Ritual

"Stabilization, Overflow, Refinement, Return, and Ascension."

"The Three Essences are not only the foundation of supernatural power but also the foundation of human existence."

"These three forces sustain human life."

"As mentioned before, people unconsciously emit spiritual energy when they praise certain legends. In reality, it's not just praise or spiritual energy—every human action consumes the Three Essences."

"Spiritual energy is always present, maintaining the operation of the soul and hidden within it."

"Sorcerers extract spiritual energy through meditation. Advanced meditation techniques then use this energy to sustain the soul actively, reducing the passive dissipation of spiritual energy and accumulating more of it."

"Knights do the same, actively maintaining their bodies, finely controlling the consumption of life force, enabling them to absorb more nutrients from food, and making each training session more effective."

"This is the first stage of extraordinary cultivation: Stabilization. It's about better maintaining one's life and soul to accumulate more life force and spiritual energy."

"Soul and life are inherent, but natural energy is hard to truly control, even though it's constantly being absorbed through eating and breathing. Hence, professions primarily using natural energy are rare."

"Healers, while focusing on natural energy, face significant limitations. Their cultivation heavily depends on resource acquisition."

"However, their advantage lies in a low threshold and low requirements for personal qualities."

"The second stage, Overflow, is achieved by those with talent in their respective professions. They can maintain themselves so well that their professional energy overflows."

"The third stage, Refinement, is closely linked to Overflow. It involves refining the overflowing energy through various methods."

"For example, knights refine their overflowing life force by establishing legends. Creating achievements is their cultivation method. Once these achievements are solidified, they evolve into nobility."

"The method of Refinement is known as the Solidification Ritual, or simply Ritual. The essence of a ritual is the communication between humans and the Three Essences, while the essence of the ritual itself is a permanent communication channel."

"After constructing this permanent communication channel, the fourth stage is Return. Using the stable structure of the ritual, one further enhances their essence. This stage tests the stability of the ritual."

"Many practitioners get stuck at this stage. The duration of the Return stage varies depending on the ritual."

"Once the Return stage is complete, the fifth stage is Ascension, where one's essence is significantly elevated."

"This outlines the general framework of professional cultivation. Some professions may deviate slightly from this framework. For instance, some special sorcerers combine Refinement with Stabilization."

"But generally, professions adhere to this framework. I'll gradually teach you more about each profession."

"So, what stage are you at, Kin?" Adam committed these concepts to memory and asked curiously.

"I'm at the Refinement stage," Kin replied, emitting a cloud of black smoke. "As a bloodline sorcerer, my primary ability is black smoke, which is my awakened bloodline ability. A bloodline is essentially a proto-ritual."

"However, it grows with you, similar to how an untrained person must go through the Stabilization, Overflow, and Refinement stages to become a stable ritual."

"Stabilization, Overflow, Refinement, Return, and Ascension are the stages of cultivation. I'll teach you the specific methods of cultivation. But your ability seems to convert life force and spiritual energy, which is more supportive. I can teach you the knight's training methods, but you'll have to figure out the sorcerer's methods on your own."

Kin's teaching was detailed and comprehensive. He could quickly answer any questions Adam had, helping Adam form a vague plan for his extraordinary path.

His weight ability gave him high talent in both life and soul paths. He could use the bloodline sorcerer's methods for cultivation, but his practical combat abilities wouldn't improve much due to the nature of his power.

Thus, Kin suggested that Adam dual-train as a knight and sorcerer, ultimately forming a unique profession through his bloodline ability.

The lesson went smoothly, and both Adam and Kin were satisfied with the first session. However, time was limited, and the lesson ended before midnight.

Despite having many questions about Kin, Adam rationally and emotionally deduced that Kin was someone he could currently trust.

So, Adam shared part of his plan.

"Why are you so eager to leave Roa, Nesser?" Kin could see Adam's urgency. His brown eyes stared into Adam's.

Kin knew Adam was a cautious person, but in some matters, he seemed very hasty, leading to several mistakes.

"Isn't it normal for a supernatural being to want to leave a theocratic country like Saint Tianyin?" Adam replied naturally, turning away when he noticed Kin's gaze lingering on his scar.

"The church's influence in the Loken Kingdom isn't as strong as in Saint Tianyin, but supernatural beings are still ostracized there. Besides, with the God Tears ritual to conceal your abnormalities, there's no need to be so hasty."

Kin didn't press further. Instead, he emphasized, "You don't need to be in such a rush, Nesser. You're still young."

"My cooperation with Mansura is limited to Roa City. I haven't interfered with the border defense. He always wanted to get rid of me but hesitated due to my strength and didn't want to cause a scene."

"His family's merit ritual is unstable, showing signs of falling. The resources from smuggling are his lifeline. He won't allow any mishaps. It's challenging to insert an outsider into the smuggling team."

Kin then seriously detailed his cooperation with Mansura, sharing what he knew with Adam.

"Lastly, be cautious. Mansura openly associates with a sorcerer, but he seems connected to some hidden force."

"Don't underestimate any noble, even those with failing merit rituals. Their foundations run deep."

"I understand," Adam nodded, preparing to leave. He had other matters to attend to tonight.

"And be careful," Kin advised, holding his bottle. "Shaya was once known as one of the Saint Tianyin Trio with Alva and another guy. He's formidable."

"Don't mess up in the church and expose me."

"Alva?" Adam turned back, surprised. Shaya, the head priest, was an old man, over eighty, while Alva looked middle-aged, around forty. They seemed close but were not contemporaries.

"I wasn't in Saint Tianyin then. I only know the name. Ask him yourself; isn't he your teacher too?" Kin shrugged nonchalantly.

Adam pondered briefly, then formally bid farewell and left Kin's cabin.

Before heading to his next destination, Adam released the bird to return to the Boku household, as they were still not well-trained and could cause trouble if they followed him.

With that done, he made his way to 17 South River Road.

Earlier, he had instructed the supernatural being Will to buy this house as the new meeting place for the organization he was forming. He had also promised to perform the God Tears ritual for Will tonight.

But Adam prioritized his learning, so he visited Kin first. Delaying the organization a bit would help establish a clear hierarchy within the group.

South River Road was in the southern civilian area, near the former moat, now filled in but retaining the name. It was near the slums and not far from the noble district.

Adam had observed the house before. It was vacant, in a strategic location with convenient transportation, easy escape routes, and hidden exits. It was suitable for secret gatherings.

Most importantly, it would save him the trouble of running around at night, freeing up more time.