The Ancient Sacred Rite

"Very good, very good... Then from this moment on, you are my apprentice."

Lord Hypnos nodded with satisfaction. "Now, according to the ancient sacraments, you must undergo a trial. Once you pass, I shall bestow upon you a brand-new name to shroud your true identity, and then I will impart the true power held by the Lord Society."

"Yes, Teacher." Lude complied readily; it was just a change of address, not a demand for money.

Lord Hypnos then pushed a silver-white ring toward Lude. "Until you pass the trial, this is the extent of the information you may access and the connections you may utilize—I have specifically included files on several other branches of the Saint Hydra Society, as you seem quite adept at borrowing the tiger's might to intimidate others."

"Furthermore, it contains a list of peripheral organizations you are authorized to mobilize."

"Many thanks, Teacher." Lude took the ring. The moment his fingers touched it, he sensed it was crafted from platinum. The intricately wrought bezel was engraved with delicate patterns, and a large alexandrite was set into the face.

However, after studying it for a long while, Lude looked up with a helpless expression. "Teacher, this thing... how do I use it?"

"Ah..." The old gentleman paused for a moment, then sighed softly. "I forgot you are a layman in the occult. You simply need to press the gemstone against glass or a reflective metal surface, then inject your spiritual energy to view the data within."

"Alexandrite is an excellent medium for information storage. You need to get used to using it to transmit intelligence as soon as possible."

"Understood, Teacher." Lude replied, examining the ring.

Lord Hypnos nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Now, I shall inform you of the content of your trial."

Upon hearing this, Lude immediately straightened his posture, ready to listen intently.

The old man sighed. "Before you, I once adopted a child, attempting to groom him as my apprentice."

"His name was Ivanov Kudryash Malinkov. The boy was talented, quite talented indeed; but his temperament was volatile and shortsighted. He refused to think, blinding himself to the point that for many years, he remained stagnant."

"I spent ten years, yet he still failed to awaken a Secret Art. Ultimately, I determined he was only fit to be an assassin, not my apprentice."

"The boy could not accept this result, so he burned our former residence to the ground and began acting with the sole goal of completely destroying the Lord Society. He slaughtered the peripheral organizations he knew of without restraint—fortunately, he did not know of many."

"Fire only demonstrates its value within a steam engine or a hearth; once it becomes a wildfire, it must be extinguished."

"Eliminating him would be simple for me, but I have chosen to treat it as a trial to be handed to Malinkov's successor. This is the first task I assign to you: you must eliminate Malinkov and make him vacate his seat at the banquet for you."

"Understood." Lude narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then, Teacher, where should I go to find this Mr. Malinkov?"

"You do not need to find him." The old man's voice was quite slow. "You only need to wear this ring, and Malinkov will naturally come to your door. This ring is the symbol of the direct lineage of the Lord Society—a regret Malinkov has craved for ten years but never managed to obtain."

Good grief, Lude thought to himself, I've just become the cuckold who forcibly stole someone else's 'white moonlight'!

Watching Lude put the ring on his finger, Lord Hypnos continued, "The Lord Society has no precedent for accepting laymen as apprentices. To compensate for this, I will make an exception and answer three questions related to the occult before officially taking you on."

"Think carefully before you ask—I feel I shouldn't have to remind you, but remember that this opportunity is precious."

Lude nodded slightly, his mind racing. This opportunity was indeed precious, as both Professor Beshe and Siana had been signaling to Lude that knowledge was the most valuable wealth in the hidden world.

He then spoke: "Teacher, my soul fire has been twisted, yet I have not awakened a Secret Art. What is happening?"

"The soul fire is twisted, yet the Secret Art has not awakened?"

The old gentleman raised an eyebrow. "An uncommon situation, but it is not a bad thing. This price will bring forth sweet fruit."

"In fact, you have already released your Secret Art once before. Do you remember the golden-red flame that completely purged the chill lingering in your body from my arrival? That was your Secret Art, or at least a relatively violent manifestation of it."

"As for why you cannot use it now, I believe you have an inkling of the reason."

"Those who are ambitious yet possess sufficient patience may awaken a Secret Art so powerful that it cannot be fully controlled at their current level of spiritual energy and vitality. Given the destructive nature suppressed within your soul, I believe this is your situation."

"Then," Lude looked at Lord Hypnos, "Teacher, how does a spellcaster become more powerful?"

"There are many paths." Lord Hypnos answered without hesitation. "By developing different uses for your Secret Art, purchasing or crafting alchemical tools, spell catalysts, and consumables, or even replacing parts of your body with alchemical prosthetics."

"However, what I admire most is actually the [Iron Ferrule Art]."

"If alchemy is the craft of destruction and reconstruction, and Illumination Art is the craft of lighting and purification, then the Iron Ferrule Art is the craft of contention and combat. The so-called Iron Ferrule Art is the art of iron, teaching one how to vent malice and rage upon external objects to the greatest extent."

"Unfortunately, I cannot teach you this set of skills yet. After all, it is the closely guarded secret of our Lord Society."

Lude feigned understanding on the surface, but deep down, he knew clearly that the old man was dodging the real issue. What he truly wanted to understand was Lord Hypnos's current state—this was not something that could be achieved by studying mere techniques.

He had never heard of any mortal whose appearance could be described as an [Advent], let alone the phenomena produced when he arrived.

However, since Lord Hypnos was unwilling to speak, Lude did not press the matter.

He pondered for a moment and asked his third question: "Then, how strong is Mr. Malinkov?"

"Very strong." Lord Hypnos admitted. "Although he is not a qualified apprentice, he is a qualified assassin. If you have not awakened your Secret Art by the time you encounter him, you must inject the first Wyvern Blood Essence to stand a chance against him."

Lude frowned slightly at this; it sounded difficult to deal with...

As if seeing through Lude's concerns, the old man pointed it out directly: "Malinkov is half a madman, while you have a sound mind. I never asked you to duel him one-on-one. Do you think the Lord Society's goal of destroying the Radiant Light Society is meant to be achieved through individual martial prowess!"

Oh, Lude understood immediately—the Lord Society only cared about winning; the means used to achieve that victory were never a consideration!

This is quite good, Lude thought with a smile, I like this philosophy!