Chapter 4: Knowledge Is Power

Lei Kedun followed Yi Kang Dun and Qiao Xi onto the carriage bound for the Great Library of Nasoxi; on the carriage, Lei Kedun, trying to act more like a brand‑new newcomer to the extraordinary world, kept asking all sorts of questions about the mysterious world, but most of Yi Kang Dun's answers were knowledge Lei Kedun already possessed.

"Captain Yi Kang Dun, could you tell me about Demon Elixirs?" Lei Kedun thought for a moment and decided to start with a simple question fitting his newcomer status in the extraordinary world.

Every extraordinary being on the Reader Path seems to enjoy answering others' questions, and Yi Kang Dun is no exception; he answered Lei Kedun's question very carefully.

"Demon Elixirs are the way we become extraordinary beings and ascend to higher Sequences. Under normal circumstances, a Demon Elixir is brewed from several primary ingredients and a few auxiliary ones in a specific manner; simply ingesting a successfully brewed Elixir allows you to ascend to the corresponding Sequence. Of course, where there is a normal case, there are abnormal ones as well."

"Take you, for example—you underwent an abnormal ascent. You became an extraordinary being by directly swallowing an extraordinary trait rather than by a brewed Elixir. This carries great risk; compared to ordinarily ascended extraordinary beings, you are more prone to losing control, and your grasp of extraordinary abilities is more unfamiliar, requiring time to adapt."

"Of course, you needn't worry. Since you show no signs of losing control now, it means you have successfully ascended as an extraordinary being of Sequence Eight on the Reader Path, becoming a Reasoning Trainee."

"The Church will help you master your own abilities; once you become familiar with your extraordinary abilities and understand the relevant rules, the chance of losing control will drop significantly."

"Naturally, there remains a risk of losing control, but it is unavoidable—not a problem caused by your method of ascent, but an inherent issue of extraordinary beings. Whether it's you, me, Qiao Xi, or any extraordinary being, we all face that risk; it's the destiny of every extraordinary being."

Yi Kang Dun answered Lei Kedun's questions sentence by sentence with great care.

"Can every extraordinary being potentially lose control?" Lei Kedun tried his best to let his expression convey fear and worry at how terrifying and dangerous the mysterious world he longs for actually is.

"Yes, that may be the price we pay for becoming extraordinary beings!" Yi Kang Dun said with some emotion.

"Although every extraordinary being carries a risk of losing control, as long as your spirit is resilient enough to bear it, you won't lose control. Especially since you became a Sequence Eight extraordinary being by swallowing the trait whole; given your luck, I think you have no need to worry about losing control at this stage," Qiao Xi said, his tone full of emotion.

Catching the consolation in Qiao Xi's words, Lei Kedun gave a slight nod, but recalling the gut‑wrenching pain he felt when he awoke in Lei Kedun's body, he couldn't help but shake his head again: "I never want to experience that feeling a second time in this life."

At the same time, Lei Kedun thought of another issue: when he previously awoke from Lei Kedun's body, he bore many wounds, but those wounds later healed on their own, suggesting that the Reasoning Trainee trait had already been absorbed by him.

"Who suppressed my loss of control and absorbed that extraordinary trait? At that time, Lei Kedun should have failed, becoming a monster in the process of losing control, and I crossed over to intervene. This raises huge questions!" The more Lei Kedun pondered, the more problems he saw.

Whether it's why I crossed over or the fact that the already out‑of‑control Lei Kedun was succeeded by me and successfully absorbed the Sequence Eight Reasoning Trainee extraordinary trait.

Lei Kedun felt that everything that happened after his fate‑shifting ritual was off in some way.

"In a sense, my luck has indeed become bizarre; could this be the so‑called fortune‑shifting of the ritual?" Lei Kedun thought with a wry smile.

Yi Kang Dun saw the expression on Lei Kedun's face that refused to recall the previous experience, assuming those events had left a deep scar, and again suggested that Lei Kedun could choose to remain at his current stage, staying away from the dangers brought by extraordinary power.

"If the earlier experience of swallowing an extraordinary trait has adversely affected you, you may also choose to stay at this stage. You can still lead a peaceful, tranquil life; even if you join the Church, as a Sequence Eight you won't be assigned overly dangerous missions."

"Thank you, Captain, for the suggestion, but perhaps after I adjust to the life of an extraordinary being I will change my mind," Lei Kedun nodded in reply.

He didn't reject Captain Yi Kang Dun's advice; he merely said that after adapting to the life of an extraordinary being he might continue to ascend. Lei Kedun felt this answer made him appear more like a brand‑new newcomer to the supernal world.

"Hmm!" Yi Kang Dun nodded, didn't delve further into the topic, and said, "Do you have any other questions?"

"Hmm, Captain, what are Sequence Eight and Reasoning Trainee that you mentioned earlier?" Lei Kedun fully displayed his curiosity about the mysterious world.

"I thought you hadn't noticed that information! It seems you have a good grasp of your extraordinary ability; even though you just recently endured the effects of swallowing an extraordinary trait, you quickly cleared your thoughts and caught subtle details in the conversation. Perhaps this path suits you, which is why you didn't lose control after directly swallowing the trait," Yi Kang Dun said, pausing after realizing he had steered the topic away.

"Returning to your question, Sequence Eight refers to a stage of ascent achieved by ingesting a Demon Elixir. It starts at Sequence Nine, then Sequence Eight, and so on down to Sequence One. As for Reasoning Trainee, that's the name for our Path at Sequence Eight; the Path at Sequence Nine is called Reader, so we usually refer to this as the Reader Path. My core understanding of this path is that knowledge is power!" Yi Kang Dun brought the discussion back.

"Knowledge is power!"

"Knowledge is power!"

One echo came from Lei Kedun, the other from Qiao Xi.

Hearing the sound, Lei Kedun looked puzzled at Qiao Xi sitting to his left.

"No need to be so surprised; I'm just a freshly ascended Sequence Eight Reasoning Trainee myself, I don't know much more than you do." Noticing Lei Kedun's confusion, Qiao Xi shrugged and explained.

"You're also Sequence Eight? Then, Captain, what Sequence are you?" Lei Kedun, very curious, looked at Captain Yi Kang Dun sitting directly opposite him; this question truly piqued his interest.

"Sequence 6: Scholar. This stage is characterized by versatility born of extensive learning; one can discern, see clearly, remember, and imitate abilities one has witnessed."

"So cool!" Qiao Xi was the first to exclaim.

Qiao Xi's face was full of shock and yearning, as if already daydreaming about the scene of becoming a Scholar.

Since Lei Kedun already knew these details—perhaps even more than Captain Yi Kang Dun—his emotions were not as immediate or obvious as Qiao Xi's. However, when Qiao Xi shouted in amazement, Lei Kedun realized the point, quickly adjusted his expression, and feigned surprise and anticipation.

"Is this the reason why knowledge is power?" Lei Kedun said, half as a statement, half as a question.

(End of Chapter)