Chapter 438 - 225: [Divine Level Unsolvable Mystery]
At the same time, all recorded information about him could no longer be displayed, instead turning into a blurry mess of garbled code.
The records were erased.
He had become mysterious, an enigmatic existence—unnameable and without a known form.
It wasn’t just the records that had changed.
Lu Cang felt that even his own Destiny was now shrouded in a thick layer of mystery.
’This really is different from what I saw before.’
The Talent he had obtained in yesterday’s rehearsal was "Divine Level: Complete Material Lock." Any lock or door he encrypted couldn’t be destroyed by attacks; the only way past it was to solve the corresponding encryption.
’What a pity... That Talent was very strong, too.’
But this Divine Level Unsolvable Mystery might be more suitable right now.
After all, Lu Cang was growing more and more worried. ’Is someone plotting against me?’
’Could those higher beings peer into Destiny?’
’They say Divine Spirits lay down grand schemes, foreseeing the world’s changes for millions of years to come.’
Lu Cang believed he would one day become a figure of immense influence. ’Have I already been drawn into the schemes of those higher beings?’
’The feeling of being led by the nose is truly unpleasant.’
’And then there was Pari... She feels unfathomably mysterious. It’s impossible to tell if she’s good or bad.’
’Rather than being led and manipulated by others, it’s far better to hold my Destiny in my own hands.’
As his mastery of the Talent deepened,
Lu Cang gradually sensed gazes like peering eyes, mysterious threads entwined with his Destiny, and writings about him on strange pieces of paper.
Some were Curses, some were blessings.
All of it subsequently blurred and vanished.
Lu Cang could tell that these things were on a higher level than mere records written on paper.
Some were influencing his Destiny, some his Origin, and some were constantly spying on him.
’Whoa... were that many things really watching me?’
Sensing these things disappear, Lu Cang couldn’t help but feel a wave of terror.
The presence of the gods in this world was terrifyingly potent. From the Moon to the Miracles, the Church, and faith... everything proclaimed their existence and their influence over the world.
Lu Cang had always wondered if he would be noticed, and if so, when.
What would happen after that?
Lu Cang had imagined many worst-case scenarios, but he never expected that so many higher beings were already watching him.
And Divine Level Unsolvable Mystery...
...could truly eliminate those influences from on high.
’That was a close call. Thank goodness I got this Talent.’
’I’m starting to make a name for myself. Who knows what would have happened if I’d kept growing under everyone’s watchful eyes?’
’The feeling of being watched is awful.’
With the promotion complete,
Lu Cang gradually lost his Perception of those records.
He no longer sensed the various records about himself that existed in the world.
But Lu Cang knew that Unsolvable Mystery was always in effect. From now on, others would no longer be able to learn anything about him.
The promotion was complete.
Lu Cang looked at Kumironi beside him. After he had completed his promotion, a flicker of confusion seemed to cross her face.
She seemed to be trying to remember—to recall everything about Lu Cang.
But it seemed she couldn’t remember much.
With a mere thought, Lu Cang willed it, and Kumironi felt a wave of clarity. Instantly, her awareness of him became much clearer.
’Hmm...’
’This Talent can be controlled, just like all the others I’ve mastered.’
’At least I don’t have to worry about its passive effect causing unnecessary trouble.’
’It would be a huge hassle if I became an unnamable entity in everyone’s eyes.’
Lu Cang looked around.
Outside the jade-green pillar of light, the room was completely enveloped by Filthy Worms. Although densely packed, they were also disappearing at an incredible speed.
The corrosive pollution was also coming to an end.
What little remained was the final wave.
"Next is the promotion for Prophet, right?" Kumironi asked.
Lu Cang’s voice held a hint of concern. "Yes, I’d like to promote both Professions today. But, Sister Kumironi, are you all right?"
Kumironi shook her head gently. "I should be fine."
Lu Cang nodded slightly. "Then let’s continue."
"If I can complete the promotion, maybe I’ll be able to help you all more."
He had actually fulfilled far more of the Prophet’s tenets than was required.
In fact, he could have been promoted to a Level 2 Prophet much earlier.
However, he considered that after he was promoted to a Level 5 Decryption Scholar, the requirements for the Prophet Profession’s tenets would increase significantly.
That was why Lu Cang had delayed it for some time.
Otherwise, if he had promoted to Prophet first, it would have taken a very long time for him to meet the promotion conditions for Decryption Scholar.
...
Kumironi felt she was already getting used to promoting two of Lu Cang’s Professions in a single day.
Kumironi raised her hand.
The light of the Ritual flared once more!
The promotion for Prophet had to be officiated by Lu Cang himself!
Lu Cang looked up as the promotion Ritual began to glow.
At the apex of the Ritual, in the Future... he saw blurry lights and shadows appear. They were words that should only exist in the Future.
Lu Cang saw the words. They were scalding hot, arranged in chronological order from the Future to the present.
And he recited: "To glimpse myriad possibilities, yet always wander the Abyss between ’foreseeing’ and ’intervening.’"
"Every choice is a wedge, driven by my own hand into the faults of Destiny. None can fully comprehend its entirety; I can only see fragments of prophecy, blind to the cost."
"I will swallow this solitude alone, seeking neither pity nor tragic glory."
"All that I do is in service of this path."
WHOOSH—
The instant he finished his recitation, countless scenes flashed through Lu Cang’s eyes!
Scene after scene of possible Histories flashed before his eyes—events he had never experienced, different potential timelines in the great river of Time...
’But alas, possibilities would forever remain just that.’
’Only what has been set in stone is True Destiny.’
’A History that has already been fated to occur.’
These visions flashing before his eyes were "Destinies" that had been foreseen but had never come to pass.
The promotion for Prophet required no further assessment.
All of History up to this point, and all the predictions he had made, constituted the answers he submitted for his promotion.
No other answers were needed.
He felt the golden words from the Future gradually manifest in the sky. Characters that should only have existed in the Future were forming at this very moment.
These characters flowed into Lu Cang’s body.
This was the manifestation of a Prophet changing Destiny!
Now, Lu Cang could feel it: he was a Level 2 Prophet.
Lu Cang calmed his mind and focused, sensing the changes within himself.
"Huh?"
But then he heard a soft, puzzled sound from Kumironi beside him.
Lu Cang opened his eyes, his attention shifting to Kumironi.
His Perception swept the area. He saw only the faint, jade-green barrier of light surrounding them, but not a single Filthy Worm.
Kumironi’s voice was filled with confusion. "No pollution?"
Kumironi looked around and saw that the portal that was supposed to have opened had not.
The pollution hadn’t appeared.
Although Kumironi couldn’t see as clearly as Lu Cang, she could still perceive it.
Lu Cang also looked around, feeling somewhat confused...
...but he soon found the answer within himself.
Divine Level Unsolvable Mystery had taken effect.
The Filth Source Nest could no longer sense his presence, so the pollution channel that should have opened during the promotion could not be opened.
’It seems I won’t always have to rely on Kumironi for my future promotions.’
’After I get to the Moon Sea, I probably won’t have to bother looking for its early Profession-change Ritual, either...’
Thinking of this, Lu Cang felt a sense of relief.
’After all this time in this world, I can finally change my Profession on my own, without relying on anyone else.’