Update: I was the one who asked about if Nemesis and Incursion was worth the extra grand inheritance and you guys made a pretty convincing case that it is. Making choices to handle these challenges and the benefits of the third inheritance changed my build a little bit.

Update 2: A lot of shitposting on my last build and while I dislike the package it came in, some of the feedback was valid. Ironically the Iron Mind BS wasn’t the problem, and I stand by my assertation that Heart Severing Sutra is the key to beating the Pseudo Fallen drawback, but the discussion did show me that my build was trying to do too much at once and needs to be more centered in its strengths. Also, for the record I wasn’t trying to say that my willpower is equivalent to that given by Ironmind only that I could manage without it (I think most anons could), it's a great blessing and makes sense in many builds (including this iteration) but isn’t 100% required for success either.

But all of that is really secondary to the original feedback that Ancient Bloodline is redundant with Primordial Essence. Someone mentioned that in the Reddit thread Rake had answered some questions and having checked it out one of them was about this and Rake ruled that it is indeed unnecessary as Primordial Essence is basically as strong as it is going to get. You can’t blame me for trying though as the rules of Bloodlines vary significantly by story. The ruling has far reaching implications beyond just Ancient Bloodline and is what prompted most changes in my build.

Update 3: Some really good discussion and clarifications in the last few threads that prompted me to switch back to Lost Legacy and switch Path of Metamorphosis to Shadow Spirit Sutra. While Mentor Ring appeals to me narratively, it just doesn't quite compare to the immediate benefit of Lost Legacy (especially considering the blessings I wanted to go with Shadow Spirit Sutra). Even assuming the long-term benefits are greater, the aid it will provide on Earth is top notch.

My build centers around Primordial Essence which since I just got off the Witcher and this setting has major “Conjunction of The Sphere’s” vibes, let's say gives me a Primordial Elven Bloodline (doesn’t matter too much, it's mostly for flavor). Other anons have discussed what sort of unique abilities one might get from a particular Primordial Bloodline and IF this is the case I will put down that this bloodline eventually gives time and space powers (I really did get this build idea from Ciri).

For my second inheritance I am choosing the fan favorite Heavenly Conqueror Foundation which gives a third cultivation method, speeds up cultivation and insights which helps offset the Primordial essence penalty and crucially allows for techniques to be improved upon to the highest level in a personalized fashion. All in all, it will make me a monster at my stage.

My third inheritance is Lost Legacy which crucially gives three more blessings which I really wanted to go along with Shadow Spirit Sutra. But the Pocket Dimension is insanely useful as well, and I really wasn’t thinking it through when I dropped it on my last build. While the Time Dilatation effect maybe the primary draw (especially with Primordial Essence) having a truly secure location is well worthwhile as well. For example, I was thinking about the logistics of using the spliced tree without access to a secure location and my cute little Bonzai would start a cultivator war. I would be remiss not to mention the technique and combat manuals which I will master with ease and improve upon with Heavenly Conqueror. They give my build a bit of combat flexibility that it was lacking with my focus on body cultivation as well. The mountain of treasures is almost an afterthought but is guaranteed to be worth it too.

For my methods, Skin-Shedding Scripture is the obvious first choice as a Primordial ought to benefit from some types of body cultivation more and while the ruling on improving the Primordial Essence bloodline being as strong as it gets initially made me think that this method wasn’t as synergistic as I hoped I realized that it still allows for adding new Physiques and Enhancements and while the improvements I make to this this method with Heavenly Conqueror allow for significantly more (and stronger) expressions to be combined there is still a fundamental limit on how many you can have (If only because of the difficulty in acquiring them) and having a bloodline at peak strength allows me to dedicate 100% of my added expressions towards physiques and enhancements.

For my second method I dropped Heart Severing Sutra as it doesn’t benefit from Primordial Essence directly and while I still believe in having a diverse skill set, I can work towards that as time goes on.

Thousand Venom Texts didn’t initially appeal to me but the more I have thought about it, the more I realized what a great addition it would be. Even if it is strange, it is still a direct body method with a unique style of body purification that will enhance my primordial body, and in turn since the venoms are produced by my primordial organs, they will produce stronger venoms then they otherwise would have. The venoms have surprisingly diverse uses and as inherently offensive techniques they benefit from the primordial essence “innate ferocity” bonus. The Venoms are also compatible with almost any type of weapon. The only real weakness is that some enemies (potentially based on stage) might be immune (including the nemesis most likely).

I also dropped Path of Metamorphosis in this iteration as I realized that with my Skin-Shedding Scripture being able to ignore adding Bloodlines and focusing purely on Physiques and Enhancements, that having a pure Enhancement cultivation method is overkill. Especially since I planned to be somewhat restrained with it as I do enjoy my Elven form over the full monstrous potential of Path of Metamorphosis. I still have ideas for Mutations that would be enormously valuable to my build but if I can find them in the wild either on monsters or cultivators, I can add them to myself with Skin-Shedding Scripture. Obviously, there is a limit but my idea of being a mutant was always Wolverine or Geralt of Rivia, not a Shoggoth or the Alien from Alien.

So, for my last method I chose Shadow Spirit Sutra as its defensive power and odd utility really adds to my build in a way that is quite potent and even if it isn’t focused on direct enhancement but “removal of weakness” it is still a dedicated body method and will benefit my primordial body. I previously said that I felt Shadow Spirit Sutra and Machine Transcendence really require dedicated builds and I stand by that, and it was a factor in switching back to Lost Legacy for blessing support to synergize with Shadow Spirit Sutra (Third Eye, Seventh Sense, and Iron Mind really bring out its potential IMO). But also, a dedicated Shadow Spirit Sutra build would normally go for something indirect for maximum subterfuge (likely an energy gathering method).

Going unga-bunga with this method is not what is usually done but when I think about it, fighting an invisible man who can become intangible at will in a melee fight would be a fucking nightmare and its defensive bonuses DO apply to the corporeal form (softened blows). Add to this the other benefits of improved senses and no vital organs to pierce or rupture and it has serious benefits to me. I am also anticipating some odd hard to define synergies here like Thousand Venoms turns your organs into alchemical crucibles while Shadow Spirit removes your organs, so maybe I get alchemical voids instead (at least until I get the Bezoar).

For my blessings, I took Perfect Conduit mostly because it vibes with the perfect being thing I have going but it is very useful as well (especially being able to use bad RE). The alchemy bonus is also extremely valuable as pills are one of the only ways to speed up cultivation which I need with Primordial Essence. Also, the effects of pills often improve the body which is extra valuable for me. The possession immunity is also a nice slept on bonus. I wanted to give myself some additional tools for not dying to my new enemies and so I chose Heaven Blessed which should help enormously and is very valuable besides, and honestly in a cultivation setting this one is almost mandatory.

I was able to add back Seventh Sense which will also be invaluable for survival. It is especially potent for a Shadow Spirit user as I will have a nigh invulnerable incorporeal form that I can activate as soon as I detect danger. As a pure body cultivator that can toggle being invulnerable to physical harm my mental defenses are a potential weakness which is now covered by Iron Mind. The discussion on “divine sense” was really informative and given the huge synergy with Shadow Spirit Sutra both in evading and using this ability, I decided to go all in and add Third Eye to be a true sensory menace. Lastly with the clarification that Peerless Prodigy and Heavenly Conqueror Foundation stack, I knew I wanted this synergy, and it was a factor in switching back to Lost Legacy. Wouldn't be surprised if this one is nerfed though, because it really is that good IMO. Doing this required dropping Decentralized Organs and while I believe a Shadow Spirit Sutra user would still benefit from it due to the metaphysical organs, the benefit is lesser than on a normal build (perhaps even less so if the Bezoar contains some of my metaphysical organs).

My companions will both be very helpful. Master Triffil gives me a path for my next steps after leaving Earth by helping him reclaim his birthright, and his unique body method might have some good enhancements to copy using, Skin-Shedding Scripture. Simply being on the right side of Marie Su is worth picking her and she is one of the few companions who will truly be able to pull their weight long term.

My treasures are a lesser part of my build but still critical. The Spliced Tree is probably the best of all the treasures, and it allows for amazing things, especially combined with Lost Legacy. Even with the Lost Legacy Palace I am taking the Pocket Dimension due to its size and its stasis effect. It can preserve important perishables I might not be able to save otherwise, and it gives me a critical lifeline in potentially dealing with my nemesis, the dragon, and other powerful enemies. If I can incapacitate someone (perhaps with a venom) I can trap them indefinitely (not an easy task but potentially easier than killing them outright), lastly with the threats I face a second chance is priceless.

The quests are pretty self-explanatory, but I did want to mention that I am going to try and get another companion with The Swarm. Also, I can duplicate the monster parts (including the core) from The Corpse King with the Spliced Tree and given that the core allows jumping a stage of cultivation (maybe even a little more with Perfect Conduit) I HAVE to get it and will go full law of the jungle to do so. I may not have to do that though because with the Lost Legacy time chamber my duplication could be rapid and supply the whole monster hunting team (but then again do I want them to know I can duplicate items?). Either way I plan to use the pocket dimension to grab the entire body. Place of Power is also worth the stage jump. Treasure Hunt will probably be the most worthwhile (even with Lost Legacy as you can never have enough) and I am really counting on Marie Su to help our team secure victory.

I knew I needed to take all the drawbacks but one so I took all, but as of this iteration it no longer has the tools to deal with Pseudo Fallen (and maybe it didn’t in the first place). The Deviated Form is basically a gimme which is good since I am required to take one anyway. The Parasite is annoying but not a dealbreaker and unlikely to be lethal once I find it due to my Shadow Spirit Sutra and gets me a point closer to another grand inheritance. Valuable is probably the hardest drawback and assuming I escape Earth the only one to haunt me forever but getting me a step closer to another Grand Inheritance is still worth it. It might also have interesting interactions with Thousand Venom Texts that hopefully discourage some cultivators (while encouraging others). Still venoms/poisons are still worth a ton in cultivation settings, so I am not expecting to alter the calculus that much. Even more so being incorporeal with Shadow Spirit Sutra will help offset this drawback.

Nemesis and Incursion are the real serious issues though. Incursion is mostly a matter of hiding which I have the tools to do. The Swordswomen is the real threat as she is going to have three grand inheritances, and fate will likely give them abilities that counter me such that a straight confrontation is a losing strategy. BUT this is also how cultivators get stronger. Every Devourer is salivating at that Dragon even if it is a Herculean task for example. The Swordswomen’s sword is almost guaranteed to be a Dharma Weapon, and she likely has a Weapon God Physique (Sword) as well, and if I was fate trying to screw over my build specifically, I would give her Void Body which wouldn’t get in the way of her single mindedness but screw me over big time. Tough challenges but the victory will be all the sweeter.

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Pub: 13 Jun 2025 22:40 UTC

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