Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

His facial appearance instantly became more youthful, alive, with his facial muscles snapping into a position of joy.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath and feel the difference in 'seeing' the world around him on a higher level, noticing the subtleties that were difficult to perceive on the previous level.

The difference was minimal, but for Liam, the sensation was as if he had been restricted by several invisible weights and now two units of the weight had been removed from his body.

There were still weights to hinder him, but his situation was now superior to moments ago by a large enough margin that tough challenges from before were now more achievable.

Amid contemplating his progress after inscribing runes, he couldn't help thinking about how the profession could help him grow in the level of his soul power.

During his thoughts, Ann re-entered the glass booth where he was standing.

"Have you advanced?" She asked with a gleam on her face, a smile hard to see on her beautiful face.

Liam pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing solely on the woman before him.

Ann noticed the issue and paused for a moment before speaking. "No need to worry. Your concealment technique is functioning flawlessly. However, your reaction after cultivation seems peculiar... Have you perhaps made progress?"

He nodded, figuring that she had no reason to hurt him with this information after what she had already done to him.

Ann's smile grew even wider as she realized she had made the right choice in whom to bet on. "You truly are a talented individual, Liam. When someone reaches a crucial point in their profession, it's quite common for them to have an epiphany and experience significant growth in their skills, especially when they are on the cusp of a breakthrough.

When you were on the verge of running out of mana while creating your first rune, the universe intervened to help you take that last step and elevate your cultivation... It's truly a remarkable accomplishment!"

He comprehended the source of this significant advancement and its implications. "So, if I acquire any profession, will it provide me with similar opportunities? Does this also hold true for promotions?"

"You're right." She calmed herself by speaking in a more restrained tone. "When you create a Second Class enchanted item, it's possible that post-inscription cultivation will help you advance. The same goes for mastering a new profession.

However, mastering more than one profession is difficult. It's not enough to dedicate two hours a day to each profession in order to master them. There is a limit to how much you can 'absorb' per day.

Let's say you need 20 hours to learn the basics of a profession with your talent. If you're going to learn two professions, your limit will still be this, which means you'll have to invest at least twice as much time to learn the same level of both.

But even then, it's not guaranteed that this will be the only requirement. Learning one area can make learning the other more difficult and triple or even quadruple the study time needed for basic mastery."

With a shake of her head, she closed her eyes. "That level of mastery is just the beginning. When you delve into the deeper levels, things become even more challenging.

It's nearly impossible to achieve the same rank in two different professions. For example, let's say you reach the rank of a Fifth Class Runemaster in your lifetime. If you were to study medicine alongside it, you might only reach the rank of a Third Class Healer, or perhaps even lower, by that time."

She said all this with her face filled with a cautionary expression. In Liam's eyes, she could see the flicker of temptation, as he considered the idea of studying multiple fields to unlock new avenues for career growth. However, if acquiring two professions simultaneously were a simple task, the world would abound with individuals possessing expertise in 4 or 5 different fields.

But having more than one field of expertise was difficult and less than 2% of the continent's cultivators could have just two specializations concurrently.

Liam understood Ann's advice and got up from where he was, walking towards the exit of the cabin. "Don't worry, I won't try to learn something new out of desperation for advancement. If I get the chance to be more than just a Runemaster, it will come naturally and for other reasons."

She escorted him out of the classroom where they worked daily in the early mornings.

"It's good that you understand. Anyway, enjoy your level increase. The stronger the Runemaster's cultivation, the easier it is to perform past activities. If you try to create magic lamps now, you'll find it easier now than before."

He wasn't surprised. "I imagine it's like that for more complex things too, right?"

She nodded to him. "Yes. You can start trying to inscribe more complex runes and create enchanted items different from the ones you've already made. In fact, from now on, it's good that you practise this a lot. Keep studying the theory in our classes and avoid showing off your performance in front of others. Find a place to practice and inscribe runes and bring your questions to me during the classes.

This will help you become a Second Class Runemaster."

Ann believed Liam could quickly become a Second Class Runemaster for a few different reasons. Apart from his result in the bird illusion test, his level was higher than that of his competitors. This meant that, as long as he understood the theory, it would be quick for him to achieve the mastery needed to create Second Class enchanted items.

Basically, while it would be almost impossible for a first realm cultivator to reach the Second Class of their profession before advancing in realm, it would be easy for a third realm cultivator to reach the Second Class.

Liam was already close to the third realm, so his speed of mastering the basics of the profession would be fast until he matched his cultivation and his level of knowledge/experience in the profession.

"But I don't think you'll be able to do this for the next few days, right?" She asked him as she walked out of the hall.

"Yes. I'm going to hunt for Arcane Crystals. I won't be able to go back to studying and practicing the profession until after I get back."

Liam had an obligation to notify Ann of his departure to hunt for Arcane Crystals. He couldn't just stop coming to the daily meetings at Runes Hall or he might even be punished.

Any absence had to be justified, so even if he didn't trust her in the slightest, he had to tell her about his imminent departure.

Ann knew about all the challenges Liam had faced recently, from the attack on his room, the trouble in the Battle Hall and then the battle with Susanna.

She advised him, "Your hunt for Arcane Crystals is going to be dangerous, but this is an opportunity for you. Out there, it's much easier to 'bury' certain issues, if you know what I mean.

Use that to your advantage and come back stronger and with fewer enemies."

He understood her sign and couldn't help but feel the subtle, murderous intent in Ann's words.

But he agreed with her wholeheartedly, already planning to do just that.

'They want to get rid of me, but they'll have terrible surprises waiting for them...'

He clenched his fists tightly, determined to do whatever it took to get some peace and room to grow. 'I'm going to eliminate every single person who attacks me over the next few days!'

"I'll do my best. Now it's time for me to go. See you later, Miss Ann."

He said goodbye, not looking back as he headed towards the Records Hall.

Before he went to meet Electa, he had to let her know at the Records Hall about his departure from the city, or the guards stationed around Peak Thirteen would make it difficult for him to pass.

However, the task wasn't particularly challenging. After an exhausting ascent to the 100th step of the central staircase in the city, which was no longer as arduous as it used to be but still presented its difficulties, he would acquire his departure permit before making his way back to Street Thirty-Seven.

An hour after leaving the Runes Hall, he would arrive at Electa's door, where this woman was already waiting for him!