Yesterday's exhaustion of making a Fundamental Rune had knocked me out. I busted out of my sleep as if I’d just done a mountain of hard labor. Hadn’t slept this hard since I got to the cultivation world, really.

  With cultivating, breathing exercises, and the constant chance that someone is going to try to kill you and take your stuff, proper sleep was a luxury for a cultivator, even if you do have a guardian like Azure watching your back.

  I woke up today feeling a bit strange. Well, lighter, actually, as if gravity on this world had less purchase on me somehow, and the feeling when I opened my eyes was quite distinct. I could feel my body, and it was less... mortal.

  “Master, you’re awake,” Azure’s voice was different in tone, and I immediately straightened up.

  He was hiding something, I could tell.

  “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in even if I wanted to,” I murmured, moodily recalling Elder Molric. “The old guy was pretty adamant about me starting my ‘real training’ today, right?”

  Azure hesitated before answering me. “Master, you’ve been unconscious for three days.”

  I shot upright so fast that my vision actually blurred. “Three days?”

  “Yes, it was worrying me,” Azure replied. “But I realized eventually what was going on. Your mortal body went into some type of hibernation state as the red sun began to modify it.”

  Still trying to process this information, I pulled off my shirt to examine the changes.

  My eyes widened at what I found.

  Tomas's once unremarkable frame had been fully sculpted - lean defined muscles now glinting where they clung to him like how I recalled when I first converted soul essence to physical essence back in my previous loop.

  I had matched the physical power of a third stage Qi Condensation expert back then.

  This body wasn't quite there yet, but surprisingly close.

  “Not bad,” I mouthed. “My current stats?”

  Azure displayed the information in my mind:

  Status Update - Current Body:

  Name: Tomas the Miller's Son

  Soul Essence: 103

  Spiritual Essence: 15/35

  Physical Essence: 14/22

  Skybound:

  Rank 1 Fundamental Rune:

  Type: Wood Based Fibonacci Spiral Tree Pattern

  Core: Red Sun Resonance

  Location: Heart Position

  I mulled that over. The spiritual energy from the red sun energy was interesting - about equivalent to a Peak 2nd Stage Qi Condensation cultivator in my world.

  Not that impressive in the wider scope compared to the 4th stage of my main body, but if I learned how to form this Fundamental Rune in my inner world, I could take this cultivation method back with me.

  The two power systems melded together might be just what I needed to defeat Chen Wu.

  “We should find Elder Molric,” I said pushing to my feet. “Apologise for sleeping in... although that feels like an understatement.”

  “Though given the state of his excitement for experiments, he may not have even noticed you were gone, Master."

  Fifteen minutes later, I stood before the door of Elder Molric's laboratory.

  As always, his voice answered me even before I could knock.

  “Come in.”

  The room looked much the same as I remembered it, though perhaps with a few more scorch marks on the ceiling. Elder Molric bent over a workbench, giving his full focus to another of his experiments.

  “Pay close attention,” he cautioned without glancing up. “This is attempt number one hundred and fifty at instructing plants to self-generate their own stabilizing runes.”

  My eyebrows went up slightly. Over a hundred of these in three days? His devotion was impressive, if disconcerting.

  The plant he was working with looked different, I realized. The stalk was thicker and more crystalline, and patches of strange patterns appeared to be trying to blossom just beneath the surface.

  Elder Molric began to trace out arcane paths with expert fingers before it, weaving threads of red energy into the air to stretch around the plant.

  The plant reacted instantly, rippling as it drew on the magic.

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  A few gaudy slashes of runic patterning began to form across its surface. There was more finesse to this than the grimmer attempts I’d previously recorded. The runes almost seemed to grow naturally.

  For a moment, it looked perfect.

  The runes began to stabilize, radiating out that silver glint that usually heralds success.

  The plant looked to be thriving, even animating its leaves a few shades brighter.

  Then it just… stopped living. Parts of the plant still had those crystalline patterns remaining, however, the organic matter rapidly shriveled and died in mere seconds.

  “Yes!” Elder Molric exclaimed brightly, starting to frantically scribble a note down. “Did you see? The runes stabilized for nearly thirty seconds following manifestation! And the plant did not explode this time!"

  "It was impressive, Master," I said before bowing. "I'm sorry I missed class, but it seems my body needed time to adjust to the rune."

  "Not at all, not at all. Quite normal, quite normal. I was expecting you to be out for at least seven days, actually." His eyes flicked back to his waterlogged husk of an experiment. "Could have fit in a few more tests..."

  I wanted to sigh. So, he'd been expecting this, but had not thought to tell me?

  Instead, he'd stressed me out about starting "real training" the next day when he knew full well I'd be unconscious?

  "As beings live longer," Azure told me, "their sense of time becomes quite distorted."

  That actually made sense. It was like how cultivators could spend centuries in closed-door cultivation as though it were nothing more than a short retreat. To someone like Elder Molric, three days probably felt like a brief nap which explained why he didn’t think to mention it.

  "Well then!" Elder Molric clapped his hands together quite loudly and nearly made me jump out of my skin. "Let us begin your training, shall we?"

  He half-steered me towards a clearer work bench, pulling out several scrolls he talked.

  "Rank one Skybound can do more than channel the red sun’s power though their Fundamental Rune. Yes, the rune increases your capacity and strengthens the body, but there is more! More!"

  He unrolled one of the scrolls to display a human body covered with complex runes.

  "You can inscribe additional runes to enhance specific physical attributes. Whether it be strength, speed, or durability – each can be amplified through proper runic inscription."

  Another scroll showed elemental diagrams.

  "Normally, elemental manipulation doesn't begin until Rank 2. But..." He gave me a considering look. “mm…given certain unique aspects of your case, I think we will take a different approach. We’ll break up your training so that half deals with the physical enhancements and the other half is preliminary elemental work.”

  That was perfect. Learning both types of runes would give me more options when I returned to my world. I could experiment with incorporating them into my cultivation technique, perhaps even...

  “Master,” Azure nudged me mentally, “pay attention. He’s still talking.”

  I tuned back in again. “…which means we’re starting with some Rank 1s…” Elder Molric had turned his back and started towards a wall lined with shelves. One good thud later, he turned back around, grinning wide.

  “The Complete Guide to Rank 1 Runic Inscriptions! I’ve written it myself! Every standard pattern any respectable Rank 1 would use…” He patted the guide fondly. “Of course, some would argue it’s possible you ought to try to devise your own… ha! But even I would admit that would be suicide at that stage.”

  With the time loop, I could safely tinker with creating new runes at my leisure, so long as they didn’t mess with the soul. And if something did go wrong? Reset it was. But that was a project for another time.

  “I’ve actually been wanting to go to the library,” I murmured, eyeing the book with interest. It seemed fate had saved me a trip.

  “For now, this book is all you’ll need,” Elder Molric said, flicking through the book before finding the page he was looking for. “There are three rudimentary runes that I think every initiate should know.”

  He pointed to the first. “Titan’s Crest. A simple strength enhancing rune perfect for Rank 1 practitioners.”

  Titan? The name caught my attention. I wondered what other mythical creatures existed. Most of the books I had read had almost solely been about the two suns and their effects.

  “Then the Blink Step rune,” Elder Molric said, turning to the next page. “Like the name suggests, it allows for sudden acceleration for a short amount of time, making it perfect for closing distances or dodging attacks. It’s a bit… flashy.”

  Well, that was actually interesting. I had yet to learn of an effective movement technique, and something like this could come in incredibly handy, especially if I could find a way to adapt it to my main body.

  “And finally, the Aegis Mark.” He showed me a complex design that was surrounded by circular patterns. "Creates a layer of temporary, invisible armor that absorbs both blunt and sharp force before it reaches the body."

  My mind flashed back to combat with Vayara. My attack had been Phantom Strike, if I remembered correctly, and I dealt virtually zero damage. This must have been what she used, or something similar.

  Elder Molric looked up from the book, staring at me in calculation. “If you can become skilled with these three. Combined with your ... natural ability to manipulate plants,” he said meaningfully. “You should be able to defeat most, if not all, of the Rank 1 practitioners.”

  There was something about the way he said it that set my instincts screaming. The emphasis on combat capability felt as if he was preparing me for something...

  Elder Molric must have noticed my expression because he immediately had a great deal of interest on suddenly reorganising some papers on the desk.

  I continued to stare at him, not letting this slide.

  “Ah, well. I may have heard some rumors. Nothing, ah, that you should worry yourself overmuch about. Simply that one of the initiates has been...” he cleared his throat daintily, “...searching the academy, looking to challenge you to a duel.”

  “Which one?” I asked, though I already had a feeling I knew where this was going.

  “Oh, what was his name...” Elder Molric mumbled. “Ha Something? That’s not it. Azar? No no... Ah, well, you don’t need to concern yourself with his name,” he added sheepishly.

  I had been expecting something like this since arriving at the academy. Being genre savvy was a bit like having precognition. Certain things were practically guaranteed to happen.

  "You see," Elder Molric explained, still trying to act casual, "now that you're an initiate with your Fundamental Rune complete, you'll be fair game for duel challenges." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "From what I hear, this one is very eager to... ah... make a name for himself by taking down an elder's personal disciple."

  Face. It was always about face.

  "But don't worry!" Elder Molric was practically grinning now. "At this rate, you'll have learned to use an elemental rune or two before he finally tracks you down. Won't he be in for a nasty surprise when he discovers his opponent can do more than just enhance his body?”

  I had to hold back a smile at that.

  That's right, every one of these showdowns ended that way - the arrogant challenger discovering their opponent had powers they hadn't expected. You'd think that these guys would learn eventually, but no one ever seemed to. It was practically tradition by now.

  Elder Molric moved to another bench and pulled out some Blank Canvas Lilies. "For the moment, let's concentrate on the Titan's Crest. Learn the pattern here first and then once you're confident, you can inscribe this anywhere on your body."

  A thought struck me. "Is there any chance of explosion this time?"

  Elder Molric laughed. "Not if you get the pattern right! Well... maybe rather small, less than a 1% chance. Nothing to worry about."

  “Master,” Azure whispered in my mind. “I don't think we can trust his safety assessment.”

  I sighed. At least this time the elder had admitted to the possibility of explosion before we discovered it the hard way.

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