Transforming into other monsters wasn't the point. What mattered was unlocking new talents.
Up until now, Isaac had been stuck with one single trait—"Inferior/Hyena Bloodline." No matter how he upgraded it, he could never acquire a second talent. But the introduction of Bloodlines changed everything.
"Now that's something," Isaac narrowed his eyes with interest.
He scrolled further through the Reputation Shop.
Basic Cultivation Technique: Beast Breathing Manual
Cost: 1000 Monster Reputation
Unlocks the fourth core attribute: Spirit Power. Increases Spirit Power through cultivation.
Isaac grinned. "Finally, I get a Cultivation Technique too."
Before level 10, most enemies only used physical attacks. But Celestia: The Eternal Realms clearly had heavy cultivation elements baked into its world. Past level 10, Spirit Power would only become more important. While players gained access to cultivation manuals by reaching level 10 and traveling to a major city, Isaac hadn't been sure if monsters like him would get the same treatment.
Apparently, everything in the world had Spirit Power—even monsters like him.
Still, the price tag of 1000 Monster Reputation stung.
He kept browsing.
Basic Tier Skill Assimilation (First Use)
Cost: 1000 Monster Reputation
Gain the ability to assimilate Basic Tier abilities from defeated monsters.
"Wait a minute… Does this mean I'm not limited by the nine player classes?" Isaac muttered.
Each of the nine player classes used distinct styles and abilities. But if he could freely assimilate any Basic Tier monster abilities, that would open up a ridiculous number of options. The description didn't restrict it to a single school or category—it was all fair game.
"This sounds overpowered. But that 'first use' bit… definitely feels like a setup."
Knowing how overpriced the Reputation Shop was, Isaac was sure he'd be getting nickel-and-dimed again.
"Whatever. At least I know I'm not falling behind players now."
There weren't any more useful items in the shop, and after a moment of thought, Isaac decided to take the plunge.
He bought the Beast Breathing Manual.
It was basic, sure, and obviously meant for low-level monsters. But it was a foundation—and one the game clearly emphasized as essential. Besides, the official site had already said that Spirit Power grew passively through cultivation. The sooner he unlocked it, the better.
"Buy Beast Breathing Manual."
A new item appeared in his inventory—a scroll with a dark blue cover and sharp, jagged script that looked half-feral, half-elegant.
"Learn."
The scroll vanished in a shimmer of energy, streaming into Isaac's forehead like scattered stardust.
New system prompts popped up:
You have successfully learned the Basic Cultivation Technique: Beast Breathing Manual.
You have unlocked the fourth core attribute: Spirit Power. Initial value: 1.
All things in this world contain Spiritual Energy. Draw it in, and reshape your fate.
Spirit Power can be increased through three main methods: passively absorbing a fraction of XP Orbs when killing monsters; cultivating while idle and attuning to the Spiritual Energy of the world; and consuming rare elixirs to recharge your Spirit Core.
You can check your Spirit Core at any time. Once fully charged, it will grant you +1 Spirit Power, then reset to empty.
Using Spirit Power-based skills or attacks consumes Spiritual Energy from your core. An empty core means no Spirit Power use.
Welcome to the true beginning of Celestia: The Eternal Realms.
Isaac blinked.
"So the game really starts at level 10, huh? Damn, Aegis wasn't lying this time."
He pulled up his status panel to check his new attribute.
Nothing else had changed, but a new section now appeared below his usual stats:
Physical Strength: Strength: 42 (36+6) | Agility: 44 (36+8) | Constitution: 42 (36+6)
Spirit Power: 1
His damage stat had split into two parts: physical and Spirit Power. The latter showed a measly 1.
Technically, it added 1 point of bonus damage to normal attacks. But using abilities fueled by Spirit Power would now drain his internal reserves—the so-called Spirit Core.
Defense had also changed. He now had both physical and Spirit Power defense. His Spirit Power defense, of course, was sitting at zero.
Two new entries had appeared on his character screen:
Cultivation Technique: Beast Breathing Manual (Inactive)
When cultivating, gain 1 unit of Pure Spiritual Energy per minute.
Spirit Core: 0/100 (Pure Spiritual Energy)
"Alright. Let's see how this works. Activate Cultivation Technique."
Isaac sat down cross-legged, folding his awkward Hyenaman limbs into a meditative pose.
As he began cultivating, his body suddenly felt... light. Empty, in a strange, almost euphoric way.
He tried opening his menu—but was instantly met with a warning.
You cannot perform other actions while cultivating. Doing so will interrupt the process.
"Tch. Can't even check my status mid-cultivation?" Isaac muttered. "There goes my plan of AFK-grinding while watching a stream."
Well, no choice. If he wanted to make use of the technique, he'd have to set time aside.
Still, he wanted to know how efficient this would be in combat. He stood up, gathered Red Team, and returned to grinding.
You have slain Sturdy Hyenaman (Lv. 8). Gained 80 XP Orbs, 1 Tier 2 Talent Shard, 1 Star 2 Quality Point.
Extracted 1 unit of Pure Spiritual Energy.
You have slain Hyenaman (Lv. 8). Gained 75 XP Orbs, 1 Tier 0 Talent Shard, 1 Star 0 Quality Point.
Extracted 0 units of Pure Spiritual Energy.
You have slain Special Agile Hyenaman (Lv. 8). Gained 90 XP Orbs, 1 Tier 0 Talent Shard, 1 Star 0 Quality Point.
Extracted 0 units of Pure Spiritual Energy.
After a few fights, Isaac realized there was no pattern. It wasn't tied to the monster's type, level, or who delivered the final blow.
It was just RNG.
"Goddamn. No wonder the devs said cultivation was the primary way to build Spirit Power. Fighting sure isn't reliable."
For regular players, killing even one monster a minute was optimistic. At this drop rate, passive meditation was definitely the smarter route.
Still, battling had its perks—XP, drops, and Talent materials. The two paths were a trade-off.
With his curiosity satisfied, Isaac decided to call it a night. Yesterday he'd literally slept in-game. Not happening again.
"One last Daffino run at 9 PM, then I'm logging off," he muttered, checking the time. Half an hour left.
"Red Team, go grind some level 8s. If Daffino spawns, come get me. I'm AFK—gonna catch a few streams."
Isaac opened the official broadcast page.