Not long ago, Allen was drinking and chatting with Master Shiva.
White Tiger Martial Master, intoxicated, unintentionally confided in him.
Before Allen showed up, Shiva was the most outstanding talent in the history of Silver Moon Monastery.
At the age of six, he awakened his sorcerer bloodline.
For the next twenty years, he made unstoppable progress, never encountering a bottleneck!
At twenty-four, he broke through to the fifth level, becoming the youngest abbot since the founding of Silver Moon Monastery.
At twenty-seven, he reached the late fifth level!
However, since then, Shiva has finally hit a ceiling.
Breaking through this ceiling and reaching the sixth level is extremely difficult!
One must pass twelve inner demon trials in the meditation world.
Each trial is equivalent to a sixth-level mental spell.
Trial-takers are not allowed to use external objects.
Relying on her own willpower, she resisted all manner of terrifying or bizarre demonic hallucinations and mental disturbances, remaining undeceived.
With Master Shiva's immense concentration, she had a roughly 70% chance of passing each test individually, seemingly making it easy.
However, she had to pass all twelve demonic trials simultaneously, maintaining a clear mind.
The probability of passing all twelve trials in a row was 0.7 to the 12th power.
Theoretically, the chance of passing a single test was only 1%.
So slim it was despairing!
Each failure drained her mental energy immensely.
She needed at least a month's recuperation before trying again.
Master Shiva had been stuck at this level for almost two years.
After failing twenty times in a row, her confidence had been shattered, and she no longer dared to attempt again.
For a genius, the most terrifying thing was a loss of confidence.
Once confidence wavers and self-doubt sets in, once-dazzling talent will fade, becoming lost in the crowd.
Master Shiva faced this very dilemma.
He grew weary of his repeated failures in cultivation and drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
He even said to Allen in frustration:
"I, your master, am essentially a useless person."
"No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to break through the sixth level in my lifetime."
"Fortunately, our Silver Moon Monastery has successors."
"Tanya's talent is no less than mine."
"Your talent is even greater than mine!"
"My master's journey of cultivation ends here."
"Now I'm counting on you and Tanya to reach heights I can't reach..."
At this point, Master Shiva's heart ached, his eyes slightly reddened, and his voice choked.
Alan couldn't help but feel pity for the dejected Master Shiva.
Master Shiva was undoubtedly a gifted sorcerer, but outside of cultivation, he was actually quite immature.
Her mental age, let alone twenty-eight, was probably even less mature than that of an eighteen-year-old girl.
She had no interest in anything else except dedicating herself to cultivation and constantly improving her abilities.
She had never seriously considered whether, if her path to cultivation was blocked, she could change her path and seek success and happiness in other fields.
For someone as simple-minded and persistent as her, the risk of a mental breakdown or even death by depression was extremely high if she faced setbacks.
Since ancient times, most geniuses have not had a good end.
They either died young or went insane. This was the root cause.
Alan didn't want his teacher to become another tragic genius.
So he did his best to help his teacher overcome this difficult time. After a brief thought, he told Master Shiva the secrets of "Gathering Meditation" and "Soul-Calming Meditation."
Gathering Meditation was actually no longer a secret among Allen's family and friends.
My sister, my junior sister, Tiger Girl Renee, and Senior Sister Tanya often practiced dual cultivation with him in gatherings.
Master Shiva had already heard of it.
She also knew that gathering meditation was a secret of the Human-Demon Cult.
So, when Allen proposed establishing a gathering to practice dual cultivation with her, she didn't refuse.
The problem was, the Soul-Calming Meditation method...
"Allen, this meditation method you transmitted to me through gathering meditation is so strange!"
Master Shiva had indeed spotted something suspicious!
"It feels a bit like the Soul-Calming Meditation Method, but not exactly the same... Where did you receive this inheritance?"
Alan coughed dryly and replied nonchalantly:
"Teacher, the Soul-Calming Meditation Method is something I've refined based on the Soul-Calming Meditation Method. It's incredibly effective at suppressing inner demons, hallucinations, and mental disturbances."
"Wait a minute!" Master Shiva couldn't hold it in any longer. "You're a fourth-level sorcerer, and you invented a fifth-level meditation method? How is that even possible?!"
Alan sighed.
A hint of loneliness, a sense of underappreciated talent, flickered in his eyes.
"Teacher Shiva, ordinary people really can't do this."
"But I can,"
Alan stated calmly.
"Is there a possibility that I'm actually a genius?"
"As you know, geniuses always accomplish astonishing feats."
"Take you, teacher. Twenty-eight years old, late fifth stage. Who would believe that? Yet, we all know it's the truth."
Master Shiva was speechless for a moment.
Alan smiled faintly and continued:
"Teacher, I wonder if you've ever felt this way."
"When I accomplish something, others exclaim in disbelief."
"Actually, I find it incredible, too!"
"Why is such a simple thing worth making such a fuss?"
"Perhaps geniuses and mortals simply can't understand each other."
Master Shiva nodded in agreement.
"Alan, I understand the feeling you're describing."
"But, I used to be the genius, amazed by the stupidity of the mediocre."
"Now, I've become the mediocre one making a fuss."
"This role reversal, honestly, makes me feel awkward."
"Anyway, you're right."
"Geniuses can create miracles!"
"I don't understand your incredible talent, but there's no need to force myself. I'll just listen to you."
Alan smiled.
Dealing with a genius can be both difficult and easy.
No matter how he spins his lies, he can't achieve perfect logic or impeccable defense while concealing the Gluttony System.
Master Shiva is no fool; he'll immediately spot the flaw and conclude he's lying.
So, Alan simply doesn't explain.
He's just pretending to be awesome!
The inspiration of a genius is like a black box, impossible to decipher.
‐‐Once anything is attributed to talent and inspiration, it becomes righteousness by faith.
‐‐Master Shiva is a true genius!
‐‐He understands all too well this inexplicable flash of inspiration.
‐‐So, when Allen started to act like a genius,
‐‐not only did she dispel her suspicions, but she also treated Allen as a kindred spirit.
‐‐Alan's pretense was quite successful.
‐‐Unfortunately, the fifth-level Soul-Calming Meditation only slightly increased Master Shiva's mental resistance, but it didn't protect him from the sixth-level Inner Demon illusions.
‐‐Even so, Master Shiva was satisfied.
‐‐He regained the courage to challenge the Inner Demon Trial.
‐‐But Allen wasn't satisfied.
‐‐He could do even better!
‐‐By using the system, integrating the sixth-level Soul-Calming Meditation would perfectly solve Master Shiva's problem.
Alan's own cultivation level was only at the fourth level.
With the resources available, he couldn't integrate the sixth-level meditation method.
This matter would have to be put on hold for now.
Until this moment, the venom gland had evolved the ability to analyze potions. Alan's thoughts suddenly became clear! ... Alan left the Silver Moon Secret Realm and arrived at the White Tiger Pavilion.
"Teacher Shiva, I have a new idea about the Soul-Calming Meditation Method."
"Give me a sixth-level Meditation Awakening Potion as a reference.
Perhaps I can gain inspiration from it and improve the Soul-Calming Meditation Method to the sixth level."
Alan made his request directly. Master Shiva was stunned upon hearing this.
His emerald tiger eyes flickered.
"Well... unfortunately, I don't have a sixth-level Meditation Awakening Potion either."
Master Shiva unconsciously avoided Alan's gaze. "Teacher, lying is not a good thing!"
Alan didn't let her dodge.
Master Shiva looked embarrassed.
Rubbing his furry ears, he had to tell the truth.
"Our monastery does have a treasured sixth-level meditation awakening potion, but it is not my private property!"
"Five years ago, my teacher, the former headmaster of Silver Moon Monastery, left this awakening potion and a promise before leaving for Origin City."
"A promise?" Alan raised an eyebrow.
"The three most valued disciples of the teacher—Old Bear, Old Pig, and I—made a promise before the teacher: whoever reaches the sixth level first will receive the sixth-level meditation awakening potion and inherit the position of headmaster."
Master Shiva sighed.
"This awakening potion is sealed. Unless the three academy leaders work together to unseal it, no one can obtain it."
"So that's how it is..."
Alan pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Teacher, can I see the potion's formula?"
"Excuse me, this potion was obtained by my teacher from Origin City. He doesn't even have the formula, so how could I have it?"
Master Shiva spread his hands and smiled wryly.
Undeterred, Alan made another request to Master Shiva.
"Teacher, you know I have a little talent for alchemy."
"Actually, I don't need the whole potion. Just give me a drop, and I can try to analyze the formula."
"I think you could talk to Master Bachs and Master Varaha and convince them to make an exception."
"If this is done, I'm willing to donate the formula for the Sixth-Level Meditation Awakening Potion free of charge and share it with the Bear and Pig Houses."
"That offer should impress the two masters."
Master Shiva was tempted upon hearing this!
"Alan, how confident are you that you can analyze the formula?"
"I can't say much, but I'm at 70%."
"70% is not low!"
Master Shiva's eyes sparkled as he muttered to himself.
"It's just one drop of liquid. Even if the analysis fails, it won't affect the effectiveness of the genuine awakening agent... I think it's okay!"
Master Shiva stood up suddenly.
"Alan! Wait here, I'll be right back!"
Master Shiva acted decisively.
Within half an hour, he returned with a beaming look on his face.
In his hand was a small reagent bottle.
The bottle contained a trace of light red liquid.
"Old Bear and Old Pig! How petty!"
"I only asked for one drop, and they only gave me one!"
Master Shiva complained angrily to Alan.
Alan smiled and took the bottle.
"It's okay, one drop is enough."
"Teacher, I'll go back and research the potion. You wait for my good news."
"Mm! Thank you for your hard work!"
Master Shiva affectionately patted his beloved disciple's head.
The soft pads of the tiger's paws felt particularly gentle.
Alan returned to the Silver Moon Secret Realm.
One room in the villa served as a laboratory.
He carefully opened the bottle's cork.
The bone spur absorbed the liquid, deposited it into the venom gland, and began analyzing it.
After a whole day, Alan successfully deciphered the formula.
To his surprise.
The formula for the sixth-level meditation awakening potion wasn't entirely made up of rare and exotic herbs.
The Silver Moon Monastery already had a stockpile of most of the ingredients.
The most difficult one to obtain was the blood of a sixth-level monster.
The term "monster" is just a general term.
Any creature possessing magical powers can be called a "monster."
Even sorcerers!
Alan had never seen a sixth-tier monster or a sixth-tier sorcerer.
Unable to procure the main ingredient, he took the prescription to Master Shiva.
Master Shiva didn't waste a second.
He immediately sent a message, summoning Bachs and Valaha for a meeting.
The three masters engaged in a heated discussion about how to obtain the blood of a sixth-tier monster.
Alan waited in the next room when he faintly heard a familiar name.
"Spider Queen" Caroline!
...
"The Beast Worship Cult is going too far!"
"Always stirring up trouble on our Silver Moon Island, how despicable!"
"It's rude not to reciprocate!"
"Let's go to Red Moon Island and cause a scene, too, to vent our anger!"
"Junior sister! Venting out anger is secondary. The main purpose of this trip is to lure out Caroline, the Beast Worship Cult's pope, and teach her a lesson!"
"'Spider Queen,' Caroline, is said to have reached the early sixth stage of cultivation. Even the three of us brothers and sisters working together might not be able to take her down."
"But, giving her a taste of her own medicine, making her bleed, won't be a problem."
"That's right! We're not counting on killing the spider queen anyway! We'll just launch a surprise attack and injure her! Get the blood sample, then teleport away!"
"It's settled!"
...
Heard the three leaders plotting an ambush on the Spider Queen.
Spanna's face kept resurfacing in Allen's mind.
Spanna loved her mother dearly.
Allen had seen Spanna write letters to her mother more than once, their contents always filled with mundane details.
What she'd eaten that day, what new clothes she'd bought.
In her letters to her mother, Spanna's natural, coquettish nature was the perfect reflection of the close mother-daughter bond.
It was clear that the Spider Queen doted on her little daughter.
Now, Allen's three masters were about to infiltrate Red Moon Island, waiting for an opportunity to ambush Spanna's mother!
To obtain the blood necessary to refine the sixth-level meditation awakening potion...
Allen sighed.
He felt a tinge of guilt towards Spanna.
...
Ten days passed in a flash.
The three masters finally returned to the monastery.
The wounds on his body hadn't healed yet, but fortunately, they weren't serious.
Alan's heart finally settled.
Afterward, he listened to Master Shiva's story.
The three brothers and sisters, all in the late fifth stage, joined forces to fight Caroline.
Even with all their might, they only managed a slight advantage.
The Spider Queen's power was beyond imagination!
"Fortunately, the Beast Worship Cult lacked internal unity. The four branches were scheming against each other!"
Master Shiva said with lingering fear.
"If the four branches had united and truly pledged allegiance to the Spider Queen, our Silver Moon Monastery would have been wiped out long ago!"
"It is precisely because of this risk, Master, that we must work so hard to break through the bottleneck as quickly as possible, advance to the sixth stage, and gain the capital to compete with the Spider Queen."
Alan said seriously.
Master Shiva rolled his eyes at him and said coquettishly, "How dare you, a student, lecture your teacher? That's disrespectful!"
Alan smiled, took the blood collection bottle from the teacher, and stood up to take his leave.
The other herbs had already been gathered.
With the Spider Queen's blood in hand, everything was ready.
Let's begin refining the medicine!
The process is self-explanatory.
Anyway, there's Gluttony.
With the support of the Tie system, it was effortless.
The next day, Allen self-injected himself with a sixth-level meditation awakening agent.
With his cultivation level, practicing the sixth-level meditation method was too much of a stretch.
After awakening, it would only serve as a synthesis material, which wouldn't be a problem.
At the end of his meditation, Allen received the system prompt as he wished.
"Do you want to spend 14 potential points to fuse the sixth-level 'Origin Meditation Method' with the fifth-level 'Soul-Calming Meditation Method' and deduce..."
Wait a moment!!
Alan was shocked!
Why would it cost 14 potential points? !
Could it be that...
…
A few days later.
Alan walked into the White Tiger Hall.
Master Shiva saw his haggard and listless face, and his heart immediately sank.
"Alan, is the alchemy... not going well?"
Alan shook his head.
He pulled out two reagents and placed them in front of Master Shiva.
"The Sixth-Level Meditation Awakening Agent is ready."
"These two, give them to Master Bahs and Master Varaha."
"Okay, I'll give them to them personally." Master Shiva put away the awakening agent and asked softly, "Isn't the Soul-Calming Meditation Method that easy to improve?"
Alan sighed.
"Teacher, my initial idea was to use the ordinary Sixth-Level Meditation Method as a reference and upgrade it to a Level Six Soul-Calming Meditation Method."
"Hmm! And then?"
"However... during the actual operation, a small deviation occurred, causing my workload to double."
Alan yawned tiredly.
"So... the improvement failed?" Master Shiva forced a smile and reached out to stroke Allen's hair. "It's okay, we'll find another way."
"No, teacher, the improvement was successful. Overly successful."
Alan took out two more bottles of reagents and placed them on the table.
"This one is a Level 6 Solemn Meditation Awakening Agent. You can use it now."
"The other one... is a Level 7 Solemn Meditation Awakening Agent."
Alan smiled and patted Master Shiva's paw.
"Teacher, I can only help you so far. Going forward, you must work harder and don't let my efforts go to waste."
"Huh?! This..."
Master Shiva's mood fluctuated wildly, his expression shifting.
"Alan! Thank you! But could you please... stop talking to me like you're lecturing a little sister?!"
Master Shiva's eyes widened in anger.
"Who's the teacher and who's the student between us?!"
Alan smiled faintly. "There's no order of learning; the most accomplished are the teachers."
"Damn it! You're so pretentious again!"
Master Shiva snorted angrily and put away the seventh-level Soul-Calming Meditation Awakening Potion.
He injected another bottle of the sixth-level one right in front of Alan.
Alan stayed by his teacher's side, accompanying her in meditation.
The sixth-level Soul-Calming Meditation technique grants immunity to all negative mental states below the sixth level.
Master Shiva, after switching to this technique, felt a sense of freedom and opportunity!
Inner demons, hallucinations, and mental interference—all of them were rubbish!
Night faded, dawn dawned.
Master Shiva suddenly opened his tiger eyes, a brilliant azure light shone through them!
His gaze seemed to possess substance, emanating a chilling aura!
Alan, caught in the crossfire nearby, felt a chill of fear, his entire body trembling!
The "fear aura" of a sixth-level "Tiger Head Sky" was even more powerful than a dragon's might!
"Congratulations, Teacher, for breaking through your bottleneck and becoming a sixth-level warlock!"
Alan offered a timely flattery.
Master Shiva waved his hand, feigning reserve.
But the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, revealing his inner joy.
"Alan, I can break through my bottleneck thanks to you!"
"Whatever reward you want, just ask!"
"Anything I can do, I'll definitely satisfy you!"
Master Shiva gazed at his beloved student, his eyes filled with motherly affection.
Alan paused, then asked sheepishly, "Teacher, I want to kiss you, is that okay?"
"Huh?!"
Master Shiva was stunned.
"My promise is worth a lot of money! Don't waste it so easily! Don't regret it later!"
Alan shook his head and said calmly:
"Teacher, I do this for you out of obligation. It's not a favor, and I don't expect anything in return."
"It's just because you're so cute. I've wanted to kiss you for a long time, but I usually didn't dare say it for fear of getting a beating. Today, I took advantage of your happiness and asked."
"If you're embarrassed, forget it. I don't mind."
"Tsk! It's just a kiss. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Master Shiva pouted and brought his face close to his mouth.
Alan pushed her tiger face away, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Big cat face, kissing a mouthful of fur! I don't want it!"
"Be good and turn back into a little loli!"
"I want to kiss your smooth little face!"
"It's all the same, why be so picky?"
"You little brat, you're so annoying!"
Master Shiva complained, but her body obediently transformed back into a loli.
Closing her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed, she leaned closer to Alan.
Alan stared at the adorable pink face, a sudden surge of urges in his mind.
He leaned over and kissed her lips.
Master Shiva's delicate body trembled, as if she had received an electric shock.
Instinctively, she wanted to push Alan away, but for some reason her body felt limp and she couldn't muster the strength.
Alan pulled the petite White Tiger Martial Master into his arms and kissed her deeply.
The kiss made her face flush, her breathing rapid, almost suffocating, before she paused, still unsatisfied.
Master Shiva, regaining her composure, was etched with shame and anger.
She swung her fist, striking Allen squarely on the chin.
Bang!
Alan was sent flying by her Rising Dragon Fist.
He fell headfirst to the ground, his eyes bulging with stars.
"You filthy scoundrel!"
"You traitor who betrays your master and ancestors!"
"You are disrespectful!"
"You are a traitor!"
The 28-year-old loli Wu Zun angrily rebuked her unworthy disciple.
Alan rubbed his chin, sat up, and admitted his guilt.
"Teacher, I know I was wrong."
"I wanted to kiss you on the cheek."
"For some reason, my mind was a little muddled, and I kissed the wrong place."
"This must be the work of a demon! It has to be!"
"What kind of demon?! I think it's the work of a sex maniac!"
Master Shiva, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, pounced on him and twisted his ear.
"You're a big sex maniac, boy! Don't bully me like that anymore!"
"Yeah, yeah! From now on, I won't dare to do that without your permission."
"That's better!"
Master Shiva's expression eased slightly.
He licked his lips, then blushed again for some unknown reason.
Avoiding Alan's burning gaze, he pulled a metal plate from his pocket and threw it at him angrily.
"I'll give you this token as a token of thanks for helping me break through my bottleneck!"
The heavy iron token was engraved with a tiger head emblem.
It was the identity token of the Headmaster of the Cat Academy!
With the token in hand, Allen possessed all the authority of the Headmaster!
"Teacher, you gave me the Headmaster's token. Do you still have it?"
Shiva shook her head slightly, her pretty face dejected.