Aura Of Heaviness

'An idiot can learn a lot more than an intelligent man.'

It was something Raymond had heard during his childhood days. At that time it sounded so absurd that he had nearly forgotten ever reading that line.

However, as he grew up, he began to understand the true meaning behind those words.

It was meant for people in unknown territories or situations without any familiarity. The more dumb you act, the more loose the people will be with their tongues and reveal more information.

Raymond believed it was one of the best non-aggressive approaches to gathering information. Naturally, when someone acts dumb, they aren't considered a threat by people, thus a high chance of relaxing their guard around someone like that.

Raymond almost laughed out loud when it worked against the WindGod. Who would've thought that a god would fall for such a simple manipulation technique?

"Ohh, so only I can perform this ritual? Can you explain how to do it? It would be better for you if I do this at the earliest, isn't it?" Raymond suggested.

[Ah, yes, yes! It would be for the better.] Galanor agreed.

'Damned bastard! If only a demigod could perform this ritual, why the hell did you ask Vivi to break your statue?' Raymond cursed inside his mind. He was not at all fooled by all the talks about fate and whatnot.

[Follow my instructions, young man. You will have my eternal gratitude if you can release me.]

"I will do my best," Raymond smiled faintly.

Suddenly a flash of light escaped from the statue and shot towards Raymond's forehead. Seeing as it was only a harmless spark of energy, he allowed it to enter his mind.

A series of runic inscriptions appeared inside his mind and Raymond closed his eyes to fully absorb the information.

[Young man, please etch that formation on the ground before we start.] Galanor said hastily.

"Alright." Raymond agreed after taking his time to digest all the new information inside his head. There were a lot of jumbled runes that made no sense to him.

However, he didn't need to know the meaning of the runes to draw them. As long as he could jot it down line for line from his memory and supply his mana, the runic formation would work.

[This is a simple set of runic formations that anyone can draw but only someone with the cultivation level of a demigod or above can activate it with their mana.] Galanor informed him to boost his confidence so that Raymond could hurry up and complete the formation.

Galanor was really itching to get out of his statue. It had been far too long since he was trapped inside— almost a thousand years or so.

Understandably, he was desperate to obtain his freedom and seek revenge against those who had wronged him in the past. He was willing to go to any length to avenge his death. Even though he was from the orthodox path, those things weren't worth a fart here since he was alone in this lower realm and there was nobody to punish him for his misdeeds.

Galanor was not willing to go through reincarnation and cultivate his way back to the top. It was a long and arduous path— something Galanor was reluctant to walk again. Hence when he saw Raymond and his incredibly powerful physical body, Galanor couldn't control himself.

If he took possession of that clueless brat's body, exacting his revenge would be a walk in the park. Scratch that, he could even take over the entire upper realm with his might. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him to take over Raymond and have that boundless physical strength for himself.

"Are you sure you don't want anyone else to draw these runes? Let me tell you, I have no prior experience in doing this. Don't blame me if I mess up." Raymond stated as he inscribed a few lines on the ground and purposefully missed a few strokes only to scratch everything and start from the beginning.

His foolish and elementary mistakes nearly drove Galanor insane. If he had his fleshly body, he would be pulling his hair in frustration.

[Young man, please pay attention while drawing. You need to make that snake head swallow its tail, not the other way around.] Galanor somehow managed to keep his voice steady as he instructed Raymond.

"Ahh! Sorry… I will draw it right this time!" Raymond pumped his fist into the air and said determinedly.

[Haha, take your time. It would be a miracle if you got it correct in the first few attempts.] Galanor encouraged while silently cursing him.

Raymond suppressed his smirk. The WindGod's voice was dipped in contempt as he instructed him and Raymond did not miss it.

"Hmmm? I think this is it! What do you think?" Raymond asked as he finished inscribing the runic formation on the ground.

[Perfect!] Galanor praised. [You should definitely take up the profession of runic masters. I believe you can achieve great things in that field.]

"Haha, if you say so… I wouldn't mind trying my hand at it." Raymond played along with his false praises.

"..."

[Well, what is it, young man? Why are you hesitating? You can ask if there is anything you want to know. I will try to answer to the best of my abilities.]

"Really?"

[Yes, it's the least I can do for you.]

"Uhm, then Senior, I have a few questions regarding my cultivation. I hope, …Senior can help me clear my doubts." Raymond bowed his head.

Galanor felt an inexplicable sense of pride for being called senior by Raymond. All this time, the brat had been talking to him as if they were both equals. It finally seemed like the young man had come to understand his place.

[Of course, I will help you.]

As much as Celestia was honestly trying to teach him, Raymond felt like he shouldn't completely rely on her for everything. It was basically exposing all of his secrets to her if he did everything according to what she was teaching him.

It did not sit well with Raymond knowing that there was someone who knew his powers in and out.

"Can Senior take a look at my mana and teach me a method to control it properly?" Raymond asked.

[Hah…! That was part of the deal, young man. Of course, you can let out your mana and I will take a look.]

"Then, please excuse me…" Raymond closed his eyes and brought his mana towards the tip of his finger, forming a teardrop.

-Voom!

Instantly the chamber became filled with soul-crushing aura.

[Kuh…! Stop it! I… I have seen enough!] Galanor quickly stopped him. His statue was showing visible cracks being this close to the source of that pressure. Even his remnant soul was feeling threatened.

"See, Senior! Every time I use my mana, it is like this. I can't even use any magical artefacts without destroying them." Raymond said with a sullen expression, appearing quite pitiful, though he was smiling inside after discovering that his mana had an adverse effect on the WindGod.

There was no way Raymond was going to release his soul from the statue without making sure there was a method to subdue him.

[Haa… it's such a pity that you are in this desolate place where there is no one qualified enough to give you proper guidance. Young man, once I gain my powers, I will definitely take you along with me.] Galanor sighed in melancholy.

"Um, Senior, what do you mean? Is there no solution to this problem?"

[Of course, there is. Who do you think you're talking to? Your problem isn't all that serious. It's just that you have never met anyone that could help you like me.]

"Then, please guide me, Senior."

[Young man, have you heard of the Six Paths to Godhood?]

"What are they, Senior? I have never heard of it."

[Haiz… I need to explain this from the beginning then. You see, once someone becomes a demigod, they can manifest one of the six signs that signify the beginning of their journey to become a god.]

"What are these signs?"

[They are an aura, a crown, a cape, a book, a thread, a ring. A person can have more than one depending on their element and their achievements in cultivation. In your case, you already have an aura that correlates to your impressive physical strength.]

"Huh? An aura?" Raymond asked. He thought he had a crown from what he had heard from Celestia.

[Yes. To be exact, it is the Aura of Heaviness. Only achievable by those who can shatter the world with their bare fists!]

"Is that so…?" Raymond clenched his fist harder and the space around it started to tremble.

[Stop it, young man. We are inside an artificially expanded space. We don't want any mishaps now, do we?] Galanor warned him.

"Ah, yes." Raymond relaxed his hand.

[Ahem! Where were we? Ahh… right! Your mana alone can never have that much effect on people. It is simply impossible to create pressure on souls using your mana pressure alone…] Galanor explained. With his vast experience, he could easily see through Raymond's problem. [Your aura is mixed with your mana since you have no control over it. What you need to do is divide them and it will be a lot easier to manipulate your mana as well as use your aura separately.]