A grin spread across Seok Sung's face. "Now that… is where it gets interesting."
He lifted his hand calmly, and a faint glimmer of light danced across his palm. A low hum vibrated through the air as he focused his soul force. In the next moment, a thin, crystalline sword materialized from the center of his palm, glowing faintly with icy blue light. Cold air radiated from the blade, causing even the surrounding temperature to dip slightly.
"This," he said proudly, holding the blade up with reverence, "is my Tool-type Soul Spirit. One of the strongest weapon spirits in my generation."
Arthur's eyes widened. The sword looked as if it were forged from frozen moonlight.
Seok Sung continued, a hint of familial pride in his tone, "My family possesses a unique bloodline. Everyone born into our clan awakens a sword-type spirit, though the exact form differs. Mine leans toward frost and precision."
With a flick of his hand, the soul spirit dissolved into shimmering light and vanished.
"Now, moving on—secondly, Soul Rings. To enhance a Soul Spirit, cultivators must hunt and absorb Soul Rings. Each one grants a unique Soul Ability."
Arthur nodded, recalling bits and pieces he'd heard before.
"The information you had earlier wasn't completely wrong," Seok Sung admitted, "but it was surface-level at best. The ranking system—White, Blue, Purple, Gold, Crimson, Black, and finally Mythic—is based on age and potential of the spiritual beast."
He grew more serious.
"But here's what you probably didn't know. Once you go beyond the Gold rank, soul beasts become incredibly rare within human territory. They're known as kings within their forests—apex predators that rule entire regions. Killing one? Nearly impossible. Even seasoned warriors struggle."
He sighed and looked toward the distant horizon, as if he could see through the walls.
"If only we could venture beyond the borders of the Human Empire… but the lands beyond are far more dangerous, crawling with hostile species and chaotic regions."
He turned back toward Arthur.
"Each ring you absorb unlocks a new Soul Ability and enhances your basic attributes—like strength, agility, soul force. But… there's risk. If you try to absorb a beast beyond your capability, you could die—or worse, cripple your spirit forever."
Arthur nodded solemnly.
"Third," Seok Sung continued, shifting gears, "every Soul Path cultivator possesses something called Spirit Power level—the core of your strength. Spirit power intensity determines your title. There are ten major titles, each subdivided into ten ranks. It's basically the more you absorve soul force the higher your spirit power level increases."
He began to list them off on his fingers.
"The journey begins at Spirit Scholar. That's where everyone starts after their spirit awakens. Once you reach rank eleven in spirit power, you become a Spirit Master. From there: Spirit Grandmaster, Spirit Elder, Spirit Ancestor, Spirit King, Spirit Emperor, Spirit Sage…"
He paused dramatically. "And beyond that? No one knows. There's no official title—because no one has ever made it that far."
Arthur blinked in disbelief. "Wait—seriously? Not even in the past?"
Seok Sung shrugged, his expression grave. "Not officially. Some say they died of old age before breaking through. Others died in battle defending humanity from outside threats. Or maybe… the path ends there."
Arthur's mind swirled with the weight of it all. He hesitated, then asked, "So… what rank are you?"
Seok Sung smirked and stood up. With a flick of his hand, a surge of soul force radiated from his body. Two glowing rings emerged from his head, rotating slowly around his waist like celestial halos—one blue, and the other a deep, luminous purple.
"I'm at the Spirit Master level," he said, his voice tinged with pride. "I've already absorbed two rings. That alone puts me ahead of most others my age."
Arthur's eyes sparkled with interest. "Spirit Master… that's impressive. But earlier, you said something about being a 'rising star' in the soul path?"
Seok Sung gave him a long, flat stare. The silence stretched for several seconds.
"Are you stupid?" he asked, utterly deadpan.
Arthur stared back. "No."
Seok Sung sighed, rubbing his forehead. "There's a national ranking system in Emberveil Kingdom. It tracks young cultivators—people under twenty—and evaluates their growth and potential. Soul force users, body cultivators, mystic arts wielders… everyone."
He placed a hand on his chest.
"I'm ranked ninth. One of the top ten rising stars in the kingdom's soul path."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Ninth isn't bad. Sounds like a big deal."
Seok Sung gave a weak chuckle, then looked away. "It is. But the top three? They're monsters. Either they have dual Soul Spirits… or they were born with absurd constitutions that bend the rules of cultivation."
There was a moment of quiet. Even Arthur could feel the frustration behind Seok Sung's smile.
And then Arthur grinned. "Well, you're still ahead of many."
Seok Sung's lips curled, and he suddenly burst into laughter, puffing his chest out. "Damn right I am! I'm ahead of many," he said, almost preening with pride.
Arthur chuckled softly, then grew thoughtful. "So… when do we start figuring mine out?"
Seok Sung's laughter halted. He turned slowly toward Arthur, blinking. "What did you just say?"
"I want to awaken mine," Arthur replied casually, as if he were asking to borrow a book.
For a moment, Seok Sung just stared at him. Then, with a sharp exhale, he stood up abruptly. "Are you kidding me right now? You walk the cultivation path. Didn't your grandfather ever teach you? You *can't* walk two paths at once!"
Arthur looked at him squarely. "Yeah, he did tell me. But I'm already walking both."
Seok Sung's eyes widened. "Tch—Stop joking around!"
"I'm not."
There was a beat of silence. Seok Sung stepped forward, grabbed Arthur's wrist, and without waiting for permission, channeled a stream of soul energy into Arthur's body.
His brows furrowed as he examined the internal flow. Seconds passed. Then more.
"What…?" he muttered under his breath.
Inside Arthur's body, two distinct forces flowed—one was the tempered, grounded energy of his cultivated qi, moving through the meridians with steady rhythm. The other was the subtler, ethereal pulse of soul force, winding around the nervous system, anchored at the spirit center in his mind.
The two forces weren't colliding. They weren't disrupting each other. They were… coexisting. Independently, but in harmony.
Seok Sung slowly withdrew his hand, visibly shaken.
"You're not lying…" he whispered. "You're actually cultivating both paths."
Arthur nodded, his expression calm.
"But… how is that even possible?" Seok Sung's voice rose, disbelief in every word. "You don't have any special constitution. Your body should've torn itself apart! Qi and soul force don't mix—they reject each other!"
"Hey hey, why speak negative. Do you really want me dead." Arthur mouth twitched.
Arthur gave a wry smile. "I know. But Grandpa said he'd find a way."
Seok Sung stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed.
"I… think I understand what Grandmaster Kim meant when he said that," he muttered.
Arthur tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Seok Sung sighed, folding his arms. "My grandfather seok hung—also walked both paths. But he could only do it because of his unique constitution. Even among geniuses, very very very very few can survive dual path."
He narrowed his eyes, staring hard at Arthur. "But you… you're doing it without any of that. Just raw will and effort? It doesn't make sense."
Arthur didn't reply. For a few moments, neither of them said anything.
Then Seok Sung looked at him, not with arrogance this time—but with a tinge of caution. "Either you're a fool with a death wish... or you're something this world hasn't seen in a long time."
Arthur smiled faintly. "Can't I be both?"
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