Chapter 343 - Spiritual Essence. (1/2)
”Are you certain that you want to do this, young man?”
Ozul stopped in his tracks and turned his face towards the Elder, ”Do what?”
”Don't put your luck on the line. The world outside is cruel, and if you don't have enough strength or a solid foundation to begin with, you'll be crushed mercilessly!” ”While we can guarantee not to hurt you while aiding you in absorbing the Mana Core, I cannot say the same for others,” the Elder strained his eyes, probing Ozul.
Though he wasn't the only one. Ozul also found his persuasion a little suspicious despite the repeated offer of refusal.
Turning back, he walked through the door, ”I will take my chances.”
Not to mention the fact that he lacked a Mana Core to begin with; even if he did, he would still think twice before considering their offer.
The Elder didn't get angry, nor did he show any particular reaction towards Ozul's reply. He stood there thinking for a few moments until the young man beside him coughed, reminding him that they still had things to do.
. . .
Outside, on the concrete ground, everyone waited with bated breath for what was to come next.
Even the Sovereign had lost her grumpiness. She was more than satisfied with her new improvements. Though she was nowhere close to her original strength, she felt that it wouldn't be long before she surpassed her past self.
”You should have all started to feel the odd yet warm energy in the air after absorbing the Mana Core,” the young guy said, looking at everyone except Ozul to confirm.
Seeing that no one had any problem, he continued, ”This is what we call Spiritual Essence.”
”Much like the Mana in your world, Spiritual Essence is the life force that pervades all the Realms! Unfortunately for all of you, it is much more complicated than Mana.”
”How so?” inquired the Sovereign. She felt as though she could simply suck the Spiritual Essence around her without even thinking about it.
”Well, it's different for you. You are Beastkin, unlike the rest of them here,” the Elder answered before the young man and motioned the latter to continue with his explanation to the rest.
”Like the Mana, Spiritual Essence is now your only way to cultivate your body. Though, unlike Mana, it is not so easy to absorb,” The young guy spoke while attempting to ignore the Sovereign's prideful snort.
”A child is unable to absorb the Spiritual Essence in any way. They must first sense it, and even then, if they attempted to do so without a cultivation method, they would be killed on the spot.”
”We need a cultivation method now?” Blaze asked, masking his annoyance. He was never good with following a path set for him by others.
”Indeed. The Spiritual Essence is raw energy, your body simply cannot handle it. You need a cultivation method to refine it. Following the specific cultivation methods allow you to refine the Spiritual Energy into an Element that holds the most affinity with your soul which further eases the process.”
”Hence, it's important to find a cultivation manual suitable for you. And without a doubt, cultivation manuals are not easy to get by. Especially the ones compatible with you.”
The young man, at last, turned towards the Sovereign, ”While Beastkin has it easier than humans, it's only limited to basic cultivation techniques. To improve faster than humans, your instinctual cultivation won't be enough.”
In doubt, the Sovereign squinted her eyes. Despite the fact that Beastly instincts were not always helpful, she refused to think that they were in any way inferior to human means.
Noticing the worry in their eyes, the young man again smiled warmly and assured, ”And that brings me to the last offer from the royalty of the Realm of Abezan...”
The young man specifically pressed the word 'royalty' to have the desired effect and he wasn't disappointed.
Even Ozul didn't believe they were sent directly by the rulers of the entire Realm. Though he dismissed his surprise on the basis that he had no idea how vast the Realm of Abezan was in the first place.
Nevertheless, he didn't forget to pay extra attention to these two people now.
”All of you have the opportunity to be cared for by royalty, and in exchange for your loyalty to the Realm of Abezan, you will receive Cultivation manuals, Spiritual Arts, and even Spirit Weapons! You can also receive instructions from the best masters from across the Realm!”
Despite not knowing the importance of the said Spiritual Arts and these Spirit Weapons, they could all tell that they were probably really expensive.
The random guards patrolling the grounds were green with envy. Forget about all the cultivation resources, even becoming a student of a great Master was something they would kill for their children to attain.
What was more frustrating to see was that these people had the audacity to think before accepting this generous offer! Really, the world was too unfair.
”Again, all of you can refuse and walk away right now. No one will stop you. We are not so harsh to stop you against your will,” the young man reminded magnanimously. He gave them a sense of kindness as if they could trust him unconditionally.
The more Ozul listened to him, the more suspicious he got. He wouldn't believe in anything they said until he knew what their true intentions were. Even the Elder was being a little pushy towards him. Something was up, and he wasn't naive enough to think that they would receive all these benefits without doing anything.