Although he could only choose the first-stage versions of these Cultivation Techniques, Lucian was still practically drooling over them.
They were all excellent techniques, and for a moment, he found himself caught in a dilemma.
Thinking about his own Talent, a bold thought suddenly crossed Lucian’s mind.
Why not take all three?
He had no idea just how powerful his Divine-Rank Talent truly was, so why not test its limits?
But the teacher had clearly said that newly Awakened students could only choose one Cultivation Technique.
So how could he possibly get all three?
Then, an idea struck him.
Got it!
Lucian immediately opened the door and prepared to find the teacher.
However, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Evelyn walking out of Principal Warren’s office.
This immediately piqued his curiosity.
"Evelyn, what were you doing in the Principal’s office?"
Evelyn smiled mysteriously.
"A very generous person came to give me some money again. They gave me one million."
"Who?"
Lucian was instantly intrigued.
"The mayor."
"The mayor came? What did he come here for? Could it be because of your S-Rank Talent?"
"Yes. The mayor also said they would send someone to protect me. I originally wanted to refuse, but the mayor insisted."
At the mention of this, Evelyn wrinkled her delicate nose, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Evelyn, this is a good thing. With a Talent as powerful as yours, it’s inevitable that you’ll become a target for assassinations and attacks from heretics. Isn’t it better to have someone protecting you?"
"But my family already has..." Evelyn hesitated before sighing. "Forget it. Forget it. Having one more person around won’t hurt."
She seemed to have accepted the arrangement and stopped talking about it.
"Lucian, why aren’t you Cultivating?"
"Talking to you almost made me forget why I came out. I have something to ask the teacher. I’ll talk to you later."
With that, Lucian went to find the teacher.
"Teacher, I found that these three Cultivation Techniques are all quite suitable for me, and each belongs to a different system. But I don’t know which one resonates with me the most. Can I choose all three and try them one by one?"
Lucian explained his idea to the teacher.
The teacher didn’t seem surprised at all.
"Lucian, you’re not the first student to have this idea. I know exactly what you’re thinking. You want to Cultivate multiple Cultivation Techniques simultaneously."
"Different Cultivation Techniques have different attributes, strengths, and weaknesses. By Cultivating multiple techniques at the same time, you hope to gain the advantages and attribute bonuses of each one. That way, your combat power could potentially far exceed that of your peers."
"Anyone who can successfully Awaken a Martial Soul Talent is a genius, so it’s perfectly normal to have thoughts like yours. However, when it comes to choosing a Cultivation Technique, being too greedy can lead to serious problems. In Cultivation, trying to take on too much at once can be extremely dangerous.
"There was once a student who tried to Cultivate two Cultivation Techniques of the same attribute simultaneously. At first, everything went smoothly.
"Later, however, despite both techniques belonging to the same attribute, their characteristics and Circulation methods conflicted with each other. In the end, that student was forced to destroy their own Cultivation.
"All their previous efforts went to waste, and their Meridians were also damaged in the process.
"So, my advice to you is to give up on this idea.
"Besides, I know a little about your family situation, Lucian. Newly Awakened individuals are entitled to receive one Cultivation Technique for free. Beyond that, you’ll have to exchange Merit Points or spend money to obtain additional techniques.
"Lucian, you should choose the Cultivation Technique that suits you best and focus on Cultivating it. Don’t waste your time.
"From what I can see, you’ve Awakened a Shadow Warrior Martial Soul. If you focus on the Shadow system, you could follow the path of an assassin. The Shadow Kill Secret Canon is quite a good choice."
Technique conflicts? Conflicting Circulation methods?
Lucian, who had yet to officially begin Cultivating, was completely confused by these concepts.
However, after hearing the teacher’s warning, he temporarily put his idea aside.
He was broke. He didn’t have any money!
"Okay, thank you, Teacher. I won’t do it."
After gathering his thoughts, Lucian returned to his private Cultivation room.
He had been tempted by the three powerful Cultivation Techniques, but in the end, he chose the Eternal Night Demon Codex.
His true Talent was Lord of Shadows, not Shadow Warrior. The Shadow Kill Secret Canon was therefore not the best choice for him.
The Eternal Night Demon Codex, on the other hand, was a Cultivation Technique that leaned toward the Darkness attribute and was clearly more compatible with his true Talent.
Combat power doubled in darkness. For someone like Lucian, who could summon an entire Shadow Army, this was undoubtedly the best choice.
Having made his decision, he no longer hesitated. He selected the Eternal Night Demon Codex and submitted his application.
A short while later, a notification appeared on his Martial Artist Personal Terminal: Application Approved.
Looking at the first-stage Eternal Night Demon Codex displayed on his Personal Terminal, Lucian began studying it carefully.
Martial Artists could also be called Soul Cultivators. Their Martial Soul was the foundation of everything.
The realms of a Martial Artist were divided from low to high:
Martial Artist → Martial Master → Martial Grandmaster → Martial General → Martial King → Martial Emperor → Martial Saint → Martial God.
The Martial Soul was of utmost importance.
Cultivating a Cultivation Technique required using one’s Martial Soul to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Energy, then using the Martial Soul as a bridge to draw that Energy into the cultivator’s body.
The first stage for a Soul Cultivator was Sensing Energy, the second stage was Absorbing Energy, and the third stage was Energy Circulation.
Only after completing one full Energy Circulation and forming a Spirit Seed within the Soul Sea could one be considered a true Martial Artist.
And now that he had obtained his Cultivation Technique, Lucian’s first task was to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Energy through his Martial Soul and sense its presence.
Perhaps because of his Divine-Rank Talent, Lucian quickly sensed the Energy permeating the surrounding space.
Then, he attempted to draw this Energy into his body.
But just at that moment, a change occurred within the Martial Soul Space located in the Sea of Consciousness.
Every Martial Soul had its own exclusive dwelling place, known as the owner’s Sea of Consciousness. The Sea of Consciousness, also called the Sea of Consciousness Point, was located in the center of the forehead, within the human brain.
Martial Artists used their Martial Souls to draw Heaven and Earth Energy into their bodies through the Sea of Consciousness Point, allowing the Energy to circulate throughout their bodies.
At this moment, within Lucian’s Martial Soul Space, there were one hundred Shadow Warriors, his Shadow Soldiers.
Perhaps because Lucian’s current Rank was still low, only one hundred Shadow Soldiers could manifest at present.
However, something astonishing was happening.
All one hundred Shadow Soldiers were simultaneously sensing and absorbing the surrounding Energy, drawing vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Energy into Lucian’s body.
Suddenly, the Energy surged into Lucian’s Sea of Consciousness like a gigantic tidal wave, carrying tremendous momentum.
The other newly Awakened students in the Cultivation rooms also noticed the strange phenomenon.
However, most of them hadn’t even sensed the Energy yet. They could only feel a faint current of air flowing around them and were left wondering why there was suddenly wind inside the room.
Meanwhile, Principal Warren and the Mayor, who were still in the Principal’s office, were equally shocked.
They knew exactly what this phenomenon meant.
Someone had already begun Absorbing Energy!
And it had been less than a few hours since the Martial Artist Personal Terminals had been distributed.
Logically speaking, this should have been the stage where the students studied their Cultivation Techniques and sensed the location of the Heaven and Earth Energy.
For newly Awakened individuals, formally completing Sensing Energy usually took around a week.
As for those with particularly poor Talent, some wouldn’t even succeed in Absorbing Energy by the time of the college entrance examination.
But what was happening now?
In just a few hours, someone had already succeeded in Absorbing Energy.
And the momentum was terrifying.
Even the B-Rank Talents from previous years couldn’t compare to one percent of this astonishing phenomenon.
Principal Warren and the Mayor exchanged a glance, as though they had already reached the same conclusion.
"Could this be the power of an S-Rank Talent? Terrifying!"
Because Evelyn and Lucian’s Cultivation rooms were close to each other, and the massive Energy vortex was located directly between them, Principal Warren and the Mayor couldn’t determine which of the two was responsible.
Just then, Evelyn also successfully completed Sensing Energy.
Perhaps influenced by the enormous Energy vortex created by Lucian’s Absorbing Energy, Evelyn quickly entered the Absorbing Energy Realm as well.
For a moment, it became even more difficult to determine who was responsible for the astonishing phenomenon.