[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-45":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298014,4496,"Chapter 45: Makeup Class","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi had just barely confirmed that Michel Gariq hadn’t yet been pulled into the mess by Guillaume Béne and others, and planned to visit this auxiliary parish priest late at night—only to return home and hear his sister say the man was suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora glanced at Lu Mi and laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I noticed he was suspicious, you, you idiot brother, were standing right in front of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like you didn’t notice anything…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was clearly delighted, so much so that she had to raise her right hand to half-cover her mouth—after all, her brother, whom she remembered as a complete mysticism illiterate, had suddenly become an Exalted One, mastering countless advanced insights, sensing that Cordeau Village was caught in a time loop, while she, his sister, had contributed nothing and been outshone in her own field of mysticism, inevitably leaving her with a small pang of unhappiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, she had finally reclaimed her sisterly authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi looked at his sister’s smile and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t notice anything unusual in his behavior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora hummed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His astral body—how to put it?—it’s simply brighter than a normal person’s, yet he isn’t an Exalted One, nor has he ever trained his body systematically or for long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe he’s just naturally fit?” Lu Mi guessed, then asked curiously, “What’s an astral body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora blinked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.” Lu Mi shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora smiled again, her tone tinged with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That lady taught you the ‘Path of God,’ the ‘Law of Indestructible Exalted Traits,’ and the ‘Method of Performance’—but never explained basic concepts like the astral body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She was in a hurry, so she only covered the essentials,” Lu Mi defended the mysterious woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora laughed even more brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or maybe these foundational mysticism concepts are useless to a wild ‘Hunter’—all you need is to track, set traps, and fight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know how to describe her brother’s current state: if she called him a mysticism illiterate, he knew far too much, and every piece of knowledge he held was terrifying; if she said his insight towered above most Exalted Ones, he didn’t even know what an astral body was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora exhaled, then grew serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll have to complete your mystical enlightenment now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember, in mysticism, the parts of a human beyond the physical body are divided into four layers. The innermost and most core is the ‘spiritual body,’ which is nearly identical to the concept of ‘soul’—the soul inherent in all things, the soul that grows stronger, the very origin of soul construction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For a Seeker, the main thing the Elixir enhances is the ‘spiritual body.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘astral body’ lies outside the spiritual body—it’s the outward manifestation of the latter in the material world and the Spirit Realm, and is tightly linked to your own will and current emotions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you understand now? When I said the auxiliary parish priest’s astral body was brighter than a normal person’s, I meant his spiritual body—his soul—has an issue, and that’s reflected in the astral body. It has nothing to do with natural physical fitness, though it’s possible he was born with strong soul affinity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Through the astral body, we can also perceive a target’s true emotions: red signifies passion and excitement, orange warmth and contentment, yellow happiness and extroversion, green calm and peace, blue cool contemplation, white light and positivity, dark tones melancholy, sorrow, and silence, purple indicates soul dominance, detachment and aloofness…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These colors are hard to fake, but they’re too broad to reveal subtle emotions or nuanced feelings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi listened with intense focus, almost ready to pull out a pen and take notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just listen for now,” Aurora said, tired, and sat down beside the dining table. “I’ll give you my first grimoire later—it’s all this kind of basic knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm-hmm.” Lu Mi sat down too, nodding obediently. “What’s outside the astral body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora lifted her carved glass water cup and took a sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the ‘mental body.’ From this layer onward, spirit and flesh begin to merge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘mental body’ relates to the mind—connected to reasoning, thinking, insight, and perception. Some Elixirs primarily enhance this, and many spells target it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The outermost layer is the ‘etheric body,’ the manifestation of life energy and physical condition. That’s why I could instantly tell your body had improved dramatically. Through the thickness, brightness, and color of different parts of the etheric body, I can also judge a target’s health. As a Sequence 7 Seeker, I can even determine someone’s lifespan from the precise state of their etheric body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How exactly to interpret it? Check the grimoire later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the ‘Hunter’ Elixir mainly targets the etheric body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got it backward,” Aurora replied. “It targets the flesh and life energy—the etheric body is merely their visible manifestation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi nodded, recalling his sister’s words, and began to grasp this portion of mysticism knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered what she’d just said and asked curiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aurora, how did you observe the auxiliary parish priest? Why didn’t I sense you nearby at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, I’ve been home the whole time—using the Seeker’s unique ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What unique ability?” Lu Mi asked, indifferent to whether she answered or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora pointed to her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most distinctive ability of a Seeker is called ‘Seeker’s Eye.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I need to reach a higher Sequence to fully activate the ‘Seeker’s Eye’—so it can function not just on me but also be placed on objects for remote surveillance—that doesn’t mean the Seeker’s eyes lack special qualities before then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From Sequence 9 onward, a Seeker sees far more than most other Exalted Ones at the same level. For example, a ‘Hunter’ won’t see the etheric body clearly until reaching the divine transformation stage, but I can now examine every detail of the astral body—and I can also perceive things normal people can’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, Aurora glanced toward the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That look sent a chill through Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That direction held nothing visible—but he suddenly felt something invisible might be there!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, this isn’t always a good thing. Seeing what you shouldn’t see easily leads to trouble, so I’ve always restrained myself—not looking where I shouldn’t. But as your Sequence rises, you can’t just choose not to see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi thought for a moment, then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you need a higher Sequence to project the ‘Seeker’s Eye’ outside yourself—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how can you observe someone inside the church from here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora raised her right hand and pointed with her index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve always told you knowledge equals power—still don’t believe me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, I couldn’t observe something hundreds of meters away from home—but humans use tools. And I have two major ‘helpers.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she pulled two objects from hidden pockets in her blue dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a telescoping brass monocular telescope; the other, a miniature dark ink bottle—more like a child’s toy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? The telescope lets me see people hundreds of meters away. Once I’ve shortened the viewing distance, I can examine the target’s astral body, etheric body, and mental body,” Aurora explained with a smile. “This works best in open, unobstructed areas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stared, dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This… works?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re discussing mysticism—and why is my sister pulling out a telescope?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this?” he asked, pointing to the miniature ink bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora didn’t answer. She pressed her temples and twisted open the cap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi suddenly felt cold—as if a cool breeze had just blown in through the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a unique Spirit Realm creature,” Aurora explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It? Where is it?” Lu Mi looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora looked astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You still don’t know how to open Spirit Sight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you said you saw many ghosts and spirits in that wasteland.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi had read the term “Spirit Sight” in the magazine *Spirit Communication* and understood its meaning—but he had no idea how to actually open it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at his sister and slowly shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he guessed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe I entered the so-called ‘Other Side World,’ where ordinary people can directly see ghosts and spirits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora thought carefully, then asked further:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you don’t know Hermesian, Ancient Hermesian, Elvish, Draconic, or Giant languages either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are those?” Lu Mi fully demonstrated what it meant to be a mysticism illiterate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora couldn’t help rubbing her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What on earth did that lady teach you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Law of Indestructible Exalted Traits, the Law of Aggregation, the Method of Performance, the Path of God, Sequence 0, sealed artifacts…” Lu Mi answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ” Aurora felt slightly insulted. “I think you’re asking for a beating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sighed for a few seconds, then gathered herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll explain how to open Spirit Sight, how to perform ritual magic, and how to use those supernatural languages—using this Qiyue  creature as an example.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is just a rough overview. To truly master it—especially those languages—takes one or two years. Of course, that’s also because of your Sequence path: the ‘Hunter’ doesn’t enhance learning ability or provide mysticism bonuses. I, your sister, only needed half a year to get started, thanks to diligence and being drilled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gently stroked the empty air before her, as if petting a transparent kitten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For Exalted Ones, opening Spirit Sight is simple—but it’s not fully dark yet, so let’s talk about something else first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I call it ‘White Paper.’ It’s a very weak Spirit Realm creature. Once you master the precise description, you can perform a ritual to summon it under your own name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides the inherent invisibility of Spirit Realm creatures, it has only one function: to carry a specific supernatural ability of its Qiyue  holder—but it can’t be too complex or too powerful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1617,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a62127d0e8b2008d19aff33d1095150bdbe8ccb4193082eda8fc6faeb1fac086","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-46","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-44",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]