Virgil practices the technique for a few hours.
Then he stops, feeling mentally drained from consuming too much spiritual power through visualisation.
There are still a few hours before he sleeps, so he picks up the second book he borrowed from the library.
This book must be returned within a week from the day he borrowed it.
He decides to finish it now and return it tomorrow so he can borrow a new one.
Tomorrow, he plans to take a task from the association to earn contribution points.
He can use those points to exchange for techniques, spell models, and other resources.
He looks at the cover—the title reads: About Golcord.
This book is about the world he lives in.
He begins reading, and the book first introduces Golcord.
According to the author, Golcord is a lower plane, below the middle and higher planes.
Golcord is called a lower plane because it can give birth to only one Divine Being.
But so far, no one in Golcord has reached that realm, so the competition continues.
Next, the book introduces the geography of the Golcord Plane.
There are four continents: Siam, Vantue, Drakis, and Aquan.
Siam is the largest continent, home to three major races—the Wood Elves, the Obsidian Clan, and the Orcs.
These three races control half of Siam's territory, while the rest is divided among other races.
Vantue is the second largest, dominated by two major races—the Undead and the Ice Clan.
They control forty per cent of Vantue's territory, and the Human race is also present there.
Drakis is the smallest continent and is completely controlled by Dragons and dragon-blooded races.
Aquan is an archipelago, the most chaotic of all regions, with no dominant races.
The book also introduces the ocean, home to the Mermaid, Naga, and Siren races.
Then there is a picture of the Golcord Plane.
Siam is located at the centre, rich in resources.
Vantue lies to the northeast of Siam, separated by the Colourful Sea.
Drakis is on the western edge of the plane, with the Naga Ocean between it and Aquan.
Aquan is southeast of Siam, scattered like beads on water.
Next, the book describes the territory of the Human race.
They live at the eastern edge of Vantue, surrounded by hostile and dangerous lands.
To the north lies the 10,000 Beast Mountain Range.
To the west is the Undead Plain.
To the south sprawls the Dark Forest.
To the east, they face the Crystal Sea.
The 10,000 Beast Range splits the north and south of Vantue and has only a few narrow passages.
It is home to magical beasts, goblins, ogres, trolls, and other monsters.
The Undead Plain, as the name suggests, is ruled by the Undead race.
The Dark Forest houses dark-elemental races like Spiderlings, Night-Ravens, and more.
In the middle of all this chaos lies a small territory—the Hundred Mountain and River Region—controlled by the Human race.
The book briefly describes a few smaller islands scattered across the plane.
Then the book ends.
After reading, a magnificent image forms in Virgil's mind.
He wants to travel across the entire plane and witness the scenery beyond.
If Golcord is a lower plane, then how breathtaking must the higher ones be?
But to see that, he needs strength.
To roam Golcord without life-threatening danger, he must become a Saint Spiritualist.
To reach that level, he must progress through Inferior Talisman Painter, Intermediate, High, Master, Earth Master, Sky Master, and then Saint.
With the Simulation Tower, he feels confident.
But even so, it may take centuries.
And in that time, he must not die.
So until he reaches Saint rank, he must stay low-key, hiding his true strength from everyone.
With that thought, he climbs into bed and falls asleep.
The next day, as soon as the Talisman Association gate opens, he enters and heads straight to the library.
He returns the book About Golcord and borrows another one: The Spiritual Way.
From the librarian, he learns that exchanging for an inferior spell model requires 100 contribution points.
With that knowledge, he checks the task list and finds an unlimited task.
Handing over an inferior talisman earns 1 contribution point.
He accepts the task, as it can be done alongside the fortress's mandatory task.
Leaving the association, he goes to the logistics building and collects the materials for the mandatory task.
He receives 200 inferior talisman papers and 10 bottles of spider blood ink.
He must return 50 completed talismans within 30 days.
The resources given are four times the required amount, since few people succeed with every talisman.
With everything prepared, he returns home and begins drawing.
He draws inferior healing runes for a couple of hours, and spends the rest of the time visualising.
In three days, he draws 250 inferior healing talismans, with 16 of them being of fine quality.
He stops not because he runs out of talisman papers—there are still 50 left—but because he succeeds in engraving the rune into the lotus.
Now, he can simulate the practice of the technique.
He closes his eyes and enters the simulation tower.
A panel emerges in front of him:
Name: Virgil
Simulate Technique:
Technique: Spear (Master), Fighting (Master), Inferior Healing Talisman (Master)
He enters the Lotus Visualisation and Meditation technique into the Simulate Technique panel.
It displays: Entry (2 months), Proficient (2 years), Master (6 years), Complete (11 years)
He needs to reach the entry level for his spiritual power to leave his body, so he selects Entry.
The simulation updates: Simulate Technique: Lotus Visualisation and Meditation Technique – Entry (0.001%)
He consumes physical energy, and the progress increases to Entry (0.0024%)
It is minuscule—he must increase his physical energy.
Later, when he learns spells, physical energy will also be required to channel them.
The greater his physical energy, the more spells he can channel and the faster he can simulate techniques.
He must visit the library again.
He thinks this while recovering his physical energy after finishing his food.
He begins reading the book: The Spiritual Way.
After finishing the book, he learns that the spiritual way didn't exist among the human race 1000 years ago.
It was discovered in a ruin, carved on a stone tablet with nine mysterious runes.
Only Saint-rank Knights could comprehend the meanings of those runes.
They understood the runes and pioneered the path of spirit cultivation.
They divided the nine runes into simpler forms so ordinary humans in the lower realm could begin spiritual practice.
It became a new form of cultivation that could strengthen the human race.
Not everyone could become a Knight through hard work, but they could follow the spiritual path.
After the runes were deciphered, four individuals rose to prominence—Serena, Michael, Qizhu, and Salem.
These four became Saint Spiritualists and further simplified the runes for broader understanding.
Serena created the talisman runes, Michael the seal runes, Qizhu the formation runes, and Salem the pill runes.
They are now honoured as the ancestors of Talisman, Instrument, Formation, and Pill, respectively.
Thanks to them, the spiritual way spread throughout the human race.
After reading the book, he falls asleep.
The next day, he returns to the Talisman Association.
He returns the book and asks the librarian if there's any technique to increase physical energy.
He learns of a technique created by the Knight Ancestor himself—100 Body Forging.
It was invented before the spiritual way appeared, meant to strengthen the bodies of ordinary humans.
Now, few practice it, as pills can achieve the same results with far less effort and time.
Virgil nods, thinking it would be faster to buy pills to increase his physical energy.
But out of curiosity, he asks for the price of the technique and learns it is free.
Since it was created by the Knight Ancestor, it must hold some value—and with the Simulation Tower, he can explore it without wasting time.
He requests the technique and receives it.
To borrow more books, he needs contribution points, so he leaves the association.
Before returning home, he visits a shop selling pills and inquires about those that increase physical energy.
He learns there are two types—temporary and permanent.
The permanent pills are ten times more expensive.
With that, he returns home.
He reads the 100 Body Forging technique and, after finishing, understands how to practice it.
It resembles yoga, paired with a breathing method that allows the body to consume more food and convert it into physical energy.
The yoga movements strengthen the body, starting from 10 Body Forging, then 30 Body Forging, 60 Body Forging, and finally 100 Body Forging.
Reaching 100 Body Forging, an ordinary human gains the strength of a Great Knight.
Knight training is divided into Knight Apprentice, Knight, Great Knight, Master Knight, Earth Knight, Sky Knight, and Saint Knight.
In both the knight path and spiritual path, the first three realms leave the body similar to that of ordinary humans—only from the master rank do differences emerge.
So, completing 100 Body Forging marks the peak of what a human body can reach without stepping into the extraordinary.
He decides to train 100 Body Forging to reach the physical limit, as it demands fewer resources, and with the Simulation Tower, time and effort will be greatly reduced.
He takes one Bear Blood Pill, feels his physical energy rise, and pours it into advancing the Lotus Visualisation and Meditation Technique.