TL: Etude
On top of the Sacred Beast Mountain, Ye Tian walked slowly. The pressure here had reached 100 times that of Earth's gravity, a limit that only a Great Martial Warrior could endure. Although Ye Tian's current beastly body was that of a top-tier fierce beast capable of withstanding 100 times the gravitational force, his walking speed was incredibly slow.
Still, he was faring much better than some of the high-level fierce beasts like the Tianlin beasts, which were merely inching along—what they were doing could barely be called walking; it was more like crawling.
Even so, they all yearned to reach the peak of Sacred Beast Mountain.
"What exactly is at the top of the mountain?" Ye Tian was immensely curious. His spatial perception was unable to extend to the mountain's summit, as if a mysterious power was obstructing his senses, preventing him from ascertaining the situation at the peak.
Half an hour later, Ye Tian finally arrived at the summit. There, he saw a massive stele that seemed as if it had existed since the dawn of time, emanating an ancient and powerful aura. The stele stood a hundred meters tall and was twenty meters wide. Intricate patterns covered its surface—patterns that weren't formation arrays but still contained profound mystic truths.
Before investigating the stele, Ye Tian used his talent-copying ability to examine the abilities of the surrounding Tianlin beasts. To his surprise, he discovered four Morning Star-level bloodline talents.
Although taken aback, he quickly dismissed his surprise, considering the overall strength of the Tianlin beast race. If he were to copy a Morning Star-level bloodline talent, his current beastly body would gain that talent.
Unfortunately, this body could only last a month, and after that, his soul would return to his original body. Therefore, he wouldn't waste the opportunity to copy such a talent. Instead, he continued scanning the abilities of the other Tianlin beasts, focusing on any special talents they might have.
Among the hundreds of thousands of Tianlin beasts gathered on the mountain's summit, he refused to believe he couldn't find a talent that was more impressive. As Ye Tian wandered around, a particular talent suddenly caught his eye: [Substitute Death Talent: Mid-tier].
"This talent… is quite interesting," Ye Tian was genuinely intrigued. While it was only a medium-level talent, some special talents had significant utility. In some cases, their utility surpassed even top-level talents. For instance, Ye Tian considered a high-level soul-transfer talent much more useful than a wind-blade talent. The utility of a talent mattered just as much as its power level.
"Substitute Death Talent should be a life-saving type of talent. Judging by the name, it should help one survive a lethal situation by dying once?" Ye Tian speculated. While he couldn't copy this talent for the time being, he could at least mark it. Using his spatial talent-marking ability, he marked the Tianlin beast possessing the Substitute Death Talent.
As more Tianlin beasts continued to arrive on the summit, they began chatting in pairs or small groups. Since Ye Tian was currently in the form of a Tianlin beast, he could understand their conversations. Soon, he learned what Sacred Beast Mountain was all about.
Sacred Beast Mountain was a holy mountain to the Tianlin beasts and lay within their territory. Other fierce beasts seldom ventured here, and if any were found, they would be killed without mercy.
The most precious object on this mountain was the stele, known as the Enlightenment Stele, a treasure formed naturally by the heavens and the earth. It had remained here because it was intrinsically connected to Sacred Beast Mountain and was difficult to move. Consequently, the Tianlin beasts had claimed the mountain as their holy ground, largely because of this Enlightenment Stele.
The stele had many utilities, and Ye Tian gleaned several of them from the conversations among the Tianlin beasts.
The first benefit was the ability to enhance intelligence. Once the Enlightenment Stele was truly activated, those in its vicinity would gradually be influenced by it, leading to a slow increase in intelligence. This was also one of the main reasons for the high intelligence of the Tianlin Beast clan.
The second benefit was the potential for the mutation of special talents, such as transforming a basic speed talent into an intermediate one. However, the probability of success was low, and only a few Tianlin Beasts could accomplish it. Those that could were considered geniuses.
The third benefit was the aid it provided to Tianlin Beasts with battle-magic talents in comprehending fierce-beast battle techniques. Once such a technique was understood, one's power would surge manyfold. However, fierce beasts with battle-magic talents were exceedingly rare.
"Battle-magic?" Ye Tian surveyed the area and found that indeed a few Tianlin Beasts had battle-magic talents. Initially unsure what this talent entailed, he started to speculate after hearing discussions among the other Tianlin Beasts.
"Could battle-magic be similar to human spellcasting and swordsmanship talents? Does this mean the Enlightenment Stele can help me understand spellcasting techniques?" Ye Tian was astonished.
This was staggering! It wasn't just about understanding an existing technique, but about creating one!
"Could it be that things like spellcasting and sword techniques are comprehended this way?" Ye Tian looked at the Enlightenment Stele, a thought emerging in his mind. Perhaps, or more likely, this was a significant opportunity.
Ye Tian was exceedingly excited in his heart.
Regrettably, the Enlightenment Stele was still inactive. It had been sealed by the higher-ups of the Tianlin Beast clan and would only be activated at specific times. It would open once every ten years, and each period of comprehension would last for about a month.
A humming sound resonated. A mysterious wave spread as the Enlightenment Stele began to emit an ancient aura. The patterns on its surface gradually lit up.
Boom!
The entire mountaintop was instantly covered in light.
All Tianlin Beasts found themselves in a peculiar realm. In this realm, there was no Sacred Beast Mountain, no sun or moon, no grass or trees, and not even other Tianlin Beasts. It was as if they were alone in the universe.
"The Enlightenment space!" The thought crossed Ye Tian's mind.
"Start comprehending, no time to waste!"
Ye Tian hastily took out a high-tier Qi stone, released his magical intent, and began attempting to comprehend spellcasting techniques.
A mysterious aura enveloped Ye Tian, as if his comprehension had been heightened manifold. All his feelings about spellcasting were amplified many times.
The intricacies of techniques like Green Wind Slash and Shadow Kill slowly flowed through the bottom of Ye Tian's heart. His understanding of spellcasting techniques soared at an unbelievable pace.
"There are so many flaws in Green Wind Slash!"
Ye Tian suddenly realized.
Before, he had thought that Green Wind Slash was nearly perfect, but now he saw it was full of errors.
Modify!
Recreate!
Ye Tian gradually altered Green Wind Slash until it was unrecognizable, even integrating some quick-movement concepts from Shadow Kill.
One day passed, then two…
In the blink of an eye, Ye Tian had been comprehending for several days.
On this day, Ye Tian burst into wild laughter. However, in his beast form, he couldn't make human laughter but instead emitted an excited, strange cry unique to Tianlin Bea
He had finally created a spellcasting technique!