Chapter 115: 115. Higher ranks

Megan nodded and continued in her explanation.

"Their strength is way higher than a rank 3, far more than the gap between a rank 2 and a rank 3 creature. This is caused by their ascending to a more powerful form of existence."

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Most of the students became particularly interested in that part of the speech and Noah wasn't an exception.

He had seen two rank 4 magical beasts in his life and, in both cases, he had felt the same amount of danger.

However, the first time he didn't have a dantian while on the second one he was in the liquid stage.

His strength had risen but he felt no difference when matched against them which always left him doubtful about their actual power.

"Cultivators through the years have divided the nine known ranks into three groups: the first three ranks are defined as human ranks and they are the easier to make progress in."

"The middle three are called heroic ranks and reaching them will distance a cultivator from his mortal nature, elevating his existence to something more than human. Comparing the human ranks to the heroic ones is like asking a child to defeat a fully armored soldier."

"The last three are called divine ranks. As the name suggests, the cultivators at those levels would have completely abandoned their mortal nature to became an existence worthy of reverence and worship. Sadly, the information about the divine ranks is limited since so few manage to reach that level in their lifetime."

The youths were staring at her with eager expressions.

Noah's eyes were shining with the flames of ambition but he could not help to be confused.

'If it's just about cultivating, how is it possible that so few have reached those ranks? If it's just about cultivation resources, I believe that any large-size noble family could provide them.'

Megan raised her hand to stop the whispers between the students and reclaim their attention.

"That seems easy at first sight but the reality is harsh and Heaven and Earth are not so kind to those that want to raise their power by plundering the "Breath" of the world. There are two big obstacles on the road to elevate your existence."

"The first one is the absence of techniques. Since you would gradually distance yourself from the human race as your rank increases, common techniques are not suitable for you anymore. Also, every individual is different and elevating your rank will enhance your individuality. Simply put, you would need to create your own training methods once reaching higher ranks. The academy through two thousand years of accumulation and research managed to store cultivation methods till the fifth rank but it's always better to develop a personal technique as soon as possible. Luckily, the training for the sea of consciousness has been copied from the Kesier species which solves the problem for one center of power."

Megan saw that many of the students had questions but she hastily stopped them from speaking.

"The topic of the creation of techniques will be explored in further lessons. For now, just listen to me."

The incoming commotion was prevented but the group on the seats was still eager to find answers.

"The second obstacle is the presence of tribulations. As I said, Heaven and Earth don't want divine beings to be born and will try to stop them with calamities. Every center of power has a different calamity and they will occur in the moment of their breakthrough toward higher stages of existence, I mean during the reaching of the fourth and seventh rank."

"Humans and magical beasts share the same tribulation regarding the body which is called Pain Tribulation. It consists in enduring the pain of the reconstruction of the body and, trust me, it will make you wish to be dead. The "Breath" in your body will also change state: it will become liquid in the heroic ranks and solid in the divine ones. That will be all for the evolution process of the magical beasts since they only have one center of power but this is balanced by the immense quantity of "Breath" that they have to store before going through the transformation of the body."

"The tribulation of the sea of consciousness is called Earth Tribulation. You will have to face a copy of yourself in your mental sphere created from the accumulation of your memories and experiences. It will be as strong as you are and it will have your same instincts, I don't have to explain how dangerous it will be."

"For the dantian, there is the Heaven Tribulation and it's the only external one. The sky will gather clouds made of "Breath" that will release magnificent thunders of great might. It is advised to set up defenses and to undertake it in deserted areas as it is really destructive."

She did a short break to be sure that everyone understood her words.

"Now, back to the rank 4 magical beasts. In order to be able to fight them on even ground, a cultivator needs at least one center of power on their same rank. However, the first to advance is always the body and humans' bodies are far weaker than those of magical beasts. So, your mind and dantian must be at a decent level too if you really want to kill a rank 4 magical beast. Yet, without a strong body, how could you be able to sustain the power held by your other centers of power?"

Megan smiled looking at the faces of the students.

"Now you know the importance of the body and this is why I specialize in body-nourishing methods. If in the future you have some doubts about the development of your body, you can ask me, I don't charge much for private lessons. Oh right, remember that as your rank grows, the strength of the centers of power will begin to align. Otherwise, you would have needed to enter a completely different stage before doing a breakthrough in the heroic ranks with your mind and dantian."

The lesson went on for some more time, consisting of Megan answering the question of the students about the topics explained before.

Noah listened attentively for its whole duration and felt very satisfied when it ended.

He was deep in thought when he went back to his lodging.

'My body has stopped improving since it reached the peak of the lower tier of the third rank. If I were to obtain a rank 4 body, would that increase the training speed of my mind and dantian? After this week is over, I need to raise the level of all my obsolete techniques!'