Chapter 4 – Is It the Kind of "Special" I'm Thinking Of?

Unlike Hunters who rely on powerful physical abilities and can utilize various combat techniques, Sorcerers can only use a total of one hundred types of Spirit Arts.

Although there are only one hundred, these Spirit Arts encompass a vast range of effects and applications.

The 【Grey Binding】 that Ye Bai used against the Screaming Demon, for instance, has the effect of hindering Phantom Demons’ movement and is classified as the Seventh Form among the hundred Spirit Arts.

Meanwhile, the 【Spiral Fire】 that Su Ming employed is an offensive Spell Formula, ranked as the Twenty-Eighth Form in the hundred Spirit Arts.

The hundred forms of Spirit Arts—each of the hundred Spell Formulas—are systematically ranked based on comprehensive factors such as effect, function, type, and power, giving every Spirit Art its own sequential position.

Under this system, the higher the sequence number, the more powerful that particular Spirit Art becomes.

Spirit Arts ranked 1-30 are considered low-level Spirit Arts.

Those ranked 31-60 are Intermediate Spirit Arts.

And those ranked 61-90 are Advanced Spirit Arts.

Thus, while Su Ming’s 【Spiral Fire】 might appear formidable, as the twenty-eighth-ranked Spirit Art, it actually falls within the low-level category. This is precisely why Su Ming remains an average, inconspicuous student at the Demon Hunter Academy.

Within the Demon Hunter Academy, all Sorcerers practice low-level Spirit Arts from the 1-30 sequence.

Only a small fraction of top-performing students manage to study Intermediate Spirit Arts from the 31-60 sequence.

As for Advanced Spirit Arts from the 61-90 sequence, these are beyond the reach of student-level Sorcerers.

These are Spirit Arts that can only be practiced by elite Sorcerers considered among the finest across all of humanity. Each possesses tremendous power capable of turning the tide of battle. Ordinary Sorcerers couldn’t even dream of learning them—witnessing someone use one is already a rare occurrence.

Throughout the entire Sorcerer Department of the Demon Hunter Academy, it’s said that only the department head and deputy head can use Advanced Spirit Arts.

Everyone else, including instructors and teachers in the Sorcerer Department, cannot wield Advanced Spirit Arts.

But now, Su Ming has unboxed the Eighty-Eighth Form: 【Fate Heaven Earth Shift】 from his package.

This is not just an Advanced Spirit Art—it’s one with an extremely high sequence number, approaching the pinnacle of Advanced Spirit Arts!

“I just don’t know if I can learn it.”

The excitement in Su Ming’s heart gradually subsided.

While obtaining the Eighty-Eighth Form 【Fate Heaven Earth Shift】 was indeed a spectacular loot drop, whether Su Ming could actually use this Spell Formula remained uncertain.

The higher the sequence of a Spirit Art, the more difficult it is to master. Moreover, depending on the type of Spirit Art, whether one can successfully adapt to that particular category is another crucial consideration.

Some individuals possess extraordinary talent for fire-element Spirit Arts, capable of quickly mastering even Advanced Spirit Arts above sequence sixty and using them with incredible proficiency, yet they might be unable to wield even the most basic water-element Spirit Arts.

There have been cases where someone couldn’t learn any offensive low-level Spirit Arts but managed to rapidly master an auxiliary Advanced Spirit Art in mere moments.Depending on their individual aptitudes, human Sorcerers can learn and utilize different types of Spirit Arts.

For instance, Ye Bai excelled at binding and hindering-type Spirit Arts, while his offensive Spirit Arts were notably weak and his learning progress in them was remarkably slow—otherwise, the Screaming Demon’s kill wouldn’t have fallen to Su Ming.

The same principle applied to Su Ming.

Over the past year, Su Ming had indeed obtained high-sequence Spirit Arts from his packages, even acquiring an Advanced Spirit Art on one occasion. Yet, after studying that particular Spell Formula for a full six months, he had made no progress whatsoever, let alone mastered its usage.

If Su Ming proved equally incapable of learning and utilizing [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] this time, then this rare burst of luck would amount to nothing but a waste for him.

With this thought, Su Ming grew contemplative.

“Maybe I should find a place to test it out?”

Once the idea took hold, he could no longer lie still.

Quietly, Su Ming cracked open his eyes, glancing at the soundly sleeping Ye Bai and the thunderously snoring Lei Hao. In the end, he stealthily slipped out from under the covers and made his way toward the door.

……

The night was deep.

At this hour, not only was the Demon Hunter Academy silent, but even the streets lay in utter stillness.

Vehicles were exceedingly rare on the roads, and lights were few, casting an aura of lifeless quietude.

“For a major city, the nights here can be this dark and silent.”

Su Ming had mused this repeatedly since sneaking out of the Academy.

After all, in the metropolises of another world he recalled, nighttime was often when most people became active.

Vividly lit streets and bustling night markets were what Su Ming associated with a large city’s evenings.

But this world had the Spirit Demon Abyss and Phantom Demons that could emerge at any moment.

Statistics showed that Phantom Demons were more active at night than during the day.

Within the Spirit Demon Abyss, nocturnal Phantom Demons were also the most numerous.

If large groups of humans gathered at night, the likelihood of Phantom Demons tracking the scent of fresh blood and attacking increased significantly.

For this reason, few people ventured out at night in this world, and gatherings were even rarer, leading to nightlife being virtually nonexistent here.

Of course, Su Ming had heard that some far-reaching corporations had established special night markets in the Major Base Cities, employing Hunters or Sorcerers for patrols and protection. Thus, in certain exclusive areas, clandestine vibrant nightlife still thrived.

Regarding this, Su Ming couldn’t help but wonder:

“Is that ‘special’ the kind of ‘special’ I’m thinking of?”

For a moment, he felt a stirring of curiosity.

Unfortunately, in this world, he was still an eighteen-year-old youth. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, it was better not to indulge too much in “worldly desires.”

With regret, Su Ming abandoned the idea of exploring those special night markets and instead headed toward the deserted outskirts.

The Demon Hunter Academy’s location was relatively remote within Longyao City.

To provide ample space for Hunters and Sorcerers to train and practice, the Academy bordered the suburbs, where vast uninhabited areas could easily be found.

Su Ming had frequently used these spots to practice certain Spirit Arts that couldn’t be revealed too early, so this excursion felt familiar.

“But this time, I need somewhere even more secluded and spacious.”The power of [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] was beyond doubt.

A Spell Formula that directly converted all the kinetic energy generated from inverting heaven and earth into destructive force—when unleashed, it was impossible not to shake the world.

Even though Su Ming didn’t believe he could easily master it or successfully use it in just one night, as a handsome young man determined to lie low until he became invincible, being cautious was certainly not a mistake.

So, Su Ming made an effort to head toward an even more remote area, only stopping when the Demon Hunter Academy was completely out of sight.

“It should be fine here, right?”

After cautiously scanning his surroundings and carefully checking his entire body to confirm there were no surveillance cameras or listening devices, Su Ming finally took out the [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] Spell Formula book from his backpack.

“Other people’s Systems directly integrate the acquired skills into their minds, allowing them to learn everything instantly. These days, it’s probably only someone as plain and unadorned as me who has to honestly study from a book.”

Su Ming couldn’t help but complain, but his body honestly opened the Spell Formula book in his hands.

As soon as he opened it, Su Ming found himself completely absorbed.

There was no helping it.

The various descriptions of [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] and the explanations of its immense power in the Spell Formula book captivated Su Ming.

Moreover, the use of Spirit Art was different from the Spells or magic often mentioned in ordinary novels. It required no incantations or exceptional understanding—it was more like an indescribable, intangible resonance.

What was referred to as “spirituality” was precisely this kind of inexplicable resonance and connection.

When Sorcerers used Spirit Art, they used their own Spirit Power to communicate with this spiritual resonance. Guided by this spirituality, they constructed the Spell Formula of the Spirit Art and then released it.

This was why, when using Spirit Art, a ring composed of mysterious runes and patterns would appear around the Sorcerer.

That ring was the constructed circular array, similar to a magic circle.

Under such circumstances, if Sorcerers encountered a Spirit Art that was particularly suited to them, they could directly trigger a spiritual resonance and connection, mastering it in an extremely short time.

This was the reason why some people, unable to learn low-level Spirit Arts, could instantly master a specific Advanced Spirit Art.

Now, Su Ming had triggered this state, completely immersing himself in the mysteries of [Fate Heaven Earth Shift].

This could only mean one thing.

Unlike the Advanced Spirit Art he had acquired last time, the [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] he obtained this time happened to be the most suitable Spell Formula for Su Ming.

“Buzz…”

Gradually, without even realizing it, Su Ming raised his hand, released his Spirit Power, and caused the air to tremble slightly.

Immediately after, circular arrays began to spin into existence on Su Ming’s arm.

There were a full nine circular arrays, forming an extraordinarily stunning pattern.

They floated rhythmically while continuously taking shape, with mysterious patterns and texts appearing on them one after another.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Ming had successfully constructed the [Fate Heaven Earth Shift] Spell Formula.

But just then, a sudden commotion snapped Su Ming out of his trance.

A series of chaotic footsteps abruptly approached, instantly pulling Su Ming out of his state of enlightenment.

“What’s going on?”Su Ming felt a surge of irritation at being disturbed, yet he furrowed his brows and swiftly tucked away the Spell Formula book for Fate Heaven Earth Shift, quickly hiding in a nearby thicket.

Before long, the chaotic footsteps grew closer, and their source came into Su Ming’s view.

It turned out to be a group—a suspicious human gathering, numbering at least twenty to thirty people.

“Who are they?”

Watching the scene unfold, Su Ming felt a sense of foreboding.

His intuition told him he had stumbled into a troublesome situation.

(End of Chapter)