"Hahahaha!"
The shopkeeper at the general store burst out laughing.
"Young Ascetic, if Scriptures and Martial Arts were that easy to find in the mortal world, wouldn’t everyone be walking the Path of Ascension?"
Caelum’s hopes were promptly dashed.
This small town had no Ascendant families, nor did it possess auction houses or cultivation forces of any kind. As the shopkeeper had said, whether it was cultivation Scriptures, Martial Arts, or Mystic Arts, all were exceedingly rare among mortals.
Anyone wishing to cultivate had little choice but to join an Ascendant Order.
Caelum placed two copper coins on the counter.
"Then where can I find one?"
The shopkeeper pocketed the coins and pointed east.
"I’ve heard there’s an Ascendant Order called the Skyspire Order about a thousand miles from here. If you want to study under a master, that’s your best bet. Just be careful. You’ll have to cross the Mistveil Range on the way."
"Oh?"
Caelum raised an eyebrow.
"Bandits?"
"No."
The shopkeeper’s expression turned serious.
"Awakened Beasts that eat people. I’ve heard there are plenty of powerful ones in the Mistveil Range. Ordinary folk never dare enter those mountains."
"I see."
Caelum nodded.
"Thank you for the information."
Regardless, he had to make the trip.
Without a Scripture beyond the Initiate Realm, his cultivation would never advance.
A thousand miles was hardly an obstacle. With his current physical abilities, he could cover the distance quickly.
Still, proper preparation never hurt.
There were no Relic Weapons for sale in town, so he purchased a steel saber instead.
The blade was straight, razor sharp, and built for cutting. It resembled a military saber more than anything else.
After putting on a bamboo hat, he set out.
Along the way, he frequently stopped to cultivate both the saber and the Bladeleaf using the Secret of Transcendence.
The blade beca sturdier and sharper with each passing day.
The Bladeleaf grew increasingly spirited. Even without wind, the Sword Intent hidden within it beca noticeably sharper.
Caelum knew little about Spirit Herbs.
Relic Weapons, however, were another matter.
According to the Artificing branch of the Four Arts, every weapon and Arcane Relic possessed a quality grade.
From lowest to highest, the four standard grades were Mortal Grade, Spirit Grade, Earth Grade, and Celestial Grade.
Naturally, higher grades existed, but those were beyond the reach of ordinary Ascendants.
[Grade Increased]
[Steel Saber: Spirit Grade]
After being nourished by the Secret of Transcendence, the steel saber quickly advanced beyond the Mortal Grade and entered the Spirit Grade.
As the days passed, strange properties gradually began to erge within it.
The stronger a Relic Weapon beca, the more extraordinary its abilities.
So could split rivers.
So could command wind and lightning.
So could even give birth to a weapon spirit.
And many more besides.
One day, while nourishing the blade as usual, strange golden patterns suddenly appeared across its surface.
Upon closer inspection, they ford the complete manual of a Martial Art.
[Grade Increased]
[Steel Saber: Earth Grade]
"A blade technique?"
Caelum’s eyes lit up.
He had been searching for a Martial Art this entire ti and never expected to obtain one in such a manner.
Carefully morizing the contents, he discovered the na of the technique.
Riftcleaver Blade Art.
The blade’s transformation confird its status as a true Earth Grade Relic Weapon.
If his guess was correct, the Riftcleaver Blade Art itself was also an Earth Grade Martial Art.
Just like Relic Weapons and Arcane Relics, Martial Arts and Mystic Arts were ranked from Mortal Grade to Celestial Grade.
The higher the grade, the greater the power.
The Secret of Transcendence could improve cultivation realms and upgrade weapons or elixirs, but it could not instantly teach Martial Arts or Mystic Arts.
Those still had to be learned through effort.
Half a month passed.
Crash!
Standing before a waterfall, Caelum swung his saber.
Crimson Vital Essence erupted from his body.
A blood colored blade aura burst from the edge of the weapon.
The slash swept forward and cut the waterfall cleanly in half.
Boom!
Countless tons of water crashed down, sending mist billowing into the air.
Having only recently entered the path of cultivation, Caelum was not yet capable of manipulating World Aether.
Instead, he used his imnse Vital Essence as blade aura.
Even so, its power was remarkable.
Buzz!
Nearby, the Bladeleaf rooted in the soil suddenly released an overwhelming Sword Intent.
A razor sharp sword aura shot skyward.
The clouds churned violently.
The surrounding air turned icy cold.
The display was enough to leave anyone shaken.
Caelum sheathed his saber.
He reached over and gently stroked one of the Bladeleaf’s leaves.
The little plant imdiately swayed happily.
At this point, Caelum had completely lost track of what grade it belonged to.
It had beco so lively that it almost seed to possess its own consciousness.
The longer it absorbed Primal Essence, the stronger its Sword Intent beca.
"Let’s go. Ti to enter the mountains."
He pulled up the Bladeleaf and tucked it into his sleeve.
Ahead stretched a vast mountain range that ran across the horizon.
Mist and clouds cloaked the peaks, giving the range its fitting na.
The Mistveil Range.
Roar!
Before he even entered, a thunderous tiger’s roar echoed from deep within the mountains.
The sound shook the forests and sent countless birds scattering into the sky.
"As expected. There are Awakened Beasts here."
Caelum reached his conclusion imdiately.
No ordinary tiger could produce a roar like that from several mountains away.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the range.
Dense mist filled the trails.
With the sun hidden overhead, he could only follow the winding paths and hope he was still heading east.
After walking for so ti, he rounded a bend.
An open clearing appeared before him.
Scattered across the ground were bleached white bones.
A massive tiger with colorful stripes lounged casually against a boulder like a person.
Several overturned wagons lay nearby.
Broken wine jars filled the air with a rich fragrance.
The tiger held a wine jar in one paw and drank deeply.
When it noticed soone approaching, its eyes imdiately turned savage.
It tossed aside the wine jar and rose to its feet.
Assuming a hunting stance, it spoke in human language.
"Perfect. I’ve still got plenty of wine left. Killing you will make a fine accompanint."
Shing!
The saber left its sheath.
Caelum calmly examined the beast before him.
Awakened Beasts and similar creatures were born when nonhuman creatures absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and developed sentience.
Although this tiger looked fierce, it was rely a newly advanced Lesser Beast of the Awakened Realm.
It relied entirely on its powerful body to terrorize weaker prey.
It clearly had no idea how to wield the power of World Aether.
The mont it moved, it exposed everything about itself.
In an instant, blade light surged forward like a waterfall.
An endless sea of blood seed to sweep across the clearing.
The tiger’s expression changed dramatically.
Its soul nearly left its body from fear.
"rcy, Ascetic!"
Unfortunately, Caelum had no intention of stopping.
His saber descended.
Boom!
Boundless Vital Essence condensed into a razor sharp edge and flashed across the battlefield.
The tiger let out a terrified scream.
The next mont, both it and the mountain behind it were split cleanly in half.
The Earth Grade Riftcleaver Blade Art was certainly powerful.
But even more terrifying was Caelum’s imnse Vital Essence.
An ordinary Ascendant would need peak Soulbound Realm cultivation to achieve such a feat.
Afterward, Caelum began searching the surrounding area.
He intended to locate the tiger’s lair.
There might be Prival Treasures hidden within.
After all, it was not easy for beasts to develop sentience and beco Awakened Beasts.
If intelligence could arise so casually, every farm animal in the mortal world would have beco one long ago.
Either this tiger had consud so extraordinary Mystic Fruit.
Or there was a valuable treasure hidden inside its lair that had aided its cultivation.
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