Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Yearning for Freedom

“Is there any particular reason?” Lacy was also somewhat curious about the Ocean Sequence.

“It’s a long story,” Rachel said as she swung on the swing, recounting the records from her family history.

“Our ancestors were farmers by Lake Kemp, and they used to live off growing crops or fishing.”

“Centuries ago, this region suffered a great drought, and the lake dried up. Our ancestors caught fish and clams in the lake mud to survive. By chance, they discovered a legacy gem.”

“This gem recorded the advancement path from Ocean Sequence 1 – River Fisherman to Ocean Sequence 5 – Ebbing Ship, including cultivation methods and required resources. Thus, the Argentilin family rose to prominence.”

“However, starting from Sequence 4, becoming an Extraordinary Being often requires rare items or conditions. Advancing to Ocean Sequence 5 – Ebbing Ship requires the skull of a Blue Sinking Whale, which rarely surfaces in the deep sea.”

“Despite our efforts in searching and collecting, our family has only seen two instances of reaching Ocean Sequence 5, both due to luck in obtaining the Blue Sinking Whale skull.”

“So these rare resources are the main limiting factors for advancement?”

“Yes, at least before Sequence 7, it depends on talent, mentors, and resources. Starting from Sequence 7, personal talent and strength become more important. As for Sequence 9, I’m not sure, but I’ve heard that those are unique professions worldwide.”

Rachel’s words echoed what Lolan Hill had learned from Trinasha’s records, though she didn’t feel deeply moved. The Water Mercury Dynasty’s knowledge education for Extraordinary Beings was widespread, and resources for advancement were abundant. With enough talent, one could advance swiftly and smoothly.

After hearing Rachel’s description, Lolan understood why Extraordinary Beings were so rare in the world today: one reason was the lack of relevant knowledge education, and another was the scarcity of resources.

As for her own cultivation of two Extraordinary Sequences, the Natural Sequence was deduced by the system, requiring minimal subsequent resources, which could be fully covered by the fruit of the Amber Red Maple Leaf. The Demon Sequence was even more peculiar, needing no other resources at all; time accumulation alone sufficed to break through the restrictions.

If ordinary people’s cultivation was like starting with a blank sheet of paper, building a superhuman core later would require finding wood for support, and then steel for higher stages, to make up for inherent weaknesses.

But Lolan Hill’s innate talent was like starting with diamond-like hardness and sharpness, thus she didn’t need additional resources to compensate for any deficiencies.

The deep red Extraordinary Core in Lolan Hill’s consciousness sea continuously absorbed Mana around her, converting it into demonic power. These powers were further refined and condensed into tiny red particles.

These particles were constantly generated and accumulated by the Extraordinary Core, like sand in an hourglass. When the hourglass was full, it would mean Lolan Hill could advance to Demon Sequence 4 – Rose Song. This process would take about half a year, but unfortunately, she had been in a deep sleep, and her Extraordinary Core had remained silent, otherwise, she would have advanced much earlier.

“Lacy, I’m a bit envious of you,” Rachel slowly stopped swinging and sat down on the wooden board of the swing, turning her head to look at Lacy.

“Next year, I will marry Paniel from Hope Lane.”

Lolan was surprised. Wasn’t she too young to get married? But then again, perhaps this was normal in this world.

She looked up at Rachel, “Do you like him?”

“I’ve only met him once. He’s quite tall and doesn’t talk much. I can’t say I like him, nor do I dislike him. My second brother knows him better. He’s a member of the White Cross Sword and is Master Helang’s favorite disciple.”

The White Cross Sword was a faction within Vergha, mainly cultivating the War Sequence. Their highest advancement route is War Sequence 7 – White Cross Sword, founded by the hero Saint Flower of the White Flower, Dulran, over a thousand years ago.

Unlike family heritage, Extraordinary Factions did not emphasize bloodline as much, but valued consistent mentor-disciple relationships and beliefs. If you had enough talent and passed their tests, took an oath to follow their traditions, you could join their ranks and learn their Extraordinary knowledge.

The advantage was that with a wide range of disciples and members, factions could maintain a Sequence 6 or higher in each generation. Since everyone followed the same advancement routes, they could exchange experiences, avoiding detours and major issues.

The downside was that factions often focused on one or two advancement routes, not everyone suited these paths. For geniuses pursuing higher goals, joining a faction might be disadvantageous unless their talents aligned perfectly with the route.

Additionally, due to oaths and traditions, faction members generally couldn’t switch sequences, as it would be seen as betrayal.

It was somewhat akin to martial arts sects, but factions were freer, not living together all the time, only gathering and exchanging at specific times, allowing members to lead independent lives.

“Hellang Master really likes this disciple and offered a Blue Sinking Whale skull he obtained in his youth as a dowry. Father examined his character and found him satisfactory, so he agreed.”

“So, what do you think, Rachel?” Lolan sensed from the girl’s words that she didn’t want to get married.

“Well, I’m not exactly opposed, but I’ll have to marry someday. It’s just that I haven’t had time to do many things yet, and now I’m stepping into marriage, having children, staying home to take care of my husband and family, and eventually turning into an old woman. Doesn’t that sound terrifying?” Rachel pressed her two index fingers against her cheeks, making a face at Lolan.

“Hehe, it won’t be that bad. The Argentilin family is relatively wealthy, and you won’t have to do household chores.” Lolan smiled.

“But being constrained is inevitable,” Rachel started swinging again.

“I want to experience the feeling of flying, I want to go to Emanas to study, I want to see what geniuses around the world are like, I want to freely choose my favorite Extraordinary Sequence, I want to reach Sequence 7 and gain supreme freedom!”

Rachel sat on the swing, loudly expressing her inner desires, releasing the long-suppressed feelings.

Lolan watched this yearning-for-freedom girl, memories from the past slowly surfacing in her mind. In those distant memories, there was once a figure who had shouted out similar words.

(End of Chapter 45)