As Gavin began the ritual, he felt a vast consciousness descend upon him. It watched him intently, peeling away every layer of secrecy. A flicker of unease ran through him—his deepest secrets laid bare.
But just as quickly as it arrived, the presence vanished.
When Gavin opened his eyes, a green energy seed floated before him, radiating a faint glow. Without hesitation, he let a drop of blood fall onto the seed from his already pricked thumb.
The seed flashed with vibrant light before merging into his body, traveling through him until it finally settled within his spiritual world, fusing with his spirit.
As information from the seed flooded his mind, Gavin opened his eyes, his understanding deepening. He now realized that most higher beings in the world followed the professional cultivation system. Though he had been aware of it before, he had never given it much thought.
Now, as a professional himself, he understood why.
"Open panel."
A translucent display appeared in his mind:
---
Gavin Lucaius Hasear
Race – Blood Kin
Life Level – Intermediate Bronze Rank
Profession – Life Sculptor
Rank – 1 (0/100)
Stats:
- Body: 21*
- Speed: 24*
- Spirit: 49***
Abilities:
- Life Sense
- Blood Control
Spells:
- Illusion (4)
- Diamond Spear (4)
Rules Comprehension:
- Spirit (78 / 10,000)
- Earth (12 / 10,000)
- Blood (19 / 10,000)
The panel allows professionals to monitor their stats and track the experience needed for the next rank. Here, experience represents an understanding of the profession—a profession aligns with the rules of the world, and deeper comprehension leads to rank advancement, which, in turn, promotes life level.
The asterisks in the stats serve as indicators:
- One asterisk marks the Bronze Realm
- Three asterisks mark the Golden Realm
His Body and Speed are at intermediate Bronze Rank (1-10 is Initial, 11-30 Intermediate, 31-60 Late, and 61-100 Peak).
His Spirit, however, is at Late Golden Rank and will naturally reach Peak Golden Rank without practice—it is merely recovering. The creation of a new clone had slightly damaged it.
Then come the abilities:
- Life Sense (from the Life Sculptor profession)
- Blood Control (an innate ability of the Blood Race)
Next are his spells, followed by his understanding of the Rules of the World. The professional panel conveniently displays all Rules and their progress together.
He hadn't realized his Blood Rule had reached 19 until now.
After speaking with Valerie and learning more about the Blood Race, he understood that his Blood Rule comprehension would naturally increase with realm advancement or aging.
"My professional rank and life-level realm don't match. In the coming days, I must quickly advance my professional rank so it can help push my realm forward."
"Let's see how to advance to Rank 2 in the Life Sculptor profession."
He entered his spiritual world, where the energy seed floated above the altar. Channeling his consciousness into the seed, he absorbed the knowledge for promotion.
To reach Rank 2, he had to use Life Sense on himself and clear the defects in his body.
The Life Sculptor profession was about sculpting oneself into the perfect life form. For mortals, Legendary beings were considered perfect life forms. The path of the Life Sculptor involved identifying defects, repairing them, and merging materials into the body to refine it toward perfection.
Closing his eyes, he sat comfortably and activated Life Sense.
"Oh… I had no idea my body had this many defects."
He began counting and found over 1,000 defects.
"Life Sense is tied to my spirit. The stronger my spirit, the more defects I can perceive."
"If I clear all my defects, my level of life will reach the same as my spirit."
"Let's fix one defect first and see."
Gavin mobilized the new life energy in his body, focusing on one of the smallest defects. He examined it closely, then began the repair process.
These defects were simply the wear and tear of life. He directed his new energy, derived from the Life Rule, to heal the damage. Slowly, the defect shrunk until it was completely gone.
The moment it disappeared, a wave of pleasure coursed through his body. It felt like shedding a shackle, like the bliss of sinking into a hot spring after a full day's labor, washing away exhaustion.
He opened his professional panel:
Rank – 1 (25/100).
"I need to clear three more defects to reach Rank 2."
Without hesitation, he continued, clearing the second, third, and fourth defects.
Suddenly, his consciousness shifted—he was pulled into a mysterious space. Before he could observe it, he was snapped back into his body.
He immediately noticed his life energy reserves had increased, and he had learned a new ability.
He channeled his life energy, and a green energy blade formed in his right palm. Examining it, he tested its sharpness on his finger—but only a white mark appeared.
"My body is too strong for this to injure me now."
To properly test it, he turned to a chair in the room.
"Let's see how it cuts."
Walking over, he swung the blade at the armrest. With a single slash, it was cleanly sliced.
He smiled. "This will be useful in close combat."
No one had called for him yet, meaning the preparations to leave were still ongoing.
He sat back down, ready to repair more defects—but suddenly, new knowledge surfaced in his mind.
A cultivation method—Spiritual Territory Building.
Before he could examine it, a knock came at the door.
He opened it to find Rosalin standing outside.
Seeing him, Rosalin said, "Lord Gavin, we are ready to leave."
Gavin nodded. "Let's go."
He followed her out of the house and stopped at the gate, where a carriage pulled by two Aspheri awaited him. Nearby, vampire servants sat astride Dark Black Scale horses, their mounts exuding an aura of quiet power.
A short distance away, a group of people stood engaged in conversation. Among them, Gavin immediately recognized Elan, Alice, and Alfred. They were speaking with Sterza, the only daughter of Duke Sturza.
Leaning slightly toward Rosalin, he whispered, "Go and call Elan."
Rosalin gave a small nod before striding over. After exchanging a few words with Elan, he nodded in response and began walking toward Gavin.
Elan reached Gavin and greeted him, "Hello."
Gavin nodded. "Hello. I need to talk to you about something."
Elan, curious about why this stranger had called him, simply nodded.
"I want to talk to you about the Statue Tribe," Gavin said.
At the mention of the tribe, Elan froze for a second before quickly controlling his emotions. "The Statue Tribe? I know of them. They're the only tribe left in the region. If you're looking for their location, I can't help—I don't know where they are."
Gavin observed Elan's nervousness and replied calmly, "I'm a friend of the Statue Tribe's totem. He told me about the contract."
Hearing the word contract, Elan instinctively glanced around to see if anyone had overheard.
"They can't hear us," Gavin reassured him. The moment Elan started speaking, Gavin had used his spirit field to block outside listeners—except for Valerie, whose Legendary Realm power made her immune to such interference.
Elan's expression hardened. "Who are you?"
Gavin simply replied, "You don't need to know that. Sterza should have already told your fiancée that her family will support you."
Elan recalled Alice mentioning this just a few hours ago. He had been thrilled—Sterza's backing was a major opportunity. He had already secured the necessary contributions to retain his title, but to rise further, he needed strength. Strength required advanced resources, which only higher status could grant.
A sudden clap snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, I got lost in thought," he admitted.
Then he asked, "So, I take it you're the reason Lady Sterza agreed to help us?"
Gavin smiled and nodded. "Yes. She was inclined to help, but when I told her about the contract with the Statue Tribe and that I'm a friend of their totem—who is in the Golden Realm—that sealed her decision."
Elan had been nodding along, but at Gavin's last words, his expression froze. "The Statue Tribe's totem… is a Golden Realm Grandmaster?"
Gavin confirmed, "Yes. That's why I want your family to help them."
Elan hesitated. "How can I help them? They already have the support of a Grandmaster."
"My friend cannot reveal himself to outsiders or interfere in battle. The Statue Tribe has been ordered by the Eyed Council to barricade the passage formed by the river."
Elan's eyes narrowed. "The Eyed Council is involved?"
"To prevent humans from advancing south. All passages will be guarded, with the Nine Lakes Tribe overseeing the effort."
Elan asked, "What do you need from me?"
Gavin replied, "Seeds—wheat, rice, and other vegetables. And intelligence on human forces attacking the barricade."
The two continued discussing the specifics of their mutual assistance. Once their conversation ended, Elan watched as Lady Sterza and Gavin climbed into the carriage. The convoy set off, disappearing into the distance.
Inside the carriage, Gavin closed his eyes, focusing on a new technique that had surfaced in his memory. He had already traced its origin—it came from the Divine Object of the Three-Eye race, which had reviewed the Statue Tribe's promotion to a middle-rank tribe. The technique was a reward.
He examined it closely—Spiritual Territory Building.