After finishing his preparations, Moon made his way to his new apartnt in the city.
Since the destruction of the previous zone he lived in, Moon had moved to Zone C as a temporary arrangent. He spent the least of his ti on Earth these days. Most of his hours were poured into the Sanctuary, developing his strength for the tis of turmoil that seed to arrive whether he was ready for them or not.
The sudden destruction of his previous ho had only reinforced what he already knew. In the greater sche of things, he was still…really weak. The world didn't wait for people to catch up. It moved, it broke, it consud, and if you weren't strong enough to stand your ground when it did, you were swept away with everything else in its waves.
The only answer was to spend most of his available ti inside the Sanctuaries, building his power until the next disaster ca.
Thankfully, the Glassy Group had taken care of his living situation on Earth. They had provided him with a large four-bedroom house that was nothing short of luxurious. Spacious rooms, modern furnishings, a quiet neighborhood. And he didn't have to pay a single penny for it. It was one of the perks of being under Tom's wing, and Moon wasn't going to pretend he didn't appreciate it.
He settled in and checked his ssages.
A frown flickered across his face.
Yara had sent a few texts letting him know she was fine. She warned him that there might be long gaps between her replies because the area she was navigating in the Sanctuary was difficult terrain with poor access to the portal. That was understandable, Moon wasn't worried about her since she gave him nothing to worry about.
The issue was Selene.
There was nothing. No ssages, missed calls, short updates or check-ins. A knot ford sowhere in his chest. He didn't like the feeling at all, it was the kind that sat in the background and refused to leave, no matter how many tis he told himself it was nothing.
He didn't even know where he was in the Sanctuary, let alone where she might be. There was nothing he could do. No way to reach her, no way to find her, no way to help even if she needed it.
So he did the only thing he could.
He decided to get stronger in the anti.
'She'll be fine. She's strong.'
Moon put his phone down, closed his eyes for a mont then opened them once again.
Then Moon took out the Fair Rank Spirit Art that Tom had provided.
He held the small book in his hands for a mont, turning it over. It looked simple enough. Pale leather binding, silver text on the cover, nothing remarkable on the outside.
Moon took a deep breath to settle his thoughts and mind before opening it.
A look of surprise flashed in his eyes as the book resisted him. It wasn't locked or sealed in any visible way, but his fingers strained against the cover as if sothing was pushing back.
Not giving up just yet, Moon put more strength into his grip. Under his strength, the cover gave way without resistance, snapping open as if the barrier had never been there.
Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from the pages.
It swallowed Moon whole and cast the room, the walls, the furniture, everything around him in a white glow.
The white light wrapped around Moon's body and the book in his hands. The light pulsed once, twice, three tis, each pulse seemingly sinking deeper into his skin.
Then it shut off completely as if it had never existed to begin with.
Moon's eyes remained unfocused. He wasn't looking at the room anymore.
He was looking at himself from within. His vision had turned inward, and he could see his own body laid out before him like a map. His bones, his muscles, all rendered in faint outlines of light.
And scattered across that map were circles.
Small, distinct circles dotted throughout his body.
One sat deep in his stomach. Two more rested in his forearms. Others were positioned in his hands, his thighs, his calves, the soles of his feet. They were spread out with no obvious pattern at first glance, but the longer Moon looked, the more he began to notice the gaps between them. He could tell there were pathways connecting one circle to another, like roads on a map that hadn't been drawn in yet.
Those were the acupoints he couldn't access. The ones hidden beyond the Fair Rank Spirit Art's reach.
He could sense that they were there, waiting, but their positions remained dark and undefined. He would need an Excellent Rank Spirit Art or higher to reveal them.
Of the circles he could see, seven were lit. They glowed with a soft light, their edges clearly defined against the dim interior of his body. The remaining eighteen were dark. Present, visible, but hollow like locked characters waiting to be unlocked and strengthened.
The seven lit up acupoints lined up with what he knew. Each level he gained opened two acupoints, and his three levels since evolution had opened six, plus the single acupoint he had started with upon becoming an Evolver.
But opening them was only a small portion of the process.
An open acupoint was an empty container. It provided no strength, no power, no benefit on its own. It needed to be filled with spiritual energy before it could contribute to his power. And filling an acupoint wasn't as simple as pouring mana into it. It required ti, focus, and the right foundation.
That was where placing skills ca in.
Moon's vision slowly returned to normal. The inner map of his body faded, and the room materialized around him once more. The book in his hands had gone dark, its pages blank. Whether there was content that was transferred or no contents at all since the beginning remained unknown.
He set it down on the table and stared at his own hands.
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