Meditation and Attempt (Seeking Recommendations)

"It is said that when the barbarians of the ancient grasslands abducted women, they would kill their firstborn, for they could never be certain if the seed was their own..."

Aaron Sothoth walked through Black Sun Town: "Still, we Green Foresters are at least a cut above those grassland savages, aren't we?"

Thinking of the bloody sacrifices to Grandmother Green Banyan, Aaron couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.

However, he quickly cast these thoughts to the back of his mind.

Because before him, Xiu was already kneeling at the feet of the High Priest, draped in a black robe.

"Congratulations to you, new Unburnt!"

A joyful smile graced the High Priest's face, and from his eyes, mouth, and nostrils, it seemed as though black flames were about to spill forth at any moment.

"I am willing to honor the Black Sun as my Lord and walk upon His path!"

Xiu's cheeks were somewhat gaunt, but her eyes shone with a brilliant luster.

Aaron could tell that this woman had certainly attempted the church's breathing and meditation techniques, and had reached a certain level of proficiency.

"Black Flame Meditation can be divided into four levels of temperature: Red Flame, Yellow Flame, Blue Flame, and Purple Flame. You have already passed the trial of the Red Flame..."

The High Priest said with great delight: "You may now begin the Unburnt ritual and become a true 'Unburnt'."

He signaled for the black-robed believers nearby to step forward and bring over a brazier filled with raging flames.

"Once the spirituality of 'Darkness' awakens, ordinary fire will no longer be able to harm you."

The High Priest extended his hand and plunged it into the flames.

"I..."

Xiu gritted her teeth and thrust her hand into the fire.

Sizzle!

Excruciating pain flared instantly, and the scent of charred flesh immediately began to spread.

Not far away, Aike and Lin, who were watching, immediately closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Yet, even as her face twitched, Xiu gripped the High Priest's hand amidst the flames.

"Very good. It is inevitable to suffer minor injuries during the first attempt."

The High Priest withdrew the brazier and, seeing Xiu's severely burned right hand, a trace of a smile appeared on his face: "Just keep trying. You must let your body fully experience the scorching heat of the flame; it helps in the awakening of your spirituality."

"I shall strictly follow your teachings."

A faint smile appeared on Xiu's sweat-drenched face.

"Auntie Xiu!"

Once the High Priest departed, Lin immediately flew into Xiu's arms, large teardrops rolling down her cheeks: "Your hand..."

"Don't worry, I have already begun to partially awaken. Although it looks severe, it is only a superficial burn."

Xiu comforted her: "In order to pursue my Lord and gain power, this small price is nothing."

Aaron nodded from the sidelines.

If not for the partial awakening of the 'Dark' spirituality, Xiu's hand would likely have been roasted through; it was far from the mere severe burns it appeared to be now.

Once they returned to their room and lulled Lin to sleep, Xiu looked at Aike, her expression turning serious: "How are you doing?"

"I praise the Black Sun every day; they have no suspicions about me..."

Aike replied in a low voice.

"Continue to keep it up. Once I become a true Unburnt, I will be able to access the incantations and lead you all away from here."

Xiu said firmly.

She did not like this cult, but she was not averse to gaining power.

Aaron watched all of this, saying nothing.

He knew that the influence of the Black Sun on its believers was subtle yet incredibly intense. Although Xiu had a good plan, the hope of her succeeding was truly slim.

"However... why have I not been affected?"

Aaron pondered.

According to his eavesdropping, even those who did not practice the secret arts of Darkness could potentially hear the whispers of the Black Sun.

And if one worshipped the Black Sun, this influence would increase exponentially!

Yet, aside from the very beginning, Aaron could hear absolutely no whispers at all.

It was not just the Black Sun; he had not been affected in the slightest by the entity born on the moon, nor by other terrifying existences, save for that initial moment.

Furthermore, he had secretly experimented a few times and discovered that even the Obsidian Altar used to worship the [Black Sun] could not detect or sound an alarm at his approach, which made him much bolder in his explorations.

"The first possibility: is my status too high? No, no, that is unlikely..."

Aaron thought with a touch of amusement: "So... have these god-like existences simply overlooked me?"

"At the start, when those entities were born, the signal was at its strongest, which is why I could hear them..."

"But now, they are merely radiating influence naturally, and since the signal has weakened significantly, I can no longer hear them..."

"Is this perhaps the most reasonable explanation?"

With a hint of inquiry, Aaron's consciousness returned to his physical body in reality.

"Daili, bring me a brazier!"

He shouted toward the door, and before long, Daili entered, carrying a brazier with iron tongs. "My Lord, although the weather is a bit cold, if you are going to warm yourself by the fire, please remember to open the window."

"Mm, you may leave first!"

Dismissing the maid, Aaron faced the flames and began to attempt meditation.

The Black Flame Meditation Method originally required one to use fire as a reference, imagining flames of different colors burning within the mental space, scorching the body, and then overcoming them one by one.

According to the High Priest's teachings, before every meditation session, one needed to pray to the Black Sun, hoping to draw closer to that existence during the process.

Aaron felt that he likely wouldn't be able to master this meditation method, but he still gave it a try, unwilling to give up just yet.

One hour, two hours...

Three hours...

After changing the brazier a few times, Aaron opened his eyes and reached out, grabbing toward the burning flames in the basin.

"Hiss..."

The next moment, his hand recoiled as if struck by electricity, a searing pain radiating from his fingertips.

"It's completely impossible..."

"If I keep going, my hand will be roasted..."

"If an outsider saw this, they might think I've gone mad!"

Aaron shook his head, letting a puzzled Daili take the brazier away and close the door.

At the moment the door shut, he seemed to catch the maid's gaze—it was the look one gives to a fool, a look of pity for the mentally impaired.

"Did she see?"

"Forget it, it doesn't matter if she did..."

Aaron sat back at his desk, opened the locked drawer, and took out his notebook:

[Attempted the Black Flame Meditation Method, failed!]

[Conclusion: Perhaps I am not suited for the path of 'darkness', or... is this truly a world without magic?]

[Spirituality exists in all things in that world, but it does not exist in this one... then, where does spirituality come from?]

Aaron suddenly thought of the Scarlet Sun in the dream world.

And the information Xiu had mentioned: after the Great Cataclysm, everyone went mad, and the maddest among them turned into monsters.

[So... the humans of that world didn't have spirituality either, but were endowed with it by the Scarlet Sun? Therefore, those who were the maddest were also the ones with the most abundant spirituality, allowing them to mutate into monsters even without following the correct path?]

He suddenly felt that this was a very reasonable explanation.

[So... I am the source of everything?!]

Aaron suddenly recalled the information he had obtained at the very beginning.

[I am... the Dream Creator!]