Before departing.
Jarius glanced at the shimmering turquoise stone and the small turtle at the lake's bottom. After a moment's thought, he decided against taking them.
He lacked a storage device, and carrying such treasures would be like a child parading gold through a bustling market!
Moreover, he recalled that storage devices wouldn't appear until the later stages of the second chapter, during the Goblin Empire's reign.
Memorizing the location.
Jarius spread his gray-white wings, soaring into the sky with a faint rumble of wind and thunder!
High in the air.
His vision sharpened post-transcendence.
He could clearly see the vassal races of the Blue Dragon King's faction either fleeing in desperation or kneeling in surrender.
The battle's outcome was clear!
His gaze shifted to the nearby battlefield where the Thunder Titan clashed with the Blue Dragon King.
The Titan had just devoured the dragon's massive heart, now stripping its hide and harvesting its valuable parts. Jarius's eyelid twitched.
A dragon's body was a treasure trove, especially that of an Ancient Dragon.
But the Blue Dragon King was the son of the Ancient Dragon Emperor. After this battle, the dragons would undoubtedly resolve to wage an unending war against the Titans.
The true world-ending war was about to begin!
This was the spark that ignited it all!
"No, I must return and lead my people to migrate! The Gaoman Mountains are no longer safe!"
Jarius's heart tightened.
"The Thunder Titan's territory will be the epicenter of the fiercest battles—the Ancient Dragons' primary target!"
If history held true, there was still one year before the Titan-Dragon War erupted.
"No time to waste. I need to find my people!"
He turned and flew eastward.
When he'd encountered that wyvern earlier, he'd lured it away, and his people had fled in this direction.
As an eaglefolk of the victorious side, flying over the battlefield posed no danger.
After some time, he spotted a large group of eaglefolk in the sky.
Among them his own clan.
But a quick glance revealed only thirty-some survivors, all bearing wounds.
Jarius frowned and approached.
His appearance had changed drastically. Though still eaglefolk, he stood out.
His people sensed a familiar aura but hesitated to recognize him.
Intimidated by the thunderous power crackling around his wings—a clear mark of a transcendent powerhouse.
While transcendent eaglefolk weren't rare in the royal court, each was a vital asset, far above ordinary eaglefolk.
A robust eaglefolk warrior with gray-black wings, wielding a stone spear, flew forward from the group, addressing him respectfully.
"Lord, may I ask your purpose here?"
Seeing the warrior's deferential attitude—starkly different from before—Jarius grasped the weight of transcendence.
"I'm here for my people," he declared.
"Your people?"
The court eaglefolk looked puzzled.
"Yes, them!"
Jarius flew to his clan's side.
"My people, it's me, Jarius. I've returned alive."
"Jarius? Is it really you?"
A male eaglefolk from the clan approached, half-joyed, half-doubtful, staring at Jarius's transformed visage.
"Soren, it's me!"
Jarius nodded with a smile.
Recognizing his familiar way of addressing them.
The Gaoman Mountain eaglefolk still struggled to believe it.
Jarius's transformation was too profound, and his transcendent status felt like a dream!
As Jarius prepared to ask why only thirty-some remained.
The court eaglefolk approached again, excitement in his voice.
"Lord, you're a newly ascended transcendent eaglefolk!"
Though Jarius's appearance had changed, transcendence varied by individual, and the court eaglefolk was unfazed.
"Indeed,"
Jarius confirmed.
"Since you've achieved transcendence, please accompany me to meet the King. He'll be delighted!"
The court eaglefolk urged.
"Meet the King? What's in it for me?"
Jarius asked, unswayed.
The question caught the court eaglefolk off guard, despite his experience.
"To leave your tribe and join the royal court—isn't that the greatest reward?"
Jarius shook his head.
"What about my people?"
The court eaglefolk scoffed.
"Tribal folk are mere weeds, sprouting endlessly across the wilderness. Why care? Take your kin and be done with it!"
He turned westward, reverence in his tone.
"The Eaglefolk Court resides in the Sky Mountains, rich in resources, with a pleasant environment, near the divine palace of Lord Yatri, the Thunder Titan. That's where true eaglefolk nobility dwells!"
Jarius's disdain for the court deepened.
A royal clan that dismissed its own people? No wonder, in the fifth chapter, the eaglefolk would lose their civilization, reduced to mindless, heritage-less monsters!
Suppressing his anger—he was newly transcendent and lacked the power to challenge the court—he tempered his response.
"The tribe raised me. I've no intention of abandoning it. But I'll meet the King. Please lead the way."
Newly transcendent eaglefolk often felt this way.
The court eaglefolk thought, chuckling.
"You tribal-born transcendents all start like this. Once you see the court, you'll change your mind. Come, I'll take you to the King!"
After reassuring his people, Jarius followed the court warrior to the Eaglefolk King's encampment.
At the court's base, he noticed several transcendent eaglefolk. Entering the King's tent, he saw a corpulent eaglefolk monarch, adorned with a feathered crown, discussing matters with a middle-aged eaglefolk.
In Jarius's perception, the King's aura, while far weaker than the Thunder Titan's, dwarfed his own.
On the throne.
The King barely glanced at Jarius.
Unimpressed by another transcendent.
"Since you've risen from a lowly seed to transcendence, serve me well and protect the court. Dismissed."
He then instructed a servant.
"Give them two portions of Wind Feather Jade Dew and have the priest explain the path of professions to the new transcendent."
Inside the tent.
The court warrior who'd brought Jarius beamed, loudly praising.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Jarius glanced at him, understanding.
So that's why he brought me here—there's a reward.
The mention of "professions" piqued his curiosity. He echoed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
In the fifth chapter, every transcendent followed a profession.
Warrior, mage, ranger, priest, night watchman, knight, witch, warlock, sorceress, druid, and countless subclasses.
Each with a clear path to legendhood.
One only needed to assume a profession, with talent and resources determining growth. But now, it seemed different.
Path of professions? This was new.
Led by the servant, he collected the Wind Feather Jade Dew and proceeded to the priest.
A robed female eaglefolk priest approached.
Addressing him.
"As a transcendent, I'll explain the path of advancement."
"The key to advancement is choosing your profession path!"
"Only by establishing a profession path can you progress. A strong path may even lead to legendhood!"
Jarius's interest surged.
"Priest, where can I assume an eaglefolk profession?"
"Assume?"
The priest's brow furrowed.
"There's no 'assuming.' Profession paths are either self-created or inherited through bloodlines!"
Jarius blinked, confused.
"If we can't assume, how do we reach legendhood?"
The priest gave him a withering look, scoffing.
"Legend? You aim high. On the Felander Continent, paths to legendhood are exceedingly rare. Only the royal 'Sky Warrior' profession offers a complete path to legendhood."
"Self-created paths, being experimental, require years of effort and refinement to become viable."
"Thus, every powerful profession path relies on bloodline inheritance!"
She looked at Jarius, amused.
"Without inherited bloodlines, you must create your own profession!"
Unfazed by her mockery, Jarius's mind reeled.
In the future, job sites dotted the world, allowing any qualified being to choose a complete legendary path.
Incomplete paths didn't survive.
Who could've orchestrated such a system?
Only a true deity could achieve such a feat!
Now, a legendary profession path was unimaginably precious!
Those in the future are truly blessed by their ancestors' efforts.
And now.
He was one of those trailblazing ancestors.
He pressed.
"Priest, how do I create a profession?"
"Consume a transcendent item to awaken spiritual vision—Wind Feather Jade Dew will suffice."
"Then, through meditation, touch the Sea of Spirituality and craft your profession based on your ideas!"
"Ensure your profession aligns with your physique, attributes, mind, and will!"
"Don't aim too high or stray from reality, or your path will be doomed from the start!"
"Creating a path isn't simple. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then leave."