Fusion! Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash

"Um, Crow." Bai Zhou swallowed hard. "What is it?" "Maybe—and I do mean maybe—" Using the most casual, even tone he could muster, Bai Zhou dropped a bombshell. "I might have a knowledge heritage of the Adventurer sequence." Crow gave him a flat look. "?" "Impossible!" Crow dismissed Bai Zhou's claim as sheer lunacy without a second thought. Yet as she met his clear, earnest eyes, she suddenly remembered the half of a forbidden ancient character from earlier, and her gaze shifted into uncertain suspicion. "Is it... from the Fog of Knowledge?" Bai Zhou nodded. The air abruptly plunged into an unusual silence. The flames on the floor flickered erratically, illuminating the young woman's rather rigid face. "I haven't had a chance to bring this up," Bai Zhou said, his voice tightening slightly. "When I explored the Fog of Knowledge, aside from that half-character, I actually caught a golden speck of light as well. "Inside it was a knowledge heritage titled *Holy Oath Slash*. "I couldn't read the script it was recorded in, but I recognized something right at the beginning—" Bai Zhou pointed to the emblem of crossed blades on the table. "It had a mark just like that one." *Whoosh—* The flames flared brightly. The twelve curtains swayed like rippling water, mirroring the tremor in Crow's heart. The corners of her pitch-black trench coat fluttered softly. Crow stood rooted in place, silent. After studying Bai Zhou with a complicated expression for a long while, she finally let out a quiet breath, shaking her head as if resigning herself to it. "Can you... write it down for me to see?" ... "It really is the Adventurer pathway..." Firelight danced. Crow let out a soft sigh as a slender flame rose from her palm, igniting the paper bearing the written knowledge. As the flying ashes scattered in midair, she turned to look at Bai Zhou. After half an hour of rigorous study, Crow confirmed the truth. "Congratulations—you might truly become one of the Destined!" Everything was just as Bai Zhou had thought. *Holy Oath Slash* was indeed a secret art of the Adventurer pathway. What was more, it was an introductory secret art for the pathway, much like *Moon Cinder*! "It has quite an extraordinary background." With a light tap of her boots skimming past the flames on the floor, Crow walked over to Bai Zhou's side. Her eyes were exceptionally bright, shining with an intense hunger for knowledge. "I used a ritual to decipher the cipher text on it and discovered that *Holy Oath Slash* is merely a remnant page. Its origin can actually be traced back to a forbidden grimoire of the 'Secret Scroll' rank. "Unfortunately, the damage is too severe, and a vast amount of information is missing. "All I know is that it seems to come from some ancient religious order, which is practically useless information." With that, Crow sighed in regret. It seemed that even to someone like her, a forbidden grimoire of the "Secret Scroll" rank held no small allure. Bai Zhou, however, pricked up his ears. *Secret Scroll?* *What did she mean by a 'Secret Scroll' rank grimoire?* *Were the* Dead Sea Secret Scrolls *one of these 'Secret Scrolls'?* Before Bai Zhou could ponder any further, Crow's voice sounded again. "In fact, even *Holy Oath Slash* alone is incomplete. It only has the lower page, missing the upper half. "In other words, it only contains the part for cultivating the 'Mind' and lacks the chapter for forging the 'Body.'" "What...?" The hope that had just flared in Bai Zhou's eyes dimmed. Suppressing the wave of disappointment welling up in his chest, Bai Zhou sighed softly. "Does that mean it can't be used?" Alas, travelers traversing the desert rarely died of their initial thirst. They perished after glimpsing the oasis, during the agonizing trek toward it. "I never said that." Yet right at that moment, Crow descended like a colossal oasis descending from the heavens, flowing with sweet spring water in every direction. "To anyone else, this might be a problem. But not to me." Her voice remained cool, her expression indifferent. Yet to Bai Zhou's ears, it sounded like heavenly music. "The Adventurer pathway is indeed completely different from the Hunter pathway, built on lines of thought I've never considered before... but at the entry stage, all paths lead to the same destination. "With the Mind cultivation phase of *Holy Oath Slash* in hand, I am eighty percent confident I can reverse-engineer and reconstruct its Body forging portion. "What's more..." Crow glanced at the stool leg in Bai Zhou's hand. "Your days of bitter training won't go to waste either." "Really?" Bai Zhou raised the stool leg and examined it; suddenly, it looked much more appealing. After swinging it tens of thousands of times, he hadn't produced any Moon Cinders, but he had nearly made himself smoke from the exertion. Crow nodded. "*Moon Cinder* originates from a lost ancient Flame School. Rumor has it that this school had countless ties to the Mithra School from a millennium ago, which excelled in forging the Body. "I plan to extract the core essence of *Moon Cinder*'s Body-forging method and merge it into *Holy Oath Slash*. "It will take only one night for me to deduce an improved secret art centered on *Holy Oath Slash* that combines the strengths of both. "Let's call it... *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash*!" *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash!* A path had opened where all seemed lost. The thrill of regaining what had slipped away surged through his heart. Bai Zhou's eyes widened, and he nearly swung the stool leg in the air to cheer for Crow. Just then, however, Crow asked another question. "But are you certain you want to walk the Adventurer pathway?" "Isn't that obvious?" Bai Zhou answered without the slightest hesitation. If one could become a Destined, who would settle for mediocrity as an ordinary Extraordinary? "*Holy Oath Slash* only supports forging the Body and cultivating the Mind up to a Level 2 Adventurer," Crow warned with utmost gravity. "After that, you'll have to rely on sheer luck in the Reflected Ruin Realm. "Even though an Extraordinary of the Adventurer pathway naturally attracts Adventurer knowledge, this road is bound to be filled with mire and danger! "By contrast, while the Hunter pathway might not align perfectly with your Fate Principle, I can prepare everything you need for the subsequent steps." Crow's voice paused here. The firelight stretched their facing silhouettes long across the floor as Crow's inquiry struck straight to the soul. "Are you sure you want to abandon all that, put in ten times the effort, and choose the Adventurer pathway? "I suggest you think it over carefully." Bai Zhou nodded. It was time to make a choice again. Most of the time, human beings had no clear idea of what they truly wanted. Because a person only lived once. One could neither compare it to a past life nor correct it in a next life. Everything was experienced in the moment, a single, unrepeatable occurrence for which no one could fully prepare. Yet this time— "If I choose the Hunter pathway that doesn't align with my Fate Principle, how far can I go in the future?" Bai Zhou didn't rush to give a direct answer; instead, he asked a few questions of his own. "Can I reach a height where I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you? "Can I... help resolve whatever problem you're carrying?" Crow was taken aback. She had never imagined Bai Zhou would reply like this. Even less had she expected his answer to be about her. Yet there were things Crow didn't need to say for Bai Zhou to sense. Crow's current state couldn't possibly exist without a reason. It was just that the current Bai Zhou wasn't qualified to touch upon it. Faced with his questions, Crow's answer was... silence. Yet silence was an answer in itself. "I understand," Bai Zhou said with a nod. Then, he made his resolve. Since he had already stepped onto this road into the unknown, he might as well let the future become even more enigmatic. Since he had decided to climb upward, there was no reason not to set his sights on the summit. The firelight elongated Bai Zhou's shadow. He gave his earnest reply: "I spent enough time in Wancheng living days where I could see the end at a single glance." Now, he wanted to live differently. "Crow, why don't you try believing in me for once?" Bai Zhou said, "Believe that I can walk farther along the Adventurer pathway. "Far enough that one day, I can help you. "Who knows? Maybe the next time I go to the Reflected Ruin Realm..." Bai Zhou offered a half-joking grin. "I'll come back carrying a whole handful of new heritages." Crow shot Bai Zhou a side-eye. "How could that ever happen? "Do you think the Reflected Ruin Realm is a convenience store run by your family?" Bai Zhou merely smiled without a word. People couldn't know in advance what they should want, but this time was different. Bai Zhou had cheated. The battlefield ruins pointed to by the golden pass were covered in symbols tied to the Adventurer pathway. His future lay nowhere else. It was right beneath his feet. "Knowing full well the road ahead is shrouded in mist, yet refusing to halt. "Having nothing to your name, yet leaving yourself no way out." After a few seconds of silence, Crow spoke in a cool tone. "This really isn't a wise decision. "However, someone like you..." Standing in the shadows, Crow gazed quietly at Bai Zhou, her gaze drifting for a fleeting moment. "Perhaps you're the one who truly fits the essence of an Adventurer." There was a reason the Adventurer pathway had been lost to the modern era. The development of the times meant people no longer explored the wilderness for survival, nor did they need to endure eighty-one tribulations in search of knowledge. Modern civilization had no "distant frontiers." Consequently, the spirit of adventure—a quality once hailed as one of the most brilliant stars in the constellation of human civilization—had been steadily worn away within the cradle of modern society. Yet Bai Zhou was different. He had grown up in backward Wancheng, listening to adventure stories. Compared to Bai Zhou, every modern resident of Blue Star was rich in information and material wealth. Yet spiritually, these settled souls were the most impoverished. Bai Zhou's heart remained untainted, his perspective completely different from ordinary people on Blue Star. From the moment he walked out of Wancheng, his grand adventure had begun. Whether Extraordinary or ordinary... Everything unknown on Blue Star was, to Bai Zhou, a dense forest waiting for an adventurer to explore. Who could be better suited to become an Adventurer than him? A unique Adventurer, embarking on an adventure every waking second in a modern urban jungle. This inexplicably reminded her of someone. A fictional character from literature. Don Quixote. That old man charging resolutely toward the windmills and Bai Zhou viewing everything as a monster upon first arriving on Blue Star... They truly shared the same spirit. A foolish idealist, a naive romantic, an obstinate misfit of the era, an unorthodox renegade. Yet also the fool most capable of creating miracles. "Perhaps... Adventurer truly is your destined pathway." In the end, Crow offered her verdict. Not the destined pathway of the Chen attribute. Rather, Bai Zhou's. "...However," Crow shifted her tone. "No adventurer in any legend ever walked alone. "Do you understand that, Bai Zhou?" "...What?" "I mean..." Crow looked into Bai Zhou's eyes and said softly, "Remember that you aren't alone. "I'll help you." "..." Bai Zhou's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat, a subtle, strange sensation stirring within. Yet before he could figure out what this feeling was, Crow's voice followed— "Of course, just as you said earlier." Crow's face remained blank. Deep in the hazy shadows beyond the firelight's reach, she looked away and spoke coldly, "I'm only helping you for the sake of my future self." Undoubtedly, the path Bai Zhou had chosen was exceedingly difficult. Yet with a senior like her guiding him, it would at least be far easier to walk. Then, with a flick of her hand, Crow signaled Bai Zhou to lift the stool leg again. "Enough pretty words. Time for action. "Keep swinging that blade. I'll have the modified *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash* worked out shortly." Crow paced through the shadows, speaking languidly, "You'd better steel yourself for bitter practice." Hearing that, Bai Zhou shuddered instantly from head to toe. His muscles seemed to throb with phantom aches. Even his rear subconsciously felt a chill, as if imagining a certain crystal ball as frigid as ice. The night was long. The torment had only just begun. ... In the blink of an eye, ten thousand more swings were completed, and the sun and moon rotated twice. Crow had switched to a fresh bag of coffee beans, and Bai Zhou had learned the genuine *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash*. *Clang—* The square stool leg swung through the air, dragging a trailing ribbon of blazing fire behind it. A deep furrow appeared across the surface of the iron table in front of him. It bit three-tenths of an inch into the metal, slicing halfway through the table's thickness. The one holding the stool leg was Bai Zhou, staring wide-eyed. "Did I... really do this?" Crow truly hadn't lied to him. Even an edgeless wooden stool leg could cleave through iron! Though he hadn't fully mastered it yet, the technique was finally showing its initial power. "Not bad." Crow walked over to Bai Zhou's side and glanced at the tabletop. "You aren't far from officially stepping through the threshold. Maybe a week, maybe tomorrow. All you lack is an appropriate trigger." Just as Crow had predicted, Bai Zhou's foundational training with the stool leg had not gone to waste. Relying on solid basics and an extraordinary talent in Fate Principle, he had taken only two days to practice *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash* to this level. This also proved that Crow's deduction had been an absolute success. This brand-new secret art, blending the strengths of both the Hunter and Adventurer pathways, was genuinely viable! "I taught you this so you'd have the ability to protect yourself against the Blood Worship Cult before chaos descends," Crow said, suddenly bringing up a serious matter. "However, if people discover you've inexplicably become an Extraordinary, I shouldn't need to explain what the Special Control Bureau would do to you." Bai Zhou felt a chill run through him. A person from Wancheng who couldn't account for the origin of his powers? He would look like an undercover agent planted by the Blood Worship Cult no matter how you sliced it... "If the Blood Worship Cult truly attacks, then before their arrival, you had best already be a P3 specialist of the Special Control Bureau and have successfully applied for a potion." Crow tilted her chin up slightly, setting a new objective for Bai Zhou. "That way, you'll have a legitimate reason to appear as an Extraordinary in public, sparing yourself plenty of unnecessary trouble." "..." Bai Zhou wore an odd expression. Crow made a lot of sense. It seemed he had yet another reason to get promoted to P3 specialist. However— Was he not a P3 specialist because he didn't want the promotion? He wanted progress more than anyone! Feeling awkward under Bai Zhou's "resentful" gaze, Crow waved her hand dismissively. "Naturally, I know this is difficult. "Still, my earlier words stand— "I'll help you." Bai Zhou's eyes instantly lit up, followed by a hint of hesitation. "How are you going to help?" Was the mysterious Crow about to make a move? His imagination started running wild again... Perhaps Crow would soon tell him to brew a cup of coffee and wait, then shoulder her long blade, venture out to hunt, and return in no time carrying the severed head of the Blood Worship Cult's grand elder. Drop the head, claim the merit. By that time, the coffee would likely still be warm. Wouldn't that make him the head of this entire base by tomorrow? Forget P3 specialist. Call him Major Bai! "I'll call upon 'luck' to help you." Crow ruthlessly shattered Bai Zhou's fantasy. "Luck?" "I intend to use a ritual to boost your career luck over the next few days," Crow explained. "In addition, I'll provide some appropriate guidance from the shadows to see if any suitable opportunities arise." It sounded quite remarkable; who knew such wondrous rituals existed? Yet Bai Zhou quickly grew wary. "...So, what's the price?" "The law of conservation of luck," Crow answered. "As the price, your romantic luck will be abysmal for this entire week." "Then there is no price at all." Bai Zhou was instantly relieved. ... Bai Zhou had no idea whether the mysterious luck-altering ritual had succeeded. Yet on the very next day, he indeed received good news. The moment he met Section Chief Liu at the base, Section Chief Liu announced: "Tomorrow is the department's annual team-building holiday. Make sure you attend." Bai Zhou answered casually, "No problem. Where are we going?" "Outside." Section Chief Liu patted Bai Zhou on the shoulder. "Tinghai City proper. I'm taking you out. "Of course, since you only recently came out of Wancheng, some safety measures will be required before you can move around." *Outside...?* Confirming he hadn't misheard, Bai Zhou froze in his tracks, his eyes slowly widening. Light spilled down from above, softly tracing the young man's silhouette. In that split second, he assumed his immediate thoughts would jump to the *Dead Sea Secret Scrolls* lost in Tinghai City, or perhaps to the promotion opportunity Crow had mentioned. Yet he actually thought of nothing at all. His mind was nearly a blank slate. His heart pounded faster, and the circulating air entering his nose carried a sweetness he had never noticed before. Only a tingling numbness, both unfamiliar and deeply familiar, surged into his heart like an undeniable instinct. Wancheng, where he had grown up, had been deemed a graveyard forbidden to the living, and everyone had told him that Blue Star was his true home. Yet he had never actually seen what this "home" looked like. The tension and fatigue that had weighed on him for days in the base were miraculously eased away. He wanted to breathe a few breaths of the wind outside... Such a thought suddenly blossomed within him. He wanted to take a proper look at this Blue Star that everyone claimed was so different from Wancheng— What did the world that should have nurtured him truly look like?