Chapter 296 Advancement

A/N: A new event has been opened on the Discord Server to design a new cover for this novel. If any of my readers are interested in participating, please drop by.

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Two individuals were undergoing breakthroughs in their cultivation in the wrecked clearing in the woods. One was a teen girl and the other was an adult male. The former was breaking through from Mana Condensation into the Foundation Establishment realm while the latter was taking a step out of Foundation Establishment into Core Formation. Both transitions were monumental as one person was taking her first true step into the math of magehood and potential immortality, while the other was reforging his physical form to one that fit his truest perception of himself.

Of the two, though, Jean's advancement was one with the greatest amount of turbulence since it wasn't completely organic in nature. Compared to Markus and Marie, who had to work and build their foundations from scratch, Jean was relying on the pre-built foundations of a beast, which was then absorbed by her detached psyche of hatred, which then also absorbed her other psyche that derived power from the Universal Panacea's life-essence... Needless to say, what she absorbed was a haphazard melting pot of insights. Luckily, her hate-filled psyche had already taken the brunt of the damage from absorbing an external core of cultivation. Having done so, the insights flowing into her at this moment were fairly compatible and digestible, although they conflicted slightly with her moral codes.

These remnant insights could not be flushed through the forcefully imprinted oath into her soul. Unfortunately, Jean could not flush them out either since it would destabilise the inflowing cultivation. She had to somehow integrate all of this without contaminating her morals. Fortunately for her, she was in an environment conducive to this - the Church of the True World. Conflicts in insights could be reevaluated, edited, or even omitted safely with minimal after-effects.

After perusing through the insights, Jean realised that the creature had actually been gifted with knowledge beyond its capacity. There was information about synthesising illnesses of different sorts not just the viral vectors the creature was relying on. Fortunately, the creature wasn't knowledgeable enough about the topic and was using its abilities like a crude hammer, instead of using a scalpel as it was intended, an intention Jean surmised based on the sheer depth and breadth of knowledge (most of which had dissipated from disuse). Jean also realised that due to the way the creature accumulated its insights through instinct, most of it was tethered to emotions - vile, evil, morbid emotions. Much of Jean's efforts went towards scrubbing these biases away from the knowledge. Again, this was also possible only because of the conducive aura of the Church of the True World.

The process of absorption and internalisation continued at a steady pace, and Jean's nascent core started to grow steadily with the torrential influx of mana from the atmosphere. Minutes later, the process was complete - she had advanced into the Foundation Establishment realm. Unfortunately, she could not internalise all the insights available in the creature's cultivation. Some of the basics in there could be comprehended by finding analogies with her preexisting knowledge, but the more obscure and arcane insights were far too abstract, opinionated, or gated behind missing prerequisites that the creature and her hate-filled counterpart discarded or disregarded. Regardless, her loot was bounteous.

After exiting her trance, Jean's eyes glossed over the other whirlpool of mana beside her and narrowed on the emaciated figure of Josie a few metres away from her. Without hesitation, she rushed over to the woman and got down on her knees.

"The... Young Miss... is safe-" Josie said with heaving breaths. Jean could see the dreaded pus-filled blisters growing out all over her body. "-and nude!"

Josie's furrowed brows relaxed a second later, "I see... congratulations to the Young Miss... for advancing... The Master and late Mistress would be... so proud."

Josie's voice grew wearier and bleaker.

"No- NO! Josie wait!" Jean panicked and quickly cycled the overflowing mana from her core. Using the principles of artificial stimulation, she sent it through the woman's mana channels, blood vessels and organs. After absorbing the creature's core, she had an intimate knowledge of the virus - enough to create an extremely potent antiviral that could highjack the lymphatic system (much like an autoimmune disorder would) and cleanse the virus through an alternate means. With her mana, Jean sent this artificially created antivirus-virus. However, it wasn't completely autonomous like a regular virus and required high-level guidance from Jean to function which was done through inputs from her mana.

"Hold on!" Jean shrieked. "I- I can cure you!"

Jean's hands moved frantically all over the woman's body. The result was immediate, but Jean realised that she was exhausting her mana more quickly. The disease had taken hold all over the woman's body, to clear it would require a more extensive treatment targeting each affected part. However, the current process was extremely inefficient - she wouldn't be able to save Josie in time!

pàпdá-ňᴏνêι.сóМ "Young Miss..." Josie moaned in a whisper. "This slave's time... has come..."

"No, no, no, no-" Jean denied vehemently. Her sight grew blurrier. What she thought was the result of mana exhaustion was actually caused by the accumulation of fluids from her tear ducts.

A gentle and weak, yet callused hands touched Jean's face and a finger moved past her cheeks. "The Young Miss... is crying... This slave... is grateful-..."

And with that, Josie's breath ceased and all signs of life left her form. Josie had died.

Jean's world paused. An unbearable pain started to surge from her left chest and moved all over her body. Her voice hitched, and her eyes grew blearier as more and more water started to flow out.

"Josie," Jean whispered while tapping her attendant's cheeks. "Wake up, Josie!"

Her voice grew louder and pained, transitioning into a heartwrenching scream, and ended with a loud, primal cry of sorrow that echoed into the woods.

The girl broke down into tears over Josie's corpse. Her entire body shuddered as sorrow coursed through it with pulses of increasing intensity. Her face no longer remained passive and contorted with pain from loss.

"Why?!" Jean bellowed. The pain of loss was most unbearable for her. She felt the loss of her mother all over again.

This would have been her descent down the same slippery slope that ended with her lobotomy, yet a small, gentle hand grasped her and pulled her out.

"It's okay." A little girl's voice pierced through Jean's wails. She turned and faced Kili. "It wasn't your fault."

Jean's cries faltered. With a swift motion, she pulled the little girl into a tight hug. The girl, in turn, rubbed her hands over Jean's back and repeated the four words that saved Jean.

"It wasn't your fault."

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"What is happening?" Guy and his counterpart muttered at the same time. The change they were undergoing felt completely foreign.

It first started with the core. The vast ocean of crystal clear liquid started to surge towards the centre. A pillar of liquid started to rise and accumulate a distance above the surface of the water into the shape of a sphere. The clear sphere started to grow larger and larger until no liquid remained that could add to its size.

When the final droplet of liquid joined the sphere, a psychic shockwave emanated and the sphere started to spin rapidly. The mana that was whirling around Guy started to rush inwards and pushed the liquid sphere outwards, turning it solid incrementally as it grow larger. The white room within which the ball levitated also started to expand to accommodate the larger object.

This was Guy's core. The accumulation of all of his cultivation till this point. The change it was undergoing was profound and magnificent, however, Guy could not take part in observing it, as all of his attention was being drawn to a tugging feeling assaulting every part of his body. A weird "instinct" started to spawn in his mind urging him to design his true form. His mind kept getting drawn to an image of himself, his appearance - his physical state.

A stable and true mana core required a suitable vessel that meshed with it and complimented it. The Foundation Establishment realm was all about preparing the body for this process, and stepping into Core Formation is the culmination with which the perfect vessel is created.

For Guy, this perfect vessel wasn't his current body. His mind kept harkening back to a figure that he had left upon dying in his past life. That was his true self. No matter how much he tried to integrate himself into this new life, into this new body, he wasn't the Guy Larks that killed himself. He was Guy Larks, the best-damned teacher that walked the face of Earth! Or at least that's what he hoped was the case.

Guy didn't change himself much after coming into this world. His character and morals had moved but didn't swerve from the person he had been in his past life. Even his cultivation agreed with this, as it was an accumulation of all the successes he'd made in assisting his pupils, pushing them towards being their better selves, and helping them find success in life.

As the figure solidified in Guy's mind, his physical body started to moult. His bones extended, his muscles tightened, and his skull shifted as if someone were moulding clay. Little by little, the last remnants of the Guy Larks of Gaea disappeared. And in his place stood the man that had taken his place.

At the age of 30, Guy Larks died due to cancer of the lung, liver and breast. In dying, he'd shed his physical body and transmigrated into a new world.

As the small hurricane of mana dissipated, Guy Larks stepped forth. Gone was the epitome of mediocrity - to be ignored or forgotten by everyone. In his past life, Guy was gifted with the excellent genetics of both his parents, just like the rest of his siblings. He had the broad shoulders, height, and imposing figure of his father, and the demure and sharp mien of his mother. Unfortunately, his character did not complement these gifts as it did with his industrious and successful elder brother and ambitious and outgoing elder sister.

But Guy had changed. His resolve had changed. Death and rebirth had taught him much. His journey in this new world had taught him much.

A man with broad shoulders that carried confidence, a chiselled face that heightened his appeal, and an aura that radiated authority stepped out. However, his hair was black and long, tied into a neat bun with a thin bundle streaking in front of his face evoking a sense of playfulness. His piercing hazel eyes carried warmth and understanding that accentuated his reliability. He was a walking contradiction that somehow blended seamlessly.

And then, his mouth opened, and he spoke with a baritone voice that he had long lost through months of coughing and retching in his past life.

"I'm... me again!" Guy expressed in surprise. But his countenance quickly turned cold, and his eyes narrowed as they focused on the figure of Jean hugging a little girl.

"There is still a rogue remnant she hasn't been able to flush, which is trying to pry away at her soul," the Other Guy said from within.