Great Terror Between Life and Death

This was the first time Rein had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, and also his first "failure".

The key issue is that he still doesn't know exactly where he went wrong, which is very frustrating.

With his "Mind Core," he could find shortcuts to almost any method he practiced, making it nearly effortless. However, the system couldn't offer him any help with things that required "comprehension."

Upon hearing this, Bazel opened his eyes and ceased his meditation.

He glanced at Rein, his expression mocking, and said, "Oh, you failed? I thought you were some kind of prodigy who could learn everything in one go."

This is incredibly tasteless; they even kick someone when they're down.

Rein rolled his eyes. Looking at the guy's expression, he knew exactly what was going on. This guy probably already knew this outcome and was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

But he also knew that this silly legend didn't mean any harm; it was just a bit sour.

Having become so familiar with each other, Rein didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Senior, you seem to know that I would fail?"

Bazel shrugged noncommittally and said, "Normally you should have failed. But I thought you'd just ignore this bottleneck again with your monstrous talent of 'learning in one go'."

He paused, then added, "Now it seems not."

It seems that this comedic legend was in a good mood watching Rein get his comeuppance.

With a bitter expression, Rein muttered, "What do you mean I'm supposed to fail?"

Bazel shrugged and asked, "Otherwise, why do you think the vast majority of top nobles, who are not short of money or resources, are stuck at the Third Tier of the Transcendent?"

"Ah?"

Upon hearing this, a thought suddenly struck Rein, and he felt as if he had realized something.

This world is a monarchical autocracy, where top nobles control the vast majority of social resources. They have the resources to accumulate, and even without exceptional talent or diligence, the consumption of magic crystals through drugs is enough to propel them to the Third Tier Transcendent Realm. However, advancing to the Fourth Tier is extremely rare.

Even the current emperor of Omar, Spurglin XV, is stuck at the Third Tier of the Transcendent!

Clearly, they, like themselves, had not yet condensed the "momentum" of fighting spirit.

Before his thoughts could even settle, Bazel continued, "Rein, what do you think is the difference between you and those pampered nobles?"

"."

Rein thought about it and immediately understood what was going on.

My current situation is exactly what top-tier aristocratic treatment is like; there's no difference between us!

He lacks no resources and is protected by a large number of super experts. Even Emperor Oma probably doesn't have such good treatment.

His eyes flickered as he looked at Bazel, asking thoughtfully, "Is my inability to condense 'momentum' due to the current environment?"

"You are very smart."

Bazel nodded, and didn't beat around the bush any further.

His nonchalant expression vanished, replaced by a slightly serious tone as he said, "To understand why you failed to condense the 'Beast's Might,' you first need to understand why the Third Tier is such a Transcendent threshold for transcendence!"

"Oh?"

Rein raised an eyebrow, his face showing a serious expression of listening attentively.

Bazel's expression hardened, and he continued, "Only when your Third Tier battle qi condenses into 'momentum' does it begin to gradually acquire a soul; only then can you further comprehend 'fist intent' and advance to the Fourth Tier; only after mastering 'intent' can you touch upon 'laws' and advance to the fifth tier; and only after that can you possibly comprehend the 'Demonic Dissection Secret Technique' and step into the legendary realm. Each of these steps is crucial and indispensable. Otherwise, if your foundation isn't solid, even if you were given a 'Divine Power Crystal' by the time you reach the Fifth-tier Extraordinary, you wouldn't be able to touch upon higher levels of power. Trying to reach the heavens in one step without climbing the steps—there's no such easy thing in this world!"

Third Tier "potential";

Fourth Tier "meaning";

Fifth-order "law";

Then comes the "legend"!

These are the major hurdles for High-tier Extraordinary.

It was only after failing once that Rein truly understood the difficulties of the path to Transcendent.

It was like a smooth road leading to the foot of a majestic mountain, where the first step up the mountain was blocked.

"Then, senior, what should I do?" Rein asked.

The path to Transcendent is not as easy as it seems.

Upon hearing this, Bazel said something meaningful.

Instead of answering immediately, he narrowed his eyes and asked Rein, "Rein, before answering your question, I want to ask you one first. Are you determined to comprehend 'momentum'?"

Without hesitation, Rein replied, "Yes!"

This was an idea I'd considered a thousand times over. With such wonderful conditions, it would be a waste of this trip if I didn't go and see the scenery atop this Transcendent mountain.

Bazel raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. "Yes. I also think it would be a waste if you really gave up all that powerful battle qi to force your way into the Third Tier and ended up only in the second tier."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I thought that now that you've become the city lord, you'd want to start enjoying life like those noble gentlemen. But if that's the case, I'll save myself some trouble."

"No! I'm very clear about my goal. It's not enjoyment, but Transcendent!"

Rein also realized that although Bazel spoke roughly, he meant well and was trying to warn him.

My current life is indeed too "comfortable".

Even though he had figured out the reason, he still couldn't understand the connection between the two.

He then asked, "Senior Bazel, although I understand some of what you said, I still don't understand why I failed to gather 'momentum'?"

Upon hearing this, Bazel didn't answer but instead asked, "You've failed once now, what do you feel is wrong?"

After thinking carefully, Rein said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "I always feel like I'm missing something, that I can't quite grasp the domineering nature of the 'Thunder Tiger,' which is why I can't condense the form of the Thunder Tiger with my battle qi."

Bazel smiled enigmatically, "Tsk tsk, you're quite quick to understand, kid."

Rein's eyes lit up, and he immediately realized. "The problem lies in sensing the domineering aura of 'Thunder Tiger'?"

"To gather the 'momentum' of fighting spirit, one must know what 'momentum' really is!"

Bazel nodded and said, "You won't understand just by talking. Take a good look; this is the 'Beast Power' I condensed at the Third Tier of the Transcendent, and you'll understand why."

Having said that, Bazel didn't say anything more. Suddenly, his expression hardened, and his fighting spirit erupted.

Then, the blood-red battle aura slowly condensed behind him into a lifelike blood-red giant wolf!

The giant wolf was majestic and awe-inspiring, with every detail clearly visible.

What captivated Rein even more was that he saw a bloodthirsty ferocity and savagery in the eyes of a giant wolf formed from battle aura, as if it were about to pounce on him and tear him to shreds.

"This"

Upon seeing this, Rein suddenly realized what was going on.

This is the "Wolf's Momentum"—fierce, violent, and ruthless!

The demonstration lasted only a few breaths before Bazel's imposing aura dissipated. The oppressive ferocity that had gripped the room vanished completely.

He looked at Rein, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Rein, now you understand, right?"

"Um"

Rein's eyes darted around, feeling as if he had mastered nine out of ten orifices, but still had one that he didn't understand.

I understand now, but another problem has arisen.

How can he do it if the "Thunder Tiger" he has gathered on his own lacks that domineering "momentum"?

He was certain that if he were to try to comprehend it again, it would be no different from the last time, except that he would waste another precious magic core.

Bazel seemed to see his confusion and said directly, "Kid, 'insight' isn't something you can achieve by sitting still and meditating. Otherwise, with this cultivation environment, if you meditated and secluded yourself here for decades, wouldn't you be invincible when you came out?"

Invincible?

If you can't even get past Third Tier, how can you be invincible?!

Rein listened, lost in thought.

"The biggest problem with your inability to grasp the 'momentum' is that you lack a sense of crisis!"

Bazel directly pointed out the reason, continuing, "Between life and death lies Great Terror and profound enlightenment. The path to Transcendent is inherently about breaking through the limits of human ability. Only by enduring 'Great Terror' that mortals cannot bear can one obtain Transcendent power that ordinary people cannot acquire."

"Haven't you noticed that you've faced almost no danger since you met me?"

Bazel choked on his words halfway through.

No crisis?

There's no crisis for the sparrow!

This guy is like a jinx; after the two of them got together, he almost lost his life several times.

Being a weakling Transcendent bodyguard is riskier than being the head of a phantom thief!

Thinking about how he had almost lost his life several times before, Bazel's expression turned strange, as if he were constipated.

You might say this kid isn't in danger, but if it were anyone else in that situation, they would have died a hundred times over.

But even when he faces a crisis, he always has a large group of experts helping him, and he always manages to escape danger.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to blurt out, "We werewolves have a proverb, which my father gave me, and now I'm giving it to you as well."

He paused for a moment before saying, "If a fledgling eagle doesn't risk its life to leap off a cliff, it will never be qualified to soar in the sky."

After listening to Bazel's words, Rein fell into deep reflection.

He couldn't understand the reason for "Thunder Tiger's" domineering nature.

What you see with your eyes is always someone else's.

Tigers in zoos and tigers in the mountains are the same species, but their "presence" is completely different.

He himself is now like a fat and strong zoo tiger, still able to take a bite of the food offered to him, but gradually losing his ability to hunt.

In a few years, he will probably be like those high-ranking nobles, enjoying everything that power brings. It's a kind of addictive "comfort zone".

Looking back now, Rein has also found the root of the problem.

As Bazel put it, he lacked a "sense of crisis".

Since having this legendary expert protecting him, he had a way out in his mind.

When faced with a crisis, his first thought isn't how to solve it himself, but rather that a legendary expert will protect him. Even in a deadly crisis, he'll think that if even Bazel can't help him, he might as well just wait to die.

It was a crisis, but not a sense of crisis.

The situation is even worse now. With Ymir by his side, the Kolman Warrior, Black Dragon City, and everything else within easy reach, he has everything he could ever want.

There's no need to worry about resources for spiritual practice anymore; food, clothing, shelter, and all other necessities for survival are taken care of.

Even when he went out hunting in the wilderness, he was always protected by a group of high-ranking Kolman Warrior.

Although it was still a battle, he never again felt that sense of having to face death at any moment.

Conversely, during his year with the "Weasel Bandit Group," he constantly walked on thin ice, striving solely for survival. It was then that he frequently faced life-or-death situations, experiencing the "Great Terror" and "great enlightenment" that Bazel spoke of. The martial arts he mastered became ruthless, cunning, and utterly ferocious.

At that time, he only knew some basic martial arts skills, but Bazel praised him highly.

Now that he has learned a high-level martial arts technique, this legend has never given him a second glance.

At that moment, seeing that Rein was deep in thought, Bazel shared his opinion.

He had high hopes for Rein and didn't want the Transcendent path of a junior who had truly amazed him to end here.

"I know you have a prodigious talent for learning everything. But talent is a double-edged sword. I've lived a long time and seen countless exceptionally gifted people who ultimately fade into obscurity. On the contrary, those who, while not the most gifted, persevere through hard work and dedication, are the ones who see the Transcendent and higher horizons."

"I told you before, martial arts without a soul are not your own. Even if you use your talent to learn a few of the six profound moves, once you reach the Third Tier, you will realize that those who can reach that level are all battle-hardened masters. Your six moves may fool low-level Transcendent, but you will definitely suffer a great loss against masters. First, condense your 'momentum', then comprehend the 'fist intent', only then will you be qualified to truly enter the realm of High-tier Extraordinary."

"Old man Mafat recommended the 'Thunder Tiger Magic Core' not only because it suits your Transcendent path, but more importantly, we all believe you have the heart to become a strong person. Rein, if you truly want to experience higher realms of the Transcendent, step out of your comfort zone and go out to gain some experience."

"."

After hearing this, Rein felt that he finally understood the path he needed to take in the future.

He looked at Bazel, the doubt in his eyes vanishing, replaced by unwavering determination, and said, "Senior, I'm planning to leave!"

Upon hearing this, Bazel smiled with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "Yes."