CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 20: ADVANCEMENT RITUAL (PART 2)

The ritual’s content is indeed as such, but both the item and the person involved have specific requirements that are not easy to meet, sometimes requiring repeated attempts.

Ye Yuxuan did indeed swap out He Kao’s Beast Claw Pendant. She was the sixth and last person to do so, meaning what she took was not the original. The original had long been switched by Qian Guran; the senior brother and sister were simply unaware of it.

Over a month ago, Wu Yanjun found his master uncle, Ye Hui. Of course, he also asked about their master’s case. Ye Hui had already investigated and obtained a copy of the case file through his connections, finding some clues from it.

Following the trail, they happened to look into Zhou Du’s case from back then. Investigating Zhou Du was a bit challenging because he had passed away twenty years ago, and much of the information was missing.

Ye Hui noted that Zhou Du had a son named He Kao, but he initially ruled out He Kao’s suspicion. This was because recent incidents involving the Hidden Moth had evidence showing it was unrelated to He Kao.

The investigation also piqued Ye Yuxuan’s interest, so she wanted to go to Qi Yuan to find the Hidden Moth. Ye Hui warned her not to get involved so easily, but Ye Yuxuan was an adult and went regardless.

Wu Yanjun, worried about his junior sister, followed her to Qi Yuan. He always felt that their master outwardly discouraged his junior sister but secretly approved and even instructed him to protect her in Qi Yuan, not let her act recklessly, and to make contact if anything happened.

Like Qian Guran, Ye Yuxuan also set her sights on the Beast Claw Pendant that He Kao wore, but when she got there, the pendant was already on its sixth owner.

Ye Hui’s investigation had already ruled out He Kao’s suspicion. Why did Ye Yuxuan still focus on He Kao? Because she discovered several Magic Sect’s Members secretly spying on He Kao.

On the other hand, she believed she should think independently. Who said her father’s judgment was always accurate? She brought the swapped Beast Claw back to Taigu City, with Wu Yanjun only protecting her in secret without intervening.

After returning to Taigu City, Ye Yuxuan felt that the Beast Claw was indeed somewhat special, but it wasn’t exactly a rare item, let alone the legendary Divine Artifact.

Upon hearing the news, Ye Hui also took the item for appraisal, decisively concluding that she had made a mistake, and criticized her behavior—such actions were inappropriate, no matter the justification.

Wu Yanjun then advised his junior sister to return the item. But how could they return it? Could they admit to He Kao in person that they were thieves? Wu Yanjun volunteered and proposed another idea.

The idea was to attempt a promotion ceremony.

Ye Yuxuan’s Micro-Entry Skill cultivation for Tier One was complete, only lacking such a ceremony. She had designed two previous attempts, both unsuccessful—this time, she might as well go with the flow.

With Wu Yanjun’s words, Ye Yuxuan was truly moved; otherwise, how could she be so obedient?

The Beast Claw had been worn by He Kao for twenty years, yet after being replaced by Ye Yuxuan, he was completely unaware. When Wu Yanjun returned it, original and fake together, he still couldn’t discern the difference.

This ritual’s design was absolutely spot on! Ye Yuxuan successfully promoted.

The Sorcerer’s promotion ceremony is indeed mystical. Perhaps because techniques themselves are rooted in Mysticism, many aspects are hard to explain, and everyone can only sense them personally.

For instance, was He Kao’s failure to notice his Pendant being replaced considered a success? Yes, but not entirely—it was merely one of the prerequisites for success.

At least until Xiaowu found He Kao, Ye Yuxuan felt the ceremony was not a success.

But when Xiaowu found He Kao and exposed Ye Yuxuan’s trick, returning the "original" Pendant to him, He Kao still couldn’t tell the authenticity and specifically asked Xiaowu. This step seemed to be when the ceremony genuinely took effect.

Upon hearing the news, Ye Yuxuan, as if enlightened, knew that very night during her sitting meditation that her fire had reached perfection. In that moment, her mind and body, form and spirit united... to put it in plain language, her physical senses achieved harmony, raising her technique realm even higher.

What if Xiaowu hadn’t done this, or hadn’t told her the true outcome after doing it? This cannot be hypothesized; theoretically, it shouldn’t happen since a Sorcerer’s observation of the result is part of the ceremony itself.

What’s special about a Tier One Imitator and a Tier Two Scholar? The practice of Micro-Entry Skill starts with striving for dexterity; Tier One could be called clarity of mind, and Tier Two could be called sleight of hand.

Wouldn’t the Beast Claw Pendant created by Ye Yuxuan that even He Kao couldn’t distinguish as fake demonstrate dexterity? This differs from ordinary understanding—achieving Tier One in Micro-Entry Skill is commonly known as being an Imitator, with abilities mainly focused on perception.

For instance, when crafting a fake item, one must first make a meticulous observation of the original. Sometimes this observation isn’t about scrutinizing it up close but catching a glimpse—requiring a very acute Perception Ability.

Perception Ability involves various factors like nerve response speed and mental focus, and all senses must coordinate or even communicate with each other. At some point, the body might struggle to keep up.

There’s a saying, "The mind realizes, but the action can’t keep up," often seen in sports. For example, in soccer, some quick reactions, like accelerating or sharply turning, can easily lead to self-injury or strain.

Every technique has its peculiarities, but the issues faced by a Tier One Sorcerer are similar. The ever-enhancing Perception Ability will inevitably hit a limit, surpassing which may lead to disharmony of mind and body, form and spirit.