"Whoosh—"
The spear shot out like a dragon, yet when it came down in a slash, it carried immense force, its stance uncannily like that of wielding a blade.
The spear tip flickered—
Several cold flashes whizzed through the air.
The rivets tied to Little Green Bottles thudded into the wall.
"Hiss—"
The green bottles shattered, and dense dark-green bubbles rose one after another, corroding several large pits into the wall in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Bai Zhou pressed the mechanism button at the rear of the spear-Gun, raised it, and stared at the Cross Anchor in silence for a moment before turning to Ya beside him.
Ya's expression did not change. "I got some Chemical Materials from the research institute. They can increase the spear-Gun's power."
"But there isn't much left, so use them sparingly."
No, this was no longer a question of using them sparingly.
Bai Zhou wore an odd expression.
Who threw hidden weapons like these while stabbing someone with a spear?
How was anyone supposed to guard against that...?
"There are many more mechanisms like this on it. Take your time studying them."
"I also made two Explosive Crossbows. Don't fire them lightly. The button is here..."
As she spoke, Ya shook her head.
"Actually, this wasn't my intention... It was just that this broken spear was full of such designs, and I couldn't resist restoring some of them."
"So, many of the mechanisms have empty slots. If you have any ideas, you can fill them as you see fit."
Bai Zhou blinked his clear eyes.
Then, from the bottom of his heart, he commented—
"Brilliant design!"
The old him might have wondered whether this was a little too dishonorable.
But now, he only felt that it was just right.
Being honest meant dying. Being upright meant losing.
He could not forget the lessons of Ruins Realm civilization, not for a single moment!
"This is already very good."
Bai Zhou looked thoughtfully at the corroded pits in the wall.
"But... I think it can still be improved a little."
As he spoke, he carried the spear-Gun to the bedside and began feeling around near the headboard.
Before long, he pulled out a small pitch-black flashlight.
After joining the Special Management Department, he had received it as a P1 Specialist: a Military High-Intensity Flashlight.
Its defining feature was that it was bright.
Extremely bright. Wherever it shone was as bright as day, impossible to look at directly.
With a click, he secured the flashlight to the Caliper Interface near the spearhead.
Wearing a satisfied smile, Bai Zhou looked at Ya, whose eyes had widened, and said cheerfully:
"This way, the moment I thrust the spear, I can turn on the high-intensity flashlight. While they're dazzled, I can follow up with the flying nails..."
"It should work a little better."
Besides that, he had a few other wild ideas worth trying.
In Bai Zhou's eyes, this Mechanical Spear-Gun, covered in mechanisms and empty slots... had become a beloved oversized toy, something he could freely modify with his imagination.
"...What did you do back in Evening City again?" Ya asked uncertainly.
Bai Zhou's expression turned solemn. "I was a Three Good Student in the Youth Training Corps."
He had been a famously good child.
—It was all that damned civilization, and that sinister Swollen Giant Monster, that had led him astray!
His research into the oversized toy had to come to a temporary end.
Because special training was about to begin again.
The curtains were drawn, flames rose, and twelve hidden curtains hung within the shadows.
Bai Zhou solemnly picked up the familiar beyond familiar... Bench Leg once again.
No matter how flashy the spear-Gun was, it was still an external tool. Combat secret arts were what truly protected him.
He understood that much clearly.
Ya lightly leaped up and sat sideways atop the ribbon again, speaking calmly:
"You've improved very quickly lately. Your basic special training has progressed rapidly."
"By now, you should have felt the learning boost brought by your Destiny talent."
Bai Zhou nodded sincerely, deeply agreeing.
You never knew until you tried. Even he had been startled. For the first time in his life, he had experienced the perspective of a Genius.
It was as though he had suddenly become enlightened. His mind was extraordinarily active; he understood as soon as he learned, mastered as soon as he practiced, and could even draw inferences from one example to another.
Subjects that took others an entire semester to learn only required him to read through the books for one night. After Ya explained them, he could understand nearly all of it.
—That was what a Destiny talent of five chi four cun felt like.
For the first time, Bai Zhou's mindset shifted subtly.
Because for the first time, he clearly realized...
This was a "miracle" that his past self could never possibly achieve!
It seemed that he had truly been reborn, transformed beyond recognition from who he had once been.
...However, Bai Zhou's special training had progressed so quickly not only because of his Destiny talent, but also because of the accumulation within the Knowledge Mist.
The Gray Fog knowledge he had once thought useless had all become nourishment for his growth.
For example, a copy of Introduction to Sketching had been a tremendous help when Bai Zhou practiced copying runes.
As he used that knowledge, Bai Zhou seemed to "digest" it, gaining new insights into it.
Forget anything else—just take drawing.
Give him a drawing board, and he could set up a stall on the street selling paintings.
If he had possessed such a skill back in Evening City, he would have dared to eat three packs of Four-Flavor Instant Noodles every meal!
And with the third pack, he would have been extravagant enough not to drink the broth!
However, even with such talent and all that accumulated knowledge—
After three days, Bai Zhou still felt as though he had shed a layer of skin.
Ya was not a famous teacher. In fact, she had no teaching experience at all. She simply crammed everything into him in one overwhelming rush.
It was like trying to make up for over a decade of compulsory education for an adult in just a few days.
Bai Zhou had nearly choked to death from it.
"Fortunately, although the process was difficult, the results are gratifying."
Ya examined the current Bai Zhou and nodded approvingly.
A well-read man naturally carried an air of refinement.
With knowledge packed into his chest, even Bai Zhou's temperament had improved slightly.
"Next, we can begin advanced special training."
The flickering firelight illuminated Ya's iridescent eyes as she looked into Bai Zhou's.
"Without even asking, I know you want to start with the true secret art, Moon Ember, right?"
After swinging a blade tens of thousands of times in basic practice, tedious study needed something to look forward to.
Who would not want to slash out like Ya, killing and burning corpses in one smooth sequence?
It was so cool it barely seemed human.
—But at that moment, Ya's expression turned serious.
"However, there is something I need to warn you about first."
"What is it?"
"You have already taken the Enlightenment Potion and awakened your Destiny. The next step is to prepare to choose an Extraordinary Path."
An Extraordinary... Path?
Ya continued, "For Extraordinary beings in the first major stage, whether they meditate, cultivate, exercise, or practice yoga, all roads ultimately lead to the same destination."
"It is nothing more than the six aspects: body, heart, qi, essence, intent, and spirit."
"For example, the Confucian School of the Eastern Federation emphasizes cultivating the Six Arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics."
"These Six Arts correspond respectively to the six levels of advancement in an Extraordinary being's first major stage."
"If one can unify all six, elevate oneself, and stand at the peak of this field, one gains the qualifications to bear a [Title]."
"The previous inheritor of Moon Ember, [Twilight Flame], was such an existence."
A Title...
Bai Zhou could not help but yearn for it.
"And Moon Ember is a secret art of the Hunter Path, as well as a rare secret art capable of training both the 'body' and the 'heart' at once."
"Once you gain an introduction to Moon Ember, you can complete the elevation of the 'body' and become a Level 1 Hunter."
"—A true Extraordinary being."
Become... a Hunter?
Bai Zhou immediately thought of the Last Wills of the Black Robes.
He remembered mentions of a Level 4 Butcher and a Level 2 Vassal.
Ya reminded him:
"But that also means you will have stepped onto the Hunter Path. From then on, you can only use secret arts and inheritances of the Hunter Path."
"Otherwise..."
Ya paused briefly.
"Conflicting knowledge will cause an Extraordinary being to suffer mental collapse. In serious cases, they may lose control, or even die."
With a hum—
Shadows seemed to come alive and surge across the ground. Countless thin lines formed from shadows leaped up from the floor, gathering around Ya and bowing before her as she sat suspended in mid-air, recognizing her as King.
"By the way."
Sitting cross-legged atop the ribbon, Ya casually lifted several strands of shadow and added:
"I am also a Hunter who walks within the shadows."
"..."
Looking at those enormous shadows, which had nearly condensed into physical substance, Bai Zhou shuddered.
—Were you a Hunter... or a hunter of people?
So Bai Zhou cautiously asked, "Then is there anything else worth warning me about?"
He remembered Ya mentioning before he explored the mist that modern mystical knowledge was tightly monopolized by various factions.
But Ya was unquestionably a Hunter. She surely possessed vast knowledge related to Hunters.
Those who came before planted trees; those who came after enjoyed the shade.
With such a thick thigh right in front of him, if he did not choose the Hunter Path, what else was he supposed to choose?
"Enter the Hunter Path through Moon Ember, then steadily learn the knowledge I teach you."
"This is the only path I can prepare for you right now, and it is also the best path."
Ya sighed softly.
"But... it may not necessarily be the most suitable one."
"I don't understand."
Bai Zhou shook his head.
If it was the best, how could it not be suitable?
It could not be that his talent was insufficient...
"Because your Destiny is [Chen]," Ya said.
Bai Zhou had indeed told Ya that his Destiny was a sun.
Ya had been quite puzzled by it.
This Destiny was undoubtedly of the [Chen] attribute, yet its color was different from ordinary [Chen].
—Whose sun was white?
With a piercing screech of friction, Ya landed on the ground and pulled an iron table between them.
Several strands of shadow crawled onto the table, bringing over white paper and spreading it out. Under the firelight and shadows, it looked faintly yellowed and blurred.
There always seemed to be a trace of hoarseness in Ya's cold voice.
"Destiny is the principle of life. It reflects a person's essential nature."
"The essence of an Extraordinary Path is merely to strengthen one's Destiny and complete the ascent of one's life level."
"...Look here." A thread of flame danced at Ya's fingertips as she wrote across the paper on the table from a distance.
A faint scent of burning drifted through the air, thin wisps of smoke curling upward. Before long, a complex pattern appeared on the paper.
Bai Zhou leaned closer and discovered countless pitch-black lines twisting wildly, overlapping and interweaving into two trembling wings.
Under the firelight, a Moth formed from innumerable black lines sprang vividly onto the paper, as though it were about to break free from the parchment and fly away.
"This is [Moth]."
"Those with a Destiny of the [Moth] attribute can easily perceive currents, whispers, and the forms of indescribable things that ordinary people cannot touch."
"They are natural puzzle-solvers, and because of that, they are filled with curiosity toward all things."
Ya's voice paused, and her eyes lowered.
"But the price is that curiosity often invites lethal danger. The secrets they perceive may drag them into an eternal vortex of madness at any moment."
"—There is often only a thin line between the elegant Moth of Secrets and a mad moth drawn to flames."
The flames on the ground suddenly leaped upward, and the shifting light and shadows flickered violently across Ya's face.
Her fingertips moved, drawing another charred pattern on the paper.
"And this." Ya continued.
"[Ring]."
At first glance, the pattern looked like two circular rings entwining and separating. On closer inspection, however, it was merely a twisted ring-shaped trajectory. What was strange was that it seemed to have only one "side."
Bai Zhou thought of the Ouroboros symbol Ya had drawn last time. The two carried an indescribable resemblance.
"Those with this Destiny attribute often possess both reason and madness, good and evil as one. They excel at creating miracles in desperate situations."
"But the price is that fate toys with them, and will ultimately conquer them—"
"While granting them all sorts of hope, it has already prepared a destined ending of despair not far ahead."
Ya's descriptions of both [Moth] and [Ring] only scratched the surface, revealing merely the tip of the iceberg.
Yet even that was enough to set Bai Zhou's imagination racing.
"This world has black and white, yin and yang, the four symbols and five elements. Destiny, too, is divided into twelve attributes."
"They influence one's character, reflect one's past life, and foreshadow one's future fate. They are the most mysterious things in this world."
The firelight dimmed slightly. Beneath the shadows cast by layers of curtains, Ya's shadow gradually stretched out behind her.
"What I just mentioned, as well as your [Chen], are all one of those twelve."
Her fingertips moved once more, and both the moth and the ring vanished.
Only a Black Sun formed from chaotic lines remained suspended on the paper.
—Its name was [Chen].
"There is a secret that even few in the mysticism world know..."
Ya said,
"Actually, every Destiny attribute has an Extraordinary Path that suits it best."
"You can embark on any Path and become an Extraordinary One."
"But only by joining with that destined Path can your upper limit remain unconstrained."
"Not only can this grant secret techniques additional Destiny traits and multiply their power..."
"As the Path is further developed, you may even master special talents such as 'Spellless Casting' and 'Dangerous Intuition,' possessing miraculous effects beyond imagination."
Ya gently waved at the air before her.
"For example, me—"
"My Destiny attribute is naturally compatible with the Hunter Path, so through a fortunate coincidence, I obtained the power to command shadows."
The shadows beneath Ya's feet stirred like living creatures, immediately crawling outward. They spread and entwined around her ankles like growing thorns, then continued winding upward through the air.
They rose to the same height as Ya's gaze.
Ya gently raised her hand and plucked a pitch-black shadow rose from the tip of a thorn that had grown before her eyes.
"—Usually, people no longer call such individuals 'Extraordinary Ones.'"
"Because their futures lie far beyond those of ordinary Extraordinary Ones. They are lucky people blessed by knowledge and favored by fate."
"To distinguish them, people prefer to call them..."
"'Destined Ones.'"
"And the corresponding Paths are called Destiny Sequences! Or the Twelve Destiny Paths!"
Destiny... Twelve Paths.
Bai Zhou held his breath.
"Then the Destiny Sequence corresponding to my Destiny, [Chen], is...?"
He caught the implication behind Ya's words.
Ya was a Hunter, a Destined One.
But the Destiny Sequence corresponding to [Chen] was probably not "Hunter"...
"That is exactly what I wanted to tell you."
Ya scattered the Shadow Rose in her hand into the air and lowered her head to look at the Black Sun drawn on the paper atop the table.
"The reason Destined Ones are so difficult to find is that every Extraordinary Path is secretive and incomplete. Some Paths have simply been lost for ages."
"Even the Hunter Path I possess is far from complete..."
As she spoke, she shook her head.
"But regrettably, the Destiny Sequence corresponding to [Chen] disappeared centuries ago."
"The last two times Destined Ones of this Path appeared..."
"One was Zhu Yuanzhang, the [Ming Emperor] who buried the Eternal Heaven of the Grasslands in the Eastern Federation centuries ago."
"The other was the Beowulf Family, a secret and ancient Extraordinary family in Sweden of the Western Federation."
"Rumor has it that their ancestor was a Dragon Slayer who possessed a relatively complete inheritance of this Path... but the family was also annihilated seven hundred years ago."
As she spoke, Ya lightly traced a line across the table.
"This long-lost Path once had an exceptionally glorious history. During certain periods, it was even called the 'Dragon Slayer' Path..."
"And later, people came to uniformly call this Path..."
"[Adventurer]!"
A line of fire swept beneath her fingertip, and a symbol appeared beside the chaotic Black Sun.
The symbol was a diamond-shaped shield, with a sword and blade crossed before it.
"Balanced in offense and defense, daring to explore."
Ya introduced it,
"This is the corresponding symbol of the Adventurer Path."
"The Adventurer"... Path?
Bai Zhou's pupils contracted slightly.
He stared at the symbol on the table, his heart pounding.
The lost Adventurer Path...?
—But Sacred Oath Slash bore that exact same symbol.
In fact, symbols like this were scattered all over the ancient battlefield beneath the Inverted Giant City...
Everywhere!
Before you continue