Chapter 292: Courage and Compassion
“My plan is to sacrifice the corpses of Intermediate Monsters and Heroes to extract and transform them into a Vitality Substance. You will soak in this Vitality Substance and absorb the life force within to achieve a breakthrough.
“If you agree, we can start the experiment right now.”
Ancestar and Arno had no objections. Their physical strength had reached its limit about half a year ago. They often felt they were on the verge of a breakthrough, yet couldn’t quite cross that threshold.
It felt like trying to scratch an itch through a boot—the sole of the foot was incredibly itchy, but because the boot couldn’t be taken off, no matter how much one scratched through the thick sole, it wasn’t satisfying.
Arno said loudly, “Lord Ace, we will follow your lead.”
The three of them walked to Ace’s laboratory together. Arno and Ancestar sat down, meditating calmly to adjust their bodies and wills to the optimal state.
Ace set up the Sacrificial Magic Array, the Refining and Transformation Magic Array, and the Absorption Magic Array. He constantly fine-tuned the arrays and, after testing them a few times with Low-level Monsters, nodded to the two.
“Who wants to go first?”
Ancestar held Arno down and said clearly, “Lord Ace, I’ll go first.”
He believed that this ritual might have risks or deficiencies, so it was better for him to experiment first. If there were any problems, they would be exposed on him.
Ancestar stood in the center of the Absorption Magic Array. Ace placed the corpses of five Intermediate Monsters he obtained from the Salia Jungle onto the Sacrificial Magic Array, but he was not in a hurry to hold the Knight Promotion Ritual.
About half an hour later, Logan arrived, carrying a box of specially made Magical Cuisine.
“Lord Ace, this is the latest Nutritional Elixir I developed. I removed the influence of all flavors from this food, leaving only pure nutrition. Of course, the recipe is a secret, he-he!”
Ancestar and Arno opened the box and looked at the milky white Nutritional Elixir.
“It smells a bit fishy,” Arno said with a frown.
Ace also pinched his nose and said to them, “Although it doesn’t smell very good, this Nutritional Elixir is indeed the best food for replenishing vitality in the High Tower Territory currently. Your promotion may require replenishing a massive amount of vitality, so eat this first to improve your internal environment.”
Logan also laughed mischievously, “This is a Nutritional Elixir I developed and improved over four years after thousands of failures. The vitality power contained within is enough to support the bodily needs of a Formal Wizard.”
Arno glanced at Logan, who was wearing an oversized hat. He felt that the expression on this skinny old man’s face was particularly wicked. A Knight’s intuition told him that this old man seemed especially eager for him to drink it.
Under normal circumstances, Arno definitely wouldn’t drink it. But this was Ace’s order. After he and Ancestar confirmed it wasn’t poisonous, they pinched their noses and shared the elixir.
Vigorous vitality power rose slowly within their bodies and finally erupted. Ancestar dared not wait and quickly returned to the Absorption Magic Array. Logan left with the empty box, smiling beamingly.
Ace activated the Sacrificial Magic Array. The corpses of the five Intermediate Monsters were sacrificed into a mist of tribute, which was then turned into powerful liquid vitality power through the Refining and Transformation Magic Array, wrapping around Ancestar.
Slowly, the vitality power began to solidify, wrapping Ancestar like a silkworm cocoon, creating an environment of high-concentration, high-quality vitality inside the cocoon.
Ancestar felt the surging vitality power and the resonance between his internal and external environments. His heart beat powerfully, and that faintly visible Compassion Rune gradually solidified.
In a trance, Ancestar seemed to touch a light. He felt his power easily break through the checkpoint where he had lingered for so long.
“Light…”
Looking at Ancestar’s cocoon, Ace was surprised to discover something similar to the descent of the Wizards’ Collective Subconscious Sea. Something similar seemed to be descending. He expanded his perception to observe with all his might, using the cowlick on top of his head to try and understand this unknown entity.
Light, Virtue, Knight, Oath, Creed.
Boom!
Ace saw it. It was a group of horsemen, wandering everywhere to practice their ideals, eventually falling in a massacre. But they did not perish; instead, they turned into light, hiding on the ‘Outside of the World.’
In the instant Ancestar advanced to Formal Knight, the light overlapped with him and then departed.
“The Virtue Will of the horsemen actually turned into light after death, becoming an existence similar to but different from the Wizards’ Collective Subconscious Sea. Perhaps it can be called Virtue Holy Light?”
Ace murmured.
Arno, standing aside, was also called by the Virtue Holy Light. His heart followed suit, beating powerfully—thump-thump-thump. The Courage Rune in his heart gradually solidified. The power of vitality blended with the light of virtue, and the Nutritional Elixir Arno had just eaten turned into surging vitality, washing over his heart.
Arno’s heart slowly turned golden yellow. Courage Heart Power gurgled out from it, quickly spreading throughout his body. Arno advanced to Formal Knight!
Ancestar, breaking out of the cocoon, had a tear at the corner of his eye. In the Holy Light, he felt his master; he felt her. It was so warm, but unfortunately, it only lasted for an instant.
Ancestar felt his power, his aura climbing steadily. With every cycle the azure Compassion Heart Power flowed, his strength increased by a large margin.
Finally, his aura stabilized. Knights were different from Wizards; they didn’t need to construct additional Spell Models. The Virtue Runes in their hearts were the path they had long chosen.
Just as Ancestar smiled and was about to bow to thank Ace, he discovered that Arno had also advanced to Formal Knight.
“Arno is indeed a talented person, simply born for the path of the Knight. Just by observing my promotion, he naturally advanced!”
He said with a hint of envy.
“Not entirely. Arno is indeed very talented as a Knight, but without the light you attracted, Arno couldn’t have advanced either. What do you think that light was?”
Ace, who had been observing, sighed with emotion.
“I feel that the light was like a group of Knights. They encouraged me. Some walked the same path as I did, and they even shared their insights with me.”
Ancestar said.
By this time, Arno had also finished his promotion. Shrouded in golden light of courage, he inspired awe like a golden-armored warrior.
Arno gradually retracted the power into his heart, and the golden light dissipated.
“I… felt courage. I felt determination. I felt the fearlessness to proceed even if opposed by thousands.”
Looking at the two, Ace said somewhat sentimentally: “I always thought that your path and the path of Heroes had no essential difference. Today I discovered I was hugely mistaken.
“Although both prioritize the body and use the heart as the center of power, the most important thing for you is not the heart, but the Will condensed with Virtue Runes.
“Will is the most important thing for a Knight!”
As he spoke, Ace recalled one of his experiments where he bestowed a pseudo-Courage Rune upon a mortal without magical talent. Although the mortal didn’t possess Virtue Will, his heart still underwent changes. Perhaps he could research the path of the supernatural for mortals without magical talent from this angle.
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