Inmeles. Plunder!

Old Master Delon reached out, wiped the tea froth from his beard, cleared his throat twice, and said, "So... have you studied illusions?" "Yes. I once had a senior who was deeply accomplished in that field. I studied under him for a time and benefited greatly." What happened earlier had been a slip-up on Karen's part; now, he could only do his best to smooth things over. Fortunately, what had instinctively lashed out in counterattack were merely the chains of Order. Had something of the Light arisen, the situation now would be exceedingly awkward—and even dangerous. Old Master Delon nodded. "You have a shot at making the twelve-man roster." Just then, Richard leisurely woke up, turned his head, and saw Karen kneeling beside him. Puzzled, he said, "Was I really not dreaming just now? Or am I still not awake?" Why did he keep seeing Karen in a haze whenever he dozed off today? "Richard." "Grandfather." "You may head upstairs." "We're done for today?" "Yes." Richard stood up excitedly, and Karen rose as well. Just as the two were about to turn and head up, Old Master Delon's voice came from behind: "Richard, go up by yourself first. Karen stays." "Huh?" Richard froze, looking first at his grandfather, then at Karen. "That is as far as you go. Even blundering your way into the York City Region's five-man roster will take sheer luck. I originally thought such an outcome wouldn't be bad—at least it wouldn't bring shame to our Guman family. But Karen has the ability to make a run for that final twelve-man roster." Hearing that, Richard immediately said, "I told you so! Karen has what it takes, but you wouldn't believe me earlier!" With that, Richard grinned at Karen. "Stay here and let Grandfather tutor you one-on-one. Heh, it's a great opportunity—make sure you seize it. You can do it!" When it came to Karen, Richard never harbored petty jealousy. The stark difference in his grandfather's appraisal of the two of them didn't make him envious or resentful; instead, he was genuinely happy that his friend was truly appreciated by his grandfather. Yet... Karen couldn't bring himself to be happy. He had only been pressured down here by Madame Tangli to audit Richard's session, intending to humor the old lady's maternal affection and go through the motions. Yet the class audit had suddenly turned into one-on-one tutoring. He did not like Old Master Delon, because he knew very well that the old man was devoted to the God of Order and the Church of Order. A maternal grandfather was different from a paternal grandfather. The difference wasn't a matter of kinship titles, but that before Diss, Diss could tolerate and shield everything about you from the perspective of a grandfather. With Delon, while he was indeed a kindly grandfather, his tolerance had strict boundaries. What would happen if Richard suddenly summoned the Flame of Light right before his eyes one day? "Mr. Delon, how could I impose?" Karen sought to decline. "No need to be polite. I know full well Richard stands little chance, but your chances are high. You did a great service for our Guman family, so this is only right. This twelve-man roster doesn't just grant eligibility to enter the Gate of Samsara; considering the age limit for this batch, it essentially serves as the prime cultivation list for the younger generation. It will be of tremendous help to your future development. If you were still far off, I wouldn't bother, and we'd just patch up whatever we could. But now, I feel you are very close, with a great chance of breaking in." Old Master Delon spoke so sincerely that Karen knew declining any further would only arouse suspicion. "Mr. Delon, thank you for your guidance." "This is what I should do, and what the Guman family ought to do. Richard." "Grandfather?" "Bring a chair over for Karen." "It's fine, I can just kneel." "It's fine for Richard to kneel, but there is no need for you to. It wouldn't be proper." Richard: "..." Richard brought over a chair and had Karen sit facing his grandfather. Afterward, Richard flicked his bangs, deliberately shut the basement door, and walked upstairs. "Finished?" Madame Tangli asked. "Why so fast today?" Kaixi asked, "Why are you the only one coming up? Where's Karen?" Richard didn't hide anything and answered straight out: "Grandfather said I'd need sheer dumb luck to make the regional top five, but Karen could make the twelve-man roster with some effort, so he kept Karen down there for one-on-one training." Hearing this, Kaixi frowned out of maternal instinct. A mother's other instinct was not to question whether her own inadequacy had caused her child to fall short, but to subconsciously assume her child wasn't trying hard enough. Furthermore, because Karen had saved her life, she naturally avoided letting her discontent spill over toward him. Thus, Richard unwittingly bore the brunt of all his mother's redirected frustration. Kaixi walked over to her husband's study on the first floor and knocked. *Thump... thump...* "What is it?" "Aisen, step out for a moment." The study door opened, and Aisen stood before Kaixi. "What's wrong?" "The old master thinks Richard has little hope and Karen has a great shot, so he's tutoring Karen one-on-one and sent your son out." Aisen blinked. "Isn't that normal?" How could his son compare to Karen! Aisen saw that with absolute clarity. If not for the fact that they both appeared young, Aisen would feel Karen and Richard didn't even belong to the same generation—in fact, even he and Karen hardly seemed to belong to the same generation. Seeing her husband's attitude, the fire in Kaixi's heart blazed even hotter. Yet she couldn't lose her temper at her recovering husband, especially when he had brought her a strawberry-flavored ice cream cone just yesterday. In this household, the old master was revered; her mother-in-law seemed gentle on the surface but possessed more than enough power to string her up; and she couldn't take it out on her husband. In the end, it seemed there was only one target left. And that target was currently chattering to his grandmother about how outstanding Karen was, boasting about how prescient he had been to see it early on. "Call your son into your study." Aisen paused, looking at his wife, then at his son in the distance. Ultimately, he nodded. He felt a deep sense of guilt toward his wife, but toward this son of his, he felt none at all. "Richard." Richard turned his head, looked at his father standing at the study door, and suddenly shivered. "Go on, your father is calling you." "No, Grandma, I want to talk with you a bit longer." Richard subconsciously grabbed his grandmother's warm hand. Soon, however, he realized his grandmother's hand had slipped free, and she even gave him a nudge toward the study. "Grandma..." "Go talk with your father first, then come back and talk with Grandma." "No, Grandma, I—" "Richard." Aisen called a second time, his voice dropping low. That meant if a third call came, the consequences would be far worse. With no way out, Richard could only trudge toward the study, looking back with every step. But no matter how he looked at his grandmother and mother—the two women who usually doted on him the most—both ignored his pleading gaze. At last, Richard walked into the study, and Mr. Aisen closed the door. "Dad, my injuries haven't healed yet." "Looks to me like you're recovering quite fast." "No, no, how could I recover that fast? Look here." Richard rolled up his sleeves. Huh? Where did the bruises on his arm go? "No, look here instead!" Huh? The bruises on his chest were gone too! "Looks like you're mostly healed," Mr. Aisen said. "No, that's not it! Dad, stay back! Stay back!" *Smack!* "Ah!" *Smack!* "Fuck!" *Smack smack smack smack smack!* ... Kaixi walked over to Madame Tangli's side. The two women completely ignored the sounds of the "father-son heart-to-heart" drifting from the study. Madame Tangli had no spare attention for Richard right now. It was human nature to favor the new over the old, differing only in degree. Both were her grandsons; one had grown up right before her eyes, while the other had only just arrived, so naturally she treasured the newcomer. Moreover, by comparison, her maternal grandson aligned far better with her tastes: he could cook, spoke pleasantly, and possessed extraordinary talent. From a grandmother's perspective, she saw no difference between a paternal grandson and a maternal grandson; neither would bear her own maiden name anyway. Whether surnamed Guman or Inmeles, both were her grandsons all the same. "Karen is a good boy," Madame Tangli remarked. "Yes." Kaixi could no longer muster any jealousy over the statement. "It's good that Karen enjoys spending time with him." "Yes." "What a wonderful child." Madame Tangli turned around. "I'll go check on the soup again." Walking into the kitchen, Madame Tangli couldn't help a smile curling at the corner of her lips, thinking to herself: *The old codger is probably down there lamenting that Karen isn't his own paternal grandson.* ... "Ah, what a pity. If only this boy were my grandson." Old Master Delon had just completed a second round of training with Karen. He had raised the illusion by a rank, but Karen had still broken through it, opening his eyes and looking back at him with a clear, untroubled gaze. This meant the young man possessed exceptional mental tenacity. Old Master Delon knew all too well how vital mental tenacity was to a person's lifelong growth. Richard was decent enough; with careful nurturing and steady growth, he could inherit the Guman family's standing in the future. But if the one before him were his grandson, he could take his wife, leave everything behind, soak in hot springs every day, and simply wait for the Guman family's stature to rise to greater heights in the boy's hands. Pulling his thoughts back, Old Master Delon said, "Let's raise it by another rank." As he spoke, Karen saw the Rubik's cube before him grow slightly larger, displaying different colors. Immediately, darkness enveloped Karen once more. This time, however, it was profoundly quiet. No concrete illusions appeared; instead, everything around him seemed to stretch and pull, infinitely magnifying an emotion called loneliness. It was indeed raised by a rank—an entirely different kind of illusion. A truly formidable illusion exploited the target's internal deficiencies to crush them. In such boundless loneliness, a person subconsciously sought something to lean on, and once those things materialized, they would become weapons used by the illusion to attack them. Karen simply stood there, resisting it. If he gave it nothing, it had nothing with which to attack him. ... Old Master Delon's gaze grew slightly solemn as he looked at the Rubik's cube before him, then at Karen sitting with his eyes closed. A quarter of an hour had passed, yet the Rubik's cube remained frozen, utterly motionless. This kid had choked off the illusion's assault right at the source. Should he raise it another rank? Old Master Delon hesitated, but ultimately abandoned the thought. This was training, not a duel; he had no interest in overpowering Karen just to prove a point. With a wave of his hand, Delon dismissed the Rubik's cube, and Karen opened his eyes. "Now let us discuss the countermeasures for the selection, if only to familiarize yourself with the testing process in advance." "Understood, Mr. Delon." "During the selection, they will likely use spell formations to test you collectively. It's impossible to assign spiritual-type priests to conduct individual tests. First, although qualifying is difficult, the number of participants from a single region won't be small, and there aren't enough spiritual-type priests of the same tier to serve as examiners; second, they must ensure absolute fairness. Therefore, the examination will certainly take the form of formations. The same will hold true for the final selection across the entire Church later on. Thus, being familiar with the principles of combining formations and spells will help you choose the best response immediately. When certain spells combine with formations, weaknesses inevitably arise—unavoidable weaknesses. By the way, do you know anything about formations?" *Does having just learned your family's secret art, the Rubik's Cube, count as knowing something?* "A little." "Mm. During the regional test, stand as close to Richard as possible. Richard can use the [Key to the Rubik's Cube] in advance to perform a preliminary analysis of the testing formation, and you can obtain intelligence from him. Of course, you should have no problem passing the regional selection, but this will make things easier for you." *That works too?* Over the next hour and more, Old Master Delon carefully went over all the relevant essentials with Karen. When he finished, Old Master Delon patted his thighs and said, "All right, that covers everything. Take some time to digest it well. Once you pass the regional selection, come visit me again." "All right. Thank you, Mr. Delon." "Don't mention it." Karen and Old Master Delon walked out of the basement, and dinner began shortly after. Madame Tangli indeed possessed profound culinary skill; although she was replicating the dishes Karen had made last time, the execution was superb, and the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. The only flaw was that Richard didn't join the table. After taking his leave and returning to the funeral parlor, Karen went into his study, sat behind the desk, and held out his palm. A miniature Rubik's cube appeared in his hand. "Young Master, here are Mr. Hoffen's formation notes that you asked me to compile." "Mm, thank you." Karen raised his palm, letting the Rubik's cube float into the air. He began flipping through the formation notes, and following his reading and comprehension, the floating cube began to rapidly calculate and deduce. After reviewing more than a dozen formation examples, Karen was astonished. It was like solving math problems: the terror of the Key to the Rubik's Cube lay not just in swiftly calculating steps to save time and boost efficiency, but in taking a vast array of results and reverse-engineering the conditions to fit them. This was an expression far beyond ordinary deduction. "No wonder the Guman family holds such high status in the Church of Order." Once he finished the notebook in hand, Karen rubbed his eyes; his energy remained abundant. Perhaps he could try other areas? Karen channeled his Dark Moon Blade, using the cube's deductions to comb through and refine the fine details of wielding it. Originally, the Dark Moon Blade condensed in Karen's hand resembled a leather whip or a freshly heated branding iron. But after being refined through the cube's deductions, the subtle details were vastly improved. The elevation of countless details brought about an all-around upgrade—the Dark Moon Blade became purer and sleeker, a manifestation of ultimate sharpness. "It really works... Its utility goes far beyond formations." Karen closed his eyes and began using the [Key to the Rubik's Cube] to deduce and improve all the spells he frequently used. In the study lit only by a single desk lamp, light and shadow shifted swiftly beneath the Rubik's cube's transformations. It gradually expanded, then slowly contracted; its rotations accelerated, then slowed after reaching a certain limit, cycling over and over in continuous refinement. Karen was using the Rubik's cube to reconfigure all of his systems and spells, including the storage of his spiritual power, while simultaneously deepening his mastery over the cube through deducing his own state. In essence, he was farming experience off himself. After all, his current self was far more complex than most spell formations. Throughout this entire process, behind Karen, who sat with his eyes closed, an aged figure watched over him the whole time, like an old grandfather keeping company while his grandson did homework. Time slipped away unnoticed. By the time the entire overhaul was complete, Karen opened his eyes to find the sky outside already light. He had sat here for an entire night. The Rubik's cube before him had turned black; though not large, it appeared exquisitely crafted. Inside every individual block was a smaller Rubik's cube, and inside the blocks of those smaller cubes lay even smaller ones. This... Karen was shocked himself. Because this meant his current mastery over the [Key to the Rubik's Cube] had long since surpassed Richard's. Well, surpassing Richard was normal enough. Karen felt that during the two hours Richard was sleeping, his understanding of the [Key to the Rubik's Cube] had already caught up to Richard's—the difference back then was merely his lack of practice. Now, his level of mastery was essentially on par with Mr. Aisen's, only one tier below Old Master Delon's. Yet how old was Mr. Aisen? It had taken Karen only a single night. "Because this body contains the bloodline of the Guman family, just as the Dark Moon Blade has the Eyes of the Dark Moon as a vessel, and the Sea God's Armor has the Heart of the Sea God as a vessel. "A vessel can break through and elevate the upper limit of one's mastery over a system's magic. Because I possess the bloodline, I already possess the vessel. When learning, there is temporarily... no, there simply is no bottleneck or restriction whatsoever." This was very similar to a family faith system, just like Purr in the past: young as she was, her family faith system rank rose astonishingly fast because she was born with the surname Allen. Before reaching the level of Ancestor Allen, she faced no objective constraints. Yet even so, his learning and mastery efficiency was absurd, exceeding the bounds of normal comprehension. Karen looked at the ancient, exquisite Rubik's cube before him and murmured: "The characteristic of the Inmeles family faith system... learning." A moment later, he pursed his lips and corrected himself: "Plunder."