The three suns in the sky had shifted positions. They hovered near the horizon, casting an orange hue over the day. As Sun Tie pondered the passage of time, a timer labeled "experience time" materialized before his eyes.
[Experience time]
4 days, 14 hours, and 30 minutes remaining.
They'd been there for nine hours already. The back of his mind was itching. He had faced a significant loss recently but chose to face it like his grandfather told him to. Facing adversity always made him remember the old goat.
"A leader's echo is more than just what he does in life—it's the resonance that lingers, forming his legacy. Don't just amplify your voice for the sake of noise; let it reverberate in ways that contribute to a lasting legacy. The time to start is now." His grandfather used to say.
Stupid lesson. Trying to make a legacy led only to an injustice. One that I'll make right, and soon.
He opened his menu and checked out the [Runes] again. The rock was now equipped in him. When he accepted it, the little circle thing went into his body, and he now could feel it inside his core.
[Dull Mana Rune] - level 1 - Common
Passive ability: Sword or Unarmed hits have a 1% chance of becoming an [Echo Strike].
Description: Inside an insignificant mana rune resides the [Echo Strike] ability. Honor the legacy of mana. Thrive!
Honor the legacy… Legacy of 1% chance? What a joke!
Sun Tie looked over at Cole, resting against a rock formation. Before sleeping, the old man had requested the younger one to keep watch. The integration had occurred just before Cole's rest, leaving him drained. Sun Tie wasn't bothered; he required time to reflect and, more crucially, cultivate.
First, he surveyed his surroundings to ensure he was alone and that no creatures were nearby.
His initial step was to regulate his breathing.
One breath… two breaths…
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N?]
Damn you! Let me try again.
One breath… two breathes… three…
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N?]
No, I don’t want it! Leave me alone for one second.
Whenever he attempted to focus on his Qi, he simply couldn’t. The constant messages kept flashing before his mind and eyes. These distractions evoked childhood memories, and he could almost hear his grandfather's voice again, urging him to excel.
His grandfather frequently made Sun Tie delve into history and Qi. A particular volume titled "Qi External Manipulation" came to Sun Tie's mind.
There seemed no harm in giving it a shot. Sun Tie began by attuning to the Qi around him. The technique was straightforward: visualize the Qi within an object, and if there's ample energy, one can engage with it. It wasn't cultivation, so perhaps it might succeed.
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Shifting his gaze to a nearby rock, he zeroed in on it, feeling a familiar itch in his mind. While nothing visibly changed, a faint tremor tingled at his fingertips.
“What are you doing?” The voice of Cole broke the silence and removed Sun Tie from the little concentration he was in. “Your zen stuff?”
Sun Tie had no more patience for the man’s jokes. He just stood up and walked towards Cole.
“You should cultivate some patience or sense of humor, kid.” The old man chuckled.
Sun Tie stared at Cole, "In my world, cultivating patience usually involves not having to listen to incessant chatter."
“Hah! Your tongue is sharp. I like it!” Cole said, sitting up in a fast motion and clapping his hands.
“You're easily impressed, old fool. Where I come from, you'd be the guy clapping at a fish for not jumping from the pond." Sun Tie said and chuckled at his joke. “What’s your plan right now?”
“I plan to stay right where we are and wait. When the first 48 hours pass I’ll be sure no one is coming for the rescue. We have water, food, and some kind of shelter.” He was now sitting, cleaning his head of sweat.
The heat had been quite intense over the past few hours. Although it had lessened with the sun now on the horizon, it remained oppressive, causing him to sweat all over.
“I’m not surprised your opinion is such a stupid one.” Sun Tie said, getting close and crouching next to the man.
Cole addressed him with one of his lifted eyes and brows. That was starting to get on Sun Tie’s nerves.
“What do you want to do, Mr. Young Master?” Cole asked.
“If the Gods wanted to intervene, that would already happen. We are at the mercy of a powerful god now, and it wants us to get stronger. All these status and skills are proof of that.” Sun Tie said, locking gazes with the other man.
“Is that what you think? Some powerful god decided to make our lives like a video game?” Cole said, raising his brows again
“First: It’s obvious. There’s no other logical explanation. Second: What in the Heavens are video games?”
“No God is doing that, kid. It’s probably the government or an alien.”
“Okay, I’m tired of all these strange words. There’s nothing we can take off talking about the reasons or what put me alongside you.” Sun Tie pointed a finger at Cole. “And don’t raise your stupid eyebrows, old man.”
“Continue, then… What do you want to do?” Cole asked, relaxing his back to the rock wall.
“We need to train and get stronger, it’s obvious. And take a bath.”
“I would not mind the latter,” Cole said. “Okay, let’s do it, then. But not far from the stream. If my assumption is correct, soon, we’ll have a night that will last twenty-four hours. I don’t think it will be wise to wander in the forest.”
“I can work with that, old man.”
“Good, let’s go.”
----------------------------------------
Soon after their talk, they reached the stream. They stopped briefly to drink and then continued along the brook. In a short while, they saw a clearing up ahead. It seemed as good a place as any for training.
Cole took out his bow and arrows and aimed at a tree. The first three arrows didn’t hit their target, but the fourth, fifth, and sixth lodged in the tree trunk.
“You’ve used the bow before, haven’t you, Cole? You’re certainly not the worst I’ve seen,” Sun Tie asked.
“Never touched one in my life. Looks like accepting the class made me understand more about what means to be an archer. It was like rediscovering something I used to do long ago.” Cole explained.
Interesting… Sun Tie thought. The God controlling the system had a way of putting information inside people’s minds, clearly with Qi manipulation and transfer.
Sun Tie had a single skill to try out: his Rune, [Echo Strike]. He wasn't sure it would work outside of battle, but he was about to find out.
Choosing a tree as his target, he concentrated, channeling Qi into his clenched fist.
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N?]
No… Damn it!
He banished the thought away from his mind, closed his eyes, and punched the tree trunk. Nothing happened. The tree remained intact, and his hand throbbed with pain.
He did it again, and nothing happened.
Another attempt, this time, a fine line of blood appeared on his knuckles. What is a little blood?
Again.
Again!
THUD!
The sound was followed by his hand embedding itself in the wood. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a hole in the shape of his fist within the tree. Joy surged in his heart, reminiscent of the day he first connected with the Dao.
He resumed his strikes, and by the tenth blow, he felt heat in his hand and noticed the damage to the tree trunk. A message then appeared before his eyes.
[You have gained a rune level!]
[Dull Mana Rune] - level 2 - Common
Passive ability: Sword or Unarmed hits have a 2% of becoming a [Echo Strike].
The message confirmed that the system didn't solely prioritize combat. It also valued experimentation and training. Sun Tie didn’t know how far he was from upgrading to level 3. He theorized that utilizing skills might contribute to his overall experience.
Cole looked at him.
“Strong punch.” He said, nodding. “I think I saw something, kid. There’s a problem.”
“What?” Sun Tie asked.
“I used my Rune skill [Eagle’s eye] and I could see everything in my surroundings. There’s a Jaguar half a mile from us in your position, it is coming in our direction.”
“So? What’s the problem, old man? Let’s just kill it.” Sun Tie said, already walking. When he turned to see if Cole was following, he noticed a grim expression on the old man’s face.
“The Jaguar isn’t the problem.”