Forbidden Transcendent

"Wake up! Hey!"

A burning pain flared across his face, as if someone had slapped him.

Lu Yuan's eyes flew open, and he gasped for breath.

The familiar ceiling of the Night Watcher Library came into view, along with the Book Spirit, "Mo Shui," hovering just above his nose.

Mo Shui looked completely different now.

The black patterns that had once flowed across its body were boiling violently. Countless words circled its tiny frame, and merely looking at it made Lu Yuan feel an extremely dangerous aura.

Mo Shui was holding a pen made of words, suspended above Lu Yuan's eyeball. If Lu Yuan had woken up even a second later, that pen might have plunged down.

Only when Mo Shui saw clarity return to Lu Yuan's eyes did its taut body suddenly relax.

The black aura in its beady eyes slowly faded.

It put away the Bone Pen, and the patterns on its body gradually settled, returning it to its usual appearance.

"You're lucky you didn't die."

Mo Shui snorted. Its tone still carried that signature sharpness and bitterness, but Lu Yuan could hear the undisguised relief beneath it.

"If you'd really been contaminated, I'd have had to drag your corpse out myself. I don't want to dirty my Library."

Lu Yuan rubbed his stinging cheek and sat up.

Looking at the awkward little creature, he suddenly smiled.

"Thanks."

"Who wants your thanks?! Bring double the Ink Blocks next time!"

Mo Shui cursed as it flew back to the top of the Bookshelf, grabbed a book, and viciously took a bite out of it to hide its embarrassment.

"But you've really got some nerve. You actually stepped onto Transcendence in a place like this. Aren't you afraid knowledge might come looking for you on its own?"

Lu Yuan stood and stretched his somewhat stiff limbs before asking, "Knowledge can come looking for me on its own?"

Mo Shui looked at him with utter contempt. "You seriously don't know anything? Old Morgan never told you?"

Lu Yuan shook his head. Old Morgan truly had not told him anything.

"Old Morgan should be dead already! I think he's not just blind—his brain's gone bad too!"

Mo Shui could not help rolling its eyes.

"But it's fine as long as you're all right. Go ask him yourself when you get back."

Lu Yuan did not mind as he watched Mo Shui fly away, because he realized that the weakness in his body had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of clarity.

He looked around. The Library, once gloomy and sinister, was now filled with countless streams of leaping information in his eyes.

He subconsciously touched his pocket and took out the Black Box Old Morgan had given him.

He lifted the Black Cloth.

The chunk of Icefield Ghoul flesh lay quietly inside.

But to Lu Yuan now, it was no longer merely a piece of meat.

[Item: Icefield Ghoul (Juvenile) Forelimb Muscle]

[Attribute Analysis: Contains trace frost toxin. Muscle fibers contract when exposed to heat.]

[Forbidden Studies—Deep Study activated...]

[Extractable Formula: Can be combined with "Fire Salamander Powder" and "Distilled Water" to attempt the creation of a "Temporary Freezing Potion." Highly effective against burning-type Aberrants. Formula success rate: 4%.]

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Was this the power of a Scholar?

Not only could it see through an object's essence, it could even directly provide a formula? The success rate was a little low, though...

"But that doesn't matter. I've barely come into contact with any knowledge yet, and this assessment should be over by now..."

Lu Yuan closed the box, a confident curve rising at the corner of his mouth.

After straightening his clothes, he strode out of the Library.

Supplies Management Room.

Old Morgan was still in the same position, studying the stone with a magnifying glass.

Hearing the door open, he impatiently raised his head. "Four hours are up? Go back. Tomorrow, we'll—"

He did not finish, because Lu Yuan placed the Black Box on the table.

"Icefield Ghoul. Juvenile. Inner forelimb muscle."

Lu Yuan spoke calmly and evenly. "Its attribute is residual frost toxin. This thing fears fire, but if used to make medicine, its toxin can have remarkable effects and offset most side effects."

The room fell deathly silent.

The magnifying glass slipped from Old Morgan's hand and hit the table with a slap.

His clouded eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yuan as if he had seen a ghost.

"You... stepped onto Transcendence?" Old Morgan's voice held a trace of disbelief.

"Yes." Lu Yuan pointed at his head. "I obtained something good in the Hall of Knowledge."

Old Morgan was silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly stood, rounded the table, and walked before Lu Yuan as if examining a priceless treasure.

"A genius... No, this is a monster."

Old Morgan muttered to himself, then abruptly grabbed the phone from the desk and dialed a number.

"Mary! Hurry! Right now! Redo that so-called 'new recruit' file of yours! This kid... this kid is a natural-born [Occultist]!"

Ten minutes later.

Mary rushed into the office in high heels.

After hearing Old Morgan's account and confirming that Lu Yuan had completed an entry test that normally took others a month in just eight hours—

—and had even proposed something not found in the books—Mary's gaze toward Lu Yuan completely changed.

As a Transcendent herself, Mary knew far too well what this level of "talent" meant.

If she had previously considered Lu Yuan "someone with a little potential," now she saw a future Transcendent scholar.

"Lu Yuan."

Mary took a deep breath and steadied herself. "We'll reevaluate you and provide a new arrangement afterward."

"But before that, you'll need to stay here for a while."

Lu Yuan nodded noncommittally.

To be honest, Lu Yuan had not wanted to expose the fact that he had stepped onto Transcendence. But he had not expected stepping onto Transcendence to cause such a disturbance.

And he had stepped onto the Transcendence Path in the Night Watcher Library, of all places.

Most importantly, a Book Spirit had witnessed it.

But since things had reached this point, it was better to show it openly than hide it and let the Night Watchers reassess his value.

Of course, there was another reason. The moment Lu Yuan stepped onto Transcendence, his sanity had remained unchanged.

Lu Yuan did not know what that meant, but one thing was certain: the Strange Dream within him was probably a major problem.

Neither the church nor the Hall of Knowledge had reacted to the existence of the Strange Dream. The only exception was that shadow at the very end, which had said it had blocked the Outsider's gaze.

Lu Yuan knew he might not be able to resolve the Strange Dream alone, so he wanted to know whether the Night Watchers could handle it.

And besides... Lu Yuan had no intention of telling them that he had been infected by the Strange Dream.

First, his situation was delicate. The talent he had displayed was unquestionably exceptional, but he did not possess strength that matched it. If the Night Watchers learned he had been infected by the Strange Dream, there were only two likely outcomes: they would dispose of him, or use it as leverage to force him to become one of their people completely.

Second, Lu Yuan had discovered that his Strange Dream did not seem to have infected anyone else.

That included Thomas and Brent. It only made Lu Yuan more curious about what exactly the Strange Dream illness was.

Setting aside those thoughts, Lu Yuan intended to use this time to ask Old Morgan properly what else he did not know about stepping onto a Transcendence Path.

Old Morgan felt a little awkward at this as well, because he had not expected Lu Yuan to suddenly step onto Transcendence so quickly. After all, it had taken Old Morgan a full two years to do so back then.

And that was only after nearly ten years of prior accumulation before he had barely managed to step onto the Knowledge Transcendent Path.

When he had set the test, he had merely wanted to first see Lu Yuan's talent for affinity with knowledge and, while he was at it, make Lu Yuan study properly.

He had never imagined Lu Yuan would simply step onto Transcendence like that.

So he had failed to explain many points that required attention.

Old Morgan was thick-skinned enough to conceal his embarrassment after only a few words.

"There are indeed things to watch out for when stepping onto Knowledge Transcendence."

"For example, when advancing into Transcendence, you need a specific environment. Take my Transcendence Path, [Construction Studies], as an example. To step onto that path, you must first master the structures of nearly a hundred items in a specific field."

"And you must also thoroughly study the relevant knowledge of Construction Studies. Only then is it possible to step onto this Transcendence."

"Before breaking through into Transcendence, you must also construct an environment suited to [Construction Studies]. That environment is extremely important."

"It does not merely help you step onto the Transcendence Path. More importantly, it prevents Knowledge Contamination. Knowledge is the foundation of Transcendence. At the moment you step onto Transcendence and enter the Hall of Knowledge, your soul is like a blank sheet of paper. If you are contaminated by certain knowledge at that time—"

"At best, you become an idiot. At worst... at worst, you fall into something Eerie."

Old Morgan seemed to recall something, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"But luckily, you stepped onto [Occultism] in the Library. The knowledge there is varied and chaotic, but with Mo Shui around, it's still relatively safe."

Only then did Lu Yuan realize that he had indeed been rather lucky.

Looks like I should bring Mo Shui a few Ink Blocks.

Lu Yuan asked several more questions until Mary pushed open the door and entered.

She pulled out a chair and sat down, her expression serious. "There are two options now. You must choose one."

"First, we'll immediately arrange for you to move to the inner city. The Empire's power is there. You'll be safer there than in most places."

"And your clinic can open in the Noble District, where you can make money off those lords. But the price is that you'll immediately enter the sight of every faction. Those hunting Doctors will most likely list you as their primary target."

"Second."

Mary pointed upward. "Move here. There's an area of Safe Houses belonging to the Night Watchers near the tavern. You can move in under the name of 'Conscription.' We'll announce that you're assisting with an investigation and temporarily seal off the news."

"The benefit is absolute safety, unless the entire Night Watcher force at the Grim Port Branch is wiped out. The downside is... you'll have to give up the reputation you've just established in the Harbor District, and your range of movement will be restricted."

Lu Yuan barely hesitated after hearing that.

"I choose the second."

The inner city? Lu Yuan did not think he was strong enough yet to ignore ambushes.

Besides, although the Harbor District was chaotic, there was clearly more "knowledge" here. The Night Watcher Library and Lausen, his reliable supplier, were both nearby.

"But I have one condition," Lu Yuan added. "I need to retain the right to see patients. Of course, I'll screen them."

"You want to keep being a Doctor?" Mary was puzzled. "With your current ability, if you focus on research—"

"I'm a Doctor," Lu Yuan interrupted. "Being a Doctor was my original profession. I came here to fulfill my promise to Laisen, even though he's already gone."

Lu Yuan did not continue.

Of course, treating illnesses and saving people was also the fastest way to gain [Basic Medical] experience. Lu Yuan had no plans to study only Forbidden Studies; he intended to explore all kinds of knowledge. As for Laisen... he had saved Lu Yuan's life, after all. Though more importantly, Lu Yuan needed to establish a public persona.

"Fine, have it your way." Mary agreed readily. "The few Doctors at the base only know how to amputate limbs and force-feed medicine. You can help improve things a little."

The relocation was carried out with swift efficiency.

The Night Watchers' efficiency was displayed to the fullest at this moment.

That very afternoon, an unmarked carriage stopped outside Laisen Clinic.

Lu Yuan packed up simply.

There was not much to pack. Aside from the medical books, the medicinal ingredients Lausen had delivered, and the Strange Parchment he had kept hidden deep in a drawer, he took none of the other junk.

He wrote two letters and had them delivered separately to Brent and Lausen, informing them that the clinic was relocating.

Finally, he took down the wooden sign that read "Laisen Clinic" from above the door.

Looking at the two-story building where he had lived for only a few days, Lu Yuan did not feel much attachment.

"Time to go."

He tossed the wooden sign into the carriage, turned, and climbed inside.

The new clinic was located in a detached stone house in the back alley behind Old John's Tavern.

Though it was not as spacious as the previous standalone building, its walls were thick, and it stood within the encirclement of Night Watcher Hidden Sentries, making it feel extremely secure.

Lu Yuan rehung the "Laisen Clinic" sign.

He did not intend to use his own name. He was no longer short on money; he simply could not let go of the experience. Besides, reputation in this dangerous world might be more like a death warrant.

And letting the dead Laisen continue standing at the front was the safest choice for him.

"No need to worry about my safety for now."

Lu Yuan stood before the window of the new clinic, watching the tavern lights in the distance.

He touched the Silver-Plated Pistol in his pocket, then glanced at the [Forbidden Studies—Seeker] progress bar that had already been unlocked in his field of vision.

"Next, it's time to develop in peace."