The Deceitful One

Bryan finally understood as he began to ponder, 'I see, so does that mean, once I embark on the Theft Path, I'll be able to either make Shadow Path or Illusion Path my Secondary Path?'

He had already experimented with this before and had come to realize that spells from these two Paths used up surprisingly less spiritual force compared to spells from other Paths.

In other words, this meant that Theft Path was highly compatible with Shadow and Illusion Paths!

He then looked at Detective Watson and asked, "Then teacher, do you also cultivate a Secondary Path?"

Detective Watson nodded with a smile, "Yes, I cultivate the Weapon Path as my Secondary Path. Us Wisdom Path Transcendents are physically very weak, to begin with. Hence, most of us cultivate a Secondary Path."

He paused for a moment to take a sip of tea to wash down his throat and then continued, "However, I must warn you, Bryan. Not everyone has the luxury to cultivate a Secondary Path, moreover, it is an extremely arduous process."

Feeling perplexed, Bryan asked, "How so?"

"Because just cultivating the Primary Path alone takes a lot of effort and time. So, Transcendents with lower spiritual aptitude will never be able to cultivate a Secondary Path." Detective Watson replied with a smile.

People with high spiritual aptitude will naturally be able to cultivate faster. Hence, they will be able to spare extra time and effort into cultivating a Secondary Path.

Bryan nodded his head with a thoughtful expression as he began to realize just how much of an advantage people with high spiritual aptitude had.

Not only could they cultivate quicker but they could also cultivate another Path, subsequently increasing their battle prowess exponentially.

"Then, what are the Secondary Paths that are suitable for a Wisdom Path Transcendent to cultivate?" Bryan asked curiously.

"All of them!" Detective Watson replied with pride evident in his tone, "Just like how the Wisdom Path meditation technique is compatible with the potions of all other Paths, Wisdom Path Transcendents can cultivate any Path as their Secondary Path."

"Why is that so?" Bryan inquired. Although he knew that Wisdom Path was very versatile, he was still a little confused.

"The mystical arts are centered around the usage of spiritual force. Spiritual force is centered around the effective usage of one's mind. And what do you think is the domain that Wisdom Path is centered around?" Detective Watson asked as his lips slowly curled up into a smirk.

Bryan's eyes instantly lit up as he came to an understanding, "The mind!"

"That is correct." Detective Watson chuckled, "Now, do you realize just how powerful the Wisdom Path is?

Although Transcendents of this Path are very weak in the earlier ranks, like those of most other Paths, the further they advance, the higher their advantage over others becomes."

Detective Watson paused to look at Bryan's surprised expression and asked, "So, have you decided which Path you wish to embark on?"

On the surface, Bryan appeared to be thinking deeply but he cursed in his heart, 'Fuck! What do I say? If I lie, he'll instantly notice. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'

After internally struggling for a few moments, ultimately he just decided to keep his mouth shut.

Detective Watson began to laugh looking at Bryan's conflicted expression, "It's okay if you don't wish to tell me. And it's also okay if you don't wish to embark on the Wisdom Path."

Bryan was taken aback as he asked, "Teacher, won't you feel disappointed if I don't embark on the same Path as you?"

"Not at all!" Detective Watson smiled, "Although I do wish that you would embark on the Wisdom Path, however, it is ultimately up to you which Path you choose. And regardless of your choice, you will have my full support."

'Would you say the same thing if you knew that I'd embark on the Theft Path?' Bryan smiled bitterly in his heart.

He looked into Detective Watson's eyes and replied, "Thank you, teacher. What you said just now, means a lot to me."

"However!" Detective Watson stated solemnly, "If you choose one of the evil Paths such as Blood Path or Slaughter Path, I will not stand for it."

Bryan nodded his head, "I understand, teacher. You don't have to worry about it."

He then reassured himself inwardly, 'Theft Path is not an evil Path but a despicable one. So I should be fine…. I think.'

The duo continued to chat for a few more minutes and then stood up from their seats. Detective Watson offered Bryan to drop him off at the Sofia Public Library, meanwhile, he had to go visit Bishop Walls at the Church.

Bryan looked at Benny who was still relentlessly chasing after the butterfly and called out, "Benny! Let's get going."

Benny grumpily looked at the butterfly one last time and then followed after Bryan.

…

Inside Bishop Walls' office, behind the prayer room of the Church of Wisdom, Detective Watson was sitting at the table as he spoke, "I was able to get a meeting with a Mid-String Transcendent from the Church in Nadir."

Bishop Walls raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Oh? And how did that go?"

Detective Watson shook his head, "He wasn't able to divine the whereabouts of Sean Marx either. Looks like Sean is using a very high-ranked Artifact that can obstruct divination."

Bishop Walls visibly sighed in disappointment. However, Detective Watson then added, "But he has agreed to come to Damascus along with a small team and lend us a helping hand."

"Is that true?" Bishop Walls was pleasantly surprised.

"Yes." Detective Watson nodded, "He owed me a favor. Plus, your request for reinforcements also helped him understand the severity of the situation we are dealing with."

"That's right!" Bishop Walls replied, "Now all we can do is make enough preparations for when the Inferno order and Sean Marx make their move."

Detective Watson nodded solemnly. However, there was one thing that he didn't disclose to Bishop Walls.

Along with Sean Marx's whereabouts, he had also asked the Mid-String Transcendent to divine the most probable future. And the results were not pleasant at all.