"Well? Does this look familiar?" Jessica asked.

"You really do watch a lot of cartoons." Nathan chuckled.

Jessica stuck out her tongue, offering no comment as she continued showing her friend more of her knitted creations. Though called 'wool,' the material was actually made from special threads of this world. In the hands of a skilled Tailor, objects could be animated or upgraded into automated items—like self-wrapping scarves, self-equipping gloves, or bracelets that detached themselves when their owner bathed.

Lately, Nathan had been calling Jessica through PsiLink to catch up on recent events. Both had been busy—Nathan with his duties, and Jessica with her small business. She had used her Lesser Mana Stones to establish a shop specializing in knitted items featuring cute cartoon characters from Earth. Her products were quite popular among children and teenagers. Even older folks showed interest in her distinctive patterns for scarves and rugs.

She constantly reminded Nathan to teach her how to transfer funds to pay him his investor's share. But Nathan truly didn't need the money and kept deflecting, suggesting she reinvest in expanding the business. He couldn't bring himself to tell his friend that his current wealth could support the entire town of Crystalton for years.

"Instead of interrogating me, shouldn't you be worried about copyright claims for those characters you're making?" Nathan asked.

"Really?" Jessica feigned wide-eyed surprise. "I'd actually be delighted to meet someone who could make such claims. Just think about it. We'd have so much to talk about!"

Her words reminded Nathan of his recent encounter with the white-robed figure. It seemed the Truefacers had a Traveler similar to him, someone with a special system like The Passive System. A list of such systems flashed through his mind. He couldn't deny being tempted and intrigued. However, after that night, Darkan had confronted him with bulging veins on his face, pointing directly at him with a roar like a lion.

"Abandon any thoughts you have about the Truefacers! No meeting them! No connections! Don't even think about it! Even that Fortune Flow nonsense. It's heretical, meant to delude people. Ridiculous! If I told you that Fortune Flow would make you Emperor, would you break your neck rushing to follow it?"

Despite his anger, Darkan hadn't taken away the token given to Nathan. Sometimes, Nathan would take it out and examine the raised image on its surface: a circle representing a face, a shoulder, and a back—someone pressing their face against a wall. Perhaps it meant that face was turned toward truth, or like in Plato's allegory, everyone was looking at the wall inside the cave. The necessary action was to turn around and go out.

Everything troubled Nathan.

One thing he had hidden from Jessica was that he was essentially under house arrest and couldn't visit Crystalton. He needed to wait for the situation to settle down. Even though it was now clear he held no special value, certain factions still believed he possessed secrets they could exploit. Secret Agents under Alaric and Darkan had been dispatched to eliminate this threat. Only when they determined it was safe would he be allowed to leave.

Frustrated, he leaned against Argentius. The tiger beast had been returned after Zeryn came back. His greatest comfort came from this furry companion. When Nathan asked about the vision from the Yin-yang Eyes, Argentius had merely twitched his whiskers and solemnly said:

"Heaven's secrets cannot be divulged. But this doesn't affect our relationship."

Argentius seemed quite comfortable on the ninth mountain. With no one around, he could roam or rest wherever he pleased. Still, he longed to return to Moirath Forest to check on the other beasts, especially the Vermilion Apes.

Every few days, Zahra, Zeryn, and Xander would visit, demanding elaborate meals. Nathan happily complied, grateful for the company. Among them all, Xander was the most dejected. His ranking in The Shifting Trials had fallen outside the top 64, pushing him into frenzied cultivation upon his return. Despite reassurances that this was still impressive for someone at Tier 2, Phase 1, he remained stubbornly dissatisfied. Zahra had become Xander's new benchmark for achievement. Nathan was completely ignored.

The one thing these three gluttons shared was their greedy interest in Nathan's substantial wealth. When they saw Zeryn pour out over fifty thousand standard mana stones from the betting pool, Zahra and Xander's eyes gleamed with avarice. Though they had received their shares, they weren't as fortunate as Zeryn or Nathan. Nathan had to warn his younger friends about the dangers of such gambling. He himself had only bet on himself.

Regarding his bloodline, Zahra avoided saying too much, only suggesting she will consult her family. Seeing her reluctance, Nathan didn't press further.

Orin had secluded himself for cultivation, so Nathan had no reason to visit the outer sect.

When Nathan had delivered the vial of Evelyn's blood to the perpetually drunk elder, the man had nearly dropped it.

"Damn it, Nathan!" Orin had exclaimed. "I only asked you to find Frost Sovereign Constitution, but this... this..."

"Is more valuable?" Nathan smiled.

"Not just more valuable." Orin frowned, his eyes boring into Nathan. "This is essence blood, refined from marrow and heart. How did you obtain it?"

Nathan froze upon hearing this. Seeing the stupid expression on the young man's face, Orin threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"The suffering required to extract even a drop of blood like this is immense. Not to mention the recovery time needed. And from what I can tell, this is female blood. Nathan, I never thought you were such a ladies' man."

Nathan waved away the teasing. In his mind, he was wondering why Evelyn had gone to such lengths. Since she had initially objected, he hadn't truly believed she would fulfill his request, despite his persistent demands for her blood.

"Kid," Orin patted Nathan's shoulder, said. "I don't know how you obtained this drop of blood. But you must thank whoever gave it and treasure them. The terrifying aspect of essence blood isn't just its potency, but that whoever possesses it can determine the life of its owner. Do you understand what this action means?"

"You won't use it for anything dark, will you?" Nathan reached out as if to take it back.

"I'm not insane." Orin had already made the vial disappear into his storage ring. "Now get out so I can heal. With this, I'll definitely recover. You won't need to rely solely on Darkan anymore."

"Are you serious?" Nathan's eyes widened. "No bluffing?"

"I may not be able to defeat him, but I can certainly irritate him." Orin proudly thumped his chest.

"What about Sect Leader Alaric?"

"That brat? Even less of a concern."

"Why does the Sect Leader seem like the weakest one here?" Nathan asked, puzzled.

"There's much you don't know. And didn't I tell you to get out?"

Before Nathan could protest, he was sent flying. Unlike Darkan who treated him like a punching bag, Orin's method was much gentler.

Nevertheless, Orin's words kept Nathan awake at night. Given Evelyn's steadfast nature, he hadn't realized how exhausted she must have been that day while still standing up for him. And then to offer her essence blood as thanks. If it had been ordinary blood, he would have gladly accepted. But something so precious made him feel undeserving.

When he messaged her, Evelyn didn't respond. He didn't believe she was ignoring him—more likely she was engaged in some cultivation process. Perhaps she was attempting a breakthrough to Tier 3.

After a few days, everyone returned to their own busy lives. Nathan kept himself occupied to avoid dwelling on unproductive thoughts.

He summoned Celene Nye directly to the ninth mountain of Verdant Spire's inner sect. The dreamlike scenery overwhelmed the girl, who couldn't stop praising the majesty of what was now considered Caelindor's strongest sect after the events at Maelivar.

Though Celene initially wanted to remain in the fresh mountain air and morning mist, after a few days of planning, she had no time to rest.

Nathan's wine business needed a solid logistics chain. Given his inability to travel, she had to handle all the processes. A route from Verdant Spire Sect to Crystalton to Maelivar needed to be established. She needed to find reliable suppliers, and hire mercenaries to ensure the safety of shipments. And even mercenaries for the mercenaries—double insurance for cultivators who ultimately desired cultivation resources. Nathan's food and wine were no longer secret, so precautions were necessary.

Additionally, the ingredient supply problem needed solving. For convenience, Nathan hired inner sect disciples to assist him. As a direct disciple, he ranked higher and had both the authority and reputation to do so. Since he was also comfortable with paying generously, there was fierce competition for his offered positions.

He even visited the outer sect to request support from some elders for a fixed monthly fee. Only then did he witness the deference and respect others now showed him.

Though currently considered weak due to his Null Resonance Aspect, the reality was clear: he had defeated a team including Zhanyu, a genius with Space Aspect at Tier 2 Phase 8. This meant that compared to the outer sect, he could overwhelm most members, defeating those he once had to look up to.

Even Elder Kyron, who had once forced Nathan to kneel in reprimand, now bowed his head when Nathan appeared. Seeing this, Nathan merely chuckled and moved on, harboring no petty grudges.

Only Instructor Maxim showed no deference to his position, still daring to call him over to demonstrate the prowess of inner sect disciples to the outer sect disciples. Nathan was actually pleased that this old acquaintance maintained the same attitude toward him.

Due to the respect and fear he commanded, all troubles were resolved quickly. One outer sect elder even volunteered to help him, for appropriate compensation of course.

Stolen story; please report.

Thus, after a month, most business-related issues were resolved. He focused on brewing wine and improving his packaging.

The wine bottles were placed in containers engraved with gold and silver patterns of his own design. At Celene's request, he divided the wine quality into three tiers from low to high to reach more customers.

The ninth mountain became bustling because of him. Young disciples with sweat-drenched faces rushed back and forth, bowing to him with "Senior Nathan!" or "Esteemed Disciple!" which embarrassed him to no end.

Darkan, observing this, grumbled a few curses but didn't object. After all, seeing his disciple occupied rather than brooding all day was still better than idleness.

But for Nathan, everything was just a facade. At night, he still agonized over the path forward.

The system was still upgrading, so he didn't know what the new module would be. As for upgrade points, he grimaced whenever he thought about them. He had underestimated the system's mechanics.

To upgrade a skill to level three required ten skill points. That meant consuming a total of one thousand credits. His remaining credits were only enough for one skill.

He had been tempted to upgrade [Cooking] during the wine-making process when the work became tedious. He wanted to see if there were new recipes or ways to optimize the distillation process. But he had managed to restrain himself.

In another aspect, Skill Rolls had increased in price from 200 to 500. Reflecting on how he had spent all his accumulated credits and rolls made him miserable. Especially using [Skill Breaker] on one of his strongest skills.

He felt like he was facing an ever-growing mountain, mercilessly blocking his path forward. And he constantly felt as if he had forgotten something crucial.

He had used the Core Formation Advancing Pill obtained from Duke Kael Voss. His chronic slow absorption condition remained unchanged. But this time, things were different—most of the essence and mana flowed to his core, with only a small portion going into the black hole. Yet his progression showed no advancement whatsoever.

He had asked Darkan if this was related to his Affinity. The answer was simple: just as 0 multiplied by any number equals 0, Affinity could only increase with an Aspect. Consuming Affinity-boosting items while having a Null Aspect was pointless.

Thus, his stock of Universal Root remained untouched in storage. This was also why he refused cooking requests from various places. They were willing to travel to Verdant Spire Sect for his convenience, but he declined them all. He truly wasn't in the mood, and he didn't need the money.

He kept himself occupied while searching for a solution to his Aspect problem. Then one night, an outer sect disciple brought him a colorfully decorated gift box.

Opening it, he found a cake and some knitted products. There was even a stretchy bracelet for Argentius.

His large companion vehemently protested but ultimately surrendered and allowed it to be put on. After preparing everything, Nathan called his friend.

"Happy Birthday, Nathan!" Jessica blew a horn on the other side, sending paper flowers flying everywhere. She wore a birthday hat against a background of balloon letters.

"Thank you, Jessica." Nathan grinned widely. "How do you always remember my birthday?"

"I'm the one who submitted our information forms on our first day of work, remember?"

"And you memorized everything?" Nathan couldn't believe it.

"Yes, and not just yours. So don't feel too special."

"Ouch!" Nathan clutched his chest with a pained expression.

He raised Argentius's paw to show Jessica, forcing his companion to cooperate. He wanted Argy to transform into cat form for Jessica to see, but making him wear the bracelet had already pushed the limit.

Jessica began singing the birthday song while Nathan nodded his head in rhythm.

In this world, except for commoners, cultivators rarely celebrated their birthdays. Perhaps every ten, hundred, or thousand years. Annual celebrations were considered frivolous. After all, a single year meant little in the grand scheme of things. Since he couldn't celebrate with Zahra, Zeryn, or Xander, Nathan hadn't mentioned it to them. If needed, he could simply invite them over for a meal.

For Jessica, however, this activity was a connection to their old world. After everything they'd been through, Nathan was increasingly hesitant to confidently claim he could return them both to Earth. He didn't want Jessica to hope any further.

"I'm sorry," Nathan said after the song ended. "I can't come to Crystalton to celebrate with you again."

"It's fine." Jessica smiled brightly. "We're both busy. Besides, we're celebrating late anyway, right?"

"I've lost all sense of time since arriving here."

"Then forget about it. Let's eat cake."

Jessica took out a slice on her side of the screen. Nathan scooped a large spoonful and happily put it in his mouth. To a chef like him, the cake was too sweet, too dry, with uneven ingredients, but it was the most delicious thing he'd eaten in a long time.

Amidst all his misfortunes, having friends like this somewhat eased his discontent with life. Darkan, though always gruff and brusque, still showed concern beneath the surface.

That was enough.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Jessica said after they'd finished eating and Nathan had put on the scarf. "Even if we can't meet, we can at least look at the same moon."

"I didn't know you were so sentimental," Nathan teased.

"Rom-coms are my favorite genre," Jessica replied.

Nathan looked up at the full moon hanging high above, the night breeze refreshingly cool. The scene reminded him of sleepless nights at the outer sect and his fear of not progressing. Then of Moirath Forest, where the beasts never let him rest. Of the Vermilion Apes Leader. Of Lunar Shadow.

Lunar Shadow? His head felt like it had been struck by a hammer.

The skill orb he had absorbed months ago remained unused. He had only used it to absorb essence in The Shifting Trials once before lacking time to sit down and explore it further.

He was now at Tier 2, so he could explore the remaining skills in the Night Hunter's Legacy set.

His hands trembled, then his legs, then his whole body. His lips moved silently, running through the possibilities the skill orb offered.

"Are you okay?" Jessica asked worriedly.

"No, it's great." Nathan grinned widely again. "You truly are the best birthday gift."

Ignoring his friend's blushing face, Nathan continued excitedly, "I need to experiment a bit. I'll contact you later, okay?"

"Sure." Jessica nodded. "You're the birthday boy. Anything you wish."

"Thank you. Someday I'll bake a birthday cake for you, alright?"

"I can't wait."

After ending the connection, Nathan found a spacious, open area that received the most moonlight. He sat down and began reconnecting with the knowledge engraved in his mind.

Why had Darkan given him the skill orb? It couldn't have been just for absorbing Essence. What about other skill orbs? Did they need to be closely linked to one's Aspect to use, or could he use these skills in a weaker version?

Even a weaker version would be acceptable. Something was better than nothing.

He skipped the Lunar Resonance skill and went straight to Crescent Moon Art. He explored the information it provided, trying to activate it. Initially, there were no significant results. He figured he would need considerable time to adjust this skill since it belonged to a beast, not a human.

Gritting his teeth, he spent one thousand credits on [Martial Arts Mastery].

A tidal wave of knowledge flooded his mind, making him clutch his head in agony for hours. When things finally settled, he could sit up again, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The knowledge was profound and unfathomable, waiting for him to explore.

First, he used his new understanding of energy manipulation to analyze the Skill Orb obtained from Lunar Shadow.

Crescent Moon Art became like a blueprint before him. Detailed lines and parameters appeared. He began tinkering with the variables, adjusting input energy, required essence levels, and mana flow through blood vessels. Things that would have taken extensive experimentation now unfolded instantly.

In just an hour, he had basically adjusted the skill to suit himself.

He raised his hand, and the moonlight around him gathered into small specks that clung to his hand. With a swing, he released a crescent-shaped slash that cut a shallow mark into a nearby rock.

"I did it," he muttered.

He had just executed an Aspect-based skill.

But immediately afterward, he frowned in confusion. It wasn't weak at all. It functioned exactly as he had envisioned. This wasn't even the complete version as performed by Lunar Shadow, but it certainly wasn't significantly different. He had expected at best a faint, weak slash.

"What the hell is going on?"

He jumped to his feet.

Once more, he closed his eyes, channeling mana through his blood vessels to his hand. He had spent weeks practicing basic skills. With [Martial Arts Mastery]'s help, he had learned quickly. He had even modified mana bullets into curved shots, split shots, and boomerang shots without needing instructional scrolls. So channeling mana posed no significant challenge now.

And then, when his hand glowed with the distinct signature of the Lunar Aspect, he opened his eyes. He raised his hand, marveling at what he had just conjured, entranced by the light it emitted.

Swoosh!

The slash marked the stone surface, creating an X. Just as he had calculated, it was still too powerful.

"I don't understand," Nathan muttered repeatedly.

Ignoring Darkan's self-imposed isolation in his chamber, Nathan banged on the door, shouting for his master.

When Darkan appeared with an irritated expression, ready to curse, he fell silent upon seeing Nathan's raised arm.

"Master, what is this?"

"How can you do it?" Even Darkan seemed surprised.

"I don't know." Nathan shook his head frantically. "I just do it."

Darkan narrowed his eyes, bending down to examine Nathan's arm radiating moonlight. Just as Nathan's anticipation was about to explode, Darkan shook his head.

"This must be the result of synchronization between Lunar Resonance and Crescent Moon Art. You absorb essence characteristics from nature, mix them with your own mana, and produce this result."

"But even so, shouldn't it function at a weaker output?" Nathan questioned.

"Today is a full moon, kid. If you want to verify, try on other nights as well."

Seeing his disciple's dissatisfied expression, Darkan continued, "You should feel lucky the skill orb gave you two skills that could link together like that, rather than greedily wanting more. Many skill orbs offer useless skills that can only be discarded. Initially, I planned for you to absorb it simply to gain an essence absorption skill."

"Just that? No other intention?"

"Don't use that disappointed tone with me," Darkan scoffed. "The amount of essence you needed then was substantial. And even in the future, this self-sustaining ability will help greatly in cultivation, including Spirit Cultivation. One night might be little, but two nights, a hundred nights, will be sufficient. Do you think obtaining a skill like this for a skill orb is easy or common?"

All of Nathan's excitement was suddenly extinguished. He mumbled a few words and retreated, not wanting to bother his master further.

Watching his disciple's dejected back, Darkan felt a twinge of guilt. But crushing false hope was necessary. There was no solution for Null Resonance. If there was, it would only come from that mysterious white-robed figure. But seeking that would be sending Nathan to his death.

Returning to the moonlit clearing, Nathan sighed deeply.

He refused to give up.

Because no one knew his Aspect was Omnipotential, not Null Resonance.

He needed to continue. He had only discovered this hours ago; he couldn't let it die so quickly. His master was likely biased due to preconceptions. And Darkan didn't even know about this Aspect to properly advise him. Just like how Keira had left Verdant Spire Sect—not only could the elders not teach her, but the library had no instructional materials for the Illusion Aspect.

So unless he found the white-robed person, he could only rely on himself.

He raised his hand again, once more using Lunar Resonance to absorb essence with its distinct characteristics. He let this energy flow into his body and executed the Crescent Moon Slash technique.

This time, he used his inner eye to observe what happened inside.

And he saw his breakthrough.

A star beneath the lake's surface was slowly dimming.

He narrowed his eyes, holding onto this insight, again adjusting his breathing and drawing moonlight into his body.

Instead of releasing the Crescent Moon Slash immediately, he held it inside, observing that star.

It grew brighter and brighter, almost blinding his inner eye.

He snapped his physical eyes open. His chest heaved, his heart raced. Goosebumps rose inexplicably across his skin.

He leapt to his feet and dashed straight to his wine storage. Returning to the clearing, he downed a bottle in one go.

Thunder Embrace warmed his entire body, forcing him to calm down.

He recalled fighting the Vermilion Apes—a desperate move that had stopped his heart. Then lightning had forced him back to life. He remembered landing on the ground, expending all energy in his body, cooking the beasts alive.

With the help of [Martial Arts Mastery] level 3, he controlled his mana masterfully, better than most experts. He let it blend with the essence from the wine he had just consumed.

His inner eye saw a second star light up on the lake's surface.

He reached out to grasp that light, absorbing it into his core, incorporating it into his personal mana.

Then he let it flow through his bloodstream, through each red blood cell, spreading to his skin.

BOOM!

Darkan appeared instantly at the earth-shaking sound, fearing the white-robed figure had returned.

Instead, he beheld an unbelievable sight.

A young man with an electrified, singed mop of hair grinned from ear to ear, surrounded by snaking tendrils of lightning.

Nathan had no time to notice the system notification amid his elation.

Upgrade Complete!

New Module Successfully Installed!

Introducing [Fusion] Module.

New Items Available.

Proceed as you wish.

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