The Path to Transcendence

"Did you start cultivating this young man the moment he arrived here? It must have cost you quite a bit of effort and money."

A strange smile appeared on Nick's face. He coughed twice to ease his slight embarrassment. "I only started training him recently, about a month ago. He's a genius."

"A month to reach the standard for advancing to the transcendent level? It seems he has a very strong foundation," Hamfa said with an envious laugh. "You've found a treasure."

Nick wanted to say something more, but in the end, he swallowed his words.

Should he tell the other man that Kraun was just an ordinary young man before the Evil Spirit incident?

No, no, he wasn't planning on telling anyone about that. With such a powerful assistant, it was enough for him alone to know how great the young man's talent was.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Why did you arrive so quickly this time, and why did you bring so many supplies? According to past practice, the Bureau of Affairs wouldn't even pay attention for at least ten days or half a month."

Hamfa's expression turned serious immediately, and he sat up straight unconsciously. "Do you remember the Bishop's lecture on the day we officially graduated as Exorcist Priests?"

"He said a lot of things. Which one are you referring to?"

"The darkness descends, and it may block the radiance of the flame, but we always carry hope in our hearts; a bright future lies ahead." As Hamfa spoke, he pressed his hands against the holy emblem on his chest, his eyes filled with determination.

"Oh, old friend, why so formal all of a sudden?" The priest found his old friend too serious and teased him.

"Nick, the Faruk Kingdom is on the westernmost side of the continent, and the Andes Mountains block the kingdom from the sea. This is an inland country, and there are many things we are unaware of. Those ancient demons have awakened; the massive cities they sank to the bottom of the sea have surfaced once again."

"When gray mist permeates every corner of the world, true terror will descend. The Bishop has ordered that all churches must keep the holy fire burning eternally from now on."

The priest was left completely bewildered. He asked back, "How am I supposed to understand what you're talking about?"

Hamfa took a small booklet from his robes and handed it to his old friend. "Take a look. I only just found out myself."

Nick flipped through the booklet quickly. When he finished browsing and closed it, his hand clenched into a fist unconsciously. "Those demons from the starry sky known as the Olden Sovereigns are not dead; they were merely sleeping at the bottom of the sea. Now they have awakened again, intending to shroud the world in darkness once more. Are you sure this isn't some nonsense novel?"

The fair-skinned priest did not reply. He knew his old friend needed time to digest this depressing news. When he first heard it from the Cardinal himself, he had found it equally unbelievable.

The enemies of the gods—and enemies who had held the upper hand in their war against the gods—sounded so despairing.

After a long while, Nick's agitation subsided, and he asked, "So, you've brought the Church's method of dealing with this?"

"Yes. The radiance of faith can dispel the encroachment of the gray mist; this is the method the gods found at the end of the previous epoch. We will ignite the Fire of Hope in the churches to illuminate a world on the verge of falling into darkness."

Hamfa paused and continued, "The awakening of those Olden Sovereigns will take a long time; for now, only their kin have awakened. By the time they fully awaken, the gods residing in the high heavens will be able to break the barrier between the mortal realm and the Divine Kingdom to descend upon the world. The spirituality of the world is still rising, and we can continue to grow stronger. The Church estimates that the Faruk Kingdom will be hit by the gray mist after the Month of Sprouting next year. We have more than three months to prepare, and you have even more time here."

"Heh, so being in the backwater of the kingdom's west actually gives us a time advantage," Nick said with a wry smile.

"Burning the holy fire consumes the power of faith, and we need to rearrange the magic arrays for creating holy water, which will take quite some time. Is there much power of faith stored in the church?"

"Not much. Devout believers are few and far between. The residents here struggle for their daily bread; they come to worship once a week, and at other times, no one comes to pray. I worry that the light of faith won't be enough to sustain the holy fire."

The priest was worried. The parish was remote, the population was small, and the light of faith collected was limited—these were problems that couldn't be solved.

"Don't worry," Hamfa said unhurriedly. "They will become devout. When the gray mist descends and despair permeates everything, they will all become devout believers. If a person is devout enough, the quality and quantity of the light of faith collected will increase significantly."

Nick smiled as well. His old friend was right; when people fall into despair and discover that the Church can truly save them, they will surely become devout, perhaps even turning into fanatics.

Knock, knock.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation between the two men.

"Two Priests, that young man named Kraun has arrived at the church."

"Very well," the priest replied, then smiled. "Let's go, old friend. Let's witness my protector officially become a transcendent."

"That is exactly my intention."

The two walked out of the room and headed straight for the training ground.

On the training ground, Kraun stood straight in the center, wearing silver half-plate armor.

Nick looked at his spirited appearance and nodded with satisfaction. "Today, Father Hamfa has brought the potion for advancing to the transcendent level. Combat is the catalyst for this advancement. You will drink the potion and fight to the death against two Crusader Order warriors who have already achieved transcendence. You must awaken your Seed of Life in the face of desperation and complete the sublimation and leap of your life essence. I ask you, are you ready?"

"I am ready!"

Kraun's voice was loud, his tone firm and full of momentum.

"Then let us begin. Remember, the potion will burn your life force. If you cannot break through during the battle, death awaits you once your life force is exhausted."

Nick handed him the red potion, which looked like boiling magma.

Kraun took the potion and, without the slightest hesitation, tilted his head back and swallowed it.

It felt like drinking a mouthful of boiling water; heat filled his mouth, and this scorching sensation traveled down his throat and esophagus. He felt a raging fire ignite within his body, and his skin felt as if it were burning as well.

A red-bearded Knight wearing leather armor stepped onto the field. "Come! Either open the path to transcendence or die under my sword!"

Kraun let out a loud laugh, picked up his sharp sword, and flourished it.

Amidst the flashing cold light, he lunged forward.

He understood that he had to squeeze out every ounce of his potential to advance to the transcendent level.

His arm stretched out and leveled as he sprinted, his body leaving a blurred afterimage as he thrust toward the red-bearded man, who wore a look of nonchalance on his face.