"Do you want to learn from Your Excellency the Bishop?" Angela asked, a smile in her eyes.
"Of course. Learning to seek advice from authority is also a form of wisdom." Ning Xiuyuan admitted it frankly.
"The answer might disappoint you!"
"Oh?"
"His Excellency the Bishop follows the Doctrine of Unity. He's well versed in souls, the underworld, Hell, and related fields, and his power is incredibly formidable! That's also the choice of many important figures. However, I don't recommend that you take this path."
"Why?" Ning Xiuyuan asked with a curious look.
"Because this path means a higher risk of losing control!"
Angela gave her conclusion first, then continued explaining:
"There are many advantages to the Doctrine of Unity. First of all, the similarity between supernatural characteristics means that the supernatural rituals will also be very similar. This gives you an unparalleled advantage when fusing supernatural characteristics, allowing you to fuse more of them in a shorter period and rapidly increase your strength."
"At the same time, the similarity between the powers also allows them to complement and reinforce one another."
"But the drawbacks of this path are also obvious. Similar supernatural characteristics will cause the factors that lead to losing control within those characteristics to compound and influence one another. Very few superhumans who choose this path can reach the Fourth Ring realm, and the further they advance along the supernatural path, the more dangerous it becomes."
"Of course, no matter which path you choose, none of the later stages will be easy. The Doctrine of Unity is simply more difficult."
"Besides, the singularity of its abilities makes it very vulnerable to being countered. Only after reaching His Excellency the Bishop's level can one possess the ability to deal with most crises."
Listening to Angela's explanation, Ning Xiuyuan nodded, his eyes flickering.
"So, are you going to follow the Doctrine of Unity?" Angela couldn't help asking. "Or take some other supernatural path?"
"Hahaha, that's too idealistic a way of putting it." Ning Xiuyuan laughed.
"Why do you say that?" Angela asked in surprise.
"Whether it's the Doctrine of Unity, the Doctrine of Sevenfold Perfection, or even the Doctrine of the Hexagram, they all require specific supernatural characteristics. Can you guarantee that you'll encounter the ones you want every time?" Ning Xiuyuan said with a smile.
"That... I've never really thought about it." Angela seemed to realize something in a daze.
Supernatural characteristics weren't cabbages that could be bought wholesale at will, after all.
Everyone could only choose whatever was available.
Otherwise, they had to wait.
But if they waited, would they definitely get the supernatural characteristics they wanted?
Not necessarily.
That was why ideals and reality often came into conflict, ultimately forcing people to compromise with reality.
"We always think too much and do too little. Rather than agonizing over the supernatural path, we might as well walk the path beneath our feet." Ning Xiuyuan casually ladled out a bowl of chicken soup, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Mm, what you said makes sense." Angela nodded thoughtfully. "I was thinking too much."
Indeed, had Orlando ever agonized over his supernatural path?
He hadn't even seen a second supernatural characteristic.
As expected of Arthur—everything he said was so philosophical and farsighted.
That dinner had benefited Ning Xiuyuan greatly, and he vaguely formed some ideas about the supernatural path.
Clearly, the seemingly most difficult Doctrine of Unity might very well be the easiest supernatural path to follow.
Although the accumulation of supernatural characteristics increased the risk of losing control, the supernatural rituals were also relatively easier to complete, invisibly offsetting a considerable portion of that risk.
What if he chose another path?
For example, if he possessed a Disease Deceiver and a Beast Listener, one required him to cure the sick and save lives while spreading the healer's reputation, while the other required him to live in seclusion in the wilderness and keep company with beasts. No matter how he looked at it, those two rituals seemed fundamentally incompatible.
If two were already like this, what about three, four, or five?
Still, the singularity of the Doctrine of Unity's methods was also a major drawback.
Seen this way, none of the paths were easy to follow.
Sigh. It was still the same old saying: think too much, do too little.
For now, the most important thing was to completely fuse the supernatural characteristics he had already consumed, then consider his choice according to the actual circumstances.
If possible, he should collect as many supernatural characteristics as he could, giving himself more room to choose.
People said that those who suffered drought died of thirst, while those who suffered floods drowned.
Ever since becoming a church doctor, Ning Xiuyuan had gained a much deeper understanding of that saying.
His life had returned to how it had been before he discovered supernatural powers.
He patrolled the church three times a day, spending the rest of his time sitting in the outpatient room, spacing out and reading.
Oh, and occasionally controlling rats and birds to wander around.
Unfortunately, he hadn't triggered even a single "side quest." Sometimes, he even vaguely felt that this was simply an ordinary new world where industry had only just begun to emerge.
The priests who possessed mysterious and unfathomable supernatural powers were rarely seen in their daily lives, either. He had no idea what they were busy with.
The power of one's circle had once again revealed itself in this supernatural world.
The old saying about rushing to any doctor in a desperate situation hadn't come true, either.
Perhaps because the death rate was too high, the people here were extraordinarily "calm" about death.
Even when they knew they had an incurable disease, none of them came to his consulting room to try their luck.
Right!
Did he still remember the man who had first brought his father into Ning Xiuyuan's consulting room, only to ultimately refuse Ning Xiuyuan's treatment?
His name was Bunir.
His father had died on June 17.
Angela was the one who told Ning Xiuyuan about it.
When he heard the news, Ning Xiuyuan recalled that old face and fell into melancholy for a long while.
Actually, if that not-so-old man had been willing to let him try, Ning Xiuyuan could have handled it with ease.
What a pity...
Ning Xiuyuan sighed, not knowing what exactly he was regretting.
Still, it would be wrong to completely deny the old saying about rushing to any doctor in a desperate situation. On the sixth day after opening his practice, Ning Xiuyuan finally received his first customer willing to let him treat them.
"Uncle Arthur, can you help treat Bai Bai?"
Eve, the little nun who had just turned nine and would have been at most a fourth-grader on Earth, was already a "senior nurse" at the Church Hospital.
Her main duties involved miscellaneous chores such as serving tea and water.
At that moment, she was wearing a nun's habit washed until it had begun to pill. During her lunch break, she hugged a dying little white dog and gazed at Ning Xiuyuan with pleading eyes.
Ning Xiuyuan looked at the puppy in her arms, then at her pitiful expression. Suddenly, a classic character came to mind—Chihiro.
"If you trust me, I'm willing to take a look at it, Miss Eve." Ning Xiuyuan said.
"Can you cure it? A lot of people at the hospital say your medical skills don't seem very good." Eve wasn't happy. Instead, she blinked her big eyes and asked.
Damn—
The veins on Ning Xiuyuan's forehead twitched, but he held back his profanity.
He consoled himself: Children's words are harmless, children's words are harmless.
"What do you think?"
"I... I don't know."
"Remember this, child: hearing is believing, but seeing is believing. You can only know whether something is true or false after experiencing it yourself."
Ning Xiuyuan had originally wanted to lecture her, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. He ought to avoid acting like a teacher.
"Put the puppy on the table."
"Okay." Eve hurriedly placed the dying puppy on the table.
After a brief examination, Ning Xiuyuan identified the cause of the illness—canine distemper.
He had two ways to treat it.
First, use the power of the Disease Deceiver to carry out deception;
Second, use the power of the Plague Disciple to kill the virus directly.
Ning Xiuyuan chose deception.
"It has canine distemper, with a mortality rate of over eighty percent. Luckily, you ran into me. Here, I'll write you a prescription. Go get some medicine. Also, dogs with canine distemper will show signs of loss of appetite. That's a major taboo. Even if you have to force-feed it, you need to give it something to eat."
As he instructed her, Ning Xiuyuan casually wrote out a prescription for some ordinary medicine that wasn't worth much.
"Thank you, Uncle Arthur!"
Eve took the prescription, happily hugged the puppy, and ran out of the consulting room.
At that moment, seven or eight little nuns around eleven or twelve years old were skulking outside the consulting room.
They were clearly rather afraid of Ning Xiuyuan.
That was why they had deliberately "bullied" the youngest, Eve, into coming inside.
When Eve ran out with the puppy, the little nuns immediately erupted, chattering as they carried the puppy straight to the pharmacy.
Watching this scene, Ning Xiuyuan couldn't help smiling.
People said that everything was difficult at the beginning.
After Eve's successful first case, Ning Xiuyuan suddenly found his luck turning around.
At dusk, he had just finished patrolling the church when an older woman suddenly rushed over and grabbed him.
"Mr. Arthur, you have to save my daughter!"
"What happened?"
Ning Xiuyuan remained calm on the surface, but he was overjoyed inside. The opportunity has arrived.
"I—I... My daughter... She's having a difficult birth. I heard men are stronger, so you must help us!" The older woman babbled incoherently, grabbing Ning Xiuyuan and running without giving him a chance to refuse.
A life was at stake!
Ning Xiuyuan followed without a second thought.
The ensuing run took them through streets and alleys, making quite a spectacle. Who knew how many people saw it and grew curious.
Some even pedaled after them on bicycles.
Ning Xiuyuan was secretly delighted at the sight, his whole body brimming with energy.
It took quite some time before they reached their destination, which seemed to be a slum in Francis.
"Where is she?" Ning Xiuyuan asked.
The older woman was too exhausted to speak. Panting heavily, she pulled Ning Xiuyuan to a fence haphazardly woven from broken pieces of wood, then pointed inside at a plump old sow lying in the mud and panting just as heavily.
"This is the... daughter you were talking about?" Ning Xiuyuan was dumbfounded.
Before you continue