements remained precise as he crossed uneven ground and navigated the exposed roots obstructing the path. By midmorning, he had traveled several miles and reached a clearing where fallen timber lay among younger vegetation.

A large dead tree caught his attention near the clearing's edge. Years of decay had hollowed its trunk, leaving an opening filled with soil, fallen leaves, and decomposing wood. A young sapling had established itself inside, extending its roots through the accumulated material into the ground beneath. Joe examined the plant and recalled how decomposing vegetation returned nutrients to the soil. The young tree had developed its own supporting structure while drawing nourishment from the remains of the old one.

Joe considered the problem that had occupied him for days. Innate Transformation had reached 98.91%, leaving several structures within his brain, spinal cord, and marrow untransformed. Their functions extended throughout his body, preventing him from converting them independently without disturbing the surrounding systems. His previous methods had preserved the original connections until their transformation finished, but he now possessed enough completed Innate tissue to approach the process differently. If the surrounding structures assumed those functions beforehand, the remaining mortal connections would no longer need to retain their original arrangements.

He returned to camp and reopened his anatomical records. The Greyspine inheritance explained the principles of Innate Transformation but did not provide the extensive anatomical knowledge needed to apply them to individual tissues. Such knowledge belonged to extensive medical studies rather than a martial cultivation manual. Joe had to develop the precise methods himself, particularly because his repeated tempering had altered his body's original foundation.

Several nervous pathways completed during his earlier cultivation had developed new connections as Perfect Body refined their integration. Joe examined those arrangements and identified transformed regions capable of supporting the remaining mortal tissues. Rather than concentrate on converting each connection individually, he began preparing the surrounding systems to maintain their functions throughout the process.

The work occupied him for two days. Medicine Perfection allowed Joe to trace the functions each structure performed, while his cultivation records provided examples of how transformed tissues adapted to new arrangements. He tested several circulation patterns without beginning any conversion, directing Acquired Qi through neighboring systems and observing how they responded when he redistributed their responsibilities. Some arrangements placed excessive demands on individual pathways, but others maintained stable circulation even when he increased their workload.

Joe selected a remaining connection near the upper spinal region for his first experiment. Its neighboring pathways had already completed their transformation, giving him a suitable location to test the revised method. After restoring his Acquired Qi, he established circulation through those structures and gradually directed the conversion toward the mortal section. The neighboring pathways assumed its functions as the tissue changed, allowing Joe to preserve their coordination without maintaining every feature of the original arrangement.

The transformation required several adjustments before the new connections settled properly. Perfect Body refined their integration, and Joe accommodated those changes while maintaining the functions of the affected region. Once the session ended, he tested his movement and sensation before examining the result through his internal perception. The converted tissues responded normally, while his panel displayed Innate Transformation — 99.17%. He observed the completed region throughout the following day before attempting another conversion. The second experiment involved several interconnected tissues, but the preparations he had developed allowed him to maintain their functions with fewer corrections. His progress reached 99.43%, giving him enough confidence to extend the method into the deeper central regions.

The remaining structures demanded greater precision. Certain nervous pathways coordinated functions across several parts of his body, and changes within them affected connections far beyond the immediate region. During one session, sensation briefly weakened in two fingers of his left hand. Joe stopped advancing and examined the affected pathway, discovering that its neighboring structures had not assumed sufficient responsibility during the conversion. He redistributed the supporting energy until normal sensation returned, then revised his preparations before continuing.

The next attempt succeeded, although the additional precautions consumed more time. Joe continued working through the remaining central connections over several days, completing related structures together and allowing them to settle between sessions. The revised method reduced unnecessary expenditure, but the increasing complexity of the remaining tissues still demanded substantial Acquired Qi. His progress eventually reached Innate Transformation — 99.76%, leaving only a few interconnected regions within his brain, spinal cord, and marrow.

Joe examined those structures that evening. Their functions overlapped too extensively for another sequence of separate conversions, but the surrounding Innate tissues could now support them through the connections he had established. He spent the following day preparing a coordinated transformation and restoring his Acquired Qi, setting aside his martial training until the remaining work was complete.

The following morning, Joe sat in the center of his research room and circulated Acquired Qi throughout his body. He gradually coordinated the transformed systems and established their connections with the remaining mortal tissues. Once the supporting circulation stabilized, he began the conversion, allowing the surrounding Innate structures to assume the functions of each developing region.

Several central pathways resisted the change as their neighboring structures adjusted to unfamiliar demands. Joe redistributed the supporting energy and continued once their functions stabilized. The conversion progressed through the connected nervous tissues, requiring him to maintain several systems simultaneously while Perfect Body refined the newly transformed structures. His Acquired Qi diminished rapidly. Joe completed the first connected group before ending the session, preserving enough energy to maintain his condition during recovery. He examined the completed structures throughout the afternoon and found that their new connections had settled properly, allowing him to resume cultivation the following morning without revising the overall method.

The author's published version was reproduced without permission, while the official chapter remains a way to support their work.

The final session demanded his greatest concentration. Joe prepared the remaining connections together and gradually extended the transformation through the central nervous system. Changes in one region affected circulation, sensation, and bodily control elsewhere, forcing him to maintain precise coordination as the mortal tissues relinquished their original functions. His earlier preparations allowed the surrounding structures to compensate for those changes while Perfect Body refined their integration.

Joe continued until the last connections within his brain and spinal cord completed their conversion. The remaining marrow-related structures settled alongside them, allowing every transformed region to operate through the same integrated system. He maintained his circulation long enough to examine their functions before withdrawing the Acquired Qi that had supported the process. His panel now displayed Innate Transformation — 100.00%.

Joe remained seated, examining the completed result. Every portion of his body had undergone conversion, including the delicate structures that had resisted his earlier methods. His repeated tempering had established an unusually substantial foundation, and Perfect Body had refined its integration throughout the transformation. The completed structures functioned together without requiring him to preserve the arrangements of their mortal predecessors. His remaining energy, however, still consisted of Acquired Qi.

Joe allowed himself some time to recover before circulating it through his completed body. The familiar energy passed through the transformed structures with remarkable ease, encountering none of the restrictions that had complicated his earlier cultivation. He maintained an ordinary circulation cycle, observing its movement without attempting another refinement.

After several cycles, he detected something unfamiliar. A minute current had appeared within the completed tissues. Joe examined it carefully and found that it possessed characteristics unlike the Acquired Qi he had spent years accumulating. Its presence was considerably more concentrated, yet it moved through his transformed structures without requiring him to direct it along individual pathways.

Joe continued observing as the current gradually strengthened. The energy nearest it began losing its familiar characteristics, while the new current developed into a distinct strand that his body accommodated naturally. He had encountered descriptions of true Innate Qi in the Greyspine inheritance, but reading about its existence had not prepared him for the sensation of producing it. The strand continued circulating after Joe withdrew his conscious control. His completed body sustained its movement, and the surrounding tissues responded to its presence without requiring deliberate reinforcement.

Joe had entered the Innate Realm. He remained seated as the new energy moved through his body, gradually influencing the Acquired Qi that remained within his reservoir. Its quantity was small, but the effects soon became apparent. His muscles responded more readily, and the coordination between his nervous system and the rest of his body improved as the strand completed each circulation.

Joe examined those changes without attempting to measure their full extent. His reserves had fallen considerably during the final transformation, leaving too little Innate Qi for demanding experiments. Nevertheless, he could already recognize that his new power operated differently from Acquired reinforcement. The enhancement persisted while he rested, supported by a circulation his body maintained on its own.

The transformation had also affected his internal perception. Joe could follow the new energy throughout his completed structures with greater clarity than before, observing connections he had previously needed to examine individually. He spent some time studying its movement and found that his body continued generating small amounts of Innate Qi while the remaining Acquired reserves gradually diminished.

After several hours, Joe stood and walked across the research room. His body responded more quickly than expected, forcing him to adjust the force of familiar movements. When he reached for a book on the table, his fingers closed around it before he anticipated completing the motion. He repeated the action several times, gradually becoming accustomed to the improved coordination. His senses presented another complication. Joe could distinguish birds calling beyond the station and hear movements within the surrounding vegetation that previously escaped his attention. The additional sounds initially distracted him, particularly when he attempted to concentrate on nearby objects. He sat down again and practiced directing his attention toward individual sounds until he could continue reading without following every disturbance outside.

Despite the unfamiliar sensations, his thoughts remained unusually settled. Joe had expected the breakthrough to leave him excited or restless, particularly after the difficulties of the final transformation. Instead, he found it easy to concentrate on his observations, and the demanding work of organizing his research no longer disturbed his composure. He opened his notebook and recorded the formation of Innate Qi, its natural circulation, and the changes he had experienced since the breakthrough. He also examined the remaining Acquired reserves and found that the new energy continued developing without deliberate refinement. The process remained gradual, giving him ample reason to postpone further experiments until his condition stabilized.

When Joe finished writing, he directed a small portion of Innate Qi toward his right hand. The energy responded immediately, gathering within the selected region and strengthening its natural circulation. He could sense the concentrated power clearly, although he made no attempt to release it beyond his body.

After withdrawing his direction, Joe noticed that the energy returned to its ordinary circulation without leaving any detectable outward disturbance. His breathing remained steady, and he could sense no pressure escaping from his body. He examined the result more carefully. Earlier, concealing his Acquired cultivation had required him to regulate his breathing and restrain the energy he released. His completed constitution now contained its own power naturally, maintaining a quiet circulation without conscious suppression.

Joe could not determine how an experienced Innate practitioner would perceive him, but he found nothing in his present condition that resembled the outward pressure he had previously needed to conceal. He practiced concentrating and releasing the energy several more times, confirming that his body returned to the same settled state whenever he stopped directing it. The result relieved one of his immediate concerns. Blackwood and Ashbourne still knew him as Mid Acquired, and Joe had expected to spend considerable time adapting Breath Control before returning. His new constitution appeared to make concealment easier, although its unfamiliar strength and responsiveness would still require practice.

Toward evening, Joe left the research room and sat beneath the trees surrounding the abandoned forestry station. His Innate Qi continued circulating as he rested, while the forest's distant sounds reached him with unusual clarity. He gradually adjusted his attention until the additional sensations no longer interrupted his thoughts.

After some time, a small bird landed on the wooden railing near the courtyard. Joe noticed it through his heightened senses but continued resting. The bird remained there for several minutes before flying into the trees, showing little concern for his presence. He returned indoors after sunset and examined his condition once more. The conversion of his remaining Acquired Qi continued steadily, and his body showed no signs of instability despite the unfamiliar energy developing within it. Perfect Health supported his recovery, while Perfect Body continued making subtle adjustments to the completed structures.

Joe decided to extend his stay at the forest camp. He had sufficient supplies, and the secluded surroundings offered a suitable place to become accustomed to his new abilities. His breakthrough had occurred without witnesses, leaving him free to examine the changes before returning to Blackwood. He closed his research notebook and prepared to rest, allowing the natural circulation of Innate Qi to continue without interference.