The cave was strangely quiet.
The flame flickered softly as wind slipped through the small opening near the entrance. Its light danced across the rough stone walls, while the faint sound of breathing echoed through the darkness.
Lican sat near the fire, his brows furrowed as he held the weathered manual in both hands.
"Oh…"
A quiet sigh escaped him.
He turned to the next section.
Observation of Nature.
Masters often gain sudden enlightenment by observing natural phenomena. The destruction and creation of nature contain principles that cannot always be explained through words alone.
Some may study the patterns left on a tree struck by lightning and gain insight into thunder inscriptions. Others may observe the ripples of a spiritual spring and comprehend the principles behind water inscriptions.
Lican's eyes remained fixed on the passage.
"Gaining an epiphany from watching destruction… or creation."
He muttered the words quietly.
His gaze lingered there for a long time.
If nature itself contained principles, perhaps inscriptions were not simply patterns drawn onto objects. Perhaps they were a way of imitating the laws hidden within the world.
He continued reading.
The next section explained the importance of Soul Force and Mental Strength.
Complex inscriptions required an immense Divine Sense. A cultivator needed to project their consciousness into the rune and trace the flow of energy within it.
A weak soul could suffer backlash.
At best, it would result in mental exhaustion.
At worst…
Brain damage.
Lican's expression became serious.
He quickly moved past the section.
The manual then introduced Deconstruction.
High-level inscriptions were composed of thousands of smaller strokes. Masters could spend months or even years deconstructing a single inscription, breaking it apart into its most basic components to understand why a particular curve could generate fire, repel wind, or produce some other effect.
Lican stared at the complicated diagrams for a moment before moving on.
He returned to the section concerning Blood Inscription.
This was much more suitable for him.
It did not require a powerful Divine Sense, nor did it demand an enormous amount of essence to operate.
The first step was preparing the Core Powder—the Catalyst.
A beasts core, containing the condensed energy accumulated by a beast throughout its life, was ground into extremely fine powder using a mortar and pestle made from spiritual stone or other sufficiently dense materials.
The powder acted as a stabilizing agent, preventing the energy from violently exploding during inscription.
Then came the Beast Blood—the Fuel.
Blood from a spirit beast corresponding to the rune's attribute was required.
For example, the blood of a fire-attributed desert lizard could be used for a flame rune.
The blood also had to be filtered carefully. Any impurities could obstruct the flow of Qi and ruin the inscription.
Finally came the Spiritual Ink.
The core powder and beast blood were mixed with a stabilizing solvent, such as spiritual spring water or certain herb juices.
The proportions had to be precise.
Too thick, and the Qi would become clogged.
Too thin, and the energy would dissipate before the inscription could be completed.
Lican stared at the passage with intense concentration.
He continued reading.
Since low-level cultivators lacked the Divine Sense necessary to perceive and manipulate the energy inside an inscription directly, they had to rely on physical precision, specialized tools, and their own understanding of the materials.
Then he saw the section about the Inscription Brush.
Low-level masters generally used brushes made from the hair of spiritual beasts. Materials such as Spirit Horse or Spirit Cow hair could naturally conduct Qi from the cultivator's hand toward the tip of the brush.
Lican nodded slowly.
Then he read about Etching Liners and Guides.
Masters could use physical stencils, grooving tools, or metal templates created by higher-level inscription masters.
The pattern was first lightly carved onto the surface.
The resulting grooves allowed the spiritual ink to settle into the correct path.
Lican's eyes immediately brightened.
He reached toward his hair and pulled out the black jade hairpin.
"This could work."
He turned the pin between his fingers.
It could serve as a grooving tool.
He could carve the pattern into a solid surface first, then fill the grooves with spiritual ink.
His excitement grew as he continued.
The next section was titled:
The Process—Writing the Rune.
Without Divine Sense to guide the energy directly, the cultivator had to rely on precise physical execution.
Every movement mattered.
Every stroke had to be controlled.
The cultivator would normally channel their internal Qi down their arm, through their fingers, and into the inscription brush.
Then came what the manual called the Three-Way Harmony.
Breathing.
Qi flow.
Hand movement.
All three had to remain perfectly synchronized.
A stroke could not simply be stopped halfway.
The spiritual ink had to be guided in one continuous motion, allowing the energy within the beast blood to connect seamlessly from beginning to end.
Lican's expression slowly changed.
There was a problem.
He couldn't channel Qi through an inscription brush yet.
Lower-level cultivators lacked the cultivation required to perform the process themselves.
Fortunately, the manual provided another method.
There were specialized Qi-Channeling Brushes.
These brushes were designed by higher-level inscription masters and could channel Qi using spirit stones or concentrated spiritual essence stored within the brush itself.
Lican breathed out in relief.
For a moment, he had thought he would have to wait until he reached the Qi Condensation realm.
"So I can still try…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He eagerly continued turning the pages.
The next section explained the final stage.
Triggering the Materials.
As the brush moved across the prepared pattern, the cultivator's raw Qi, or the Qi supplied by the special brush,acted like a spark.
It awakened the dormant elemental energy contained within the beast blood and core powder.
Once activated, the spiritual ink would lock itself into the shape of the rune.
Lican nodded absentmindedly.
He was completely absorbed.
He continued turning the pages.
Then his eyes widened.
Diagrams filled the following pages.
Some resembled shields.
Others resembled lightning.
There were wind inscriptions, defensive formations, amplification runes, and patterns that seemed to contain an almost living vitality.
Lican stared at one of them.
For a brief moment, he could almost feel something rushing out from the diagram and scraping against his skin.
He immediately looked away.
His head throbbed.
There was simply too much information.
He closed his eyes and remained still for several minutes, allowing the pressure in his mind to fade.
When he opened them again, he deliberately avoided the more complicated diagrams.
Instead, he focused on the simpler ones.
One immediately caught his attention.
Qi Amplification Rune.
A rune capable of assisting cultivation.
Then there was the Minor Shadow Rune.
When inscribed onto a talisman,or directly onto the body under the proper conditions,it could help conceal one's presence and make the user harder to detect.
Lican's eyes brightened.
There were countless runes inside this manual.
Many of them could help him tremendously.
Some could assist his cultivation.
Others could help him fight.
And some could simply make surviving in this dangerous world easier.
He finally closed the manual.
"I think I should sleep."
He rubbed his tired eyes.
"Even if I read this for a month, I probably wouldn't understand a quarter of it."
He placed the manual back into his pouch.
"But I have to practice."
Lican leaned back against the cave wall.
"I think I should visit the city tomorrow."
Then he froze.
"Damn…"
His brows furrowed.
"How am I supposed to know the path to the city?"
He thought about it for a moment.
The three hunters.
He had encountered them somewhere along the route.
"I should've followed those guys from the beginning."
He sighed.
Then an idea came to him.
"I can track their original path from the place where I first saw them."
That should lead him toward the city.
Lican reached down and touched his pouch.
"And I have plenty of materials to sell."
His fingers rested against the pouch thoughtfully.
He couldn't sell all of his beast cores, though.
They were too valuable.
Beast cores were difficult to obtain, especially those from beasts approaching Level Five ,the equivalent of the Qi Condensation realm.
"I need to keep some."
He shook his head and adjusted his position on the makeshift bed.
The fire continued to crackle quietly.
Tomorrow, he would find the city.
And perhaps…
He would find a way to begin his first inscription.