A Mystical Studies Tutorial: "Spirit Perception" and "Secret History"

Fan Ning seemed uncertain about the term "Spirit Perception" as he sat across from the desk, so Dupont explained:

"Every newly promoted Knower, besides receiving a gift from the Light of First Acquaintance, will also possess a foundational advantage in mysticism corresponding to their Phase. For a Knower of the 'Candle' Phase, that foundational advantage lies in possessing Spirit Perception far stronger than that of other Knowers."

"Is it the ability to see the Aether Bodies, Emotional Bodies, and Astral Spirit Bodies of other living beings?" Fan Ning suddenly understood.

"That's merely its most basic manifestation." Dupont nodded.

"Spirit Perception is an important bridge between Knowers and the mystical realm. Its purpose is to transform 'transcendent revelations' into 'signals of the five human senses.'"

"In many mystical books, the term used for related knowledge is 'Spirit Sight.' That term is narrow—or rather, 'Spirit Sight' is merely the most common form of 'Spirit Perception.' Besides sight, there are also hearing, taste, smell, touch, dreams, and all sorts of other forms."

"In theory, anyone can use Spirit Perception, including the ignorant. It's just that their method of realization is extremely cumbersome and difficult. They need to build an altar, cleanse and sanctify it, fast and abstain, meditate and harmonize, pray for the Witness, and make use of certain mediums, such as rippling water, seashells, mirrors, clouds, waterfalls, the Eucharist, crystal balls, and so on."

"Knower who study the 'Candle' Phase don't need such cumbersome procedures. They can easily activate their own 'Spirit Perception Field' to sense the transcendent elements of nearby things, and do so more accurately than others. Only when dealing with mystical things of too high a Rank or with excessive interference do they need those procedures or mediums to further strengthen their perception."

By the time he heard this, several of Fan Ning's recent questions had vanished!

So the invisible sphere that had expanded from his chest after he closed his eyes to recall the scene and imagined three beams of light converging was the "Spirit Perception Field."

Through the "Spirit Perception Field," his vision had been coated in dark gold, allowing him to see the various halos around other people's Aether Bodies, Emotional Bodies, and Astral Spirit Bodies.

Qiong's Regression Ritual had essentially activated Spirit Perception through cumbersome procedures, with rippling water and a mirror serving as mediums.

She had said that she could see other things clearly before but not this time. There might have been some kind of interference.

He had finally seen clearly by urging his Inspiration because he had studied the "Candle" Phase, while his Spirit Perception had been further strengthened by the Mystic Ritual, as well as the mediums of rippling water and the mirror, eliminating some form of interference.

Dupont rose and took a teal-blue book from the cabinet behind his desk.

The book had been well preserved. Its two sections were bound back-to-back, and its embroidered cover, once popular in the last century, looked somewhat elaborate and delicate.

"An Examination of Beletsinsky's Deeds, written in Old Hoffmann. It records the travels and experiences of Mrs. Beletsinsky, an art critic, explorer, and mystic from the 1960s, in the Western Continent and the Southern Continent. The author is unknown. Some even suspect that it was an autobiographical travelogue written by Mrs. Beletsinsky herself in the third person."

"The book is divided into two volumes. In the first, you can find theories on awakening Spirit Perception. The second interprets the colors manifested by various forms of Spirit Perception."

This was precisely what he needed to study. At present, he was completely blind to the meanings of the various Spirit Perception colors.

"There's something else..." Fan Ning voiced another question in his heart. "When I was shot while fighting the Gray-robed Man that day, I felt that the bullet had been cushioned by some kind of light screen on my Aether Body..."

"A Resonance." Dupont pulled out another volume titled Taxonomy of Resonance. "The Phase dissonance and transcendent emotions or experiences that a Knower experiences during a Migrant Surge will remain in their spirituality after they awaken, impossible to shake off, granting them strange invisible powers... They will gradually sink from the Astral Spirit Body to the Emotional Body, then to the Aether Body, and finally return to the physical vessel of our worldly exterior, where they will completely dissipate."

"Certain specialized Mystic Rituals require the performer to retain a specific spiritual Resonance in order to be completed successfully..."

"However, once you advance to the middle Ranks and gain the ability to bring Migrant Surge matter back to the waking world, you can use certain special materials and methods to craft Resonance into 'Spell Marks,' granting them a relatively long preservation period so they can be called upon at any time." Fan Ning thanked Dupont for his patient explanation.

Dupont shoved the books back into the cabinet. "There's no need to thank me. They're in your office. Studying mystical literature is an important duty of every Knower. You need to devote more time to it."

Fan Ning nodded. After tonight's auction appointment ended, there would be nearly ten days before next Saturday's Music Salon. Besides organizing rehearsals, he really did need to devote more time to studying these texts.

"However, when I study mysticism, I'll probably come into contact with a great deal of Hidden Knowledge. How can I avoid the risks? Do I need to construct some kind of Mystic Ritual every time?"

Fan Ning voiced his concern.

"That is precisely what today's mysticism lesson will discuss." Dupont's expression turned solemn.

"The two major factors of a Knower are Hidden Knowledge and Inspiration. At the time, the President should have given you a preliminary explanation of them and warned you not to rashly come into contact with Hidden Knowledge for now, correct?"

"That's right." Fan Ning inclined his head slightly. "The only thing I've come into contact with since then was the Hidden Knowledge poured into me by the Light of First Acquaintance during my promotion."

"Hidden Knowledge is dangerous, but it is also the other half of a Knower's nature. Our destiny is to delve into it, seeking answers day and night. So you need to understand the scope of Hidden Knowledge, why it is dangerous, and how to avoid danger while making contact with it."

Fan Ning arranged his papers, gripped his fountain pen, and sat upright, as earnest as a high school student.

"How did the President explain Hidden Knowledge to you before?" Dupont asked.

Fan Ning recalled for a moment. "Secret knowledge, irrational knowledge, transcendent knowledge. He gave an example: knowledge concerning the origins and mysteries of the Lord of Witnesses is a type of Hidden Knowledge."

"Correct." Dupont drew a pencil from the holder.

He quickly sketched a large circle on a sheet of white paper, then drew four small ovals beneath it.

After writing down five words, he rotated the paper toward Fan Ning.

"This is the one-plus-four classification framework of Hidden Knowledge."

Fan Ning saw Dupont's index finger first press against the large circle. The word corresponding to it was—

"Secret History."

"Secret History is the core of Hidden Knowledge, as well as its source."

Dupont gave his explanation solemnly.

"History is the projection of bygone time in the memories of the world's people. The ignorant who dwell upon the world's exterior record the things they are capable of remembering. But the truth of events buried behind layers upon layers of fog, the secret past unknown to all—that is Secret History."

"Knower study Secret History by deciphering fragments of historical information that are forbidden, obscure, vague, ambiguous, and even mutually paradoxical. In doing so, they reveal the essence and structure beyond the world's exterior, learn the origins, evolution, and conflicts of the Lord of Witnesses, come to know Their divine names and honorific names, the rules They represent and the Phases They govern, and understand how Their wills influence the course of the world."

Dupont's finger then moved across the paper, stopping in turn over the words in the four ovals. "With 'Secret History' as our source, we have the four secondary categories of Hidden Knowledge that follow—"

"'Migrant Surge': knowledge concerning the existence of Migrant Surges, records of exploration, information on locations, coordinates, Radiance Towers, gates, and mystical materials."

"'Phase': knowledge of the seven Phases, how they refract from Radiance, how they are distinguished and manifested, what principles they represent, and how to study and practice them."

"'Mystic Ritual': the methodology of communicating with the Lord of Witnesses, the principles behind Mystic Rituals, and how to construct altars, offerings, mystical atmospheres, ritual implements, music, prayers, harmonize Phases, and raise energy."

"'Knower': knowledge concerning ourselves—how to practice Dream Control Method, seek answers within Migrant Surges, ascend Radiance Towers, dismantle hidden Inspiration, and call upon invisible powers."

Thus, a clear "one-plus-four" framework of Hidden Knowledge, with Secret History at its core, took shape in Fan Ning's mind.

"Second question: why is accepting Hidden Knowledge dangerous?"

Dupont found another large book in the cabinet behind him. Its cover was old yet ornate, fashioned mainly from silver, with exquisite carvings of leaf veins and patterns.

"On Costs and Origins, a collection of fables published in the early Third Age. The author claimed to be a linguist and folklorist. He stated that he had 'barely translated' several fables originally written in Ancient Chanizi into the Tulungalia language, adding cautionary annotations about the dangers of transmitting Hidden Knowledge. In the latter half, he speculated on several ways to avoid the risks..."

As he spoke, Dupont slowly spread open the text. "The main body of this book is in the Tulungalia language. The 'Ancient Chanizi' that the author claimed was the original text exists only as scattered, illustrated handwritten manuscripts, and no one can understand them. I'll first read the Tulungalia aloud to you in Hoffman. If you intend to study mysticism in the future, Tulungalia is a foundational language you must master..."

Fan Ning, sitting across the desk, suddenly focused his gaze, and his heart began pounding wildly!

Those scattered illustrated manuscripts in "Ancient Chanizi," although upside down to him, were nevertheless—

He reached out and slowly rotated the text toward himself.

It was Chinese... presented in a bizarre way!

Why call it bizarre? For one thing, the forms and strokes of the characters had been grotesquely altered, in a manner even more outrageous than the "Martian script" of Fan Ning's previous life.

For another, the local order of the characters had also been scrambled.

It gave him the feeling that "everyone knows Chinese's sequence is arranged disorderly, without affecting reading comprehension"!

With these two factors combined, even Fan Ning, a native speaker from the great land of food, found it exceptionally difficult to read!

"What's wrong?" Dupont asked, puzzled when he saw Fan Ning turn the book around.

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