Chapter 329: What An Evolution...
After showering and changing clothes, Soren checked on Ethea and left the bedroom. In the living room, he took out a laptop, put it on the table, and sat down on the sofa.
But before getting into work, he decided to thoroughly check the returns. The first one was obviously the physical evolution. And man, what an evolution it was.
𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
The passive alone was incredible. It was called Glacial Essence, and aside from the massive physical strength, it granted him immunity to cold and ice, and high resistance to most elements, especially water. In fact, it could be said he gained an affinity for water too, since he could now manipulate it to a certain extent, freezing it, shaping it, or turning it into mist with barely a thought. And of course, there was complete control over ice itself.
There were other benefits as well.
His health and mana regeneration doubled in normal environments and increased fivefold in cold environments. He wouldn’t feel any fatigue from cold either, no matter how low the temperature dropped. In fact, the colder it was, the more comfortable he felt.
’And it’s not just the outside,’ he thought. ’My heart, mind, skin, bones, muscles, blood, lungs, pathways... everything has been changed. I’m basically built for cold now.’
And again, all of it was just passive, the foundation of the constitution.
The active effects were where things got interesting. Unlike his other S-rank abilities, he couldn’t use the Glacial Emperor Constitution right away in its entirety. It had layers. The passive, as he thought, was the foundation layer. The active effects, however, unlocked progressively as he advanced through the circles.
Fortunately, he was already at the 4th circle. That meant the full passive had been integrated immediately, along with two active effects. The first was a carryover from his previous constitution, the frost armor that absorbed and reflected damage. The evolution enhanced it, making it capable of storing more energy and releasing it in a single devastating burst, or repairing and reinforcing the armor to extend its duration.
The second was entirely new, called Frozen Moment.
Once per day, he could freeze time briefly within a small radius. However, it wasn’t true time manipulation, just a flash-freeze so intense that it momentarily stopped all movement. But in that heartbeat, he could act freely, and usually it would be more than enough to turn the tide of a battle.
The rest of the effects were amazing too. Once he reached the 5th circle, he would unlock Winter’s Rebirth, which would allow him to recover from a critical injury, even near-death, once he unlocked all the effects. However, it had a month-long cooldown, so he had to be mindful when it triggered. It wasn’t something he could rely on in every fight.
At the 6th circle, there was Glacial Sovereign. He could summon a massive construct of ice, shaped like a giant or a beast, that would fight alongside him and obey his commands. Its strength would scale with his mana and mastery.
And finally, at the 7th circle, there was the Glacial Emperor’s Domain.
Soren wondered whether he could use a domain within a domain if he reached the 7th circle, but he quickly set the thought aside. There was still a long way to go till the 7th circle. Knowing what ’rewards’ were waiting for him was enough for now, as it would motivate him to work harder.
However, he learned something useful from this evolution.
If his constitution was like this, did that mean other S-rank and higher constitutions also came with layers and unlockable effects?
’...It seems like I have to research them more.’
With that in mind, he recalled the contents of Core Refinement. The ability had evolved from Core Purge, which had originally allowed him to purge foreign mana and toxins from his body. Now, it could purify harmful substances and convert them into usable energy. Poisons, curses, foreign mana... all of it could be refined and absorbed rather than simply expelled.
’This is perfect for dealing with people like Leech,’ he thought. ’Or anyone who tries to poison me or mess with my mana.’
The ability also worked on his own mana, purifying any impurities that accumulated during cultivation. More importantly, his core would now passively liquefy the mana over time. Since reaching the 5th circle required fully liquefying his mana, this would save him years of effort and smooth out his progress. Combined with his new constitution, his body was becoming a fortress that was nearly impossible to bring down from the inside.
He was more than satisfied with the evolution.
Next were Civic Sight and Beacon of Hope. They were more like Advanced Appraisal and Guardian’s Resolve, requiring no energy to use.
Civic Insight allowed him to sense the general well-being of a community or large group of people. It wasn’t mind-reading, though. It was more like feeling the collective mood of a population. He could tell if a city was thriving, struggling, or on the verge of unrest. It would be useful for understanding the places he visited and the people he interacted with.
Beacon of Hope was a passive aura that uplifted the spirits of allies within range. Those fighting alongside him would feel less fatigue and recover slightly faster. This would come in handy when leading a group or protecting others. It was kind of flashy, but in long battles or desperate situations, even a small boost could make the difference between victory and defeat.
’...And then comes cooking.’ He squinted. ’...If I get two more cooking mastery returns, I am certain that I can easily become a Senior Magic Chef.’
His insights and understanding of cooking had improved greatly. He could now tell where he had made mistakes during the competition and where he could have made better decisions.
’...Should I wait for Ethea’s investment returns before practicing the new recipes?’ He pondered and decided to think about it later. ’Let’s see...’
He opened his mental inventory and pulled out a Memory Crystal. According to its description, it could store a perfect memory of any single event, letting the user record and replay it at will.
The crystal was small and easily fit in the palm of his hand. He turned it over a few times, thinking about what to use it for.
’This could be useful for keeping records of important moments. Or for sharing memories with others.’ He thought. ’After all, saving them on a phone might be dangerous since they could be hacked or stolen.’
He put it back in the inventory and pulled out another item.
It was the Gate Key Fragment. A small, jagged piece of unknown dark metal, cool to the touch. Faint runes flickered along its surface, pulsing with a soft glow. According to its description, it could open a temporary portal to any location he had previously visited. However, it was a one-time-use item.
’An emergency escape route.’ He stared deeply at it. ’Or a way to get somewhere fast if we ever need to.’
He put it back in the inventory to keep it safe. He would save it for when the situation called for it.
’And the last two returns were mana, mental power, and their capacity improvements.’ He recalled the numbers. His mana had increased by fifty thousand, and his mental power by ten thousand. Both were significant boosts.
He summoned his status window to see the changes.
════════════════
[PERSONAL INFORMATION]
Name: Soren Everly
Age: 23
Circle Rank: Fourth Circle (Late Stage)
Mental Cultivation: Sovereign Soul-Refining Scripture — Stage 2: Soul Tempered Core Stage
Potential: ???
Hunter Rank: C
[CORE STATUS]
Mana Capacity: 459,860 / 650,000
Mental Power Capacity: 109740 / 160000
Core Stability: Stable
Pathway Integrity: Excellent
Affinity: Ice (Grade 7 - S Rank) | Wind (Grade 5 - B Rank) | Life Force (Grade 5 - B Rank) Darkness (Sealed) | ??? | ???
[INNATE ABILITIES]
• Hyper Regeneration (S-Rank)
• Glacial Emperor Constitution (S-Rank)
• Sovereign’s Fortitude (S-Rank)
• Limit Break (S-Rank)
• Indomitable Soul (S-Rank)
• Overlord’s Aura (A-Rank)
• Fire Resistance (C-Rank)
• Vital Harmony (A-Rank)
• Nature’s Eyes (B-Rank)
• Core Refinement (S-Rank)
....
[SPECIAL ABILITIES]
....
• Civic Sight
• Beacon of Hope
[UNIQUE ABILITIES]
....
[TECHNIQUES & SKILLS]
....
• Cooking Mastery (Advanced Lv. 9)*
....
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Once he scanned them, only one word came to his mind.
’...Monstrous.’
His mana jumped over four hundred and fifty thousand, and his mental power was already over a hundred thousand. For a 4th circle, those numbers were absurd. Most 4th circle Awakened barely had a fraction of that. Even 5th circle cultivators would struggle to match him now.
After grinning for a bit, he dismissed all the windows and leaned back on the sofa.
’At this rate, reaching the 5th circle and 3rd stage in mental cultivation won’t take nearly as long as I thought.’
As long as he kept working hard and getting returns like these, he could easily break through by the time they reached the Tower.
He clenched his fists, determination settling into his chest. There was still much to do, but for the first time in a long while, the path ahead felt clear.
’One step at a time.’ He told himself. ’And soon, I’ll be strong enough to protect everyone I care about.’