Chapter 85: Creating Ariel Vehicle, Cosmic Energy Processor (2)
"Changing evolutionary path?" the old man asked.
"Correct," Grey said with a smile. "You should switch to the Aether Evolutionary Path."
Since this old man was his disciple, Grey decided to teach him a thing or two and guide him to follow his path.
"Master, I’ve actually been trying to switch to the Aether Evolutionary Path," Werner said with a thoughtful look on his face.
"I believe that changing to it could help me get closer to creating the array that can surpass the corruption fields.
But as a middle-stage 2nd rank evolver who is just one step away from the late stage, I cannot switch now. Doing so would regress my strength back to the early stage since there’s currently no known method to achieve middle-stage advancement in the Aether Evolutionary Path.
Most importantly, I would also need an Evolutionary Conversion Stone. Those are natural treasures born directly from the power of heaven.
They usually form around the areas where high-ranking evolvers undergo their heavenly tribulations, as the dense evolutionary power they release condenses into these stones.
One can then use them to change their evolutionary path."
Yes, this old man who called Grey his master was a being as strong as the City Lord himself. He was an exalted formation master of the Formation Association, which was backed by a 4th rank evolver.
He had been assigned here by the association itself, and even the City Lord had to pay him respect.
"You don’t have to worry about that," Grey said thoughtfully. "The middle-stage and late-stage parts will come soon."
After all, he had already completed his Law Transformation. All he had to do now was refine his understanding and apply it to his evolutionary path.
Of course, he didn’t intend to use the Law of Heavenly Tribulation as the law required to ascend to the middle stage.
The original purpose of creating his evolutionary path was to prepare for the Ultimate Leap, which was said to be the most crucial moment in an evolver’s life. It was a path meant for everyone, talented or not, to cultivate and advance together.
How could he limit it to just one law, especially one as difficult to comprehend as that?
No, he would not do that. Instead, he wanted to make it so that each person could choose which law they wished to comprehend.
His evolutionary path had no direct connection to any specific law. Martial artists, for example, were said to be connected to the Laws of Harmony and Yin-Yang, which meant they had to comprehend those two to advance.
Then there were immortal cultivators, who followed the Laws of Heaven and the elemental laws beneath them, fire, water, wood, and more. Elementalists also comprehended these same laws due to their connection to the immortal path.
Espers, on the other hand, sought to comprehend the Law of Control, which was notoriously difficult to grasp. That was why there were so few espers compared to martial artists and immortals.
But his evolutionary path had no such bindings. It was a free path, one not restricted by any natural law or rule.
That was why he believed the best approach was to let each person choose their own law. This also meant others could shift into his evolutionary path more easily, since they could still use the law they had already comprehended while changing their path.
In short, it was the most optimal way to do it.
Then Werner spoke again. "Speaking of the Aether Evolutionary Path, Master, do you remember me telling you about the Meeting?"
"The meeting?" Grey nodded.
He was referring to the quarterly meeting held in Ashspire City, where the top experts and ruling forces gathered to discuss and manage the city’s affairs.
Grey already knew about it. Valeria had told him long before Werner brought it up.
"What about it?" Grey asked while tilting his head.
"The City Lord," Werner said. "He’s been acting strangely. In the meeting that took place yesterday, he talked about the secret realm. He said the Aether Evolutionary Path should be banned because its authenticity isn’t confirmed. He claimed it might be something developed by the High Order to deceive others."
"Oh?" Grey’s eyes lit up with interest. "Interesting."
Werner nodded and continued. "He then said we should promote the Cyborg Evolutionary Path instead and ban the use of the Aether Evolutionary Path within Ashspire City. Of course, the majority were against it, but the Interwire Corporation gave it full support."
"Of course they would," Grey rolled his eyes.
They were the ones who published and mass-produced cybernetics, so naturally, they would support anything that benefited them.
At the same time, he felt suspicious. After his recent encounter with the Black Viper Gang, which was under the influence of the Interwire Corporation, he had begun to believe something far more sinister was happening behind the scenes.
There were too many mysteries surrounding the Cyborg Evolutionary Path.
It definitely couldn’t be trusted.
"It’s a good thing I have ears inside the inner circle," Grey thought to himself.
His disciple allowed him to gather all kinds of information about Ashspire City, both internal and external.
In a way, Werner was extremely useful, and Grey knew he would do anything his master asked.
In fact, Grey could easily go to Nova City with his disciple and wipe out the Duskwood Family in an instant.
But he didn’t want that. That revenge was his alone, and he would make sure he delivered it personally. The day for that wasn’t far away.
"Tell me about the discussion regarding the secret realm," Grey said.
"Yes," Werner nodded, rubbing his beard as he spoke.
"The secret realm will open in a few days, and only 1st Rank Evolvers are permitted to enter.
"Because of that, many companies started recruiting random Evolvers to send inside.
"However, the City Lord and Azrael Corporation strongly opposed it. With most of the votes in their favor, they decided to limit entry to verified members within their own ranks.
"Each faction received a share of the quota, with the Interwire Corporation and the Ashspire Family getting the largest portions.
"Our Formation Association received a total of three invitations."
As he said that, he took out his phone and showed three unnamed permits.
"I saved one for you, Master," Werner said with an earnest smile.
During the past two months, Grey had helped him make incredible progress in formation mastery. Werner would have been an unfilial disciple if he hadn’t at least helped his master in return.