Chapter 436 - 224: Promotion: Level 5 Decryption Scholar
’How could it be ignored?’
Lu Cang thought for a moment and couldn’t help but feel a little worried...
’Have I been set up?’
VMMM—
Lu Cang’s eyes instantly grew profound. His gaze began to search for destinies connected to him, peering into the Future... The Future was already quite fixed. After the Random Teleportation, he might appear among towering mountains and lofty peaks, or he could be sent to the Moon Sea.
The proportion for the Moon Sea was much larger, basically a nine-to-one ratio in terms of Destiny.
Come to think of it, what he had seen in the threads of Destiny also showed a greater Possibility of arriving at the Moon Sea.
’Is there some unseen force trying to guide me to the Moon Sea?’
Lu Cang suddenly remembered Iz saying that the destinations for the Random Teleportation Magic radiated outward from the Moon Sea... Eliminating the randomness would, paradoxically, guarantee a drop in the Moon Sea.
’What kind of mysterious factor is at play here?’
Lu Cang searched his premonitions but couldn’t find a reason why he would be certain to avoid the Secret Sea. ’Is it just pure luck that I won’t be sent there?’
"Lu Cang?"
Seeing Lu Cang remain silent, Leng Qingying called his name again.
Lu Cang snapped out of his reverie.
"Xiaoleng, the point you brought up is very significant."
"Our Random Teleportation Magic has been optimized. It’s no longer completely random—it will only send us to two places: Boundaryless Mountain and the Moon Sea."
Lu Cang explained earnestly.
Leng Qingying said, "Oh..."
"Even if we go to a new place, it won’t be much different from how things are now, right?"
"We can just keep things as they are."
Lu Cang replied, "Yes, that’s true."
’Still, there is a difference,’ Lu Cang thought. ’The Random Teleportation Magic can only chain a maximum of four continents.’ This meant the teleportation from the Secret Sand Archipelago would be split in two. Ruelun, Xiyang, Xiangya, and Tarabella would be teleported as one group.
Meanwhile, Zuoyu and Tengge would form the other.
The two groups would most likely not be teleported to the same location; it was even possible for one to end up on Boundaryless Mountain and the other in the Moon Sea.
Leng Qingying asked, "What about you, then? You seem to have other plans."
Lu Cang said, "Hmm... I plan to live in seclusion."
"I’ll try to find a place where no one can disturb me, where I won’t be found. I’ll just quietly research my principles."
Leng Qingying looked at Lu Cang, her face a mask of distaste. "You sound just like an old man..."
In Leng Qingying’s eyes, someone with Lu Cang’s immense power should be doing whatever they pleased.
"Actually, my mental age is much greater than yours."
Leng Qingying retorted, "Oh~? If you ask me, you’re not that much more mature than I am."
’She’s at that age where she likes to pretend she’s mature.’
’Oh, Qingying, you have no idea. What real adults miss is their carefree childhood.’
"Hmph. Still, if you decide on a place to hide away, you can secretly tell me where it is."
"I’ll come visit you sometimes..."
"And of course, I won’t tell anyone else. Not even if that Yuna person asks me."
Lu Cang smiled. "We’ll see. Of course, I’d be happy to welcome a few old friends for a visit."
Leng Qingying’s expression grew even more distasteful. "Lu Cang, that right there? That’s exactly what an old man would say."
Lu Cang said, "Let’s go clear out the next bandit stronghold."
...
「March 23rd.」
Three more days passed.
In Tengge, the King was executed for the crime of plotting to destroy the continent. Mokri was also put to death as a Cultist.
Rumor had it that a great battle had taken place in Tengge.
They had deployed mechanical constructs left behind by a Level 7 Mechanician, but Izparut himself had been there.
The result was that the powerful machines were effortlessly torn to shreds by Magic.
At least, that’s what Iz had told him upon his return. He had gone to Tengge to set up the Continent Teleportation Magic.
He had "coincidentally" been traveling with a Judgment Priest from the Life Church.
The Judgment Priest’s mission was to apprehend and execute Teng Gai.
Normally, Iz couldn’t be bothered with the Church arresting people, but he owed Kumironi a favor.
So Iz had lent a hand.
「At this very moment—」
[Promotion Hall]
Kumironi said, "Little Lu Cang."
"If we also get teleported to the Moon Sea, we’ll go to the center, to the Land of the Moon, to find you."
"If we’re sent to Boundaryless Mountain, we’ll head for the Tree of the World Center..."
Lu Cang nodded. "Okay."
Kumironi continued, "I hear the Moon Sea has ways for Reincarnators to be promoted. You should be able to advance there, too."
"But you must be careful... your contamination is too severe."
Lu Cang replied, "It shouldn’t be a problem. I can see the contamination myself. If the promotion really doesn’t work, I’ll just flee."
Interrupting a Promotion Ritual doesn’t have major repercussions.
It just means the promotion attempt failed.
And failed promotions aren’t exactly rare in this world.
Failure just means you have to try harder next time.
Besides, Lu Cang had his Future Previews.
Yesterday, Lu Cang had even run a Future Preview of today’s promotion failing. It proved that a simple failure wouldn’t have any negative consequences.
"So, you’re promoting your Decryption Scholar Profession today."
"Yes," Lu Cang confirmed.
"And I also want to promote my Prophet Profession to Level 2."
Kumironi asked, "You’ve already fulfilled the principles for Prophet as well?"
Lu Cang replied, "Well, I’ve changed a lot of destinies recently. I feel I’ve fulfilled the principles quite well."
’Compared to Prophet, the Divination Master Profession is a real pain for whoever takes it.’
’You can’t actively fulfill its principles; you just have to wait for Destiny to decide when you get promoted.’
Through a Future Preview, Lu Cang had already seen the results of today’s promotion.
The promotion for his Prophet Profession had met the requirements.
His Warrior Profession promotion, however, wasn’t perfect... and he’d heard that the most fundamental requirement for advancing from Level 7 to 8 and Level 8 to 9 was that every prior promotion for that Profession had to have perfectly fulfilled its principles.
As for Death Priest...
Lu Cang had Sacrificed twenty billion souls, and it still wasn’t enough to meet the standard.
It would take a final Sacrifice of fifty billion souls to achieve perfection. It felt less like a matter of quantity and more a matter of appetite.
’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have Sacrificed so many to begin with.’
’Then again, the more souls Sacrificed, the more Spirituality is fed back...’
"Are you ready?"
Lu Cang had come to the rear hall of the Promotion Hall and was now standing at the very center of the Ritual.
The new rear hall had been completely refurbished and was even more magnificent than before.
Although only a short twenty-one days had passed since his last promotion.
But it felt like a very long time had passed. It gave Lu Cang the strange feeling that he used to get promoted every ten Chapters, but this time, it had taken a full twenty to get to the next one.
’It’s probably because I’m living three times as long as everyone else, previewing the future every day.’
Lu Cang said, "Yes, I’m ready."
A pillar of Light shot to the heavens!
The Ritual on the ground enveloped Lu Cang’s entire body.
Countless enigmas written in twisted symbols materialized around Lu Cang. As his gaze swept over them, answers surfaced in his mind, one after another.
’The Month of Knowledge and Wisdom.’
’This is undoubtedly the best month to be promoted to Decryption Scholar. My ability to answer any question will be enhanced.’
The questions vanished one by one.
...
He had already run a preview of today’s decryption yesterday; even the puzzles were exactly the same...
But Lu Cang still went through the process of solving them.
He was being promoted to Decryption Scholar, after all; the "decryption" was an indispensable step.
SWOOSH—
As he finished solving everything, the answers seemed to transform into new brands.
They seared themselves into Lu Cang’s body.
In that instant, Lu Cang felt it.
His promotion for Decryption Scholar was complete...
He was now a Level 5 Decryption Scholar.
Lu Cang had been worried that the actual event would differ from the Future Preview—that, for instance, a new problem would suddenly appear to screw with him after the decryption was complete.
But it seemed that merely advancing from Level 4 to Level 5 wasn’t enough to cause a distortion in Destiny.
’Finally... Level 5.’
’When I first met Iz and the others, they were already Level 5...’
Now, time had passed.
’...and I’ve finally stepped into the ranks of the Level 5 Reincarnators.’