The Purpose of the Experience Bar

"I..."

"Linsey..."

"Is... a..."

"Name... Red Moon... godson..."

"My name is Linsey. This is the church of the School of Death. I am Red Moon Lady's godson."

At first, Linsey had merely been copying what he saw, but after imitating it a few times,

his writing ability began improving at an astonishing rate!

One end of the branch lightly touched the ground, yet his muscles and brain felt as though they had practiced diligently for an entire day.

One independent character after another naturally appeared beneath his hand.

Linsey looked at his Attribute Panel.

The experience behind Common Language surged by several sections, directly filling the yellow Experience Bar.

Then the Experience Bar emptied.

The word "Beginner" appeared after Common Language.

Linsey sensed that some wondrous change had taken place.

"Whew—"

He took a breath and picked up the branch again. The tip of it made a continuous rustling sound against the ground.

This time, his writing was completely different from before.

Though his speed was still somewhat slow, he was no longer writing individual characters. Instead, a smooth sentence emerged beneath Linsey's hand:

"My name is Linsey. This is the church of the School of Death. I am Red Moon Lady's godson."

"..."

Linsey blinked and tossed the branch aside.

He turned and quickly ran into Red Moon's room, looking once more at the yellowed dossier on the table.

"I voluntarily went to the hidden... place. The people of the border needed... guidance for the dead to their... their destination!"

Linsey read the words on the dossier haltingly.

But it was already worlds apart from when the text had looked like an incomprehensible heavenly script to him! "Does this mean I've learned it?"

Linsey pressed a hand tightly against his excited chest and took several deep breaths.

This unbelievable learning speed left him dizzy!

From clumsy strokes to slow writing, from complete unfamiliarity to stumbling through reading, it had taken him less than a minute! And what was especially outrageous was this:

Some of the words in the passage he had just read from the dossier were ones he had never learned at all.

Just as the Attribute Panel described.

The Experience Bar was not merely a simple accumulation of experience. It was data converted from experience, training, and achievements, possessing limitless potential for improvement! With the help of such an extraordinary skill,

as long as Linsey practiced enough, he could even recognize words he had never seen before!

This was not something that could be described as a mere "skill."

It was a genuine extraordinary ability, elevated from a skill and transcending the bounds of common sense!

Unable to wait, Linsey went outside and practiced writing a few more lines.

This time, he kept his eyes on the Experience Bar behind Common Language. Just as expected—with the increase in Common Language's level, the Experience Bar's growth rate had greatly decreased.

But this was not bad news.

Because even though it had slowed, the Experience Bar's growth was still barely discernible.

As long as Linsey was willing to grind, he could raise Common Language another level today! "At worst, I can still become a linguist now."

Linsey plopped down on the ground and grinned foolishly.

At the same time,

Red Moon, who had been away for a while, returned from the cemetery with slow steps.

She held the Bloodstone that had treated Linsey's cold, and it was an even brighter red than before.

Linsey fell into thought.

Treating illness—its color faded.

Returning from the cemetery—its color deepened.

This process of change had already revealed how the Bloodstone worked.

Noticing Linsey's gaze, Red Moon headed toward the basement while explaining along the way, "The Bloodstone's effects come from the concept of death. Someone was just buried, so I went to extract that element. That is also part of a gravekeeper's duties."

Linsey nodded. "I understand."

A few minutes later, the Bloodstone was locked away in the cellar once again.

Red Moon returned to the surface and saw several rows of writing on the ground. She nodded in satisfaction.

As though rewarding Linsey for his diligent practice,

Red Moon then explained a small piece of knowledge about the School of Death. "Our school has a treasure called the Death Ring. It was made by pulling Nails containing the concept of Death of Kings from the coffins of fourteen kings, then using Bloodstone to finally Smelting them into a ring capable of curing all illnesses."

After the little story came Red Moon's test for Linsey.

Red Moon slowly crouched beside Linsey, wiped away the marks on the ground, and began writing herself. "What is this character?"

"Me."

"And this one?"

"Linsey."

"This one below."

"Red Moon."

"..."

"You learned them all?"

Linsey answered every question correctly, and he was both accurate and fast!

There was some surprise in Red Moon's eyes.

But she quickly realized something and returned to her calm state before asking, "Linsey, is this your skill?"

Linsey did not dare conceal it:

"That's right. I can convert experience, training, and achievements into improvements in my own abilities."

"That is quite an impressive power." Red Moon praised him bluntly, then shook her head. "But in that case, you cannot learn the School of Death's skill."

Linsey asked curiously, "Can an awakened one only learn one skill?"

Red Moon shook her head again. "Skills are like an entire river. Awakened ones cast their Essence into it, binding closely with it and rising into splashes within the river. Since you have already leaped into this river and become one with her, you cannot change unless you abolish all your power, then wait ten years before attempting awakening again."

Hearing this, Linsey began to panic.

He had just joined the School of Death, yet he could not learn the school's skill. It was far too absurd!

Red Moon saw Linsey's panic and spoke to reassure him:

"Not everyone in the school is an awakened one."

"As long as you understand your own heart, what skill you possess is of little consequence."

"Linsey, the Essence you awakened on your own is Life Source Material. Today, we will begin with the methods for cultivating it."

Red Moon changed the subject, and Linsey naturally listened attentively.

Then Red Moon stated the method for cultivating Life Source Material in a serious tone. "Starting today, you must go to bed early and rise early every day, eat on time, avoid binge eating and overeating, and ensure a certain amount of exercise."

Linsey continued listening, but nothing followed.

Red Moon's explanation was over!

"..."

Linsey opened his mouth but could not say anything.

He had expected some sort of meditation technique or breathing method.

But who would have thought that Red Moon's method would be this! Compared with cultivating Life Source Material, it sounded more like a recipe for longevity! Linsey could not help but find it hard to believe:

"This... is that all I need to do?"

Red Moon nodded slightly, her gaze calm. "Life Source Material is the union of Essence and your own Life Force."

"So at the initial stage, if you wish to cultivate this power, you need to properly cultivate your body and live a healthy life."

"And do not think it is simple. This is a practice whose value lies in persistence."

It was a plain and easy-to-understand training method.

It was simply completely different from what Linsey had imagined, leaving him both amused and helpless.

At the same time, Red Moon rose from the ground.

Looking at Linsey, who was still sitting there, she suddenly asked, "Linsey, what plans do you have for your future?"

Linsey answered without hesitation:

"I want to return to my hometown and see what has truly happened to everything."

Red Moon neither approved nor opposed this goal, but her tone became solemn as well:

"This is a journey destined to be filled with hardship."

Linsey's gaze was resolute as he said in a firm voice:

"Then I'll find every possible way to overcome those difficulties!"