Divine spirits always carry their own Cultivation Manuals, which I explained earlier. You have already passed what is usually the most difficult step, contacting your spirit. And you did it without much instruction. So I want to see how well you can harmonize with your spirit by yourself and how much you can learn from it. Then I will personally assess you to create the best training regimen."

In the process of cultivation, one takes energy from the environment or another external source and circulates that energy in an intangible network of blood vessel-like pathways that run throughout the human body. Repeat absorption, circulation and application of the energy were the three core essences of cultivation.

As there are many Energy Pathways, there are many routes the energy can take. This results in powers and abilities manifesting differently. If one cultivates without the instruction of someone skilled or without a cultivation manual, then they are risking injuring themselves, and potentially crippling their own cultivation.

There were many different types of cultivation manuals in existence. From fire types to soul types to physical body cultivation types. Humans could cultivate more than one manual, but it was no different from an athlete training in multiple sports. Multiple factors, time and talent being paramount, dictated one's progress in practising multiple manuals.

And as Eden had just said, Divine Spirits carried various cultivation methods on them. Knowledge of divine spirits was little as they were still being heavily researched, but they were believed to be a piece of a deity that broke off from the original in some manner and lowered in terms of cultivation base, shifting more towards the mortal side of the cultivation spectrum.

But one of the most interesting points about divine spirits is that they could 'teach' their hosts. Sentient spirits capable of such were rare, and divine spirits were at the peak in this reward. And Eden knew this well from his education.

'That divine spirit within him understands him more than me. Let's see how willing it is to help me nurture this boy. As for its identity, I will let it approach me of its own volition.' Eden pondered.

"The Academy takes things a little bit…slow for my liking, hence don't even think of it for now. I thought taking you there would let you progress at a slow pace, but after some thinking, I think you can handle yourself well. So we will take a faster, more efficient approach. I will take you to one of our more hidden castles at the edge of the territory. It's a place my family members go to gain peace and solitude.

When I'm at school, our family is run by my uncle, the head of the Cattermole Clan and Archduke of the Northeast Province. When I turned 18 he gave me control of our family and only comes out when I am otherwise engaged.

I may have married the King's Daughter but haven't had the opportunity to consummate the marriage as I have not yet come of age. Once I do next year I will officially be announced as Crown Prince and my family will begin procedures to take over the Central Province from the Saxe Goethe. There is a lot you should know about this and I'll tell you once we are settled. But now is not the time. Honestly, there is much more I want to inform you about but I don't want you distracted. For now, you should have a somewhat decent understanding of where you are and what to do."

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And in about an hour they had already reached a surprisingly empty castle. Artillian and Eden had gone to see the uncle of the latter in the throne room but The Archduke was not there. The throne was a simple bronze throne with odd decorations here and there.

Artillian had expected to see a huge palace-like structure brimming with fanfare plus the hustle and bustle of servants moving about. Servants were there, but they were few in number.

After a couple of breaths, the duo left and reached a staircase that spiralled downwards. Artillian estimated that they had gone a dozen or so floors down when they reached the very bottom. Two humongous doors appeared in front of them. Artillian was confident that no ordinary machine on Earth could open the doors. They are each 50 meters tall and 30 meters wide. Yet the tiny Eden opened them with ease which made it seem as if he was doing early morning yoga.

Inside was a spacious hall that was the size of the largest library from his old world on earth. Artillian lived near that library and visited it often. It was always full and bustling, now he was seeing something of the same size acting as a family's basement.

'This is nuts. How rich are these dudes.'

Artillian walked in with a look of wonder, observing the rows upon rows of books with seemingly no end to them.

"Each of the families has a few specialities. Cattermoles are natural researchers of the supernatural arts. We have created thousands of spells techniques and cultivation manuals. We are essentially a family of scholars. What you see before you is the hard work of Cattermoles throughout the countless millennia we have been in power."

He had no time to be stunned though, the minute the door closed behind them, Eden suddenly spoke.

"You have to reach the Peak Knight level in the next 10 months. If you want to survive next to me, you must at least achieve that.

'I'm still more interested in dying. Is that so hard to ask?' Artillian though. He sighed, visibly struggling with an internal struggle. Eden pretended not to notice and figured the boy would talk about his own issues later. The fact that Artillian would not get the rest he was seeking was painful, and the longer he was alive, the longer he would be reminded of his past. The boy started to sink into melancholy as Eden continued.

"You at least need to learn 4 or 5 different techniques in that time. Your spirit will help you with your first Manual so in the next three months cultivate diligently and enter the Upper sub-level of Knight peerage.

Then and only then will I know whether you're qualified not to enter my school. I'm just going to reconfirm this, but you don't know the Cultivation system outside what I have told you right?"

Artillian shrugged and stared at Eden in anticipation but alas he was disappointed.

"First let's see how talented you are, then we can determine how far you can go. If you're trash there will be no point in telling you everything. Now go practice according to your manual and I shall come to check on you in three months. My servants have already prepared a courtyard for you and it has a sound sealing formation so it's rather private. The guard outside will escort you. Goodbye for now."

Artillian stared at Eden with a worried expression and said. "Dude, don't leave me hanging!"

Artiilian was not happy about being abandoned in a dilapidated Hogwarts with strangers, but he had no choice in the matter. As soon as Eden said goodbye, a servant dressed in sim[ple silver came and escorted Artillian to a door a few hundred meters away from the entrance. Within was a large spacious room with torches brightly lighting it up. A large beautifully detailed fountain with swans and ducks was the centrepiece, with a few dozen doors to their rooms and an arching entrance to what should have been an underground garden with all sorts of plants and greenery appearing before the duo. There were plenty of orb-like stones attached to the walls and roofs that provided light similar to natural sunlight, so much so that if one went into the garden they could be fooled into thinking they were above ground.

'Well, at least I have some privacy now.'

Artillian looked at his "courtyard" and could not help but be shocked no matter how long he stared.

'My version of a courtyard and theirs are clearly different.'