Sogen stood silently, absorbing everything Rudriger had told him.
The revelations felt heavy—far heavier than any cultivation lesson he had ever received.
Rudriger's voice broke the silence.
"Boy, the matter of the curse will wait. You are not yet strong enough to touch something that deep. Some mysteries are not meant for the weak to unravel."
Sogen lowered his head and nodded. He did not deny it. He was weak. And the road ahead of him was long—far longer than he had imagined.
After a brief pause, Rudriger spoke again.
"What do you intend to do with your spiritual power?"
The question caught Sogen completely off guard.
"I… don't know," he admitted.
Rudriger studied him for a moment, then spoke calmly.
"Your clan has never produced a spiritualist. That is why you lack understanding.
Spiritual power is not merely energy—it is perception, control, and connection."
He gestured faintly at the air.
"First, learn to feel it. Sense your surroundings through your spiritual meridians. Then, guide it. Spread it."
Sogen closed his eyes and followed the instructions.
He focused.
He released.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the air changed.
A silent pressure filled the workshop, as though the space itself had become heavier. Invisible waves of spiritual energy surged outward, flowing through the walls, the tools, the weapons—through everything.
Rudriger's eyes widened.
The tools on the tables began to tremble.
The weapons on the walls shook.
Then—slowly—they rose into the air.
Dust, metal fragments, and shards of ore lifted from the floor, suspended as if gravity itself had weakened.
"Stop!" Rudriger roared.
Sogen immediately cut off the flow.
In an instant, everything crashed back into place.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Rudriger did not move.
Two full minutes passed.
"S-Sir?" Sogen finally called.
Rudriger inhaled sharply, his eyes burning with disbelief and excitement.
"Boy," he said hoarsely, "do you have any idea what you just did?"
He stepped forward.
"With that level of spiritual energy, you wouldn't just stand at the top of this empire… you would stand among the greatest spiritual prodigies of the entire continent."
Sogen's heart pounded.
After regaining his composure, Rudriger asked quietly,
"What will you do with this power?"
Sogen hesitated.
"Isn't a spiritualist someone who refines pills?" he said uncertainly. "So… I thought I would learn alchemy."
Rudriger closed his eyes and sighed.
"This ignorance is not yours," he said. "It belongs to your clan."
He opened his eyes, gaze sharp.
"You believe spiritualists only refine pills and assist cultivators. That they are merely support existences."
His voice deepened.
"But those with true spiritual abundance are meant for more."
Sogen listened, his entire focus locked onto every word.
After a brief silence, Rudriger spoke slowly:
"They forge Soul Essence Weapons."
The words echoed in Sogen's mind.
"Soul Essence Weapons…"
Rudriger continued.
"Spiritualists can embed fragments of soul essence into pills to enhance their power. Soul Blacksmiths do the same—but with weapons."
He paused.
"They bind soul essence into steel, into metal, into form—creating weapons that grow, resonate, and evolve with their wielder."
His voice lowered.
"Spiritualists are rare—one in a million. But Soul Blacksmiths are rarer still. Only one in a hundred spiritualists ever possesses the compatibility to become one."
Sogen felt as if a new world had opened before his eyes.
"Can I become one?" he asked.
For the first time, Rudriger smiled.
"Yes," he said. "But the path is brutal. Runes. Soul embedding. Spiritual control. Mental discipline. Precision. Patience. Pain."
Then he added quietly,
"And sacrifice."
A system window suddenly materialized before Sogen's eyes.
[Quest Update]
Objective: Request guidance from Rudriger to become a Spiritualist and Soul Blacksmith
Rewards: 10,000 System Coins
Item: Basic Book of Runes
The system window faded, but Sogen didn't move.
For a long moment, he simply looked at Rudriger.
This man had no clan.
No backing.
No reputation.
No resources.
Yet the knowledge he possessed surpassed entire great families of his clan.
Sogen finally understood something simple and terrifying:
True inheritance was not built on wealth — it was built on understanding.
He took a step forward and bowed deeply.
"Sir," he said sincerely, "I don't want resources. I don't want status. And I don't want shortcuts."
Rudriger looked at him.
"I want a teacher," Sogen continued. "Not a clan. Not a sect. Not an inheritance. Just someone who truly understands this path."
Rudriger's expression wavered.
"Boy," he said slowly, "this path will not bring you comfort. It will not bring you safety. And it will not bring you protection."
"I know," Sogen replied calmly. "But it will bring me truth."
Silence stretched between them.
"I can learn cultivation anywhere," Sogen continued. "I can learn alchemy anywhere. I can find resources anywhere."
Then his voice hardened with resolve.
"But I will never find a master like you. You taught me swordsmanship without demanding anything, you even gave me your techniques, then why don't take me in as your disciple."
For a long moment, Rudriger said nothing.
Then he turned away.
"Leave," he said quietly.
Sogen didn't argue.
He didn't beg.
He simply packed his belongings.
And instead of leaving the street—
He sat down outside the workshop.
Calm. Silent. Unmoving.
Not in protest.
Not in defiance.
In patience.
Hours passed.
Then the door opened.
Rudriger stood there, looking at him.
"…Stubborn brat."
Sogen looked up.
"I will not give you power," Rudriger said.
"I will not give you protection."
"I will not give you resources."
"I will not give you shortcuts."
Then his voice lowered.
"But I will give you knowledge."
He stepped aside.
"Come in."
A slow smile spread across Sogen's face.
During his young age, when he was not treated as a failure he had been taught by many elders of his clan, but none were as good and selfless as Mr. Rudriger.