68 The Beginning of Phase Three (1/2)
— Pangaea, South Ward, Dark Forest
One week later…
Light desperately tried to sneak into the forest through the small gaps in the trees. The foliage here was captivating but common. This area didn't possess dense spiritual energy, so only low levels of beasts and common medicinal herbs existed in this area. On the side of a tranquil stream 450 meters north of the dark cave that the team had been staking out, Aiken Moon was cultivating. He was wearing white linen clothes that Dessa had fashioned out from some of the clothes Jodye had requisitioned from their attackers.
In his hand was a stalk of Purity Feverfew, a bronze rank medicinal herb containing very mild spiritual energies, perfect for juniors aiming to practice Saint cultivation. Jodye Trill had given him 5 stalks of the Purity Feverfew, and helped him absorb the powers within so that he could break through the Fledgling Saint realm!
Currently, Aiken sat on a rock in the middle of the stream across from Jodye Trill in the lotus position. Jodye sat on an opposite rock and was also wearing plain white clothes, with [Pharaoh's Law] on his head. Using his divine awareness, he carefully helped Aiken Moon extract the pure spiritual energies and convert them into a pure force to temper his skin and muscles! While he was doing this Aiken chanted the first verse of the Azure World Epoch, summoning azure world essence from the void to do the same!
Unlike the others, Aiken had only barely reached the major completion level of mastery for verse one's first stanza before he starting experiencing a bit of trouble. However, now he could finally summon a bit of true essence on his own. Jodye even noted black dregs and contaminants leaking from Aiken Moon's pores. The kid could finish his breakthrough at any second!
Meanwhile, Dessa Chimes was in the bushes more than 100 meters away, watching a caravan transporting beast corpses and piles of energy crystals. On the side of the procession was the drawing of a vicious looking Crimson-claw Dragonhorse. Crimson-claw Dragonhorses are high-level Vicious Beasts. Even the weakest among these creatures were born at level 7. They also have a weak draconic bloodline!
This meant that they would undoubtedly become Tricksters if they advanced past level 9 vicious beast. Taking out a small pink-blue serenity crystal shard, Dessa Chimes covered her hand in a film of true essence and spoke into it, ”Mr. Jupiter, the Crimson Rider's trade caravan is already on the move!”
”Excellent! After I help Aiken stabilize his realm, we'll enter the cave,” Jodye Trill's voice was transmitted to Dessa's ears through true essence vibrations.
Dessa Chimes suddenly got excited and whispered, ”Mr. Jupiter, could it be? Did little Aiken breakthrough?”
”Indeed, it happened just as you contacted me. Now quickly withdraw, return before you are discovered,” finished Jodye as the crystal shard in Dessa's hand stopped glowing. Dessa wasted no time dashed back to the boys' location.
Aiken Moon was incomparably excited, he had even unconsciously changed his form of address towards this young phenom, ”Boss, I did it, I did it! I, Aiken Moon, the third son of Augustus Moon have become a dual path cultivator!”
”Slow your rolls, kid,” Jodye Trill berated, pouring cold water over Aiken's excited mood. ”Until I can break through into the True Saint realm and remove those fate curses, you're just a weak Fledgling Saint. Now clean up, next comes the fun part.”
…
— Host Space
”Didn't Autumn Saver say that there was a way to do it as long as you possess astral essence? Now that you've refined both of your lungs with worldly power, are you certain you can't remove those fate curses?” In the host space, Xavier gave the dragon soul a reminder.
”Ah!” replied the dragon soul. ”Indeed, I had almost forgotten about this.”
”Almost?”
…
— Dark Forest
”Boss, what will we do if we get caught by the Crimson Riders? Or what if we run into some high-level fiends?” Aiken Moon asked as he disrobed and jumped into the stream. He was still somewhat apprehensive about this.
”As long as the captain doesn't come to find us himself we'll be fine,” responded Jodye Trill indifferently.
”Okay, and if he does?!” asked Aiken Moon from the stream.
”Who knows? Maybe we'll die a graveless death,” Jodye Trill's words caused Aiken to turn pale. Jodye felt that this boy was indeed too cowardly. If he wasn't Dessa's friend, Jodye would have likely delivered him safely out of the Dark Forest and sent him on his way. After all, he had full confidence that he could take on anyone outside of the captain once he broke through to the Perfected Sophomore rank in his Sage cultivation path.
This day was also not too far away.
To reach the next sub-rank all he had to do was connect his origin veins to his origin pool to complete a process called ”Taking Root.”
His titan cultivation path may be able to progress as well once he refined his spirit points with astral essence force! He had been stuck at a bottleneck in his titan cultivation for quite some time now, and he was worried that level 9 of the Wimpy Man realm was his limit! If that were the case, he would have to start gathering resources in preparation for his ascension to the next realm. As for ascending to the next realm of the Sage and Saint paths, due to his shocking level of talent, there would be no significant obstacles.
Jodye's only challenge was comprehending a primary force concept! Once Jodye Trill's origin veins connected deep into his origin pool, and then his origin pool fused with his force genesis through his comprehension of a primary force concept, his body would undergo a brand new type of transformation!
In this world, only with a primary force concept comprehended could one be considered a martial expert! This was because once the origin pool fused with a force genesis, it would become an original force sea!
On Gaea, they referred to this as the origin sea.
Jodye Trill felt his three main paths were progressing smoothly. However, what he lacked the most in was his soul cultivation. Jodye calculated that if he could reach the difficult step of the second stage of the Cosmic Vision Scripture, his soul force would be elevated to the next level! That meant that under the effects of Pharaoh's Law, his soul attacks would be able to affect even the elite experts two realms above himself!
Of course, that was under the circumstance that he could survive long enough use it!
After thinking up to here, Jodye sat down and withdrew a serenity crystal from his space ring. This was the first gift his father had ever promised him. The serenity crystal emitted soft pink purple and blue lights. Using his soul force backed by the power of his stored spirit source, Jodye began absorbing serene energies from the energy crystal into his own right eye. Afterward, he would fuse the yin force of this serene energy into the divine spirit source of his right eye using his divine awareness.
Jodye had already mastered this process, as a few days earlier he had achieved the advanced Serene Sight stage of the Cosmic Vision Scripture! He now has an advanced Eye of Serenity! This meant he could perform the powerful soul attack, Serene Source Beam! Unfortunately, he could currently only use this attack three times before being drained of all his soul force. This would leave him in a completely vulnerable state, as without soul force his very existence would be unstable!
Realistically, he could only use this soul skill twice, for safety reasons. Using it a third time was suicidal for now.
Jodye Trill wondered what his mother would say if she knew he had mastered a soul class serenity force attack. She would likely applaud his efforts before making him work twice as hard. Jodye smiled wryly upon thinking of his mother. He could do nothing but hope that she and Kamila would be okay. Upon thinking of the unconscious Kamila and bound Isis Trilleck, his dormant astral points flared to life once more, causing him to forcefully remember his father's sacrifice to calm himself down. Losing himself in anger was pointless.
He had learned this lesson in his past life.
Without strength, all was for naught!
He had to obtain strength! Peak level strength!
Only then could he obtain the answers he's seeking, and obliterate that bald maniac who dared to touch his mother! This man was the first man in this lifetime that Jodye had decided to murder with all his heart.
”Do not worry over this, just do as we have discussed. We will find him, Jodye. However, first, you must become strong. That man is terrifying to the current you.” Sylvester reminded Jodye from the Host Space.
”Mn,” Jodye Trill nodded and continued his preparations. Not even his father was a match for that madman.
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