Chapter 74: The Law Seed
The window of Malrik’s quarters slid open silently as a figure wrapped in a black cloak stepped inside.
The silver mask still concealed his face, while the flowing black robe hid every trace of his presence. Outside, Blackthorn had fallen into a state of complete alert.
The massive explosion and the fire that now raged deep within the forest had awakened the entire fortress. Guards stood ready upon the walls with weapons drawn, expecting the Morveth to launch their assault at any moment.
Fortunately...No one noticed the true culprit quietly returning through his own window.
Malrik closed the window before dismissing Black Shroud.
The black robe and silver mask dissolved into wisps of shadow that quickly gathered around his left wrist, condensing into an ordinary black bracelet.
A faint smile appeared beneath the maskless face.
It seemed his assumption had been correct.
The shape Lukris took didn’t matter.
As long as Lukris remained on his body in any form, the fusion never truly ended. Whether it was a cloak, a suit of armor... or nothing more than an ordinary bracelet, he could still draw upon every ability Lukris granted him whenever he wished.
It was an idea he had borrowed from the superhero movies of his previous world.
Thankfully...It had worked even better than he’d expected.
He crossed to the bed and sat down heavily, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. His mana reserves were nearly depleted. Every muscle in his body ached.
But he wasn’t thinking about the pain.
He pulled the gray crystal from his pocket.
It was smaller than he remembered—fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, smooth and cool to the touch. But it was the glow that held his attention. At its center, a single gray point pulsed faintly, surrounded by a swirling haze that drifted like smoke trapped inside glass.
What are you?
He turned it over, examining it from every angle. It didn’t look like a normal mana crystal. It didn’t feel like one either. There was something alive about it—something that hummed faintly against his skin.
Lilith had followed him into the room without being invited. She lounged against the wall, her wings folded loosely behind her, her fingers absently playing with a strand of her purple hair. Her expression was one of practiced boredom, but her crimson eyes were watching him with sharp interest.
"You know," Lilith said, idly twirling a strand of her violet hair. "Staring at it won’t make it reveal its secrets. You could save yourself the trouble... and simply ask."
Malrik looked up. "You know what this is?"
Lilith smiled faintly. "Of course I do. It’s a Law Seed... still in its early stages of growth."
He frowned. "A Law Seed?"
She nodded. "You’ll be hearing that name a lot from now on."
Malrik looked back at the crystal, his mind racing. "So... what does it do?"
Lilith pushed off from the wall and walked toward him, her movements languid and deliberate. She stopped a few feet away, studying the crystal with genuine interest.
"Law Seeds can be consumed by a Morveth or even a human to acquire the Law inside it," she said.
"You could eat that thing and gain the Law that the Morveth possessed."
Malrik lowered his gaze to the crystal once more.
"If that’s true...then by consuming this Law Seed, I’d obtain Gravios’s Law."
"You would."
The answer came without hesitation.
For a brief moment, excitement flashed across Malrik’s face.
"If that’s all it takes, then couldn’t I simply—"
"Don’t." Lilith interrupted him before he could finish.
The amusement disappeared from her expression, replaced by a seriousness Malrik rarely saw.
"If you make a decision that hastily, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life."
His brows furrowed."...Why?"
"Because you’re only seeing the shortcut."
She gently tapped the crystal with one finger.
"A Law Seed can indeed be cultivated naturally. Every cultivator begins with one just like this. They study it, nurture it, deepen their understanding of it, and slowly weave that understanding into their own abilities."
She paused before continuing.
"Only after the Seed has matured enough can it support its owner in advancing to the next rank."
Malrik nodded slowly.
"So nurturing a Law Seed...isn’t easy."
Lilith smiled faintly.
"Far from it, Some spend years nurturing a single Law Seed.""Others spend decades."
"And many die before ever understanding their own Law well enough to advance."
Malrik looked back at the crystal in silence.
"So consuming someone else’s Law Seed...lets you skip all of that?"
"Exactly."
A faint smile returned to Lilith’s face.
"You inherit years of someone else’s hard work in a single step."
She folded her arms before adding,"Especially for those who intend to cultivate more than one Law."
"So if I consume this...I’ll really be able to use Gravios’s Law?"
"In theory."Lilith nodded.
"But that’s where the problems begin.""First..."
"...there’s no guarantee that Law is compatible with you."
"You might inherit the Law successfully, only to discover that it offers little synergy with your abilities. Instead of making you stronger, you’ll have wasted the chance to cultivate a Law that truly complemented your skills."
"And by then....there’s nothing you can do to change that."
"Second... you won’t know the rank of the Law you’re inheriting."
She glanced at the gray crystal in his hand before continuing.
"It could be a Low-Rank Law. It could be a Mid-Rank Law. You’ll never know until you assimilate it..." A playful smile crossed her lips. "...unless the original owner was kind enough to tell you before you killed him and took the Seed from his corpse."
Malrik couldn’t help twitching the corner of his mouth.
"...I somehow doubt Gravios would’ve answered if I’d asked."
"Probably not."
Lilith smiled.
"And finally... if you intend to cultivate more than one Law, choosing recklessly could become your biggest mistake."
Malrik looked at her.
"Some Laws simply don’t complement each other. Others may not suit your own abilities at all. A poorly chosen Law won’t just slow your growth..." She paused for a moment before finishing calmly. "...it may cost you the opportunity to cultivate one that truly belonged on your path."
Her crimson eyes met his. "So don’t rush this, Master."
"The Laws you choose today will shape the person you become tomorrow. A single careless decision could leave you regretting it for the rest of your life."
Silence filled the room.
Malrik lowered his gaze toward the Law Seed, slowly turning it between his fingers as the gray mist drifted beneath its surface.
Lilith was right.
The Weight Law was undoubtedly powerful. Gravios had used it to crush his enemies, alter the trajectory of attacks, and dominate the battlefield with overwhelming force.
But...Power alone wasn’t enough.
If the Law failed to complement his own abilities, then no matter how strong it appeared, choosing it would only close the door on a better path.
After a long moment, he quietly returned the Law Seed to his storage ring.
"There’ll be time to decide later."
Lilith nodded in approval. "A wise decision."
Malrik leaned back in his chair before another question crossed his mind. "What about cultivating multiple Laws?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"
"If I master more than one....will I become stronger?"
"Not necessarily."
"You could spend your entire life cultivating several Low-Rank Laws and still lose to someone who devoted that same time to mastering a single High-Rank one."
She smiled faintly.
"When it comes to Laws... quality has always outweighed quantity."
Malrik nodded thoughtfully. "Then what if they’re all High-Rank Laws?"
Lilith chuckled.
"I was wondering when you’d ask that."
She folded one leg over the other before continuing.
"Of course you’ll become stronger. The more High-Rank Laws you successfully cultivate, the greater your potential becomes. You’ll possess more options, greater versatility, and far more terrifying combinations than someone walking a single path."
Her expression gradually became more serious. "But nothing comes without a price."
"Every additional Law demands time, understanding, and constant refinement. More importantly..."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"you can’t allow one Law to race ahead while the others fall behind."
Malrik frowned. "What do you mean?"
"To advance to the next rank, your understanding of every Law you’ve chosen must progress together."
She smiled helplessly.
"So if you choose to walk several paths at once...be prepared to climb every one of them together."
Malrik remained silent for a long moment before another thought surfaced. "What if someone cultivated three Laws?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Three?"
He nodded. "Or four... maybe even five.""How long would something like that take?"
"...Is it even possible?"
Lilith didn’t answer immediately.
She gently placed a finger against her chin, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly as though searching through memories buried long ago.
"...Five." A faint smile appeared on her face. "I remember hearing about someone who cultivated five Laws."
Malrik immediately looked at her.
"They called him a legend.""He was admired by countless cultivators. An existence so extraordinary that, over time, the stories surrounding him became almost impossible to separate from myth."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"Whether he truly existed..."
"I’m honestly not sure."
Malrik frowned. "So you don’t think it’s possible?"
"I didn’t say that." Lilith shook her head. "Theoretically...it’s entirely possible."
She paused before looking directly into his eyes.
"But you’re thinking about Laws far too simply.""They’re far more complicated than you imagine."
Malrik waited for her to continue.
"Do you know how much understanding of a Law is required to reach Ascendant Rank?"
Lilith noticed the puzzled look on his face and smiled. "I suppose I should explain something first."
She rested her chin lightly against her hand before continuing.
"Every Law has countless mysteries hidden within it. The more of those mysteries you comprehend, the stronger both you and your Law become."
Malrik nodded slowly.
"So... a cultivator’s strength depends on how much of that Law they’ve understood?"
"Exactly." Lilith smiled approvingly. "Your cultivation rises alongside your understanding."
She paused for a moment.
"Now... do you know how much understanding is required to step into Ascendant Rank?"
Malrik shook his head.
Lilith raised a single finger.
"One percent."
Silence filled the room.
Malrik stared at her, convinced he had misheard.
"...Only one percent?"
Lilith nodded. "Only one percent."
A faint smile appeared on her face as she watched the disbelief in his eyes.
"And yet, that single percent has stopped countless cultivators in their tracks. Some spend years pursuing it... others spend decades. Many never reach it at all."
Malrik lowered his gaze to the Law Seed resting in his palm.
Just one percent...
If reaching Ascendant required so little...Then just how profound were the Laws themselves?
After a long silence, another question came to his mind."What about Saint Rank?"
Lilith smiled, almost as if she had expected the question."Two percent."
Malrik looked up in disbelief.
"Only two?"
"Don’t let the number fool you." Lilith slowly shook her head.
"The further you walk along a Law, the more difficult every step becomes. The difference between one and two percent is far greater than you can imagine."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"A Saint can wipe out entire armies of Ascendants with ease... and yet the only thing separating them is a single additional percent of understanding."
Malrik fell silent.
Just one more percent of comprehension was enough to create such an overwhelming gap in strength.
If that was true...Then the depth of a complete Law was far beyond anything he had imagined.
After a moment, he looked at Lilith once again. "What about Supreme?"
"I don’t know." She smiled helplessly. "I never reached that realm."
She leaned back slightly before continuing.
"But... according to what I heard, entering Supreme requires roughly five percent understanding of a Law."
Malrik’s pupils contracted.
Five percent.
The beings who stood at the very summit of this world...Those capable of deciding the fate of kingdoms.
Had only comprehended around five percent of Laws.
An absurd thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"If that’s the case..then what about someone who reaches ten percent?"
"...Or twenty?" He looked toward Lilith. "Do people like that exist?"
Lilith was quiet for a moment before giving a small shrug.
"I don’t know."
Her crimson eyes drifted toward the moon outside the window. "But the universe is far larger than this world."
"If such people exist...they’re somewhere out there."
Silence filled the room once more.
Malrik slowly clenched his fist.
Compared to those existences...Even the Supremes had only scratched the surface of a Law.
Then... what am I?
Still standing at the very beginning.
Malrik remained silent for a long moment before looking back at Lilith.
"Then... when can I begin studying Law Seeds?"
Lilith answered without hesitation. "The moment you reach Level Fifty."
"Your soul will undergo its first true transformation. It’ll become strong enough for your consciousness to enter Soul Space."
"Soul Space?"
"The place where your Law Seeds reside. Only after reaching Level Fifty will you be able to perceive them, study them, and begin nurturing your own Laws."
Malrik nodded slowly.
Level Fifty...
I have to reach it as soon as possible.
Only then can I begin cultivating my own Laws.
There isn’t a single moment to waste.
*****
Author’s Note : If you enjoyed this Chapter, don’t forget to support it with your Golden Tickets! And if you happen to have a few gifts lying around... this greedy author certainly wouldn’t mind. 😏