287 Ruler of All Nations, King of a Thousand Chariots! (5k)
"A Fate Forger, ah—"
Raven's expression turned serious. "Indeed, you are now a Level 6 professional, reaching the limit of professional theory. Even your enemies have become more powerful monsters—" "
It's time to learn about the knowledge of the Fate Forger stage." Raven
then asked, "Bai Zhou, based on your past experiences, what do you think is the specific difference between a professional and a Fate Forger?"
Difference?
Bai Zhou subconsciously thought of the Fate Forgers he had encountered, recalling the incredible and vast divine power they exuded with every move . They
could offset the effects of gravity to a certain extent and fly through the air, mastering powerful techniques known as Fate Contracts rather than secret skills. On the level of life, they seemed to be on a completely different dimension from professionals—"
"The answer lies in the riddle itself,"
Raven said. "The so-called 'professional' and 'secret skill' are essentially about making a living through skills. By learning secret techniques that are not passed down, they practice until they become proficient, honing their skills to the peak, thereby nourishing the six elements of the body: body, mind, qi, essence, intention, and spirit." " For
example
, people exercise by practicing horse stance, which is the most basic and common example of how training techniques can benefit the body."
"But in essence, those at this stage of destiny are merely following the rules; they possess skills that can be taught, learned, and repeated." "
No matter how advanced these techniques are, they still operate within the framework of the world, merely superficial imitations of natural phenomena or the experiences of predecessors."
At this point, Raven changed the subject:
"However, those who forge destiny are different."
"Just as professionals are concerned with how to better use and protect the embers on wood struck by lightning—those who forge destiny are concerned with the essence of fire, pondering why such fire exists, and whether they can replicate this miracle from nature using human behavior?" "
The essence of fire?" Bai Zhou pondered.
For some reason, he immediately recalled the question that Sister Li next door had asked him when he was still in Wancheng.
"Have you studied? If you have, I'll test you—do you know why apples fall from trees?"
Yes, everyone in Wancheng only knows that ripe apples fall from trees.
Industrious ancestors learned to observe the patterns of apple growth and harvest them when ripe, thus creating crisp, sweet apples that can be juiced.
But how many people, faced with this seemingly natural phenomenon, attempt to ponder "why apples fall from trees"
and achieve anything?
Perhaps, in the mystical world, this is the difference between a Fate Forger and a professional?
No wonder Raven said that a powerful chosen one is inevitably also an excellent scholar.
"If a professional follows destiny, a Fate Forger actively embraces and analyzes destiny, gaining a preliminary understanding of the essence of this world," Raven
slowly said. "Fate Forger, fate forger—the word 'forging' signifies forging and reshaping under high temperatures, corresponding to the Fate Forger's proactive analysis and alteration of destiny."
"As I told you before, in some ancient schools of thought in the Eastern Federation, the perfect state of 'body, mind, qi, essence, intention, and spirit' is called 'Hundred Days of Foundation Building'—of course, 'hundred days' here usually refers to a very long time."
"After Foundation Establishment, with a solid foundation and transcendence, one can forge an inner core that cultivates both body and spirit—that is, forging destiny." " Therefore
, the core of the fitting title 'Destiny Forger' lies precisely in the fact that they are beings capable of actively intervening, forging, and even altering the trajectory of destiny—having initially realized the greatest pursuit of the chosen ones: 'My destiny is in my own hands, not in the world'!" "
My destiny is in my own hands, not in the world'—"
Bai Zhou blinked twice.
Such a boastful tone?
"Therefore, the leap from professional to destiny forger is not a simple increase in strength, but a more fundamental improvement." "
While undergoing a drastically different qualitative change, for some paths not suited for combat, the increase in strength may not seem so obvious at first glance." "
For example, someone in the professional stage can use secret techniques to start a large fire on wood, but this fire will inevitably fail to burn the surrounding stone and concrete, and will be extinguished by heavy rain." "
However, at the destiny forger stage, the chosen one can rely on a destiny contract to spread the fire throughout a designated area, even making stone and water burn like wood!" "
————Make stones and even water burn like wood?"
Bai Zhou was horrified. If that were the case, wouldn't the flames ignited by these Fate Forgers be impossible to extinguish with any mundane object?
Transcendent!
Perhaps, this is the true meaning of transcendence!
"The principle behind this domineering flame is precisely that it uses the destiny of the chosen one as its core, distorting the physical rules of the world within a certain range." "
It is precisely for this reason that the extremely precious spiritual treasures, which only Fate Forgers can master and use, place particular emphasis on the host's 'attributes.'"
"Prioritizing 'my destiny,' rather than destiny"—the Fate Forgers' life contracts are nothing short of unreasonable and extremely domineering!
"Otherwise, there would be no saying 'My destiny is in my own hands.'" "
Raven sighed, "For example, I've actually heard about the Jewel Witch's Destiny Path."
"This path, at the professional stage, is called 'Trickster.'"
"In the next stage, the 'Trickster' will advance to 'Magician,' and in some parts of the previous civilization, they were also called 'Magician.'"
"They often refer to their secret techniques at the professional stage as 'tricks,' and in the second major stage, they collectively refer to their destiny contract as 'magic,' or 'a magic inherited from the ancient past of the previous civilization.'"
"From 'trick' to 'magic,' you can see the vast leap from professional to destiny master, from the first to the second stage!"
Trick? Magic?
Bai Zhou's heart stirred, his emotions inevitably fluctuating.
Bai Zhou, who loved adventure stories, how could he not have heard of magic? And what hero's team didn't have a powerful forbidden magician?
The Jewel Witch—she really was a witch!
Just not yet at her full potential.
"Of course, at the Fate Forger stage, those destined for greatness begin to break free from the protection of destiny and start exploring the possibilities of their own 'fate,' thus beginning to experience the cruelty and chaos of the mysterious world." "
Specifically, both the Fate Contract and everything else encountered at this stage come with powerful side effects; every action comes at a price."
Price?
Bai Zhou frowned, his expression turning serious.
"Fate Forgers like to call this price the echo of fate."
Raven's expression became solemn: "Specifically, ordinary people and even professionals are like fish in a river; no matter how they swim, they are essentially following the current. No one can go against the current."
"You think what you do is a choice made from your heart, but in reality, no one can say for sure whether it is an arrangement and gift of fate. At this stage, the more favored one is by destiny, the more they can advance rapidly in the corresponding path—"
As he spoke, Raven gave Bai Zhou a strange look: "I think you should have already sensed this."
Bai Zhou smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.
"But the Fate Forgers are different. These chosen ones, who forge their own destiny, act and speak according to their own will, not destiny itself. They can go with the flow or against it, and even stay in one place." "
Such anomalies create ripples in the river with every action, echoes of fate." They also unconsciously influence other fish around them, creating a series of butterfly effects.
Raven's voice paused here: "However, in this chaotic trajectory of fate, those ripples created in the river eventually rebound back to themselves in a distorted way, gradually losing their way in the chaotic movement, deviating far from the normal trajectory of fate, and falling into a non-human state." "
A failed, corrupt Fate Forger can melt their own fate and the fates of those around them into a meaningless chaos. They are walking disaster-generating machines. Once you encounter one, get away immediately, or better yet, simply eliminate them to avoid being contaminated by the pollution that leads to their distortion."
As he spoke, Raven's expression grew increasingly serious, taking on an unprecedented solemnity: "Out of control refers to the intense conflict between the spirituality and humanity within a chosen one, ultimately transforming them into a mindless monster under the influence of various factors, distorted beyond recognition."
"Why do I always pay special attention to purifying your SCE every time you return from the Reflection Ruins? It's to nip it in the bud."
"It's rare at the professional level, but starting with Fate Forgers,"
Raven said solemnly, "Extraordinary Out of Control" is the eternal number one enemy of the chosen ones! "
In the Western Federation, there was a Fate-Forger, Immanuel Kant, who mentioned this in his occult books—"
Raven described in a deep voice, "Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more steadily we gaze upon them: the starry heavens above me and the uncontrollable forces within me!" Silently
listening
to Raven's description of the Fate-Forger's skills, Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia, led by [Fluoxetine], had already walked out of the vicinity of the triple gate.
He also learned that the Hall of Seven Sins was located deep within the Blood Worship Cult; once outside, one could see the Blood Worship Cult's "daily life."
Compared to the novelty and subtle coldness and seriousness Bai Zhou felt when he first entered the Special Administration Bureau, his experience in the Blood Worship Cult was completely different.
Consistent with the predominantly red and black color scheme, the place was filled with a thirst for blood and a worship of sin. Bai Zhou felt as if he had entered a den of madmen, or rather, a prison.
"Is this also a kind of—"
Thinking of what Ya had just mentioned, Bai Zhou's heart skipped a beat: "Out of control?"
In the dimly lit corner at the edge of his vision, a gaunt old woman sat cross-legged on a crumpled futon. Before her lay seven skulls, their eyes wide open in death. The top of each skull had been chiseled open, revealing clusters
of glowing mushrooms growing inside. The old woman, with two enormous dark circles under her eyes, was muttering to herself, occasionally plunging a rusty needle into her fingertip, dripping blood into the mushroom caps with a painful scream. Then, she opened her toothless mouth, gesticulating wildly and shouting, "This is an apocalypse! This is a prophecy! I'm going to become... hahahaha!"
"Bai Zhou's first thought upon seeing her was that this old woman might have something in common with that mushroom-loving youth in the Hiro Empire prison.
Meanwhile, at the end of a dimly lit corridor, a muscular man covered in runes hung upside down from a beam, arms crossed, eyes closed like a hibernating bat.
At the entrance of a small building, a doctor wearing a bird-beak mask and a black top hat passed by, carrying a pile of colorful bottles and jars, his assistants carrying several seemingly tortured, half-dead men in black.
Deep in the bushes, a deformed figure flashed by; upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the creature had climbed a tree, staring menacingly at Bai Zhou and his group.
The creature appeared humanoid, but its body was covered in fine scales, gleaming bluish-black in the red candlelight, resembling a python, yet possessing short, thick limbs and a human-like head.
'This is—'"
Under the explanation of [Fluoxetine], Bai Zhou learned that this person had accidentally ingested the egg of a viper of unknown origin in the Void Realm, and from then on, he became like this, going mad while also becoming stronger, becoming one of the "gatekeepers" wandering within the Blood Worship Cult.
"Did I come to a zoo, or did I accidentally wander into an asylum?"
Fang Xiaoxia carefully followed beside Bai Zhou, muttering to herself, "I feel like I could go toe-to-toe with a certain Tan Asylum."
As for Bai Zhou, as a young man from Wancheng who had received excellent upbringing from the Blood Worship Cult, he was indifferent to these strange, eccentric, and incoherent madmen.
However, his intuition was sending him a mad warning, telling him that these four people—the old woman with the mushroom, the muscular man hanging upside down, the bird-beaked doctor, and the snake-like monster—were probably all terrifying beings close to the level of a Fate Forger, or even simply beings in this realm!
"This is what it means to be out of control!"
Looking at them, Teacher Crow seamlessly continued his lesson: "Obviously, they are typical examples of being out of control!"
"Some failed to advance to the level of a Fate Forger, while others encountered problems during their cultivation at the Fate Forger stage and fell into a state of being out of control."
As he spoke, Crow slowly shook his head: "In fact, the rate of being out of control in organizations like the Blood Worship Cult is much higher than in the official system; it's just that the
Blood Worship Cult is inhumane and never wastes resources." "So, these crazy, disorderly individuals, under the control of some unknown principle, are all reused by the Blood Worship Cult, becoming its most loyal 'gatekeepers.'"
Out-of-control Fate Forgers? Controlled gatekeepers!
Hearing this, Bai Zhou immediately shivered.
He didn't want to be out of control.
"By now, from Fate Forger to being out of control, you have a basic understanding of the Fate Forger stage,"
Crow added, his expression unusually worried: "But to be honest, I've always been very worried about you in this regard, and I've been trying to find a solution for you."
Worried about him?
Bai Zhou's gaze turned towards him.
"Because the side effects of your initial choice of the Adventurer's Path are about to manifest,"
Raven said in a low voice. "The Adventurer's Path has been lost and fragmented for far too long—yet, the advancement to a Fate Forger places the greatest emphasis on inheritance!"
"Without a complete inheritance, let alone the lack of potion recipes and Fate Forging rituals, you can't advance. Even if you were lucky enough to find a recipe in the Ruins and successfully advance—"
Raven said, "it would be difficult to forge a sufficiently powerful personal destiny! That is the true foundation of a strong person!" Personal destiny? Hearing this, Bai Zhou frowned. "Some extraordinary paths that align with destiny and are passed down through ancient traditions, as well as the Destiny Path, if one masters the corresponding destiny-forging method, have a high probability of achieving a 'Noble Destiny' when forging one's personal destiny! This allows one to fully awaken their destiny and unleash its potential!" Crow said earnestly. "If one truly wants to reach the pinnacle of the world, this is the pursuit that every chosen one should have. One absolutely cannot make a mistake in the destiny-forging ritual!" "In fact, it is said that within a world-class super-organization like the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, certain Destiny Paths possess special destiny-forging methods inherited from previous civilizations—capable of forging the legendary, unbelievable 'Great Noble Destiny'!" "Compared to them—" Crow frowned, looking at Bai Zhou, "Your destiny and talent are exceptionally high. If you fall behind in this crucial stage of destiny-forging, it will be difficult to catch up later, which would be a great pity—" Having met a talented student like Bai Zhou, Teacher Crow always wanted to give him the best. However, the Adventurer Path was outside the blind spot of Teacher Crow, a Destiny Hunter. Therefore, Crow had clearly considered this long ago, seemingly having worried about it for more than a day before Bai Zhou even asked the question. But— a noble destiny? A great noble destiny? —What is that? Following behind [Fluoxetine], walking through the rampant madness of the Blood Cult, Bai Zhou's eyes blinked silently twice. If he remembered correctly, when the first seal of the Thorn Crown was broken, the knowledge of destiny forging he received was about— [All other civilizations, the art of destiny forging, can only forge a great noble destiny—even Troy, they can only infinitely approach the limit, and cannot transcend it] [Our Roman civilization, the emperor is the sole ruler, the king's decree is supreme, not ruling one country, but possessing the supreme destiny to rule all nations and command all paths.] [To forge—] [A king of a thousand chariots!] "6 " In other words, Bai Zhou's need for destiny forging could not be a noble destiny, nor a great noble destiny. The Trojan civilization, capable of forging the greatest of the great noble destinies, which infinitely approached the limit, was even unwilling to pass on its destiny forging heritage to Bai Zhou, saying that it would hold Bai Zhou back, and only taught him the ritual heritage. Because his goal in shaping his destiny could only ever be, and had to be, a destiny above the highest nobility— the destiny of a king with a thousand chariots!