Path to Transcendence

Chapter 677: Darkness

Since he couldn’t train, he started to do other things. Stuff that would occupy his time.

For example, he began to cook more often. He planned to use his blanket as often as possible. And what better way to do that than to cook an outrageous amount of food? Not only that, but there were actual cooking classes he could attend freely.

He ended up going to several. One was a simple cooking class for people who weren’t really accustomed to it. But several specialty classes were offered. One of the more interesting classes was one that focused on monster preparation. It combined cooking and butchery of monsters together. Learning how to identify species and common bodily structures of monsters was just as important as properly cooking them.

He didn’t really do all that well on that identifying part, but he was pretty good with the practical aspects. He could butcher pretty well, especially with the aid of his Sharpness Concept. He was also really good at processing the toxins out of the monsters with his aura and fire mana.

When he was able to, he left the sect and went down to Burning Sun City. There were many markets down there, and he was able to explore a whole new world of cuisine. He didn’t know if it was because the sect focused on fire techniques, but he found that there was a lot of spicy cuisine around the city.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of pepper and peppercorn species. He would head to the market and gather a bunch of random ingredients before taking them back to the pavilion, where he would cook for himself and occasionally Cassandra when she decided to drop by.

He was far away from the best cook, but his blanket gave him an unfair advantage. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was still pretty good. He ran a couple of tests to see how much the blanket would enhance the food and found that there was only so much it could do if the source was subpar.

For example, if he were to eat a pile of shit, it wouldn’t magically become the most delicious thing in the world. It needed to have some value and be good on its own. But it wasn’t so simple.

For example, he tried it on spicy foods, and the other day he made something so spicy it was practically inedible. However, when he ate it on the blanket, it was still spicy as hell, and worryingly addictive.

He wanted to keep on eating it despite the pain it was causing. That created some interesting possibilities just in itself.

Cooking wasn’t the only thing he did, either. He began attending some crafting lessons. His mana constructs were pretty good, but he was interested in making them better. He had seen some of the disciplesʼ armor and weapons and realized he would never be able to replicate them with pure mana.

He also had a bunch of materials heʼd taken from the Heavenly Crane disciples, so he was thinking he could make something for himself to use. Thus, he began making various items in his free time or whenever the workshop was available.

He was lucky and didn’t need a forge to start crafting. His fire was more than hot enough to melt the metal he was working on. He might need something different for the more expensive and valuable materials, but for now, while he was starting, his fire was more than enough.

He got started on simple stuff, things like daggers and staves. It was harder than it looked. He was required to heat up the metal to the exact temperature without a gauge to tell him. If he had a real forge, he might have been able to avoid this. Fortunately, his control over his flames was pretty good, and he trusted his senses.

Shaping the metal into what he wanted was the hard part. To start, he folded the metal into itself, strengthening it as a whole, and since he had kinetic energy, this wasn’t impossible. This process also removed impurities from the metal.

But as he shaped it into what he wanted, the metal seemed to fight back no matter how much heat or force he applied. And if he used too much, he would end up with a piece of molten slag.

But despite his troubles, he liked to think he had some talent for it. The actual aesthetics of his creations were uglier than a wart-infested goblin, but they were pretty strong. He did his best to make it pretty, but it was much more difficult to manipulate metal versus pure mana.

Still, it was a good way to get his mind off things.

While his artistic ability was dogshit, he was pretty good with enchantments. He already had an idea of this since he constantly played with the enchantments in his lessons, but that was more about modifying what was already created. This time, he had to create things from scratch.

There were countless various enchanting styles to choose from. Many people decided to study the more rigid, structured runic enchantments. But he strayed away from this. He learned what he could, but he found himself focusing on intent and instinctual enchantments.

According to the teachers, this wasn’t something easily done and usually accomplished after many years of practice, but apparently, he had a knack for it. Most likely due to his willpower and techniques that already require similar skills.

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The main issue was that this style was a bit volatile and explosive. He’d already blown up several of his creations, and one of them almost took his head off because of how much mana he channeled into it.

At least, he was enjoying this time. He rarely got the chance to explore new stuff like this, and it was a nice change of pace. The whole not-training thing was also nice. He could see why people liked it so much.

However, after another month of this, he finally recovered. The fatigue that had plagued his body for the past couple of months was almost entirely gone. There were still some things he needed to be mindful of, but he was starting to feel a lot better. His soul and the connection to his skills had similarly recovered.

He still wanted to wait a few more days before using the Radiant Flame Berry. For the moment, it was sitting in his dimensional space. He wanted to make sure he was fully prepared before consuming it.

It was also during this time that the Solstice Festival rolled around. It was one of the sect’s largest events of the year, and it was quite the sight to see. Maya had already dragged him around to see various booths and events.

He also used his Lightweave Necklace to alter his appearance slightly so that he wasn’t recognized while exploring on his own. While in disguise, he took time to watch some of the exhibition fights.

He noticed that many of the disciples who attended his lessons were taking part in these fights. And to his satisfaction, they were destroying their opponents with ease. He had expected this, though. He knew better than anyone else the improvements they had all made to their auras and willpower. He knew because he had to constantly adjust his lessons around it.

But not everyone in the sect had been paying that close attention to these disciples. It was obvious they were shocked by the strength of his students. There were some people who stood out even amongst the rest.

Thera and Rhys were two of them.

Though Thera in particular was a monster. She was already extremely strong for a Tier 3, and her instincts when it came to combat and swordsmanship were supernatural. He knew that she didn’t have the spatial perception skills he did. Although she hinted to him that she had a skill that combined her perception and reflexes, enabling her to react almost instantaneously. Still, there were times when it felt like she could see everything around her. Nothing caught her off guard.

Her strength reminded him of Eren. A person who had given Julius a very tough time during their last battle. He couldn’t help but be curious about who would win if they fought.

He was confident that Eren would have beaten her ninety-nine times out of a hundred, but that was before she refined her willpower. But now, he wasn’t so sure. Eren had the advantage of long-range attacks and more versatile skills, but Thera’s skill with a sword and close combat was something else.

Not a single person she fought in these exhibition matches could touch her.

While he watched all the fights unfold, he made sure to note areas where he felt they could improve, specifically their auras or willpower. He would try to help them after the festival was over.

However, there was one thing he was really excited about regarding the festival. Cassandra had hinted that there would be a special event for the sectʼs disciples. She didn’t really explain much else, but he assumed it must be pretty good because, as the days got closer, rumors must have leaked out and people were very excited.

And soon enough, he was alerted that it would be starting soon, and so without wasting any time, he went over to see what kind of surprise the event the sect had set up. The crowd was a hassle, though, and when he arrived, he felt like he’d just gone ten rounds with that Tier 5 ant who smashed his head in.

They were all waiting inside a very large courtyard. It was one of the courtyards used for large gatherings like this, and it could barely fit everyone inside. But they were able to fit, albeit squished together like sardines in a can.

He was still wearing his disguise, so people didn’t recognize him. And not long after everyone arrived, he saw Cassandra walking up on a tall podium. Unlike usual, she wasn’t restraining her aura; it was blaring out proudly and with force.

She wasn’t trying to hurt the spectators, but she wasn’t going out of her way to coddle them either. But it seemed like that was the purpose. She stared at the thousands upon thousands of gathered people below her before smiling gently and warmly.

“The Solstice Festival is a unique celebration. Once every year, when the heavens reach their turning point and the balance between light and darkness thins, the spiritual tides of this world become unstable. Mana surges more freely. Intent grows clearer. The Concepts and other laws of reality become easier to perceive. It also presents an opportunity for all of you.”

She paused, looking at the crowd once again, not a single person was talking, they were all listening intently to her with wide eyes.

“This year, we decided to do something a little different. Instead of a seminar or a lesson from one of the grand elders or myself. We decided to give you all an opportunity. By exploiting the Solstice, we have created a special space for you all to test yourselves. To see whether or not you can seize this opportunity.

Within the Solstice Grounds, you will be forced to temper more than the strength of your mind or body. Your spirit will be forced to overcome your fears, your weaknesses, and your pride. Some of you will emerge stronger. Some will fail. But the few who manage to overcome this will gain something far more valuable.

Remember, true advancement is not born from comfort. Many of you have reached bottlenecks because you mistake repetition for growth. Swinging a blade ten thousand times means nothing if the heart behind the strike remains stagnant. These Solstice Grounds were created to shatter stagnation. To place you inside a place where instinct, comprehension, and will are forced to evolve.”

She said to the dead-quiet crowd of people, all of whom were staring wide-eyed at her.

“The rest remains up to you,” she finished before walking off the stage, her aura and presence still lingering on the platform even when she disappeared.

Julius was impressed by her speech. He sometimes forgot that she was the vice sect leader of one of the most powerful sects in Corvus. It was times like these that he was reminded of that.

On another note, many people looked unnerved, unsure of what they were expected to do. But there were people like Julius, who smirked upon hearing this, even when a curtain of darkness enveloped all of them.