Chapter 32

Lumian combined the physics knowledge he had learned and asked:

"Why not call it the Law of Conservation?"

"That's a different law, but you don't need to understand the details for now." The woman nodded in approval, "In essence, it is the same as the Law of Non-Destruction, but it has more prerequisites and specific explanations."

I see... Lumian thought for a moment and carefully said:

"According to the Law of Non-Destruction, if I want to obtain a Beyonder characteristic, besides hunting the corresponding monsters, can I also target other Beyonders?"

Since Beyonder characteristics are indestructible, they must be released when a Beyonder dies.

The woman showed a certain sense of emotion:

"You are very perceptive.

"So, this law is not suitable for most Beyonders to know, as it would lead to mutual killings and destroy any trust among Beyonders."

"Without this law, humans would still kill each other." Lumian was indifferent, "In the real world, suspicion, bullying, and murder are not rare."

The woman responded with interest:

"But at least there is still some warmth and the light of humanity."

Lumian thought for a while:

"From another perspective, this law should become a consensus among Beyonders. Only then can the weak be better prepared and not become prey to the few who know."

The woman nodded slightly:

"That makes sense.

"In fact, there have been a few battles among Beyonders, and the relevant people can probably guess some things."

She then said:

"The second law is called the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Aggregation."

"Aggregation..." Lumian found it hard to understand.

He couldn't deduce it from the content she had explained.

The woman's expression became a bit more serious:

"As the creator of this world, even though the first Creator split into different Beyonder characteristics, it doesn't mean He completely withdrew from the stage. His spirit is scattered among different Beyonder characteristics, never to be erased unless this world is completely destroyed.

"These spirits, although more like imprints, have the instinct to re-aggregate and revive the first Creator.

"In other words, after you become a Beyonder, you will encounter other Beyonders more easily, and you will encounter Beyonders of the same or adjacent paths more easily than those of other paths. This is a convergence of fate, and the higher the sequence, the more obvious this becomes."

Lumian had many questions about these words but couldn't ask them all at once, so he started with the most pressing:

"Combining the Law of Non-Destruction, can we conclude that aggregation leads to killing?"

The woman once again showed an approving expression:

"You are really perceptive about these things.

"At lower sequences, it's still manageable, but at the Demigod stage, especially after becoming an Angel, you need to find ways to weaken or avoid the effects of aggregation."

"Demigod, Angel?" Although Lumian already knew that each sequence could eventually lead to becoming a true god, he was still somewhat surprised and intrigued by these terms.

The woman explained casually:

"Demigod is short for half-god, half-human, including Beyonders from Sequence 4 to Sequence 1.

"Among them, Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 are called Saints, and Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 are called Angels. There are other titles above that, but you shouldn't know them for now."

Saints... Angels... Lumian immediately thought of the patron saints and angels from different regions.

Are they real?

Are the relics of saints the bodies of Saints, with Beyonder characteristics remaining?

Lumian suddenly felt a bit scared and asked:

"Each Beyonder characteristic contains the spiritual imprint of the first Creator, and the higher the sequence, the more imprints remain?

"Wouldn't that mean that those who consume elixirs would also be affected in other ways?"

The woman nodded and smiled:

"Otherwise, why would this path be called one filled with danger and madness?

"This is also one of the main reasons why consuming elixirs can lead to loss of control.

"Loss of control means losing control over extraordinary powers and one's own spirit, transforming into a terrifying monster."

"Are there other reasons?" Lumian asked.

The woman nodded:

"One is the spiritual imprints of previous owners of the Beyonder characteristic, the strength of which mainly depends on their own status. Uh, the intensity of their obsession and madness before death also adds to it. The second is consuming elixirs in the wrong order or method, which can cause great conflict within the body. The third is that certain entities can influence through the consumption of elixirs, for example, each time a Seer consumes an elixir, they passively receive knowledge from the Hidden Sage."

Was the voice I heard after drinking the Hunter elixir a similar situation? Lumian thought for a moment and recounted his experience, concluding with:

"Whose influence was that?"

The next second, he saw the woman's expression become a bit strange.

She said solemnly:

"Knowing the existence of certain entities can lead to contamination and loss of control.

"Unfortunately, the owner of that voice is such an entity, and you are not yet ready to know His name."

So terrifying? A Sequence 0 true god? But most people in Intis know about the 'Eternal Sun' and the 'God of Steam and Machinery,' and nothing has happened... Is there a difference between true gods and evil gods? No, she just mentioned the 'Hidden Sage,' who is also a Sequence 0... Is it possible that she doesn't know exactly which entity it is and is using vague words to cover her ignorance? Lumian had many thoughts.

Considering his own strength, he abandoned this topic and asked about another term he was interested in:

"What are adjacent paths?"

The woman's expression returned to normal:

"Generally, once you choose a path and consume the corresponding elixir, you can only progress step by step on that path, otherwise, you will lose control, at least partially. However, there are always exceptions. Each path has one or more adjacent paths, and you can switch to them at specific sequences, such as Sequence 4, which divides humans from demigods.

"The adjacent path to 'Hunter' is 'Assassin.'"

"Assassin"... sounds more sophisticated than 'Hunter'... Lumian asked with concern:

"What is the adjacent path to 'Seer'?

"Would switching to an adjacent path mean no longer being influenced by the 'Hidden Sage'?"

"It's the 'Generalist' path, and the current Sequence 0 is the 'God of Steam and Machinery.' The influence of the 'Hidden Sage' will still be present, but to a much lesser degree, as the corresponding Beyonder characteristic still exists. You would need to find a way to expel them."

"How do you expel them?" Lumian was surprised.

"The simplest way is to have a child, with a significant chance of transferring the corresponding Beyonder characteristic through mystical inheritance." The woman only mentioned this briefly, "You can also use certain path-specific abilities, but there are risks and significant costs involved."

Lumian nodded and asked another question:

"Do you have to switch at a specific sequence?"

Becoming a demigod at Sequence 4 sounds very unlikely.

The woman looked at him:

"Theoretically, you can switch at a lower sequence, but the risk of losing control is much higher. Unless there are no other options, you should avoid trying."

She paused and continued:

"The two laws have been explained, and now we will discuss the method.

"This is one of the most important pieces of knowledge in the mystical world."

Most important? Lumian instinctively straightened his back and paid close attention.

The woman continued:

"It's called the 'Acting Method.'

"It helps you digest the elixir, and after digesting it, the risk of losing control when consuming the next sequence's elixir will be much lower."

No wonder you can't drink a Sequence 9 elixir today and a Sequence 8 one tomorrow... You need to use the 'Acting Method' to digest the previous one... Lumian realized.

He didn't interrupt and listened carefully to her explanation:

"Remember, it's digestion, not control.

"What is the 'Acting Method'? It involves acting according to the name of the sequence, like an actor, to harmonize the differences between yourself and the residual spiritual imprint of the Beyonder characteristic, gaining recognition and bypassing the original barriers to integrate the Beyonder characteristic with yourself."

"So, I need to act as a 'Hunter' and go hunting every day?" Lumian entered a listening state.

The woman shook her head:

"That's the most basic form of acting. We need to understand the surface meaning of the sequence name and explore its deeper implications, for example, the city is also a jungle, and everyone is both prey and hunter."

I'm familiar with this... Lumian had already understood the deeper meaning of 'Hunter' from his past life on the streets.

"How do you know when you have digested the elixir and can advance to the next sequence?" he couldn't help but ask.

The woman smiled:

"You will feel it when the elixir is truly digested."

Alright... Lumian didn't continue this topic and asked curiously:

"Who named the different sequences?"

Why does acting according to their names help digest the elixir?

The woman's expression became serious:

"The earliest sequence division came from the remnants of the first Creator's split, a stone tablet filled with mystical knowledge.

"Because it involves the secrets of becoming a god, it is called the Blasphemous Tablet.

"In ancient times, at the end of the Second Era and throughout the Third Era, a powerful god emerged, approaching the first Creator, called the Ancient Sun God. After His fall, a second Blasphemous Tablet was born from His remains, and all current sequence names and elixir formulas come from it."

The history of the Second and Third Eras I learned is not like this... Lumian muttered to himself.

The woman continued:

"During the reign of Emperor Roselle, he created a set of Blasphemous Cards based on the Major Arcana of the Tarot, consisting of twenty-two cards, each containing a path to godhood."

"Emperor Roselle was also a Beyonder?" Lumian was shocked.

As an ordinary Intis, it was hard not to have a certain admiration for Emperor Roselle.

"Otherwise?" The woman laughed.

Lumian asked:

"Was he very powerful?"

"Close to a god." The woman was concise.

So powerful? Lumian was both surprised and unsurprised.

He thought for a moment and said:

"Then, wouldn't Emperor Roselle's diary be very valuable?"

The woman nodded:

"Yes, but very few people can interpret those strange writings."

Aurore seems to have some copies of Emperor Roselle's diary, and she seems to be able to interpret them... Is part of her power from here? Lumian fell into deep thought.