Chapter 102: The Break
Chapter 102: The Break
Li Yi exhaled slowly, his eyes suddenly gleaming with silver light as he placed his brush down steadily.
As his brush moved, it created patterns that were clear in their density and spacing, supple yet with an iron core. At times it was steep and perilous, at others light and elegant, but it never lost its nimble, fluid quality, like drifting clouds or a startling dragon.
With a lift of the brush, a “Frostwind Rune” was completed in one go.
A clear radiance flashed, and a deep, restless roar stirred forth, its sound like the awakening of a majestic Dragon Turtle at the waking of insects!
As the light faded, within the strokes of this normally colorless Frostwind Rune, a sliver of bright white actually solidified, resembling a clear and beautiful amber.
“Not bad, growing more and more skilled, getting the hang of it.” Li Yi examined it closely, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
For him, first-grade runes were already familiar and easy to handle.
The difficulty lay in integrating a wisp of concentrated Dragon-Turtle Qi into every single rune.
This was by no means useless work. If the entire Armed Equipment was composed of such “enhanced runes,” resonating with Zhang Mingshi’s bloodline and interacting with his Battle Aura, its majestic power, conservatively estimated, could be strengthened by twenty percent!
A full twenty percent!
This was Li Yi’s principle: either don’t do it, or if you do, do it to the best of your ability.
A sharp pain rose between his brows, and he slightly frowned, quickly closing his eyes and taking deep, slow breaths.
Creating these “enhanced runes” required intense focus, and the mental toll was especially astonishing.
Eyes closed, Li Yi’s thoughts drifted, and he quietly began to ponder.
“The Zhang family’s ‘Whirl Turtle’ bloodline originates from Zhang Jiuling, and is one of the top-tier bloodlines. My Soul Manifestation can actually stand toe-to-toe with it? That being the case, my own bloodline, wouldn’t it be…”
Soul Manifestation is both the outward sign of a bloodline’s activation and also the might of the soul. A Dragon’s Dragon’s Aura arises from this.
And in Li Yi, that Soul Manifestation was a fierce Dragon’s Aura blended from several strange and sinister pressures!
The awakening of his Soul Manifestation came from that death-shadow-like mental spike. And just yesterday, on a whim, Li Yi actively triggered it and actually succeeded in one go.
Looking at it this way, he had gained another method.
Soul Manifestation didn’t require Mana; it directly drew upon one’s Soul Origin. It was vast and powerful, and hard to guard against!
Moreover, combining soul pressure with Snap, or mental spells like Divine Intent Lion’s Roar, was a perfect match, its power unpredictable.
It was a pity he was still some distance from the Spell Apprentice realm.
Otherwise, upon reaching the Spell Apprentice realm, the ways to use it would increase tenfold!
“The three thousand White Crystals need to be obtained as soon as possible…”
As the pain between his brows subsided slightly, Li Yi opened his eyes and happened to look across.
“Oh?”
Across from him was Yan He, who was processing magical materials.
His gaze seemed magnetically drawn, and he froze for a moment.
Yan He’s expression was focused, his eyes never straying, his movements precise and seamless, his look one of intense obsession. His entire mind and body were immersed in alchemy.
This kind of precise and powerful concentration made even Li Yi feel a bit unnerved just watching.
Alchemy might not be the most difficult part, but it was the most tedious, complicated, and boring step.
For example, the core material—the Raging Bear’s heart—needed to be processed successively by several extreme attributes like Starfire, Corpse Flame, Prison Fire, Abyssal Breath, and Mystic Ice, with strict requirements for heat, timing, and technique. Additionally, during this process, over a thousand other materials needed to be added in strict amounts and specific sequences.
Li Yi had once mocked Yan He for his rigid thinking, but on the other hand, his strength lay exactly here—extreme focus!
He noticed that throughout the entire alchemy process, Yan He’s gaze never wavered once, frighteningly single-minded.
“Master Wu Yi’s disciples, could any of them be incompetent?”
Sighing inwardly, Li Yi’s opinion of Yan He shifted slightly.
…
Three dark figures suddenly appeared before him.
“Li Yi, slacking off again?” Zhang Yu gave a cold laugh; his skill at making accusations hadn’t dulled one bit.
“Again? When have I ever slacked off before?” Li Yi couldn’t be bothered to look up, speaking indifferently. “Besides, I’m resting… the morning’s tasks are already finished.”
“What? Don’t talk nonsense. We are here to…” Zhang Yu started to say something, but a row of brilliantly shining runes on the Alchemy Platform made him wisely shut his mouth.
“Let me see.” Luo Liang grabbed one, examined it for a moment, and immediately flew into a rage. He raised it overhead and smashed it fiercely on the ground. “What are these things? These aren’t standard runes!”
Li Yi completely ignored Luo Liang’s act, turning his head to look at Zhou Xun with his profile.
Zhou Xun was the leader and designer.
“The Whirl Turtle bloodline belongs to the water and earth elements. For that reason, I added a hint of Mana with a similar attribute.” Li Yi explained calmly. “Such runes harmonize secretly with the Zhang family bloodline, allowing the entire Armed Equipment to have a stronger effect.”
“So, you altered my blueprint?” Hearing this, Zhou Xun’s face darkened.
“To support the effect of the runes, I made a few minor modifications.” Li Yi stood up straight, handing over the paper draft, thinking to himself, “Your blueprint? Your face is pretty thick…”
Regarding that “Mighty Bear’s Strength” Armed Equipment, Zhou Xun had indeed made some adjustments on the standard blueprint. However, they were all minor tweaks around the edges, neither harming the overall design nor being particularly useful. Frankly, just superficial touches.
Zhou Xun took it and, without even looking, folded the paper draft in front of him and tore it in half!
“What are you doing?” A rush of anger surged in Li Yi’s chest and stomach, and his face abruptly turned cold.
“What are you?” Zhou Xun sneered, his expression arrogant and filled with pride. “I am Zhang Baichi’s direct disciple! And you? Not to mention that Wu Yi is far inferior to my master, you’re not even considered his disciple yet! What right do you have to modify my blueprint?”
Luo Liang’s expression was indifferent. Nearby, Yan He’s finger was grazed by Starfire, and he let out a muffled grunt.
Li Yi’s face was icy, but internally, he suddenly understood.
It seemed Zhou Xun was dissatisfied that he was stealing too much limelight, gaining a dominant position, and wanted to drive him away…
“Li Yi, you too, you’re too impatient! You want to run before you can even walk?” Luo Liang approached, playing along, “Apologize now!”
“Shut up!” Li Yi’s eyes turned sharp, and a faint Dragon’s Aura stirred around him. The momentary ferocious intimidation actually made Luo Liang’s spirit tremble, and he took a step back.
“What kind of attitude is this?” Luo Liang snapped out of it, greatly ashamed and angered.
“And what kind of attitude is that?” Li Yi did not back down, his tone forceful as he retorted, “As a disciple of Master Wu Yi, you constantly help others and suppress your fellow disciple! Luo Liang, you don’t harbor disloyal thoughts, do you…”
“You… you’re talking nonsense!” Hearing this, Luo Liang’s expression changed dramatically.
“Oh, I understand.” Li Yi looked around at the three of them, smacking his forehead as if having a sudden realization.
“Understand what?” Zhou Xun asked coldly.
“If you want to drive me away, just say it directly. No need for all this trouble.” Li Yi sneered, then seemed to remember something, clapping as if in praise. “Oh, right. If I left in anger, not only would it make me seem incompetent, but also petty, while you’d bear no responsibility at all… Tsk tsk, truly a fine method. Admirable, admirable!”
Li Yi’s words were like knives, exposing their calculations. The three of them immediately looked extremely grim.
“Forget it, I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ll leave on my own!” Li Yi shrugged and stood up.
“Wait, I’m leaving too!”
“Senior Brother Yan He?” Li Yi was stunned upon hearing this. What was this about?
“Apologies, I cannot work together with someone who insults my master.” Yan He narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in the slits.
“Yan He—senior brother,” Luo Liang paused before uttering ‘senior brother,’ his tone threatening, “I know you’ve never been very well off. Seven thousand Magic Crystals is not a small amount… Don’t let a moment of impulse make you miss a good opportunity and regret it later!”
Yan He’s expression was serene, and he smiled faintly: “I am not very capable, I speak too much, I am vain, I like to gild my own reputation… I know all these things. I also know that not just you, but even ordinary disciples of the Butian Pavilion look down on me. That’s fine. I was never an outstanding person to begin with. I don’t care.”
At this point, he looked at Luo Liang and said softly, “However, I at least remember four words—respect for teachers and their teachings!”
Luo Liang flushed red, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.
“Senior Brother, today, you’ve made me see you in a new light multiple times.”
“Only discovering my strengths today?”
The two smiled at each other, put their arms around each other’s shoulders, and left.
“Putting on an act…” Zhang Yu watched their departing backs, his face full of resentment.
Beside him, Zhou Xun picked up the torn blueprint, flipped through it casually, and after a moment, his face turned ashen.
“How is it?”
Zhou Xun remained expressionless, crumpling it into waste paper, and said flatly, “Nothing but useless whimsy!”