Rivers of the Night

Chapter 744: Encoded

’Fascinating...’

Theron didn’t know how many times he had had this exact thought, but maybe he should have known that Formation Mastery was practically a field made and tailored for him.

The complexities, the way it taught him the way the world worked, the way deductions and intelligence seemed to be such a huge part and crutch it relied on.

But it also felt like there were countless places to start, and quickly even Theron found himself getting overwhelmed.

He took a step back, exhaling slowly and then reframing his state of mind.

First, he had to answer a very obvious question. That would decide what direction for him to take.

The Nightingale Ancestor had only explained the Angel Doctrine as a path that could control all form of Mana. Of course, this was overly simplified.

In reality, it was the Angel Race that was capable of controlling all forms of Mana. In comparison, what made the Angel Doctrine special was that it could be used to trigger an action in all sorts of Mana.

When one was speaking of alchemists, for example, there were only really two main ways to become one. The first was being a Soul Mancer and the second was being a Fire Mancer.

Fire Mancers had a far harder time of it, but it was still possible. A Fire Spirit Mancer like Thessa would have an exceptional advantage in this regard, though, and potentially be even better than a Soul Mancer.

Of coruse, exceptions aside, this was how things usually worked out. There were countless exceptions in the cultivation world as it was simply far too vast. Affinities could have endless variations within them, and there were theoretically an infinite numbe rof paths to take.

What made the Angel Doctrine special was that, theoretically, there was a path for Theron to learn alchemy through the use of Water Mana.

That was to say that what the Angel Doctrine allowed him to do wasn’t to manifest control over Mana he didn’t have control over. Instead, it allowed him to tap into abilities and aspects of Mana that he didn’t have affinity for through its use.

He didn’t need to have Fire Mana if he could use an Angel Formation to create the effects of one through his Water Mana.

The question then was... what about the Demon Doctrine? What was it designed to do?

This was much more complicated to comprehend because Theron had never asked the Nightingale Ancestor Bird about it, nor had the latter ever mentioned it.

What the Nightingale Ancestor Bird had said, though, was that there were many Ancient Doctrines deemed to be on the same level as the Angel Doctrine. In fact, many of them were preferred because the Angel Doctrine was far too complex.

As a Soul Mancer, why would you not choose any one of the millions of Doctrines suited for Soul Mancers than the one designed to be used by non-Soul Mancers?

None of that, however, answered the question of the Demon Doctrine.

Theron’s intiial feeling was to assume taht it was the direct opposite of the Angel Doctrine. But that didn’t necessarily make sense even if they were tied together.

As far as Theron knew, the Demons weren’t even a specific Race of being, they were just a collection of people who followed a different path of cultivation. This was unlike the Angel Doctrine which was directly tied to the Angel Race.

Of course... there could just be a Race he was unaware of. He had seen so little of the world, who was he to say what existed and what didn’t?

But even if he accepted they were meant to be direct opposites... what did that mean?

"Have you ever heard of a Demon Doctrine?"

Originally, Theron planned on keeping this hidden from the Nightingale Ancestor. The spear was too much of a wild card, and its loyalties obviously didn’t lie with Theron. But now, Theron had more cards in his hands and more confidence in dealing with unexpected situations.

’Demon Doctrine? I have never heard of such a Doctrine.’

Theron’s gaze flickered. He hadn’t expected that answer. Why would he heard of one but not the other?

Part of Theron began to realize that he had quite the large information gap. While he had a library that taught him the fundamentals of the world, it was all related to physical and biological sciences. It didn’t teach him anything about cultivation.

Granted, having that foundation allowed him to be far sharper in cultivation related matters. But that could only go so far when he needed detailed and exact information. Unless...

Theron fell into silence for a moment.

The Primordial Earth.

The first time Theron had seen it, what had he thought it was? It was a field of greenery and he thought that it might be perfect for planting the Mana Herbs he would need for the ancient pill formula.

It was a fleeting thought he had had, one that he didn’t consider very much. But...

What was the first thought he had about the Angel Doctrine? Wasn’t it the possibility of using it to concoct his own pills so that he wouldn’t have to trust someone else with the ancient pill formula?

There was a pill formula, a land used to plant herbs, and a Doctrine that could be used to concoct the pill formula.

It wasn’t just a vague connection, there was a strong connecting line from one to the next.

Meaning...

Using one portion he understood more than the others to deduce what patterns the others might have.

But in that case... there was an oddity here.

So many pieces of this inheritance couuld be used freely... the Entanglement Legacy, the Angel and Demon Doctrines, the Primordial Earth...

Each one was a shocking ability on its own.

So why form everything around a single pill formula seemingly only useful to Cloud Realm Mancers?

Theron fell into a deeper and deeper daze.

The pill formula wasn’t a pill formula at all.

It was an encoded secret.