Chapter 489: Chapter 489 Myraid Power Systems
The maid blinked, clearly caught off guard by the complete lack of response to her silent efforts. She lowered her gaze with a quick nod.
âRight away, my lord.â
And with that, she turned, cheeks still warm, and left the study, her footsteps quicker than before.
Michael didnât even glance at the closing door. He was already lost in thought again, fingers drumming against the desk.
Yes, Michael indeed planned to use the two boys as test subjects.
That had always been the idea.
Originally, it was to test the limits of his [Taming] skillâspecifically, whether it could be applied to intelligent beings.
He never got the chance to find out.
Back then, it was just theory. Idle thoughts he hadnât followed through with, not because of morality, but because timing hadnât allowed it.
But now?
Now, the situation had shifted entirely.
Though the path had changed, the destination remained oddly familiarâAce and Lia were still headed straight into the role of experimental pigs.
Only this time, it wasnât about [Taming].
This time, it was about Jester.
Memory infusion. Knowledge transfer.
Michael tapped his finger against the armrest of his chair, eyes gleaming.
Yes, the risks were unknown.
Yes, it could hurt.
Yes, he didnât even know if it would work on people like them.
But wasnât that why they were perfect for this?
They always wanted strength but werenât fated with it.
This was their chance.
They were both loyal as well.
And more importantlyâthey were both his.
If anything went wrong, he could fix it. Probably.
Michaelâs smile thinned.
So, not quite [Taming], but close enough. The method was different. The consequences different.
But the outcome?
He still wanted to see what would happen when raw knowledge was pushed into a living mind. Not his first, just in case. Not yet.
He wasnât ready to test this on himself.
But them?
They would do.
Jester stirred slightly inside his pocket, clearly picking up on the flicker of decision in his masterâs mind.
Michaelâs fingers paused mid-drum on the desk.
ââŠJester,â he said, his voice low, thoughtful. âCan you tell if someone has a spirit root?â
The reply came immediately, though this time it was more subduedâalmost⊠amused.
âI can.
Michael raised an eyebrow. âEven in your current form?â
Jester gave a faint wiggle in his pocket.
âMy current form limits what I can do physically. I canât unleash spells or fight properly yet⊠but my senses still work just fine.
There was a pause, and then Jester added dryly,
âWould you like me to check those two boys?
Michael didnât answer right away.
Jester took his silence as a yes.
âIâll remind you though⊠donât get your hopes up. Spirit roots are rare. And even among those who have one, a âgoodâ spirit rootâone with actual potentialâis even rarer.
Listening to Jester stirred Michaelâs curiosity about the cultivation world and its power system.
In Aurora, the two dominant supernatural paths were the Knight and Mage systems. Each followed a seven-stage progression: Apprentice, Elite, Commander, Master, King, Emperor, and Demigod.
Meanwhile, in the Lionheart Kingdom, the stages he was familiar with were: Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, Grand, Great, Legend, and Saint.
Though named differently, he figured the two systems were roughly equivalent in strength. When compared to the Awakener system, Michael had already noticed a pattern: only from the Grand stage in Lionheart or the Master rank in Aurora did they begin to align with Rank 2 in the Awakener path.
From what heâd observed:
Rank 2 Awakeners matched Grand (Lionheart) or Master (Aurora).Rank 3 aligned with Great tier or King rank.Rank 4 matched Emperor or Legend tier.Rank 5 corresponded with Saint or Demigod level.
Rank 2 spanned levels 25 to 50. Each subsequent rank seemed to cover another 25-level gapâRank 3 from 50 to 75, Rank 4 from 75 to 100, and so on.
In any case, from Rank 3 upward, the strength these stages represented was on a different plane entirelyâfar beyond Michaelâs current capabilities.
And that made him wonder:
Just how strong was this cultivation world Jester spoke of⊠and how did it compare to what he knew?
âHow strong is the cultivation world?â
ââŠStrong,â Jester said.
âVery strong.
âTell me.â
Jester obliged.
âThe cultivation system begins with the most basic stage: Qi Gathering. This is where mortals first learn to sense and draw in natural energy.
âAfter Qi Gathering comes Foundation Building. One can live two hundred years with a solid foundation. Itâs the first true step toward becoming more than human.
âThen comes the Golden Core stage, Jester continued. Where you condense all that gathered qi into a coreâyour own miniature sun of power. Cultivators at this level can crush mountains with a palm strike, fly on swords, or burn armies to cinders. That was the stage your undeadâLi Yangâhad reached before you ended him.
Michaelâs eyes sharpened. The cultivation world power system was a bit mysterious.
Jester Explanation did make things a bit clearer.
If Qi Gathering was equivalent to unranked like the primary stage in Lionheart and this part of the land of origin or Apprentice stage in Aurora, then Foundation Building would match Rank 1. And Golden Core⊠that lined up with Rank 2.
Jester went on.
âAbove Golden Core is the Nascent Soul realm. A cultivator births a second soulâa stronger one that can survive the destruction of the body. It can fly independently, enter spiritual realms, and command forces beyond comprehension.
Michael nodded in expectation. If his comparison is correct, this should indeed match Rank 3. Hearing how mysterious it already sounded was enough reason.
âThen comes Soul Transformation, Divine Sea, Immortal Ascension⊠Jesterâs voice trailed off, thoughtful. Well, beyond that, I donât know. As for whether itâs due to Li Yangâs lack of knowledge or fragmented memory, I canât really tell.
Michael exhaled slowly, absorbing it all.
The cultivation system did sound powerful. As for how powerful it was compared to Aurora, Michael didnât bother to think about it.
These matters were beyond him at the moment.