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Just then, Jonathan spotted a flash of a shadow behind one of the cars.
Out of curiosity, he called out, “Wait.” The others stopped and looked at him. “What's wrong?” Instead of answering them, Jonathan walked over to the figure hiding behind the car. As he drew closer, he realized it was a little girl. She was a Smealander.
The girl peered up at him with apprehension in her eyes.
She seemed to be hiding behind the car so that she could warm herself up with the heated air from the exhaust pipe.
Jonathan stared at the girl for a moment before pulling out five hundred worth of banknotes from his wallet. He crouched down and gently shoved the money into the little girl's hands.
Stunned, she looked at the money in disbelief. She had never seen so much money before in her life.
Jonathan smiled and patted her on the head. “Take care.”
With that, he got up, turned around, and rejoined the others who were waiting for him.
He was not going to treat the girl any less kindly just because she was a Smealander, just like the man who had offended him earlier that day.
After all, it would be presumptuous to think that the imprudence of one Smealander applied to all the other Smealanders. In this case, one bad apple would not spoil the whole barrel.
It was unfair and discriminatory to look down on a nationality or race simply because of one person's behavior.
Returning to their respective hotel rooms, Jonathan and the others showered and prepared for bed.
As long as Jonathan was not in the Divine Realm's headquarters, no one, not even Jeremy, Lucio, or Edward, would be able to kill him.
Assured of his safety, he slept rather soundly that night.
As for his plans for the future, he decided that he would deal with them after he woke up.
At around ten in the morning the next day, he was woken up by a call from Lesley.
“Are you awake yet?” Lesley asked.
Clearing his mind by shaking his head, Jonathan said, “Not yet. I'll be up soon.” Lesley chuckled. “I'm not surprised. You have a beautiful missus to warm your bed after all,” he teased.
Jonathan brushed off the joke with a half-hearted laugh. If | were to tell them that things between me and Catherine are pure, they might speculate that | am impotent or something.
“Well, up you get, then!” Lesley urged. “Simon had sent Elijah to get breakfast. We are having breakfast in Simon's room later to discuss how to deal with that sly bast rd Lucio.” Jonathan rubbed his nose. “You never swear, Lesley. Since when have you started calling Lucio a sly bast‘rd? What in the world have you learned from Elijah and Simon?”
“What can | say?” Lesley chortled. “Their crassness rubs off on me.” The two men shared a laugh before they both hung up.
Jonathan went to wake Catherine.
The latter hummed. Then, she sat up obediently.
‘While her attitude toward Jonathan had warmed, she was still very much disinterested in having either romantic or sexual relationships. Jonathan respected her boundaries.
He cared about her enough that he made it a point not to force her into anything she did not want to do.
He was fine as long as Catherine was comfortable with the way things were.
Twenty minutes later, the two of them showed up in Simon's hotel room.
Both Elijah and Lesley were already there.
The former had bought a lot of food. There were sandwiches, donuts, creamy corn soup, milk, to name a few.
They were nothing compared to the spaghetti bolognese, pasta, and bagels they had at home.
Though the tastes were a bit lacking, Jonathan and the rest were not picky as long as the food was edible.
The group talked as they ate. Simon said, “I've studied the rules of the mission board. Let's say Simon and | take on a mission together. If Simon obtains the item stipulated in the mission and hands it to the Divine Realm, then he will be seen as the sole person to have completed the mission. | won't be part of it. However, if we fail the mission, then both Simon and | will be sealed off.” Lesley nodded in understanding. “I guess that makes sense. They probably do that to deter freeloaders.” Simon continued, “There's another thing. After a mission is taken by someone, the others have an hour to join forces with them. When the hour is up, the mission is considered locked.”
Jonathan and the others listened attentively. “I noticed that the Divine Realm has a very strict system when it comes to rules and operations,” Lesley commented. “I suppose it's a good thing that they have this rule to lock the mission after an hour. It could be quite chaotic to form teams otherwise.” “I've come up with a solution earlier,” Simon said. “All of us can help Jonathan to complete missions so that he can advance to the Silver ranking. Once he does, we won't need to worry about Lucio anymore.” He paused to let the others take in his words. “Then again, | fear this won't be feasible. All five of us together may be able to put up a fight against Lucio, but there's a chance that he'll look for helpers to tip the balance. Lucio is from Oswald's faction, after all. Those from that faction don't really see eye to eye with us.” Jonathan rubbed his nose, looking somewhat glum.
“There's just no good way to resolve this, at least for the time being.” “There's actually another solution,” Simon said. “Jonathan, you can advance your cultivation to Celestial Soul. The
system will automatically upgrade your ranking to Silver.” “I can't advance my cultivation so quickly,” Jonathan said ruefully. “Simon, even you have yet to reach Celestial Soul.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI have an even longer way to go. It's not something | can do overnight.” “We still have Spirit Gathering Pills, haven't we?” Simon paused for a second to organize his thoughts. “We each have four pills, that makes twenty in total. Allow me to redistribute. Catherine and | are currently at the peak of Nascent Soul. We're just a step away from advancing to Celestial Soul. So, the two of us will keep our pills. Lesley, you're also at a critical juncture, so you can keep two pills.
Jonathan is in the most danger, so we all have to do our best to help him. Elijah, that's why I'm asking you to give him all four of your pills. With four pills from you, two from Lesley, and four that are originally his, Jonathan will have ten in total.” “I'm fine with that,” Lesley said at once.
Elijah stiffened for a moment, but he soon replied, “Fine by
me too.” Simon nodded and turned to him. “Thanks, Elijah. We're in a perilous situation. Once we've made our respective advancements in cultivation, we'll lend you our strength to help you advance. | hope you'll understand and not blame us.” Elijah gave a toothy grin of assurance. “Don't worry, Simon.
I'm all right. It's my pleasure to be able to help Jonathan.” Jonathan, however, felt apologetic. “No, | can't take all of Elijah’s pills and leave him with none. That's not fair.” “It's the best way. You don't have to be burdened by this,” Simon told him. Then, he addressed everyone else, “As for how to deal with Lucio, let's talk about that later. | say we shouldn't take on any missions until we've come up with a solution, lest we become targeted by Lucio when we're not ready.” “Understood,” everyone replied.
With the breakfast meeting coming to an end, Simon wasted no time in splitting the Spirit Gathering Pills.
Jonathan felt bad about the fact that he alone had ten pills, which was half of the group's stash. At the same time, however, he was also elated that his sworn siblings were willing to go out of their way to help him.
Everyone returned to their own rooms after that.
The first thing Jonathan did once he got back in his room was call Elijah.
“Can you come to my room for a bit?” he asked.
Having guessed what Jonathan was trying to do, Elijah smiled and said, “All right, Jonathan, | know what you're up to. Don't worry about it, okay? | honestly want you to have my pills. | trust Simon. He must have his reasons for making such an arrangement.” Still, Jonathan hesitated. “But...” Elijah put on a stern expression. “Come on, Jonathan. I'm going to be mad if you insist on acting like we aren't sworn brothers. I'll talk to you later, okay?” ‘With that, he hung up.
Catherine, who was also back in the suite with Jonathan, took out four Spirit Gathering Pills from her box and held them up in front of him. “Here, you can have mine too.” Jonathan's eyes widened. Touched, he swept Catherine up in a hug. “Don't be silly,” he told her. “Simon's right. You are at a crucial point. Keep your pills, okay?” Catherine shook her head, looking at him with a serious expression. “I'll be fine.” “Lucio will be coming after you if he can't do anything to me. It'll be better that you advance your cultivation to Celestial Soul as soon as possible,” Jonathan reasoned.
Seeing how adamant he was, Catherine did not insist. She was rather reserved to begin with.
Deciding to put the pills to good use, Jonathan sat cross- legged on the couch before popping two Spirit Gathering Pills down his throat.
The pills dissolved rapidly in his body, sending the cells into overdrive as they absorb the essence contained within the
pills.
Ten minutes later, the pills were fully absorbed. However, Jonathan could feel his body still hungering for more.
It reminded him of the Supreme Nascent Pill he had previously consumed. The pill had an abundance of essence, so much so that his body could not even absorb all of it.
It feels like the Spirit Gathering Pill doesn't have that much essence. Does it mean that the Spirit Gathering Pill is inferior to the Supreme Nascent Pill? A second later, enlightenment dawned on him.
No! It's because my cultivation was still at Neutralizing Force when | consumed the Supreme Nascent Pill. I'm now at Nascent Soul, so my cells have been enhanced as well.
Coming to this realization, Jonathan took the other eight pills in one go.
The cells in his body worked in a frenzy to absorb the ‘enormous amount of essence. Jonathan was finally
beginning to feel less empty.
In fact, he felt more refreshed than he had in days. He quickly worked to control his spirit that was flaring up as he concentrated on merging his spiritual imprint with his body.
He was, without a doubt, transforming vigor into spirit, a process that would enhance his cultivation.
At this moment, his vigor and spirit became one, merging with his Destino Art.
His blood sang as his vitality was further enhanced.
Jonathan sat still with his eyes closed. He could feel the transformation taking place in his body.
As those eyes opened a while later, a powerful light gleamed from within.
He had successfully transformed vigor into spirit. To his own surprise, he had in fact advanced to the final stage of Nascent Soul.
He could exert a force equivalent to two thousand kilograms.
When he eventually familiarized himself with the power of Haemocore, he would be able to use that power as well. By then, a punch of his fist would pack as much as three thousand kilograms of force, equivalent to an expert in the middle stage of Celestial Soul.
Jonathan was overjoyed. He was once again amazed by the power of elixir pills. | think | know why disciples from major families and clans are able to advance their cultivation so quickly. With the help of elixir pills, it would be easy for the disciples to make speedy progress. However, as they lacked solid foundation and combat skills, those disciples would be flushed out of the race rather quickly.
It only took Jonathan two months to advance his cultivation from the initial stage of Nascent Soul to the final stage.
The speed of his advancement was so fast that it was almost unimaginable to the average person.
Jonathan could reach this level so quickly due to several reasons. Firstly, he had been at Peak Neutralizing Force for too long. He was more than ready.
Secondly, the crisis he had been forced to go through had helped him comprehend Great Emperor Seal, which led him to successfully break through the middle-stage resistance.
The third factor was the most difficult one. If Jonathan did not have the opportunity to consume that many Spirit Gathering Pills, he would not have made it here.
Each Spirit Gathering Pill could be worth hundreds of millions in the market.
If an old man had taken this elixir pill, he would regain life and vitality. It would be like a rotting tree coming back to life. It could even prolong the old man's life by ten years.
Ten years of life was priceless in the eyes of the wealthy.
They would pay for it at any price.
Jonathan had taken the pills as though they were beans. In
just two days, he had consumed eleven of them.
That is the equivalent of spending over a billion.
Given the circumstances, it was of no surprise that he could reach the final stage of Nascent Soul.
While his body and cells were supposedly full after consuming the Spirit Gathering Pills, Jonathan realized his cells were back to the state of famished after his latest advancement.
His body felt like a bottomless pit that would never be satisfied! Jonathan proceeded with his cultivation. As he calmed down, he allowed the final stage of Nascent Soul to integrate perfectly with his body as one.
At this moment, his muscles were also going through a transformation. They became stronger, and could withstand greater force.
Previously, Jonathan did not have the courage to use his full strength, which could go up to three thousand
kilograms. That was because his body could not withstand such a powerful vitality. Forcing it would cause his blood vessels to burst.
Now, Jonathan's muscle tissue and blood vessels were all evolving and becoming stronger.
The human body could be fragile, but it excelled at one thing.
It could keep evolving.
Jonathan kept cultivating until six at night.
He neither ate nor drank during the entire ten-hour process.
Catherine gave him space. She did not want to bother him.
‘When Jonathan finally opened his eyes, his body had gotten used to the vitality of the final stage of Nascent Soul.
His every punch and breath were filled with spiritual imprint and individual prowess.
The vitality within his Haemocore had also strengthened.
At a certain point, when his body reached its Peak and
could not evolve anymore, he could use Requiem to reinforce his Haemocore.
Then, he could conceal the power of his Haemocore and vitality in order to reduce the nourishment he needed.
It was the same concept as hibernation! Yareth, for one, could conceal his mighty vitality. Outsiders could not tell how powerful he actually was.
Of course, Jonathan had not reached Yareth's level yet.
Catherine was also cultivating with her legs crossed.
However, she did not take any Spirit Gathering Pills.
After a bit of stretching, Jonathan stood up.
When Catherine sensed him moving, she opened her eyes.
She could see that Jonathan had made a breakthrough. He had achieved the final stage of Nascent Soul. Her eyes gleamed with joy.
“You must be hungry, Catherine,” said Jonathan.
Catherine nodded.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmJonathan smiled. “Let's go look for Simon and the others.
Then, we shall grab something to eat.” “Sure!” Catherine replied.
After that, Jonathan went to look for Simon. He and the other men were also cultivating in their respective rooms.
When Jonathan saw Simon, he could tell that he was in a good vitality state. He had taken the rest of the four Spirit Gathering Pills. After cultivation, his physical state had peaked. With the right opportunity, he would be able to break through to Celestial Soul.
Meanwhile, Elijah and Lesley had little progress.
Everyone was thrilled for Jonathan when they heard that he had made a breakthrough.
The entire group met up again. Jonathan knew that Catherine had not taken her four Spirit Gathering Pills, so he asked Simon, “Simon, do you want some elixir pills? Catherine still has some with her. You can have those first.
See if they can aid you.” Simon shook his head and said, “There's no need. Elixir
pills won't do if | want to achieve Celestial Soul. | don't need those, but I'd like an inspiration or an opportunity.” He was a truly talented man. He could very well write an astounding article.
It was true that he really needed an inspiration. When inspiration struck, it could very well be an opportunity too.
Then, he could complete what he had set out to do, and give it an amazing finish! Celestial Soul was difficult to achieve. If it were that easy, the experts of Celestial Soul would not be worth much.
Divine Realm held great respect for the experts of Celestial Soul, which showed how tough the level was.
The group went to have a nice meal at the hotel after that.
They enjoyed a variety of heavenly steak, delicious lamb chop, refreshing green salad, fresh pasta, and flavorful borscht, among others.
It was a scrumptious meal, paired with a few bottles of excellent wine.
It was already eight at night when they finished dinner.
The night in Lostaria began to buzz with life.
Elijah got Lesley to join him at the pub. However, Simon did not want to go because he wanted to continue his training.
Simon was an ambitious person who never really knew how to enjoy life. Elijah did not intend to persuade him.
Jonathan did not want to go either, but he knew that Catherine would love a glass of wine at the pub. Therefore, he gave permission for Elijah to bring Catherine with them.
Catherine did not feel like going when she realized that Jonathan was not going. Jonathan insisted, so she gave in.
Elijah let out a sigh as he witnessed their interaction. He muttered to himself, “Catherine is such a wonderful lady. If | could get a wife like her, my life would be complete.” Lesley chuckled, but he did not say much.
Lesley was a simple and easy-going person. He would
always accommodate other people's needs. That was why Elijah and Lesley were both very close.
In this instance, Lesley did not feel like going to the pub.
However, since Elijah had persuaded him, he obliged.
Simon was the opposite. He would not sway in his decisions.
Jonathan and Simon went back to their respective rooms.
Finally alone, Jonathan gave Mabel a call.
Mabel had been worried about Jonathan. She was ecstatic to receive his call. Jonathan summarized what had happened so far, including his current progression, the conflict with Lucio, the help given by his friends, as well as Lailah's interference.
Mabel let out a deep sigh of relief after hearing all that. She said excitedly, “You've certainly received a lot of help. You have a kind heart. You once brought justice to Ophidian Island, and that has saved your life.” She paused before continuing, “Now that you have extra help, you should feel more confident when facing the Great Tribulation in the
coming days.” Jonathan smiled meekly and said, “I wouldn't be so optimistic. We are in a rather unique situation. To put it simply, apart from Elijah, the remaining four of us are all the Chosen One. Yet, Heavenly Law dictates that only one of us shall live. I'm worried that we would end up harming one another in the future.” Mabel replied, “You don't worry too much about that.” There was a pause before she went on, “Nobody knows for sure what Heavenly Law has planned for us, and not everything would go accordingly. There are some restraints that ordinary folks cannot break free from, but you might.” Jonathan considered her words. They certainly made sense. As a result, his worries eased.
He went on to tell Mabel about how he had taken eleven Spirit Gathering Pills and made a breakthrough to the final stage of Nascent Soul.
Mabel exclaimed delightfully, “Not bad! You've achieved the final stage in just two months! Good for you!”
Jonathan responded hesitantly, “But, right now, | think my cells are hungry again. | wonder if | should take more elixir pills to help speed up the process until it's sufficient. This would also help me achieve Celestial Soul.” After hearing his thoughts, Mabel answered, “It's normal for your cells to feel hungry. After all, they are restructuring into muscle masses, so they are constantly dividing and evolving. That's the case for me too. My cell tissues are hungry, just like yours. That's why | want to get the Fortune Pill.” There was a brief pause. “When you've achieved Celestial Soul, nourishments from elixir pills like the Spirit Gathering Pill wouldn't affect your body anymore.” Jonathan suddenly realized something. “I wonder, would our bodies experience any side effects if we continue to rely on these elixir pills? Some of them don't seem to be genuine pills from Crimson Onyx Sect.” Mabel replied, “You're wrong. | know you've come across people of noble backgrounds who have cultivated Nascent Soul. They are pretty weak, not because they've been
consuming elixir pills, but because they grew up in a protected sanctuary. If they had been abandoned to Smealand as kids, and had been forced to fight in the war, I'm sure they would grow to be as skilled as you are. Elixir pills are not stimulants, but nutritional supplements. We have to absorb more nutrition and keep developing our cells. Our body is a valuable treasure, and we have to keep digging to uncover its full potential.” She paused before continuing, “Without elixir pills, it's very difficult for ordinary folks to achieve Nascent Soul. Even if they get there, it's hard for them to improve. Without the help of elixir pills, it's almost impossible to go into the final stage of Nascent Soul. Don't even get me started on Celestial Soul. When we attain Celestial Soul, our body will have reached a limit, and we'll have reason to rely on elixir pills. It's the same reasoning as how humans can't fly, and so we rely on airplanes. Heavenly Law doesn't allow humans to be cultivated to this intensity, but experts can bypass that by using elixir pills to unlock their full potential.” “The Door of Enlightenment!” Jonathan called out, “Lailah
mentioned the Door of Enlightenment.” Mabel was surprised. “You know about the Door of Enlightenment?” “You know about it too?” Jonathan was taken aback.
Mabel continued. “Of course | do. There are some things that Old Mr. Harrington and | haven't told you because you still have a long way to go. Telling you might only confuse you and disrupt your progress.” Jonathan didn't argue because he knew Mabel was right.
“So, what is the Door of Enlightenment?” Mabel explained, “Legend has it that a great door exists in all of our minds. This door is shut tight. Only by opening this Door of Enlightenment will one be able to cultivate one's brain. Your Braincore will develop strong spiritual energy through your brain cells. Once it gets strong enough, it will become your mana. With infinite mana, you can manifest all things.”