Therefore, when Raven said, "I have a bold idea," Huai Shi immediately picked up an axe and a large knife, forcing her to retract that bold idea.

What followed was the direction Huai Shi had always been working toward, the orthodox advancement of Mountain Ghost—Soloist.

Having Mountain Ghost as a precursor, this time Huai Shi was too lazy to flip the table. In legends, Soloist is also a woman!

Moreover, after some research, Huai Shi discovered it wasn't just any goddess. At a shallow level, she was a guardian deity of children, and digging deeper... he found a Fertility Goddess!

"I won't ask why you want me to advance into some kind of child-delivering deity," Huai Shi sighed on horseback, "but such a historic God of high rank, it's impossible to be Third Stage, right?"

In all the Stigmata Huai Shi knew, all that bore Divine Nature were Fourth Stage and above!

Even without mentioning the Sky Gorge between the Third and Fourth Stages, why would an orthodox God Spirit fall to the level of just Third Stage?

"You've overlooked something again: Stigmata are Stigmata, and Gods are Gods."

Raven's voice echoed in his ears, "It's only called such because it originates from Soloist and is not Soloist herself. Moreover, what Soloist represents isn't as simple as fertility. You're a young man full of vigor; don't you think it's time to find a girlfriend instead of having such wild thoughts here?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Huai Shi saw through her diversion. "Continue. Soloist."

"Alright," Raven sighed. "Since ancient times, whether in the West or the East, in any region, any Genealogy, and any Source, the representatives associated with the Domain of life are mostly female. You understand this, right?

Just like the Snake represents Sublimation and the Moon represents the Soul.

This is a correlation you should have established while studying Alchemy; don't make me tutor you."

"Are you saying the female aspect is just symbolic?"

"Not just that."

Raven said indifferently, "What the Stigma of Soloist represents isn't so-called fertility but the birth of life; don't get the two confused.

As for the guardian deity of children, conversely, you might interpret it as… the Children of the Gods."

"...What do you mean?" Huai Shi was confused for a while.

"Many places have sayings like children can see God Spirits, or children's eyes can see things that adults cannot, right?" Raven spoke slowly, "Absolute pure Source Substance shares aspects with the essence of Gods, Huai Shi.

This Stigma is called Soloist partly due to its connection to the Domain of life. Furthermore, it has, at the bare minimum, reached a level of purity that only a Fourth Stage Stigma can achieve."

Huai Shi was stunned for a while, then overjoyed. "Does that mean if I advance to Soloist, I can obtain some traits of a God?"

"Dream on."

Raven scoffed, "What you'll get is as insignificant as a single cell compared to a true God, at best only the level of a prokaryote. Don't get ahead of yourself. It's so insignificant that it won't bring you any benefit.

But what's most important often isn't the quantity but the difference between having and not having, do you understand?"

Huai Shi pondered for a moment and vaguely grasped the idea.

Sometimes, even the difference between 0 and 0.000001 is vast, like a Sky Gorge...

"That's why I suggest you consider this particular advancement carefully."

Raven said, "Although your combat abilities won't change drastically like with King Xiang, choosing this advancement means you won't face as much difficulty as other Sublimators when stepping into the Fourth Stage, get it?"

"A Bright Future, right?"

Huai Shi sighed, "Just last night someone said the same to me."

"It's more than that."

Raven stated, "Advancing to the Fourth Stage requires not just the right timing, location, and one's own foundation but also a Metamorphosis of the Soul. At that time, your Soul will fully merge with the Stigma, without distinction, achieving a complete transformation.

If my guess is not wrong, the Stigma of Soloist is one of the most compatible with your 'Hand of Confinement.' You won't have any trouble at this checkpoint."

Huai Shi was puzzled.

Hand of Confinement compatible with Soloist? One is the transformation between metal and Source Substance, and the other is the birth and Metamorphosis of life; where is their compatibility?

"Talking about this now is useless; you'll understand when the time comes."

Raven shook her head on the page, "One last thing: the advancement of Soloist is the most suitable Stigma for the Ring of Nibelungen in the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy, aside from the Path of Dusk."

"Suitable for creating expendable pawns?"

Huai Shi was puzzled. "Doesn't seem very useful... Ah, I mean, sending them off to self-destruct is quite strong, but it seems mediocre at other times. Is there a setting for upgrading and unlocking new functions?"

"..."

The Raven sighed, frustrated by his denseness. "Alright, this thing has fallen into your hands; consider it squandered."

This fool never considered something. When he was a Mountain Ghost, he could nurture three Yin Souls. But when he became a Soloist, not only would his legion increase from three to five members, but he could also upgrade Yin Souls to Mountain Ghosts. Then, each Mountain Ghost could bring along three more Yin Souls!

And when he entered the Fourth Stage, he would complete and upgrade the Ring of Nibelungen. The number of his direct legion would increase from five to ten. These ten Mountain Ghosts would then advance to Soloists, each commanding five Mountain Ghosts of their own. And those Mountain Ghosts could then…

The Path of Dusk was once claimed to be the most shameless Sublimation path within the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy. It relied on this kind of pay-to-win numerical warfare strategy, alright!

You've made a huge bargain!

Raven didn't want to say more, and Huai Shi didn't continue to ask.

Knowing that becoming a Soloist wouldn't turn him into a woman, a huge weight was lifted from his heart. He immediately started to worry about the materials he would need for his advancement.

Not only did he need various Abyssal Treasures and Border Relics for the transformation Mystic Ritual, but there was also a lengthy list that made Huai Shi's wallet twitch and a plethora of tasks to be done.

This time, Raven declared, "You're now a grown fool, and you should learn to handle your own advancement."

Besides acting as the Ritual Host when the time came, she would not interfere with anything else.

To manage all these tasks, Huai Shi would either need to spend three years running himself ragged collecting various items, or he'd have to prepare a 'small token' of appreciation and spend money to solve the problems.

Spending money was out of the question; Huai Shi could only tighten his grip on his wallet, preparing himself for leg-breaking runs across the Current Circumstances, the Border, and various Hells.

But some materials still required luck, and even more items were completely baffling.

Take, for example, the first of the most challenging prerequisite conditions...

"What the hell does 'the birth of life' mean?" Huai Shi asked.

"It means to create a life, duh! Can't you understand the literal meaning?" Raven retorted. "You're so grown up, you don't know how to have kids? Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning then—Huai Shi, you see, little babies are not brought by a stork; they need to be..."

"Paid for with phone credit?"

Huai Shi interrupted her coldly, his eyes questioning, "Who was it, just the other day, saying they didn't want things to get '404'd'? Why are you so smooth with the suggestive jokes yourself!"

"I was just trying to explain it to you," Raven defended.

"Then explain to me what the hell kind of Stigma prerequisite requires me to have a child!"

Huai Shi was exasperated. "Besides, I'm freaking seventeen years old, sis! I'm not even of legal marriage age! And even if I were, I don't have a girlfriend! And even if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't necessarily need to have a child just for this!"

"Well, there are many ways to create life; having your own child is just the simplest one." The Raven shrugged, a look of helplessness on her face as if to say, 'I gave you a suggestion, but you're not taking it.' "Of course," she continued, "there are other ways, just not as simple and quick. You might as well take your time finding one. After all, I'm not the one in a hurry..."

"...Life is really tough," the young man sighed, looking up at the sky, his helpless lament echoing on and on.

The White Horse rolled its eyes, suddenly feeling the urge to kick up its heels.

Fortunately, just as Huai Shi was about to drive the White Horse to the brink of tolerance with his incessant talk, they finally arrived at their destination.

The Xiematai Art Gallery.

As Master Chef Watanabe had mentioned, it was one of the older classical music halls and had relatively frequent exchanges with the outside world. Seeking to establish communication there would likely not end in disappointment.

Just as Huai Shi was scrutinizing the serene structure that lay behind the grand doors, he heard the thunderous sound of the doors opening. Behind them, a Skeleton dressed in formal attire stumbled forward to meet Huai Shi, placing a hand on its chest in a bow.

"We have awaited you for a long time, Mr. Huai Shi."

Huai Shi raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"

The Skeleton's jaw moved up and down, creaking as it spoke, "Though we have not had the honor to meet, your glorious image has spread throughout Xiematai in recent days.

After confirming with the main assembly several times, I dared to believe that after six hundred years, another esteemed Disastrous Musician has graced this unremarkable city. Since then, I have been prepared to welcome your arrival."

Behind the Skeleton, the once silent building burst into light. Amidst the brilliance of gold and jade, ancient doors opened one after another, revealing a spotless and magnificent hall. Countless candles lit up simultaneously, highlighting the dizzying, ornate decorations.

"Please come in, Mr. Huai Shi," the Skeleton gestured warmly, leading the way. "Do come in. I never thought I would have the honor of hosting such a distinguished guest at the end of my professional career."

"..."

Huai Shi was dumbstruck.

Am I really this popular in Hell?

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