「Half an hour later.」
Inside the room, with the door shut tight, Yang An used the light filtering through the window to carefully read over every word on the page several times, making sure he hadn't missed anything.
This was a Technique that required absolutely no Mana, one that even an ordinary person could perform!
However, it wasn't easy for an ordinary person to learn this Technique, and they also had to bear a terrible consequence after performing it.
Fortunately, he had already completely purified this Technique, and its consequence had been eliminated. The only issue was that the method for practicing it was rather... unpleasant.
Yang An had already committed the contents of the page to memory. Now, it was time to test it.
But before he started practicing, he wanted to make a few preparations.
He glanced at the sky outside; it was still morning. After a moment of thought, Yang An grabbed a bowl from the kitchen, tucked it inside his shirt, and left the house.
Following his memory of the direction the scream had come from late last night, Yang An soon reached the end of the street.
Even from a distance, Yang An could see the body, already covered with a straw mat. It was a gruesome scene, with bright red bloodstains spattered everywhere.
The metallic scent of blood seemed to linger in the air, refusing to dissipate.
He glanced at the body beneath the straw mat and quickly recognized the deceased: a pretty widow who sold tofu on the street.
Several hours had passed since the previous night's incident. The body was likely already cold to the touch.
Yang An sighed to himself. 'What a pity.' He then scanned his surroundings.
Ever since Demon Fiends appeared in Jiunan Town, few people dared to appear fearlessly on the streets, even in broad daylight.
The pretty widow's body had not been collected. He didn't know who had covered her with the straw mat, but it at least granted her some final dignity.
Furthermore, the usual crowd of gawkers was nowhere to be seen. No one had the luxury for such things anymore.
'Perfect! No one's around!'
Mustering his courage, Yang An gritted his teeth, pulled the bowl from his shirt, and ran toward the body.
Once he reached the body, he didn't dare lift the straw mat to see what was underneath. He just glanced at the area with the freshest-looking blood and held out the bowl.
There was a large wound on the corpse's abdomen, and the blood hadn't fully congealed.
Yang An used the edge of the bowl to scrape with a bit of force. Feeling that he had collected a good amount, he quickly scurried back the way he came, like a thief. And indeed, his heart was pounding with anxiety.
Fortunately, he didn't encounter anyone on his way back, so no one saw what he did. Only after he was back in his house with the door shut did Yang An finally let out a sigh of relief.
He looked down at the bowl, now half-full of red blood. This was the preparation he had made.
'The Lighting Technique requires a finger for the candle and blood for the flame. It never said it had to be my own blood. I'll experiment with someone else's first. If that doesn't work, I'll figure something else out.'
He had considered using animal blood, but in the current environment, you couldn't even find a mouse. This was his only option.
Recalling the contents of the page, Yang An remembered every single detail with perfect clarity.
He extended his right index finger and lightly dipped it into the bowl. His fingertip immediately turned red.
Suppressing his unease, Yang An began to follow the memorized instructions. He silently recited the Mantra while his other fingers moved to form a complex Seal Decision.
His first attempt was a bit clumsy, but he succeeded smoothly in the end.
As he finished the Mantra, Yang An also completed the Seal Decision. Suddenly, he felt a damp warmth spread from the tip of his index finger.
With a SIZZLE, the red blood ignited like hot oil, and a finger-sized red flame instantly sprouted from his fingertip.
The flame wasn't large, but the red light it cast bathed the entire room in a crimson glow, as if everything was seen through a red filter.
Strangely, although the fire was burning on Yang An's fingertip, he could only feel a faint warmth, not the pain of being burned.
Watching the flame appear, Yang An felt an indescribable sense of mental satisfaction and grew excited.
"I must be a genius!"
Succeeding on the very first try filled Yang An with an immense sense of accomplishment.
He admired the flame on his fingertip, which possessed a wondrous beauty. After a good while, Yang An shook his finger and extinguished the flame.
He dipped his finger back into the bowl for more blood and continued to practice, determined to master the Lighting Technique completely.
Time flew by, and soon it was afternoon. After practicing again and again, Yang An finally mastered the Lighting Technique, able to complete all the steps and produce a flame on his finger within two seconds.
He also discovered a few tricks through experimentation.
The flame didn't have to burn on his finger; it could also be transferred to other objects.
For example, he could transfer the flame to an ordinary candle. However, it still required blood as fuel, and the consumption rate would increase significantly. Under the influence of external factors, it would also be extinguished easily.
When burning on his fingertip, the flame was relatively stable and wouldn't be blown out by a gust of wind. However, he had to be careful not to let the blood on his finger run out. If it did, the magical flame would become an ordinary one and burn him.
Now that he was proficient with the Lighting Technique, these were all minor issues that just required a little caution.
There was, however, another problem Yang An hadn't yet figured out how to solve. The blood in the bowl was beginning to coagulate and clump, so he had to find a chopstick to stir it from time to time.
This was also a drawback of the Lamp Technique. Using someone else's blood required a way to preserve it and prevent coagulation. Otherwise, he would have to use his own blood as the source.
Still, Yang An was very satisfied to have gotten this far. He still wasn't sure what effect the Lighting Technique would actually have. A part of him wanted night to fall quickly, while another part hoped it wouldn't. He felt conflicted.
Time passed, and soon it was dusk. The sky gradually began to grow dim.
By now, Yang An had also eaten his fill. In his current circumstances, getting one full meal a day was a luxury.
His top priority right now was survival. Once he confirmed the Lighting Technique was effective, he would have the confidence to think about other things, like stocking up on more food.
Soon, the sky was completely dark. The already silent street seemed to fall into an eerie, soundless domain.
PFT!
Yang An immediately used the Lighting Technique, igniting a flame on his fingertip. The dark room was instantly bathed in red light.
He then transferred the flame to the bowl on the table—the same bowl he had used to hold the blood during the day. He had now twisted a piece of hemp rope into a wick inside it.
'Rather than letting the blood in the bowl coagulate, I might as well just use it all up.'
Once the red flame was also burning in the bowl, Yang An extinguished the flame on his fingertip and turned to get into bed.
He had already cleaned up the black ash that had been scattered on his bed that morning. In its place, a small, rusty knife now lay under his pillow—a precaution Yang An had taken in case of any surprises.
He sat on the bed, his back against the wall, his eyes fixed on the door.
He wasn't sure if it was an effect of the Lighting Technique, but he didn't feel the least bit sleepy. On the contrary, he was wide awake, his heart a mix of nervousness and eager anticipation.