Dual Realm Exchange System

The panel that appeared before Damian immediately confirmed that his gamble had paid off.

[Feat Name: Divine Sense

Feat Category: Spirit

Effect 1: Grants Divine Sense, an advanced form of spiritual perception.

Effect 2: Base Spirit Sense range is calculated from WIS × PER, while Divine Sense doubles the resulting range.

Effect 3: Divine Sense may perceive the surrounding environment independently of the five physical senses, project limited spiritual force beyond the body, and extract deeper information from objects and living beings within its range.

Current WIS: 10.

Current PER: 3.

Current Base Spirit Sense Range: 30 Meters.

Current Divine Sense Range: 60 Meters.]

Damian’s attention immediately stopped on one particular line.

”Perception is... three?”

Charisma, Perception and Luck were Hidden Attributes in Valoria, meaning they normally did not appear on an ordinary Character Sheet.

Damian knew they existed and broadly understood their functions, but he had never actually seen his own numerical values.

Apparently, cared enough about Perception to expose the relevant number.

Damian almost felt insulted before remembering what kind of condition he had arrived in.

His eyesight had not been terrible, but years of exhaustion, overwork, poor sleep and constantly operating beneath stress had hardly been ideal circumstances for developing exceptional awareness.

More importantly, thirty meters of ordinary Spirit Sense would apparently already have been excellent by Shengyuan standards.

From Damian’s limited knowledge, someone newly entering Qi Condensation and naturally awakening Spirit Sense often possessed a range around ten meters.

Better foundations, stronger souls and unusual cultivation methods could increase that, but being born with thirty meters would already place someone well above the ordinary baseline.

And doubled his result outright to sixty meters.

Naturally, Damian activated it immediately and the world changed.

His eyes remained open, yet sight suddenly became almost irrelevant.

Damian perceived the carriage around him from every direction simultaneously.

He sensed the wooden floor beneath his boots, the wheels rotating below, the driver sitting several meters ahead, the horses pulling them through Central Lane, and pedestrians moving outside the carriage walls.

Above him, he could perceive the roof.

Below him, the road.

Behind him, another carriage approached from nearly forty meters away while two pedestrians moved aside to let it pass.

There was no front, no back, and certainly no blind spot.

Damian’s mouth slowly opened.

”This is ridiculous...”

The closest comparison he could produce came from video games.

It was like pausing a game, turning on Photo Mode, detaching the camera from the protagonist and moving it freely through the surrounding environment.

Except this was infinitely smoother.

Damian did not need to consciously rotate some imaginary camera.

Everything within his active focus simply existed inside his perception.

If he directed greater attention toward one location, the information became clearer. If he relaxed his focus, the area remained present as a general three-dimensional awareness surrounding him.

He experimentally closed his eyes, but nothing meaningful changed.

Damian could still perceive the carriage.

He covered his ears, but still nothing.

His physical senses had become supplementary rather than necessary.

”Holy shit.”

The carriage driver glanced backward. ”Everything alright, sir?”

”Perfectly fine!” Damian replied quickly.

Then he began experimenting.

A small copper coin rested inside his pocket, and Damian focused upon it through .

The coin trembled, causing his eyebrows to rise with interest.

Damian pushed mentally, and the coin slipped out from the pocket, floated several centimeters into the air and hovered beside his knee.

Damian’s grin widened.

He had unlocked Telekinesis!

While it was not an especially powerful form of telekinesis, it was still genuine telekinesis nonetheless!

Interestingly, manipulating objects did not seem to scale through Wisdom like the sensory range.

Rather, the force responded much more naturally to Intelligence.

Damian could feel the difference instinctively.

Wisdom and Perception established how much territory his spiritual awareness encompassed and how clearly he understood what existed there, while Intelligence seemed to determine how effectively his mind could impose deliberate force through that awareness.

At his current Intelligence of ten, Damian could move small objects easily enough and exert noticeable pressure on larger ones.

The closest comparison was having permanently attached to his mind.

Or perhaps possessing the Force while still being some young Padawan who had only recently figured out why making rocks float was apparently an essential Jedi educational milestone.

He floated the coin around his fingers without touching it, then he carefully lifted the latch on the carriage window with his mind.

Damian immediately laughed.

”This is basically free !”

Well... not entirely free, unfortunately.

He noticed the drain on his Mental Energy soon afterward.

Keeping active across its full sixty-meter radius consumed Mental Energy much faster than he expected, especially when he focused deeply upon multiple objects or used its telekinetic component.

The passive sensation was manageable within a small radius.

If Damian compressed his awareness to only several meters around himself, he could probably sustain it for minutes without serious trouble.

Using the entire range continuously was another matter, while any strong telekinetic push consumed even more.

Damian experimentally expanded his awareness across the full sixty meters, examined several people in detail, tracked a moving carriage and simultaneously lifted the copper coin.

His Mental Energy visibly dipped.

”Yeah, no.”

He released the technique, but the sudden return to ordinary perception was surprisingly uncomfortable.

For several seconds, having only two eyes felt primitive.

Damian rubbed his chin.

Most practical uses would therefore involve short pulses.

Activate the ability, scan what you wanted to scan, gather the necessary information, then deactivate it.

That was still excellent.

A broad sweep consumed more Mental Energy than some Level 1 spells depending upon how deeply Damian searched, but information could decide battles before the first spell was cast.

There were limitations as well.

When Damian examined nearby pedestrians, he could sense structures inside their bodies that ordinary vision could never reveal, like meridians, faint concentrations of supernatural energy, as well as general vitality.

He could even gain a vague impression of whether someone possessed strong or weak compatibility with certain forms of energy.

However, could not magically produce a Valorian Character Sheet.

Damian saw no Attributes, no Feats, no Classes, no Levels, nor any convenient floating names.

The ability originated from Shengyuan and naturally interpreted living beings through the concepts its own power system understood.

Still, that hardly disappointed him.

Especially when Damian remembered his real reason for selecting the Feat.

He activated again, and this time responded.

Damian froze as the supernatural clarity normally concentrated through his eyes spread through his entire spiritual perception.

Illusions, false appearances and concealed magical distortions within his active awareness suddenly became vulnerable to even when Damian was not physically looking at them.

Then reacted as well, as a faint Fey distortion several buildings away, something Damian would normally have needed to directly notice before recognizing, became perceptible at the edge of his Divine Sense.

His breathing stopped for a second.

”No fucking way...”

It worked...?

Anything Damian actively perceived through could potentially be examined by compatible perception Feats.

His eyes were no longer the sole gateway for nor were his physical senses no longer the only means through which could recognize Fey-space phenomena.

Damian leaned back in the carriage with a slowly widening smile.

This was disgusting, absolutely disgusting!

The only thing preventing him from keeping the combination active permanently was Mental Energy consumption.

Fortunately, that was a resource he could improve.

.....................

By the time Damian reached his store on Central Lane, the sky had grown dark.

The building remained brightly illuminated.

He immediately realized that the contractors had not left.

Several workers were still gathered inside, though most were sitting around rather than working, and Marissa stood near the main counter reviewing a document with the foreman.

Damian climbed down from the carriage.

Marissa noticed him first with a tight smile. ”Baron Baines!”

Damian grimaced. ”Sorry, very sorry. Something unexpectedly important happened and I completely lost track of time.”

Marissa glanced at the darkness outside with a teasing look. ”We noticed.”

The foreman laughed at that while Damian helplessly scratched his cheek. ”That’s fair.”

Fortunately, nobody appeared genuinely upset.

The work had already been completed, and they had simply waited because Marissa insisted Damian should personally inspect everything before the project was formally handed over.

She immediately shifted back into professional mode. ”If you’re ready, I’ll give you the final tour.”

”Please.” Damian assented with a nod.

The first floor looked completely transformed, with freshly polished shelving lining the walls, the reinforced counters finished and treated, protective enchantments covering the main windows without visibly obstructing them, while the storage room now possessed both physical locks and magical security.

The flooring had been cleaned, repaired and polished, and even the lighting had been improved.

The second floor looked better still.

Damian’s private office had been furnished with a large desk, comfortable chairs, document cabinets and enough shelving for business records.

The VIP rooms were tasteful without becoming ostentatious, possessing softer seating, private tables and basic soundproofing enchantments.

By the end of the tour, Damian was thoroughly satisfied.

”You did excellent work,” Damian praised sincerely.

The exhausted workers brightened, especially when Damian reached into his Bag of Holding.

He had already paid for the renovations, but that did not mean good work should go unrewarded.

Each worker received ten Copper as a respectable personal tip.

Then Damian added a Cleansing Talisman and ten Grain Avoidance Pills to each worker’s reward.

The reactions became considerably stronger.

”Ten of these pills will feed someone for seventy days under ordinary conditions. The Cleansing Talisman does exactly what the name suggests.” Damian explained.

The foreman stared at the small bundle in his hands. ”Baron Baines... all of this is ours?”

”Consider it a completion bonus.” Damian affirmed with a smile.

Damian then approached Marissa separately. ”For you.”

He gave her fifty Copper, a small one-pound bag of Spirit Rice, and a Purification Talisman.

Marissa looked at the unfamiliar items.

”The Spirit Rice is considerably more nourishing than ordinary grain and helps recovery. The Purification Talisman is much more valuable. It can remove most ordinary bacterial and viral illnesses, minor poisons, low-grade curses and several weaker magical ailments,” Damian explained.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Marissa slowly looked down at the talisman, and several workers nearby had obviously overheard him.

Damian smiled. ”Yes, I will be selling these.”

That gained everyone’s attention.

”The store opens tomorrow. If you want additional Grain Avoidance Pills, Cleansing Talismans, Spirit Rice or anything similar, you can come as customers.”

The foreman brightened, but Damian immediately raised one finger.

”Before anyone becomes too excited, understand that some of these products are extremely expensive.”

Several smiles weakened.

Damian chuckled.

He had warned them.

.....................

Kellan and the seven children were waiting near the rear of the first floor.

They had apparently arrived during the late afternoon exactly as Damian ordered, then spent several hours helping the contractors sweep, carry smaller materials and clean whatever they could manage.

The younger children were exhausted, two were asleep against each other near the wall while another little girl sat with her head repeatedly falling forward before jerking awake.

Kellan remained stubbornly upright.

Damian clapped his hands softly. ”Alright, everyone. Come here for a moment.”

The children gathered around, and Damian crouched slightly so the smaller ones did not have to crane their necks.

”Starting soon, all of you will attend Rosewood Academy.”

Several tired faces immediately became more awake.

The academy provided broad foundational education before students increasingly specialized according to aptitude and future profession.

Damian had no intention of turning seven traumatized children into miniature soldiers.

They needed literacy, mathematics, history, social education and time to discover what they actually liked.

”What do you want to become when you’re older?” Damian asked.

The answers varied wildly.

One boy wanted to become a Fighter.

A younger girl wanted to become a healer because Eunice had impressed her.

Another wanted to work with animals.

One wanted to become a merchant.

A particularly sleepy little boy announced that he wanted to own an inn where monsters were forbidden from entering.

Damian did not laugh at him.

”That sounds like a perfectly respectable career.”

Their answers gave Damian enough direction.

Rosewood Academy could handle the basic education while specialized tutors, Guild programs or future resources covered whatever paths emerged later.

”You do not need to decide your entire lives tonight. Study properly first, learn what you’re good at, then we’ll worry about the rest,” Damian explained.

The children nodded.

Damian called the waiting carriage back and sent all seven toward the longhouse.

Only Kellan remained behind.

”Come upstairs.” Damian instructed the silent and respectful young man.

.....................

Damian sat behind his new office desk while Kellan took the chair opposite him, the teenager looking like a nervous wreck.

Damian did not waste time.

”I told Eunice, Paulina, Julia and Janet a small part of this yesterday. You’ll know slightly more because what I’m planning requires your direct participation.”

Kellan straightened at that, alert as ever.

Damian explained that he possessed a unique Special Power as an Otherworlder.

He did not mention the Dual-Realm Exchange System nor did he mention Shengyuan.

But he admitted that his ability gave him access to unusual resources and methods of progression that ordinary Valorians did not possess.

Kellan listened silently.

When Damian explained that these methods were responsible for his own abnormal rise from Level 1 to Level 6, the teenager’s expression gradually changed from concentration to awe.

Even a countryside youth understood what that meant.

His new Lord and Master was not merely a talented Mage, but also possessed something capable of overturning the normal laws of advancement!

”Lord Damian, I swear upon Grandfather’s name that I will never reveal anything you teach me without your permission. Even if...” Kellan began, almost falling to his knees from the chair.

”Right, stop!” Damian raised a hand to calm the passionate youth.

Kellan blinked in surprise as Damian waved dismissively.

”If I thought you were the kind of person who would sell me out the moment somebody waved money in your face, you wouldn’t be sitting there.” Damian revealed with a smile.

Kellan swallowed at that, while Damian reached into his storage and removed the Spirit Root Testing Orb.

”Touch this.” He instructed.

Kellan stared at the crystal sphere warily. ”What does it do, Lord Damian?”

”Don’t be scared. It tests your elemental compatibility.” Damian explained with a chuckle.

That explanation was sufficient for the teen as he placed both hands against the orb.

Light appeared almost immediately, a weak five-colored one, even weaker than Damian’s original result.

Damian was unsurprised.

Valorians did not possess literal Shengyuan Spirit Roots, but they clearly possessed something functionally comparable in the form of mana sensitivity.

Otherwise, becoming a Mage would be impossible.

A prospective Mage needed to learn three Cantrips before entering the Class.

How exactly was someone supposed to learn a Cantrip if they could not sense and interact with mana?

The Spirit Root Testing Orb was simply translating that Valorian sensitivity into Shengyuan terminology.

Suddenly, the colors separated as red brightened dramatically and brown followed, while the remaining colors weakened until they were barely visible.

Damian rubbed his chin.

”Interesting.”

If translated into Shengyuan’s cultivation framework, Kellan possessed strong Fire and Earth affinity forming something close to a Low Grade Dual-Attribute Fire-Earth Spirit Root.

The remaining elemental affinities were closer to False Spirit Roots, technically present but barely useful.

Damian scratched his head.

’Indeed.’

Expecting every person he recruited to conveniently possess perfect Five Elements compatibility had been wishful thinking.

For non-Mage Preparatory Classes especially, specialization would probably be normal.

Damian glanced toward the cultivation manuals.

Kellan needed one additional Strength, one Dexterity and one Constitution to satisfy the physical requirements for Fighter.

Unfortunately, the Fire and Earth techniques did not solve all three simultaneously.

The Crimson Furnace Art improved Strength and Agility while the Mountain Root Foundation Art improved Strength and Constitution.

Neither raised Dexterity.

And simultaneously cultivating multiple foundation techniques was neither practical nor something Damian intended to gamble with.

Kellan noticed his expression. ”Lord Damian, if there is a problem, please don’t trouble yourself too much. I can still train normally. Grandpap always said that reaching something slowly is better than destroying yourself trying to reach it quickly.”

Damian slowly tapped one finger against the desk.

”Fuck it.”

Kellan blinked in confusion as Damian pulled out the Five Elements Harmonization Art.

”You’ll practice this.”

”But the orb...”

”Your compatibility is poor, not nonexistent. You can still use it. You’ll suffer slower growth because three of your affinities are weak, but Valoria’s environment should compensate enough to make the technique viable.”

Damian had hoped to reserve the superior Five Elements Harmonization Art for those with genuinely suitable compatibility, but Kellan did not need to cultivate it to some absurd height.

Body Tempering Level 2 was enough.

Two breakthroughs would grant a total of one Strength, one Dexterity, one Agility and one Constitution.

That would push Kellan directly over the Fighter requirements.

After awakening his Fighter Class, they could reconsider his long-term cultivation route.

Damian estimated that reaching Body Tempering Level 2 might take Kellan a month or two, and that sounded slow only when compared to Damian, but one absolutely could not compare the two.

When Damian began cultivating, he possessed seven Intelligence, eight Wisdom and ten Spirit.

His also translated into a complete Low Grade Five Elements compatibility rather than Kellan’s lopsided arrangement.

Even before and his later Feats, Damian taking six hours to enter Body Tempering Level 1 had been an absurd genius-level result.

An ordinary Low Grade cultivator matched properly to their technique might require a week to ten days merely to establish that first realm.

Kellan having poor compatibility with three elements would naturally take longer.

Still, Valoria’s mana should help enormously.

”Alright then, we’ll start by having you read this.” Damian instructed as he pushed the Five Elements Harmonization Art over to Kellan.

Kellan opened the manual and began reading with a look of rapt attention on his youthful face.

Soon, an hour passed.

Kellan had some confusion about the content, and Damian was forced to explain the first elemental circulation sequence again.

Then, two hours passed.

Kellan somehow confused the Metal element with the Water element, and Damian once again corrected him.

Now, three hours had passed, and Kellan finally sensed the basic route, then lost it halfway through.

Damian stared at the ceiling and suddenly understood why cultivation sects beat disciples with bamboo canes during the introductory phase.

By the fourth hour, Damian was seriously considering buying one.

”How? How did you manage to send the Fire route into the Water sequence again?” Damian demanded with more awe and puzzlement than anger.

That... that shouldn’t even be possible!

What kind of exceptional talent had he picked up?!

Kellan looked ashamed. ”I thought I felt the mana moving there.”

The process continued.

Damian had only needed to read the Five Elements Harmonization Art once before beginning cultivation whereas Kellan needed the same explanation repeated until Damian began wondering whether comprehension could somehow possess negative Attributes.

Still, the teenager never complained.

Every failed circulation only made him straighten his back and try again, and that stubbornness eventually paid off.

Shortly before ten at night, Kellan completed his first full circulation.

The faint mana around him entered the Five Elements Harmonization Art, moved awkwardly through the complete elemental cycle and finally settled inside his body.

Kellan’s eyes snapped open. ”I did it, Lord Damian!”

Damian released a breath he had apparently been holding for half an hour.

”Yes, Kellan. Yes, you did.”

The teenager looked as though someone had handed him a Legendary weapon. ”Lord Damian, I can feel it! It’s weak, but I can actually feel something moving through my body!”

”Good. Remember the route exactly and do not experiment. If anything feels painful instead of merely uncomfortable, stop immediately.” Damian warned with a serious tone.

”Yes!” Kellan practically bounced from the chair.

Damian pointed toward the door. ”Now go home.”

”But I can practice another—”

”Kellan.”

The teenager froze.

”Go. Home.”

”Errr... yes, Lord Damian!”

Kellan hurried out with excited steps, looking like he was going to forgo sleep to practice all night.

The office door closed, and silence returned.

Damian slowly leaned backward in his chair, coming to the stark realization that teaching was exhausting and that fighting Dark Goblins might actually have been easier.

He rubbed both eyes and stared toward the ceiling.

There was still the updated third effect of to examine.

There were also business plans for tomorrow.

On top of that, inventory needed arranging, prices needed finalizing, and the store needed a name.

He should probably check whether Kellan had accidentally set himself on fire before morning.

Damian intended to think through all of it, but instead, his eyelids gradually became heavier and his head tilted against the chair.

And sometime before he realized what was happening, Damian quietly fell asleep inside his new office.