"The first one is the easiest...it's effort. Think of a subject. Three main factors govern your competency in that subject. Talent, effort, and luck. Talent and luck can't be altered normally so we can only boil down to effort. It's common sense isn't it?" Merline says.

"Yes," I reply.

"Even so, subfactors such as technique, efficiency, and attitude affect how successful your effort is...it's fucking obvious. Then what's your problem? You don't have a proper teacher, thus a lack of refined techniques developed from generations of hard work. Your earnest attitude is commendable but the same can be found in many others. Instead, the fastest way to grow is by facing death and you need to have the courage to train with death, a profound courage, the heart of a daredevil and a beast. Possessing those are people who survive in battles." 

I understand what Merline says but...

"Everyone understands this fact yet who truly commits to such a frenzy? Think about it." Merline suddenly appears near me. 

...

The path is obvious to everyone. However, how many have the discipline and characteristics to truly trek such arduous lunacy? I was also turning a blind eye to it. Trying to use "safety" as an excuse but now that I think about it, I'm a killer. I kill and must prepared to be killed. If I choose the safe route, I will still die later. 

...

"Those who bleed in training, bleed less in fights," I mumble. 

"..." Merline nods. 

To overcome the barriers to overwhelming talent, one needs to work harder, ten times harder, fifty times harder. The math is simple. 

I sigh and gaze down. What a stupid question to ask. 

I...like many others chose to pretend this path doesn't exist, coming up with various excuses.

"Let's discuss the other two factors." Merline teleports to his seat. "Luck is something you can't control. How much access to resources do you have? Is your era peaceful or chaotic? Do you have a good teacher or an inheritance? All these contribute to your overall strength. In your case, you can be the luckiest person in the world."

"I guess..." 

"Now for talent, this is the second way to overcome talent, find another talent."

...??

Merline sighs. "Everyone has hidden talents, you don't possibly think those talents you see in others are their full potential, right? You could only see those talents as they are related to their fate. Someone with low talent naturally has a low fate. Therefore, find the person's talent. Axe, bow, dagger, staff, or even a spear." Merline raises his hand, projecting small illusions of tremendous weapons, enough to form a cloud. 

His word suddenly reminds me of a similar occurrence. When I started cultivating back at the academy, I naturally discovered an innate talent for cultivation. 

As I'm lost in deep thought, Merline says "You don't know much about your power, which usually is not the case. I don't feel your constellation either."

Merline clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Damn it. If it wasn't for death..."

He turns back to me. "Time never stops, I hope to chat more but you have more business in the archive. I will send you to the next guide. I...wish you all the best, challenger and I trust you won't abuse the privilege I'm about to grant."

"Wai-"

Without warning, I am ejected from the space into a void. Everything happened so quickly. 

...

Silence for a short moment. 

A blue light flickers behind. I take one step and kick something rooted to the ground. It's a metal chain, glowing blue sparks emanating from its dark texture. 

Many more similar chains emerge across the room, all meeting at one point, entangling around a man's body from head to toe. Only his eyes, mouth, and strands of black hair are granted freedom. 

"...Hah...a person?" The prisoner says. "Who are you?"

I recognise this man. These chains are Leviathan Chains and are used to restrict mages by absorbing their mana and there is one heinous criminal notorious for his chain prison suit when in captive by The Holy Light for his execution. The eight-circle black archmage, Harvester. He developed a black magic technique that viciously consumed the victim's vitality, growing as he killed. I need that technique. 

There are rumours that he favoured the evil and despised the good. 

"Hey, tell that god to release me. I'm not teaching anything." Harvester says.

I quickly get on my knees and put on some fake tears. "Esteemed Lord Harvester! It's my honour to meet you!"

Harvester's eyes twitch. 

"To tell you the truth, I've been searching for your legacy but to no avail. To think the esteemed lord left nothing behind. That's when I heard of the archive. I wish to walk your path and avenge your death! Please take me in." I say.

...?

"What?"

I release my aura for him to inspect. 

"Corruption energy! You hid it well! But I don't detect any magic circle in your heart." Harvester says. 

"The foundation is important, I dare not learn another technique that may hinder my growth as a black mage. Hence, I've only been killing and absorbing the corrupt energy after." I lie. 

"Hm...Indeed, I sense corruption in your body but...it's tame. Interesting. You have a unique constitution to store corruption." Harvester says. 

Not really, I just used the demonic mana in my energy core and circulated it around my spiritual roots.

Somehow my improvised bullshit gains credibility as the Harvester misdirects himself. 

"..."

"How long has it been since my death?" He asks. 

"Fifty years, my lord and The Holy Light is still thriving."

"Tch...The Holy Light, those fucking hypocrites." 

...

"How long do you have here?" He asks. 

"Not very long, I sneaked in." I continue my acting.

"Ha! You are better than I thought..."

...

...

"My lord. I wish to inherit your teaching and continue your era of chaos. I want revenge against the chains of injustice and change the commoner's destiny! I beg you, esteemed lord, be my guide through the darkness!" I say when silence invades.

Harvester gazes at me. "Fine, you shall inherit my will and power." 

His eyes glow and a string of mana connects to my forehead. 

!!

A throbbing pain throughout my body instantly spikes. Something stuffs itself into my head, stabbing my mind with every piece of knowledge. 

The contents involve the absorption technique Harvester used to kill his victim. One moment and complete explanations appear in my memory.

Incredible. 

When a person dies, the demonic mana released will slowly dissolve into the atmosphere. Thus, Harvester essentially hijacks the victim's spiritual roots and plunders the origin core, the storage of a person's lifespan or life force, wasting little demonic mana. 

"Your proficiency and strength will determine how successful the technique is. People with great control over mana are more resistant."

"Thank you for the guidance, my lord!"

He nods. "I've imprinted the location of my legacy. The rest of my inheritance lies there. Your path ahead will be rocky, you will..."

I stop listening to his nonsense, simply nodding with enthusiasm. 

"Leave, you don't have much time."

"Yes, my lord!" I say and turn around, walking around from the chained prisoner. 

"Wow...that was... eye-opening," Morja says in my head.

Shut up, I wouldn't need to do this if you taught me a better cultivation method. 

"I only know two. The second is too much for your current body."

Fair enough...

I have four hours left and I might be able to learn a sword technique, who knows?

The darkness consumes me once more and throws me into a world of light. My eyes open to a dimension of flat land with eternal clouds ranging to the horizon. 

A brawny old man with flowing grey hair stands tall in the distance, his weathered muscles rippling beneath scarred skin topless. On his shoulder, a giant chunk of metal too big to be called a weapon pierces the sky. 

He turns to look at me. His face was etched with three lines of scar, two across his nose and one on his forehead, each telling different stories of battles won. 

"You..." He throws me a gaze and sighs. "Young man..."

The old man suddenly zaps behind me, his giant sword gracefully cutting the air with zero sound. 

!!

I jump away from him.

"This is infuriating, everything is in a mess..." he says.