Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 767: Chapter 765: Curse of the Shattered (24)_1 Chapter 767: Chapter 765: Curse of the Shattered (24)_1 Cass’s order to collect samples immediately incurred a great deal of resentment.

Originally, the sparkling clarity of this pool was somewhat eerie, but it still had the power to arouse a desire to observe it closely.

Unfortunately, after being described by Fu Qian, even if one didn’t really believe it, it was still hard to avoid certain associations.

The feeling seemed to deteriorate instantly, and almost everyone frowned at that moment.

In this situation, Cass had no choice but to use eye contact to nominate someone.

The next moment, Brother Ah Kai stepped forward with a resigned expression, extracted a metal bottle, and cautiously tried to scoop up some of the “water.”

There was no reaction; it seemed that the Crystal Pool had completely lost its vitality.

Witnessing this scene, the audience heaved a collective sigh of relief, and Brother Ah Kai promptly filled a bottle with swift efficiency and retreated to carefully seal it.

…

Compared to the journey there, the return trip could be described as efficient.

Guided by the Tomb Guardians, the group moved forward swiftly, without straying their gaze or slowing their pace.

And clearly, Ni Huayuan’s plans for pursuing the murderer had been tacitly abandoned.

This left the person in question in a prolonged silence.

“Mr. Yun,”

Unfortunately, it appeared that the others did not consider his feelings very much.

During the rapid journey back to the city, Cass’s trusted confidant and comrade, Brother Ah Kai, even took the initiative to approach Fu Qian for a conversation.

“Do you really think that certain Ancient Deities will still respond to calls?”

It was evident that he was quite interested in Fu Qian’s recent comment.

It’s not just a thought; I’ve even been called upon before.

Fu Qian thought of the Red Moon who had gone to great lengths to find him and spoke with a cautious tone.

“It’s just a hypothesis.”

“But it seems aside from some niche enthusiast groups, hardly anyone believes that anymore.”

Ah Kai laughed after hearing this.

“The modern concept of Divine Beings seems to represent more of a conceptual tier that everyone aspires to reach, lacking a lot of the sense of reverence.”

“The sense of reverence you speak of, I don’t seem to have it either.”

Fu Qian gave him a look. Are you really talking to me, a cultivator of Sword Dao, about reverence for Divine Beings? Isn’t it a bit inappropriate?

“Teacher Ah Kai is indeed interested in this.”

It was at this moment that Ji Liushuang chimed in with a laugh.

This fellow practitioner of Sword Dao showed no awareness of being an outsider to the subject.

“Mr. Yun might not be fully aware.”

The next moment she turned to Fu Qian.

“Teacher Ah Kai’s Benevolence Institute can be considered the most erudite faction within the Academy, truly turning ‘knowledge’ into power. Whether it’s ancient secrets or mystical legends, they have significant accumulations, using them to explore ‘benevolent spells’ and to make miracles reappear.”

“Of course, because of this, their recruitment standards are extremely strict. I have always admired the Benevolence Institute, but regretfully my aptitude is not enough.”

As she explained, Ji Liushuang did not forget to poke fun at herself.

Is this a reminder to myself?

Seeing Ji Liushuang join the conversation quite naturally, Fu Qian mused internally.

Classmate Ji hadn’t said much during the whole trip. Was she taking the initiative to introduce Ah Kai’s background because she was concerned that I was not very familiar with the Benevolence Institute?

It was indeed the truth. Although I’m a professor at the Academy, given that I’ve spent a total of just a few days on the job, and all of it causing trouble, my knowledge about this last institute of the Academy is indeed very limited.

All I know at present is that they are the smallest group within the Academy, almost incomparable in size to the other three institutes.

The reason for the sparse population is partly, as Ji Liushuang mentioned, due to the extremely stringent selection process, claiming to require Transcendent Insight as a talent.

However, the definition of Insight is overly broad, overlapping significantly with the other three institutes.

At the same time, their mode of combat is excessively subtle.

The so-called “Miracles” are a form of power completely different from the other three institutes, instead resembling the legendary incantations.

But unlike zapping someone with a magic wand, the process of releasing such power is said to be extremely intricate.

Fu Qian had little concept of this before, but after his recent observations, he deeply understood it.

Whether it was treating Kamakura Shinji or Kamakura Si, it involved a plethora of preparations along with special movements and “incantations”; none of it seemed as refreshingly straightforward as a single sword strike, likely causing most young people to shake their heads.

However, the opposite is true for the higher level of Transcendent forces involved, evident from their ability to suppress the injuries of the Kamakura Family members.

Now, hearing Ji Liushuang’s explanation, these “Miracles” actually stem from various “Knowledge.”

It even seems that one must repeatedly explore and test to find the real circuit for Transcendent feedback within the vast array of information.

In this respect, the reproduction of these Miracles resembles real ritualistic petitioning.

This also makes it understandable why Ah Kai is interested in Ancient Deities.

But this is only an appearance; likely, no Ancient Deity would tolerate such complex devotion from their followers; they would probably have struck them down with lightning long ago.

“Now even freshmen are scarce in the Benevolence Institute, Liushuang, if you are willing to come, all the instructors would probably fight to teach you!”

In response to Ji Liushuang’s modesty, Ah Kai smiled and sighed deeply.

“It’s just a pity that Director Li would never let you go.”

“Actually, I’ve always been curious about Miracles.”

Amid the pleasantries between Ah Kai and Ji Liushuang, Fu Qian nodded in agreement.

“Since the power of Miracles comes from knowledge, if I master this knowledge, for instance, the specifics of the ‘incantations,’ and perfectly replicate all the materials and movements without a fraction of error, could I replicate the effects of the Miracle under such circumstances?”

“Of course, if this involves secrets, I can completely understand.”

“It’s alright, it’s rare for someone to take an interest in Benevolence spells, and actually, this question isn’t really a secret,” Ah Kai replied without much difficulty.

“The answer is simple, yes.”

“If you can perfectly replicate everything I have done, you will get the same effect,” Ah Kai stated firmly.

“Oh?”

Fu Qian clearly showed interest.

“Then I’m somewhat confused as to why the Benevolence Institute doesn’t have more members, as the cultivation doesn’t seem to be difficult.”

“I understand Mr. Yun’s point; this conclusive ‘Knowledge’ can indeed be quickly disseminated, and theoretically, any member of the Benevolence Institute can master all Miracles.”

“Unfortunately, only the first person to discover a Miracle will receive feedback for a rise in the Supernatural Tier.”

“That is to say, only the discovery of knowledge is rewarded; merely knowing is not enough, though it doesn’t prevent you from using it normally,” Ah Kai chuckled.

“From this perspective, having fewer members is not a bad thing for us, as it can reduce the difficulty of advancement.”

“At the same time, we do share knowledge among ourselves, but it is all done voluntarily—we never force it nor despise the act of silently reciting incantations.”

“I understand,” Fu Qian nodded, just the thought was enough to know the arduousness of exploration; one must allow some patent protection, otherwise, it could affect research enthusiasm.

Wait a second, silently reciting?

The next moment, Fu Qian realized something.