MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

Kaelis never expected... in a world where supernatural powers truly exist, a world full of wonders, people actually believed in evolution?

“Do you not believe in gods?”

Kaelis asked in surprise, staring at the church towering in the distance, her face full of astonishment.

Old Struth simply shook his head.

“Gods are also humans... In the end, no one in this world has reached that kind of omnipotent, fantasy-level deity... Even those Sovereign cannot achieve it.”

Interrupted by Kaelis's surprise, the old man didn't get angry. Instead, he calmly continued explaining this world to her.

"After leaving barbarism, people lived by tribal standards...

But as long as humans exist, there will be disputes... And disputes lead to wars, which push people to seek greater power... Thus, the first Ascender appeared...

This was the most primitive form. History didn't record much, only that after him, people began diligently researching this field, and civilization was subsequently established.

Until modern times, that is, after our nations were driven to this corner... Never mind, that's too far back. Anyway, modern research on spiritual ranks is divided into three major categories.

Ascender, Warrior, and Sovereign."

Old Sturth had served in the military for several years. His body suddenly tensed, and a faint white mist began emanating from him.

As the mist spread, his spirit also showed subtle changes.

If the old man had appeared to Kaelis earlier as nothing more than an aged pine tree, now his features began shifting toward that of a wolf...

Although an old wolf, a lingering fierce fire still burned in his eyes!

Even just approaching him, Kaelis felt her skin tighten slightly.

But this sensation came quickly and disappeared just as fast.

Old Sturth quickly dissipated the white mist around him, returning once more to the appearance of an old pine tree.

"To walk this path, the primary goal is to become an Ascender... There are three stages.

The first stage is sensing the existence of spirit. At this stage, both your physical and mental capabilities receive massive improvements..."

‘No wonder I ran so fast earlier…’ As Old Struth spoke, Kaelis immediately recalled her experience yesterday from setting up her stall to fleeing.

Her body had been in terrible condition at the time, yet she still managed to run incredibly fast... and dodged her way all the way back home.

Even if she knew a special footwork technique, that was still somewhat absurd.

She thought it was just adrenaline kicking in... But adrenaline only allows the body to utilize its original strength; it doesn't provide power from nothing.

If something wasn't possible before, it still wouldn't be.

So... was it the spirit's doing?

Kaelis blinked, and Old Struth continued speaking.

"The second stage, what you and I are currently experiencing, is when during meditation, white mist emerges from your body... Everyone's mist is white, without exception. At this stage, you gain some extraordinary abilities, and your body becomes tougher. Ordinary weapons won't cause you much harm.

Next comes the third stage... At the third stage, the white mist around you will condense... eventually forming a virtual ring adhering to your body surface... This is a stage most ordinary people can reach. Those with good talent reach it earlier, those with poor talent later... Given time and perseverance, anyone can achieve this.

And this marks the peak of the Ascender rank. Breaking through further means your virtual ring gains color and patterns... Once fully formed, you officially become a first-rank Warrior... At this stage, you gain certain privileges. At the very least, you won't have to worry about food and shelter anymore."

Old Struth stopped speaking here.

Kaelis saw from his expression that he seemed to know more but was unwilling to say it.

‘Is he worried I'll aim too high?’

She pondered internally but didn't press further, instead giving a serious nod to show she understood.

Seeing Kaelis so obedient, Old Struth nodded in satisfaction and slowly stood up.

“As for what comes after becoming a Warrior... you don't need to concern yourself now. When you actually reach that stage, the information you access will naturally tell you what comes next.”

Having said this, he felt he had nothing more to discuss with Kaelis.

At this point, they were practically even, neither owed the other.

If so... it was time to part ways.

Having lost his only source of income, he needed to find another job to support himself.

But just as he was about to leave,

“Would you be willing to teach me?”

Kaelis suddenly spoke, her words making Old Struth pause.

“Teach you?”

What could he possibly teach?

“Everything... swordsmanship, meditation methods, battlefield survival experience...”

Kaelis nodded earnestly, her small face showing no ulterior motives.

Kaelis knew clearly that her understanding of this world was still far too limited. Like earlier, she hadn't even known what meditation methods were, and had nearly ended up imprisoned for life because of it...

Therefore... She felt she needed to find a teacher to help her avoid risks that could be avoided.

That teacher could be many people... but Old Struth was undoubtedly the best choice.

Primarily because, among the people Kaelis currently knows, Old Struth seems like the only truly trusted good person.

Especially since he was a veteran who'd fought in actual battles, his survival experience was exactly what Kaelis needed now. Plus various training sessions...

The next simulated income milestone was at fifty, meaning Kaelis needed to survive fifty days in battle to gain more. Relying solely on herself, who knew how long it would take to grind to fifty days? But with Old Struth's guidance...

It might drastically shorten her trial-and-error period.

Her desire for Old Struth to teach her wasn't solely out of gratitude or pity, she had her own goals too.

“As for payment... I can't offer much, but I can give at least five silver coins per month!”

“...”

Old didn't answer immediately, merely silently looking at Kaelis.

Gazing at her stubborn yet determined expression, he fell into silence.

Truthfully, he didn't really want Kaelis's money... Not because he had savings or anything, but mainly because he could tell Kaelis wasn't a wealthy child. Although she'd recently acquired some money, he estimated it wouldn't exceed five gold coins.

That amount might be decent elsewhere, but in the capital... Kaelis normally need one or two years just to reach Warrior through meditation, this sum wouldn't last long at all.

And still, she wanted to give him five silver coins monthly...

After a moment of silence, Old Struth finally sighed deeply.

“It's possible, but... I can't actually teach you much. If you truly want to learn, you don't need to pay five silver coins. Two silver coins per month will suffice. I'll teach you everything I know within a month. How much you ultimately learn... that's up to you...”

This was Old Struth's optimal solution after balancing his pride and practical considerations.

If Kaelis truly had talent, one month would be enough for him to pass on all his knowledge. If not, one month will still be about right.

Two silver coins equaled the price of two potato bags... Oh, now that food prices have risen, it's probably less than two bags' worth. This amount should be within Kaelis's means...

“Okay!”

Kaelis nodded firmly.

...

For the next few days, Kaelis began coming to Old Struth every morning to learn.

Old Struth took her outside the city walls.

Due to legal restrictions, there were no dedicated training grounds within the city. Renting specialized facilities was too expensive and impractical, so they chose to spend an extra hour daily walking to the suburbs for training.

The main curriculum was divided into three categories.

Mornings focus on theory and swordsmanship training. Old Struth primarily taught Kaelis how an ordinary person could survive and protect themselves in a perilous battlefield.

He also taught Kaelis some practical sword techniques... Although Old Struth himself hadn't formally studied them, having survived a battlefield with less than thirty percent survival rate, he still had some insights.

Afternoons were dedicated to meditation method training.

When not teaching, Old Struth's impression of Kaelis was simply that of an ordinary, pretty, well-behaved little girl.

But actually once instruction began, Old Struth discovery... Kaelis might be a genuine prodigy!

Her theoretical understanding aside, since there was no actual training ground yet, it was mainly swordsmanship...

“Good... don't rush. Slow down a bit. Your goal isn't to kill enemies alone, but to buy time until your teammates arrive to help eliminate them together...”

Using simple branches as swords and tree bark as armor, the two trained vigorously.

The more Old Struth interacted with her, the more he sensed Kaelis's astonishing talent.

Many techniques only needed a single demonstration, he'd show it once, and Kaelis would grasp it, reproducing about seventy to eighty percent of it... even making certain modifications!

This repeatedly makes Old Struth wonder if Kaelis had learned similar things before.

But according to Kaelis, she didn't really understand this field. However, she could understand how muscles work... dynamics of force application and such...

This was something Old Struth didn't understand.

But it didn't hinder his admiration for her.

Only...

Old Struth couldn't understand why Kaelis always seemed in a hurry during training. And during theory lessons, she'd occasionally ask questions... things Old Struth himself had nearly forgotten. Yet not only could Kaelis recall them, she could accurately describe the scene's environment and others' emotions.

That precise description... as if she'd been on the battlefield just yesterday...

Some questions he could answer; others he didn't know, which he'd temporarily set aside, discuss them with his few remaining veteran comrades at night, then provide Kaelis answers the next day.

Not necessarily one hundred percent accurate or reliable, but at least, it gave Kaelis a direction for thought.

And morning classes were just appetizers.

When afternoon training arrived, Old Struth was even more shocked by Kaelis's talent, his face actually twitching.

“You learn meditation methods using this?”

Looking at the paper Kaelis submitted... at the densely packed, seemingly tens of thousands of lines forming the image, Old Struth felt slightly dizzy just from one glance.

Yet Kaelis could freely draw another identical one by hand in under twenty minutes.

At this point, he truly couldn't help but envy.

“Perhaps... you're naturally destined for this path.”

Old Struth sighed, then lifted his head to look at Kaelis before him, harmless-looking, with a face full of innocence. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

“So, is the ability I obtained related to this meditation diagram?”

Kaelis asked curiously, casually waving her hand.

Ink rapidly surged from her palm, transforming into several plump black-and-white chirping birds that flapped into the sky.

Their consumption cost was similar to the puppy she summoned, exactly one point per bird.

Now, Kaelis could release twelve times with all ten fingers.

Meaning her summoning quota had increased from one hundred to one hundred and twenty!

After only two days!

A twenty percent increase!

“...There's absolutely no relation.”

Old Struth shook his head in amazement, watching the fluttering birds soar.

“After all, meditation methods themselves have no inherent bias. They're like universal keys, merely unlocking the treasure chest containing your potential. Better keys open faster, but what's inside the chest is unrelated to the key...”

“...Then what's the difference between modern and ancient meditation methods?”

Kaelis simply asked, puzzled.

Beside her, Old Struth looked at Kaelis in surprise.

How did she know about this?

“Um... I sometimes read books...”

Kaelis explained.

But Old Struth didn't suspect her on this matter, merely curious how she knew such obscure knowledge... He himself had only accidentally learned that meditation methods had modern and ancient distinctions.

But since Kaelis asked, he saw no reason not to answer.

“Essentially, both are keys to opening the chest, just different methods.”

“Former meditation methods were like locksmiths, carefully examining the lock's structure and mechanisms, then slowly matching it. Modern meditation methods are like sledgehammers, using the fastest, most brutal method to smash open the chest...”

"Both have advantages and disadvantages. But currently, most people learn modern meditation methods, they're indeed more efficient. But speaking of actual combat... I once personally witnessed an Ascender practicing ancient-style meditation single-handedly fighting multiple Ascenders without being at a disadvantage!

Ancient-style meditation builds better foundations. If you're confident in your talent, you could..." Old Sturth almost said Kaelis could try ancient-style meditation if confident in her talent, but before finishing the sentence, he nearly laughed at himself.

Kaelis's talent was already beyond his need to doubt.

If Kaelis had been born into a wealthy family... Just this talent alone would make her a highly sought after star maiden throughout the kingdom, since this world still values martial prowess.

But unfortunately, Kaelis, like him, was just an ordinary person.

Thinking of this, Old Struth slowly stood up.

The sky had gradually darkened, so he simply ended today's lesson, taking Kaelis and heading back toward the city.

Over these few days, their relationship had gradually grown closer, both teacher and friend.

Some topics they originally wouldn't have discussed occasionally came up now.

Seeing Kaelis's curious gaze, Old Struth rubbed his severed arm...

“This injury I received during the siege of the capital...”

The old man rarely brought up his battlefield experiences, but he didn't avoid them either.

Seeing Kaelis was truly curious, he didn't hide anything.

Actually, there was nothing special, when breaching the capital's outer defenses and attacking the inner city, he encountered a Warrior and had his arm severed.

He was lucky their reinforcements were nearby, allowing him to survive.

If he had to specify...

“It should have been the twentieth-something day after...”

Old Struth retained somewhat.

Kaelis blinked.

Twenty-something days, huh...

...

Night fell, moonless tonight.

Kaelis quietly leaned by the small fire, roasting potatoes and some offal she'd bought while observing them.

After simply roasting them, she sprinkled some salt, then ate slowly, bite by bite.

Only after her stomach was full did she let out a long breath.

Closed her eyes, lay down on her bed.

Not waiting long, a crisp sound suddenly rang out...

[Ding~]

[Simulation preparation complete~]