Chapter 74 Theory Of The Destino
Jonathan closed his eyes and remained silent, trying to tamp down his anger. He was afraid that he would flare up and lash out at them once more.
However, Zachary took it the wrong way. He thought that Jonathan was disregarding him. Rage seared through him, and he moved toward Jonathan, intending to beat the man up.
Suddenly, Gabriel’s voice rang out. “Enough!”
When Zachary turned around, he saw Gabriel standing at the entrance. The latter stood there with an impassive expression on his face. He was dressed in a green flowy suit, exuding an ethereal and extraordinary aura.
Jonathan opened his eyes, and Gabriel came into view.
The man seemed to have materialized out of thin air. He did not have any cultivation but managed to appear without anyone’s notice. It was mind-blowing, the fact that even top-notch experts like Zachary and Jonathan could not sense his presence.
Seeing that Gabriel was there, Zachary immediately stilled his rage and calmed down. A look of embarrassment flitted across his face.
Gabriel was not too hard on Zachary. He merely said, “You may leave.”
Zachary nodded in acknowledgement and left.
Once Zachary was gone, Gabriel went into the alchemy room and approached Jonathan. He remarked, “You must be wondering why Zachary and Drake listen to my orders despite the fact that they have such high cultivation.”
Jonathan was indeed curious about that. No matter who it was, when one had reached such a high cultivation stage, they would be full of themselves and had a rebellious streak in them. That held true regardless of whether it was Drake or Zachary. It was the same for Jonathan. He refused to give in to anyone. If he got all riled up, he would not care about who he was facing. All that mattered was letting out his anger.
“Yes, indeed!” replied Jonathan.
Gabriel smiled and revealed, “I saved their lives when they were in trouble… However, you’re wrong if you assume that they listen to me because of that.”
Jonathan interjected, “Both of them are self-absorbed. They wouldn’t care that you saved their lives.”
“Exactly,” Gabriel agreed.
“Then why do they listen to you?” asked Jonathan. He found it unbelievable that both Drake and Zachary would address Gabriel as their master. Addressing someone as “master” is how a servant would address their owner. What exactly happened, such that two martial artists of the Neutralizing Force are willingly Gabriel’s servants?
Gabriel pulled a chair over and sat down. He said, “It’s a long story… But you’re in luck as I’m in a good mood today, so I’m willing to share with you the story. The difference between us is that you’re a martial artist while I’m practicing Destino Art. Martial arts originated way before Destino Art did. Anyone can practice martial arts skills, but Destino Art is unfathomable. If one is only skilled in martial arts, he can only be called a brute. Nonetheless, if one practices martial arts while comprehending its meaning, one will become a spiritual fighter. After that, he’ll be considered a true master of martial and spiritual arts. Zachary, Drake, and you are spiritual fighters. Therefore, all of you are able to accomplish so much more than an average fighter.”
After a brief pause, he continued, “If a day comes whereby you’re able to control the magnetic field, and you’re able to sense your destiny, you’ll be invincible. However, it’s incredibly difficult to reach that stage.”
Jonathan blurted, “If you practice martial arts too, I’m sure you’ll become an expert yourself!”
Gabriel shook his head and said, “Since young, I was able to comprehend Destino Art easily. You could say that I was way ahead of all my peers. However, I couldn’t understand martial arts at all. If I wanted to become an expert, I had to first learn martial arts, before learning Destino Art. Only then, will I become a spiritual fighter. But unfortunately, I can’t practice martial arts at all.” He then added, “However, the highest cultivation stage for Destino Art is linked to being a true master of martial and spiritual arts. Once a person practicing Destino Art reaches an all-knowing stage, he’ll be able to predict the future and avoid disasters. At that cultivation stage, even if they are faced with top-notch spiritual fighters, they’ll be able to change their destiny and defeat their opponents.”
He went on, “Even though we are experts of Destino Art, we aren’t omniscient. Despite so, we can control our destiny and luck.”
Jonathan fixed Gabriel with a deep stare. At that moment, he gained an even deeper understanding of Destino Art. It was as if he had discovered an entirely new world.
Gabriel added, “We’re alive, all because of spirit. Once the spirit’s gone, we’re dead. The spirit could refer to your will and your anger, or it could also refer to your hope and your dreams. In Destino Art, there’s something called Curb of Kismet. This is a skill that’s done through spiritual energy. By sensing the opponent’s brainwaves, we can play out the opponent’s fate in their brain. Once Curb of Kismet is cast successfully, the opponent will be misled by the vision and think that that’s their fate.” After a brief pause, Gabriel continued, “The Curb of Kismet is a Destino Art that detects and changes the opponent’s spirit. This is a very complicated Destino Art, and it’s near impossible to undo once cast. My current mastery over Destino Art is not enough to perform Curb of Kismet, but I have the Dragon Jade with me. This allows me to successfully perform Destino Art.”
“Are you going to perform Curb of Kismet on me tonight?” Jonathan asked. He marveled at it, but the realization also made his heart skip a beat.
Gabriel replied, “Yes.”
Jonathan felt a little bewildered and asked, “Since I already know about it, aren’t you afraid that Curb of Kismet won’t work on me anymore?”
Gabriel answered indifferently, “At present, this is not something that you can resolve by yourself. Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll also be aware that I’m practicing Destino Art on you. Previously, Zachary and Drake were not in the alchemy furnace, but they were still influenced by it. Besides, I have put a lot of effort into you.”
“Are you really that confident? You must know that I’m the Chosen One. We will definitely be different from others,” he protested.
Gabriel commented, “This isn’t confidence, but it’s me being in control of the future. If I can’t even control this, I wouldn’t dare to steal the luck and become the Chosen One. Anyway, it’s pointless to tell you about all these.”
Jonathan was almost choking on his rage. I can’t stand the way he talks. It’s as if he thinks of me like some moron, who doesn’t know anything at all. The truth is, I have already fully understood his words.
“Why must it be done at night between eleven to one?” he asked.
Gabriel responded, “Midnight is a very special time. People assume that’s when the negative energy is the strongest. However, the truth is that during that time, the negative energy will be transformed into positive energy. Hence, that’s the time whereby the positive energy is the strongest.”
Jonathan pondered for a bit before asking, “I noticed that there’s a pill inside the alchemy furnace. What’s that you’re making?”
Being in a good mood that day, Gabriel patiently explained, “There’s a lot to learn about alchemy. Have you ever heard of a saying?” Without waiting for Jonathan’s reply, he continued, “I bet not… Anyways, as the saying goes, ‘The carnivores are brave and ferocious, while those who eat grains are smart and agile. The ones who feed on air will live as long as immortals do.’ This tells us that our success is linked to our diet.”
Jonathan was stunned by Gabriel’s words. He was not like anyone else. Thus, the latter’s words left a deep impression on him.
Rabbits, horses, and pigs were herbivores. Hence, they were destined to become others’ food.
Dogs and wolves were carnivores. Because of that, in comparison to the herbivores, they were a little smarter.
Humans eat grains, so they were the smartest of all.
Because of all the things that humans eat, there were toxins in their bodies. That was the reason why most humans could only live up to sixty years old before their bodies started to fail them. However, experts like Jonathan could expel the poison from their bodies. That was why they were still agile even at seventy years old.
As for ingesting air for meals, it was said that practitioners of Destino Art and monks were able to abstain from eating and drinking. They were akin to immortals.
“How do they ingest air?” Jonathan asked in puzzlement.
Gabriel answered, “According to legends, experts of The Destino subsist on air and dew. In addition, they absorb the essence of the sun and moon and can travel great distances in a short span of time… Of course, these are merely legends. To my knowledge, ingesting the air is akin to ingesting pills. The elixir pills in the alchemy furnace contain all sorts of nutrients that the body requires. There aren’t any impurities in them. By ingesting the elixir pills consistently, in the long run, we’ll live as long as immortals do. That’s the reason why we eat elixir pills – To attain longevity. In fact, once you’ve reached a certain cultivation stage as a spiritual fighter, you need to eat a special type of elixir pill. At that level, normal food cannot provide you with the nutrients that you need anymore. However, I can’t ingest that type of elixir pill because my body isn’t strong enough. The nutrients in it will be too much for me to handle. That’s the reason why Zachary and Drake are willing to serve me. They want me to create elixir pills for them.”
Jonathan mused for a bit. He recalled having heard his master mention that before. There were some experts that could eat a whole cow in a day. That was because their bodies were severely lacking in nutrients, but if they ate the whole cow, it would bring a lot of inconvenience to them because of all the impurities the cow contained. If only they had those elixir pills on hand. As a spiritual fighter, there is still a long road ahead of me. There are still tons of things that I have yet to explore… Especially regarding The Destino. I have to interact more with them.
Suddenly, Jonathan snapped back to his senses and gave a bitter chuckle. He did not have any chance to explore anymore, for he could not live past that night.
Seeing that Jonathan was silent, Gabriel asked, “Do you have any other questions?”
Jonathan shook his head, but immediately added, “Where is Amber now?”
Gabriel replied, “She’s currently locked up in a place where outsiders can’t access. After tonight, her life will come to an end.”
Jonathan threw a glance at Gabriel and remarked, “The reason why she’s still alive is that you’re afraid that something unforeseeable will happen tonight. If that happens, you’ll threaten me with her. Am I right?”
Gabriel offered a faint smile and replied, “That’s just a habit of mine. It’s better to play safely in all situations. That way, if anything happens, I’ll have a way out of it.”
After which, he stood up and said, “Enjoy the rest of the time you have left.”
With that, he left the alchemy room.
The steel doors of the alchemy room closed shut. Jonathan groaned as pain surged through his body. He felt a stabbing pain in his internal organs.
Jonathan’s injuries were much more severe than he had originally thought, and he knew that his organs were bleeding internally. If he did not get treatment in time, he might not make it through the night.
Jonathan had been enduring the pain throughout the day. It was impossible for him to escape in such a condition.
As time ticked by, seconds turned into minutes.
In the blink of an eye, it was already eleven-thirty at night.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the door.
It was Gabriel, Zachary, and Drake.
