"Our Taurus lineage's Abnormal Forging Secret Technique, to be honest, is not that difficult, and is somewhat similar to the craft of metal forging."
Accompanied by the leisurely narrative, an old man with a slightly hunched back popped into Leon's mind. He raised his hand, pointed to a blazing hot furnace, and with a chuckle, explained to the apprentices behind him,
"Find the right anomaly or material, heat it just like you would iron ore, using your strength to 'heat it up.' Once it's heated to a point where it loses stable form and rules, the preparation work is done.
The next steps are quite similar as well. Forging iron requires hammering to shape it, removing impurities, and increasing its strength. Forging anomalies is no different.
Use your willpower and mind as your hammer, let the anomaly's form and rules shift towards the direction you desire, then carefully sort them out, removing unnecessary chaotic rules, and distribute the limited strength towards the most appropriate directions... Understand?"
While the group of apprentices looked troubled, a young man with a square head stood out confidently and summarized,
"So you first blast it with heat! Then, when it's done heating, smash it with all your might! Once it's all smashed, the anomaly will be forged!"
"Exactly! It's just that simple!"
The old man, hearing this, was overjoyed. He took a deep breath through the gap where a tooth was missing and cheerfully waved his hand, conjuring dozens of grotesque creatures as tall as three stories, with blood flames spewing from their nostrils.
"Come on! These are all offspring of the Bloodflame Demon God. I grabbed them from its haven while I was chasing it in the abyss last month. Everyone take one back to burn! Once you understand, come back to learn the next steps!"
Seeing the apprentices attempting to "burn," but chaotically chased by materials and even getting burnt with blisters from the blood flames, Leon clicked his tongue in speechless dismay.
*The Purification Bureau's seniors really had quite the rough teaching methods... Speaking of which, Taurus His Excellency's way of teaching him the secret technique was directly by giving him a piece of memory? So, was this a Taurus Director learning the secret technique?*
The long stretch of memories continued. Under Leon's curious gaze, the unlucky secret technique apprentices faced numerous hardships, being chased by various "materials" until they cried out in despair, with people frequently absent or sobbing in retreat.
Only that square-headed young man persisted unwaveringly, never giving up despite the overwhelming challenges and showing excellence in both willpower and talent. In the end... he became the next Director of the Purification Bureau.
Watching the square-headed man reluctantly take his seat as Director, and someone who inexplicably became the Taurus Director after enduring countless torments from the materials, Leon, after viewing the entire set of teaching memories, was dumbfounded.
*Isn't there something off about this plot's development?*
*Shouldn't the most outstanding apprentice gain the Taurus Director's and Taurus Star Palace's recognition, successfully inheriting the director's position? How did they end up becoming the Director instead? And what about the Taurus Secret Arts...?
"It was precisely because he was too excellent."
When Leon awakened from the third generation Taurus Director's memories and asked his question, the Taurus Director smiled and countered,
"The square-headed youth you saw is likely the third generation Director of the Purification Bureau. Since he was already so outstanding, why should he inherit the Taurus Secret Arts to become a Director? Isn't it better to directly become the Purification Bureau's Director?"
*No problem, in that case, indeed, the most talented should directly become Director... But still, there's a slight sense of disappointment...*
Leon clicked his tongue in speechlessness and wanted to ask more when he saw the Taurus Director smilingly say,
"Don't mind him for now, how about you? How is your secret technique going? How much have you mastered?"
Hearing the Taurus Director's question, Leon looked at his badge panel and replied uncertainly,
"Though I haven't learned the full version, I guess I've grasped the basics?"
[After receiving the memory gifted by the Taurus Director, you successfully acquired the practicing method of the Taurus Secret Technique "Anomaly Forge," and through observing in the memory space, you've gained a large amount of precious related experience, activating the Silver-Level Badge "Arcane Inheritor (Taurus)."]
[Arcane Inheritor (Taurus): The inheritor of the Purification Bureau's Taurus Secret Arts, possesses the skills to use the corresponding rules, yet due to the fact that the corresponding rules have been occupied by the Taurus Star Palace, it is nearly impossible to summon them without the grantor's endowment, thus only counting as a "skill in slaying dragons."]
[Badge Effect: Even though you are missing the support of the corresponding rules, having witnessed the entire process of the third generation Director of the Purification Bureau and the third generation Taurus Director practicing the Taurus Secret Arts, you still earn the qualification to use a degraded version of the Taurus Secret Arts, enabling you to utilize the traits of anomalous materials in your hands, forging anomalies far below your Corrosion Value level.]
[Advancement Route: Upon the current Taurus Director's death, if the "Star Vault Compass Fragment-Zodiac-Taurus" comes under your control, this badge will automatically advance to a Golden Badge "Taurus Director."]
[Hidden Traits (no wearing required): Due to your ability to shield parts of the influence from the Taurus Star Palace, during your anomalous forging, you are able to forcibly steal a small amount of relevant rules under the suppression of the Taurus Star Palace, enhancing the effects of the Anomaly Forge Secret Technique.]