Two items. One was a crown resembling thorns, made of white jade. The Crown of Thorns was said to be a trial specially designed by a Divine for certain special believers. Wearing it would cause one’s head to bleed and their heart to feel as if scratched by a thousand claws. Only by maintaining their faith while enduring such pain would they pass the Divine’s trial. The other item was a long black nail. It was also known as the Holy Nail. In folklore, it was the Holy Nail that pierced the heart of a Divine’s avatar while walking among humans, causing its death.
At that moment, the two items lifted themselves out of their wrapping, strands of ethereal aura wafting from them. The aura scattered into the Divine Domain Fragment. The space of the Fragment began to expand as well. Simultaneously, his stats updated:
The two items had brought Carl 0.6 Source Material, which would equate to a 0.3 increase if used for attribute points. The City Guard occupied the entire Dark City, and for them to consider these items treasures meant they were truly exceptional finds. This was clearly a pleasant surprise!
Carl gestured to bring up his status panel.
Spiritual Power: 1.92
Profession: Knight Attendant, Intermediate Wizard Apprentice
There wasn’t much change. He had only progressed from a Basic-level Wizard Apprentice to an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, and his Source Material was no longer zero.
Carl stroked his chin. He didn’t intend to save the Source Material for later use, but he struggled with whether to add it to his Constitution or Spiritual Power.
Adding to Spiritual Power would undoubtedly aid my path as a Wizard, but it’s difficult to effectively convert into strength in the short term. Adding to Constitution... It would be beneficial in the short term, but not cost-effective in the long run.
"Add to Constitution!"
Carl’s eyes focused, and the value in the Constitution column twitched slightly, jumping from 1.47 to 1.77.
I can worry about the future later. The ordeal in the Dark City had proved that for him at present, an increase in Constitution would provide greater security.
A warm current surged incessantly within his body. The enhanced strength made Carl unconsciously tighten his fists.
This power... It could definitely crush an ordinary Knight!
Even when facing Knights who had mastered Battle Aura, Carl now had the confidence to fight and win.
Moreover... Life Potions!
He took out the three bottles of Life Potion he had acquired, placed them on the table, and then turned to retrieve a Crystal Ball. The Crystal Ball was a low-quality enchanted item. It could cast Analyze three times.
Holding the Crystal Ball, Carl activated his Spiritual Power and uttered arcane syllables.
As the sound faded, the Crystal Ball lit up with a gentle white glow. This light showered down, enveloping the three bottles of Life Potion. Carl narrowed his eyes, looking at the Life Potions through the Crystal Ball.
The three spheres of white light trembled slightly. Some were larger and some smaller, with one of them interspersed with black lines.
The Life Potion mingled with black lines indicated that the materials hadn’t been handled well during the concoction process. This resulted in a small amount of impurities in the final product, which would inevitably affect its efficacy when consumed. The size of the light spheres and the intensity of the glow indicated the quality of the Potions. The absence of other colors meant that the Potions hadn’t been tampered with, such as by adding poison.
Picking up the highest quality Life Potion among the three, Carl stepped towards his usual training spot and downed the Potion in one go. He chose to make his breakthrough right then and there, without hesitation or doubt.
My Constitution is now much stronger than an ordinary Knight’s, and possessing the Divine Domain Fragment gives me perfect control over my body. There’s no reason for a breakthrough to fail.
Carl exhaled deeply, positioned himself properly, and silently practiced the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique.
As the rhythm of his breathing continued and the technique operated, the life energy hidden deep within his flesh was stimulated bit by bit. The consumed Life Potion transformed into countless warm currents, flowing from his stomach to his limbs and bones.
In Carl’s perception, he felt like a cyclic field of life force, with his heart as its core.
With the continuous infusion of life energy, his heartbeats grew stronger, and the rushing of his blood sounded like an incessant, mighty river.
With focused intent, the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique shifted, and a tremendous suction emerged from his heart, sweeping through his body. Countless streams of life energy suddenly converged inward.
Time seemed to stand still. Carl’s consciousness fell into a daze.
Then, at a certain moment, like spring thunder awakening dormant seeds, a burst of energy symbolizing life force emerged from within Carl. This abundant life aura washed over his limbs and bones repeatedly.
The Life Seed! Its location is right where the heart is.
Carl opened his eyes, a pensive expression on his face.
The so-called Life Seed is actually the heart. The nutrients carried by the blood flowing through the heart will strengthen the Life Seed. The life aura harbored by the Life Seed will also nourish a Knight’s body through the circulation of blood. The two complement each other until the Life Seed has received enough nourishment to take root and sprout within the body; that is when one becomes a Great Knight. If the roots of the Life Seed extend to every part of the body, thereby completing a true evolution of life, then one would likely become a Legendary Knight.
So, the so-called Knight cultivation is a process that allows life to evolve.
Carl ceased his movements and stood up. As he stretched his limbs, a series of crackling sounds erupted from his body. The noises began like firecrackers, gradually intensifying to sound like rolling thunder, until...
An invisible aura exploded outwards, pushing the surrounding air away. Carl’s clothing whipped about him, snapping sharply.
This was the Battle Aura that could increase a Knight’s offensive power, enhance defensive power, and even threaten intangible entities like the undead and Yin Souls! Only Knights with robust life force and a certain mastery over their breathing technique could generate Battle Aura.