Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 652: Rebellion Against Authority

Watching Little Weiser’s face smeared with tears and snot, Ash gently nodded and used his sleeve to wipe her face. “Vionelle didn’t lie to you. Sooner or later, everyone will reunite in the Virtual Realm.”

Ash understood perfectly why Vionelle had said such a thing.

Life, aging, sickness, and death are burdens too heavy to bear, both for oneself and for those around them.

Ash was also reaching the age where he had to face the departure of loved ones. His mother had always been frail, so thin that it was a wonder how she managed to raise him and his mischievous brother. And during his college years, his father had been hospitalized once due to a heart attack.

But it wasn’t until the end of the semester when he returned home that his brother casually mentioned their parents’ health. It was during that holiday that Ash gradually realized his parents were aging.

The phone was filled with memory-consuming junk apps, shopping required QR codes, community forms needed to be filled out on a phone, hospital appointments had to be made through a public account, and even selecting TV channels on the set-top box was a hassle. Some steps even Ash found annoying, especially when faced with network lag or phone memory issues. His parents asked many questions that Ash found simple, and he explained them repeatedly.

But it was only during the holidays; once school started, Ash returned to campus. After graduating from college, he chose to work in a big city, distancing himself from his hometown and his parents.

He was always grateful to his brother and sister-in-law. If parents are the buffer between children and death, then for Ash, his brother and sister-in-law were the buffer between him and bad news.

When Ash was job-hopping, he had several offers, including some from laid-back companies with regular hours. But he ultimately chose a mobile game company where “only one of the heart and performance can beat,” all for the sake of making money.

Because money was the only thing he could give back to his parents.

However, ever since his nephew was born, his parents’ health improved, and it was Ash who left first. His nephew would probably feel a bit regretful, as the “mysterious uncle from the big city with an unknown job” was strict but gave generous red envelopes.

His father probably wouldn’t change much, having served in the military. Their home even had a “Glorious Family” plaque, showing no signs of superstition. But his mother was different; she started believing in Buddhism after his grandmother passed away. Now, she might be praying for him, hoping he’d be reborn into a good family in his next life.

Even in a world devoid of miracles, people seek spiritual solace in the intangible. How much more so in a world filled with miracles and sorcerers? Most people aren’t strong enough to endure hardships, let alone a little girl who hasn’t learned to take care of herself.

And who knows, maybe it’s possible after all?

“So you need to keep painting. That would make Vionelle happy too.”

Although Ash’s words lacked logic, Little Weiser’s intelligence wasn’t particularly high at the moment. She cheerfully responded, “Okay!”

Feeling reassured, Ash returned to his whiteboard to paint. He found that painting with his soul was quite challenging. While he could control the depth of color and thickness of strokes at will, any lapse in concentration would turn the painting into a mess. He had to remain completely focused without the slightest distraction.

He glanced at the others and noticed that everyone was diligently painting. Even Little Weiser, who had been crying earlier, was doing well. He thought to himself, “As expected, they are all talented sorcerers.”

After nearly an hour, everyone finished their work. Ash then took a look at their creations and was profoundly moved. freёnovelkiss.com

First up was Little Sword Princess’s piece. In theory, hers should have been the easiest since it only required drawing two people. However, if Ash hadn’t known beforehand that they were supposed to be two people, he might have thought they were two Blade Fish Dragons that had somehow become sentient-why were their faces so sharp!?

Yet, Little Sword Princess wore a confident expression, her cowlick almost standing upright, eagerly awaiting Ash’s critique. Ash could only muster, “Very spirited!”

Next was Little Witch’s drawing. Ash looked at the stick figures on the whiteboard and couldn’t even tell if they were male or female. Setting aside technique, her attitude was quite evident.

Seeing Ash’s skeptical gaze, Little Witch pondered for a moment and said, “Sorry, let me add something.”

She added a stroke to one of the stick figure’s faces, crafting a wickedly charming stick figure, and said, “Doesn’t this look more like you now?”

With no hope left, Ash moved on to Little Weiser’s work, which surprisingly caught his attention. Although it was still mostly doodles, at least the details were discernible. On the left was a female sorcerer, while the right depicted chaos, darkness, ruins, and heavenly fire. With just a few strokes, the destructive aura of the world was vividly portrayed. Based on the composition, the theme seemed to be-

“So you want to save the world?” Ash asked in surprise.

Little Weiser looked a bit puzzled, sniffing, “Do I?”

“Hey!” Little Sword Princess called Ash over, pointing at her drawing, “Is this me?”

“What about me?” Little Witch was curious too, “Where am I?”

Compared to them, although Ash’s drawing wasn’t great either, at least he managed to capture the features and perspective, allowing Sword Princess and Witch to quickly find themselves in it. Little Weiser also approached curiously, “Am I in there?”

Ash pointed to a girl sitting on a tree stump reading a book, “You’re here.”

Little Weiser looked at it for a while and suddenly said, “Thank you!”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because when I draw Vionelle, she thanks me,” Little Weiser earnestly explained, “So I should thank you too.”

Before Ash could respond, the whiteboards around them began to tremble and then transformed into a mist of souls, merging into their spirits.

Pop, pop, pop-

Ash felt as if his soul was being filled with a bunch of popping candy. With each continuous pop, knowledge about the Soul Sect exploded in his mind.

He suddenly had a realization-among the four of them, his gain might be the least.

The reward for this stage wasn’t related to the completion of the artwork. As long as the Trial Taker completed the act of “serious painting,” they could pass. This stage was meant to train the sorcerer’s “malleable soul” in the Rejuvenating Return, during their naive and ignorant state.

For someone like Ash, who retained his complete adult memories, the potential for change was minimal, rendering the effect negligible. However, for the sword Princess and her companions, who successfully underwent the Rejuvenating Return and reverted to their innocent, adorable selves, this trial significantly boosted their Soul Sect experience and Soul Talent!

Ash wasn’t the least bit disappointed with this outcome; in fact, he was quite pleased. After all, he wasn’t one to cultivate, and an increase in Soul Talent held little significance for him. Besides, he had been quite the mischievous child. If he had fully undergone the Rejuvenating Return, he might not have passed this trial at all.

Moments later, Ash opened his eyes to find that the sword Princess, Witch, and Vesser had all returned to their original forms, marking the end of their childhood experience.

Their expressions varied. Sonya tried hard to maintain a calm demeanor, though her eyes avoided Ash’s gaze; Deya seemed lost in thought, possibly discussing the recent events with her Witch sisters; Vesser’s expression was particularly odd, as she looked at Ash with an indescribable emotion in her eyes.

Their reactions were understandable, given that their childish, naive sides had been exposed, akin to a social death. Ash wisely refrained from teasing them and pointed to the light orb, saying, “This time, the reward seems a bit special.”

After passing the 35th trial, the rewards were still three options, but each was unlike anything seen before.

The yellow light orb on the far left was actually a “chance for Rejuvenating Return.” In other words, if they didn’t choose this, the next time they reached the 35th trial, it would no longer be the Rejuvenating Return trial but something else.

Some might think this was better, but those who experienced the Rejuvenating Return knew the immense benefits they gained from the trial-they could clearly feel their Soul Sect talent had increased significantly.

This trial was a reward in itself.

The importance of talent needs no explanation. Not to mention the top-tier spellcasting talent of the sword Princess, Witch, and Vesser, an ordinary person without talent could at most reach the silver level.

However, to be precise, even the best talent can only bring a sorcerer to the Golden level. The Sanctuary realm tests not talent, but whether a sorcerer can extract extraordinary insights from life and the Virtual Realm to break through the bottleneck of spellcasting.

As for legends, they cannot be described merely by talent. Or rather, talent holds little meaning for legends. The term ‘legendary sorcerer’ describes not just power but the sorcerer themselves-to achieve legendary status in spellcasting, one must first achieve legendary status in life.

Only a life of legendary epic proportions can forge an understanding that transcends the ordinary.

However, Soul Sect spellcasting is a unique ability that only Elves have a talent for, not to mention the Specter’s Inheritance tests the Soul Sect. If they could undergo the Rejuvenating Return a few more times to enhance their talent, it would be immensely beneficial!

Suddenly, Deya pointed to the white light orb in the middle, “I want this one!”

Ash and the others were a bit surprised.

In their memory, this was the first time the Witch had actively requested a reward, so Ash agreed without hesitation, “Alright!”

The sword Princess and Vesser had no objections either.

Among the three rewards, the “chance for Rejuvenating Return” was undoubtedly the most valuable. In theory, they could use it to infinitely enhance their Soul Talent, and if they didn’t choose it now, they would never have the opportunity for Rejuvenating Return again unless it appeared in other trials.

But the thought of becoming children again was something they were reluctant to experience.

Vesser even secretly breathed a sigh of relief, having been worried about how to prevent choosing this reward-she was the one who could least afford to become a child again, almost revealing a secret earlier.

However, they weren’t too surprised by the Witch’s request, given that the white light orb in the middle contained a spellcasting Inheritance with a three wings spirit!

In fact, the light orb on the far right also contained a spellcasting Inheritance, but clearly, these two Inheritances were at most legendary level and couldn’t compare to the Specter’s Inheritance. These Inheritances were likely picked up by the Specter Seer during adventures, but since they couldn’t integrate them into his spellcasting system, they were placed among the ordinary rewards.

The Specter Seer’s approach was quite normal, akin to obtaining low-level equipment in a game that doesn’t match one’s level-useless and not worth selling, better given as rewards to the younger ones.

The spellcasting Inheritance chosen by the Witch was named “Rebellion against authority”!

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