“Okay, let’s get started.” Elder Molric said, raising his hand. “First thing we’ll need is a proper training area.”

  My eyes widened as a crimson glow poured from his fingers, forming intricate runic designs in the air. The runes grew exponentially fast, encasing the entire lab in an illuminated grid that hurt to look at directly.

  “Master,” Azure said, “those forms have such a complex spatial arrangement.”

  I agreed with him. Every rune twisted in impossible ways; viewing them was akin to viewing a four-dimensional shape in three-dimensional space. There were thousands of them, all synchronized in the same manner.

  Then reality... warped – that was the best way to describe it.

  The walls of the lab began to undulate and flow like water, expanding outward to immeasurable distances. The ceiling stretched upward until it disappeared into darkness. The floor converted to a terrestrial surface; grass, rocks, and a tiny stream appeared as though they’d existed there forever.

  I struggled to comprehend what I was witnessing.

  While intellectually I understood that higher-ranking practitioners could accomplish incredibly difficult feats; novels I’ve read were filled with immortal beings who could reshape mountains and create pocket universes. Hell, my cultivation technique involved creating an entirely new universe.

  But watching something like this happen in front of you, watching someone manipulate reality itself in such a casual manner...

  “Isn’t it fascinating?” Elder Molric grinned at my expression. “Rank 7 practitioners can manifest physical objects from nothing. If we are skilled enough, we can make them last permanently.” He pointed to the various glowing forms in the ground. “However, this is just temporary - once we’re finished with training, it’ll go back to normal.”

  Elder Molric winked at me as he pointed to the glowing shapes in the ground. “I also set up absorption arrays in every section of the training area. They will collect and purify ambient red sun energy, allowing you to replenish some of the energy you burn during training. That should allow you to train for longer periods of time without completely depleting your reserve.”

  The vine around my neck pulled tighter slightly, clearly as unsettled by this casual demonstration of power as I was.

  I placed my hand on the vine to reassure it.

  “Well!” The elder clapped his hands together. “Time to start with the Vine Whip rune. Let’s see what you can do without using any runes first; I want to establish a base line.”

  I nodded, calling upon the raw energy contained within the miniature red sun located within my inner world. The vine around my neck unwound, preparing to assist in whatever I created.

  I focused my mind on the grass surrounding us, merging individual strands into one long vine by channeling energy through it.

  This took several seconds – many more than I would prefer in a real battle.

  “That’s good, good,” Elder Molric nodded. “Now, let’s see how you do controlling multiple vines.”

  I clenched my teeth and attempted to create a second vine, keeping my original vine under control. This was like attempting to write with both hands simultaneously – it could be done, but it would be clumsy.

  The vines flailed wildly, hardly reacting to my commands.

  “As I expected,” the elder pondered. “Your natural control is superb, but dividing your attention significantly reduces your accuracy.”

  He nodded toward my new rune. “Try it with the Vine Whip now.”

  I channeled energy through my Fundamental Rune, allowing it to flow into the whip pattern on my hand. The result was instantaneous – three vines sprang from the grass, moving with a fluidity I’d never been able to achieve previously.

  “The rune handles the basic control framework,” Elder Molric explained. “All you need to do is guide their general movement. See, it’s much more efficient!”

  He was right. In previous attempts, I had to consciously maintain the integrity and movement of each vine; now, they reacted to my intent almost instantaneously. I directed them to perform complex patterns in the air, testing the limits of their agility.

  “Excellent control!” Elder Molric beamed. “Now, let’s see how you do under some pressure.” He snapped his fingers and instantly we were surrounded by 12 training dummies in a circle around us.

  Each of the dummies was approximately the same size as I was, and were featureless humanoid figures made of soft-glowing red light. They swayed and shifted in a way that caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise.

  “Master,” Azure observed, “it appears their movement patterns are random; however I believe we may be able to identify some patterns.”

  I nodded slightly, watching the dummies as they moved. They ran and dodged around the grass, barely placing their feet on the ground. One would sprint towards me, then abruptly alter course mid-step, while another would leap and twist through the air like a dancer.

  However, after only a short period, I began to notice a pattern – they were moving in figure-eight patterns that overlapped one another, each one slightly displaced from the others.

  My vines launched themselves in a coordinated attack. The first vine swung low, causing three of the dummies to jump. The second vine arced over to catch them mid-air, while the third vine struck directly at a fourth dummy that was attempting to slip through the opening.

  Each strike drew the dummies closer together, gradually constricting the circle.

  “Good strategy,” Elder Molric called out. “But don’t forget – in a real fight, you’ll need to do more than just control their movement.”

  As if on cue, the dummies’ hands began to glow. They raised their palms in unison, firing a barrage of red energy bolts that crackled through the air like angry fireflies.

  Quickly, I wove two of my vines into a cross shape, creating a living shield that the bolts bounced harmlessly against. The third vine continued to assault the dummies through openings in their formation whenever they occurred.

  “Much better!” Elder Molric gestured, and six additional dummies materialized about us.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  These dummies were armed with red sun energy blades and spears, which immediately joined the fray, leaving trails of light as they cut and thrust.

  “Now, let’s see if we can improve your timing. The key to successful vine control is...”

  I noticed a quick flash of movement out of the corner of my eye – one of the dummies had disappeared.

  Instinctively, I activated Blink Step, and the world blurred for a moment as I teleported three meters to the side.

  In time – literally in time – a red energy blade sliced through the space where my head had been.

  Before the dummy could recover, my vines were already in motion. Two of them struck its legs while the third wrapped around its sword arm, immobilizing it completely.

  “Excellent reflexes!” Elder Molric’s tone expressed genuine approval. “The runes are already developing into instinctive reactions. Now, let’s see how you incorporate your pet vine as well.”

  The vine around my neck didn’t require much encouragement – it immediately unwound, its dark green length nearly indistinguishable from the dummies.

  It moved like a snake, weaving through energy bolts and swinging blades to slam into the nearest dummy’s chest. In conjunction with my other vines, it generated a web of defense that blocked and redirected incoming attacks from multiple angles simultaneously.

  “Don’t you see how much smoother this is?” Elder Molric gestured toward the vines as they moved in harmony, blocking, attacking, and rearranging themselves in a fluid motion. “The rune standardizes the energy flow, allowing you to concentrate on tactics instead of basic control.”

  He was right again.

  Although I was working with four vines simultaneously – deflecting energy bolts, tripping dummies, wrapping around sword arms, and protecting myself from spear thrusts – I felt no mental strain as I worked.

  The rune maintained all the minute details of energy flow and structural support, freeing me to observe the dummies as they moved and plan my next series of attacks.

  “Well,” Elder Molric’s eyes lit up, “now let’s try something more interesting.” He waved his hand, and four additional training dummies appeared that radiated ominous colors. “Those ones explode when they’re destroyed. Show me how you’d avoid that.”

  Attacking directly would be hazardous – I needed a means to disable the dummies without setting off their explosive properties. Perhaps if I...

  “Master,” Azure interrupted my thoughts, “the Explosive Seed rune could be helpful here. We could generate a local shockwave to disrupt their movement without blowing them up, but please, be careful – too much energy will cause an explosion.”

  That... was actually a great idea. I directed energy into the seed rune on my finger, observing as a small, dark seed manifested.

  I used one of my vines to gently take hold of the seed, and pull it back as far as it could. Then, I told the vine to snap forward, sending the seed flying toward where the four dummies had bunched up together. Timing was everything here...

  “Now!” Azure shouted.

  I detonated the seed just as it approached the dummies. The blast wasn’t terribly strong, but it was sufficient to throw them off-balance.

  Before the dummies could recover, my vines shot forth in perfect synchrony. One vine wrapped around each of the dummies’ legs while another ensnared each of their arms, being cautious not to bind them too tightly.

  “Very creative!” Elder Molric exclaimed in approval. “Great use of hybrid techniques.”

  He waved his hand again, dispersing the trapped dummies, and generating a new group. These dummies were roughly twice my height, with what appeared to be bronze-plated armor on their bodies.

  One of them stepped forward from my left, its massive footprints creating large depressions in the grass. Two more dummies circled to my right, while the final three dummies positioned themselves behind me in a pincer formation.

  “Show me how you deal with targets that cannot be easily restricted,” Elder Molric said, watching as the armored giants advanced on me from all sides. “And remember — the Explosive Seed rune has uses beyond just a simple detonation.”

  I frowned slightly as I followed their movements.

  The one to my left was closest, its massive arm swinging backward to prepare for a strike. Three of the dummies were advancing on my rear, their heavy footfalls creating a drum-beat-like sound.

  The rune’s energy cost was greater than Vine Whip, but it was more versatile than I’d anticipated. Maybe if I...

  Working quickly, I created four seeds and instructed the vines to move – one vine swept low to place a seed while another arced high to deposit another, weaving between the dummies’ attacks as they assaulted me.

  In mere seconds, I had established a perfect square of seeds around me, just as three of the armored giants entered range.

  The vine around my neck sensed my intent and unwound, rapidly extending and interlacing around my body to form a lattice. Its usual dark green hue developed a metallic sheen as it hardened, producing a flexible armor that covered me from neck to ankle.

  Rather than detonate the seeds immediately, I flowed energy through the rune in a rhythmic pattern, similar to a pulse.

  Dark green shoots erupted from the seeds, spreading through the earth faster than the dummies could respond. I saw the ground ripple as the root system extended, establishing a web of glowing lines connecting each of the four points.

  The nearest dummy’s fists were less than a meter from my face when I released the accumulated energy.

  The force of the explosion hit my living shield, but the vine absorbed most of the energy, flexing and distributing the rest harmlessly around me.

  Three of the armored constructs were not so fortunate – they flew through the air like discarded dolls, hitting the ground nearly twenty meters away in separate areas and creating small craters.

  The remaining dummies stumbled backward as they were struck by the residual energy.

  “Excellent!” Elder Molric applauded. “Using the root network to channel the explosion — very clever! And that defensive adjustment with your vine companion… most impressive. However, you should probably work on decreasing the time required to set that up.”

  I nodded as my vine unwound from its armor configuration, returning to its usual placement around my neck while maintaining a slightly more alert demeanor.

  The basic principle was solid, but in a real battle, I’d need to act much quicker.

  During the next hour, there was hardly a second when I wasn’t moving or adapting to the constant changes being added to our battle simulation. The Vine Whip rune allowed me to consistently manage multiple vines simultaneously, the Explosive Seed provided me with range capabilities and crowd control, and Blink Step gave me the ability to avoid being cornered.

  Every time I began to settle into a rhythm, Elder Molric introduced new variables.

  At times, the dummies would separate into smaller forms when hit. At other times, they would reform unless they were completely eliminated. Sometimes the dummies would even utilize their own runes to attack – they were the most difficult to combat.

  Each of these variations forced me to think creatively and to find ways to combine my techniques in different ways.

  “Don’t forget,” Elder Molric shouted as I barely dodged a particularly hazardous energy blast, “the runes are tools for you to use, not crutches. Do not let them hinder your thinking!”

  He had a point. I relied heavily on the normal vine configurations that the Vine Whip rune created. But perhaps if I altered the energy flow pattern...

  I channeled energy through the Vine Whip rune differently and attempted to recreate some of the modifications I had achieved by manipulating raw energy.

  Surprisingly, the vines developed spiny protrusions and a metallic sheen similar to the results Elder Molric’s experiments had produced.

  “Now that is more like it!” The elder’s approval was evident. “The base patterns are merely the beginning. When you understand the energy flow, you can modify the outcomes!”

  Empowered by this realization, I experimented further. I found that I could vary the amount of energy I put into the runes, thus changing the properties of both my vines and explosive seeds. With greater amounts of energy, the blows I delivered were stronger, but my ability to control the movement was lessened. Conversely, less energy allowed for more accurate movements, but resulted in a loss of raw strength.

  After what seemed like hours of non-stop fighting, Elder Molric finally stopped the simulation. The training dummies dissipated into tiny crimson lights, leaving the transformed laboratory eerily silent.

  “Well done!” he exclaimed, appearing to be truly happy. “You’ve made great strides in learning the basic uses of your abilities. Although you might want to work on your endurance – you look a little exhausted.”

  That was an understatement.

  Even with the formations operating continuously to restore any energy I lost, my red sun energy reserves were completely drained and even the miniature sun inside my inner world was significantly dimmer than normal. Every single muscle in my body ached from continuous activity, and my mind felt foggy from having to maintain so many techniques at once.

  “Here” the elder threw me what looked to be a small crystal. “Absorption Stone. This will allow you to restore your energy more quickly.”

  I caught the crystal, and felt an instantaneous decrease in fatigue as it began converting the ambient red sun energy into a usable form for my body.

  “Thank you, Master.”

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