Lican smiled, his eyes flickering with mischief. He brought out another piece of jerky and stretched his hand toward her.
Neris immediately dove for it.
But just before she could grab it, Lican pulled his hand back, leaving her grasping at nothing but air.
He chuckled.
Neris froze before slowly turning toward him, her face burning with embarrassment and defeat.
"What?" she nearly screamed when she saw the amused expression on Lican's face.
Lican simply smiled.
"I asked you a question before."
He said, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph. You're petty," Neris said.
"There's nothing hard about it. You just have to be a genius to get special entry, while normal disciples have to pass the test. After the test, you start from the bottom..or depending on your score, you may start higher."
Neris stared at the jerky in his hand, clearly still thinking about it.
Lican thought for a moment.
Some people are definitely lucky.
But how did that matter to him?
He shrugged.
Sect or no sect, I'll still live.
Just then, Neris interrupted his thoughts.
"People join sects because of their resources and protection," she explained. "A sect disciple's foundation is usually more solid than that of a lone cultivator, unless the cultivator finds some great treasure or comes from a strong background."
Lican turned toward her.
He just hummed thoughtfully as he considered her words.
Before he could say anything else, he realized Neris had already snatched the jerky from his palm.
Lican stared at her for a moment before simply smiling.
After Neris had eaten her fill, the two walked out of the tavern.
It was already getting late.
Lican looked toward the city gates before turning to her.
"I'll be going now."
Neris's shoulders dropped slightly at his words.
"When are you coming back?" she asked, looking at him.
Lican chuckled.
"Soon."
He turned and began walking toward the way out of the city.
"If you come again, find me at East House!" Neris shouted after him.
Lican raised one hand, gesturing that he had heard her.
Neris stood there and watched until his tall figure disappeared from sight.
She remained still for a moment before smiling faintly.
"I haven't smiled like this in a while… What a nice guy."
She turned and began walking back toward the place where she had first met Lican.
After a few steps, she glanced over her shoulder one last time before continuing on..
Lican walked out of the city and immediately began racing toward the forest. His feet pounded against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust behind him. His breathing grew slower and more controlled as his heart rate climbed with every burst of acceleration.
People along the path felt a sudden breeze rush past them, their hair flowing wildly in his wake.
Lican suddenly laughed out loud, his laughter carried away by the wind.
"This is thrilling!"
Today had been profitable after all. Despite everything he had experienced, he was still just a kid. Sometimes, he was kid after all.
After a few minutes, he finally arrived at the edge of the forest.
Lican slowed down and glanced behind him, making sure no one had followed.
Seeing no one, he dove straight into the forest.
His body shot upward, catapulting himself from tree to tree as he moved deeper inside. He carefully avoided the territories of stronger beasts, following a familiar route until he finally reached the stream he often visited.
After quickly washing himself and getting rid of the blood and dirt clinging to his body, Lican headed back to his cave.
Once inside, he warmed the place up a little before sitting down and bringing out the treasures he had collected.
Tapping his pouch, Lican brought out the manual and went through it again, reading each one multiple times with a serious expression. Afterward, he sat down in a lotus position and relaxed his body.
He brought out a jar of beast heartblood, the mortal arcane stone, and the brush, carefully laying all the materials in front of him.
Picking up the core of a Vein Rabbit, Lican examined the yellowish core. It still contained a trace of the beast's resentment.
He dropped it into the mortal arcane stone and picked up the pestle.
Thud.
Thud.
He struck it again and again, counting nearly twenty blows before he finally heard a faint crack.
Lican's eyes lit up.
He picked up the core and inspected the crack before dropping it back into the mortar.
Then he continued.
The strikes became heavier.
He even activated his cultivation, channeling his strength into each blow until the core finally began to crumble.
Bit by bit, it was reduced to a fine dust.
For a brief moment, Lican thought he heard a faint cry coming from the core.
He paused.
Was that… a cry?
He frowned but couldn't understand what he had heard.
In the end, he simply continued with the process.
At higher levels, formations and runes don't require the core to be crushed. Instead, the core can be used as a node or an anchor point.
Lican recalled what he had read as he continued working.
He picked up the jar of beast heartblood and poured it into the mortal arcane stone, stirring the mixture carefully.
The core particles immediately began reacting with the blood.
They moved as though they were trying to consume it.
But the heartblood resisted.
Its violent properties gradually overwhelmed the particles, diluting their original characteristics little by little.
The mixture slowly became thicker until it took on a strange, slime-like consistency..not quite liquid, but not sticky enough to be called paste.
Lican smiled.
He could tell from the reaction that the process had gone remarkably well.
After the final stirring, he brought out a small jar with a cover that he had bought in the city. Unscrewing it, he poured the blood-like substance into the jar.
He picked up the manual again, going through the rune descriptions as he thought about which one to draw.
Windstride Seal — Movement Inscription
The Windstride Seal channels Essence through the user's legs and meridians, temporarily increasing movement speed, acceleration, and agility. It doesn't make the user's body inherently stronger. If he moves faster than his body can withstand, he could tear his muscles or damage his bones.
Move like the wind, but the body must survive the storm.
Lican's eyes moved to the next one.
Mountain-Breaking Seal — Strength-Enhancement Inscription
The Mountain-Breaking Seal concentrates Essence throughout the muscles, bones, and physical body, temporarily increasing raw strength. But strength doesn't necessarily mean durability. Using too much power could damage the user's own body.
Borrow the weight of a mountain and place it behind a single fist.
He continued reading.
Hidden-Sky Seal — Concealment Inscription
The Hidden-Sky Seal suppresses the user's presence, aura, spiritual fluctuations, and movement, making them difficult to detect. It wasn't true invisibility. Someone with powerful divine sense or specialized detection abilities could still discover the user.
Hide beneath the heavens until even the heavens forget you exist.
Lican stared at the words, fascinated. His breathing quickened slightly.
Finally, his eyes moved to the last one.
Blackmist Seal — Obscuring/Environmental Inscription
The Blackmist Seal releases a dense, dark mist that spreads around the user, blocking vision and disrupting perception. It doesn't automatically make the user invisible. Someone with powerful spiritual perception could still sense movement within the mist.
The wind could also disperse weaker versions of the mist.
Where black mist gathers, sight becomes unreliable.
Lican closed the manual.
All of these were Level One runes.
Yet if he could master even one of them, he might be able to deal with a Qi Condensation beast.
His eyes moved between the Windstride Seal and the Blackmist Seal.
After thinking for a while, he finally chose.
"Blackmist."
He arranged the talisman papers in front of himself and opened the manual again, staring at the Blackmist Seal for several minutes.
Only then did he pick up his brush.
Lican had been good at calligraphy back home. His fingers were naturally steady, and he was familiar with controlling a brush.
He dipped it into the refined substance.
Then he lowered it onto the talisman paper.
The moment the brush touched the paper, it slowly began to activate.
A faint Essence flowed through the brush itself.
The blood-like substance beneath its tip suddenly began changing.
Red.
Black.
Yellow.
Its properties kept shifting as the brush moved across the paper, sometimes becoming so intense that it seemed as though it wanted to burn through the talisman.
Lican continued drawing.
His movements were slow.
Careful.
But when he finally completed the seal, nothing happened.
He stared at it.
He tried activating it.
Nothing.
Lican frowned before examining the rune again.
Then he noticed the problem.
Some of the lines were jagged.
Several intersections weren't perfectly connected, and in some places, the substance had already flowed outside the intended pattern.
His lips twisted.
How could it be easy?
If it were that easy, everyone would have become a Rune Master already.
He didn't give up.
He picked up another talisman paper.
And tried again.
Failure.
Again.
Failure.
Sweat slowly dripped down his face.
His eyes became bloodshot from the concentration.
This was his hundredth talisman paper in two hours.
The cave had become intimidatingly silent.
Only Lican's slow breathing could be heard as his fingers moved, tracing another strange line with the brush.
His eyes remained fixed on the rune.
He reached the final connection.
His hand trembled slightly.
He steadied it.
Then the brush completed the final line.
Lican slowly lifted it from the paper.
He stared at the completed Blackmist Seal.
This time…
It felt different.
Something faint stirred within the talisman.
Lican's eyes widened slightly.
He slowly breathed out.
This one…
Please work.