UGB Chapter 15 Runes
Chapter 15 Runes
Zhao Cheng'an returned to his bamboo house.
In the courtyard, Xiao Wu had already prepared lunch. The campfire was burning brightly, and the firewood was crackling. The geese on the rack were sizzling and dripping with golden fat, which fell onto the fire, filling the air with a rich aroma.
Lingwei somehow obtained a pot of fine wine.
The wine, poured into a rough porcelain bowl, revealed a clear amber color.
Zhao Cheng'an picked up the bowl and took a sip. The alcohol content was low, and the wine was smooth on the palate with a refreshing fruity aroma. The liquid slid down his throat, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth. It was much more delicious than the high-end wines he had tasted in his previous life.
Zhao Cheng'an couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
The world may appear backward and isolated on the surface, but this is only because we are standing in a low position, like a frog at the bottom of a well, unable to see the whole picture.
From Shen Yanshan's few casual words, he could piece together an extremely advanced, even vast, civilization of cultivation. This sparked a strong curiosity in him about the vast world beyond the Seven Kingdoms.
However, to go further and see higher, one needs to put in far more effort than the average person.
During the meal, Zhao Cheng'an's gaze kept falling on Ling Wei, and he felt a little curious about her identity.
Lingwei sat there, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly aura, as if even the surrounding air had become fresher.
She showed no signs of martial arts training, yet her strength surpassed that of ordinary people.
He doesn't seem to be a practitioner either.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be wearing servant's clothes.
This left Zhao Cheng'an quite puzzled.
Lingwei noticed his gaze but chose not to hide it.
She put down her chopsticks and explained gracefully, "I was not born on the land of the Seven Kingdoms, but came from the Floating Scale Cave Heaven outside."
"Furthermore, I am not a pure human. I have a portion of the blood of a clam spirit flowing through my veins."
As she spoke, Lingwei rolled up her gray cloth sleeves, revealing a section of her fair and smooth arm.
Zhao Cheng'an followed her gaze and, sure enough, several strange patterns resembling ripples on her fair skin were faintly visible. These patterns shimmered in the sunlight, adding to her alluring beauty.
Lingwei lowered her sleeves and continued, "In the East Sea, there also live all sorts of mountain spirits and demons. However, unlike the man-eating and murderous stories recorded in your mortal books, most of these demons maintain a peaceful coexistence with human cultivators."
"Compared to humans, demons are naturally stronger. Some powerful demons are even born with the innate ability to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and control clouds and water."
"However, it is much more difficult for demons to climb the path of cultivation than for human cultivators. The tests that Heaven tests demons are extremely harsh. Therefore, many demons choose to attach themselves to human cultivators in order to seek protection and resources, serving as servants or spirit beasts."
Zhao Cheng'an suddenly realized what was going on.
No wonder Lingwei sometimes looked at him with an undisguised look of envy.
Lingwei looked at Zhao Cheng'an and said earnestly, "Young Master Zhao, although your talent may not be the most outstanding among the disciples of the Imperial Academy, your character is extremely strong."
"I believe that one day you will be able to successfully enter a lineage above the entry level. Only then will you have truly stepped into the threshold of the cultivation world and have hope of achieving immortality." Zhao Cheng'an smiled, raised the wine bowl in his hand, and expressed his gratitude for Ling Wei's congratulations.
While the two ate barbecue, Lingwei told Zhao Chengan about the local customs and culture of Fulin Cave.
By the time the meal was finished, it was already getting dark.
The afterglow of the setting sun spread across the sky, like a crimson sea, dyeing Cangwu Mountain with a magnificent color.
Zhao Cheng'an saw Ling Wei out of the courtyard, stood at the gate, watching the setting sun, and let out a long sigh of relief. In any case, the several deadly crises they faced had been temporarily averted. Things hadn't turned out the worst possible way.
This gave Zhao Cheng'an a long-lost sense of relief.
However, the thought of the assessment he would have to take seven years later immediately roused him. His aptitude was only average, and he was located in a low-spirit zone where resources were extremely scarce. He also started much later than the disciples of those cultivation families.
To stand out seven years from now, you'll have to put in more effort than the average person.
……
……
Night falls.
An oil lamp was lit on the second floor of the bamboo house.
Under the dim candlelight, Zhao Cheng'an sat at his desk, flipping through the thick books on cultivation.
Although the book contains a vast and complex amount of information, Zhao Cheng'an did not find it particularly difficult to understand.
This is partly due to the fusion of his two souls, coupled with his cultivation during this period, which greatly enhanced Zhao Cheng'an's mental abilities. Another factor is the learning methods he developed during his more than ten years of intense competition in his previous life.
The "Yi Mu Chao Yang Jing" that Shen Yanshan taught him is divided into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower.
These are respectively: Green Wood Gathering Spirit, Morning Sun Igniting Fire, and Wood and Fire Returning to Origin.
The first volume, "Green Wood Absorbing Spirit," involves sensing and absorbing wood-attribute spiritual energy, introducing it into the body, and forming the foundation for cultivation. The second volume, "Rising Sun Igniting Fire," involves absorbing a small amount of fire-attribute spiritual energy on the basis of stable wood energy to nourish the wood energy.
The final step, the return of fire and wood to their origin, allows the two energies of wood and fire to generate and circulate, thus improving the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption and circulation.
The specific method of cultivation involves using divine thought to control spiritual energy and condensing runes in one's dantian (energy center). These runes are then used to achieve the effects of the cultivation technique.
For example, the first volume of Aoki Naling involves three basic runes.
These are the Azure Pattern used to gather wood-attribute spiritual energy, the Embrace One Pattern used to stabilize spiritual energy and prevent external interference, and the Reflection Pattern used to reflect the circulation of wood energy within the body and form an internal circulation loop.
Manipulating spiritual energy is inherently very difficult and requires a great deal of mental energy.
During the previous exam in the ancient teachings class, Zhao Cheng'an was already drenched in sweat just by trying to channel spiritual energy into his arm. Let alone now, where he needs to manipulate spiritual energy to form a tiny and complex rune in his dantian!
The two are not even in the same league in terms of difficulty.
Looking at the intricate and distorted runes on the pages of the book, Zhao Cheng'an felt a chill run down his spine.
However, he quickly cheered up.
Zhao Cheng'an was confident that his comprehension and learning ability were no less than anyone else's. Even he felt the difficulty was so high, so the others who passed the test must not be doing much better.
Moreover, the path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens, and it elevates one's own life essence.
How can there be any reward without paying a price?
After figuring this out, Zhao Cheng'an calmed himself down and began to devote himself wholeheartedly to learning the techniques and runes!