Witcher: Master Kiliman’s Grand Ambitions-Chapter 50: Soul Ascension Ceremony

After leaving Triss's residence.
Kiriman didn't linger in the town for long. After buying some food and drinks at the tavern, he headed directly to his monster hunting location - the Vizima sewers.
Since there were still about three days until his appointment with Triss, he planned to complete his first-stage soul ascension ceremony during this time. After all, he only needed a bit more soul power anyway.
This would be a closed-door cultivation session - time to grind properly.
New Vizima City, like many Northern Kingdoms' capitals, was a city built upon elven ruins.
A thousand years ago, humans drove out the elves, destroyed their cities, leaving behind only massive ruins, underground palaces, and relics scattered throughout the continent.
But soon, humans discovered that even the ruins left after the destruction of elven cities still possessed complete water treatment systems, vast and complex sewer networks, highly level ground, broad sightlines, advantageous terrain, and strategic transportation locations.
Utilizing these remnants of elven civilization was infinitely better than the backward, filthy towns humans built themselves.
This was also why in the witcher's world, many human towns could support large populations and possess extensive sewer systems.
Of course, everything has advantages and disadvantages. Because the sewer systems were too vast and complex, interconnected with external water sources, human capabilities couldn't thoroughly clean them.
Unknowingly, these sewers became nests for monsters. Various types of monsters, particularly water wraiths that could live in polluted water, gradually became major problems in the sewers.
Not only would they sometimes emerge from these hidden corners to attack city residents, but their unpleasant screams easily caused various disturbances throughout the town.
Thus, cleaning city sewers became a standard assignment for witchers visiting cities over the past century, requiring regular cleanings almost every few months.
Of course, the reward for this task was quite meager - averaging only two or three orens per water wraith, plus getting covered in filth in the sewers. It was the kind of assignment everyone despised.
But there was no helping it. If not for the abundance of monsters in the sewers, the concealed location, and the minimal interference during soul ascension, he wouldn't have chosen this place for his advancement.
However, the Vizima sewer conditions were better than he expected.
Perhaps because they hadn't been cleaned for several years, water wraiths covered in filth kept crawling out from the central water channel of the two-meter-wide sewer, lunging toward him as a living creature.
Due to the terrain, the water wraiths couldn't form a siege formation against Kiriman. Instead, they came one after another like lining up for execution, rushing forward without any resistance to be slaughtered.
As long as he didn't pass through sewer junctions, the entire sewer had only one straight path forward and backward, with no need to worry about ambushes. It was practically tailor-made combat terrain for a witcher.
Kiriman killed with great satisfaction, almost without stopping, slaughtering from the Temple Quarter all the way to the Trade Quarter, then back to Vizima's residential areas.
For two full days, he rested when tired and continued killing after resting. Even his Viper steel sword had several chips and damages after killing a full two hundred water wraiths, along with various other miscellaneous monsters, finally clearing most of them.
The soul power finally obtained was approximately three hundred points, bringing his total soul power to twelve hundred points - enough to complete the soul advancement ceremony with sufficient surplus for emergency healing.
However, following the principle of not wasting resources, after each batch of water wraiths and monsters, Kiriman would dig out the water wraith brains, cut off their ears, and collect other valuable materials from the monsters.
Over two hundred water wraith brains were enough to complete alchemist Kalkstein's tasks for several years, with likely many leftovers.
The water wraith ears could be exchanged for rewards at the city guard station, probably worth around five hundred orens.
Though Kiriman was somewhat concerned - would those seemingly poor and quite brutish city guards actually have enough money to pay his reward?
After all, they were soldiers enforcing city laws.
If they refused to pay, would he have to go on a killing spree?
Sigh, troublesome, but these were worries for later consideration.
Due to the terrain, the water wraiths couldn't form a siege formation against Kiriman. Instead, they came one after another like lining up for execution, rushing forward without any resistance to be slaughtered.
He then sealed the chamber entrance with large stone slabs, placed a Yrden Sign as magical protection, lit a small campfire, sat cross-legged, and entered meditation.
Without delay, not wanting to wait any longer, he directly began the soul ascension process.
Ding! Initiate soul ascension?
Advancing to next stage [Awakening] requires consuming 1000 soul power.
[Awakening]?
For two full days, he rested when tired and continued killing after resting. Even his Viper steel sword had several chips and damages after killing a full two hundred water wraiths, along with various other miscellaneous monsters, finally clearing most of them.
This thought flashed through Kiriman's mind, but he didn't hesitate further. Taking a light breath, he shouted in his mind:
Deep Blue! Begin advancement!
In an instant, Kiriman felt tremendous turbulence in his soul space.
The thousand points of soul power he had absorbed all manifested in his soul space, forming a soul tide more massive and grander than any before.
The soul tide rolled and surged continuously, causing repeated disturbances in the soul space while making Kiriman's soul rise and fall constantly.
Then, this enormous soul energy split into two parts. One part rushed out of the soul space, penetrating his body and dispersing to every corner, nourishing every cell, every bone, every muscle and nerve.
The other part of energy directly entered the massive soul light sphere within his soul space, forming mysterious runes in an incredibly profound way he couldn't comprehend at all.
This was where his soul resided - the soul named Kiliman Germann.
For a moment, Kiriman felt both his body and soul beginning to burn. His consciousness could hardly remain clear, unable to continue observing the changes happening within.
After an unknown period, Kiriman opened his eyes and discovered he had shed skin. A layer of dry, wrinkled skin had separated from his body surface, much like a python shedding its skin - rather disgusting to look at.
When he focused his mind and looked into his soul space.
He found that his soul light sphere's surface had formed a semi-transparent shell resembling an eggshell, composed of countless mysterious runes.
This shell tightly wrapped his soul light sphere, both protecting it and seemingly constantly compressing and tempering it.
Before he could continue observing, Deep Blue's mechanical voice sounded in his ears.
Soul advancement completed.
Current stage: [Awakening].
Acquired new soul skill: [Soul Projection].
Exclusive skills and physical attribute limits, upgraded!