Ever since she could remember, the Heavenly Phoenix Sword contained a top-notch cultivation technique called the 'Primordial Flame Scripture.' However, this scripture had two compulsory requirements for an individual to practice it: the cultivator should not possess a spiritual root, and he or she should have a very high level of comprehension.
The spiritual root varied depending on the planet and its natural laws. It is synonymous with the cultivation qualification of an individual. Strictly speaking, those without a spiritual root are considered ordinary and lesser beings across the universe. Therefore, it was always a surprise to her that such a powerful technique demanded a 'waste body' instead of someone with a top-notch fire-type spiritual root or an inherent sword body.
With her experience, she knew better than to discriminate against someone based on their spiritual root. With proper guidance, even someone with a so-called 'waste body' could be turned into a peerless powerhouse. Her own beloved was one such example.
However, only after she merged with her missing soul did she finally understand why such a requirement was necessary to cultivate the technique. The spiritual root equivalents of Valdor are called Martial Root or Mage Root.
From the memories of her new body, she understood the cultivation system of this mortal planet. The entire planet was pervaded by two different kinds of energies: one called Ki and the other called Mana. At this point, she had seen many different types of mortal energies, so she wasn't surprised at all.
Those who used Ki were referred to as Battle Masters, while those who manipulated Mana were called Mages. Although Mages were rarer compared to Battle Masters, both professions garnered immense respect from the ordinary populace.
The previous owner of this body was also named Rose. What are the chances? Who knows? The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, so she left it alone for now. She would investigate more about her origins when she grew stronger.
Evidently, a person could only be either a Battle Master or a Mage. Those who possessed dual talent didn't appear where Rose previously lived, so she wasn't sure if it was possible.
Both professions had a total of nine levels in the mortal realm.
The Battle Master levels were Body Forging, Master, Great Master, Grand Master, Battle King, Battle Emperor, Battle Monarch, Saint, and Divine.
Similarly, the Mage levels were Mental Connection, Mage Adept, Great Mage, Grand Mage, Royal Mage, Imperial Mage, Arch Mage, Saint, and Divine.
Apparently, the last two levels of both systems were the same. However, the last three levels—Monarch, Saint, and Divine—were considered a myth in the place where the previous Rose lived for the last 14 years. She snorted derisively at their choice of names. These stupid mortals didn't have a single clue what a real 'Saint' and 'Divine' level expert could do.
The first four levels of both systems consisted of nine sub-levels. The knowledge of the further levels didn't exist in her memory.
The planet of Valdor, according to those memories, mainly consisted of land, with only about 30% being water. There were a total of three continents on the planet's surface: the Bright Sword Continent, Beast God Continent, and Heavenly Continent.
Bright Sword Continent mostly contained human cultivators, while the Beast God Continent housed many demon races. These two continents had made a non-aggression pact in the past and had many trade exchanges throughout the millennia. The Bright Sword Continent was ruled by the Bright Sword Sect, while the Beast God Continent was ruled by the Beast God Palace.
The cultivation level of the rulers of both continents was also about the same. However, the demon races were inherently stronger than the human race, making many forces of the Beast God Continent look down on the human forces of the Bright Sword Continent.
The Heavenly Continent was considered a myth in many places on both of these continents. It was rumored to be a holy land where the strongest experts of Valdor resided. Many considered it a paradise where the strong experts of all races coexisted. However, no one had ever seen or heard from this continent, at least according to Rose's memories.
At the southwest corner of the Bright Sword Continent lies a forbidden ground called the Black Devil Forest. About 10,000 years in the past, a powerful devil was supposedly sealed inside the core of the forest by a combined effort of divine-level experts from the Heavenly Continent. Even the Bright Sword Sect forbids anyone from going deep into the forest.
The outskirts of the forest, however, have become a rather famous place for its resourceful terrain. With the presence of dangerous monsters, it is also a good place for cultivators to temper themselves. While some tempered their strength, others lost their lives because of their greed and inexperience.
There were four adjacent kingdoms to this forest on one side and a vast expanse of water on the other. It was at the border of one of these kingdoms that Rose was currently located.
As soon as she understood her basic situation, her next job was to heal and refine her body. She also found out that her body previously had a rank 5 Mage Root. It was because of this Mage Root that she was heavily wounded and chased. The Mage Root had been forcefully dug out and transplanted into another child.
Thinking about this experience made her angry again, but she realized her current priorities and quickly calmed down.
The Mage Root and Martial Root were classified into ranks and natures. The ranks ranged from 1 to 9, and the nature represented elements like water, fire, and, in some rare cases, space, darkness, etc.
There were ranks above 9, but they were beyond her knowledge. This memory made her realize the purpose of the Primordial Fire Scripture and the Heavenly Phoenix Sword itself.
The technique required someone with no spiritual root or, in this case, Martial Root, because it required the sword itself to become the Martial Root. The sword was never meant to be a sole weapon; it was designed to become a cultivator's natal weapon and grow along with them.
It was through sheer coincidence that she was able to grow into a top-notch immortal sword. Although she used to have a contract with Ryan, she became an independent existence later.
Now, she finally had a chance to cultivate as a human, so she started the process immediately. She chose the path of Battle Master, as her previous path correlated with it. She also needed to find out more about Mana to consider cultivating it. First, she wanted to wash her current body with the immortal essence and remove the impurities completely. Next, she wanted to cultivate the scripture to the peak level of Body Forging.
For a peak Body Forger to step into the Master realm, the Martial Root must be perfectly integrated with their Ki. This also marks the beginning of their future journey as a Battle Master. This is also the reason why only those with a Martial Root can become Battle Masters on this life planet.
After a couple of days, she finally reached the peak of Body Forging. A thick black cocoon had formed around her by the time she opened her eyes. This cocoon was formed by the solidification of the impurities that had come out of her. Suddenly, the cocoon broke into pieces, and like a butterfly, a beautiful girl emerged from it. She had fair skin with absolutely no blemishes on her body.
Although she looked about 14, anyone could tell that she would become a dazzling beauty when she grew up. All the energy channels of her body were completely unblocked by her immortal essence. Even someone like her was surprised by the speed at which the technique operated. As long as her comprehension kept up with the later parts of the technique, she could regain her former strength sooner than expected.
She was mesmerized by the inherent profoundness of the whole scripture. To reach the apex while practicing the Primordial Fire Scripture, one had to comprehend the highest form of flames. It could be any universal rule that the practitioner incorporated into these flames, like creation or destruction. However, these flames had to reach the apex of the said rule.
For someone like her who comprehended a very powerful All-Consuming Flame Sword intent, this was a tailor-made technique.
She looked into the sky above and smiled, "It looks like my efforts aren't wasted."
She then sealed the last bits of her immortal essence into the Heavenly Phoenix Sword and started her breakthrough to become a genuine Battle Master. She sat down, closed her eyes, and compressed the sword using her soul and the Primordial Fire Scripture.
Even damaged, the sword was very strong. It took her a whole week to safely place it inside her Dantian. She then took a deep breath and started circulating the technique, absorbing the surrounding Ki. A huge vortex formed above her, and condensed Ki started to enter her body. If anyone saw this, they would be flabbergasted by the density of the Ki surrounding her.
The cultivation and skill techniques in Valdor were divided into four categories: Mortal, Imperial, Saint, and Divine. Mortal and Imperial skills were further divided into four sub-categories, while there was no such division among Saint and Divine skills. Furthermore, Saint and Divine-level skills did not exist in the Bright Sword Continent.
The Primordial Fire Scripture was way beyond any divine-level skills that existed in Valdor. It was because of this complexity that it demanded a high level of comprehension. For someone like Rose, who comprehended the All-Consuming Flame Sword Intent, cultivating this technique wasn't a challenge.
Another week passed, and a dense flame originating from Rose spread through a radius of 10 meters, burning the surrounding plants. She had successfully broken through to become a Battle Master. She opened her eyes and scanned her body. A wry smile appeared on her face when she looked inside.
Usually, the soul strength of someone increased along with their cultivation. In some cases, if one practiced Soul techniques, it would be higher than their peers. However, her case was quite peculiar. Although most of her spirit was damaged by the spatial turbulence, the soul power that remained was stronger than what a Master realm Battle Master should have. It was almost equivalent to a peak Grand Master in terms of sheer strength.
Besides that, she now had a peak immortal-level spiritual root (a.k.a. Martial Root) in her Dantian. She was also cultivating a technique that was beyond the natural laws of this mortal planet. Additionally, with her current cultivation, she would end up destroying her body if she even used a sliver of her sword intent. She also couldn't exercise any other laws that she comprehended with her weak cultivation.
Her cold countenance was also melting as she took on a more moderate and neutral expression. She realized her advantages and also her limitations. She knew perfectly well that there was no advantage to haste when it came to cultivation. She just had to take it step by step, as it would already be a fast journey with her advanced starting point.
If any other natives of this planet heard her, they would die of anger. She went from no cultivation to 1st level Master in 20 days while healing her damaged body. Not to mention the talents of Valdor, even the top-notch geniuses of the Purple Demon Sect were vastly inferior to her.
She then shook her head and stood up. She wanted to continue her cultivation, but she was extremely hungry right now. The feeling of hunger was foreign to her. Even when she grew in strength and could completely materialize, she only enjoyed food as a luxury rather than a necessity.
At this moment, she partially realized what true mortality meant. Although she finally got her human body and soul back, she was still in the same mindset of an immortal. This was a significant error that she needed to rectify.
She shook her head and started to plan her next course of action. She suddenly remembered the cave beside the lake. When she woke up, she found something interesting inside the cave. Now that she had a body, it was time she collected that item, which would be useful to her in the near future.
She wanted to spend a few months inside the forest to get used to the body, collect treasures, and increase her cultivation. After that, it would be time to settle some scores. She made the decision and walked into the cave.