Kyrian opened his eyes even before the first ray of sunlight crossed the horizon.
The room was still imrsed in dimness. Only a faint bluish tone entered through the window, enough to reveal the simple outlines of the environnt.
The cutting wind of the formation blew softly outside, carrying that sharp Qi that was now so familiar to him.
He did not remain in bed. He sat up imdiately, his mind already awake. Without wasting ti, he extended his hand. The eight books appeared on the table.
Kyrian stood up and walked to them, picking up the first volu. His eyes passed over the ancient cover for a brief instant before opening it directly to the first page.
The unknown language was no longer an obstacle.
The ancient symbols flowed naturally in his mind. The structures, the patterns, the connections, everything had already been assimilated the day before.
Now... he read. And understood.
"The first volu is about barrier formations..." Kyrian murmured, almost in a low voice.
His eyes ran through the lines with absolute precision.
The first volu was direct. It explained the fundantals. Formations were structures based on three pillars. Core, energy source, and connection pattern.
The core was the heart. The energy source is the fuel. And the pattern was the language that bound everything.
Kyrian continued reading. The formations were divided by ranks, like pills.
In that specific volu, they contained formations from rank 1 to rank 5.
Each rank increased complexity exponentially. More lines. More connection points. More demand for control. And more energy consumption.
He would need many spiritual stones.
Kyrian frowned slightly. But that was not a problem. He had many.
But the core... He turned a few pages.
Materials needed for the core were spiritual jade, refined tals, special alloys.
Kyrian closed the book for a mont and thought. He could go out and buy them. But that would take unnecessary ti.
Then he made a decision.
...
Shortly after, Kyrian was already descending the sect’s stairway. His steps were fast, but still controlled.
Disciples who passed by recognized him imdiately. So moved aside instinctively. Others simply watched in silence.
He ignored them all. His destination was clear. The mission pavilion.
...
The pavilion was busy as always.
Disciples ca and went. Panels displayed missions. Low conversations filled the environnt.
But the mont Kyrian entered... The atmosphere changed. Silence gradually spread.
He walked to the main counter. The elder in charge raised his gaze. His eyes showed surprise upon noticing Kyrian’s eyes and robe but quickly returned to calm.
"I need to issue a mission." Kyrian said directly.
The elder nodded.
"Mission details?"
"I need soone to buy sothing."
A pause.
"Spiritual jade plates. In large quantity."
The elder slightly raised an eyebrow.
"What is the reward?"
Kyrian ntioned the value. The silence in the pavilion beca heavier. The value was high. Far above the standard of other missions. But the mission... was simple.
The elder asked no more questions. Registered it. And placed the mission on the panel.
...
Less than five minutes later... The mission had already been accepted.
Kyrian did not even look at who took it. He simply turned. And left.
...
Back in his courtyard, the environnt was silent as before. Kyrian entered, closed the door, and walked directly to the cauldron that he had already left prepared earlier.
Formations could wait a few hours.
He extended his hand. Herbs appeared. Organized and separated.
Today... he would refine a different pill.
"Burning Heart Pill."
His eyes focused. It was a rank 4 pill. Complex and unstable.
A pill made for extre situations. Capable of raising a cultivator’s strength above their own level... for a short period.
But with a cost. After the effect... the cultivator would be unable to use Qi for days. It was a last tool of desperation and powerful.
Kyrian began. The gray fla ignited beneath the cauldron. The herbs entered one by one. His control was precise. Stable temperature. Continuous Qi flow.
No failures.
The process advanced quickly. Much faster than when he had started.
But still, it was not perfect. After so ti, the pill ford.
Kyrian opened the cauldron. A red sphere pulsed softly inside.
He observed. Analyzed.
"Fifty percent..."
It was not bad. But it was not good enough either. He did not stop. He started again.
...
Hours passed. Attempt after attempt. The purity varied.
Fifty percent. Fifty-two. Forty-eight. Small variations. But Kyrian was not worried, he was learning with each attempt, focusing on learning instead of worrying about the purity of the pill.
Kyrian remained calm. For him, that was natural. Progress... was repetition.
When he finally stopped, the sun was already setting. Golden light entered through the window. Kyrian exhaled slowly. Stored the pills. And stood up.
Ti to check the mission.
...
The mission pavilion was already emptier when he arrived. The sa elder raised his gaze. And this ti... already had sothing prepared.
"It is completed." He said, simply.
He handed over a spatial bag. Kyrian took it. Checked quickly.
Jade plates. Many. Enough for now. He nodded. And left again.
...
Back in the courtyard, night had already fallen. The environnt was silent.
Kyrian sat in the center of the training space. He picked up one of the jade plates.
It was smooth and cold. He closed his eyes for a mont. Recalled the pattern. The lines. The connections.
And then...
Released his Qi.
The sword Qi flowed into the plate. Sharpness. Precision and absolute control.
Symbols began to form. Invisible lines were drawn. Structures were engraved.
The process was slow. Delicate. Different from alchemy. After about fifteen minutes... Kyrian opened his eyes.
The plate glowed faintly. He observed it. Said nothing. Then he threw five low-grade spiritual stones around. Specific positions.
He raised the plate. Released Qi again.
And then... The formation responded. The stones vibrated. Invisible lines connected everything. And a translucent do appeared around Kyrian.
A simple barrier. But... With sothing more. The sword Qi perated the structure. Anything that touched the barrier... Would be cut.
Kyrian observed. Five minutes passed. And then the formation disappeared. The spiritual stones still contained energy. But the plate...
Cracked with a dry sound. And shattered. Kyrian looked at the fragnts on the ground.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Failure."
He already knew. The core should not break. The energy should be depleted first.
That ant... Instability in the construction of the core. Error in the connection.
He analyzed it ntally. Reviewed each step. Every detail.
And then he picked up another plate without frustration. Closed his eyes. And began again.
User Comments
0 comments from readers