Venix trained relentlessly for four hours, his body now covered in bruises and purplish-black marks. Every movement felt heavy, his muscles burning, the pain a stark reminder of the intensity of his recent training session.

  Six hours had passed in the Virtual World. Venix decided to return to his room before logging out and going back to the real world.

  Leoric and Luna had left long ago, and Venix realized this an hour ago.

  Upon reaching his room, Venix collapsed onto his bed. His body felt unbearably heavy, as though every muscle was screaming for rest. He lay there helplessly, letting the exhaustion overwhelm him.

  His hands were numb, trembling slightly after struggling to maintain a grip on his sword during the encounter with the Puppet. The pain radiated through his arms, forcing him to clench the sword tighter, leaving his hands completely numb now.

  Venix opened his system interface and navigated to his Inventory.

  Inside, several bottles of Awaken Elixir lay scattered. They shimmered faintly, as though offering a lifeline to counter his overwhelming fatigue.

  These Awaken Elixirs had been transferred by Venix to make them available in the real world. Yet, he could still summon them without restrictions in the Virtual World.

  With his body’s energy entirely depleted, Venix downed one Awaken Elixir in a single gulp and closed his eyes briefly.

  "How was your training, Venix?"

  A voice echoed in Venix’s room, startling him. He jumped off the bed, standing alert.

  When he looked ahead, he saw a familiar figure. It was Grandmaster Ardyn!

  “Hmm? Your reaction is quite sharp,” Grandmaster Ardyn remarked, observing Venix with mild surprise. “But tell me, how did you manage to get beaten up by such a weak Puppet?”

  Venix fell silent, his mind racing for an answer, but no words came. The silence felt oppressive, weighing on his chest and making him reluctant to speak.

  Gradually, Venix’s tense muscles began to relax.

  He bowed his head respectfully, his exhausted body making the gesture slower than it should have been.

  "Greetings, Grandmaster Ardyn," he said, his voice strained as he tried to mask his weariness.

  "There’s no need for such formalities," Grandmaster Ardyn replied with a smile, waving dismissively. "The Seed of Vulture should give you an edge in direct combat, thanks to its strong instincts."

  Venix pondered the statement for a moment and found it logical.

  He recalled his experience in the Origin Fragment Realm, where his Astral Body merged with the Vulture.

  At that time, Venix felt all the instincts and sensations experienced by the Vulture.

  In general, a Seed Origin grants its user power derived from its essence, with its instincts serving as the foundation of that power. However, Venix hadn’t felt such instincts.

  "Venix doesn’t have an Astral Body, Master. Please keep that in mind," Leoric’s voice sounded from an unseen direction, as if monitoring the conversation.

  Grandmaster Ardyn nodded, as though reminded of this fact. "True, you lack an Astral Body. That explains why your performance is subpar."

  "Hm? Isn’t an Astral Body only used for Meditation Techniques?" Venix asked, his face puzzled.

  "Of course not. That’s just one of its uses. With an Astral Body, you can connect directly to your Seed Origin, allowing you to access its abilities and instincts.

  "Without an Astral Body, you can only manipulate the origin energy within your body, and in a crude manner," Grandmaster Ardyn explained.

  A glint of understanding flashed in Venix’s eyes as he realized the reasoning.

  The Astral Body indeed serves as the primary link between a user and their Seed Origin. Without it, direct connection to the Seed Origin is exceedingly difficult.

  Grandmaster Ardyn shook his head slightly. "That’s not important right now. For the moment, I’ve brought you something."

  Grandmaster Ardyn snapped his fingers, and a green jade stone appeared in mid-air.

  The jade stone floated, moving toward Venix.

  "What is this?" Venix eyed the jade stone with confusion and suspicion. Though it appeared ordinary, something about it held his gaze.

  The jade stone glowed with a soft green light. Its appearance seemed unremarkable, yet as Venix stared, a longing stirred within his soul, as though he were beholding a priceless treasure.

  "This is an extremely valuable technique, Venix," Grandmaster Ardyn said, his face betraying a hint of envy. "So valuable that even I feel slightly jealous seeing you get the chance to learn it."

  Venix slowly reached out and touched the jade stone.

  [Detected: Host has come into contact with a Great Origin Technique.]

  Venix was slightly startled, not expecting the usually silent system to respond upon his touch.

  [Analyzing Great Origin Technique...]

  [99 seals detected, locking the Great Origin Technique.]

  [Host is authorized to unlock seal #33 and access its contents.]

  Venix’s eyes blinked as he noticed the system interface loading, indicating that the process was ongoing.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  [Seal #33 contains the core knowledge necessary to learn the Great Origin Technique.]

  [Assessing the value of the Great Origin Technique...]

  "Have you examined its contents?" Grandmaster Ardyn asked, noticing Venix’s dazed expression.

  Venix quickly snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "I sense this technique is far from ordinary, so I’ll take a closer look first."

  "Of course," Grandmaster Ardyn replied calmly.

  Venix then closed his eyes, accessing the information within the jade stone.

  In truth, he was waiting for the system to finish analyzing the jade stone.

  Accessing the jade stone’s information was akin to using a metallic box to study Meditation Techniques in the past.

  Now, he merely needed to channel his energy into the jade stone, and the information stored within it would flow into his mind.

  Three minutes later, the system notification he awaited finally appeared.

  [Great Origin Technique: Heavenly Scholar Technique has been fully analyzed.]

  [The knowledge contained within cannot be freely distributed or copied to another object.]

  [Host has access to the core of the Great Origin Technique.]

  [Would you like to store the entire contents of the Great Origin Technique in your memory?]

  Seeing the system interface, Venix’s heart trembled.

  Store the entire Great Origin Technique in his memory!?

  Just from the system’s response, Venix knew this technique was extraordinary—something only the most exceptional individuals could create!

  "Store the entire contents of the Great Origin Technique!" Venix declared eagerly in his mind.

  [95,000 Resource Points are required to store the technique’s contents in the Host’s soul. Proceed?]

  "95,000!? That much!?" Venix was utterly shocked by the cost.

  He had only ever spent 2 Resource Points to transfer Awaken Elixirs to his Inventory and summon them in the real world.

  This was a steep price. However, Venix felt it was worth it!

  He still had 100,000 Resource Points, leaving 5,000 for other purposes.

  "Proceed!" he instructed in his mind.

  [95,000 Resource Points have been used. Extracting the contents of the Technique is in progress.]

  [Time remaining until the process is complete = 5 Hours : 46 Minutes : 57 Seconds]

  Venix watched as his Resource Points dwindled rapidly, leaving only 5,000 points.

  He exhaled heavily, as if he had just stolen classified information from a nation.

  Opening his eyes, Venix took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His face betrayed an attempt at composure, even though he knew deep down that he had undertaken something monumental and risky.

  “How is it? Is that Technique difficult to learn?” asked Grandmaster Ardyn curiously.

  Venix scratched his head, realizing he hadn't fully focused on the information flooding into his mind.

  “Of course, this Technique is incredibly difficult. I might need a long time to study it gradually,” Venix replied after pondering for a moment.

  Grandmaster Ardyn nodded. “Study the Technique well. This is something Old Orion gave to you.”

  “Orion? Grandmaster Orion? The one who foresaw the Seed of Chaos?” Venix asked, his expression shifting.

  “Correct. That’s him. This Technique has reached the Great Origin level. If you can fully master it, you’ll become extraordinary! Of course, not as strong as me,” Grandmaster Ardyn said confidently.

  Venix looked at Grandmaster Ardyn with doubt.

  Honestly, even someone like Grandmaster Ardyn seemed to desire this Technique. If that was the case, wasn’t this Technique immensely powerful and exceptional, even for someone of Ardyn’s caliber?

  Sensing Venix’s hesitation, Grandmaster Ardyn smirked. “The Heavenly Scholar Technique isn’t specifically designed for combat but focuses on enhancing one’s comprehension when studying or creating new Techniques.”

  Venix’s eyes lit up at this revelation.

  “The Heavenly Scholar Technique is incredibly powerful, at least in supporting someone’s growth. Grandmaster Orion has always been ahead of all Primecore in matters of Origin Techniques. However, in terms of combat strength, no one compares to me, of course.” Grandmaster Ardyn chuckled as he said this.

  Venix smiled faintly but still harbored lingering doubts.

  “Why would Grandmaster Orion help me and give me this Technique to study alone?” Venix asked hesitantly.

  “Of course, because he supports our current research,” Grandmaster Ardyn replied, then continued, “If we succeed, not only will we eliminate the threat of the Seed of Chaos, but you will also become a pillar of strength in this world’s future.”

  Venix considered this and found it reasonable.

  Grandmaster Ardyn gave a faint smile, then pulled out a ring from within his robe and tossed it to Venix.

  Venix swiftly caught the ring.

  “This ring contains various Origin resources, like Awaken Elixirs and others, which can replenish your energy.

  “I’ve also included many Techniques you desire within it. However, for now, they are only at the Earth level. More advanced Techniques will come later,” Grandmaster Ardyn said calmly.

  Hearing this, Venix’s eyes lit up with excitement!

  Finally, what he needed was here!

  “Your situation is quite unique, so you just need to naturally develop the second Origin Fragment Realm until the second Seed Origin is born,” Grandmaster Ardyn said seriously. “Since this process is automatic and your Seed of Vulture is more than sufficient to complete it, you can focus on whatever you wish, whether training or something else.”

  “I will do my best,” Venix replied after thinking for a moment.

  “Just make sure to keep your energy reserves sufficient for yourself and avoid accelerating the birth of the second Seed Origin,” Grandmaster Ardyn reminded him, then added, “What we need is time to gradually find a solution.”

  Venix nodded, understanding.

  After that, the two conversed for several minutes before Grandmaster Ardyn took his leave.

  Before leaving, Grandmaster Ardyn hesitated slightly, then turned back to Venix and asked,

  “Are you sure you don’t need a woman to warm your bed?”

  Venix’s mouth twitched.

  “No!” Venix firmly refused.

  “No need to worry. You have privacy features in your room. Just press this button, and all cameras and surveillance devices will be disabled, so no one can monitor you,” Grandmaster Ardyn said, pointing at a button.

  Venix shook his head vehemently. “No, no need.”

  “If you manage to bring forth life through one of the women, it will contribute to this world. A virgin man has a higher chance of creating new life,” Grandmaster Ardyn said.

  “No!” Venix’s face turned sour.

  If he truly had a child in this Virtual World, it would be a nightmare! Venix still wanted to pursue romantic relationships in the real world, even having children. However, he didn’t want to spend his first experience in the Virtual World on such matters!

  Grandmaster Ardyn tried harder. “I could also send in men to—”

  “No! I need nothing, and I will ask for nothing else!” Venix’s face turned pale.

  While same-gender relationships were accepted in the real world, Venix was not among those who embraced them.

  Grandmaster Ardyn sighed in regret and finally left Venix alone in his room.

  After Grandmaster Ardyn departed, Venix sat on his bed, feeling a cold sweat soaking his body.

  Outside the research room, Grandmaster Ardyn encountered odd stares from Luna and Leoric, among others.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Grandmaster Ardyn asked, annoyed.

  Everyone hurriedly diverted their gazes, not daring to meet his eyes.

  Only Leoric mustered the courage to speak.

  “Master... why would you propose such a thing to Venix? How does that relate to the research?” Leoric asked, curious.

  “Look at your age, Leoric. You still don’t understand these things,” Grandmaster Ardyn said, shaking his head. “Experiences like that are invaluable and never dull. If Venix finds satisfaction in such experiences, he’ll work harder to succeed in the experiment.

  “Even if one of the women bears Venix’s child, it would be a tremendous boon! Venix would surely strive with all his might to witness his own child’s birth!”

  Leoric stared at Grandmaster Ardyn, dumbfounded.

  Not only Leoric but everyone else also wore varied expressions, as though Grandmaster Ardyn’s logic made a strange kind of sense.

  Psychologically, it could indeed provide Venix with higher motivation to work harder!

  Though the effect might be small, it was invaluable in such a dire situation!

  Grandmaster Ardyn felt pleased as he observed everyone analyzing his earlier suggestion.

  Meanwhile, Venix, resting in his room, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, shivering violently.

  “Is the Seed of Chaos already gaining dominance in the second Origin Fragment Realm?” Venix muttered softly, his body trembling in fear.