by Ivory Scott
Once both the host soul and the source artifact are awakened, the user is baptized by the primary force that created the object, the most common of which being voodoo or magic force. Usually, to increase fusion percentage, the origin veins of the body have to be connected to the twelve spirit meridians. Bridging origin veins to the spirit meridians would allow spirit power and origin energy to flow unhindered throughout the body. This can be considered a different form of body refinement. The spiritual meridian channels of the body actually connect to the origin veins naturally.
To connect spiritual meridians to origin veins, the meridian channels and origin veins just need to be cleared of blockage and impurities. Part of the reason Sage children progress so much faster than children who practice Saint cultivation was because of the young age at which they were able to begin this process. The younger you were, the purer you were.
Rank advances as vein and meridian are cleared of these impurities. Beginner level freshmen use their blood and soul to activate the source artifact, assimilating with and baptizing the body in the force genesis of the artifact, increasing the strength of the laws within a force also known as force purity. Force purity is measured in points of battle power.
Initial level Freshman starts with 1 bp, and this is known as the orientation rank. The initial force baptism can last for no less than a year. Jodye Trill once read that the most extended recorded period should be a decade. A beginner level Freshmen rank Sage possesses a battle power of 3-4 bp, which is the equivalent to the strength necessary to throw a 300-400 pound boulder like a baseball.
However, a Peak Freshman rank possessed 8 bp. In-between ranks there was a type of barrier within the soul one must break past to ascend to the next level. These barriers are known as Dao Walls. The Freshman dao wall can't be broken unless a source artifact is wholly connected with the host soul, the spirit meridians and origin veins are connected, and a Nascent Concept is comprehended. Jodye was currently only a bit far from achieving this, as he just had to join a few more spiritual meridians. He would worry about developing a nascent concept afterward, as he currently had no clue on how to go about it.
However, once he had, his rank would advance to the next where he would have an average of around 12 bp in origin forces!
"Big whoop. I can already do that now, and without even using any astral might!" complained Jodye Trill while deactivating his Mind's eye and resting.
"You truly have no idea how ignorant you sound. One day, the you of the future will truly disdain the you of today." snorted Sylvester from atop Jodye's head.
"If we even live for that long!" shouted Xavier from below, which was beginning to annoy Jodye. He was currently sitting on the giant egg within a nimbus cloud. In a way, he was also sitting on Jodye's head.
"You two truly have such great faith in me," spat Jodye Trill. With a thought, a bit of electricity filled nimbus cloud condensed under the little red furred wolf boy and lifted him up while detaching from the rest of the cloud. The nimbus cloud drifted up and stopped in front of Jodye's throne. A light flashed in Sylvester's eyes as he observed this silently.
"Woah. Awesome. You're getting a little better at this soul hosting thing, truly lavish and comfy," said Xavier in admiration, patting the cloud beneath him, and receiving a shock, "Ow! This thing hurts!?"
"Less of this," said Jodye Trill while reactivating his Mind's eye, "You ready Sly?"
"I have already begun," yawned the single-winged puppy on Jodye's head. Indeed, outside of his main body, the heaven and earth origin energy of the surroundings begin to swarm towards the white gold colored origin stone platform like it was a black hole.
Hearing this, Jodye focused again. Before being ambushed two months ago, he had actually just achieved a breakthrough by connecting to eight out of his twelve spiritual meridians! The spiritual meridians were located in the major organs of the body. By bridging them to his origin veins, the young man was creating pathways for his energies to flow, also building a path from his origin doors to his origin pool step by step. This was a prerequisite, for only once a full path throughout the body was defined would he be able to galvanize the energies in his force genesis, baptizing his body once more in their power!
For some reason, Jodye felt he could use that time to perceive the nascent concept! Jodye Trill was currently at the Advanced Freshman Rank, just like Sek Si. After clearing his mind of random thoughts, Jodye was revolving the force circulation method given to him by the Bright Star: Battle Book. One rotation, six rotations, 20 rotations, and he didn't stop until the fifty-sixth rotation. After about five hours, Jodye had barely managed to clear out the spiritual meridians in his gallbladder and in his liver.
All that was left at this moment were the triple yang and pericardium meridians. These paths had to be completed as a pair. The "triple yang" could be considered the biggest hurdle to cross when connecting the spiritual meridians, as there were multiple bridges needed within one. This reminded Jodye bridges on an interstate in the big cities of his past life. This was far more complex than what he had dealt with thus far. It was for this reason that he accepted Sylvester's help. Who knew how long this would take without it?
"I wonder what time of day it is…" thought Jodye Trill. Merely, this thought of Jodye's echoed through the host space as soon as he had it. Startled he glanced at Xavier and ask, "Woah, does that always happen?"
"Duh, dude, how did you think you sounded when you speak to us? If you want the time ask the grimoire," said Xavier Tricko as he rolled in the fluff of the nimbus cloud.
"What? My [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] knows the time? Why is that?" Jodye Trill felt baffled by this new feature. Convenient as it was at the moment, Jodye didn't feel this had too many utilities.
"It's not the grimoire that knows the time, it's your body. The grimoire just interfaces with your mind to present you with your current status in a form you can understand," Xavier looked at Jodye and explained patiently.
"Really? No way," Jodye Trill had to see this for himself. He stood up from the hosting throne to glide over into the stars. Opening the tremendous and ancient [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] to the first page, Jodye peered into the hieroglyphics that begin to appear before him. In his mind it was like information about his current status was being downloaded and displayed.
[Name: Joseph Goldwolf]
[Age: 5 years, 4 months.]
[Status: 89% Health, 18:23]
'Sage Path: Advanced Freshman rank, 7 bp.'
'Titan Path: Level 7 Wimpy Man Realm, 24 bp (estimate).'
'Perfect Synchronization with the host in progress: 88%.'
'Guardian 1: Cosmos Devouring Sky Wolf, Compatibility rating: 60% (Perfect).'
'Guardian 2: Mighty God Sky Jackal, Compatibility rating: 21%.'
"Holy…the time format is modern, so convenient!" Jodye Trill was shocked by this! Was this what Xavier meant by 'in a form that you can understand'? It's not that they didn't have a time system on this world, just that technology here was all magic based here. They use the sun and the stars to gauge days and each day was 24 hours. However, it was impossible to find a clock anywhere.
"It has my real name and everything wow, hm?" Jodye's attention was drawn to the compatibility ratings. Sylvester's had dropped again, as expected, but Xavier's had shot up! "Hey, guys is it normal for compatibility ratings to change so easily?"
"Certainly not. Most combat souls have soul flames that are totally sealed. We do not and are therefore fully conscious. I do not know to what extent this will affect our compatibility rating, but I am certain that our ratings will be different from others," Sylvester was still laying on top of Jodye's head as he explained, the metallic black of his fur making him blend into the darkness of the surroundings when his eyes were closed.
Jodye's eyes flashed with the light of understanding. Perhaps the reason nothing happened the way the books said it would, was actually all because of this infant stage sky wolf combat soul, "We've got three hours bef
ore I'm supposed to meet my mother, Sly. Can we do it?"
"Hm…" Sylvester opened his eyes and pondered for a moment. After about two minutes he finally responded, "It should be possible. However, I will likely need to rest in the grimoire for a few days as a result."
"Up to you," shrugged Jodye Trill.
"If if it is to help you earnestly cultivate your origin, I am more than willing. Let us continue," replied Sylvester indifferently, as he kicked off of Jodye's head and ascended into the bright space above. The Sky Wolf puppy howled upwards into the void, the sheen of his black fur making him shine like an immortal weapon in the starlight, as green and black flames erupted into life around him.
Jodye felt his strength surge mysteriously, and he hurried to glide back to the host seat, activating his mind's eye technique as he sat down. To his shock, origin energy was wilding pouring into his body through his palm which held the origin gem. The bright white radiance of the gem had dimmed by nearly half.
Anxious, Jodye hurriedly rotated his Bright Star method. If Jodye were paying attention to his surroundings right now, he would have noticed that all of the heaven and earth energy in the surrounding mile radius was being drawn into his tent. All the warriors and nobles in the surroundings had already gathered around the tent he was in.
Oblivious to this, the five-year-old continued his training. Starting from the spirit meridian in Jodye's stomach, he sent his surging energies through the meridian channel that wrapped around his liver, kidneys, large intestine, small intestine, and bladder. Twenty-five rotations later, the chain expanded to cover his spleen, abdomen, and stomach.
With this crucial step, Jodye Trill had finally connected his origin veins to his origin pool located in his abdomen!
The origin pool could be considered as a reservoir for energy. Jodye could now store energy reserves in the origin pool, rather than having nothing but the origin energy that was present in his veins and spiritual meridians. Jodye Trill felt confident that he could sustain the use of [Pharaoh's Law] if he were to summon it now, even without the magical origin gem.
However, he wasn't finished yet. Jodye coughed roughly and threw up a bunch of mud and black blood, but immediately closed his eyes and returned to the host space, resuming his cultivation.
Jodye was now in the final hurdle. Proceeding without rest, he continued refining the meridian bridge channel. Reflected in his mind's eye, it looked like a milky white river was rushing in five directions surrounding his heart and lungs. Every time the energy flow was hindered or outright stopped, Jodye would send more and more energy circulating in that direction. Finally, after countless rotations, the entire channel was cleared, and Jodye was drenched in sweat!
His origin energy then flowed into the single branch of origin vein leading to the pericardium spiritual meridian bridge. This was known to be the most difficult hurdle to cross! There many untalented Sage experts who were stuck in the freshman rank of the Scholar Realm for this very reason. This was destined to not be Jodye's experience. Surprisingly, his energy flowed through this spiritual meridian totally unhindered, there were simply no impurities for him to cleanse.
Jodye didn't take time to question this good fortune, connecting with the origin vein pathways that lead to his arms wrists and middle fingers. This was the original path that Jodye cleared when he first started cultivating!
"This is what they call, 'everything coming full circle,'" Jodye Trill marveled as his energy begin to circulate unhindered throughout his body! It was such a wonderful feeling that kept flowing through his body along with his origin energy, clearing out the final dregs of impurities within his veins and spiritual meridians.
Chapter twenty-one
Peak Freshman Rank
Right before the two hours and thirty-minute mark, Jodye Trill's entire body shuddered, and his aura erupted outwards involuntarily. A silver atmosphere burst out his body as the force phenomenon manifested in the air above him. Nine white spheres of light, the size of marbles, floated in the air like little star dots.
"Peak Freshman rank! The absolute peak at that! Not bad, kid," Sylvester sounded drowsy, as he slowly descended towards the grimoire. He left one last line before vanishing within the grimoire's second page, "Don't stop training while I'm gone, kiddo. Don't waste our potential."
Jodye Trill nodded. With a flash of purple light, Sylvester disappeared into the second page of the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire]. Jodye wondered what his current compatibility rating with Sylvester was, and the answer appeared in his mind instantly.
[Guardian 1: Cosmos Devouring Sky Wolf, compatibility rating: 47%]
"Holy crap… down a full 13%? Wow, how much strain does this cause him exactly?"
Jodye shook his head, then withdrew his consciousness from the host space. Opening his eyes and glancing above, he boisterously laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, Peak Freshman rank, and now I have 9 bp! I'm one step closer to ranking up! I wonder what level that little brother of mine had reached in this time," Jodye was suddenly concerned about his young half brother Jumoke Trilleck. What level had he reached? Advanced Freshman rank? Maybe the Peak? Jodye felt that he likely didn't have more than 8 bp even if he attained Peak Freshman rank. Jodye wouldn't even feel threatened if the kid broke through to the Sophomore rank.
Though the force of 9 bp was insignificant to the current Jodye Trill, he knew his mother's training would be centered around either the Saint or Sage path of cultivation. Plus, it was always good to hide a few cards. If possible, there was no need to display his physical strength or astral might, it was better to stay low profile. He couldn't be sure which path he would learn, as his mother cultivated in both. He was unaware of how strong she was on either path.
Standing up to stretch, Jodye Trill almost gagged! His body was covered in filth, and he smelled abhorrent. Frowning, Jodye decided to first take another bath with his mother's maidservants. In his mother's absence, the maidservants always washed him entirely in the nude, giggling and playing in the water among themselves. This was naturally because their defenses against him were nonexistent. After all, he was only five years old. Should they be wary?
In reality, this was indeed an enjoyable time for Jodye. His mother's maidservants weren't on a level that would bring ruin and destruction to a country, but they were all gorgeous with magnificent bodies.
'Cosmo'
After enjoying a bath full of spring scenery, Jodye Trill released his source artifact, the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire], and tried to summon Eureka again.
"Summon Twilight Sphinx!" the Cosmos Revolving Grimoire flipped open to the fourth page and release and blinding purple violet light, and a kitten jumped out of the page and into Jodye's embrace. The kitten had fur that look like pure gold, and a little tuft of three-colored fire on top of its head, burning in purple, silver, and golden radiance.
To his surprise, summoning his Twilight Sphinx this time cost him a mere 35% of his body's total origin energy, while maintaining the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] was only taking up 1% of energy every 5 seconds. This was about 30% lower than the first time he summoned the sphinx kitten, making it far more practical to do. As opposed to before, when it's utility was purely for novelty.
"Trippy," Jodye was surprised to see that Eureka seemed slightly bigger. Though she was still small enough to fit in both his hands, she could no longer fit in one. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Jodye, "Could it be that you grow up as I grow in strength?"
"Ding ding! We've got a winner folks, show him what he's won." Xavier commented via telepathy.
"Responding to host: This Twilight Sphinx is spirit bound. The growth of your soul directly affects the growth of the beasts and vice versa," said Trippy, although Jodye wasn't actually speaking to the artifact spirit.
Jodye Trill exited the tent with Eureka on his head and was greeted with hundreds of excited or scared eyes staring directly at him. They looked as if they were a mob waiting to see bigfoot, who had finally arrived. Before Jodye h
ad a second to think the crowd erupted in deafening cheers!
"Young master Joseph that's amazing! Congratulations on your breakthrough!"
"Did the young master really only awaken a few months or so ago? He's already of the top of his rank!"
"They say the fourth young master is a natural cultivation pro, what does that make the third young master? A cultivation maniac? This is too outrageous!"
"Young master, my sister works as the Mistress' maidservant. How old are you this year, young master, seven years old? Eight? Say…do you happen to like girls yet?"
"Long live the young master of the mist! Long live Frozen Mist! Long live the Frozen Night!"
"Long live the Frozen Night!"
"Long live the Frozen Night!"
...…
Jodye Trill was slightly overwhelmed with all this attention. Clearing his throat lightly he asked, "Ahem, excuse me. Make way for me please, I have to meet with my mother."
As soon as Jodye Trill said the word "mother," the temperature in the surroundings begin to decline. Instantly the faces of all the warriors present became solemn, as they stepped to two opposite sides and turned to stand at attention. This revealed a straight path immediately in front of where Jodye Trill was standing. Jodye found himself rather impressed. His mother was a seasoned general, it seemed. These movements were smooth and uniform, so crisp, so clean!
Sure enough, sashaying slowly down the newly opened path, was a woman with man-slaying beauty. She wore soft black armor that showed off her incredibly curvaceous body, walking with steps that seemed more like skates slowly gliding across the ice until she arrived at the front. Every time her hips moved, her ample, perked, and round derriere made the men surrounding them want to die for her.
"Advancing to Peak Freshman from Advanced Freshman in less than 10 hours. Fortifying your foundation this past month seems to have worked in your favor. You barely qualify to be my disciple, I suppose," came the cold bell-like voice of Isis Trilleck. "Still not bowing?"
