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I look at the massive SEV that has piled up. I can increase both my stats further with it but every time I try to think of doing so I feel an extreme level of threat.
After trying and failing many times to put more SEV in any stats the system sent me another memory like it did when it bonded with me five years ago.
The memory showed the birth of a creature resembling a dragon from Western stories of my old world. The dragon was born weak like any being in this world but it was far smarter and clever. As he grew older he started to become stronger and stronger to the point no normal Tier-1 was its opponent while it was still a Tier-0.
The dragon got many opportunities to become Tier-1 but it refused. He wanted to see how far he could go without cultivating so he suppressed his bloodline inheritance and memories and continued to eat, sleep and grow.
As he got even older he became strong enough to even fight Tier-2 and defeat them sometimes.
After that, many years followed, the dragon continued to eat, sleep and grow stronger without ascending to Tier-1 but he was oblivious to the fact that The Heaven noticed his anomaly.
The Heaven saw that if the dragon continued like that it would shift the balance of the world and cause Chaos. The very thing Heaven was created to prevent.
So to stop this from happening The Heaven gave birth to a heavenly treasure of Divine-Tier. The treasure attracted many Divinities and made them fight for it. In the end the dragon was caught in the aftermath of the battle and perished before he could even realise his potential.
After learning this piece of information I was eternally grateful for my cowardice and not placing more points in stats despite feeling the threat.
The Heaven was cruel enough to manipulate Divinities for measly Tier-2 mortal. Even Empyreans were overkill, forget about Divinities whom he only heard as hear tell.
"I don't know what it would do with me. I'm even more of an anomaly."
Forget it! Can't be mopping around on what-ifs.
Five years… getting stronger wasn't the only thing I did.
I have downloaded 10 percent of the library into my brain almost 10000 books. It wasn't easy humans aren't built like that but not me. I'm built different.
"Hahaha." Made me remember that meme video. Anyway, my increased spirit stats helped quite a lot in this endeavour. Sprit stats although don't affect my comprehension, creativity and brilliance, making me a literal genius or anything but it does improve my memory, processing speed and recalling.
So reading and learning became 100 times faster and more efficient.
Other than that I also continued with the pathways specification. The four specifications I chose at the start were completely learned in just a year and since Tier-0 students are not allowed to learn Tier-1 level specifications I moved to learn other pathways.
Professor Vermillion warmed me many more times but I ignored him. I won't say that he's ignorant but his understanding of the world is too limiting to someone like me who has reincarnated from modern times.
From what I understand about these pathways. They are similar to Laws like in many Xianxia novels I read. I can understand the professor's worry but the thing is these "Laws" even if improve the power of mortal phase cultivators are not necessary for them. The Laws are part of Empyrean phase cultivators and are needed to have a certain level of mastery to become one.
This is the reason they are taught so early and are recommended to learn only a single one to maximise the success of Empyrean Accession.
Although these are all my own conclusions since Empyrean-level knowledge is closely guarded by nobles and royals. After they are the backbone of their power and influence and are not available to low-born.
"Agh! Forget it! let's become Mortal phase cultivator first then worry about Empyrean one."
With that sentence, I popped the pill provided by the Academy.
Immediately I felt its effect. My incredible control of vitality increased by almost ten times.
"This increase is small?" I wondered but the duration of its effect wasn't long so I didn't linger.
Without wasting any time I squeezed out every bit of vitality from my cells at least I tried to but even with my level of control it was not enough to completely extract the vitality.
I collected the extracted vitality in my stomach right above my Dantian.
While doing so, an exhaustion like never before hit me. I instantly lost concentration and blacked out and only when all the 41 Entrances started devouring energy like years-long starved primeval beast then did I jolted awake.
"Is this the effect of Beyond Perfect Heavenly Veins?" I couldn't help but mutter.
After my stats reached 100 in both Spiritual and Constitution, all my entrances opened and an Ancient voice rang in my head like millions of temple bells announcing its name.
I tried to search what it meant to have all Entrances opened but other than its name I couldn't find anything else. It is as if someone knowingly hid this information—No! More like knowingly released its name only so the Beyond Perfect Heavenly Veins possessor reveals their identity while searching about them.
I couldn't focus more on my thoughts as even more severe exhaustion hit me when the Entrances devoured all vitality.
I scanned my body for any lingering vitality but there was none.
"This…" Even with my control due to my monstrous Spiritual stats, I can't dream of drawing out all the vitality.
"I don't have time for this…" I bit my tongue to prevent blacking out again. With shaking hands I brought out the second pill and popped it into my mouth.
Immediately I felt my spiritual essence sensitivity rise quickly making me able to sense all the spiritual energy in the world or the spiritual essence contained in the hundreds of Spiritual Essence stones embedded in the wall or in my space ring.
Despite the wondrous feeling I didn't linger much and guided the Spiritual Essence towards my Dantian.
It was also exhausting but more mentally rather than physically.
I could feel my mental stamina disappearing, my head becoming lighter and lighter, my eyes dropping and even my exhaustion melting away. Just as I was going to lose consciousness again, it happened again. As if muscle memory my Veins automatically started to pump the Spiritual Essence straight into Dantian like it did with vitality before.
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