Chapter 289: Setting a Course (1/2)

Yrial's features smoothed out and he adopted his lazy expression once again.

“No, that shouldn’t be the case. There is no connection between talent and the number of hidden nodes, talent only affects the ease of breaking them open. So you should be fine. Everyone possesses at least the three gates unless their race gives them something similar,” he said with a dismissive wave.

”The Three Gates?” Zac asked.

”The Gate of Truth, the Spirit Gate and the Gate of Flesh,” Yrial explained. ”These are the three foundational nodes that most possess. One increase your connection with the boundless Dao, one expands your mind and one tempers your flesh. All of them are pretty good, though the best ones are usually the special hidden nodes, and those vary from person to person.”

Zac slowly nodded, remembering Ylvas' mention of bloodlines and constitutions. At least it seemed that no matter how bad his constitution was he would still possess some Nodes to open up.

“So how do I open the other nodes after the first one?” Zac asked after sighing in relief.

“There are two aspects to bursting open the hidden nodes,” Yrial said. “The first is to locate them. This is normally impossible for mortals, so pay close attention to every feeling when you eat this treasure. Don’t let anyone disturb you,” Yrial said. “The second part is to force them open. Various treasures can do that, though they are always extremely rare as well.”

“Sometimes the nodes even burst open due to special encounters. You might get a sense after an intense battle, and might be able to open up a hidden node through resonance. But that is extraordinarily rare,” Yrial said.

“Hidden nodes is about chance and fate. For most people, especially mortals, it’s impossible to force. So don’t fret if you can’t open as many as you aim for. There are other opportunities to make you stronger apart from bursting up all your nodes,” Yrial said.

Zac agreed and kept going through the list to spend his remaining 6000 credits. After buying the Eye he also bought the robe, leaving him with only 2250 points. The treasures inside were mainly geared for either boosting one’s achievements at the peak of the F-Grade or give a good start right after breaking through the bottleneck. So after some hesitation he bought a natural treasure that would give a significant boost to his Race after evolving.

It wouldn't be enough to push him all the way to D-Grade, but it was a good start. He knew that the attribute cap was quite high, but so were the attribute gains in the E-Grade. He did not want to encounter the same issue as he did with his Strength last time. The natural treasure would get the ball rolling, and for the rest he would have to use medicinal baths like most people.

The [Fruit of Rebirth] only cost 500 credits, as body tempering seldom was the hard part of progressing. Zac still had some problems deciding what to do with the rest of the points. He couldn't afford the top tier items, but he also felt that the other items couldn't help him too much in the short run. He also bought the teleportation talisman for a 1000 credits in the end.

”You should buy [Cyclic Strike] as well,” Yrial suddenly said from the sidelines.

Zac quickly glanced through the list of treasures to find that it was an offensive skill that would cost him his remaining credits.

”Is it strong? What's it good for?” Zac asked.

”I wouldn't say it's a too strong an attack, that's why it's so cheap. But it will help you progress,” Yrial said, making Zac a bit confused. ”I noticed that your utilization of Dao is still a bit clumsy. It's not too surprising since such a short time has passed since the Integration of your world, but if you plan on walking the path of duality this is something you need to improve before you advance.”

”How come?” Zac probed with some lingering confusion.

”To start creating a system, and have your classes reflect your long term goals,” Yrial explained. ”[Cyclic Strike] isn't a particularly amazing attack, but it requires two opposing Daos to work. So you will need to learn to combine your Dao of Rot and Dao of Trees to channel it. It will be a good lesson for you to learn to control your specialty core as well.”

Zac noticed that Yrial was actually doing his job as a teacher, and he memorized every word the ghost said. Yrial seemed pretty happy with the attention he was getting, and a satisfied grin started to appear on his face.

”In fact, take this as the first lesson of your master. After looking through your situation I understand that your current goal is something that has been born from a series of coincidences rather than a strict vision from your path of progression. You even learned the accompanying Dao inside my trial,” Yrial said.

Zac slowly nodded in agreement. What he said was true. He had no goal of walking a path of life and death in the beginning. He had only wanted to gain the Dao of Axes and perhaps use the Dao of trees to heal and protect himself somewhat. But one thing after another led to his current situation.

”There is nothing wrong with that,” Yrial said with a nod. ”Searching for your path, or being able to adapt it due to circumstances is a good thing. But now that you have started to crystallize your path you need to formalize it.”

”What does that mean?” Zac asked.

”Your two classes are not moving in the same direction at the moment,” Yrial said. ”But you can force them to align with the help of your Dao. The biggest problem is, in fact, your epic class. I am pretty sure I understand your reasoning for choosing it, but getting classes with complementing attributes isn't as important as complementing Daos. You need to force your classes into a new direction.”

”Change direction? Can I even control that?” Zac asked with bewilderment.

”Dao fusion is the easiest way,” Yrial said with a nod.

Zac suddenly understood what Yrial was getting at. His Undying Bulwark was currently based on the Dao of Hardness and the Dao of Sanctuary, exemplified by the vision of the ancestral protector. What would happen if he modified those Daos? Yrial nodded when he saw Zac's thoughtful expression.

”It seems you understand. You have various options, but if you would listen to my opinion I would recommend that you fuse your Dao of Sanctuary with your Dao of Trees, and your Dao of Rot with your Dao of Hardness. It is still worthwhile to pursue your Dao of Axe since it would work as the delivery method for your cycle of life and death,” Yrial proposed.

Zac's brows furrowed when he heard Yrial's idea. Honestly, the Dao of Trees and the Dao of Sanctuary together didn't seem like a bad idea. He could envision a large tree providing shade and protection, meaning it shouldn't be too hard to fuse the two. But the Dao of Hardness and the Dao of Rot?