Chapter 215: Inferior Spatial Aptitude?
For those with exceptional talent, joining Myriad Arts of Heaven Curriculum required little to no investment; the Hall of Valor would provide funding to the mentors to help teach new knowledge and supply fresh training materials for arrays.
Taking array study as an example, an excellent array master greatly enhances warfare. Often, gifted individuals are backed by certain gods during their apprenticeship, providing resources to aid in their cultivation.
The same applies to other courses within Myriad Arts of Heaven Curriculum. Those without talent who force themselves to learn must invest massive amounts of contribution points, and even then, they might not see results, while the talented are courted from all sides, moving up the ranks effortlessly.
"So, most people\'s choice is to try various courses. If they don\'t have a particular strength, they choose to give up and become combat players instead," Bill said.
"Bro David, I recommend that if you don\'t have exceptional talent, you don\'t necessarily need to pursue the Course of the Hundred Arts."
"To put it plainly, it\'s just a skill system."
"Unless you have a Sub-Profession option that can form an Array Master Sub-Profession, you won\'t be able to delve deeply into array research. The effort you invest might be better spent leveling up through monster hunting."
"This is especially true for those with average talent. They might barely keep up with the learning pace, only to find after spending a massive amount of contribution points that investing those points into regular cultivation could have potentially elevated their strength to demigod levels."
"That would be a true loss."
Bill\'s advice was sincere.
As Sterl listened to Bill, he found his points quite reasonable. If it weren\'t for the Sub-Profession, there\'d be no need for him to learn arrays.
Why not just let a primary star learn and benefit from array skills for free?
The two continued chatting until they finally arrived at the location for the newcomer course.
This was yet another area arranged by spatial arrays; the small building appeared unremarkable but was quite spacious inside.
It seemed Bill had received a prompt from the Hall of Valor, obtained contribution points, and his face lit up. He nodded at Sterl and said, "If you have any questions, just let me know."
With that, he happily settled into a corner of the room, while Sterl casually found a spot to sit down, closed his eyes, and began to refine his arcane skill proficiency.
His mental realm was a sea of stars, swirling with energy.
...
About ten minutes later.
Suddenly, a strange wave of energy flickered, and Sterl immediately opened his eyes. He found that everyone was seated in what resembled a classroom.
But in the next moment, the classroom dissipated, transforming into a majestic mountain range interwoven with clouds. The students found themselves floating in mid-air, and above them, a deity with an unusual aura opened their eyes.
God of Space.
That phrase echoed in everyone\'s mind, and Sterl\'s expression shifted slightly.
He sensed that this God of Space was similar to Gloria and the other deities he had encountered, possessing only faint Divine Power.
Yet, despite this weak Divine Power, the God of Space set off alarm bells in Sterl\'s mind, flooding him with an overwhelming sense of danger!
Sterl even had a faint premonition that if he were to ascend to godhood at this moment, he would not stand a chance against this deity because...
The divine authority of space and the laws of space were far beyond those of the moon, flowing water, or shadow.
These were powers of a higher dimension, pointing directly to the essence of time and space in the universe!
It wasn\'t just Sterl; all the students present, suspended in the air, instinctively knelt in a half-crouching position, showing their respect for the deity.
At that moment, Sterl couldn\'t help but feel a surge of desire.
"Right! Arrays are related to the power of space!"
"If I learn arrays, could I have the chance to gain Law Power related to space?"
His heart raced.
While other players might not have such opportunities, Sterl had a Sub-Profession slot!
His main profession was Star Mage, and his Sub-Profession was Space...
That opened up vast possibilities!
Before he could revel in his excitement for more than a few seconds, the deity sitting high above smiled gently.
"I am called Demon Lord."
"I will also be your instructor in arrays."
"Next, I will teach you the basics of array theory."
...
As the deity spoke, strange syllables flowed from his lips, and Sterl and the other students felt inexplicably as if they were momentarily banished to the void.
Various peculiar pieces of knowledge swam into their bodies like fish.
[You have acquired Introductory Array Knowledge.]
[Notification: You have gained a knowledge-based skill, which serves as a prerequisite for certain techniques and abilities. Through this knowledge-based skill, you may potentially comprehend corresponding golden skills, laying the foundation for legendary achievements.]
"Is it really possible?!" Sterl\'s eyes brightened. The ability to comprehend golden skills and establish a foundation for legendary achievements meant he could potentially grasp the corresponding Law!
The space Law--he truly had a chance to acquire it!
At the same time, Sterl sensed the knowledge in his mind and couldn\'t help but marvel at it.
Initially, he had wondered why other players who had studied the Course of the Hundred Arts didn\'t privately teach to earn some contribution points. Now he realized that this kind of knowledge couldn\'t be shared at all.
Everything about arrays was something Sterl could only intuitively understand but could not express!
No wonder the Sub-Professions in [Transcendence] weren\'t accessible to players as early as in other MMORPGs.
The knowledge of Sub-Professions was extremely esoteric and ineffable.
Thus, it circulated only among powers of the level of the Hall of Valor.
...
Soon, the many players present began to recover from their trance-like state.
Demon Lord waved his hand, and immediately an irregular shape glowing with an unusual silver light appeared before each person.
"Hold it and awaken your spatial aptitude."
"This is the foundation for cultivating arrays."
Without hesitation, each player followed suit.
Then, strands of light began to shine from them, and the timing of each person\'s illumination seemed to vary.
Demon Lord, as their mentor, hovered above, commenting on each one.
"Welter, aptitude is average."
"Carl, aptitude is inferior."
"Ethan, aptitude..."
...
Demon Lord maintained a calm tone, and the results of most players\' aptitude activations were indeed unremarkable, falling into the categories of average or inferior.
Before long, the aptitude of nearly everyone had been confirmed.
Until...
A muscular man covered in tattoos and wearing minimal leather armor suddenly shone brightly, a silvery-gray aura blazing like fire around him.
"Fred, aptitude... excellent!"
Demon Lord\'s tone finally changed. A player with excellent spatial aptitude had the chance to cultivate arrays to a very high level, potentially influencing battles below the deities!
Some arrays could even affect gods.
Such talent would surely entice even the God of Space! Converting him into a believer would yield a far greater power of faith than that of ordinary people--hundreds or thousands of times stronger!
Just as Demon Lord was about to speak to recruit Fred, perhaps asking if he would be willing to become his divine messenger...
In the next moment, a dark red shadow suddenly squeezed into the scene atop the mountain shrouded in clouds.
"Haha! Yes!"
"Fred, it was worth it for me to pile resources into you to elevate you to legendary status and send you to the Hall of Valor."
"I knew that a life born from the Ethereal Crystal would definitely possess extraordinary spatial aptitude."
An overwhelmingly domineering and intense aura surged through the area.
The overwhelming aura of the newcomer caused all the players present to turn their heads involuntarily, and they couldn\'t help but recognize the figure, their minds echoing a single phrase:
God of War and Violence.
It was yet another deity. The reason for his appearance was simple: he had spotted his follower, who had demonstrated excellent aptitude, and had come forward to claim him.
Upon seeing this, the God of Space, Demon Lord, regained his composure and extinguished any thoughts of recruitment.
Fred, upon witnessing the arrival of the God of War and Violence, displayed an expression of fervor, embodying the demeanor of a fanatic--he was utterly devoted and would never consider switching allegiance.
Demon Lord then shifted the topic, asking,
"Do you have an Ethereal Crystal? I am willing to pay any price for it."
But the God of War and Violence merely shook his head. "How could I possibly obtain such a treasure? I\'ve only caught a glimpse of it once."
With that, his figure faded away once more.
Demon Lord narrowed his eyes, watching the direction in which the God of War and Violence had departed.
He wasn\'t foolish; it was clear to him that the deity was lying.
However, even if he were to forcibly kill the God of War and Violence, he wouldn\'t necessarily gain the Ethereal Crystal that the latter had hidden away...
Demon Lord could only suppress his desire and prepare to strategize for the long term.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sterl wore a stiff expression as his test results came in, reflecting the earlier evaluations of the other students\' aptitudes by the God of Space.
He observed the dim silver light surrounding him and came to a conclusion--
He had inferior spatial aptitude.
It could be said that he had some talent, but not much.
He was barely capable of learning arrays.
At this moment, Sterl noticed that the surrounding players were quite friendly.
"Buddy, you\'re a bit unlucky. Why not just drop this course?"
"Arrays aren\'t really suited for you, but it\'s okay--everyone has different talents."
...
No one chose to mock or belittle him.
Anyone who made it into the Hall of Valor was undoubtedly talented, and in their eyes, Sterl\'s poor spatial aptitude didn\'t mean he lacked potential for the future.
In fact, many thought it was just right for this brother, who seemed downcast, to mingle and make connections.
Sterl, too, laughed it off, exchanging friend requests with several players...
Until the player with excellent aptitude, Fred, approached him.
"Hey, want to add me as a friend?" Sterl initially didn\'t realize what was happening.
But Fred sneered, "A lackey of Gloria?"
His tone was filled with hostility and a hint of malice.