Forbidden Transcendent

"Wake up! Hey!"

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

Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air.

The familiar ceiling of the Night Watcher Library came into view, along with the Book Spirit, Ink, hovering right over the tip of his nose.

Ink looked completely different now.

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

Ink 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 stabbed down.

Only when Lu Yuan's eyes regained their clarity did Ink's taut little 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 calmed, returning it to normal.

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

Ink snorted. Its tone was still as sharp and mean as ever, but Lu Yuan could hear the undisguised relief beneath it.

"If you really got contaminated, I'd have 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 thing, he suddenly smiled.

"Thanks."

"Who wants your thanks?! Bring twice as many Ink Blocks next time!"

Ink cursed as it flew back to the top of the bookshelf, grabbed a book, and took a vicious bite out of it to hide its embarrassment.

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

Lu Yuan stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and asked, "Knowledge can come looking for me?"

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

Lu Yuan shook his head. Old Morgan really had told him nothing.

"Old Morgan should be dead already! I think not only are his eyes blind, his brain is broken too!"

Ink could not help rolling its eyes.

"Still, it's good that you're fine. Go ask him yourself when you get back."

Lu Yuan did not mind as he watched Ink fly away, because he had discovered that the weakness in his body was gone, replaced by an unprecedented sense of clarity.

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

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

He took out the black box.

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]

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

[Forbidden Studies—Deep Study activated...]

[Extractable Formula: Combined with "Fire Salamander Powder" and "Distilled Water," it can be used to attempt the production of a "Temporary Freezing Potion." Highly effective against fire-type Aberrants. Formula success rate: 4%.]

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

So this was the power of a Scholar?

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

"But it doesn't matter. I've only encountered so much knowledge so far, and this assessment should be over too..."

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

He straightened his clothes and strode out of the Library.

Supplies Management Room.

Old Morgan was still maintaining the same posture, studying that stone with a magnifying glass.

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

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 property is residual frost toxin. This thing fears fire, but if it's used to make medicine, its toxin can produce remarkable effects instead and neutralize most side effects."

The room fell into dead silence.

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

His cloudy eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yuan as though he had seen a ghost.

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

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

Old Morgan was silent for a long time.

He suddenly stood, walked around the table, and came before Lu Yuan as if examining a priceless treasure.

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

Old Morgan muttered to himself, then suddenly grabbed the telephone from the table and dialed a number.

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

Ten minutes later.

Mary rushed into the office in her high heels.

After hearing Old Morgan's account and confirming that Lu Yuan had completed an introductory 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, Mary knew only too well what this level of "talent" meant.

If she had previously regarded Lu Yuan as someone with "a bit of potential," then now, she saw a future Transcendent Scholar.

"Lu Yuan."

Mary took a deep breath and calmed herself. "We will reassess you and provide a new plan afterward."

"But before that, you 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 so openly, but he had not expected stepping onto Transcendence to cause such a commotion.

And he had stepped onto a Transcendence Pathway inside the Night Watcher Library.

Most importantly, a Book Spirit in the Library had witnessed it.

But since things had already reached this point, rather than hide it, he might as well reveal it openly 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 might be a huge 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 end, which had said that it had blocked the Outsider's gaze.

Lu Yuan knew that he might not be able to solve the Strange Dream on his own, so he wanted to know whether the Night Watchers could handle it.

And... Lu Yuan had no intention of revealing that he had been infected with the Strange Dream.

First, his situation was delicate. The talent he had displayed was unquestionably outstanding, yet he lacked the strength to match it. If the Night Watchers learned he had been infected by the Strange Dream, there were only two possibilities: they would dispose of him, or use it as leverage to force him to become one of the Night Watchers completely.

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

That included Thomas and Brent, which made Lu Yuan even more curious about what kind of illness the Strange Dream truly was.

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

Old Morgan was somewhat embarrassed as well, because he had not expected Lu Yuan to suddenly step onto Transcendence just like that. Old Morgan himself had needed a full two years.

That was only after nearly ten years of prior accumulation, and even then he had barely managed to step onto the Knowledge Transcendent Pathway.

When he had set the test, he had only wanted to see Lu Yuan's talent for affinity with knowledge and have him study properly along the way.

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

As a result, many things that needed attention had not been explained clearly.

Old Morgan's skin was thick enough that he covered up his embarrassment in a few words.

"There are indeed things you need to pay attention to when stepping onto Knowledge Transcendence."

"For example, when advancing into Transcendence, you need a specific environment. Take my Transcendence Pathway, Construction Studies, for example. To step onto that Pathway, you must at least master the structure of nearly a hundred items in specific fields."

"And you must be thoroughly familiar with 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 suitable for Construction Studies. That environment is extremely important."

"It does not merely help you step onto the Transcendence Pathway. 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 Eerie."

Old Morgan seemed to remember something, and his expression turned rather unpleasant.

"But fortunately, you stepped onto Occultism in the Library. The knowledge there is complicated, but with Ink around, it's still relatively safe."

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

Looks like I should bring Ink a few Ink Blocks.

Lu Yuan asked a few 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. You must choose one."

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

"And you can open your Clinic in the Noble District and make money off those lords. But the price is that you will immediately enter the sights of every faction. Those hunting doctors will most likely list you as their number one target."

"Second."

Mary pointed upward. "Move here. There is a cluster of Safe Houses belonging to the Night Watchers near the tavern. You can live there in the name of 'Conscription.' We will claim publicly that you are assisting with an investigation and keep the news sealed for now."

"The advantage is absolute safety. Unless the Night Watcher branch in Grim Port is completely wiped out, no one can touch you. The downside is... you will have to abandon the reputation you just built in the Harbor District, and your range of movement will be restricted."

After hearing that, Lu Yuan answered with almost no hesitation.

"I choose the second."

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

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

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

"You want to keep being a doctor?" Mary did not understand. "With your current abilities, you should focus on research—"

"I'm a doctor," Lu Yuan interrupted. "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 intention of studying only Forbidden Studies; he planned to explore all kinds of knowledge. As for Laisen... he had saved Lu Yuan's life, after all. Though more than that, it was simply a persona Lu Yuan wanted to maintain before outsiders.

"Fine, as you wish." Mary agreed readily. "The few doctors at the base only know how to amputate and force-feed medicine anyway. You can help improve things."

The relocation was carried out with ruthless efficiency.

The Night Watchers' efficiency was fully displayed at that moment.

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

Lu Yuan packed simply.

There was not much to pack. Aside from the medical books, the medicinal materials 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 the entrance.

Looking at the two-story building he had lived in for only a few days, Lu Yuan felt little attachment.

"Let's go."

He tossed the sign into the carriage, turned, and climbed in.

The new Clinic was located in an independent stone house in the alley behind Old John's Tavern.

It was not as spacious as the previous standalone building, but its walls were thick, and it sat within the encirclement of Night Watcher Hidden Sentries, giving it an overwhelming sense of security.

Lu Yuan hung the "Laisen Clinic" sign back up.

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

And letting the dead Laisen remain out front was the safest choice for him.

"For now, I don't need to worry about my safety."

Lu Yuan stood by the window of the new Clinic, looking at the tavern lights in the distance.

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

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